Family Pictures at the Arboretum

On Wednesday, we took family pictures at the arboretum. Deanna (http://www.devine-memories.com) took our pictures and we can't wait to see them! After our pictures, I stayed with the kids and we had a picnic and I let them explore and play. I will be sure to share our proofs when we get them--Deanna is the most amazing photographer and we have used her as our family photographer since our kids were infants. She took their first professional pictures when they had been home from the hospital for only 2 weeks, so she has known my kids for almost 5 years now. I just wanted to share a few of MY pictures from the arboretum :)

Memorial Day at The Devlin's

We had a fun, beautiful day at The Devlin's. Thank you Amy and Brian for having us! It is so much easier to enjoy all of the kids at the pool this year!! Looking forward to many, fun times swimming and BBQ'ing. YAY summer!!

Memorial Party at the Dowd's (Sunday)

The Dowd's has a Memorial Day party last Sunday and we were so glad they included us. My kids LOVE going to their house (so do we), but it is a children's paradise. All of our kids played really well together and they all had a blast. It was so nice to chat and have fun with the adults, while the kiddos ran around played. Mimi and David are the best hosts--we had yummy food, great drinks, and wonderful company!

**We took tons of pictures of the kids, but none of the adults, so I had to steal this one from Facebook, so just a small pic of the "Mommy's".

Last Day of School

The Thursday before last, May 21, was our last day of school. It was an unexpected flow of emotions. I cried when I dropped them off and I cried more when I went to pick them up (as were many of my Mommy friends which of course made it worse). I think the last few weeks, I have realized how old Reese and Collin are getting. This is bitter sweet. Of course as they grow older, you can appreciate and connect on a more mature level, but it also means they are growing up and time is passing by WAY too fast. One of the biggest advantages to having them home with me another year, is MORE time with them. Not only is it more time, but it is at an age/time where it is really fun to go do things with them.

I am going to miss Reese and Collin's teachers so much, we will see them next year, but they won't be our teachers anymore. I feel that each of them had teachers that were a perfect fit for each of their personalities. I am also going to miss the friends (both theirs and mine) that we have made over the last 3 years (most of them are going onto Kindergarten). I love that my kids have become close to many of the classmates and that us parents have shared much of our children's preschool years together. We have watched each others kids change, mature and grow and these are friendships I truly treasure. So, while I am sad and I hate change, we do still have a few friends who will be in TK with my kids AND I believe we will stay in touch with those that mean the most to us!

The last day of school was pajama day! Jeff went with me to pick them up (we surprised them) and they were so excited. Thank you Kidzworld for another WONDERFUL year!!!

Kidzworld End-of-Year Carnival

Yesterday, was the end-of-year carnival at school. They had tons of booths/activities set up for the kids and they has a blast. I enjoyed spending most of the day with them and watching them have such a good time.

Soccer Update

I thought I would do a little update about soccer. We have now had 5 games, so only 3 to go. Overall, the experience has been a pretty good one, our coaches are really light hearted, not too pushy and really sweet with the kids.

Reese loves soccer. She is quick and her skills have come a long way. She gets really excited about practice and the games and participates as much as they will let her. This last game, she was disappointed she didn't score a goal, but I had to remind her that she BLOCKED several of the other teams goals and that is just as important as scoring.

Collin, on the other hand, does NOT like soccer. Practices are okay, but he does not enjoy the games. He does not like the other teams taking the ball from him and I don't think he likes all of the cheering/yelling, strange since he is the LOUDEST kids I know....heehee. I have signed him up for a soccer camp, that is in the evenings one week in June, but after that we will be taking a long break from soccer (at least for Collin). Then, if he decides he wants to try again, we will.

Preschool Graduation

Last Tuesday night, Reese and Collin had preschool graduation. Is this even possible? Are they actually old enough to have ANY type of graduation? I can't believe my babies are about to be five years old. I am feeling a little emotional that we are reaching a crossroads where most of our friends, we have been with in preschool, are now heading to Kindergarten. I have decided to put Reese and Collin in "Transitional Kindergarten" at Kidzworld. This is basically private kindergarten, but meant for kids who are being held back, or who barely missed the cut off for going onto Kindergarten. Reese and Collin's birthday is August 27th, and I just feel they both could use another year to mature a little more, plus their Mommy could use another year of them being at home. I am SO NOT READY for them to go to school full time and thrilled I have a little more time with my babies.

At graduation, both of my kiddos made us so proud. Collin rocked it out when his class performed and he kept the audience laughing....go figure. All of the teachers handed out individual awards for each of the kids. Collin received the "I'm Glad I'm Me" award. Ms. Rachael went on to say that Collin is completely comfortable in his own skin. He is confident and independent, and happy to do his own thing. I can't think of many qualities I would rather my child have than confidence.

Reese sang with her class as well and she did a wonderful job too! She is really coming out of her shell and it is so fun to watch. Ms. Nish gave Reese the "Independence" award. Ms. Nish went on to say that she does things her own way and does it joyfully. She doesn't need her friends approval, just does what she thinks is right and with a smile on her face and joy in her heart. After the ceremony, both teachers commented on how they had not even discussed the awards that were being given. The ironic thing was, that both of them described Reese and Collin in such similar ways.

After the graduation program, their was a reception in the church and the kids had some cookies and juice and enjoyed their friends. After, we headed to Double Dip for a little ice cream with the Armondo's. I am so proud of Reese and Collin and so thrilled to be their Mommy. I am looking forward to a wonderful summer and one last year of them being home with me.