last day of school

...Like Noah, Rhett has changed this year and learned so many things! Here is Rhett on the first day of school:

And here he is on the last:
I am wishing I fixed his hair this morning but I guess that is okay. Here is one where he is fake smiling. Something about 2nd grade changes kids' smiles into this wide grimace. I wonder if he is thinking, "Why do I have to stand here and take another picture? Why Mom why!!"

Rhett has gone through at least 3 different lengths of jeans and 3 pairs of tennis shoes. He wears out everything he wears and outgrows it so fast I can't keep up! He is also on his third pair of glasses since the first picture. He likes to grow his hair out, then gets sick of it and wants it short, but not too short! He thinks he is hilarious but so does his friends in class. He is also one of the nicest friends one could ever ask for. So genuine, so caring and so responsible. PE is his favorite class and he doesn't like to have math homework. Rhett loves to read and has been reading the Percy Jackson series that I have mentioned before on the blog. He is ready to read the last book of the series now and he loves the story so much! Rhett also loves his teacher and revealed to me last night how much he'll miss her. Aww. What a sweetie.

I don't know if I can think about him being a 3rd grader next year right now. I do know that I am going to just enjoy the summer with my two boys and just try to have the most fun we can have.

Noah's friends invited him to the zoo this morning, so we are going to go there before school and then we have end-of-year parties and then...it is over. I hope you have a great day and if it is your last day of school, then enjoy!

Noah, kindergarten graduate

...School is almost over and taking a page from my sister's blog, I am showing you a couple of pictures of Noah on his first day of school and then some of his almost last day of school.

On the first day of school, Noah was so apprehensive. I remember when he was walking in his classroom with his new friends, he turned around, spotted me and yelled, "I love you, Mom!" Every other parent "aahh-ed" while I held back tears.

This is Noah, age 5 in August of '08:


This is Noah, age 6, yesterday:

This year he has lost 5 teeth, learned how to read and is now reading chapter books!, painted like Monet and Degas, loves to keep his hair short and spiky, loves his DS and Wii and would play these all day if I let him, found a new best friend and a couple of girlfriends, still is so stubborn but doesn't lose his temper as fast as he used to, played soccer and is going to play t-ball, loves to find plants for the garden and call them his own, still is sweet and thankfully, still loves to snuggle. He is a charmer and he is my moody child. This summer we are going to work on learning to tie shoes (even though he doesn't have laces on his shoes) and buttoning his pants. Fine motor skills. :)

At the graduation, Noah tried so hard not to smile. He kept twisting his mouth to try to stop the smile from coming. I think he loves attention but tries not to show it, what do you think?

They sang a song and then was handed their diploma. That was pretty much it for the ceremony. We then had cookies and lemonade. Rhett missed some class to see his brother graduate, which I thought was sweet. He even missed his class's talent show, although if he knew that, I don't know if he would have gone to the graduation. I am glad he came though so Noah had some family out there in the audience. Unfortunately, Seth couldn't be there because he was out of town on business. So having Rhett there made me happy.

Noah and me:

Noah, congratulations! We are so proud of you and we love you very much.

It's coming

...National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2009. A while ago, I sent a letter to the governor of Oklahoma and asked him to declare "Oklahoma Pollinator Week." Well, a week ago, I received a letter and a proclamation that he did indeed do this. Now, I am not naive in thinking it was just because of my letter...I am sure their were many letters (or I hope) and he might have already been planning on doing this...but it still was exciting.

So far, there are 39 states celebrating this week as National Pollinator Week. My hope is that everyone does something that week to help "celebrate." The button on the left of my blog links back to a website that has suggestions and events in various states. Since none are planned in Oklahoma yet, I am going to have to come up with something on my own. I will fill you in when I have thought of something. I do know that I am going to make sure my kids are aware and I will be doing something everyday with them.

As it gets closer to June 22, I will try to post links to articles and ways to help. I am just trying to do my part.

On the same subject, my butterfly garden is ready for butterflies! The only thing lacking is a milkweed plant, which I am having trouble finding. But we have flowers of all kinds that bloom at different times in the summer. We have a waterhole filled with composted dirt and when butterflies start showing up, I will place a couple of very ripe bananas there as well. We have rocks that will be a perfect place for butterflies to sun themselves. We have already seen many bees on our flowering trees. Now if I could find a way to keep some of those neighbor kids to leave them alone, we will be all set. (One kid thinks catching bees is great fun. It just makes me mad and worried he'll get stung).

Have a great day!

a recap

...This past week was busy! Nana and Pop came to visit, Rhett was promoted, Noah had Ocean Day at school, most of us went to Friona to see cousins and celebrate a milestone and now it is the last week of school! Here are a couple of pictures:

Rhett is now a Bear Cub. Yay! He gets to wear a blue scarf instead of a yellow. It also means he has a whole new set of requirements to fulfill. :) Nana and Pop were there to witness the event and he came home so excited. I was not there because I had a Swim Team Meeting. The boys are joining the neighborhood swim team and I think that will be a lot of fun for them.

Friday, I went to school with Noah because they celebrated Ocean Day. It was basically a "get really wet" day but they had a lot of fun. One of the perks was that each kindergartener got to choose his/her own goldfish. Noah chose a silver one and his friend and neighbor chose an orange one. This is an important detail so remember it. Because our neighbors were going out of town for the next week, they asked if we could babysit their goldfish while they were gone. Sure, we said.

Then, the boys and I left town as well. Seth was left in charge to care for all of the fish that we now have. He called on Sunday afternoon with the news that one of the goldfish jumped ship. Literally, he jumped out of the aquarium. How does a small goldfish do that? I don't know. I asked which one. The orange one. Our neighbor's goldfish!!! Of course. He was already so upset to leave his fish in the first place and now it is gone. Good thing it had no markings. I'll be making a trip to the petstore later in the week to replace it. Although, we may have to tell them because the boys know and they will not be able to keep this a secret.

My grandparents celebrated their 65th Anniversary on May 15. My mom had cake and a little party for them this past Sunday. My sister Jana and her kids, my brother and his son and the boys and I were there to help eat the cake. It was great to see them. 65 years is amazing! In the picture with my grandparents is Nicolas, Noah, Rhett and Cameron. Nicolas' sister, Isabel was napping so that is why she is not in the picture. We all were slightly worried because Noah is sitting on Grandad's leg that has a brace on it. He has had 3 knee replacements and Noah tends to jump on laps. Thankfully, he was mostly careful.

This week will be busy as well, but I am happy it is the last week. Summer, here we come!

even the dogs are happy

...

7:10- Rhett runs into the room and yells at me. "Mom, it's time to get up!"
7:15- I start ironing the huge pile of shirts that have accumulated in 2-3 months time.
7:22- "Mom, you are going to have to take me to school. We are running late. It is already 7:22!" Rhett, the bus comes at 8:22. "Oohh. Never mind."
8:15- Taking a break from ironing, I put sunscreen on Rhett and make sure he has a water bottle. Today is Field Day!
9:10- Noah wakes up. I fix him breakfast and let him watch a little tv. After all, I am still ironing.
10:00- Noah's friend comes over.
10:30- Ironing finished! Whew. 3 hours later, I make myself promise never to wait that long again.
10:45- Get a shower.
11:30- Fix a lunch of chicken noodle soup (for Noah), hot dog (for friend), and salad for me. I am the only one who eats what I fixed. So, an hour later...
12:30- Nutra-Grain bars for a snack. Noah and friend get shoes on, sunscreen on and head toward the car.
12:45- We leave. Yes, it took 15 minutes for all of that to happen.
1:00- The kids are dropped off and my friend and I wait for a few minutes in the school parking lot because we both signed on to help for Field Day.
1:15-We find the PE teacher and she assigns us each a station. We wonder why there are no other parents around.
1:30-3:00- I continusly chase mini-basketballs and pass them back to children seated on scooters. I am sweaty, hot and no longer wondering why there are no other parents around. Duh.
3:10- We leave for home. I fix myself a bowl of cereal and turn on the computer.
3:26- Rhett calls from school. He doesn't want to ride the bus today. Could I pick him up?
3:28- Head back to the school. Find the boys, and slowly drive out of the car-packed parking lot.
3:35- Mom calls. Can't talk because we are off to get smoothies with a neighbor.
3:45- We hit Starbucks instead. We both need a shot of caffeine. Field Day was exhausting after all.
4:15- Rhett looks like he hasn't had a bath in days (popsicle at school and cinnamon roll at Starbucks and a trend of not wiping the face makes for one messy kid) so I lecture him on the importance of hygeine. We head for home.
4:30- The boys stay at my neighbor's house for a while. I finally get back to the computer. But the cereal I had to throw out.
5:00-Boys home. They play the Wii for a bit.
5:20- 2 other friends come over. We all play outside and have a great time.
6:00-Bye friends. Supper time already?
6:20- Tuna fish is ready!
6:48- Finally call my mom back.
7:05- Outside again. Play with the dogs and the boys, in that order.
8:00- Daddy's home to play with boys. I clean toilets.
8:30- Go for a walk with a friend. Love this time of day!
9:14- Boys finally in bed. Sit down to watch Dancing With the Stars.
10:26- Done. Talk to Seth for awhile. Do some laundry. Get a shower.
11:30- Sit down to blog about something. I figured I hadn't done a "day in the life" in awhile. I am glad I did this. It shows me that I can spend time with my kids and husband and friends and still get things done. I may not get to bed until midnight, but some days are like that I guess. The boys had a good day and so did I.

I'm going to bed now. bye!

2 poems (po ms)

...a haiku about my tv shows:

Juliet, then George
lives hangin in the balance
happy it's not real

a haiku about my week:

Boys read to me now
I sit and listen with pride
happy it is real


Quick note: Apparently, I have been saying the word "poem" wrong my whole life! I already told you Rhett's embarressment about it. I finally looked it up and even asked my husband and friend how to say it. Rhett is totally right. It is po-m, not poi m. Why has no one ever said anything before? I know I don't go around saying the word very often, but in 31 years no one has ever stopped and said, "What did you say?" I am not upset, just interested. Rhett is happy to know that I am practicing the correct way to say it. I can almost do it without it sounding like the word pom. Is this not the weirdest thing?

fragile or unlucky?

...Last night, the wind blew so hard, I thought trees were going to come through our windows. I guess it is a good thing there aren't that many trees close to our house. Today, however, I noticed an alarming site: a huge Bradford Pear tree was down in our neighborhood. How close it was to crashing into the house it lived by. Scary. Also, what is wrong with Bradford Pear trees? Why is it they are always the ones to come crashing down? I wonder because that is the kind of tree that is in my front yard. I don't want to look out one day and see it lying on the ground, broken and sad.

a mother's day list

...Yesterday was full of my favorite things:

1. Playing the Wii with the boys
2. Orange Chicken from Panda Express
3. A piece of Good Cake that Seth and Rhett whipped up yesterday evening
4. A list from Rhett

Top 10 Reasons Why I love My Mom

1. Because she reads me Garfield

2. Because she helps me eat big pills (last ear infection he had to take this giant pills that I had to break up into 4 tiny pieces. Drama for 10 days)

3. When she makes me laugh by giving me zerberts

4. Because she taught me how to tie my shoe (actually his pre-k teacher did that)

5. I love to hear my Mom sing at church

6. Because she finds time to play

7. I know my Mom cares because she says I love you every knight.

8. I know my Mom is smart because she went to college.

9. Because she works so hard at loving

10. Because she's the BEST MOM EVER!

5. A song from Noah

I have brought a song to say

Happy, Happy Mother's Day

No one's mother is so sweet.

Your kind ways just can't be beat.

Happy, happy Mother's Day

I love you in a big way!

6. Plants from Seth for the backyard

7. Movie night with my guys

8. The boys trying so hard to get along

9. Talking to our moms

I feel so lucky.

boys

...The other day Rhett told me that he needed deodorant because his underarms were so sweaty and sometimes smelly. So last night, I gave him some Irish Spring Deodorant Soap to use in the shower. Here is the conversation I overheard:

Rhett: Wow, this soap smells so good!

A few seconds later...
R: Now my underarms smell great!

A few minutes later...
R: Noah, did you know I am using deodorant soap? My underarms smell awesome!
Noah: Let me smell!

Ah, the life of a mom of boys.

Happy Odd Day!

...Today is 05/07/09. This makes it Odd Day, an event that happens only 6 times every hundred years when a date consists of three consecutive odd numbers. The first one in this century was 01/03/05. The next will be 07/09/11.

So you know I didn't make this up, here is a website all about Odd Day. There are even suggestions on how you can celebrate.

Have a great, er, odd day!

I say poem, you say poem ??

...We are here. We are doing well. My sweet boys already have given me their Mother's Day gift. They were pretty excited to give it to me. I think it is because they know I'll share. :)

May is here and it is so busy already! This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and we have been writing poems (according to Rhett, I pronounce the word poem wrong. He is so embarrassed. I really don't know why my pronunciation is any different than his but every time I say it, he immediately says it back to me the "right way." So I think I will start saying poetry instead.), I mean poetry, getting flowers and gift cards and today we need to make a card. The boys are happy to do it, especially Rhett who really loves his teacher. We still have soccer but when we'll finish is anyone's guess because of the rain. I have lots of meetings with PTA stuff and lots of birthday parties for the boys. I'll be glad when it is June. (And yes, I am aware I may have to eat my words later when it is the middle of summer!)

My sister-in-law, Melissa's birthday was Monday. Happy Birthday! Your card is coming I promise!

And Mother's Day is Sunday. Yay! Our mom's gifts may actually be on time this year. Or only a day late. That would be great! Ha!

Now I have to go clean house. And I am hoping the sun will actually come out today. That would be nice.

Have a great day!