First Swim of the Season

 No tornado sirens.... swimmings a go!

The very first official regular day of summer vacation.  What is up with the weather?!!  

 I guess with the constant rain, the turtles have come out to play.  Tate named the first turtle "boy turtle."  I noticed that the turtle would not be living long in his care so a couple of hours later...while Tate wasn't looking I set the turtle free in the field. 

  What were the odds that another turtle appeared this morning!  It was a fast one...luckily for the turtle it got away while Tate was using the bathroom.  He named this turtle Franklin.

 Today is the first official normal day of summer vacation.  I spent the entire morning counting down the hours until the pool opened.  It is a crying shame that we do not have a neighborhood pool and the closest pool to us is over twenty minutes away.  Still I kept checking the clock...the clouds kept getting darker and by the time 1:00pm came it had started to sprinkle. We waited and by 3:30 it had stopped, although we are under tornado warning the pool opened and we heading out with a crazy sky and excitement to check out the new pool!! 

 Sad to say that Caleb still doesn't reach the 48inch mark...no big slides for him.  The kids just eats and eats but doesn't grow taller.  He was so close ( 47.5) so they are let him go on the lazy river.  

There is a fun obstacle course.  It's funny how all 3 of the older kids compete differently.  Caleb flings his body from moving pad to moving pad.  His success rate is about 50/50.

 Aubrey doesn't like to get wet so she hangs onto the net.  She is so tall!  She did go off the diving board a couple of times but once she gets dry she likes to stay dry.

Ainsley is incredible!  Jumping and even skipping pads!   She actually isn't tall enough to do the obstacle course but since it was a slow day the life guard let her.  I really believe that if the kids can swim in the deep end let them go on the slide and stuff.  She was pretty bummed that she will not to be able to go on the lazy river. 

Tate...well after exploring, dipping his toes in, and testing out the under 4 area he was ready to observe and sing the pool music.  It was nice to only have 50 or so kids there and it was fun for my kids to see all of their school friends!  As for me...this might be the best summer of my life if it ever warms up and the sun comes out.  Going to the pool with no sun is relaxing but it would be even better with humidity and a tan!

Your doing it!!

Have you ever seen Hook? 

 Pretty much the best Thanksgiving movie of all time.  There is a line where the little lost boys and tinker bell say, "Your doing it!  Your doing Peter your doing it!"  That is how I felt today.  Ainsley wanted the training wheels off of her bike but the next thing I saw Aubrey was riding without training wheels!

 I could hear myself yelling, "Your doing it Aubrey!  Your doing it!"  

Now although she is almost 9, you might think that is an old age to finally take off the training wheels.  Aubrey is more of a leisure person.  She diddle daddles and likes to take her time, so 2 years ago when Caleb got a bike without training wheels we didn't push Aubrey. 

She can start and do turns all by herself.  How about that?!!

Ainsley decided to keep the training wheels a while longer.  We just switched them out for Aubreys old ones.  

Preschool Graduation

What is means to graduate preschool...

Normally I would say not to much about preschool graduation.  YES, it is cool that you will get to go to kindergarten and YES you finished your first year of everyday, half day routine and learning but preschool graduation celebration...really?  With Aubrey it was neat, with Caleb we held our breath (more along the lines of HE ACTUALLY SURVIVED) but with Ainsley it was exciting and emotional (Happy Tears as Ainsley calls them).  With Ainsley preschool graduation it cuts our daily tie to the city, an incredible educational program, and a wonderful teacher that has spent the last 5 years teaching my children, helping my children, and teaching me as well.  Her kindness and compassion in her teaching has made the kids love school and want to learn more and more!

Ainsley and Miss Susan 

 Ainsley getting her diploma. I wasn't able to get there in time but Andy was.  When I arrived to pick her up it was pretty exciting.  As I drove away I started crying and I couldn't stop.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!  I guess saying goodbye, moving forward, and remembering.  I have spent so much time in car line the last couple of years...seeing the same faces, getting the same white books, and progress letters.  I think that I am the one that enjoyed the everyday, half a day routine.

 Of course, now that Ainlsey is a kindergartener she was excited to pour her own milk and she even organized her drawers with pants that she does not think she will wear for kindergarten because they are size 5 and she will be 6.

Graduating preschool means she gets to stay up extra late, take a bubble bath, and have a milk shake.

There are a lot of positives... saving $65.00 a week or more on gas to take her to school pretty much adds 10 positives.  So today...only happy tears and we have officially completed our move.  Ainsley got into the all day kindergarten program so next year it will just be Tate and me.  We will see if I can survive his curiosity!  

We are ready!

WE ARE READY!

We are 100% ready for summer.  Caleb got his first sunburn, Ainsley has her swimsuits ready, I was finally able to put all the coats away, and  we only have 7 days left of school!

 Since it was 90 degrees I thought I would lay out while Tate took a nap.  I let Ainsley put her towel next to me but every 5 minutes or so she would rotate from sunbathing to bike riding.  Relaxing just does not factor into her world.  Why would she want to do that?! 

 The down fall to summer is the clothes situation for Tate.  He is constantly without clothes and warm weather only makes it worse BUT for the last week he has to wear a helmet (I am guessing it is to alway be prepared to ride his little bike).  The good side is he cannot fit clothes over it!  

We were getting out of the car for church on Sunday and I forgot he had it on.  He was totally prepared to wear it inside!

 Smores and sprinkler...

With school coming to an end they had their last pajama day!

Ainsley's spring/summer job is to water the plants.  She doesn't miss a day!!

May

May

To say that I was counting down the days to May in an understatement.  May is always magical.  The end of the school year meaning no more...Where's your homework?  Why didn't you turn your homework in?  YOUR GOING TO MISS THE BUS!!  Lastly...no more car line.  It means sun, swimming, and pool preparation.  It means putting coats away and grilling.

 At the end of April Caleb was one of leads in his school play.  It was fun to watch him.  He was "Conner Complainer" with lines like "I never sleep...I just stay up all night and play video games.  I only eat jelly beans for breakfast."  He was front and center the entire play and it was so fun to watch!  When Andy and I were reading lines with him we were a little worried that they wrote his part just for him and his 3DS obsession.  Lots of fun.  Marlene drove up and we loved having her.

 Caleb loves these Wimpy Kid books and one about Zombies.  I was pleasantly surprised to see him reading when I had been looking for him, no so happy that he almost walked out of the house for the bus with no shoes on.  We are trying to work on focus.

 Andy's dad spent the night in Ainsleys room when he stayed with us for his Dental Conference.  We had a lot of fun and the kids loved seeing him.  The next night Ainsley said she had Grandpa dreams because he slept in her bed.  She loves her grandpa!

Now as for May...what I didn't expect is SNOW.  Are you kidding me!!  It was 80 degrees two days in a row.  We got out the fun sprinkler, life was sunny and happy.  Snow...yuck!  Will Summer ever come?!!
As for Tate.  That is pretty good as far as clothes go.  We turn around and he is constantly naked.  Every little spec of water, drip of syrup, squeeze of a cutie and he has to change.  Last week I had to take him to the doctor (a new doctor close to home) and they tried to give him shots...I do not think any nurse, doctor, or myself was prepared for his 42 pounds of strength.  Wo!

The truth of the matter at hand...
Every week Tate presents me with a demand.  Weather he has had a dream about it.  Who knows.  One week it was donuts, another it was a skateboard.  He asks and asks over and over.  Now he is onto dogs.  Every time I put him in the car he asks "Are we going to get my dog?"  So, we sat down and had a serious talk about it because this just isn't going away.  I ask...Who will walk the dog?  Tate raises his hand and replies I will carry the dog for a walk! Who will clean up all of the poop?  Tate raises his hand and says I will clean the big poop, I will I will!  The dog will have to stay outside.  Tate  raises his hand and says I will sleep in the garage with the dog!
Really though, it will be me.  I do hope he moves onto something else soon.  I did explain that Batman does not have a dog and he turned out just fine.