First Days

How do you prepare yourself for this day? Everest started Kindergarten last week. It is so cliche, but where does the time go? This year was not as bad as I anticipated with Everest. He is still at Montessori and knows most of his class already. He is in a different class with different teacher (who are all amazing), and he goes 5 afternoons.This year will be more academic than the last 2, but I think he is ready for the challenge.

Ready and excited for his first day! Everest picked out a Planet Box lunchbox. It is wonderful. I gave him the choice of many lunchboxes and this is what he wanted. Thanks Nonnie and Papa.

Nonnie rode a bike to school with us. Everest was so excited she could come. She and Papa left right after he went to school. We miss them!

 Everest putting his school bag into his locker and then changing into his indoor shoes. He wanted Sketchers this year, because Ryan (a girl in his class last year) had them. She is a very cute red head.

After school daddy surprised Everest and was at pick up. We wanted to bike to the ice cream shop, but it was pouring rain, so we drove the 2 blocks instead. The ice cream shop has about 100 flavors, the boys did exactly what I used to do as a kid. They picked rainbow, at least that is what it was called when I was a kid. Today it was called Superman and it was bright red, blue and yellow. What kid couldn't resist that, especially when their was a poster on the wall of Superman with Superman ice cream.

 Guess who got a hold of Leaf's ice cream. Luckily he was in a generous mood and continued sharing with her. I do not even want to think about the amount of food coloring my kids had.

 It is 7am Monday morning August 29, 2011. I never thought this day would come so early, and I have been very surprised at how I am handling it. Leaf started the Montessori Toddler program. He goes Monday and Tuesday morning. He has dreamed about this day for a year. He has been excited about it since I signed him up in March. His teachers visited this summer and then we visited the classroom. He is all prepared. He got his own Montessori bag, with his name on it. He has indoor shoes (Sketchers, just like Everest), he calls them fire shoes because the toes have flames and they light up. There is a flashlight waiting to be taken apart at school, his teachers put it in a special place just for him, when I apologized early about the fact that he LOVES to take things apart. He tends to not be able to put them back together and asks a grownup. Only to show up 2 minutes later with it taken apart again and the request to "fix it". He is ready.....I am not. I thought I would be, he wants so much to be independent and I know he will thrive there. He needs his own space, he needs to get out of his brothers shadow. But...he is young. I know he is not really, he is among the oldest, some kids have just turned 2, he will be 3 in October. I know all of this, but it was so much harder than I expected it to be. I am so thankful that I have 3 children. I had no choice but to say good bye, have a great day and walk out of the room, because I have 2 other kids that need to be taken care of too. Today I needed the distraction of having multiple kids.

Blueberry pancakes, with fresh blueberries. It is his favorite. Nathan put the kids table next to the dining room table as a special treat. Leaf loved it...so did Everest. I made the boys take off their shirts, they had their school clothes on and blueberry pancakes and nice clothing do not go well together.

All dressed up and ready to go.

Wearing his MSGL bag to school like daddy does.

Daddy stayed home to take Leaf to school.

Giving big brother a hug. Everest was so helpful with Leaf this morning.

Giving daddy one last hug.

Silly boys!

 Walking Leaf to class. Everest has grown up so much this past year.

 In the class. He had a great day, no tears and he is ready to go back tomorrow. The kids bring a framed picture of their family to keep in the classroom. Miss Dena said Leaf carried the photo with his all day. He had it on the playground when we picked him up. I guess we were with him all day. That's my boy, very independent, but mama and daddy are never far from his heart.

Playing Tennis and Driving the Car

Last summer, Nathan found a tennis racket in all of our stuff that was left in Montana. We recently went through all the boxes he brought back. The boys immediately claimed the tennis racket. Everest say the "older" neighbor boys hitting a tennis ball in the air with the racket. When he asked them what they were doing, they said playing tennis. Now, that is how Everest thinks tennis is played. Both boys LOVE to play tennis. 

Leaf is starting to pick out his own clothing. This was his tennis outfit.

A back view. Can he get much cutier?

Yes, he will be a ladies man!

Leaf practicing tennis in the front yard.

Nathan had to move the car from the garage to the street to make room to get the new washer in the basement. We bought a new washer and fridge over Memorial day, both quit working that weekend. He asked the kids if they wanted to help "move" the car. Of course, everyone wanted to. All three kids piled into the front seat. 

Aurora, telling her dad which way to go, while Leaf checked the radio.

Aurora is helping Nathan check the mirrors.

Cruising with daddy.

Leaf's first hair cut

 Well after 2 and a half years, Leaf decided he wanted his hair cut so he could "pike" it like Everest's. Nathan was hesitant because I cried for a week the first time Nathan "trimmed" Everest's hair. In my defense, he was only 18 months and still my baby boy. When Nathan cut it, he was no longer my baby boy. I also was not prepared, we talked about cutting his hair, I thought we discussed cutting his bangs, but when I walked into the room, half of his hair was gone. Nathan must have asked me a million times, if I was sure about cutting Leaf's hair.

Big brother needed a hair cut too, so he went first.

Leaf waiting patiently. This is the last picture of his beautiful curly hair.

He was surprisingly still MOST of the time. Look at his face, he couldn't wait to see it.

A few curls I saved.

 The back...

Wow, does he look different!

It was almost bedtime, this was the best I got before the "pikes". I think Leaf's hair looks so much redder.

 

Nathan using some mousse in the boys hair to make "pikes". 

 Leaf with "pikey" hair.

 I loved his long hair, but this cut fits him and he loves it. My 2 1/2 year old is no longer a baby, he is a little boy. He is wearing his rocketship outfit I made him. I made them each a set. They love them. I haven't taken a good picture of the outfits yet and now that the camera has died, I might not get one.

 This was Leaf on the day our cabinets were delivered. He and Everest were very big helpers.

Purdue's Bug Bowl

 Purdue has Spring Fest and a Bug Bowl every year. We missed it last year, but heard from everyone how awesome it is. We went this year and the kids had a great time. They have chocolate covered bug and other foods with bugs in it. We wanted to try some, but never found the tent with them in it. We were too busy checking everything else out.

Everest petting a calf.

 Holding a duckling. You could choose a duckling, chick or turkey, he picked the duckling each time.

Leaf got to hold the duckling too.

 Leaf wanted to milk a cow...we waited in line, paid a dollar and when push came to shove, Leaf wanted nothing to do with milking a cow. Everest, who had refused to do it, when we got up there, he got brave and decided to try it.

 

We have been having ALL kinds of trouble with Leaf going to bed. He usually cries/screams, plays, talks to us or himself for 2-3 hours after we put him to bed. We have tried skipping nap and it only makes things worse. On the nights we skip naps, he is slap happy and too tired to fall asleep. This night he was mad so he threw every book off the bookshelf into the hallway.

 

Then fell asleep in Everest's bed.

Cabinet fun

Hmmmmmm....does anyone know where Everest and Leaf might be?????????
I think I see some fingers.....

...and some toes.

There they are.

Fixing owees

I forgot about this post. I wrote it up almost a year ago........look how little Leaf is. It really is amazing how quickly they grow.

May 2010
Everest has been into helping everyone and everything that is hurt. He fixes things with stickers. If Leaf has an “ouwee” he puts stickers on it, or if the wall or cabinet has a scratch or mark, he fixes it with stickers. This has lead to many arguments about where stickers can and CAN NOT go (like affixed to the hardwood floors, I am still trying to get some of them off).

Everest “doctored up” Leaf and then himself.

He even put stickers on the bottom of their feet.

Everest was tickled about Leaf participating too. Later this day he added more stickers..one he put in a sensitive area. He cried when he tried to take it off. We had to give him a bath to loosen it up. This is one lesson he learned on his own.

Building blocks

Blocks are something I think all kids like and every family needs. There are so many different styles, but any blocks will do. We got these blocks from a friend when we lived in Logan and Everest was a baby. They have been used on a weekly basis since we got them.

Leaf and his tower. He was very proud!

Everest decided to build steps.

Leaf trying out a new style tower.....this one didn't stand alone very long.

Everest's steps tower stood well, but he wanted to add support to it. He built columns on both sides. (plus a Lego column)

Then he wanted to add an elevator bigger than he was. He made it taller than me, but didn't have enough blocks to support it. This is the more economical and durable model.

But wait there is more. He decided to add stores and a connecting sky walk. If you look closely you can see the Lego house he built and an airplane. The boys had such a good time building.
Did you notice Aurora on the side lines? She happily sat and watched her brothers build. She chewed on a few blocks the whole time.

Leaf holding Roar

The boys love their sister and beg to hold her. They are both getting better at it and luckily she is getting bigger and better at them holding her too.

At first Leaf would just get up when he was done or let go of her so he could suck his fingers. Now he makes sure he holds her the whole time.

I was able to take about 10 pictures of them together.