Growing up so fast

My boys! They are growing up so, so fast.  Our W is going to Kindergarten in the fall.  We had preschool graduation at a prayer service last week and he sang his heart out in their concert.  I think he might have sung the loudest of all the kids and it was pretty awesome :)

His teachers this past year were incredible and he has learned so much.  He is reading everything he sees and even got to go read to D's class this past spring.  He was so proud (and so was I!).

D is such a little sweetheart and did so well in school this year, too.  I have to remind myself that although W is one of the older kids in his year, D is one of the youngest since he seems to keep up with W and his friends like it's no big thing.  We probably have 2 more years at PDS with him, but we'll see when he's ready for Kindergarten! He has really flourished the past 2 years in school.

Ads is quickly catching up to his brothers and it's hard to believe he's not 2 yet.  He is the one I have to watch all. the. time.  If it can happen, it will happen to him I think!  He loves to play and dance and do whatever the big boys do.  If he's going somewhere, he's running there with a big smile on his face!

This summer stretches ahead of us with nothing on the calendar really.  We are going to add a session of camp, some VBS, and plenty of beach days, I know, but for now it's nice to just BE with them.  I don't want to miss a thing and it is my hope to record a little of it all here for us to look back on one day!!

 all images property of teamcollins757.

Thankful Thursday

I am especially thankful today! 

While this pregnancy hasn't always been as easy on me as the other 2, I am so blessed and thankful for this healthy little boy and that he is growing so well and yes, kicking me all the time.  We definitely have active little guys!!

I've found it's been easy to feel overwhelmed some days - thinking about having 3 young boys can be scary (and exciting!) when we don't have a good day of listening, or when I'm feeling particularly worn out.  But I truly do have the sweetest, most loving sons a girl could ever want and so I'm just taking whatever time I can get to sit and play with them, read books or do puzzles together, or even just watch a favorite movie snuggling up on the couch.  :)

After a particularly hard day yesterday, I was wrung out and sweet W went in the cabinet, got my favorite cup, filled it with ice water, and brought it to me.  It was such a sweet, simple gesture, but it was just what I needed and makes me smile just thinking of it again.

I'm thankful for the cooler weather we're having in our area - it's lovely and I can even open the windows at night and in the mornings now!

What are you thankful for today?

Cutest Boy

The other night, Wade and I were sitting on the couch before bedtime and he was asking about the baby.  I told him that the baby could hear him, and we talked about how it's probably dark in my tummy.  He likes to put his hand on my belly and feel the baby move, too.  Then he told the baby a story, talking right to my tummy.  So wish I had it on video, but it was the cutest, sweetest moment.  He started with "once upon a time..."

We hope to have some family pics taken in the next couple of months...looking forward to it for so many reasons :)

...Too...

Some cute things I wanted to share and remember from the boys lately...

When I tell Drew "I love you" he says "Too."  It's completely adorable. He is such a cuddle bug, and I just soak it all up!

Wade is also a little snuggler and wants to hold my hand all the time these days.  He's been staying up later (even when we try to get him to bed on time!) and came out the other night when we were watching a movie (no idea what, something we came across) that had a scary scene and we changed it quickly, but he said he wanted to watch the scary movie.  We told him we didn't want him to have a nightmare, and he replied "I want nightmares. I LOVE nightmares."  Over and over as if he didn't think we really believed him.

Drew has started pretending to sneeze.  Throughout this pregnancy, I have had a lot of problems with a stuffy nose that just won't go away and sneeze a LOT.  We're talking 20 times in a row.  Needless to say, he hears me sneeze all the time.  First he started saying "'scuse" whenever someone would sneeze, then he just started this week pretending to sneeze.  He and Wade go back and forth pretending to sneeze.

W has a new balance bike that he just loves.  He tears around on it and loves to go on bike rides all around the neighborhood.  We play red light, green light.  He calls the shots and tells me when it's red and green.  He's also been loving summer camp and especially this session since he is learning all kinds of new songs.  This kid LOVES to sing and even sings all the lullabies with me when we're saying goodnight.

Finally, there's nothing sweeter than seeing my 2 boys hug each other.  If Drew gets corrected for hitting or hurting Wade, his way of saying he's sorry is by giving a big kiss (sounds like MMMMMMMMMwahhhhh) and Wade is sweet about sharing with him.

So grateful for my 2 sweet, energetic, loving little boys!!!

I can explain...

It's been a while (ha, what an understatement!), but I had news that I didn't want to share right away, and then just plain got out of the habit, and then wanted to make the public announcement in a creative way, so yeah, time just got away.  But here we are and even though life has gotten completely hectic, I'm going to try and check in more often now that I'm putting this out in the open...

You Are Beautiful

Yesterday when I headed out to lunch, I saw the words "You Are Beautiful" spray painted in red on a fence facing the road.  Now, when I saw it I had 2 pretty simultaneous (and opposite) thoughts:

1. Wow, what a fun message, and I bet that helped to brighten at least a few people's days today!
2. Man, if that was my fence, I'd be sooo mad!!

I thought it was neat to see something other than the typical vandalism, but still don't know how I feel about it.  Easier to appreciate the message when it's not your fence I suppose :)

What do you think?

A Wog

I saw the word WOG used to describe walking/jogging and loved it, and it was perfectly fitting for what I finally got to do today.  Between colds, cold weather, and just plain being too tired, I haven't been running consistently and need to work my miles and pace back up.  So today, I seized the opportunity to get out there for a wog.  (BTW, seize is a new word W has learned...I'm thinking from a movie (Shrek? Tangled?) since he says "seize her" or "seize me." I love that he uses it in the right context, too :))

Anyway, it's a gorgeous day today and we've been outside all morning enjoying it so far.  Playtime outside makes for a happy family (dogs included) and I am opening all the windows again to enjoy it to the fullest while I get to work.  I can hear the boys over at the park with their nanny and it's too cute.  It's supposed to get cooler tomorrow so I'm loving the weather while it lasts!!

Have a great day!!