Plant Thief

My relatively new obsession is house plants. I've amassed a mini collection around the house over the past several months. Callum is pretty dang good about leaving them alone. Like literally never touches them. Just the other morning someone asked me about how I kept Callum from playing in the plants and (patting myself on the back) I told them how the angel virtually leaves them alone. Then that very same afternoon, the kid made me eat crow and ripped an entire plant out. And he obviously doesn't even feel sorry about it!

While we are at it, I can also mention his obsession with the knobs on our gas range, moving chairs so he can climb on top of things and the fact that he is already trying to open the front door. Behind that adorable smile of his is a cheeky, cheeky little boy that likes to keep his mama on her toes.

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Isla's Preschool Graduation

This not so little girl graduated from preschool last week. It seems crazy that this journey with Isla is over. It seems only weeks ago that Connor's teacher was encouraging me to start Isla in preschool at a little under 3 years old, rather than waiting. So I went for it. Then we decided to keep her there for pre-k for two years in a row and even chose to have to same amazing teachers both years. I remember Isla's first year of school how she brought the same thing to show and tell almost every week, a stuffed kitty. This girl's love of crafts is amazing. And so is her love of her friends. She has grown and changed so much in the three years she has been at lighthouse. And so have I. Honestly, I know I am having a way harder time saying goodbye than she is. Though she really is bummed about leaving so many of her friends. But about the graduation. 

During the graduation there was a slideshow of the year set to music. Isla asked if she could dance in the isle next to me and I said yes. Then her little friend sitting behind us joined her. We were sitting toward the back and they danced their way to the front. Once they got up there, a bunch of kids joined in. Isla even managed to make her way on to the stage. It was all pretty funny. Then, when it was Isla's turn to graduate and walk across the stage, she stopped and curtsied at her teacher Cindy. This girl, she certainly doesn't lack personality! 

After the graduation was a reception. Isla was pretty hyped up. She wanted to run around with all her friends and wasn't super happy about me making her stop to take pictures. It was a really good night. I lingered around saying goodbye to Isla's teachers. I even made them take a picture with me. It's hard to put into words what they have meant to me over the past three years (they had Connor one year, then Isla for two). I'm really going to miss them.  

^^ Isla and I with her teachers. And there she goes curtsying again! 

^^ Isla with my parents

^^ Isla with Ian's parents

^^ Isla with my brother...which it's kind of fitting that she would make a funny face in a picture with her fun uncle. 

And a little look back at Isla's time at preschool - her first day of preschool (both her and Connor were so little!), my first preschool mother's day tea with her, her first day of pre-k and her first day of pre-k year two.

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Last Day of School

^^ She wasn't in the mood for cute smiles...and is now in that phase where she thinks it is oh so funny when she closes her eyes for pictures, so lets just say I felt lucky to get this.

^^ Same shirt first day and last day, just not as white ;)

Last week was both the kids last week of school. Isla ended on Wednesday and Connor on Thursday. A mom in Isla's class actually hosted all the girls in the class for a mani-pedi party after school and then she had graduation that evening, which I think I will talk about later, but imagine Isla starting a dance party in the isles during her graduation...true story.  

Connor's last day of school was met with more sadness than Isla's. I think he is at that age where he just understands it means he doesn't get to see his friends all the time anymore and he won't have the same teachers again. But he had a fun last day of school full of yearbook signings, movie watching and fun award getting...though he was given the "jokester" award and was totally offended by it. Ian and I find it hysterical and ironic that he was offended by it because, lets just say there have been numerous times we have been talked to by his teachers about his jokes coming at the wrong times or going too far. Memories though...stories I can share with his kids later, or use to comfort his wife later when it's his kids acting that way. 

Isla truly said she wanted to be almost everything and that there are just so many things she wants to be that she cannot choose. 

Connor, on the other hand, wants to be a waiter at a diner in town, no less. #lifegoals. The good news is, in a thing he brought home from school on the last day, he said he wants to be a software engineer (I didn't even know he knew what that was!!!) so there is hope that he won't be living with us well into his 30's.

And just like that, the school year is over. Preschool is behind us (cue all the tears). But summer man. No alarm clocks. Pool time. Play dates. Travel. It will be bliss.

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It's Almost Summer

It almost feels surreal that it's the kids last week of school. And temperatures have hit triple digits over here, basically sucking any and all motivation out of me on the week when I need it most. I described this week to Ian as the sprint to the finish line at the end of a marathon. It's the last push and I can see the finish line, but it takes so much freaking effort. The kids have been wanting to get in the pool every afternoon, which is extremely understandable with the freaking heat. But Connor says to me yesterday that he only ever remembers me going swimming with him once. Uh...maybe because I've yet to go in this year. Which, of course, I drug my butt in the pool yesterday to prove that I can swim! But seriously, I went with them so many times last summer and before we had a pool, I was always in the pool with them when we had swimming play dates at other people's houses. Selective memory, I guess.

But seriously, why is it so freaking hot on like the busiest school week of the year?! Oh well. I will power through. And will possibly linger longer than I normally do in the kids AIR CONDITIONED classrooms, because I am so cheap that we all drip with sweat in our own house. But yay for school almost being done. On Friday I don't have to set an alarm and I am so freaking excited about that...and crossing my fingers and toes that the kids don't decided to get up at the break of dawn that morning.

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A Day in the Life

I've seen people do "day in the life" posts for years now and never done one. Then, all the sudden the other day I was struck how Isla is almost done with preschool and Connor first grade and life will never be the same. I know, it's always changing. But next year they will be at the same school and there will be a new normal, so I decided to document this one. 

Friday, May 19, 2017

6:20am - I get up and get ready for the day. Callum woke early too, so came in the bathroom with me until Ian took him. 

7am - I start waking the other kids for breakfast and to get ready. Lately, the kids have been on an oatmeal kick, so that along with oranges was on the menu. 

^^ Callum playing while I was getting everyone ready to leave.

8:05am - We leave on the school run. On days Isla doesn't have school, we walk. We start off taking Connor to school. We all get out of the car and walk him to his classroom. Then back to the car and through the carwash before dropping Isla off...we have time to kill between the two drop offs, so I always hit up the carwash. 

9am - Drop Isla off at preschool. Since it was Friday, it was show and tell day. Isla tends to figure out how she can sneak in as many things as possible in one go. She put her glow stick necklace on her bear so she could bring both. 

9:15am - Callum and I got home from dropping Isla off. I put Callum down for a nap. Did the dishes, started some laundry, then sat down to conquer some four friends market stuff...think thank you cards for the vendors, posting on social media, etc. 

11:15am - Callum woke up and got a snack before we had to head out to pick up Isla at noon. 

12:30pm - Isla gets done with preschool at noon, but always likes playing on the playground a bit before heading home. I made lunch for the kids and I, then it was playtime (and a little cleaning time) until we headed to get Connor. 

^^ Callum's room has a baby gate on it, so I have a safe place to leave him when I am trying to clean upstairs and can't constantly be monitoring him. 

2:25pm - We walk to get Connor from school. I stayed and chatted with his teacher for a bit. Then we went to the office and grabbed a "tooth necklace" from the front office ladies for him because his tooth was about to fall out and he was bummed it wouldn't happen at school...it happened the next morning. Then we headed home. 

3:15pm - We got home and I gave Connor some downtime because I thought he was going to have a baseball game that evening. About 15 minutes before we had to leave for his game, the coach called and told us his game was cancelled, so we decided to head out and do something fun. 

^^ Said wiggly tooth

5:30pm - We headed out and picked up dinner at Poke Bowl. Then, we went to the mall and let the kids do a build a bear. They both not-so-shockingly picked pikachu. Who knew build a bear even had that sort of thing?!

7pm - On our way home from build a bear, we stopped at a park to play for an hour. The kids ran around, swung and played pokemon together...because, somehow these days, everything turns toward pokemon. 

8:15pm - We got home and worked on getting some tired, sweaty kids into bed!


One thing I would like to note is it has been a while since we have done a bunch of fun things in one evening as a family and I really enjoyed it. It made me realize how we really need to get out and do stuff like that more often. Of course, now that baseball season is over and school is almost out, I am sure we will have more time to do those sorts of things, without worry of bedtimes, homework and games.

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Connor's Half Birthday

Besides Sunday being mother's day, it was another big (cough, cough) day in our house...Connor's half birthday. Remember, it was my brother that so kindly introduced my children to half birthdays, a detail I won't soon forget!

For Connor's half birthday, I went along with the same thing I did for Isla - one small toy and one fun candy. I got Connor a kit that you break apart and look for stones in. It was cool and the kids really liked it, but I think all three of us were a bit disappointed that there was only one stone in the whole bar. The packaging makes it seem like there are three. Oh well, I was duped. Connor loved his candy. Isla cried the whole time he was eating it because he wasn't sharing with her and it wasn't "fair". The whole thing was rather entertaining.

I also gave Connor half of a birthday card. Since last time Isla didn't realize I cut the card in half, this time I cut the card in half lengthwise, making it more obvious. When Connor realized the card was cut in half, he got a kick out of it. It was cute seeing his reaction.

All day long, Connor reminded people it was his half birthday. These little things like this really are fun to celebrate.

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