Playing Catch Up

First of all, I'm sorry about missing the last two Photo Fridays. I know, I know, two in a row. I had every intention of posting last night, but I put in a 13 hour day, for the second day in a row, at work yesterday and I just couldn't bring myself to turn the computer back on when I walked in the door.

Besides being ridiculously busy at work lately, things have been going pretty well. We had a new driveway poured because we were in desparate need. It was in pretty sad shape. So sad, that whenever we got out of the car Aidan would run down and ask if he could chuck a rock (aka. cement from the driveway) into the street. For some reason, he never got tired of asking that question even though he knew the answer before he asked it.

Aidan has a new cousin and she is darn cute!! Natalie Jean was born on October 30th to my cousins Kandi and Chuck. She is a truly beautiful baby and Aidan was thrilled to be able to visit her at the same hospital where he was born. He has been excited about her for several months now and was just in awe at how tiny she was. Congratulations to the happy family!!

Halloween was lots of fun. We had 3 trick-or-treating events before halloween, so by the time the actual holiday actually rolled around, Aidan was just as happy passing out the candy and playing catch in the front yard, as he was actually trick-or-treating. I volunteered to work the halloween party at Aidan's school this year. I took a half day off of work and thought it was going to be so much fun. Boy, was I wrong. There were so many parents there that I felt like I was more in the way than of any help. It was loud, the kids were beyond excited and I watched the clock the entire time wishing the day would come to an end! Part of the problem was that as soon as I walked in, Aidan thought it was time to go home and so he spent most of the party asking when he could leave. I couldn't be mad though, because I had to side with him on this one. It was just utter chaos and home sounded like a much happier place.

Football season officially ended for Aidan today when they were knocked out of the playoffs this morning. Aidan was sad, but we've signed him up for winter football that will start in January....and best of all, it is indoors!!!! He is going to play on the same team and have the same coach and we are so thankful. He really had a wonderful coach this year.

Special Note: I will continue to attempt posting Photo Fridays, but I'm not making any promises from now until the end of the year as to their frequency. I have been under an incredible amount of stress lately and it has caused me some minor health issues, so I've made a promise to myself to make this holiday season the season to say "no." I apologize that Photo Friday just started and I am alredy backing out, but it has to be done. I'm not making a ton of commitments, a ton of appointments or scheduling a ton of activities. We will do only the one's that I think I can handle with the minimum amount of stress and that is it! My rule of thumb is if I don't want to do it, I'm just not going to do it.....period! This season, which according to the Christmas music that is already being played on the radio, has officially begun, will be one focused on my health and spending quality time with my family.

I will update along the way, but just don't feel the need to check this blog weekly at least until the beginning of next year. I will definitely be updating, but not on a weekly basis. I've had to start saying no to commitments already and unfortunately, this is one that was at the top of the list.

See you in a week or so......

Photo Friday

This little creature took up residence in our backyard recently.

Please Be Advised....

Photo Friday will not take place this week. It will resume next Friday. Thanks to all of our readers and see you next week!

Lil' MVP

Today was another great football Saturday! It was a beautiful day to be on the sidelines....sunny and 80 degrees. That is the way I like my football games. Rainy and cold is no way to go!

The boys played their hearts out! They were sweaty little balls of energy the whole game and it showed! It was their best game yet! I was so proud of every one of them, but one little guy stood out above the rest. After each game, the coach hands out a gold medal to the player who he considers that games Most Valuable Player. After 6 tackles and 2 touchdowns, I present todays MVP....

Aidan was thrilled to accept the medal today. Can you see the excitement in his eyes?! I have never screamed so loud for a football game in my life. By the end of the game, I was shaking like a leaf from the excitement. I don't know how I will ever survive this sport as the years go on. It is intense!!

Congratulations, Spartans! (By the way, the day the team chose their name, Paul shook his head in shame). Congratulations, Aidan! We are so proud of you, Spartan or not!!

Photo Friday

Are you ready for some football?!

Since Aidan was about two, we knew he would love organized sports. He enjoys playing any sport with anyone! He has played 3 season of soccer and this past summer he played his first season of t-ball. Now, he is playing flag football. Even though, football has always been Aidan's favorite, I didn't think that I would enjoy watching this sport, because I really thought he was too young....and I don't know a single thing about football. However, he is getting ready to play his fourth game of the season and I have to admit, it is my favorite sport to watch him play, so far. When I watch him, I can just tell that he is truly, truly happy. He bounces up and down with glee and runs like I've never seen him run before. He talks non-stop about football and NEVER tires of practicing at home. Even though I don't have a clue what is going on from a technical stand point, I do know that it is my little boy out there and I am incredibly proud of him. He is having the time of his life and I am really enjoying being a football mom!

In the above picture, Aidan is wearing the yellow pants and has the ball. Run, baby, run!

Homework Update

After school was a little hectic today. Aidan was scheduled for a dentist appointment and I knew they were going to give him a flouride treatment. I also knew that he wasn't going to be able to eat for about an hour after that, so he had to eat right after school. This was fine with him because he is typically STARVING after school. So, we ate dinner and went to the dentist (no cavities, YAY!) Today being Tuesday, it was also homework day. When we arrived home from the dentist, I asked Aidan who he wanted to help him with his homework and guess what? He picked me! I was so thrilled, not because I wanted to do the homework, but because I knew that I was not stressing him out as much as I feared. My prayers have been answered!

Photo Friday

This week marked alot of things in Aidan's kindergarten world. Today, was dress up day. This meant that 1) Aidan didn't have to wear his uniform and 2) he had his school pictures taken today. He wasn't really thrilled about the dress up day because, well....he's a 5 year old boy. He could care less about wearing preppy button up shirts and dress pants. He would have rather worn his school uniform because he can wear shorts (at least until the end of October). He doesn't care that he has to wear uniform shorts with dress shoes because, well...he's a 5 year old boy.

This was also the first week that he had homework. We were told at kindergarten orientation that once homework began, it would be sent home every Tuesday and Thursday. I thought this was fabulous. First of all, it was only 2 nights a week and second, we could plan around homework nights.

Last week, Paul was out of town on business and I was really nervous because I thought it would be the week that homework started. I was fretting about having to deal with the homework alone. I have "issues" with anything school related and that includes homework. I couldn't even imagine having to deal with the anxiety that homework brought. For me, it is really about the anxiety, not about the homework itself. I mean, come on, how hard can kindergarten homework really be? So, you can imagine the sigh of relief that came from our home when I frantically rifled through the yellow folder last Tuesday only to realize that I had been saved! No homework. I was safe for another week. Most of all, I was safe. Paul would be home next week and I had every intention of letting him handle the homework demons.

This Tuesday, I opened the folder and saw the homework page. I knew it was coming because on Friday, the teacher sent home a note telling us that this week started homework. I can hear my friend Trista saying, "you have got to get over your issues with school." I know she is right and I have tried really hard not to project any of my feelings on to Aidan when it comes to school. I had planned Aidan's favorite dinner Tuesday night to celebrate the first day of homework. I pulled the homework out of the folder and asked Aidan if he wanted to do the homework now or after dnner. I thought it would put a positive spin on it if I made it his choice. After we went round and round about homework, Aidan ended up in his room crying and I was slamming pots and pans around while trying to finish dinner. But, no matter how hard I thought I was trying, I obviously failed. I'm not even sure how we ended up in the argument about homework, but, we did. So, after I calmed down, I went to his room to find him hiding in the closet. I asked him why he was so upset and he said that he didn't think it was fair that he had to do homework when daddy never had to do any homework. Deep down, I felt sorry for him, but I calmly rationalized with him. Luckily, I had read a post by my friend, Josie, about a school related discussion she recently had with her daughter and used the same story with Aidan. Thank you Josie, for your calm, rational...wait, is that the same Josie I used to work with (just kidding)?!? Anyway, we marched right into the kitchen and finished the homework in about 10 minutes. We also got through Thursday evenings homework without fail. Although, I did leave that day for Paul to handle. Needless to say, I feel so much better that the first homework assignments are behind us and we stopped for a slurpee on the way home today, to celebrate....again!!

Charles, this one's for you!

I know it's not Photo Friday, but I'm posting this for Charles. He specifically asked me about Photo Friday, so at least I know HE is reading my blog. This one's for you, pal! Thanks for reading!

Photo Friday

Photo Friday

Doggy....never leave home without him!

You Know You've Made The Right Decision When...

On Friday night, Aidan and I were relaxing after getting ready for bed. We decided to play a couple games of Uno, which has quickly become his new favorite game. During the game he looked up at me and said:

Aidan: "Mom, I love you. You're the best mom ever."
Jenny: "Thanks, Aidan. Why do you think I'm the best mom ever?"
Aidan: "Because you let me go to [insert name here] school and I really love it there."
Jenny: "I'm so glad you like your new school. Daddy and I think you're going to do really well and we are so proud of you."

I was a little worried about Aidan starting kindergarten because his preschool teacher told us that she didn't think he was ready for full day kindergarten because he couldn't sit still. However, he seems to have adjusted just fine and this seems to be the perfect fit for him. I think the routine and structure is exactly what he needed.

We are so blessed to have been welcomed into this school/church community. As I write this post, I can't help but think of my favorite prayer. I have it hanging in our home, as well as at my office and look to it often:

"May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let his presence settle into our bones, and allow your souls the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you."

Photo Friday

In an effort to start using this blog more frequently, I've decided to try something new. I'm going to start something called Photo Friday. It is very simple....every Friday, I post a photo. It may or may not include an update or caption, but hey, at least you'll be promised a photo.

Today's photo is one of my favorite pictures of my guys from this summer!

Happy Photo Friday everyone!!

What Did You Do Today?

When Aidan comes home
At the end of the day,
There's a question I ask
As he scurrys to play.
"Tell me, what did you do in school today?"

"Nothing. I did nothing today!"

Perhaps nothing means that he played with blocks,
Tied his own shoes, or found beautiful rocks.
Maybe the monarchs hatched today,
Or mabye he found a new friend to play.
Maybe today was the very first time
His scissors followed a very stright line,
He learned a new song, and sang all the words,
Or he touched a feather from the strangest of birds.
When you're five and your heart has wings,
"Nothing" can mean some wonderful things!

First Day of School

This morning went very smoothly. Aidan woke up, got dressed and we were soon on our way to the first day of school. He was not happy about having to tuck his shirt in, but got over it very quickly when he found out that he got to wear his new shoes to school today.

The drive to school was very uneventful, but beautiful. When Paul and I got married almost 11 years ago, someone told me to take the time throughout the day to remember the little moments. That was such great advice and I've tried to do that with so many things in my life. As I drove Aidan to school I remided myself to take everything in. It was very foggy and the moon was still high in the sky trying to shine through, giving everything a frosty glow. Aidan was listening to "Land Before Time" so the music in the car was as dramatic as the sights.

By looking at Aidan, you would have never known he was nervous. I should have known something was up, though, when he refused to eat breakfast. (He gets that nervous stomach from me!) As we got closer to the school, we got stuck by a train. Aidan got a little frantic, insisting that school would be over by the time we got there. Mind you, we were only about 3 minutes away from the school at this point. Once I reassured him that mommy would never make him late for his first day of school, he seemed to recover quickly. We had to park a block away from the school and as we were walking up, Aidan sqeezed my hand and said, "mommy, I'm going to miss you." At that point, I wanted to turn around, buckle him safely back into the car and ride off into the rising sun....but thought better of it. Instead, I put on my bravest face and said, "You're going to have so much fun and the day will go by so fast, you won't have time to miss me." As we made it to the school grounds, the older kids were in "the pen," which is the gated area next to the school that the kids so eloquently named. Aidan's eyes got bigger as we got closer and I noticed his grip once again tightening. He looked up at me and said, "Do we have to go in THERE?" I assured him that we would not be going in there, proceeded to march right past the bigger kids, walked right through the front doors of his school and right into his classroom. Once inside his classroom, he let go of my hand and took control. He went right to his hook and hung his bag up, put his nametag on, and sat on the appropriate square on the rug. He was all smiles from that point forward.

In the meantime, I had taken control of my own destiny. I knew that I was not going to want to leave at 8:00 when the bell rang as we had been instructed to do the night before. So, I signed up to volunteer at the school from 8a.m. until 11a.m. This was the best move that I made and highly recommend it. I didn't feel like I was being shoved out the door right when the bell rang, for my child to fend for himself. I simply waved goodbye and walked down the hall to volunteer my time. I met two other moms who had the same idea that I did. While we were working in the lunchroom, the kindergarten class went on a tour of the school and Aidan's face lit up when he saw that I was still at the school. After my volunteer session, I marched right into the principal's office and spoke with her about creating a kindergarten directory. I thought it would be a great way to gain a sense of community within Aidan's class....afterall, we are going to be with most of these families for at least the next 9 years.

When 12:00 rolled around, I found myself lined up outside with the other parents waiting for the bell to ring. Aidan came strolling out as cool as a cucumber. We walked across the street with a classmate and her mom to check out the latch key center. The kids immediately took toys off of the shelf and started playing. They didn't want to leave. Aidan and I ended up going to lunch with this classmate and her mom, as well. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

I couldn't have asked for a better first day of school!! Aidan has already asked when he could go back to his new school!

Oh, by the way....I've now had the chance to go through the dreaded blue folder filled with papers. I've sorted them into two piles.....a reference pile and a "needs to be completed and returned to school" file. I've also created a calendar list with due dates and important happenings and feel completely at peace with my new role as a kindergarten mom. Isn't it amazing what a little organization can do? My mom says I have control issues. Call it what you want, but I am a much happier person when I have a LIST!!!! List....er, I mean, Life is definitely good!!

Orientation

Last night was kindergarten orientation. To be truthful, I went there looking for peace. I thought after I was there, met some of Aidan's classmates, met some parents, met some teachers, saw how everything was going to be, I would feel better. However, I came out feeling completely overwhelmed. I had a folder full of due dates and papers that needed filled out. By the time we arrived at home it was going on 9 p.m. and Aidan was super hyper. I didn't have the energy to face the blue folder filled with papers. However, I knew that I had to at least get the emergency card filled out.

I crawled into bed at 11:30 feeling very anxious. At 1 a.m. I was still staring at the clock. I had this sick feeling inside of me. I was so nervous. I was nervous that our alarm clock wouldn't go off, nervous that Aidan would run out of time in the morning, nervous that I put the wrong paper in his backpack. I felt like I was the one going to school in the morning. I was so flustered that I had let my own emotions of school come flooding back. I want Aidan to feel differently about school than I did!!

Don't Blink

For Aidan, this week marks the end of summer camp. He was really worried earlier in the week because we didn't have his school shoes yet. So, yesterday I surprised him by picking him up early from school to finish getting the few odds and ends that are needed for kindergarten next week, including school shoes. He has been really excited about starting "big kid" school and is thrilled with his new Transformer backpack and lunch bag.

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, I was telling Aidan that I hoped he would have a great day at school tomorrow because it would be the last time he saw this set of teachers and alot of his friends until summer camp next year. He got this really serious look on his face and said to me, "Mom, I don't think I'm ready for kindergarten yet." At this point, I wasn't convinced that he was really concerned. I thought maybe he was using this as a stall tactic for going to bed. I explained that after his last day tomorrow, we would go for a bike ride in the Metro Park and go for ice cream to celebrate his last day of preschool. Then, I gently reminded him that he would have 4 days off to get ready for kindergarten and I was sure that he would be ready by next Wednesday.

However, after he fell asleep, I began thinking. Was I ready for this? I mean, I've been preparing myself all summer but this was it. We are in the final days of preschool. As I watched him sleep so peacefully, I was reminded of the new Kenny Chesney song, "Don't Blink".

Paul and I talked long into the night about how we were excited for Aidan to start kindergarten. We know he will do well. He enjoys learning new things. He strives to make us proud by making good decisions. But we are also afraid. These last 5 years went by so fast....in the blink of an eye. My fear is that once school starts, the next 13 are going to go by even faster.

"Don't Blink. You just might miss your babies growing like mine did."
-Kenny Chesney

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. I'll be spending quality time with my wonderful little boy whom I couldn't be more proud of. I truly am the luckiest mom in town!!

What's in a Name?

Aidan: Mom, why do you call me Aidan?
Jenny: That's your name....Daddy and I chose it for you.
Aidan: Well, I wanted a different name.
Jenny: Really? Like what?
Aidan: Nevermind....it's too late now.

Never a dull moment around here.

How To Tell if a Car is a Dodge, or not

On the way to Aidan's T-Ball picnic last night, I (apparently) looked in the rearview mirror.

Aidan: Mom, what were you looking at in the mirror?
Jenny: To see if there were any cars behind us.
Aidan: Well, did you see any?
Jenny: Yes.
Aidan: What kind?
Jenny: A large, white one. (It was some sort of SUV)
Aidan: (trying to maneuver himself in his carseat to see behind us) Oh, mom, that's a Dodge Dealer.
Jenny: How do you know?
Aidan: See that Big G-M-C on the front of the car? That means it's a dodge dealer.

Hmmmm....I guess I know now.

Just a Little Longer

At the beginning of the summer, Paul and I cleaned out Aidan’s closets and drawers. He had so many clothes that didn’t fit him anymore and some clothes that fit him, but he wouldn’t wear because, well….he is picky.

Since then, I have been mulling around the idea of a garage sale. I don’t mind the work of the garage sale, but my heart just can’t get rid of all of the baby stuff. We have EVERYTHING. We haven’t rid ourselves of anything baby. We still have all of the big stuff, such as a crib, a high chair, a changing table, etc. We have all of the medium stuff, such as excer-saucers and bouncy seats. We have clothes coming out of everywhere and just as many, if not more, toys. Just when I convince myself that I am just wasting space in our basement with all of this stuff and go down to sort through and begin the garage sale process, I pull out a piece of clothing or a toy from when Aidan was an infant and I just can’t do it. I look at the outfit that we brought him home from the hospital in and I just can’t imagine people rifling through the stuff in my garage.

I recently had a conversation with a co-worker regarding garage sales. She just had one and was trying to talk me out of it because it was just way to much work. The conversation suddenly turned deeper as I explained the real reason I was avoiding the garage sale. She told me that I should wait until I was ready to let go of all of the stuff before having a garage sale. I have thought a lot about this conversation and decided that I WILL wait. Eventually, I will be ready to let go of it all. The reality of the situation is that we probably won’t have any more children, but we haven’t made any permanent decisions. But for now, I will just keep the stuff in my basement. It’s been there this long, it can wait a little longer.

This morning, Aidan wanted to wear these bright blue/fluorescent green buzz light year shorts to school. I knew he had a fluorescent green shirt that would match, but since he had previously refused to wear it, we put it in the basement with all of the clothes that didn’t fit him anymore. So, I went down to the basement to drag it out. Well, of course, I had to dig through so many memories (I mean, clothes) to find the thing and it just made me sad. I looked over at Aidan who was standing eagerly over the box waiting for the fluorescent green shirt to appear and he suddenly looked so tall. I can’t believe how much he has grown. I am so proud of the little boy he has become, but it seems like just yesterday when he fit so perfectly in my hands. I eventually found an equally bright blue buzz light year shirt that matched his shorts. I didn’t search any further for the fluorescent green shirt. I shut the box, turned off the lights and headed up the stairs, content in the fact that all of the baby supplies will remain in our basement for a little while longer.