On the advent of my first babe starting kindergarten

It's been a while since I did a non-Three Thought Thursday blog post. Tonight I had plans of finishing up some laundry, starting the dishwasher, maybe responding to an email or two. Typical things. But since it's not a typical night, I felt myself more drawn to sit down and write a bit.

My little boy starts kindergarten tomorrow.

A special day, no doubt. And a special little boy. I find my heart filled with a sense of completion and a sense of beginning all at once. What a remarkable five (nearly six!) years it has been with my Kolbe. I'm so proud that we've made it this point! Mark and I certainly don't profess to being perfect parents; we're nothing of the sort. But we're here. We made it. We have a smart, funny, happy, charming little boy who is so, so excited to take on the world.

I've shared my journey through motherhood on this blog since Kolbe was about eight-months-old. You've seen the ups and downs, our joys and sorrows. And every single second has been worth it.

I love being Kolbe's mama.

There's nothing in the world quite like it and I'm bless that God has chosen Mark and me to be his guides on the journey. And to be honest, I can't wait for the new journey ahead. This is one extraordinary kiddo we've got on our hands!

And I'm so, so glad that I still get to be Kolbe's mama. Still get to be the one he trusts, the one he looks to for advice, the one to teach him morals, to show him how to love others and to love God. To teach him how to clean toilets, make spaghetti, write a good paper, or ask a girl to dance. Till the day I leave this earth, and hopefully even beyond, I will always be Kolbe's mama.

It's the best feeling.

For several years leading up to this point, Mark and I wrestled back and forth with what path we should take when it came to the education of our children. From the beginning, we've been firm believers that parents are responsible for the education of their children. And for a long time, I struggled with what that meant for us. Public school? Catholic school? Home school? Could it be possible for my kids to be academically educated in one arena and morally/spiritually educated in another? Time will certainly tell, but for now, Mark and I both have deep faith that we've done our best in bringing Kolbe to this point and we're certainly not going to stop now. We send him off to school with great excitement and confidence that he can and will be the salt among his peers. And it's our job to continue to cultivate that in him (and our other boys too) at home. Best of all, we're surrounded by so many friends and family members...those who send their kids to public school, those who choose Catholic school, those who homeschool...all who have been nothing but supportive and encouraging in our process of reaching this point. We're so blessed to not be alone in this crazy ride called parenthood!

So with a joy, excitement, and great confidence I will load a little thirty-eight pound boy into the car tomorrow morning. Beaming with pride, I'll take his hand and walk to his classroom with him. We'll smile and our hearts will know just how deeply we love each other.

And my little boy will take flight.

The little boy who made me a mama

Life couldn't be better :)

TTT: Season 3, 20/21...Top Ten Takes!

- It's been two weeks since I posted. And SO much has happened! I'm having a hard time reflecting on the past two days, let alone two weeks. But they've been wonderful.

- Gotta say, I love Mother's Day. My boys sure do know how to make me feel special! A mother's day poster, breakfast in bed, mass with my family, brunch with my own mama, time to go shopping...alone. It was a great day!

Working on the Mother's Day poster!

- One of the best things in the world is when little boys are affectionate. It doesn't happen very often. And some are more affectionate than others. For example, Rudy is my love bug. Even when he's not in a very lovey dovey mood I can still coax a hug or two out of him. Kolbe is typically stoic and totally "no-touch." And Grant is more along the lines of being attacked by a thirty pound puppy. But every now and then I catch the perfect moment. And it's wonderful.

Early morning snuggles with Mama. I love my life.

- Speaking of summer, we just returned from our summer vacation. What a blast! And let me just say, leading up to it was a breeze. It's amazing how easy it is to back when you're packing for "regular people." No bottles, burp cloths, extra gadgets or gear. Just clothes, shoes, and a toothbrush. Don't get me wrong, I sure do miss having a little one, but travel without a baby is much more of a breeze!

- The night before we left for our trip, we got daring and headed down to the waterway for a night of fun. The Dave Matthew's Band (Mark's long time favorite) was playing at the pavillion (a large open-air venue) so we took the boys and a big picnic blanket out for a listen. There were countless others like us...not willing to buy the tickets to be able to see the concert but still totally interested in hearing it for free...piled on the open lawns of the waterway. We found a fun little spot where the boys ran and played soccer with other kiddos and one particular group of girls just took them under their wings. So. much. fun. We'll be back out there in a few weeks for the Mumford concert!

Listening and relaxing!

And this guy obviously had some important business to take care of.

- Travel with older kids is a breeze, and travel with Dada is even better! I was so happy to have Mark with us for our trip to South Padre Island this year. He missed our trip last year as he had just started a new job and couldn't take off that soon. He had been anxiously anticipating this trip for a long time. It was a much needed break from his extremely busy work schedule and it made my heart happy to see him able to relax and enjoy himself and our family. Plus, he makes the work load much more bearable for me! Win, win.

- There is nothing quite like seeing your little ones take in the world. The beach was like living in a fantasy world for Kolbe and Rudy this year. Absolute bliss. Seeing them run wild, the wind in their hair and sand on their knees is how I imagine my heart looks when I fully take in each of their faces. Beaming with joy. Such a sight of beauty. And watching them have time to play with their cousins is so special too. I hope they grow up loving each other.

- My parents are awesome. Taking on five adults and seven kids five and under and calling it your vacation...and paying for it is pretty great. They're the best. Imjustsayin.

-We rolled back in to town just in time to attend Kolbe's pre-school end of the year ceremony. Literally...pulled in the driveway, changed clothes, headed to the church. And as of today, Mr. Kolbe Alexander is now officially kindergarten ready! (Wasn't he just born yesterday!?!)

We LOVED Miss Linda and Miss Ann Marie...and they loved Kolbe!

- Now it's back to the real world. Back. to. the. real. world. 

And in my real world, it's officially summer! Renewing the pool passes as soon as I finish the post and pool bound this weekend. Time to come up with fun projects, neat mini-trips, and of course, ways to avoid the heat but enjoy it at the same time. Back to busy, but back to fun. Looking forward to the months ahead!

Want to see more pictures of our trip to South Padre Island? Click here! (And by more, I mean MORE.)

TTT: Season 3, Episode 36

1. It's been a loooong day. And a long week, too! But a good one with lots to be happy about. First of all, my sweet little Kolbe started pre-school today! I really can't believe he could be possibly old enough to do anything but be my little boy. Forever. But alas, he's been getting the itch for a good year now and today was the big day. Pre-school! Granted, he's only going on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-2, it's still a big milestone for him. And me. This is the first time any of my babes have gone off to any kind of "school" whatsoever. I'll go ahead and say it went smoothly, though we did have just a little bit of a hiccup at drop off. Actually last night Kolbe got a little weepy after we put him to bed. I crawled in with him and asked if he was nervous about school. He insisted he wasn't and swore that it was because he was sad that I painted his room. Which happened months ago. This morning he woke up all chipper and ready to go. Mark had a morning surgery that he snuck out of early so that he could meet us at the church. All was fine and dandy, and even I was not feeling overly emotional when I dropped the dreaded words on him: "Give Mama a hug and a kiss." I squatted down, got my hug, and he immediately started his silent whimper. One of those I-swear-I'm-not-crying-please-don't-let-anyone-see-me-not-being-brave type of cries. And as if on cue, my tears had no problem appearing in an instant. He was so worried about his classmates seeing that he was crying that he refused to pull his little face back off my shoulder so we both wound up sitting on the floor for a minute or two until he gained his composure. Sure enough, once he got his little burst of emotions out, he did just fine. He was nothing but smiles and eager when-do-I-get-to-go-backs as soon as I picked him up. So overall, it was a great success!

I'd like to say that things went as smoothly on the home front but we pretty much bombed our projected schedule. Grant ended up taking two fifteen minute naps both in the car instead of the goal of one long nap at home from 11-1:30. Rudy took a one hour nap, but not during either of Grant's sleeping times. Grant did take another nap when we got home from picking Kolbe up, but of course, by then I was back to referring the shenanigans of two attached-at-the-hip brothers who had been separated for five hours. We made homemade pizza together and had a good time talking about the first day of school, but by the time they finally all went to bed, I was pooped. Must figure out a workable routine for school days or I might go insane! I've got to have at least thirty minutes to an hour a day of no babies. Seriously. It's for the greater good of all involved! Otherwise, Rudy and Grant and I did have fun together. Rudy tends to be the back-up singer to the show-stopper, Kolbe, so it's nice to get to spend some one on one time with him without "interruptions." Rudy is such a smart, unique, sincere little boy and his ideas tend to be drowned out by the big brother dictator. I love getting to see him as the big brother, the "boss", and the decision maker. This will be a big year for him as well.

2. This past weekend we went to Dallas to stay with Mark's brother and sister-in-law, Brian and Cristi, and meet up with Mark's parents as well. As always, we had a blast! The boys love the change of scenery and of course, getting to see their  grandparents and aunt and uncle. There's always no shortage of treats and snacks, and Aunt Cristi makes the best food whenever we go. She has become quite the chef! If only I had the time and lack of children hanging off of my legs, I'd get her to train me! We spent a fun day a local pool, went to mass, watched a little college football, stayed up way too late having normal adult conversations (yes, in our world that's notable!) and enjoyed countless Popeye the Sailor Man shorts. (Kolbe loves Popeye and Brian and Cristi have a DVD with 100 shorts on it....it's the only place he gets to see Popeye so naturally, it's his favorite thing to do at their house!) We're so grateful that Brian and Cristi are so welcoming for all of us to "meet in the middle," even when it was the weekend after the first week of school. (All of you teachers out there know how exhausted you are after that first week! Poor Cristi, having house guests! She's a trooper!) Such a fun weekend...can't wait to see everyone again at Thanksgiving!

Mark's birthday is on Saturday so more fun to come! The rest from this past week is in pictures!

Miss Lora surprised Mark with a cake from our favorite baker in Lubbock,  Kerry. Best. Cake. Ever. Though probably just over 2000 calories per piece.

Oh no. He's not looking much like a baby anymore. But man, he's got great eyes!

Making burgers with Aunt Cristi! Kolbe has always been a great sous chef.

Dada: sleepy. Grantness: ready to party.

My little Sunday napper. Anyone else jealous of those lashes!?!

I can't remember the last time I got to take a snooze with my Rudy. Ahhhhh. Felt great!

Rudy cuddling up with his G-ma.

Nothing like a Texas road trip sunset!

I finally finished putting our "new" room together, though you can't really see it all. I have turned this house upside down trying to find the charger for our normal camera and I can't find it anywhere so I'm left taking not-so-good cell phone pics. They don't do it justice, especially because this room is so hard to photograph with the wall full of windows, but oh well. I painted the entire room, made new pillows for the bed, made a new 133" curtain rod, made full length curtains that can close across all of the windows, oh and a room full of new furniture that you can't even see in the picture. Mark and I both love it!

And I finally finished painting the nasty trim in the bathrooms too! Mark thinks I'm crazy, but he's also color blind so he doesn't count. I took the picture above to prove I'm not crazy. You all can see what I'm talking about, right? There's nothing like crisp white with a light blue wall. The cream/off white/beige/yucky had to go. See? Not crazy.

My oldest babe. I just want to reach in to this picture and grab him and squeeze him and force him to stay just like this forever. He really is that adorable.

Kolbe and Dada outside of his school. He was so excited that Dada showed up to drop him off for his first day, even if it meant leaving surgery just to turn around go right back. Kolbe loves his Dada. And Dada is so proud.