It's never wordless...

 

My sister and I wanted to get a picture of all of the grandkids together for a Mother's Day gift for my mom. This is the end result. Looks like a peaceful, easy shoot, right? Ha! This might've been the only time Macey sat still in the 30 minutes we were at the park. There was also a little boy who decided to fly his kite right through our photo shoot multiple times. The kids enjoyed that. The moms? Not so much. But, all's well that ends well, right?

 

Moving on. Camden's awesome teachers gave us a CD with tons of pictures of him throughout the school year. It was amazing to see how much he grew and changed from the beginning of the year to the last day of school. It was also neat to see what he was doing at school all day! There are so many pictures I'd love to share, but since they involve other people's kids, I'll have to refrain. However, this is among my favorite pictures from the CD. Camden is apparently a Hawaiian fireman, and his cousin Will seems to be a policeman attending Mardi Gras (and talking on a phone upside down). Classic. 

 

 

Here's my sweet Macey Jean being a wild girl on our neighbor's trampoline. This picture makes me laugh because of her crazy hair. It's very fitting.

We spent Memorial Day weekend at my parents' lake house. It was also my dad's birthday weekend, so my sister and her family came too (so did my brother). Here are all of the (male) cousins getting ready to go for a boat ride. (Macey was napping.)

 

 

 

It's no secret that Camden's cousin, Will, is his BFF. However, Camden adores (read: idolizes) his two older cousins (Will's big brothers). He's thrilled any time he gets to spend some time with them and the boys are so good to him.

 

Pop (my dad) with all of his grandkids on his birthday. (Macey's tall, isn't she?!)

 

And, finally- my little Pinterest project this week. I am finishing my field study in my nephew's classroom on Thursday, and it didn't feel right to leave these kids that I've been working with almost the entire year without giving them a little parting gift. Shout out to Pinterest for helping me find a cost effective way to make that happen for 25 kids. I got the teachers a little something too. 

 

Last Day of Preschool (letter to Camden)

Dear Camden,

I wrote this letter to you the night before you started preschool, what seems like an eternity ago. I was so, so afraid of letting you go. I was nervous how you would do outside of our safe little family bubble. I was worried you would be scared, I was worried you'd have trouble making friends, I was worried that you just weren't ready. After all, preschool is a huge stepping stone into independence, and you'd spent the vast majority of your three years of life by my side. How would you manage on your own?

The answer, I've come to find out over the past year, is that you manage just fine. Better than fine, actually; you have thrived in your preschool classroom. I can't count the number of times one of your teachers has pulled me aside when I drop you off to talk to me. "He's like an entirely different kid than he was at the start of the year," they tell me. "He's so confident and comfortable in the classroom now," they say proudly. And let me tell you: I couldn't be more proud of you myself.

I've watched you go from an anxious little boy who clung to my leg uncertainly to a kid who runs straight into the classroom, often times forgetting to even hug me goodbye. I've watched you make new friends, including a best friend who jumps for joy the second you walk into the classroom each day. I've watched you gain independence; gone are the days when you needed help buttoning pants, zipping zippers, and putting on coats. I've seen you become much more confident in your abilities, from cutting with scissors to writing your name. I've watched you go from waiting hesitantly for instructions to following your daily routine with confidence. I've heard you stick up for yourself and voice your opinion instead of going along with the majority. In short, I've watched you begin the process of growing into the amazing, kind hearted boy you're becoming.

Today is your last day of your first year of preschool. It's just the beginning of a series of milestones that you'll have in your lifetime, but it's an important one. I couldn't be prouder of you, and I couldn't be more thankful to call you my son.

Love,
Mommy

Then:

And now:

Wordless Wednesday

Phew, there's a lot going on right now. My summer class started last week and I am way in over my head right now. Not because the material is complicated, but because there's just so much of it. Cramming a semester's worth of work into a one month class isn't exactly enjoyable. But, on the flip side, at least it's only a month of feeling like my head's going to explode and there aren't anywhere near enough hours in a day. I can do anything for a month. Right?

 

 

I'm going to do my best to keep up with posting but please see the former paragraph if things get slow around here for a while. I'm sure I'll at least keep up with Wordless Wednesdays because I've found it's such a great way to document the week's events. Also, Camden's last day of preschool is Friday, so watch out for an upcoming post about that.

 

And, here goes Wordless Wednesday:

 

 

 

We've had several 90+ degree days around here, so that means the bathing suits and the Slip 'N Slides were brought out.

 

Poor quality iphone picture, but we had a family date night over the weekend. It was fun. Camden's at a great age to take out to eat; Macey's getting there. I love our little family outings.

 

And just because her face makes me laugh. She's copying me, but her version is way cuter.

TBT: Macey or Kerri?

My mom was recently going through some old pictures and sent me an email with a couple of those pictures included. The title of the email was "Macey or Kerri?" and when I opened the attached pictures, it was clear why she had chosen that title. It's the neatest thing to have a child that is a little clone of a younger version of yourself.

 

Macey or Kerri: Exhibit A. (And yes- we both have/had a great affection for our pacifiers.)



 

 

 

 

And Exhibit B:

 

 

Happy Mother's Day

"Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world."

 

 

 

 

 

“Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ”

 

 

 

Wordless (ha) Wednesday- including a video!

Yeah, yeah- it's not wordless, I know. I don't know that my WW posts have ever been wordless, come to think of it. But I couldn't resist posting this video of Macey. We were on our way to dinner with my mom a couple of nights ago while Matt and Camden were at a baseball game. Huge disclaimer: I obviously would never film a video while driving (I hope that's obvious, anyway). We're in my mom's car, and I'm filming from the passenger seat while my mom was driving. Macey was chattering the whole way to dinner and I couldn't resist catching some of it on camera. And, yes- she refers to herself as "May-May", which I find ridiculously adorable.

Moving on....

 

People often tell me that Camden and Macey look alike. I normally don't see it very much, beyond their skinny frames and white blonde hair. But in these two pictures below, I see it very much. Especially in their eyes.

 

My brother & my mom took all of the boys (Cam & his cousins) to a Free Comic Book day event in a nearby city. Camden came home with a stack of comic books, lots of stories, and a Kool-Aid mustache. He loved it. 

 

It was a busy weekend for Camden. After the comic book event, there was a Star Wars themed baseball game at our local stadium. (Because, you know, May the fourth be with you.) Daddy & Camden met up with my sister's family there, and they had a great time. Camden has already asked when he can go to his next baseball game. 

And finally, Miss Macey Jean. I've mentioned a few (or a million) times how she's my wild child and will be enrolled in gymnastics by age 3. Well, jumping on our neighbor's trampoline has become part of her daily routine now. We go for a walk, she stops at their house, and immediately heads to their back gate. Luckily, they're awesome, and don't mind that we hijack their trampoline when they're not home.