Spring-time Updates

Camden:

We have (finally, at long last!) decided on a kindergarten for Camden in the fall. That's both really exciting and incredibly scary-- with a little bit of bittersweet mixed in. His preschool graduation is a month away. I'm trying to brace myself for the inevitable emotional rollercoaster that I'll feel that day. But enough with the school talk. Here's what my boy is like right now, at almost five-and-a-half years old:

• He has pet aquatic aliens (or, to the '80s kids like myself, sea monkeys) that he loves and takes good care of.
• He's playing his second season of Little League baseball. My shy toddler is long gone. At last night's game, Camden stepped up to the plate, waved to his fans, and proceeded to do a little jump/dance before hitting.
• He loves learning. On the way to school, he always asks what we can talk about that day. His favorite subjects are currently: the solar system (he can name all of the planets in order); bugs (he wants to know everything about bees and wasps, yet is terrified of them after his first sting last summer); ocean life (specifically sharks, sting rays, killer whales, and jellyfish); and the way the human body works (he loves learning about the functions of the brain, heart, and lungs in particular).
• His hobbies right now include: playing "My Singing Monsters" and "Plants vs. Zombies" on Matt's tablet; baseball; reading; and acting out "boss fights" from video games.
• He loves the "Magic Treehouse" book series. I read a couple of chapters to him each night before bed. We're on book 3 right now.

Macey:

Macey will be starting preschool in the fall! Unfortunately, she won't attend Camden's current preschool; it's in the opposite direction of where Camden will attend kindergarten, so it was logistically impossible for me. Luckily, there's a great preschool only a couple miles from our house that she got into after a year on the wait list. And here's what my sweet two-and-a-half year old is up to these days:

• Macey recently had her first hair cut (trim, really) courtesy of Nan. Her hair was a wild mullet and she won't tolerate bows or clips of any kind, so something had to be done. Luckily, she handled it well and it turned out really cute.
• I attempted potty training for like an hour last week and it was a major bust. As a second time mom, this didn't stress me out at all. I threw in the towel and decided to give it another month.
• Macey mostly sleeps through the night. She's still pacifier-dependent at bedtime, but not during the day.
• She was recently evaluated  for potential mild strabismus (lazy eye), but thankfully, her diagnosis was pseudo-strabismus, which will resolve on its own.
• She's a curious little girl who loves learning. She knows all of her uppercase letters, most of her lowercase letters, and all of her numbers through 25.
• Verbally, she's doing really well. I rarely have trouble understanding her and she speaks in full sentences most of the time.
• She's totally obsessed with Elsa from Frozen, or as Macey calls her, "Let it go". We currently listen to the song ("Let it go") about 700 times a day. She has a Barbie that she calls "Let it go" too.
• Her other favorites right now include: Team Umizoomi, Paw Patrol, a Learning Resources fruit sorting pie, playing ball, being at the Little League field, Easter Egg hunts (yes, we still hide eggs almost daily this long after Easter has passed), trains, her doll house, and play-doh.

Matt and Kerri:

We're not nearly as interesting as the kids, but I thought I'd include a few tidbits about us.

• Matt's managing Camden's Little League team. It's been an experience, for sure. It's a lot of work-- like, a lot. It's pretty much the equivalent of a part-time job. There have been parts he's enjoyed (working with the kids, seeing their progress over the season) and parts that have been challenging (some of the parents, feeling like he's babysitting instead of coaching sometimes).
• I'm still writing part-time. I average about one article per day.
• I have 3 classes left before I can start student teaching. I'm really, really hoping to get a job at the school where Camden will be starting kindergarten. I'm totally open to an assistant position to get my foot in the door.
• Matt and I are taking a trip to Michigan in June for a childhood friend's wedding. The kids will be staying with my parents.
• I think that's it. Like I said, we're not that interesting.

Some of my favorite pictures from the last few months: