The Lost Posts - July, The Middle

July continued to move along full and happy!!  I'm starting to think this is my favorite month of the year…holiday celebrating, health, play dates and beautiful weather?  Yes please!!!!

Owen's Rookie Baseball wrapped up with a game between the group.  It was nothing short of adorable and I am not surprised our little nugget was out in left field chasing bugs and had to be reminded…oh yeah. This is a game and the object is to keep your eye on the ball!  I'm interested to see what Cooper's reaction will be this summer when we sign him up!

Talking some important baseball strategy.  Or maybe not.  Haha!

After the hot and sweaty game there were certificates, fist bumps and popsicles.  Too much fun!

Our little rookie.

In other news during the middle of the month:

An adorable sleepy dude.

A puff eating machine!

We took off to the splash pad for some serious hot weather fun…we met up with Driton, Dorian, their Momma and our cousins!

Bouncing fun!

A selfie and man does that green paint look awful in the background.  It wasn't near that olive, but I sure don't miss it now that it's beige!!

A trip for ice cream on National Ice Cream day.  Waiting for our cohorts in ice cream devouring! Thanks for the invite Aunt April :)

Little mister was getting ready to start moving...

Reagan getting a bath…that face seems to say WTF guys?? 

I fell in love with the Share a Coke cans.  

What my husband said I was married to…hilarious no??

Also in July news, we lost our very first big kid car.  I loved this car…so much!  Seeing these pictures actually hurts a little more than I expected it to.  Jeremy had it parked at work and a man fell asleep at the wheel, barreling into our car and several others.  Thankfully he wasn't in it, no one was seriously injured and our insurance came through for us.  The damage barely looks like enough to have it be totaled but our wheels were bent and frame damaged…and afterwards the engine would no longer start...so to the scrap yard she went.  Sniff sniff sniff...

He's All Set

I haven't blogged in just about two months to the day...and I could spend some time getting into the reasonings I think that has happened to me...but that is for another post. Right now, all the other updates that are in work are being put aside.  They are coming.  I am not letting myself off the hook.  I need to share our amazing summer and all the things the boys and I did together.  It was just that.  Amazing.  We had so much awesome fun. We seized the day.  Every day of this summer was chalk full of adventures if there were any at all to be had.  But again.  That is for another post.  Or several other posts actually.  Today is about Owen.  And his next big step.  Kindergarten.  He's ready.  Oh man is he ready.

His backpack is here...complete with his initials and a little baseball patch he picked out all on his own.  We got him a cool new lunch box too.  Also with his name embroidered on the front.   His school supplies got dropped off last night as we saw his classroom and met his teachers.  He has his own cubby with an elephant on top and his name underneath.  His school days are here.   They are really happening.  The real deal school days.  With lunch boxes and cafeterias and pencil boxes and crayons and libraries and teachers and...the list goes on.  And like I said...he is ready.   He has asked every day for a couple weeks now when school started.  Yesterday he asked all day when Grandma was coming so we could go visit his new school.  He is so darn excited he can't hardly sit still when he talks about it.

So why aren't I?  Usually his enthusiasm spills over and fills me up too.  But this?  I can't share with him.  All I keep thinking about is the pit in my stomach.  The what if's.  The things I can't even bring myself to type up because well...it hurts too much to think them out loud.  Doing so makes it hurt worse.  This little boy that I love more than life itself.  Who has been through hell and back learning to talk and whose journey learning is just beginning...who loves school and life more than any kid I know...what if all this changes him?  I guess I should say...how will all this change him?  And how is it that I've agreed to let someone else take care of him for so many hours in a day.  WHY do we do this??  There is so much trust in people I don't know at all.  It's scary.  And right now...that's the only place my head can go.  I know there will be amazing experiences and learning and growing and fun.  But for now I hurt for the baby I'm letting go.  The first of so many bittersweet changes that life throws our way as we learn to let our kids fly free.  Wow it is powerfully hard to do.

Most importantly though I just want Owen to know how loved he is.  How much I admire his beautiful spirit.  How much I'll miss the time at home we won't get to spend.  How proud I am of the kid he is becoming.  How his Dad and I will be there every.single.step of the way without fail.  We love you buddy.  Go rock Kindergarten little mister.  I already know you are going to so here goes nothing!!

A Friday Night Play Date!

We kicked off the month of May with a play date at the house!  Uncle Jonnie and Daddy took off to see a movie...so Aunt April and Isabel joined us for some fun :)  I had purchased this baking pan that allows you to make stick cookies...and I couldn't wait to try it out!  We had giant cookies on sticks and a decorat-your-own-cookie bar that night.  The fun lasted about 5 minutes and Isabel was the biggest fan of the cookie...but everyone had fun :)  And Aunt Jessie enjoyed buying pink icing for a girlie touch.  Thanks for the fun evening guys!  Can't wait to do it again!

Owen's 5th Birthday Party...one last catch up.

A few pictures from Owen's 5th Birthday Party!  We rented Riverbend Bounce and invited wonderful family and friends.  It was chaos from start to finish but so fun!  I think everyone had a great time and truly enjoyed themselves.  And most importantly, our big boy turned 5 and rang it in, in a big way :)

He asked for a Lightning McQueen cake so that is what we got him.  Since we had so many people coming I also had cupcakes and a few snacks sitting around.  Hopefully no left without enough sugar to power them through their afternoon!  We also sent the kiddos home with loose balloons and some other lightning McQueen party favors.

After singing happy birthday, he could not wait to get set lose in the bounce house!!  And the rest is history :)

Catch up...a February Run Down

Because I'm so far behind my updating via the blog...I'm gonna start with a little monthly run down via my photos! Luckily because we had a baby in January, February and March were quiet months for us.  These cover the end of January and February.

Here we go :)

Grandma did lots of visiting with us while I was recovering.  I love this picture of her and the boys.

Miss Isabel turned 3.  Crazy to me she's 3 but she is none the less!  It was a festively Frozen party!

She spent her party dancing around to the Frozen soundtrack and looking adorable.

Action Photo

We had lots of cold days spent in doors.  And there were a lot of missed school days for Owen as well. On those days we got into our puzzles and games and tried to pass the time!

Showing me his SuperBowl Sunday Football stance.

Just a picture of Grey...sporting some cuteness.

Picnic lunches.  The kids love these!

This cracked me up!

I wanted a dump cake...and I used what I had.  It turned out delicious!!

 More passing of time via puzzles!

 Loved him in this little outfit.  And this also happened to be the first time I found him sleeping like this.  He still enjoys sleeping with his arms above his head!

One of our first date nights post-Grey.  My margarita was fantastic!

Owen loves having his picture taken with his baby brother.

On yet another long and cold afternoon indoors, we decided to build a fort using our kitchen table.  The construction took longer than the interest the boys had in playing in it...but hey, building it is half the fun right???

Just swinging.  Gosh he looks little in this picture!

Selfie...new shades.

Cheeks.

A doctors visit for a cold.  Poor baby got a lot of stuffy noses being exposed to his big brother's preschool germs!

He played hard...and crashed.  Snack on his chest.  This melted my heart and also made me laugh!

 I started making smoothies with my emersion blender.  They are delicious and I feel so much better when I do this!

We put together Valentine's Day presents for our favorite people.  The boys helped a lot.  But mostly?  They ate the goodies while I packed them up!!

 Afternoons spent as Buzz Lightyear are some I hope I never forget!

 This was the most snuggly baby outfit (thanks Aunt Steff!)...and the onesie had little moose shapes on it as well.  Adorable!

 In an attempt to stop the boys from running like maniacs around the circle in our house, we gated off the kitchen.  Owen was not impressed.

 Love this kiddo and his playful imagination!

Speaking of Valentine's Day...my mantle was festively decorated.  I happen to be in love with it...which is totally appropriate!

 We had a case of sinus infection going down here.  102 fever and laid out.  A couple doses of amoxicillin and we were back in action!  I believe this head cold landed all of us on antibiotics.

 It's amazing to me what a little ibuprofen can do!

Doc visit for afore mentioned sinus infection.

And the ride home.

Also in February, I discovered this stuff.  It's pretty darn delicious!

This song got quite a few plays on my iTunes account.  The boys love it also and we had a lot of fun dancing around the living room to it!

Daddy had a particularly tough work week and we sent him some treats to say we love you!

Bath time!!  He loves them and he's long he graduated to the bathtub very quickly!

 Sleepy boy.

Painting with Grandma!

 Thinking about it but not convinced!

 My contribution.

 All in!

 Owen wrote his first apology note to his teacher after a tough day.  I was proud of the way he handled himself while we talked about it.

 I often enter a room and will find Cooper has gone riffling through my things. This is one such incident.

 Just snoozin'.

I made a white bean, quinoa, chicken and kale soup. It was pretty darn delicious!!

 Mister was starting to grasp onto things.  He still likes hanging to this soft Goofy rattle.  Making Great Grandpa Linley's Disney-loving heart happy!

 The antibiotics I mentioned earlier and our fun schedule.

 Late evening snuggles with Mr. Greyson.  So peaceful and sweet.

We wrapped up with February celebrating as Mr Case Cincoski turned 1. We took off to celebrate at his party.  It was a Duck Commander filled party and lots of fun!  For some reason though...my pictures of his cake smash and such are missing!  Sorry Case Man. I'll probably stumble across one when your graduating high school ;)  Can't believe you are one already!

 And that about wraps up February!  March and April coming up soon!