I know you were thinking to yourself, "Man, I just haven't seen enough first day of school pictures lately". Don't worry. I've got you covered.
Dawson had his first day of preschool on Tuesday! Because of his late birthday, (September 14th. Tomorrow!!!) we had to make the decision weather to send him to school for the correct year (our cutoff date here is the 15th) or hold him back. It might seem like a "duh" to most moms of boys to hold him back since people hold their kids back even with late spring and early summer birthdays. But my birthday was Sept. 23rd and I was young for my grade (I started college at 17) and I always kind of liked the fact that I had a head-start on life. Jon also argued that it'll push him to be a better athlete because he'll be competing with older kids. But the closer it got to the preschool year and the more I talked to people and saw Dawson's personality and strengths and weaknesses coming out, I realized it'll be the perfect decision for him to hold him back. And really, if he'd been born one day later, I wouldn't have even had to decide.
So we ended up sending him to Meredith Drive's 2 1/2 year program. I know, I know, 2 1/2 yr preschool seems a little completely unnecessary. I used to wonder why anyone would send their kid that young. Do you really just want your kid out of the house?? Well, like so many things we judge as parents, I'm eating my words (or thoughts). There are two reasons I'm sending Dawson this year. The first is because of his age. He's just a couple months younger than Bennett was when he started so he's definitely ready to participate in a preschool setting. Secondly, since Channing takes two long naps a day, we're really stuck at home a lot and don't have the flexibility to do fun stuff outside the house. Winter is a very long season in Iowa so the more we can do to break up the monotony inside, the better!
I wasn't as emotional as I have been when Bennett makes these big transitions but it still felt like a huge step for this little guy! I guess he still seems like my little baby in so many ways (maybe because he still uses a pacifier and wears diapers??! Yeah...we're working on that...)
He clung to me tightly and buried his head when we first stepped into the classroom (which I secretly love) but within a minute he had warmed up and was doing his own thing. He had a great first day and I'm thankful for such a warm and loving environment for him to learn and grow in. We just love this school.
I also signed Dawson up for his first session of Storytime at our library and he had his first one that day too! They were offering one at 1 o'clock which we can fit in between Channing's two naps. Its really really strange going to the library without Bennett because its one of his favorite places to go but it also feels good to have the focus and attention on Dawson.
BIG steps for my little boy! So proud of the caring, passionate, observant, funny and smart little boy he's growing into!
I'm not usually a recipe sharer on here because I generally keep it pretty simple but I had to share these! My friend, Emily, gave me this recipe earlier this summer and they've become a staple in our house. We've dubbed them "fridge bars". I was spending a whole lotta money on granola bars for the boys (since I generally looked for ones with more fiber and less sugar) and was tired of it. Now we make these almost every week. They're awesome because you can adapt them to exactly the way your family likes them! (I love dried cranberries but Bennett doesn't so we leave them out.)
If any of that is unclear, let me know. Everything is 1 cup except 2 cups Grain and 3/4 c of Sweetener.
My ingredients:
Raw honey from Amish country that I get from Jon's Aunt and Uncle in PA :) Its expensive at Trader Joe's so this lasts us a long time.
And voila! A perfect afternoon snack (or breakfast on the run!). Keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
A few notes: It says use an 8 or 9 inch square pan. I like to use a 9x13. As you can see, they come out to be a nice size that way. If I have vanilla whey protein powder at home, I use about 1 1/2 scoops. Don't use a full cup. They turn out way too dry. And if you don't have protein powder, no big deal. I usually make them without. But then I use less honey (closer to 1/2 cup) since they stick together just fine. Also, I use two different seeds and do half & half (unsalted sunflower seeds and ground flax seeds, for example). Mix it up however you want! You can't really mess these up.
PS. I took a picture of that recipe with my phone. I'll text it to you if you'd like so you have the list when you go to the store. Or just copy and paste and email it to yourself :)
PPS. If you ever see mini dark chocolate chips or even regular size ones, please tell me where! I've only ever found those jumbo Nestle chips from Target and they're just too big. I chopped them up once but that takes forever.
Per my Aunt Alicia's request (my Dad's sister who lives in Atlanta), we held a mini family reunion of sorts at my parents house this past weekend. It was for whoever could make it. Unfortunately my little sis, Claire, had to work, and my brother and his wife are just too darn far away. (We all hope that someday that won't be the case ;)
It was the first time we were at their house with Seth and Bethany and the girls so of course, that was a lot of fun for the kids to have their cousins there. We had a fun weekend, albeit not at all relaxing :)Hopefully in a few more years these road trips will be more fun and less work! Channing still doesn't sleep well at all in the car. He took four naps on the way down with a cumulative total of 35 minutes. So not fun. What are the chances he'll change his ways in a month when we drive down to Florida?? Crossing my fingers.
Jon and I and the boys stayed at a friend's cottage. There wasn't enough room for everybody at my parents so we volunteered to stay here instead. My parents lived here for 6 weeks before they found a house and we visited them here last year. Its the cutest little place in the woods and its the most peaceful thing ever to sit out on the screened-in porch in the morning. (Ok, so I lied. About half an hour of each day was relaxing ;)
The big kids with Grandad! I just love this shot because everyone has such big natural smiles. A rare thing from a couple cute but stubborn kids :)
Every time they've been in a pool this summer, they've gotten better and better. This weekend, Jon taught Bennett to get a dive stick off the bottom of the deep end!! Holy cow, this kid is amazing in the water:
Dawson has done a little bit of swimming without floaties this summer but he definitely got more confident this weekend and went further. His eyes were always red and burning the whole weekend because he spent so much time swimming with his face in the water and wouldn't keep goggles on! So proud of my little fishies:
Example A of stubborn kids ;)
With Aunt Alicia. She worked hard to make friends with all our kids (who were too little to remember her last visit) and she won each and every one of them over by the end of the weekend! It was so much fun to have her there with us.
We even fit in a little kid-free shopping trip on Sunday afternoon (!!!!). I love shopping with my mom since we have such similar taste. I got a new light fixture for our dining room which I will blog about soon. And a trip to my favorite store ever, Anthropologie, made me one very happy girl. Our family came home late Monday night utterly exhausted but overall it was a wonderful visit, and so fun to get a few more pool days in!
A couple of weeks ago I got to do hair for a wedding. I did the bride, the mother-of-the-bride, and three bridesmaids. I forgot to take pictures (like usual) so here are a couple of her wedding photos, courtesy of Capri Photography:
She was a very laid-back bride and not too picky, so that made it easy. All three bridesmaids wanted simple half-up do's without any curl so there wasn't much to photograph there. I love getting wedding gigs. Its so much fun to be a part of such an exciting day. And that day felt extra special since we had celebrated our 10th anniversary the day before, so I was feeling all nostalgic :)
The other "job" I recently took on was my first photography session! NO, I was not PAID for this one :) I had close friends looking to get some cheap family pics taken. I offered to do them for free, since until I had a nice camera, all I wanted was for someone to snap some photos every now and then of my kids with their nice camera. (My friend, Elizabeth, so graciously did it for us three different times! But once she had her 4th child in, like, 4 months, it was a little much to ask of her!) So I just wanted to pay it forward. It went pretty good, I suppose, for my first try. Definitely harder than I thought and so much pressure! (Well, not that much pressure since they were free, but still! I was more nervous doing this than a bride's hair, that's for sure.)
I know I have a lot of room for improvement, that's for sure. I almost signed up for a photography class that came through this week on Livingsocial but it was hard to pull the trigger on spending the $100 on myself. Thanks, Katie & Tony, for being great guinea pigs! All of my photos edited on picmonkey.com.
I have had several friends over the years ask me what I've chosen to do regarding vaccinations with my boys. I've typed up long emails so many times and it came up again this week with another friend. I decided rather than re-writing it every time, I'd just blog about it so that I can refer them here.
Let me preface this by saying I'm certainly no expert on the matter! But I do read a lot and the more I read, the more confident I am in my decision.
Here's what I do: I don't start any vaccinations until 6 months old. And at that point, I start them one at a time, and just a select few. So basically at every doctor's appointment starting at 6 mos, they get one shot. The ones I've chosen to accept are the HiB and the DTaP (Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis). The DTaP was only available through my pediatrician as a combined vaccine called Pediarix that also covered Polio and HepB so they've been vaccinated against those as well, by default. Some things I've read suggest waiting until age 2 to vaccinate. I felt comfortable starting at 6 months, having robust, healthy boys. Its all about your comfort level. And never vaccinate when your child's immune system is compromised in any way(although, I'm pretty sure even most doctors would tell you that).
I chose those two vaccines based on the information in this book: The Parents' Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations. Although I've read plenty of articles and information online, that's the only published book I've read on them. I ended up buying it (but have since lent it out so many times I'm not sure where it ended up). I highly recommend it because of it's clear, concise (hence the title), user friendly and non-biased information. Its written by a doctor who gives the pros and cons to every vaccine required. Its just factual. She's not trying to sway you one way or the other. But after reading it, and lots of other things, my personal opinion that I feel strongly about is that so many vaccines are unnecessary. The medical field is a multi-billion dollar industry and its so hard to believe a lot of things you hear when money-making is at the root of it, rather than the health and well being of our children. Have you heard more about Shingles lately and seen commercials for a new vaccination for adults to prevent it? Did you know that when your children have chicken pox and you're around them, it reduces your risk of contracting Shingles as an adult? So vaccinate kids against chicken pox= outbreak of Shingles in adults= make a new vaccine for Shingles= $$$. That's just one example I've come across that's maddening to me.
If you want more information to make informed decisions, I highly recommend signing up for Dr. Mercola's e-newsletter or just exploring his web site. Here's another good web site that shows the amount of vaccines in 1983 vs. 2012.
I chose to delay vaccines and spread them out because of the high risk of autism in boys (1 in 54 boys). And weather its proven to be related or not, I'd really rather not take the chance. I also have a cousin-in-law who's son, Blake, has Alopecia (an auto-immune disorder resulting in total or partial hair loss). She told me once that she remembers his hair started falling out exactly two weeks after a dose of vaccines when he was a baby. I'd much rather be safe than sorry. And for that same reason, I chose the vaccines that could help prevent some potentially life-threatening illnesses in my kids.
One other thing I'd like to mention on here, please remember that these are your child and the decision is completely up to you. Don't be suckered in by some bully nurse who tells you you have to do it. You don't have to. And you don't owe them any excuses or explanations. And if you're being persuaded in a way that makes you uncomfortable, find another doctor. We were with a pediatrician for a while who was totally fine with whatever I chose. The nurse, however, made me feel guilty and uncomfortable for a while about it. I stuck to my guns and eventually she got over it and wasn't cold to me. But then recently the pediatrician left the practice and we were forced to find another one. I'm glad she did. I like our new one even better. It can be extremely hard to find a pediatrician who will let you choose the vaccine schedule, but not impossible. Its worth a little drive if you find one.
And lastly, I used to be worried about when it was time for my kids to go to school. I didn't think I'd be able to claim religious exemption if I'd chosen to do some but not all. It turned out to be absolutely no big deal at all. I spoke to a nurse on the phone and she assured me it was fine. Print out the form, get it notarized, include it with their medical stuff, no questions asked. Seriously, nothing to worry about! And regarding the slight guilt I felt over claiming religious reasons to not vaccinate, my mother-in-law told me that its not lying when God put you in charge of your children; to keep them safe and make the best decisions you know how to make for them! So there's nothing wrong with that!
Please know, I am not in any way judging anyone else's decisions! I just wanted to share what I've chosen to do in hopes that other people will realize it ultimately is your decision.
Today was the day. My baby boy who's not at all a baby anymore was off to Kindergarten.
First day outfit and fake smile (I can still get away with choosing stuff for him...probably not for much longer.)
His first backpack! (scored it on major clearance from PBKids. "Look, honey, isn't a soccer backpack what you always wanted??" I'm lucky he's so easy going. Sure, I let my kids wear stuff with TV characters on them. On pajamas and underwear.)
Seriously, what's not to love about this boy?? Jon was taking this picture. I have a pretty good idea of what he said to get such a great smile:
Waiting at the end of our street for the bus! It was really chilly and windy this morning but of course none of us felt the weather. We were so focused on the moment:
Pretending to hold it together. A mess on the inside. This is going to be much harder when I'm not left with a baby in my arms.
And the moment of anticipation had arrived. Its nice to know there were plenty of familiar faces on the bus with him. He has so many great neighbor friends. His ride to school is only 9 minutes (his ride home is much longer):
They say you have to "cut the apron strings" when your kid gets married and leaves you. Pretty sure one of those strings was snipped at this very moment:
I cried a lot two nights ago when I was trying to fall asleep. That's when it all just hit me. Have I done enough?? That's the question that kept resonating through my head. Have I done enough to prepare him for his first big step into the real world? Will he remember to use his manners? Who will give him a big hug when he falls on the playground? Who will wipe his mouth after lunch? Who will make sure no other kids are teasing him or laughing at him or pushing him around when Mama Bear isn't there watching? The teachers can't catch everything. And if somebody does, will he tell me or keep it all inside? I meant to pray with him before he left but the first morning was so hectic, I was feeding Channing up until the moment his bus came. But we prayed last night for protection for his eyes and ears and hands and feet and that he would be a light for Jesus in his class.
I couldn't help but have flashbacks to other milestones that made him seem so big at the time!
Standing on his own:
Switching him to his toddler carseat:
His first night in a big boy bed:
And his first day of preschool:
Today was such a drastic jump compared to all those!
My neighbor graciously watched Dawson and Channing for a few minutes for me so I could follow the bus to school and get him settled in his class. When I got there, he was already at work!
And he had his bag hung up and unpacked. I just love all the organization and labels :)
His table, with Ellie and Dylan (who were both much quieter than Bennett while I was there). The other girl in the missing spot is Kapriece and she gave me a big hug when I got there! Maybe she was missing her mommy already.
His teacher, Ms. Bridgeman, seems really sweet. I'm hoping its a wonderful and memorable first year of school for him! I hope he comes home with lots to say!! I want to know everything :)
I got this video of Channing cracking up on Monday. This boy is so sweet but is a little tough to get a good belly laugh out of. Of course Nana got him going, the most I've ever seen!:
I decided I'd video the other boys too in their elements, just so you can hear their little voices these days (Uncle Graham & Aunt Sarah! Candy & Ava!)
Bennett reading:
Dawson playing with Playmobil, his favorite toys these days:
And all the boys together, driving their cars to "get donuts at Casey's". They have their father to thank for that one ;) Also, notice how Bennett's holding Channing's hand. Its constant, like some kind of subconscious reaction, and the sweetest thing. It just gets a little awkward when I'm holding Channing and trying to walk and Bennett won't let go and keeps kissing his feet.
Impressed with the mess? That's a daily occurrence these days. Why do boys think it's so fun to just dump stuff out for the heck of it or swipe everything from a table onto the floor? Is that what your house looks like every day? Or do you actually manage to keep your kids from "getting anything else out until you put the (insert name of any toy here) away" ??
Bennett lately: reading, reading, reading and I love, love, love it. Is there a developmental phase more exciting and fun to see unfold than this one? Probably when he was 1 and started saying a new word or learning a new trick every day. That one was up there too.
He's still sweet but of course, we're having to come down on him a lot more for his attitude and tone of voice. A simple, "try that again" works great (Thanks, Nikki!) It's been wonderful just learning a simple verse (Proverbs 6:16-19) and discussing it with him (I got that idea from Dobson's, The New Strong Willed Child). That way, when he lies or is being braggy, I just say, "What does the Lord hate?" And he'll tell me, "a lying tongue". SO powerful and simple.
He still has a lot of trouble falling asleep at night and usually comes out of his room once or twice. He listens to books on CD, (I got him Life at the Pond for his birthday and he loves it! Uncle Wiggily is his other favorite) and usually falls asleep around 9pm and gets up around 7:30.
He starts Kindergarten in just 6 days!!! Big changes ahead!
Dawson lately: Phew! We are starting to see the light (did you just start singing Tangled? I did.) on changes in his behavior. The year between his 1st and 2nd birthday was so incredibly tough and challenging. I had the fear of God in me when I thought about going through the terrible twos and even worse threes with him. But the more his communication skills have improved, the more he's mellowed out. Don't get me wrong, he's still disturbed quite easily and throws tantrums here and there but he spends more time happy than mad these days. I've been praying over him every night at bedtime that God would fill him with gentleness, kindness and love. It's still a work in progress but so is every single one of us, right?
Sheesh. I started writing this post three days ago and the last two days with Dawson have been ROUGH. Lots of hitting and temper tantrums. So it comes and goes. He's absolutely hilarious though, with his facial expressions and inflections. He loves to set up all his cars and animals and Playmobil people and plays really good by himself. He's really into giving people compliments these days. I used painters tape to make roads for his cars all around the house and he kept telling me, "cool road, Mom!" On Sunday it was, "cool shoes, Mom!" and today at the park to a random girl, "cool hanging! Cool move!"
I thought we were starting to potty-train. He was running around naked after swimming and told us he needed to go potty. He went twice. The next morning I figured we'd just dive right in. He went two more times that morning and then had two accidents on the floor. The rest of the afternoon he was fighting me every time I told him to sit on the potty and I just didn't have it in me. So back on the diaper went. I would love some tips on potty training a strong-willed boy! So throw 'em at me! Do I just keep waiting until he really makes up his mind to do it? Or do I take him to the store and let him pick out his own potty treats? I know how to train a child who will sit when I ask him to sit. I don't know how to train one that refuses to sit!
