back to school.. back to school..

both kiddos are now in school.  all. day. long.  & yet i feel like i am getting nothing accomplished around the home.  thanks to the great work ethic my family instilled in me, my part time job at preschool is more of a full-time job.  but, i do enjoy watching the little kiddos' eyes light up with new discoveries and being a part of their lives.  so, no complaints here. just a bigger realization that teachers are very underpaid!!

of course, had to decorate to celebrate the first day of school..

reading all the notes along the way:)

obligatory first day of school pictures..

walking to the bus stop.

sweetness.

 yes, i had props.

 & they were thrilled...

i think they were glad for the bus to get there.

big b is now in the second grade.. his first year without his sidekick in his class.  but, it has started out to be a great year.  he's coming out of his shell at school (hello, talent show - here we come!)  and is always full of new factoids he has learned each day.  as long as we can keep from breaking a bone during the "soccer" they play at recess - more like clobbering each other - i think we will be a.o.k.

miss g just loooves kindergarten.  & she has an amazing teacher (ben's kindy teacher) and class.  i am amazed at how quickly she has learned to read, is learning sign language to communicate with a friend (other than the few she knew as a baby) & love hearing about each day's events.  this past week, a little friend in her class with cochlear implants got to hear each classmate say "hi" to her for the first time.  such an awesome experience for her & the entire class!

if we aren't at home, we are at the soccer field! all through the home, a soccer ball is being kicked around.  so glad we don't have too many breakables :).  benj would play soccer 24/7 if he could!  miss g.. as long as it's not a "real" game, she loves it. 

benj on the field, sweating buckets.  that boy drinks his big jug of water by halftime!  

 miss g thinking about her next move...

miss g wasn't too thrilled this game.. it's too much to weemember in the bigger gals league for her.  

 chllin out - her favorite spot during soccer games :)

 ready to kick it in!

 after that ball she goes!  so proud of her for keeping it up, even though she's not loving it.

 we are still trying to figure out what she would like to do. i'm thinking maybe guitar or dance - but big b reminded me she likes to dance to her own beat, so maybe not dance.  we'll see.  as long as we are having fun & happy, that's all that matters to this momma!

it's been a while..

since i have written anything down.  the poor blog has been neglected. let's see what has happened since my last post.
beano & gracie had their last soccer games.  hurray!

  

beano was a scoring machine & gave it his all.  good job, buddy! 

with his crew after the game.

 now, for miss g's last game...

she was a body on the field

attached to her daddio's leg.

i thought it was cute.

we had a super fun shower to celebrate the upcoming arrival of kate & dave's baby.  we are all looking forward to that bundle of joy- any day now!

the baby blanket i made for their little nutbrown.

game on lock shirts - justin's idea.  don't ask - i don't get it.

the happy parents to be & all of us!

justin & i had our 7th wedding anniversary.  not a day goes by that i don't love you more, my love.  i can't put into words my love for you.


we've been sick.  a lot.  i think that's the big reason why the blog has been on hold.  the late nights up with coughing, wheezing kiddos can do that. 

one day during their illness, we went out to get some fresh air.  benj wrote me the sweetest note.

i love you too, buddy.  forever & ever. 

playing outside that day was lots of fun.  the kiddos were striking poses for me. 

these are their "angry" faces.

yes, benj, you are bigger!

i love the look grace is giving her big bubby here.  too sweet.

halloween happened. 

the kiddos were mario & tinkerbell.  i curled up miss g's hair & put on some makeup.  she was loving it!! 

visiting neighbor john's house.

mario was bugging tinkerbell.

& she let him have it with her fairy wand.  don't tink her off!

 i was just a mom for halloween.  a tired one. 

& this was ben at the end of the night.  a self portrait he took with my camera.  lovely.

the leaves have been coming down & down & down in our yard.  gracie gets very upset when i bag them up.  they are to be jumped in & slid into & played in & thrown up in the air- not trashed!  they are indeed fun!

that's been the goings on lately.. 

the goings on lately..

soccer.  big surprise!
after gracie's triumphant return, the next game was against the team she played the first time.  & that team was why she didn't want to play anymore.

 

i think the girl standing next to her was one of the shorter ones on that team.  they were good.  really good. and aggressive.  really aggressive for a 4-6 year old league.  they never let up & bit much i thought, but that's momma bear here.  i was proud of our girls for not giving up though.

that game caused her breathing issues to flare up in a major way.  friday, the day the kids had out from school we were planning on something super special while ben was at a birthday party.  it ended up being a doctor visit.  not too special.  by the time we getting the prescription, reality set in that we weren't going to the fall festival or to chuck e cheese (the special things we were thinking about doing).  she was mighty upset about this fact & started crying in the drugstore that turned into a cry you just can't stop.  i was holding her while in line & talking to her, trying to make her feel better.  a lady in her 60's got in front of us in line & told gracie to be quiet, she was being bad & nobody wanted to hear her.  really??  i told my gracie girl it was ok, she is a good girl & i was sorry she was sick.  & i did then tell the lady that my daughter was sick & upset.  quite the drama scene in walgreen's.  another lady about the same age then offered gracie a piece of candy from pocket (that kind that my grandma always carried).  god bless her.  

we've put up a soccer goal in our yard & ben wants to play all the time.  he's getting pretty radical (one of his new favorite words), i must say.  he just kept scoring & scoring on saturday. 

at one point, coach daddio told him to pass it to another teammate or wait for them at the goal to let them score.  & he did.  he had taken that ball down the field & kinda stood in front of the goal, dribbling, waiting on a teammate.  he wasn't showing off, he was really trying to do what coach said. the other team eventually kicked it away, but that was ok.  he was trying to share.   daddio said he gave him a big smile after that.  i love that boy.

 

miss gracie was sporting the tie dye dress we made for ben's soccer games & my sunglasses.  too cute if i do say so myself.

we've started some "chores" around here (help with bed, clothes, teeth, dishes in sink or dishwasher, help with picking up).  the kiddos will get either a quarter or a treat if they do what they are supposed to all week.  of course, benj was immediately trying to negotiate a better deal of a daily payment.   

here was the list ben created of his to do's: 

 what they are.. i'm not quite sure.. those first words no clue... but make my bed was the end of the first one.  

gracie's list she helped make included 5. have fun  6.feed froggy 7. patience 9. pray 10. bed  

 they did get a "treat" for completing their first week of helping more around the house.  the game Guess Who? from the basement stash of toys.  & they love it! (they love every game - especially ben)

today, we went for a scooter/trike ride in the neighborhood.

check out their new shirts.

 

 it's a picture ben made in art class & they sent home paperwork to have it made into a shirt.  we scanned his artwork & ironed it onto shirts we had.  

this yard decoration is at a home in our subdivision.  it just doesn't seem safe to me...

 it's right by the road.  i'm all for shabby (a bit too much daddio would say), but rusty spikes just don't seem like a good idea to me.   

1/2 way through, gracie just left her trike to the wayside & then ben did.  

 pretty typical for our walks.   

gracie had a wipeout too.  she said she wished the roads "were made of pillows to soften her landing." 

racing time.

 

someone got a head start!  

worn out time.   

 she just plopped right down on the road.  silly goose.  she got carried / pushed most of the way back, as she was wiped out & couldn't breath.  at least now we have an inhaler for her.  get strong lungs, grow strong!

& i have to add another going on... toots.  i guess it's a boy thing.  i asked ben if he had to go to the bathroom yesterday.  he replied,"no, i just like to toot a lot."  what a stinker.