wordless wednesday

Sweet T

so far so great... {kieran and i go to kindergarten}

I've been nervous, for a while, for weeks really, about what Kindergarten would be like. Was it because I was worried that Kieran might be afraid, or because he might not make any friends? Was it because I felt like a fish out of water now being on the other side rather than my comfort zone as a school counselor? Perhaps. Or, maybe it was because even though I have been the extroverted child compared to my sweet sister, I felt the rush of being a kindergartner again, desperately running out of the classroom out to the school yard to be consoled by my mother's embrace. Yes, I sobbed and sobbed and my mother reassured me that everything would be okay. I sobbed again and again, until if I remember correctly, my dad was sent as the gate keeper and the problem quickly ceased. Still, I was scared and unsure, mostly of myself. 

Kieran started out his day with an obligatory picture in front of the house:

He has been asking all summer long, "Is today the day I go to Kindergarten?"

I've sensed that he has been excited and a little nervous, even though when asked, he said he didn't have any questions.

Using my mom radar and maybe a little bit of my school counseling tools, I could tell by the look on his face, he was excited, but the wheels were spinning. "What are you feeling right now, Kieran?"

"I'm a little scared", he answered. 

"That's okay, honey.", I replied. "Everyone is a little scared and nervous on their first day of school...elementary students, middle school students, high school students, even college students!" This seemed to alleviate his worries when he matter of factly answered, "Oh!"

As he walked up the path to school (wearing the backpack that I knew he did not need, but begged me for and received on the condition he'd use it for first grade, too!),

he pointed out that "elementary school is really big".
In an instant, I too came to a realization...my sweet baby boy is getting big, too!

"C'mon, Mommy!", he exclaimed. "Let's go!"
The well of water filled in my eyes as I felt the rush of kindergarten coming toward me as quickly as my son. There was no turning back. I did not have the arms of my mother to fall into for comfort. How did I get here? How did life come full circle? Wasn't I just in Mrs. K's class sitting in a circle while she strummed her guitar? Life was so easy then, so care-free!
Kieran's watchful eyes

quietly observed the classroom. I felt the butterflies in my stomach as he waited for his teacher to come over to her chair. Mrs. B had the kids stand up and as she pointed, they counted off...1...2...3..., all 23 children. "Wow!", she said. "There are 23 friends in this room!" Kieran was instantly thrilled and any fears that he had, melted into nothingness, as did mine.
A self portrait,

and a dawning moment that these small hands are those of my kindergartener.
So far, so great...

for both of us.

and that was that {preschool...anna style}

She's been waiting for days, no weeks. Correction...it seems as though she's been waiting for the last two years that her older brother has been in preschool. Last week, Anna officially became a preschooler. 

She happily informed me that she would not cry because she was going to have a great time with her teacher and all of her new friends. 

Armed with her Tinkerbell fairy lunch box purse (picked out by Daddy), and admiring every step of the way in her new pink sequin shoes, Anna marched right up to the gate ready to tackle her day.

The gate swung open and in she went. Anna cheerfully greeted the director and every teacher, along with the kids she'd never met before. We exchanged a kiss, and a wave goodbye. "Have a great day, Anna!", I said excitedly. "Okay, Mom!", she replied.

And that was that.

When I arrived to pick her up, she was in the arms of the kindergarten teacher chatting away. The teacher informed me that she would like to keep her and then proceeded to tell me about a snippet of Anna's day that goes a little something like this:

Anna is playing in the yard with the pretend kitchen items.

Anna picks up a soda.

Anna holds up the soda and pretends to drink.

Anna tells the kindergarten teacher, "I'm pretending to drink my mommy's wine". 

And that was that.

i heart faces: beautiful eyes

This week's I Heart Faces photo challenge is Beautiful Eyes and this one of my sweet Tatum is the very first shot that came to my mind. It was her very first time in a swimming pool!

I HEART this girl!

belated blogoversary

Two years, have come and gone, but they have been oh, so sweet!

Celebrating two years of memories and many more to come! An annual thank you to my friend, Melissa, for suggesting that I start a blog. I missed my days of journaling (I've got handwritten journal after handwritten journal since the 3rd grade!), and this has been a great way to document our lives.

I'll be sending the last two years to blog2print this week. 

Can't wait to have the last two years in print!

If you are out there, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristin 

9 months

Dear Tatum,

Today you are 9 months old. 

Some love certain ages. I for one, love every age. To be more specific, I love every second of every minute. That being said, there is something to be said about 9 months. 

9 months is how long it took for you to begin your little life and enter the world in God's perfect image.

At 9 months, you are happier than ever.

I don't know how that is humanly possible, as you might just be the happiest baby I've ever encountered. Your brother and sister were just like this too, but there's something about you that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's because you are the third baby?

You 

chat up a storm.

I'm not sure what your first word will be, but you are very in to the "Da, Ba's, and Na's"...maybe you can change that last one to an 'M', pretty please?

Though you are not mobile in any sense of the word, the doctor is not concerned. You may as well have had a full conversation with him at your appointment today.

You will do things in your time and are content to watch Kieran and Anna. They make you laugh so hard, I wish I could bottle your giggles and save them forever.

Standing in at 27 inches, you are in the 26%ile for height.

Weighing in at 19 lbs 2 1/2 ounces, you are at the 67%ile for weight.

Measuring in at the 83%ile for your head.

Short, squishy, and surely very smart ;)

Yes, at 9 months, you grab at everything-my necklace, daddy's glasses, everyone's faces, the bandaid on your toe. For a baby who doesn't go anywhere, you manage to get your hands on just about everything! It's becoming increasingly difficult to take your picture with your number stickers, as you work hard to come up with a plan to rip it off!

My sweet girl,

Though you cannot speak with your words, you are a soul who speaks with your heart.

Keep on my love, keep on.

reconnect

Last week, my mom, the kids and I (Erik had to work and my dad isn't much of a traveler), left the normalcy of every day life and went to the lake with friends. For the next five days, we would stay here:

our home away from home. Anna called it her "camp out", and though the place is older than dirt, we certainly weren't roughing it. It didn't matter though, because you couldn't beat the price. Before I arrived, I was convinced that the lake was man-made, its waters murky.

Though there are no pictures to prove that I actually went in the water (which I might add, I did), this spring-fed lake was anything but murky. It was beautiful.
Of course, I brought my iPhone and unfortunately, or fortunately, there was a horrible connection.
While Kieran played a few games, we were able to disconnect.
Imagine...

watching fish from the dock,
or playing in a secret hide-out

created by nature.
Just hanging out...

I wonder...

when was the last time you did that?

No electronic device could take the place of the simple joy of throwing a rock

over,

and over,

and over,

 and over,

and over again.

Now that, is entertainment!

This lake, is special to my mom as she used to swim here as a kid. It was even more nostalgic for her, since my Nonni went to be with God a few weeks ago.

The hands of time continue, but they can never take away the feelings of

exhilaration (that was felt as a kid or an adult),

of relaxation,

of happiness.
They can never take away the peace that you felt

or the memory of 

being the last kid in the lake because it was much better than anticipated.

If anything, we took the time.
We took the time to

to laugh,

to play,

appreciate nature,

to be silly.

We took the time

to smile,

to take it all in.

We took the time

to reconnect.

I can't wait to go back.