so much fun

pre-school’s eve and a fun-filled weekend

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Tomorrow, Theo starts pre-school.  Up until 2 months ago, I hadn’t really planned on sending him.  Our long-time babysitter decided to close so we were forced to come up with an alternative.  Nothing felt perfect until we stepped foot inside the Montessori school just down the street.  We feel so lucky because it’s only a few minutes away and there are parents that drive a long way there so that their children can attend.  We loved it, we signed up, then almost 2 months went by.  That feeling that I had when we were there the first time faded over time.

Friday it came back. Hard.  We attended a New Student Open House and let me tell you.  Theo is obsessed.  He had never been there until Friday night.  He was excited to go because we’d been telling him all about it – how there’s a huge sandbox and how he gets to take turns setting the table for lunch and so on.  Well the open house was from 6-8 and we pretty much spent that entire time there. He didn’t want to leave.  When we did finally pry him away, he ran up to his teacher and declared that he would see her next week when mommy and daddy were going to drop him off “for a loooooong day!”

Monday night was the Parent Orientation.  Wellllll. Maybe Theo thought that was the LOOONG day, but it turned out to be a short hour. He was not happy when we told him it was time to go.  So he did what any ballistic threenager would do and threw the most embarrassing fit in all history of fits.  “YOU SAID I COULD STAY FOR A LOONG DAY AND YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE ME HERE! I’M STILL PLAYING. LEAVE MOMMY!!!”

Cooool.

In front of all the other parents and classmates and, oh yeah, the teachers.  One smiled encouragingly and said, “well at least he’s not crying because he doesn’t want to come.”  Heh heh, yeah.  In the meantime, my face was probably 56.8 million shades of red.  Needless to say, he’s very excited to go to school tomorrow. The first week is half days so he doesn’t have to take his lunch – that may be a problem because he’s already insisting on taking edamame, grapes, and chicken.  Okay, kid.  Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to have every last thing we need to make his first full day perfect.

Saturday we went to the state fair for some fun and Sunday we had Ryan’s work summer picnic at the Colts’ practice facility.  Lots of fun for the boys (and just as much or more for this mommy and daddy too!).

Here’s what it looked like:

Mapping out our route.
My posed pictures are terrible.  Like every time.  But this is obligatory!  We’ve done some version of this pic since Theo was a baby.

Do all boys love tractors?  Or is that just an Indiana boy thing?

That moment when your 3 year old realizes he didn’t get his own 20 oz. milkshake.
I DON’T WANNA SHARE! I WANT MY OWN!!! 

There’s a really cool animation exhibit this year.

My favorite – the chicks and bunnies barn.  Also known as the Poultry Barn.

The best of many failed attempts…

Watching the Monster Truck Rally from afar.  I’m still mad at myself for not making sure we made it to the show. They loved it from 10 miles away so I’m sure they would’ve had a blast in the stands.

Sunday…

You better believe we were the first ones to eat!

Funky, funky dance moves.  Poor, poor, awkward boy.

Snuggling up with some pretty Colts cheerleaders.
Theo had to make sure she spelled his name correctly. 

Again. Fail.

Hi there.

 The end.

xo,
~C~

little (big)

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest
This month has flown by and I’ve only blogged a handful of times.  Why?  Been busy doing stuff.  Not the kind of stuff that matters to anyone but me and my little family, but the big stuff really is the little stuff, isn’t it?  The other day, the boys and I were sitting at the kitchen table when Dexter asked (while eating a clementine), “is Grammy coming to my house?”  I thought this question was out of the blue and I answered him, “I think she’s going to visit us pretty soon, but why do you ask?”  He said, “I want Grammy to come to my house and bring oranges.”  My heart melted.  Eating his clementine, he remembered that the last time my mom visited, she brought oranges and peeled and shared them with Dexter every day.  Toys, events, things, places…we try so hard to make the boys happy. To make sure that their minds are flooded with happy memories of their childhoods thus far. But what do they remember?  Grammy sharing oranges.  That’s the big stuff.  Here are some other big, not-so-big, things we’ve been up to this July. 
Car Wash Night

Coloring 

Finally got some sand for the sand box…which they have pretty much outgrown (but they love it anyway). 

Daddy’s Birthday
Wasn’t it nice of Theo to pick out TMNT legos for his pops?
Picnic at the park

We met Pop Pop at the park for a little train ride.

Then went to Nana and Pop Pop’s house for a nap…
and dinner.
 Mommy & Daddy had a double date to see Luke Bryan with friends.

An after-dinner trip to the park on a breezy summer night.

They loved this bridge.

Theo is obsessed with climbing.

His entire life, Dexter has been so scared of the baby swings.  All of the sudden, he’s in love with the big swings.  He stayed here for a good 20 minutes or more.
When did my baby boy get so big?

Hope you’ve been as busy as we have, just enjoying the little (big) things and making little (special) memories.

xo,
~C~

rainy weekend in the mountains

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

The weekend after Dexter’s birthday, we met up with my family at a cabin in Pigeon Forge.  I had big dreams of taking the boys on their first hike but the weather did not cooperate. We found plenty of other ways to have a good time. We got to the cabin late Thursday night.

Just in case we weren’t sure of our location, this friendly corn snake showed up early Friday morning to remind us that we were, indeed, in the woods and in the mountains.  

Paparazzi.
Friday we went to Dollywood.  It was fun to go as a family and spend the day together. I had not been there with Malachi and Isabella since 2007.  Malachi (my nephew) is a ride-loving man while his big sis, Isabella, is a little more…. hesitant. 

Dexter and Theo love this ride, the Rockin’ Roadway.  They really think they’re doing something when they’re behind the wheel of these cute vintage cars.  The first time we went to Dollywood, there was definitely an adjustment curve for Theo, who does not necessarily agree with the policy that you do not get to choose the color of your antique car. Or your train car. Or the color of the hat on your Lucky Ducky. Or. Or. Or.  

Penelope’s first trip to Dollywood!

For some crazy reason, we decided to ride the River Rampage around 4 or 5pm.  Of course I brought a change of clothes for the boys but not so much for myself.  It was completely worth it to see Theo laughing hysterically every time one of us got soaked.  To add insult to injury, however, it started pouring rain about 3 seconds into the ride.  We hung out in this 50s diner to wait for the rain to let up.  It never did, they shut down all the big rides, and that was the end of our day at Dollywood. 
Saturday’s forecast gave me the blues, but we quickly came up with an alternate plan for something to see and do.  We went to Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo.  
A rare snuggly moment caught on film while we were getting ready to leave.

Can you see the excitement on Theo’s face (and in Dexter’s hands)?

This kid can sleep through anything.

Waiting for the show with Uncle Steve.

Malachi has such a sweet, nurturing spirit.  He is so kind to the boys and has the desire to hug them and hold them all the time.  Even now, despite the fact that they are getting a little hard to hold. 
See?

Theo has no fear.  He would have taken this huge snake home with us if we’d let him.

Dexter on the other hand… (or maybe his dad)… a little apprehensive.
Hi.

Afterwards, we ate at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. It’s beautiful, but I neglected to get any photos of the exterior since it was raining. We waddled out to the car after eating too much and headed back to the cabin.  The rain stopped long enough for us to go on a walk down the quiet gravel road.

It’s safe to say that some of the boys’ favorite moments (and some of my favorite memories) of the trip happened on that walk, when we said “sure, go ahead and jump in those mud puddles.”  Why not?

We got their wet, muddy clothes off and hopped in the hot tub, which they absolutely loved!  

Baths, dinner, bed, and these boys didn’t last 5 minutes after the lights went out!
Sunday we had to check out by 10 so we got up, packed up, loaded up, and moved out. 

Backpack on.  Kanky Blanky & Bun-Bun in hand. Ready to go.

All in all, the weather stunk.  Regardless, we still had such a fun time (and p.s. I highly recommend the Mountain Music cabin despite our slithering visitor).  Already missing my people and anxious to see them all again.
xo,
~C~