First Day

Today was the first day of kindergarten for Ethan and Kaleb. We arrived early. I've never seen so many parents and children. It was crazy! We made our way into the cafeteria for breakfast. They have a few choices. I'll definitely be joining them this week until they get the procedure down. We ate and then made our way down to Mrs. Decker's class. What a journey! The kindergarten classrooms are way at the end of the building. I walked the boys in, took a few pictures, and make my escape. I ran into several friends who had also just dropped off their kiddos. A few had tears. So far I don't.

The boys will ride the bus home and Chris will meet them each day. We decided to start the bus on day one. I left work early so that I could see them get off. The bus was over an hour late. I sat in the driveway for over an hour. It was HOT! I tried not to worry, but had to give in and call the school. They informed me that the bus was running late...obviously. Finally they arrived. Red cheeked and smiling they hopped off the big yellow school bus. A dream come true for them. A definite beginning to a new season of life for me.

Landscaping Before and After

My husband is amazing! When we purchased our home almost 2 years ago we had NO idea how much work this nearly 1 acre yard would be. I realize that the pictures are from two different seasons, but it doesn't really matter because there wasn't a lawn...just bare dirt with weeds, cedars, and unkempt trees. It is still a work in progress, but Chris has hand planted thousands of plugs to create this beautiful lawn! We chose to go with a buffalo hybrid turf grass called Turf-Tech. It was developed at Texas Tech and is supposed to require less care and water than other grasses suitable for our region, but after last month's water bill I'm not convinced! We also removed all of the cedars, and about 15 other sickly trees. We've put in huge planters around the trees and have enlarged those around the house. The trees have all been trimmed and are loving having more space to grow. It is really coming along. I honestly never thought I'd see green out there. It got to be depressing at times... just looking at dirt and weeds. Thank you Chris! You've once again made your wife a very happy woman! Now...on to the backyard!

Meet the Teacher

Today was meet the teacher at China Spring Elementary School! Oddly, the event was held from 1:00-3:00 for kindergarten. I took a much needed afternoon off of work and we picked the boys up from their daycare/pre-k early. The boys have been overflowing with excitement about meeting their kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Decker. Ethan drew a picture of a palm tree with red flowers for her. Kaleb wasn't interested in wooing her with pictures. I guess he is pretty confident that he'll win her over with that toothless smile.

We loaded up our 6 sacks of school supplies (seriously) and headed to the school. We made the LONG walk all the way down to the kindergarten wing (there are 8 classes) and found their class! The wonderful Mrs. Decker was waiting at the door. She showed the boys their lockers (which were marked with their names) and they put their nap towels away. They "checked" in by indicating "school lunch" or "sack lunch" with magnets marked with their names. We dropped of the 10 bottles of glue, 4 boxes of Kleenex, 2 bottles of hand-soap, 4 glue sticks, 4 boxes of baggies, 10 boxes of crayons, 8 dry erase markers, 3 packs of construction paper, 2 binders, 10 plastic folders, 2 scissors, 2 paints, 2 packs of washable classic markers, 2 rolls of paper towels, 2 packages of plastic cups, and 2 large towels while they explored the room. Ethan asked where all the toys were. The classroom is really inviting and is decorated in a fish theme. It was a great visit. Mrs. Decker gave each boy a book about Froggy's first day of school and a little plastic fish. Too cute! She also sent them postcards last week, which put big smiles on their faces. Of course we had to check out the playground and the cafeteria before leaving. Monday is the first day of school, so look for a new post!

Wierd Science

Ethan chose to use the Toys R Us gift card from Nannie to purchase a science kit. The kit provides all of the necessary tools and chemicals to create goo and slime. I assembled the machine and Chris was in charge of assisting the scientists. They chose to create slime, which is more slimy than goo. What fun! This was a big hit and the slime came out just perfect! Thanks Nannie!!!

What a birthday!

The birthday weekend began at Uncle Charlie and Aunt Terri's in the "Big D." The boys explored Uncle Charlie's desk and tools. He always puts special things in his drawer for the kids to find. What a treat! We ate lunch together, had cupcakes, and then the boys opened up their gifts. Terri and Charlie got them robots from the Smithsonian. They loved making them crawl on Aunt Terri's glass table. Navigating through the cut glass was a true adventure! Daddy surprised them with REAL tools and cap guns. The guns are a huge hit. We've put off guns. We've deliberated over guns. We've now purchased toy guns for our sons.

The Great Wolf Lodge. What a concept. What a FABULOUS time! After our visit with Uncle C and Aunt T we headed over to Grapevine to the wildly fantastic Great Wolf Lodge. We tubed down slides indoors and out. We rode the waves and got splashed by every possible contraption. The arcade, which Kaleb kept calling "the game lounge," was a popular spot. We traded in 160 tickets for 8 Twizzlers and 2 Air Heads. That's not bad for 10 bucks. Dinner and breakfast were both wonderful. We will definitely return. If you plan on going, 1 night really is plenty. You can check in and begin using the park at 1:00 and can stay until it closes the next day. We had birthday cake, complete with magic candles that don't blow out (thanks to Dad), in our room. Each guy had his own cake. Fortunately, we did not set off the fire sprinklers. We slept like wolves.

Six

Did you know that I used to write poetry? When I was younger I often turned to writing when I was "dealing" with life. I miss it. At best, I'm a novice. Here are some thoughts to celebrate Ethan and Kaleb turning six.


Six. 6. Sicks. Sticks. Snicks.

Our twins turned 6 today. Six years ago they were born too soon. Tubes, ventilators, monitors, wires, hushed conversations, fear, fear, fear, and endless tears. Our first months were defined by sorrow and survived by faith.

Our twins turned 6 today. Tonight they ate sweet, vanilla birthday cake. Tools, cap guns, bicycles, sticks, outloud laughter, joy, joy, joy, and endless smiles. Our days are defined by grace and lived by faith.

Little Blue and Yellow

On the eve of his 6th birthday, Ethan has bid farewell to Little Blue and Yellow. On his own, he simply laid them on the floor beside his bed and stated that he "wanted to be a big boy." Immediately after this statement of independence he decided they needed a hug. He picked them up and gripped them in his soon to be 6 year old hands and said, "Guys, you're going to have to go to someone else now, but I love you." He climbed back into bed and stuck that thumb right in his mouth. He smiled and declared that he will still need to suck his thumb, though. I remarked that I felt that he had accomplished enough for tonight and that the termination of thumb sucking could be addressed on another evening. With great relief, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Am I ready to say goodbye to Little Blue and Yellow? They've been with us since birth. Little Blue is no longer blue and Yellow is....well...not yellow; however, they will remain vivid in our memories.