the moments in between

take me out....

friday night was little league night at the ballfield - it seemed like an awesome way to kick off summer vacation. perfect weather, overpriced food, the creighton bluejays vs the witchita state shockers...

and with these four in tow, a ball game is always fun. =)

truth be told, the game was BORING. 6 scoreless innings of boring. i amused myself by taking photos of the sky.

we met up w/ friends, so the boys were entertained. and there were snowcones.

the night ended w/ fireworks.. and a loss for the blue jays. 0-2. ah well. still a good way to spend an evening. =)

happy tuesday! we're being lazy this morning. the first week of summer vaca always seems to turn into a bit of a free for all.... a little overindulgent downtime is a good way to start the season. ;) we'll start thinking about getting into some kind of routine next week.

last day

and just like that, another school year comes to a close. crazy.

(first day, last day)

this one got honor roll all 4 quarters.

this one passed all of his timed math tests and got a giant kit kat.

and this one has his end of preschool picnic next week and we're hoping it doesn't end like last year (which involved a trip to the ER and staples in the back of his head).

we do teacher gifts at the start of the year and at christmas, but i can't end the year without a little thank you. thank you, washi tape, for being cute enough that i can make a tag in under a minute, and then have them write a note on the back. 

izze bottles + tulips + tags = done.

happy friday! i'm off to enjoy the silence while i can. ;) there's not a whole lot of that when all three are around!

 

wordless wednesday : it's all in the arms

on holding on, on letting go

we've spent early spring facing two big decisions. one was ours to make, one was ours to guide. i'm not good at being in flux, so this has been hard for me. 

holding on. the littlest's birthday falls two days before our kindergarten cut off. he's the baby of the family, and he's all boy. he could care less about sitting and learning right now. and after talking to educators, friends, anyone i knew with a summer birthday kid... we're waiting. he'll go to a 5 day / morning preschool next year, along with some other late summer / fall babies from his current school. we visited on tuesday, and i think the environment there will be a perfect way to help him transition into the sort of kid that IS ready for kindy.

letting go. this one visited a science and technology middle school in late january.  he's gone over classes with a counseler. he's observed classrooms in action. despite some nervousness, he'll be leaving the comfort of 6th grade at our small neighborhood elementary and diving into a new adventure at a BIG 5th-8th magnet school. we have helped him find answers to questions and offered support, but this was his decision to make. we're excited that he's doing this - it will challenge him in so many ways. one of his buddies is making the leap with him, and i'm glad of that.

this all comes with a bit of melancholy. this could have been the only year all three were together at school. there will be no 6th grade program for alex. sam has friends that will be moving on next year. it's not easy to say goodbye to all that, even when you know you've made the right decisions.

nine

yep. yesterday, he turned nine. and for the first time in years, his birthday was baseball free. it was definitely nice to be able to just spend the evening hanging out with the birthday dude.

ben's big birthday wish was skylanders. which seems to be quite popular w/ the kids these days, lol. instead of getting it for him we gave him some cash towards the purchase. and like we did for alex, we had to come up w/ a good way of giving the cash. 

four shipping boxes. seven folded up bundles of packing paper. four of which had money in them. "do not rip" written on all of them. it was fun. ;)

happy birthday, ben. love you and can't wait to see what this year brings.

 

bunny ears

(bunny ears // copyright www.twopeasinabucket.com)

yes, more triangles. and arrows. and chevrons. which i believe is some sort of trendy trifecta right now. but i love repeating shapes, and these three complement each other so darn well! i've shared a few more thoughts on how this page came together over at 2peas. 

i snapped a few photos of the boys together on easter - and this was one of my favorites. the bunny ears come out every time the camera does - i've found it's easiest to let them get it out of their system. ;) rather than go with easter themed product, i used some slightly grungy neutrals and mixed in some bright pops of color - i love how they play off each other.

InLinkz.com

happy tuesday!! it's a big day here - sam's first teeball game!!! unfortunately, i'll miss it, as it's the same time as alex's swim lesson. and ben's playing ball at the same time, but at the same complex. we could use an extra parent tonight. ;) luckily, there will be lots more chances for me to see sam play. 

wordless wednesday : we played a whole game!

(wildcats 9, shockers 8. woohoo!)

wordless wednesday : brotherly love

eleven

yep. today my sweet boy is eleven. i'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that. 

he got his nintendo 3ds. it took a lot of saving (he hasn't spent any of his allowance since christmas) + asking for gift cards for his birthday. he was thrilled to go to target and make the big purchase last night. SO proud of him for working towards it - he's definitely getting more responsible in his old age. ;)

our contribution to the 3ds fund was a very big box. filled with balloons. that had dollar bills in them. that was fun to watch. ;) thank you, pinterest, for the idea!!

happy happy birthday, alex! here's to another awesome year.

wordless wednesday : down and ready