Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful someone misses me when I'm away. I had been away for dinner with friends for about two and a half hours and came home to this sweet note from Kylee.

I'm thankful for an abundance of tomatoes and Kent's grandpa's generosity to share them with me. We have so.much.salsa in this house right now! Yum!

I'm thankful we're starting to get in the swing of things as far as back to school routines and bedtimes go.

I'm thankful everyone is feeling better.  Last weekend both Kase and I were under the weather. There should be rules against being sick on weekends.

I'm thankful for lots of help from both of our parents as fall busy-ness gets underway. 

I'm thankful Kael's root canal went well.  Poor guy has been through a lot this year! 

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that Kase is beginning to show interest in potty training and has even had some success already!

I'm thankful quiet afternoons reading in Kylee's papasan while the boys nap.

I'm thankful for a great friend who always has the best book suggestions and even hooks me up with them when the library waiting list is miles long!

I'm thankful for our lush lawn this year which is completely by chance.

I'm thankful for Kylee's new brush. Morning hairstyling is no longer an argument.

I'm thankful for this moment. She was doing Rainbow Looms and I was reading The Gift of an Ordinary Day while sitting in her room with her. 

I'm thankful for a friend who gifted us a desk for Kael's room. I'm so glad he will have a nice, quiet place to do homework,

I'm thankful for this week's Back to School night. It was great getting to know the teachers a little more and seeing the kids' classrooms again. 

I'm thankful for my mom and Kent's help this week as I delve back into full time babysitting.  Sure enough, just a couple days in, I got a call from the school needing me to bring medicine for Kael's aching tooth.  I had two sleeping boys at my house so Mom came over to hang with them while I took medicine to the school, then Kent cleared his afternoon so he could take Kael to the dentist.  He will be having a root canal next Thursday- would love for you to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. 

I'm thankful the weekend is near. It's been a long one, folks.  

Happy Thursday!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hey all.  Everyone ready for a full week of school? My kids were good to go this morning, but I imagine by about Thursday, they'll be dragging a bit.  Nothing like that first full week of school, sports practices and homework.

Anyhow, we had a pretty nice weekend! Wanna hear about it?

Friday Kael had his first football practice.  Can you imagine how happy he is that they are Team Orange? His most beloved color?! I know it's killing Kent a little that he isn't coaching, but I am certainly appreciating having an extra set of hands in the evenings this fall.  

While the boys were at practice, Kylee, Kase and I dragged out some old dress up clothes.  

Saturday, as far as I can remember, we did a whole bunch of nothing.  It was kind of a gloomy day.  The kids were happy to just kind of bum around the house, then we all ran some afternoon errands together.  Saturday night we trekked to Snookie's Malt Shop in Beaverdale- we've been wanting to go for awhile now and it seemed like the perfect night to do so.  Such a cute little place (see the adorable front porch glider below) and the ice cream was delish! 

Sunday mornings look like this around here.  Every Sunday morning.  For as many years as I can remember.  The kids love trying to catch pancakes on their plates that Kent flips to them.  

After breakfast we went to watch Uncle Kyle's pinning ceremony and graduation from Officer Candidate training at Camp Dodge.  So proud of him! 

Then we had lunch at Keith and Cindy's.  These boys had fun talking about the "good old days" and it never ceases to amaze me how they remember every single play of every single ball game they ever played together. 

We intended to make a quick stop at Aunt Chris and Uncle Richie's pool.  Three hours later we finally convinced the troops to head for home. 

This morning, I'm back to babysitting and Kase is enjoying having a buddy to play with during the day.  I have already waved at Kylee once- she ran over to the fence line and blew me a few kisses and gave me two big thumbs up to indicate she's having a good day.  I spotted Kael once and he looked good too.  Here's to a great week ahead!

First Day

***I wrote this yesterday but wanted to post our back to school pictures first.


I sit here, on the morning of the first day of school, all alone with my thoughts.

My house is quiet- all the kids are still asleep.  I pour a cup of coffee and wait for it to get light enough to go for a run.

I'm anxious for back to school, but not in the same way as others are.  I wait with bated breath, wondering what kind of mood my Kael will wake up in this morning.  He fell asleep crying, hard, last night and I brace myself for the fact that our back to school pictures this year might very well show Kael with a scowl on his face, eyes puffy and red.

He's upset about an outfit.  Never mind that we've had his first day of school clothes picked out for nearly two weeks.  Never mind that everything is washed, set out, and ready to wear.  At 10:00 on back to school eve, he begs to wear something different that hasn't even been tried on yet, let alone washed. I firmly stand my ground.

"If I have a crummy first day of fourth grade, it's going to be your fault, Mom."

His words sting. But I'm a veteran at this mom thing by now and I understand that he's not mad at me. He doesn't really care about the clothes.

He's anxious about the first day but he doesn't have the words to express it.  He wonders which friends he will play with at recess.  He's curious about how much homework he'll have this year.  He's bummed they're down to only one recess.   He's anxious about things I haven't even had a chance to be concerned with yet.

We talked for a long time before I left his room last night. He hadn't asked for my assurance but I gave it to him anyways.  "Your fourth grade year will be as good as you make it.  I believe in you, Kael. And I believe you can make it a great one."


This morning, once I finally lace up my shoes and head out for a run, I watch the sun rise over the pond behind us and I pray that a new day will bring comfort for Kael.  The cadence of my tennis shoes hitting the sidewalk is a soothing rhythm for the worry in my heart.

I had asked him casually if he thought fourth graders still wave at their moms if their moms happen to be standing on their decks during recess.  He gave me an honest, "maybe".



***I'm happy to report, as you saw in the pictures yesterday, Kael was all smiles for the first day of school. He walked down the stairs and I gave him a cautious but cheerful, "Good morning, buddy! Happy first day of school!"  He smiled and said, "Yeah." Not a word was mentioned about the outfit or how upset he had been the night before. He went about his morning routine, indulged me in a few pictures, and walked happily with us to school.  And, as it turns out, fourth graders still wave to their moms at recess.  And I couldn't be happier about it. 

Thankful Thursday {End of Summer and First Day of School!}

We spent our last official day of summer at the Iowa State Fair. It was a beautiful day.  We ate plenty of foods on a stick, saw the animals, watched a show, saw some giant pumpkins, ran through the garden tunnel and collected stuff from the Varied Industries building.  A perfect way to wrap up summer.

This one is a farm boy at heart.

This one thinks the barns smell. ;)

This one was thankful we got to eat two meals and a snack at the fair. :)

Yee-haw!

And today marks the first day of school! Hard to believe I have a fourth grader and a first grader! Both seem excited about their teacher placements this year. 

Some neighborhood kids decorated the sidewalk leading to the school!

Kylee thought it would be fun to sing, "Happy First Day of School" at breakfast time with candles in our muffins. :) Kase wasn't sure what was going on. 

My first grader!

My fourth grader!

We add a few kids to the picture each year.  Love this neighborhood so much!

The scene on our front lawn this morning. 

Aaaand the parade of friends (yes, these are all my peeps, not strangers) walking their kids to school.

Smiles on their faces, ready to go!

Happy back to school!!!

Birthday girl

Kylee turned seven today!

She was particularly excited for her birthday this year. I was worried she had high expectations but when I questioned her about gift ideas, her responses were simple and thoughtful. I then wondered how she wanted to celebrate- anticipating perhaps some grandiose plans. She surprised me by requesting a small party with her friends and she didn't even want a cake.

I shouldn't be surprised that Kylee already "gets" it.  She's already figured out that a birthday isn't about the presents or the party. It's about spending time with the people she loves and it's about celebrating her. 

Before her party, Kylee and I found ourselves with a little extra time before guests started arriving.  So I asked if she wanted me to paint her toenails. She replied, "It's ok. I'm already pretty enough."  

And that's Kylee, in a nutshell.  She's confident but she's not flashy about it.  She's happy with what she has and rarely needs or asks for anything more.  She is a giver to.the.core. She's something special, this one.  Sandwiched between two brothers, I couldn't have been happier to give her the attention she deserves today!

Here are a few pictures of our celebrations, starting in Collins with Kent's family last night.

She couldn't have been happier about her candy necklace.  It's the little things. 

August birthday group hug.  Ha! And so many candles!!

My parents very graciously agreed to us having Kylee's "Outdoor Party" at their house.  They have the perfect place for it! We spent the morning over there setting things up and helping mow and trim.  We kept it super simple- the girls painted little wooden birdhouses, had a cute trail mix bar, did a scavenger hunt and roasted s'mores.  (We even put a candle in a big marshmallow so we could sing Happy Birthday to Kylee!) The friends she invited were just a wonderful group of girls and I think everyone had a great time.

After the party, we came home, cleaned up, waited for Kael to get home from a friend's party, then we headed back to my parents' house to celebrate with them.  A perfect end to the evening!

Back home she played with her new things for awhile then carefully tucked her two dolls onto her lap and turned on her new desk lamp so I could read with her.  The joy was just radiating from her and she said, "Mom, isn't this great?"  I looked up from the book and felt myself getting a little choked up.  Partly because of the breathtakingly beautiful young lady sitting in front of me and partly because I found myself wishing, for her, that she is forever as happy as she was in that moment.  I love her so much.  Happy birthday, Kylee Kay!!!

Thankful Thursday

A I'm so thankful for a thoughtful friend who passes down her daughter's clothes to Kylee.  Doesn't hurt that she has great taste in clothes and her daughter is super-stylish!

I'm thankful my parents are home from Africa and thankful for a fun, impromptu Welcome Home party for them.

I'm thankful for my grandma. When my parents are out of town I check in on her more often than usual and I enjoyed spending extra time with her this week!

I'm thankful Kent has the day off tomorrow and can help me finalize some birthday prep for Kylee.  

Happy Thursday, guys!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Our weekend started early since Kent took Friday off.  Right away in the morning we walked to school and found out the kids' teachers and classmates for the upcoming school year.  They were both happy with their placements and I'm happy to have the idea of "school" planted in their heads.  Won't be too long until we need to get back into a good routine.  I spent the morning shopping for a soon-to-be birthday girl and he took Kase for a haircut, picked up my dad's boat and hung out with the kids.

Friday afternoon Kylee went to Triad with some friends and I got the chance to catch up with one of my friends while they played.  I hadn't talked to her nearly all summer so it was great to see her.

Later, Kent took a could neighbor friends out skiing.  They had the best time.  Hoping to make time to do that more often before summer is over! While he was boating, I met up with a few friends at the pool.

Saturday we spent a good chunk of the morning deciding what we wanted to do all day. We did a few errands, kids played with neighbors and later we hit up the pool.  I was so surprised to run into my sister and her family there! They invited us to dinner at their house after the pool- the kids were so excited to play with their cousins and I couldn't have been happier to catch up with my sister! (Well, as much as can be expected when we were chasing five kids around...;)

Sunday morning we were up early and went to the High Trestle Trail.  We biked about six miles round trip, which was the perfect amount.  And we got to the bridge early enough that it wasn't busy at all and it wasn't hot yet.  So fun!

We went straight to Collins after that, had Sunday dinner with Kent's fam and Kase "helped" harvest their garden. :) We spent the afternoon playing with neighbors and then wrapped up our evening with a quick hour at Cascade Falls.  

It was a great weekend.  Now, back to the daily grind.  :) I'm babysitting today and it's really nice to get back into the swing of things. Less than two weeks until school starts! Have a great week, all!