Preschool Blues

Today was Cooper's 1st day and his sweet Daddy had the pleasure of dropping him off and picking him up on such a special occasion! I begged him to take lots of pictures and I'm so happy he did because he was a trooper and got some really cute ones! I'm sure it's not very fun to be the dad playing paparazzi with the big camera but I appreciate him doing it for me:) Carter's class starts 30 minutes earlier than Cooper's so they had lots of time for said photo shoot! To our surprise they said Coop gave them a run for their money and was pretty sad on and off for the morning. He has some younger kids in his class and we're thinking he was just feeding off them being sad and hope that this little sadness about school passes quickly! He talks about it like it was fun but told me, "Me cry just a little bit." Let's hope Thursday goes better because I have to take him that day and it'll break my heart to leave him if he's crying!

TK Here We Come!

Carter's 1st day of transitional kindergarten was today! He was so cute and had picked out his clothes and gotten dressed before I even got out of bed! He had a great first day and will hopefully have a great year, too. It's so hard to believe this is his last year of preschool!

Here's our conversation on the car ride home.

Me: Carter, how was it? Did you have so much fun?!

C: Yeah.

Me: What was your favorite part?

C: When I saw you coming to pick me up because I missed you.

Talk about playing with my emotions! He can be so sweet sometimes and it's funny because I was having the exact same feelings. I can remember dropping him off for his 1st year of 2 year old preschool like it was yesterday and feeling like I left my whole world right there in that classroom. Having been to school ever since, I was caught off guard this morning by how much I actually missed him while he was gone and how much I was looking forward to picking him up and hearing about his day! Cooper's 1st day is tomorrow so there will be more pictures and stories soon!

Happy 5th Birthday Carter

Carter's birthday started out early with an early birthday present from Nunu and Pop on Friday when they got here! A new bike was just what he needed and he couldn't have been more excited to take it for a spin.



Cooper is now the proud owner of Carter's old bike so Nunu was trying to show him how to ride.
It's party time! We had Carter's birthday party at the pool this year - this was our 3rd try at a pool party because we've been rained out the past two years but luckily the weather was great and I think all the kids had a great time!





Cooper walked into me while I was holding the tray of cupcakes so his entire forehead and hair was blue icing but we'd cleaned most of it up by this picture unfortunately!


The boys were less than thrilled with the idea of more pictures as you can see!

Carter loves his new Buzz laser from Ashley!


The boys and Woody like to go "exploring" as they call it around the cul-de-sac.


Birthday pancakes for the birthday boy!

A 5 year old's birthday isn't complete without a trip to Chuck E. Cheese!




Carter played air hockey for the 1st time and loved it! He was actually pretty good at it too!


Cooper wasn't having photo time again!
Tickling goes a long way...

Carter wanted to wear his new bike helmet outside while he played tennis!
Cooper loves to play baseball now but every picture we took he had his eyes closed!

Singing Happy Birthday to the sweaty boy!


Happy Birthday sweet boy!

A Letter to my Favorite Five Year Old

Dear Carter,

I don't even know where to begin but I guess I'll start by saying I can't believe you are 5 already! It seems like just yesterday I was cradling little, tiny you in my arms for the very first time. That is a moment I will never forget and one that I will cherish forever because it's when I first became a mom. Not only a mom, a mom to the most precious, awesome little boy I've ever known. You had my heart from that moment on and every day I feel more and more thankful that God blessed us with wonderful you.

You are quite possibly the sweetest, most thoughtful, caring, and considerate little boy I know. You help me do things around the house without arguing and you pick up your toys on your own without prompting from us. You are always happy to help Cooper with whatever he needs and Cooper is one lucky little brother to have you to look up to. I can already tell that you're going to be a huge help when the new baby comes and that you'll really enjoy helping me and your dad with him. You are always nice to your friends and make us so proud when you use your manners and treat others with respect.

Your big brown eyes take my breath away and I'm sure there will be plenty of girls to follow my lead all too soon. You have the cutest facial expressions and love to roll your eyes when you're frustrated or embarrassed by something. You have your dad's complexion and tan easily regardless of how much sunscreen we slather you in. You've gradually gotten out of your "polo shirt" phase and now dress yourself every morning in whatever casual things you can find but you always match. Your shoes of choice are Rainbows, crocs, New Balance tennis shoes, topsiders for church, and rain boots for whenever you feel the need, which is usually a hot, sun-filled summer day. You can swim like a champ now and are becoming more and more interested in basketball, soccer, baseball, and tennis. I bet I know some people who will be rooting for you to pursue the latter! You still love anything to do with space and have definitely far surpassed me in your planetary knowledge! You also like Toy Story, pretty much anything that comes on Nickelodeon, drawing, riding your bike, and exploring our street with Cooper and neighbors looking for bugs. You're open to trying any food but have your favorites of Mexican, pizza, and lasagna.

I really do feel like the luckiest mom to have you as my son. You make me a better person every day and I've learned so much from you about patience, laughter, gratitude, and genuinely having a good time. You light up any room with your sweet personality and I'm the happiest mom because I have you and your wonderful brother and Daddy to come home to each day! I sure wish I could slow things down and enjoy every last second of each stage you go through but for now I'm just happy to have had the most fun-filled 5 years I can remember and I look forward many, many more happy times ahead. I love you so much buddy and I'm so proud to be your mom. Happy 5th Birthday!

Love,

Mommy

Big Boys and Baseball Games

Needless to say from this picture Cooper isn't a big fan of picture-taking in the buff but he let me get a few of him in his big boy undies before bed the other night.

They were quite enthralled with Dora's Big Birthday Adventure on tv as you can see.
This little one has a train addiction.


We went to the Durham Bulls game last weekend and Carter had a blast running the bases after the game! He was a little timid at first (he's in the blue striped shirt and blue hat)...



...but quickly got the hang of it. He had so much fun that he ran straight back to 1st after home plate to make another lap! The Bulls staff were less than thrilled with him because they wanted to get as many kids through as possible but Carter didn't seem too concerned with them chasing after him on lap 2!