1st Day of Preschool!

I can't believe my baby (at the moment) is old enough for preschool!  When did that happen?  It seems like Hunter is growing up so much quicker than I ever felt Jacob was.  He was really excited for preschool to start.  We have been talking about it for months.  When he turned 3, he would get to go to preschool (and binky was going bye bye).  On Wednesday we went to meet his teacher.  He was the first one there, so it was nice for him to have their attention all to himself for a few minutes.  He was not shy at all and barely even noticed I was there!  I asked him if he would be ok tomorrow when I would leave him there all by himself.  He started waving bye to me that moment.  I figured he'd be ok!  He was really excited to have his cousin, Alek, in class with him.  Maybe that has made this a little easier for him.  Originally I signed him up for the 3 year old class.  His teacher put him in the older class by accident.  I called and talked to her about it and she said he was welcome to stay in the older class so he could be with Alek.  I decided a few hours to myself 3 days a week didn't sound so bad!  Jacob is at school the same time!  So we are trying it out.  So far, it looks good!

We were in such a rush to get out the door, that I forgot to take pictures of him at home.  I was able to snap on in the car on the way over.  Jacob's bus picks him up about 5 minutes before Hunter's preschool actually starts, so we will be a little late each day.

Here he is in front of his classroom.  Notice his preschool shirt?  Jacob has the same one from when he went to preschool here. When he saw Hunter put his on, he decided to wear it to Kindergarten as well.  I'm kicking myself for not getting that on camera!!

When all the kids came out of the gate, Hunter walked right by me.  He was looking for our car. When he saw it, his face lit up and he said, "Mommy's here!"  I had gotten out to take some more pictures.

Hunter and Alek

 He told me on the way to school that Alek is his best friend.  I thought it was so sweet! 

When Jacob got home from school, Hunter was showing him all the things he got from school.  Jacob was so excited and kept saying, "I have one of those too!"  They played really well afterward and Hunter hasn't had a meltdown in 2 days.  It's hard for him when Jacob leaves every day for school.  I've noticed it's especially hard for him when we stay home during that time and don't go anywhere. He misses his playmate more when he's not being distracted with errands!  Hopefully preschool will help him!

A Good Storm. FINALLY!

This monsoon season has been a bit of a disappointment.  Mostly it has been us getting excited over dark clouds and then they don't produce anything..for us anyways.  We've heard about storms going on around us, but we hardly ever get anything!  This was not the case the other day (Hunter's mammoth meltdown day).  After Hunter's siren cries quieted down, I realized we were getting some rain and we went to check it out.

This was at about 5 p.m.  The weird thing was the sun was still out and shining.

Here is an attempted picture of a rainbow.  If you look hard enough, you can see it curve right through that street light.  Jacob saw the rainbow and decided that God sent it because he liked what someone did.  I asked him if God maybe sent it for him because he did something God liked. He agreed that it was probably for him since he's been so good lately.  It was sweet to hear him talk about it like it really was his rainbow!

We enjoyed the BIG drops that were falling.  It was so neat to see.  The boys really enjoyed being outside in it.  Jacob ran to his room to get on all his rain gear..coat, hats, boots & umbrella.  He pulls those out any chance he gets!  It's a very rare occurance that he actually gets to use them!

This little guy played a trick on Trevor.  He picked it up, thinking it was real, then decided it must be one of the boys' toy bugs.  Then he thought he felt it move, then he wasn't sure.  It took him a minute to figure out that it really was a real beatle.  It was barely moving so it was hard to tell.  When he picked it up to put it outside it started squeaking at him!

Bird Watching

We were assigned the job of bird-sitting once again for my frequent-traveler parents.  Jacob was at school so Hunter & I did the honors.  Sunshine was much friendlier to Hunter than normal.  Probably because when Hunter and Jacob are together, things get a little crazy.  Once Sunshine warmed up to Hunter, he was glued to his shoulder.  He usually swarms around me, but this time he found a new friend.  I think part of the reason is because Hunter has no boundaries.  I won't let him sit on my shoulder or hair because I don't want to end up getting pooped on.  I also won't let his beak near my mouth because he is known to bite lips.  No thanks!  Hunter didn't have any worries!  He was just pleased to be accepted!

After a while, the novelty wore off and Hunter just wanted to watch Grandma & Grandpa's TV.  They get way more channels than we do!!

Hunter's Likes & Thoughts

Favorite Person:  "You" (to me..awh!)
Favorite Food Mommy Cooks:  Oatmeal
Favorite Food:  Sandwich
Favorite Place to Eat Out:  "BicDonald's"
Silliest Thing Daddy Does:  Hits Jacob
How Do Your Parents Know So Much:  Because you love us.
Who is Jesus:  Our Father
Yuckiest Food:  I don't know
Who are you going to marry:  You
What are you giong to name your children:  Mom
Favorite Place to Go:  Camping
What do you want to be when you grow up:  Zoo Keeper
Favorite Movie:  Cars
Favorite Song:  "Hello, Goodbye" by The Glee Cast
Favorite Animal:  Lions
Favorite Breakfast:  Apple Jacks
Favorite Lunch:  Sandwiches
Favorite thing to Do with Mommy:  Go to time out
Favorite thing to do with Daddy:  Hold you
Favorite Toy:  Cars & trucks
Favorite TV Show:  Calliou & Curious George
What is Mommy good at:  Drawing letters
Something Mommy Always Says To You:  Clean your room
What makes Mommy happy:  Finish your food
What makes Mommy sad:  When I put grapes in the garbage
How does Mommy make you laugh:  Go to your room
How old is Mommy:  32

Jacob's Favorites

I was going through Jacob's old school papers and crafts and found this booklet he made in preschool last year:

(1st Day of Preschool 2009)

My name is Jacob.

I am 4 years old.

My favorite animal is sharks.

My favorite game is Batman.

My favorite food is chicken nuggets.

My favorite place is the park.

Places I have visited:  zoo, park, mountains & beach.

I have also visited the grocery store.

I would like to visit the farm..I would like to see the animals.

I just learned out to count and measure.

I want to learn how to swim on my back and fly.

I wanted to see what his current favorites are plus what he thinks about a few things.  He has a pretty active imaginiation and I love to hear the things that come out of his mouth.

(1st Day of K)

Favorite Person:  "on Lego Batman?" (as he is playing the game) "or real?"  Both, I told him.  "Night Wing and Zachary."

Favorite Food Mommy Cooks:  Lasagna

Favorite Restaurant/Food:  McDonald's Hamburger, Chicken Nuggets & French Fries

Silliest Thing Your Dad Does:  Puts me upside-down.

How Do Your Parents Know So Much:  They're older.

Who is Jesus:  A Strong Man

Yuckiest Food:  A fly is gross

Why: Because it eats poop
Who are you going to marry:  I don't know

What are you going to name your children:  Luke, Robin, Night Wing, Batman, Indian Jones, Indiana Jones, Indian, Mater..or something.

Favorite Toy:  Legos & Ben 10 Legos

Favorite TV show:  Master Chef & Ben 10

Favorite Movie:  Ben 10
Favorite Song:  "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family
Favorite Animal:  Chinese Water Dragon

Favorite Breakfast Food:  Cap'n Crunch

Favorite Lunch:  Hamburgers

Favorite place to go:  McDonalds..out to eat

Favorite thing about school:  Going to "P.S." (P.E.)

What do you want to be when you grow up:  Zoo Keeper

What is something Mommy always says to you:  Listen

What makes Mommy happy:  When I listen

Whatmakes Mommy sad:  Not listening
How does your Mom make you laugh:  Tickles me
How old is your Mom: 32

What is Mom good at:  Everything

Terrible Threes

Hunter was throwing a MAMMOTH temper tantrum this afternoon.  He usually has them around bedtime, this one struck a bit early.  It started with him wanting some kind of snack. He had just finished a popsicle, so I told him he needed to eat a meal, like a sandwich.  He was already freaking out about that when I pulled out my own popsicle.  He suddenly wanted another popsicle. I tried to discuss the situation with him, but his ear-ringing screaming kept getting in the way.  Finally I dragged him (yes, dragged..it's very hard to carry a 35 lb. kid who is kicking & screaming, when I have this big, sensitive belly) to his room and told him he needed to stay there until he calmed down.  Last time I did this, he went balistic and emptied his books off his shelf, tipped over his toy bucket and dumped all of his other buckets of misc things all over the floor.  Plus he took the ottoman and pushed it over on it's side.  Then he fell asleep while crying in his bed.  Anyhow, this time, I warned him that if he did anything destructive he would be getting spanked.  He stayed in there and screamed for a good 10 minutes.  I was seriously waiting for someone to come knocking on the door to find out if everything was ok or if I was beating him.  He screamed for Daddy, then switched to Jacob.  He was throwing toys at the door, which earned him a spanking.  Then he was banging the shutters around and I had to correct that behavior.  I walked back to the kitchen and he came running and screaming behind me saying, "Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy..."  I hugged him as he continued to cry my name.  Then, I took him to the rocking chair in the family room and we sat for a few minutes before he fell asleep.  It was very satisfying to place his calm and sleeping body on the couch!!  I don't normally enjoy nap days since he will be up until probably 11 tonight, but today, a much-needed nap definitely trumps 11:00 p.m. bedtime!  I enjoyed the 30 minutes of silence until Jacob returned from school!  Terrible Twos ain't got nothing on this 3 year old!!!

Round 2
Well, it turned out to be a MAMMOTH tantrum afternoon!  After Hunter woke up from his nap, it didn't take him long to morph into the crazed, screaming demon we have been witnessing lately.  He wanted a cookie.  I told him he would need to eat his sandwich first.  I left him at the table to do so.  I was on the computer when I heard the garbage close.  Then Hunter came in to announce that he was done with his sandwich.  I followed him into the kitchen where I immediately opened the garbage and discovered his entire sandwich, minus a few small bites.  We had this problem a few nights ago when I told him he needed to eat his grapes before he could have ice cream.  Suddenly his grapes were gone and I was thrilled he had actually finished them.  I produced my end of the bargain and as he was eating his ice cream, it dawned on me to check the garbage.  Sure enough, that is where they were.  It is one of his new sneaky tricks.  We discussed that this is wrong and he'd better not waste any more food.  Back to today, I informed him he would not be able to get a cookie since he threw his sandwich away.  His meltdown started immediately and continued to escalate for the better part of an hour.  He cried that he wanted me to make him another sandwich so he could eat it and then get his cookie. I told him I would not do that and that he would not be getting a cookie today.  He screamed, tried to climb on the counter to get the cookies and actually grabbed them.  We had a stand off and I told him to put them back on the counter or he would get a spanking.  As I was counting and almost to 3, he turned around and ran.  I chased him to my room where I finally got the cookies away from him.  Then I told him to get out of my room.  He screamed that he wanted to watch a movie in there.  I told him no, I wanted him out of my room.  This turned into another battle and I finally had to drag him out of my room and to time out.  He decided to start spitting and blowing his nose on the floor.  Then he was pulling the chair up and letting the legs land back on the ground.  All of this was going on while he was constantly screaming.  Then he decided to take off his clothes.  He removed everything and threw it on the floor.  He was completely naked.  This has never happened before and I didn't quite know how to handle it!  After about 5 more minutes of him lashing out in any way he could think and screaming so loud my blood was boiling, he finally started to hug me and calm down.  We had a talk and I hoped something got through to him.  That was a gigantic hope!  I decided since he was already naked, he should just take his bath.  He disagreed and the whole wailing & screaming thing started all over again, about 3 minutes after it had ended.  I got him into the bath and he stood in the corner. I got shampoo to wash him and he decided he wanted to stay in the bath.  I told him I would wash him and then he could stay.  While I was washing him, he got soap in his eye and he wasn't very happy about that.  After we were done, he stood up.  I told him if he wanted to stay in the bath he needed to sit down.  Of course he didn't want to listen to me.  Finally I just grabbed him and pulled him out.  Enter the start of meltdown #5 of the afternoon, more specifically, the last few hours. He was screaming as I held onto him to keep him from getting back in the bath.  Then he was kicking around so I couldn't put his underwear on.  He finally let me after I threatened that if he wouldn't wear his underwear I would just put a diaper on him.  He finally calmed down and told me he wanted his pajamas on.  Once he was calm & quiet, I was finally able to hear the huge rainstorm I was missing, while being sound-blasted by Hunter.  I headed to my phone so I could call Trevor and tell him to come home because I was DONE, when he walked through door.  Since he has been home, Hunter has been totally fine.  The possessed being seems to have left his body for the afternoon.  He usually has one of these during the day.  Today was a REALLY bad day!!  Hopefully he will outgrow this nonsense before December!!!

3 Year Old Innocence

Love this kid!

Hunter came into the kitchen when I was busy making dinner the other night.

Hunter:  "I said I don't like that smell!  What is that?"

Me:  "Enchiladas."

Hunter:  "YUCK!  I like oatmeal!"

Trevor:  Son, I'm losing my patience!"

Hunter: "What's patience?"

Every day when Jacob gets on the bus to go to school, Hunter sadly hangs his head down and says in his pouty voice, "I want to play with Jacob."

When he gets in trouble by me, he will cry and scream for "Daddy" and he will move on to "Jacob" when he realizes Daddy is not coming to make things better.  He does the same thing when he is getting in trouble by Trevor.  He will immediately begin crying for "Mommy!"

Another Adventure Up North

Trevor has been itching to get up north for a while now.  While I enjoy the time we spend there, I don't enjoy all the packing & preparation required to get us up there, not to mention all of the unpacking and putting away after we return!  We finally went this last weekend.  Trevor's parents met us up there.  We left Friday after school...well, we didn't really get on the road until about 7.  Hunter fell asleep within 15 minutes and slept the entire way.  Jacob made it all the way until we were about 10-15 minutes away from our trailer.  It felt like a pretty quick drive..we were all grateful for that!  When we got there, I left Hunter in the car while we got the trailer opened up and the bed turned down for him.  At this point, we realized we didn't have any bedding.  Apparently we took the boys' sleeping bags home the last trip.  We are still trying to figure out why.  We had the sheets to our bed and one sleeping bag.  When we finally got the bedding situation figured out, I went back to get Hunter out of the car and he was awake and hysterical.  It broke my heart!  I don't know how long he had been awake, but obviously the car muffled his cries.  It was very dark out there and he was probably so scared and confused to wake up that way!  I grabbed him and was carrying him up to the trailer when my foot caught the board we use as a step to get up to our steps and I started falling forward with Hunter in my arms.  I almost fell off the other end of the board but I gave it everything I had to keep us on top!  I don't think that would help Hunter's situation at all for him to end up in the gravel with his mom landing on top of him!  I got him into his bed and he laid there for a while and calmed down.  Unfortunately he was wide awake afterward.  We ate some dinner and watched TV before we made the boys settle down and lay in their beds. It was probably around 12:30 a.m. Trevor & I were exhausted.  I'm not sure how long it took them to fall asleep.  We turned out the lights and conked out ourselves!  At least they were quiet!  We woke up at 4 a.m. freezing!  We had given the sleeping bag to Jacob and the fitted sheet (folded up for more layers) from our bed to Hunter since he seems to be hotter when he sleeps.  Luckily I packed long pajamas for the boys.  That left Trevor & I with a sheet for our bedding.  Trevor got up and turned the heater on.  We slept peacefully after that for the next few hours!

The next day was rather warm.  I was disappointed because I was looking forward to a nice, cool weekend in the woods.  By 11, I was roasting!  We all piled in the car where it was nice & cool, so we could go sight-seeing, run errands, take the kids shopping at the dollar store and get some lunch.  Anything to keep us out of that heat!

Jacob was so pleased to have Daddy sitting in the back seat with him!  We drove our Tahoe, but the back seats were out so the 6 of us (Trevor's parents were with us) intimately sat 3 to a row.

Luckily by the time we were done with our adventure, it had cooled off to a more bearable temperature.

We relaxed outside and enjoyed some down time.

Hunter's favorite place was playing in the back of Papa's truck. He was back there for hours playing with his cars!

Jacob loves to climb up our doorways but we discourage it.  He was excited to be able to climb up these trees without any restriction!

Doesn't he look so relaxed here?  He enjoyed blowing bubbles endlessly. That has got to be the life for a kid!

That night the kids were a little more restless.  They went to bed easily since they were exhausted from playing outside all day.  Trevor & I stayed up to watch a movie and then fell asleep.  Within a half hour of us falling asleep, both kids were thrashing around, bumping into the wall, hitting the blinds above their beds, talking in their sleep. I felt like I was awake every half an hour by something.  Hunter was even saying, "Mom..Mom..I can't find my shoe."  I really thought he was awake and asking for his shoes in the middle of the night, but he was sound asleep!  Needless to say, we were both exhausted the next day.

Trevor & his Dad took us shooting that morning. The boys even got to take a few turns.  Jacob enjoyed shooting a "real" gun!

Hunter plugged his ears whenever the guns were shot.  I find it ironic that the creator of the loudest noises in our house doesn't like loud noises.

He enjoyed stuffing his pockets full of bullet shells.  The boys called them missiles.  He has quite a collection that we left at "camping" for him to enjoy next time we go up!

After shooting, we cooled off in the trailer.  Trevor got the a/c blowing and the boys were good to it and watch an entire movie, giving the adults a chance to enjoy a few games of Farkle.  While we were playing, we watched some dark clouds roll in and got excited about the chance of a rain storm.  Unfortunately, it never amounted to anything more than a sprinkle or two, but at least it cooled off to a more bearable degree. 

This poor little fella was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He was hiding underneath a board that was propped up in the back of a work truck.  The boys got into the back of the truck and started running on the boards.  Unfortunately the bat was crushed.

Jacob asked if we could keep the bat and take it home.  We told him when things die they get stinky and gross.  His solution was to put it in a baggie so it wouldn't be stinky.  He really does have an answer to everything!

We headed home on Sunday evening. The drive was beautiful and we enjoyed some rain on the way home (luckily it wasn't as heavy as last time).  We were so disappointed to roll into the valley at 9:00 p.m. and find our thermometer at 102 degrees.  While driving through the rim, the lowest it got was 61 degrees.  It is disgusting how in less than 2 hours of driving, the temperature can raise over 40 degrees!

My Little Kindergartner

My Little Kindergartner is still loving school, even on the 3rd day!  He can't wait to climb aboard the bus and head to his class!  One of his favorite parts of school right now is the color of the day.  Each day they talk about a new color and they get to wear it. Obviously it was yellow day!  It seems like he is learning so quickly.  While we were driving home from Pinetop this weekend, Trevor and I were giving him words to spell and he was actually doing very well!  We are in awe at how he is learning and how quickly he has grown up!  He did get a note on his worksheet from his teacher.  She informed us that Jacob was too busy making a new friend (talking) to finish his work.  He LOVES to talk!!  His bus driver told us today that Jacob thinks the bus is a gymnasium.  He doesn't want to sit still and bounces around during the ride!  We had a little talk with him about both of these issues!  He is growing so fast, we can hardly believe where the time has gone!

The Long Awaited 1st Day of Kindergarten!!

FINALLY!  Jacob has been looking forward to Kindergarten since LAST year when he thought he was going to Early Learners.  His big day finally arrived!  He was SO excited!  We met his teachers on Monday and he couldn't wait to go on Wednesday for his first day.  While we visited his teachers, we discovered that the school had Jacob on a bus route.  We were both very interested.  I found out it is a bus with only out-of-boundary Kindergartners aboard (I wouldn't have let him ride if all the older kids would be riding with him) and it comes right to the front of our house!  What could be better than that??

Hunter was feeling a little left out, so he grabbed his "pack pack" and joined in.  His preschool starts in a few weeks.

Jacob was a little apprehensive about riding the bus on the first day.  He requested I drop him off.  It worked out better that way so I could get some first day pictures at the school.

He was so excited to go into his room and start learning!  I am so blessed that he is not a clingy child who cries at separation!  I was excited to resume my errand-running with only one child in tow.  Hunter does SO much better at the store when Jacob is not around to antagonize him!  I avoided the grocery store at all costs this summer because of that reason!  It was a happy day for all!

Jacob bravely rode the bus home that afternoon and was so excited when I told him he gets to go back to school tomorrow! 

He has been bugging me to go to full-day Kindergarten..for the coveted reason of getting to bring his lunch to school.  I told him if he still wants to go to full-day after Christmas, I will let him.  I am hoping after a few months of every day school he will be content enough with half-day.  I don't think he is ready for full-day and I'm pretty sure I will hear some complaining about it being too long if we do end up changing him!

Summer Break = Blog Break

Well, our summer has come to a close, much too quickly it seems.  The only thing I am looking forward to with the end of summer is the beginning of fall and the eventual end of hot weather.  It is getting pretty ridiculous out there.  The older I get, the less tolerant I am of being uncomfortably hot.  Here are some things about our summer  that we will miss:

Lots of swimming (although it is still plenty warm for us to be swimming for at least another month).

Late Breakfasts

2nd Breakfasts (Hunter likes to eat early with Daddy and then again when Jacob & I eat).

Swim parties with cousins.

Getting huge whilst growing a child in my belly.

Summer Movie Fun at Harkins.

10 Movies for $7..AWESOME summer entertainment!

Even though we already have seen or own most of these movies, the kids LOVED going every week.  I enjoyed it as well.  It gave me a weekly excuse to eat movie theater popcorn. YUM!

Sneaking into the junk food drawer while Mom is busy swimming in the pool with Jacob

(Hunter had been out with us but wanted to go inside)..

Even though Hunter was polite enough to ask for fruit snacks, the "no" I gave him didn't register (as always).  He helped himself to about 7 packages.  Funny how I keep moving the scissors to a new place and he keeps finding them!  That is one determined little boy!

We will miss the long and lazy days of summer but look forward to the fall, the holidays and the debut of our baby boy, of course!!