Leah's gradulations

None of the kids have ever been able to say graduation. It has always come out gradulations, which seems a bit appropriate, I think. But, I never thought the day of my Boo's gradulations would come.

She mastered preschool, it seems. And so they've gone and promoted her to Kindergarten, much to my dismay. We've loved that preschool. Right up the street, with a drive through drop off and pick up. A drive through! Plus, they did a craft every single day. That's what did it for Leah when we were school shopping. We walked through her soon to be preschool where she saw paints, sponges, and stamped zebra and giraffe cut outs hanging from the ceiling and that was the school for her. She started her preschool career a shy, timid little thing who gathered up all her courage and walked through the front door all by herself. She ended it as a grown up 5 year old who could read and write, and loved to do it. My Boo, the smartypants.

The gradulation ceremony was one for the books. With a slide show set to songs like "You're Gonna Miss This", and "You Make Me Smile", the emotions were high that evening. Have you heard that "You're Gonna Miss This" song? Seeing pictures of my Leah up on the giant screen with that song playing hurt my heart. Oh, the tears. I am going to miss my preschool Boo.

Kindergarten, you better watch out. This one is something special and ready or not (and I'm not), here she comes.

Eleven

Dear Abigail,

Another birthday has come for you. They come and go so quickly now, it's making my head spin. Who'd have thought that my little preemie would turn into such a lovely young lady. You were so excited to get here that you came before I was ready, and now it seems you are growing up before I have the chance to brace myself as well.

Your eyes are still blue as the sky with just as much possibility. You have gotten smarter with the passing year, and use that in ways that sometimes make me crazy, but also insanely proud. You're a spunky, sassy little thing, and although sometimes I wish you weren't, I know that I wouldn't change a thing about your growing in independence self.

You know how I'm always telling you that the songs on the radio are about you? You always think I'm crazy, but it's true. You are everything sweet that has ever been written. You are everything that is good. You are literally my dream come true, my prayer answered, and, just as the song says, my love's too big for you, my love. I love, love, love you more than anything. Happy birthday, my sweet.

Love,

Mom

Unsupervised Applesauce

Conversations with Leah Boo

While driving the other day with my Boo in the seat right behind me, she started up a conversation about the construction trucks we were sitting next to in traffic.

Boo - "Mom, you know those trucks with the big funnel on it that spins around and around?"

Me - "Yeah, Boo. What about them?"

Boo - "You know what they're mixing in there?"

Me- "Tell me, Boo."

Boo - "Patios."

Happiness in my day, that kid is.

Memorial Day, Moab, and Me Minus Two Munchkins

Over Memorial Day the Jeb dad took our #1 and #2 with my awesome aunt and her hilarious husband (sorry Dave. I couldn't think of an alliteration that went with uncle. Upbeat? Unboring?) down to Moab to run the river. That's right! He took our van down by the river! I've been waiting to say that ever since we made the jump to a van. Congratulations to me.

They had the best of times. Of course, any time with Karen and Dave is the best of times. First stop was Arches National Park where the children could climb and run and be the crazy little mountain goats I know them to be. Then, a night in the hotel which included swimming in the pool. But not just any swimming. Swimming in your clothes since you didn't bring a swimming suit swimming! I know, right?!?

The next day was the official landing on the river. And the official start of the best trip of their lives. A beach in Utah? Who knew?!

Hey! Look who they found on the beach! We know those guys!

Thanks Karen and Dave. The kids had a fantastic time. The rest of the summer doesn't stand a chance against a trip with you guys on the river. And thanks for sending the Jeb home with the same amount of kids he left me with. You know I was worried about that. Great Aunt and Uncle for sure.

You can try to ask for his autograph, but good luck with that one.

So, if you have been reading the City Weekly for the past couple of months, first of all, more power to you. We all need a good dose of alternativeism every week, right? And "hey, no judgement. All God's children. It's fine. No big deal. We all do it. It's okay." (have you seen that movie? You need to see that movie)

Second of all, you may have noticed the ads for the club Keys On Main right there in print. Which would have definitely prompted you to say to yourself "Self, those pictures make that really awesome club look even more awesome. I must get you, self, to that club pronto. I do wonder who took those fabulous pictures.". Well, maybe without the pronto part, but you get the idea. And let me just answer that question about who took those fabulous pictures. It was my even more fantastic hubbin, The Jeb.

He's been published a few times before, and some of his images have been up on websites like Shutterfly, but this one was the most exciting I'd say. Partly due to the fact that this club is really fun. We've been there a few times and always had a great time. But, the pictures did turn out really well, and that's always gratifying.

I know, talent right? That crazy kid and his camera. He can do wonders.

The Hole

We have about a bajillion rules 'round these parts of the woods here. With more and more coming every day. It seems as if the ones we have aren't specific enough for some short people. You know, like "don't color on the walls" doesn't also specifically say to not color on the doors as well. So then a rule has to be made to not color on the walls AS WELL AS the doors, baseboards, window sills, etc. That sort of thing. So when I hadn't made a specific rule that said "You may not go outside without asking, and then go scootering across the street, while wearing your dress up clothes" it was a shock to one monkey that such a thing wasn't allowed. And then resulted in an unforeseen injury. Unforeseen, you know, because I hadn't specifically made the rule and then warned of the specific consequences of breaking that specific rule.

What in the world is she talking about, you are wondering to yourselves? I'll tell you. Leah had been playing downstairs in the playroom dressing up. She was Gabriella from High School Musical in all her prom dress glory when she decided on a whim to go outside and ride her brother's scooter. She scooted right across the street, and then was going back and forth in front of our across the street neighbor's houses. Harrison then reported that her dress got caught in the wheels of the scooter and she managed quite the awesome crash. He came inside to report that "Leah crashed and is crying". When I walked outside I heard the screams of "There's a HOLE in my leg!" Turns out the scooter managed to jam into her thigh and then take a chunk of it back out with it. It was gruesome at best. Our insurance has a nurse hotline that we called and they told us that you can't stitch a wound that has a chunk missing from it. We couldn't even manage to squeeze it together ourselves. Besides, can you see Leah having stitches? She would have an aneurism. Her head would literally burst in the freak out that would happen. So we just bandaged it up with antibiotic ointment, gauze and an ace bandage, and she hobbled around on it for a few days. It's going to be a dandy of a scar.

The best part of this story is what you would hear if you were visiting us for a few days after the incident. These are a few of my favorites:

"Hudson just bonked my hole!".
"My hole hurts."
"The band-aid on my hole is coming off."
"I just hit my hole on the chair."
"Hey! My hole looks better today!"

Nice, right? More to add to our book of kid-isms. And now we also have a few more rules to add to the rule book, as well. By the time these kids reach adulthood (if they do) that book is going to be as big as the house. We'll have to build a garage to contain it. With the rule to not play in there. In the rule book garage. Even with a friend. Or sibling. And even if your ball goes in there. And even if....