Kindergarten is Magical

I had a picture in my head of kids writing notes and making pictures and getting lost in thoughts when they are creating their artistic masterpieces. 

I had no idea when this season of childhood would hit, or what form it would take in my own home.

Then, Jacob started kindergarten.

And we have unicorns with pink bodies and a golden horn. Page after page of a city skyline. Cars and trucks. Letters and numbers. Sight words and "is" spelled as "iz." The English language written through the sounds of a five-year-old.

I actually have to ask my kid to stop coloring and drawing and come to dinner.

An entire composition notebook is almost filled with entire pages that contain works of art I wish I could remember forever. 

I will definitely always remember his determination to get his picture just right. The fascination with the way his pictures tell a story and the happiness on his face when I know what his picture is without having to ask. 

I will remember him smiling as he brings me the notebook. Smiling as he opens up his imagination to me, trusting that all is safe and I will love whatever I see. I will remember his spirit, and the rose-colored glasses he is able to see the world. 

Pages with rainbows and stories about snakes. 

A spy helicopter and a passenger airplane with landing gear that reaches the entire length of the page.

People who are developing beyond stick figures and starting to actually have pants, shirts, shoes, and all five fingers. 

Kindergarten has brought out little stories from my little boy. Stories he didn't even know were there until he was able to draw them across the paper and let his mind wander. A teacher who is able to get him to ask me if his drawings are his "best work." 

We are only a month into this "real school" business, and he is soaking up every last drop of education and finishing his homework on Monday night when it's not due until Friday.

He is reading words and writing sentences. He is telling me about periods and question marks. Jacob asks thoughtful questions about why the Earth doesn't float off into outer space before we pull out of the driveway in the morning. He's asking me to look for certain books at the library.

He collects acorns on the playground and places them in the kitchen window. He picks me flowers and saves them the whole day until he gets home and gives them to me. 

He forgets his library book at school and his lunch box in the cafeteria. But, he never forgets to say "I love you," before getting out of the car, or waving good-bye as I drive off in the morning. 

Jacob's love for kindergarten will result in quite the paper consumption this year. I cannot wait to see what he is going to be bringing home toward the end of the year, and how much his work will change in nine short months. But, I always will remember these first moments of school and the excitement that fills our house at this very moment. Excitement about everything, and the desire to reproduce our fascinating world on paper through our own eyes and ears. 

Kindergarten is magical. 

Diaper Free and Other Updates

The Lewis household is officially diaper free! 

This past Wednesday, we took the plunge and Joshua quit wearing diapers. Both Wednesday and Thursday went well. Joshua had zero accidents during the day, but quite a few in the afternoon when Jacob got home from school. He just didn't want to stop playing and go to the bathroom. But, Friday we turned a corner and he went the entire day with zero accidents! That earned him a Spider-Man mask.

Saturday and Sunday were both great, but he had one accident a day. 

Monday was our poop incident. Joshua had gone all day in the potty, but again, when Jacob got home from school, Joshua peed in the middle of my bedroom. I started cleaning it up, took Joshua's underwear and pants off, and then the phone rang. I figured Joshua had just peed, so I let him run naked for the short time I was on the phone. Then, I hear Jacob laughing in the bathroom. I round the corner to find Joshua standing in the tub. I thought he just peed in there, until I saw that he had pooped right in the middle of the tub. After scrubbing the tub clean, we were good for the rest of the night, accident free.

Today, I took Joshua to a toddler program. Twice during the program he told me he had to pee and waited until we got to the bathroom. When we arrived home, he was eating his lunch out on the back porch and told me again he had to go potty, and he pooped in the potty (not the tub). Today was the most successful day with Joshua telling me each time he had to use the bathroom instead of me bothering him with questions all day. And, he has not peed during his naps or during the night since last Wednesday. We are done with the baby aisle!

In other news, Jacob is adjusting very well to kindergarten. Some days he is more tired than others, but overall he is doing a great job. He is working very hard, has learned the Pledge of Allegiance, how to spell his color words, and works super hard to get three stars on his papers. We have had a great experience with the start of the school year, and are so proud of how well Jacob has adjusted to full-day school days.

Joshua is funny as usual. He really enjoys his days at home with just me. We have spent more time than usual at home lately because of the potty training, but he doesn't seem to mind. Today's program, Jungle Tales, at Garfield Park was a lot of fun. We had never been before, but Joshua had a great time. He made friends with a little four-year-old boy, and they played for about an hour after the program was over. I love this alone time with him, and being able to give him some undivided attention. 

1st Day of Kindergarten

Jacob woke up this morning at about 6:30, which was fantastic so I could get some cuddle time with my little guy before he headed off to his first day of kindergarten! He had time to have some cereal, watch some TV, and play with his brother before having to get ready for school.

Here he is, ready for his first day of real school with his Hot Wheels backpack and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lunchbox.

 Today will be the first day he eats lunch without help, so I'm anxious to hear how that went and see what is left in his lunchbox. I'm hoping he ate enough and wasn't afraid to ask for help if he needed it.

 We headed off to school, pulling out of the driveway around 8:35 and dropping him off around 8:40. School starts at 8:50. I realized how spoiled he has been when we pulled up to school and he asked "where is the umbrella?" when the teachers were getting him out of the car. At his preschool they would meet him at the car with an umbrella on rainy days. So funny the things they pick up on!

 Here he is right before he got out of the car!

 It was so nice watching him walk into school. He seemed like such a big kid and so ready for kindergarten. I am so proud of him! Joshua and I decided to keep busy this morning and headed to Kroger for some shopping. Joshua got the little cart all to himself. It was nice to slow down for his pace and let him stop and look at whatever he wanted and take little detours if he wanted to walk a different way. Reminded me of days alone with Jacob when he was able to do the same thing. Joshua loved the extra attention, but I think he does miss his brother! We met Bob for lunch since he went back to work today as well, but he doesn't have students today.

Looking forward to hearing all about Jacob's 1st day of school!

Where did the toddler go?

This summer has hit us hard with the realization that Jacob is a kid. Not a baby. Not a toddler, and now, not even a preschooler. He is a kid.

He runs off on the playground and doesn't need help going up climbing walls that use to give me a heart attack.

He skips and gallops, rides a bike with no training wheels, and figures out how to jump off things safely.

He develops his own games. He memorizes movies. He tells jokes and tries to make people laugh.

He compliments people out in public. He holds doors for others. He tells people their baby is "so cute." 

He holds his friends' hands and leads them around. He takes pictures where he and his friend drape their arm around their shoulders. He hugs his friends and looks forward to seeing certain kids.

Jacob is such a joy to parent. He is smart and funny, and sweet in a way that makes my heart burst with pride.

He is able to find beauty in little things, and appreciate the big things as well. He makes me proud on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. Sure, some days are challenging with all of this new independence. Some days I scream at him to listen before he leaps (literally). But, overall, he is easy. And fantastic.

Just in time for him to take off and enter kindergarten and be on his own all day, every day. And this summer I realized just how ready he is for this new chapter in his life. Not just in the reading and writing.

He stands up for his friends. When one boy called someone stupid this summer, he told that boy, "You called XXX stupid, and I don't like that, so I'm going to go play with him."

Every single day he dishes out compliments to strangers. Today at the park he yelled after a kid he liked his bike. He tells girls he likes their shoes. He finds a reason to be kind to others and tell them what he likes about them.

He makes friends easily and joins in games with others. Sometimes it is hard to see him kind of rejected when some people have gone places with friends and Jacob just wants to join in. But, Jacob doesn't mind and wanders off to another kid and strikes up a game with them. He is an easy-going kid, and loyal to his friends.

He tries new foods and new opportunities with enthusiasm. He goes tubing, jumps off the diving board without a life jacket, climbs 75-foot towers without fear, and smiles all along the way.

Kindergarten will teach Jacob a lot. And, I'm sure he will teach everyone else a lot at the same time. How to be compassionate, considerate, and kind. How to embrace others fully without looking for their faults. How to make friends and include others. How to love life, find joy in the every day encounters, and give a good hearty laugh every single day.

He has a love for life that I don't think will ever stop shining. He teaches me something new every day about slowing down, listening, and focusing on what is most important.

I will never forget the look on his face when he earned his badge from the nature center when we went camping. He worked so hard to finish all of his wilderness tasks, fill out his notebook, and receive his patch in front of the store.

I will never forget his gap-tooth smile when he lost his first tooth this morning. Blood trickling down his bottom lip, and explaining to Daddy that he "wiggled it until the front came out, and then with a powerful push from my tongue, I pushed it out and lost my tooth!"

I will never forget his smile when he learned to ride his bike without training wheels back in the spring, and his happy dance when he got off his bike.

I will never forget taking him for his five-year-old shots and hearing him giggle as he got stuck four times. Giggle. And how he walked out into the waiting room afterwards and told two pretty teenage girls about the whole experience.

Jacob's eyes sparkle, and he has a lot to offer the world. His school career is just beginning, and I am confident in his character, values, and confidence. He is going to shine, and I hope I can continue to guide him in the right direction. Or, better yet, I hope he can keep guiding me in the right direction.  

Summer Lately

We went to the outlet mall one evening and scored some great deals at The Children's Place. Bob found some great pants for Jacob when he goes to kindergarten - elastic waist and still adjustable and marked down to $6.40. We bought three pairs. Sometimes, you wish you bought even more, though, when you know how hard boys are on their clothes once they hit school age. Jacob liked this red shirt so much he put it on over his clothes, so we ended up buying it. It was only $2.50 though, so he picked well! We did not buy the boys these hats, but they did look cool. Wish you could hear them going through the store shouting cowboy things to everyone.

 They hung out in the back of my car while Bob cleaned it out and vacuumed a zillion crumbs out of there. 

 Play date with friends at the park, and most of the time the boys choose to play together anyway, haha.

 Trying out their new water guns with clips that you reload. We bought these guns at the end of the summer last year on clearance for $6 a piece, and two extra clips for $1 a piece. Bob had no chance against these two!

 Bob took the boys to a touch-a-truck event while I was at a MOPS leadership meeting one Saturday. They had a blast!

 Building a birdhouse with Daddy, which led to us playing with tools for days and days, and Joshua wearing his tool belt while he was on his bike.

 The boys would go around shouting "construction team!" 

 We met our dear friends at the children's museum this week. As soon as we walked in we caught the Bumblebee transforming. The boys have seen it twice before, but were actually more interested in it this day than before!

 The four friends in the new Avatar exhibit. Blurry, but love seeing these guys together. Never gets old.

 Swimming lessons have really been keeping us busy, and since Bob is in summer school, he hasn't been able to see some of the progress they are making. So, tonight we took advantage of a "twilight special" at the public pool in Franklin. The boys and I saw the newly renovated pool when we played at a nearby park one day and knew we wanted to try it out! After naps we dressed the boys and headed down. We had so much fun, and Joshua shocked us with how much he loved going down this water slide. Jacob went into the "big pool" for a long time with Bob so he could swim around. They had a blast and were exhausted and starving by the time we left.

 We headed over to dinner at Pizza King, where a model train brings your drinks to you. The boys had a blast. Jacob ate a TON of food. Between swimming lessons in the morning, having friends over afterwards, playing outside with more friends, and swimming at the public pool, this boy packed away some food! 

Bits and Pieces

I'm too lazy to load pictures and recap our entire week that I have neglected to blog about, but wanted to write down a few things I want to remember:

- Joshua is talking SO well, and surprising me more and more every day. He talked early, I think with his first word at like six months old, but was reluctant to put together complex sentences for a while. Now, he is talking so much and just taking off. He really is his father's son, since I guess Bob didn't talk much as a baby but took off verbally around this age as well. I love hearing Joshua talk, say his complete thoughts, and just really be such a big kid all of a sudden.
- Jacob and Joshua started swim lessons this past Monday. They meet every day for two weeks. Jacob is in level 2, which is awesome for him, but I think he is intimidated since he is the youngest in his class by like 2 to 3 years. He is learning some difficult lessons about being on your own in different situations. He is handling it so well, but you just don't realize how hard it is to be throw out to be on your own before you have had to really experience that in school. These other kids have been in school for a few years already, to where Jacob hasn't had that kindergarten experience that would help him be a little more independent. I'm very proud of him for being so brave, jumping off the diving board into 12-feet deep water, and being on his own even when he knows Joshua gets to swim with me. Joshua and I are in a mommy-and-me class. He actually put his face underwater the past two days all on his own. He holds his little nose and dunks under real fast, and comes up smiling and proud of himself. He will also do anything we ask of him just so he can be wrapped in his Spider-man towel after class. Joshua will then sit on my lap quietly while we watch the last half of Jacob's class.
- We have had a super busy week with a park playdate with our MOPS group, having the Wiley's over for a full day of fun, spending time with Grandma today on her day off, and a MOPS Leadership family picnic tonight. The boys played so well with everyone and had such a wonderful time. At one point, I just looked around and realized that the boys were making memories they will treasure. They may not remember tonight, but they will remember having a childhood that they can run through a park for hours playing with friends, growing up with kids to play with and loving parents watching. I love looking around at the good friends we have made the past few years, being able to trust other parents to watch out for our kids while they all run around together on the playground. I love that we know other kids well enough to help them on the playground, push them on swings, and have a little community where our kids can have some great times together. We stayed longer than I anticipated because the boys were just having such a good time. Then, Bob and I took them to get ice cream at McDonald's...followed by drinks....followed by french fries. They boys laughed and joked and enjoyed some family time before heading home.
- Joshua has peed on the potty once a night every night this week. But, tonight after I took his diaper off he ran off and played. Then, he suddenly stood up, ran to the bathroom, got his stool into position, and peed in the toilet. We are so proud of him. We aren't sure if we are going to start potty training soon or not because of swim lessons and vacation coming up, but knowing he is close to ditching the diaper is exciting for him!
- We will have to be getting rid of Joshua's pacifier soon. He keeps shoving the whole thing in his mouth, chewing on it, and throwing it around. He  is also going longer periods without it on his own, so we know he is getting ready on his own to get rid of it. He knows he isn't allowed to have it when he plays with friends, when we go to parks, when we are outside, etc. And, he does a great job not wanting it for hours on end. So, I know it will be rough, but it won't be impossible!

Wedding Weekend

After story time on Friday morning, the boys and I headed up to meet Bob for lunch. It was his last day of school, and he was going to be heading up for the rehearsal dinner for his sister's wedding. I wanted to boys to see him before he left. We were going to hang back and let Jacob play in  his first t-ball game Saturday morning and then drive up for the wedding. But, Bob ended up getting out of work early, which wasn't expected, and we started getting nervous that if anything happened Saturday morning the boys would be late for the wedding, and they were the ring bearers. So, we packed up super quick and headed up for the wedding after all.

Friday night, the future in-laws hosted the rehearsal dinner at their home. The boys ran around like crazy, and Jacob decided to play around with all of the drinking games the newlyweds were getting. They had a giant beer pong table set up painted for IU and Butler. No alcohol involved, and Jacob just wanted to bounce the balls around on the table. We joked that we are training him early to make sure he isn't stuck drinking a lot when he's in college playing the game, but really, I was just thankful this occupied him for a while since it is hard to contain your kids at an adult party! 

The boys didn't eat much at the dinner because there was too much going on and they aren't fond of burgers and hot dogs (so weird!), so we stopped and got them some food on the way home, stopped by Bob's parents house for a little while and then got back to the hotel around 11:30 our time. The boys were exhausted. We all slept in a king bed, and this is how the boys slept that night, all snuggled up together.

 Saturday morning, the boys slept in a little bit and then we headed to McDonald's for breakfast. The McDonald's there has an outdoor play area, which was like gold to the kids. They had a blast burning some energy after being contained the night before. Then, we headed back to the hotel for some swimming. Jacob adored Bob's cousins and made them do plenty of cannonballs to wear them all out. We all came upstairs to get cleaned up and dropped Bob off for the wedding festivities since he was a groomsman. The boys got in about an hour nap before I had to wake them up and get them dressed for the wedding.

Joshua's shorts were too big on his skinny little body, so we had to pin them in the back, but the boys looked absolutely adorable. I am so glad their outfits were comfortable so they didn't feel stiff or hot all day. We arrived around 3:00, but everyone was running late and the boys had to just kind of stand around until about 4:15, took a few pictures, and then waited a while before the ceremony. The ceremony started a little late as well, and I'm actually pretty shocked the boys did so well with so much time on their hands.

 The boys started crying outside because the tractors that would take the guests back to the ceremony site kept pulling out without them. They had to be on the last tractor with the bridal party, which meant a lot of angry screams from Joshua every time a tractor pulled out without him. But, we got back to the site, and the boys had to pull the other ring bearer, a 10-month-old little boy, in a wagon. They did such a fantastic job and so many people said such nice things about how well the boys were in the wedding. At the end of the aisle, the boys tried to turn a little too early and hit the chair, and Jacob went over and checked on the baby, patted his head and gave him a hug. Lots of "awwww"'s were heard throughout the crowd. It goes along with him always saying he wants to be a babysitter and a daddy when he grows up!

 The boys stood with Bob and their Uncle Dan (or Muncle Dan, as Joshua calls him), for a few minutes before getting bored and coming to sit with me off to the side. Snacks and suckers occupied them for the ceremony!

The boys were crazy dancers all night, and I'm looking forward to getting a look at the pictures the professional photographer got of them during the reception. It made for two extremely late nights in a row for the boys, but they had a good time.

Sunday morning, the boys slept in again and we swam right away before eating breakfast. By the time we swam, got cleaned up and checked out of the hotel, it was about 11:00 our time when we got to Bob's parents house for some breakfast. The boys spent the entire day eating, playing with cousins and second cousins, and finally got home at about midnight. It was a great day to just spend with family and watch the boys run around the house with other little kids. They pulled out some of Bob's old G.I. Joe's he had and were playing with them most of the day. I didn't get any pictures on Sunday. Mostly because I was exhausted from the two days prior, and also because it was just nice to sit back and enjoy watching them play with family kids and make memories that Bob and I have of growing up and running through your grandparent's house with family.