A Completely New Phase In Life

Today was truly the beginning of a whole entire new chapter of my life. (I am getting teary eyed just writing about it.) 

My little one started kindergarten.  All day. 

  I have spent the last 8 years of my life with my kids by my side.

However, it is here. My years of being home with my cute adorable boys are over.  I was a little sad when Ernie started kindergarten, but I still got to be home with Caleb.  But now, that era is over. That is it; my little companions are now grown up. 

I am proud of myself, I totally held it together until he started to walk into the classroom.   To be honest, I have been so busy lately (I also started working part time, but I will get to that later.) that I hadn't given myself a lot of time to think about all of it too deeply. And then bam, it all hit me like a ton of bricks. And luckily I was wearing sunglasses so I could mask the tears. (And nobody is around as I type this, so I can let them flow more freely :)

Despite my sadness, I am so excited for them.  

Caleb and Ernie looked so cute today.  They were beaming with excitement.

No, he is not saying his prayers :) Caleb has become such a little stinker when it comes to pictures.  He was way too cool for me to get any good ones.  And the sun was in his eyes, so he just couldn't dare open them.

Ah ha, I finally snuck one of him at least looking at me.  Despite the evidence of this photo, he was really excited.  Although, as we were standing there he said, "Mom, my stomach hurts." I was worried he didn't feel well, or that I was a terrible mother and was sending him to his first day of school hungry.

But he said it wasn't any of those things, he said, "mom, I think I am a little nervous." Oh, I could just squeeze him and hold on to him forever.

Here are my three boys.  Ernie was so funny.  He absolutely LOVES school. 

After school Caleb was a lot more cooperative with the picture taking thing.

They both couldn't stop talking about their days.  They both went on and on about their teachers.  And Caleb made a friend named Logan, who is apparently quite the comedian.  We got to hear Caleb re-tell some jokes Logan told him over and over again.  And every time he would bend over in laughter and could hardly contain himself.

So at the end of a successful, but extremely emotional day for me, I have an enormous sense of gratitude.  Gratitude that I didn't take those 8 short years for granted.  That I tried my best to enjoy them and do fun things with them.  That I set aside any career aspirations, and sometimes the desire for a clean house. I wasn't perfect by any means, and I know I could have done more. It wasn't always easy, in fact I don't think it was ever easy.  But, I absolutely loved the past 8 years. 

 I enjoyed every laugh. I enjoyed every picnic and walk to the park.  I loved every rock thrown into the creek, and bug stomped on.  I loved watching them run through the sprinkler and turn play sets into an adventure of some sort. 

And I know, I know they aren't completely grown up.  And my greatest desire as a mother is in 8 years to feel the same way I do today.  Gratitude for the time I have had with my kids, and a sense that I have given all of myself to this "job", and have no regrets.

Family Fun

Last weekend Ernie was invited to a birthday party at the Mini Grand Prix. They insisted that we all come, and we are so glad we didn't turn them down! The boys had a blast! (And we did too!)

At the end, it got a little eventful.  Ernie's iPhone was either lost or stolen. That was sure a fun experience! After thoroughly looking for it, we finally decided to cut our loses and get a new one.  IT is crazy how much we use technology! His whole life was in that phone; contacts, calender, music. The list could go on.  Luckily he had Synced the phone recently so he didn't lose anything.  

So, $196 later we were good to go! (Not even for he new 4 one.  They only had the 16 G left, and with taxes, it was almost as much as the new one. We sure hope that someone who REALLY needed it has his old one :)

Sleeping Bag Fun

I hear uncontrollable laughter and a few loud thumps and decided I better go investigate.  This is what I find......

Yep.  They were riding down the staircase in a sleeping bag. 

 At least they are having fun, right? And I am trying not to stress about the tile at the bottom of the stairs.  We have health insurance for a reason.

Hmmmmmm, but I just heard them say, "We should do this really early in the morning while mom and dad aren't awake." Apparently they didn't know I could hear them. 

While Mom is Away......

While I was in Boston, Ernie took advantage of some quality boy time.  He took the boys to some NBA summer league games.  I couldn't believe it, but they hung out nearly the whole day!

I am not sure who any of these people are, but apparently they are important in the NBA world.

(Danny Green...need I say more? -Ernie)

 Ernie and the boys were chosen to be in a relay race on the floor during half time.  Caleb was bummed that he didn't win, even though some of the NBA players tried to console him. So they gave Ernie and Caleb these towels. (Big E said that it was really cute because the players all tried to console Caleb. ) I was so proud of Ernie, he even took pictures for me!!

Isn't my husband such a great dad?  He is so amazing and the boys adore him.  Thanks for having so much fun with them while I was gone!

Boston

For my birthday, my parents gave me tickets to go with my dad to visit my sister and her husband in Boston. (I love celebrating my birthday for months at a time!)
 We had such a fabulous time! It was a very brief weekend, and it definitely flew by, but we enjoyed every minute of it! I didn't get a ton of pictures.  I did get a few though.

My absolute favorite place (I still need to get the pictures from) was actually a cemetery.  I know, it sounds weird.  Just go with it.......
About two miles away from where my sis lives is a place called Mt Auburn Cemetery. My dad had read about it, and wanted to see what the hype was about.  The two of us rode bikes over and spent a few hrs roaming through it.

It is probably on my list now of one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  It is a few hundred acres, and has 3 ponds among a zillion other things in it.  It was absolutely breathtaking, and by far one of my favorite places we went.  If you are ever near Boston, GO THERE! It was amazing!

One of my favorite authors is Louisa May Alcott.  This is the home she grew up in! It is exactly where I picture Jo running around with Laurie and Meg.  Isn't it picturesque?

My dad and Co

My Dad and I walked the Freedom Trail while my sis and Justin were at work on Friday.  We had such a great time! This was near a monument to Benjamin Franklin, and a bunch of other important people.

We tried to get a self portrait........you think I would learn by now that they usually don't turn out!

While we were walking by an apartment complex, we noticed this little courtyard.  We just ignored the "private property" sign and decided to to a peek.  The picture definitely doesn't do it justice.  It was so quaint and pretty!

Thanks Collette and Justin! We had such a great time.  And I can't wait to be able to go back!

Almost There.......

So, I am finally nearly complete in documenting our recent trip.  The rest of the week was awesome hanging out and being with people that we don't get to see very often any more.  I am going to just post all the pictures.  Enough of my gibberish with them, right?

 Ok, I lied.  I already have to pipe in with comments. So, Caleb would not smile this night we were hanging out at Ernie's parents house. He insisted that all of his pictures were action shots.  HE would smile as I was counting, and then right when I took the picture he would change his pose.  He thought he was hilarious. Why is it funny to have a picture of food in your mouth? Anyway, another little boy thing that I don't get but try to be supportive.

And the end. What a great trip!

Yeah, we had a great summer of travels, but it is always nice to get home.

Lagoon

After the wedding hoopla was over, and the couple successfully off on their Honeymoon, we headed to Utah for a few days with Ernie's family.  The boys had SO much fun going to Lagoon.  It was especially fun to watch them be able to get to know their cousins better.

Jackson was a riot! He loved hanging out with his older cousins.  He was so funny when I was taking a few pictures because he kept "posing" by squatting down and so the rest of the boys would squat down.  Look at that face....he's not a ham at all :)

Here are Jason and Ernie with Jackson.

Jackson with Carson in one of his awesome poses.

And after was the photographer for his photo shoot, Jackson wanted to be my ride buddy! He was pretty fun.

Caleb and Ethan

Caleb and Ethan became best buds! They walked around like this a lot, and it was so stinking cute! I loved this picture especially because you can see the red straw of the drink that they were started to share. Caleb would tip the straw over so Ethan could get a drink. 

It was a very hot day.  Right when the kids were hitting the peak of tolerance, Grandma came up with this brilliant plan.......

 

We let them run through the fountains at the entrance of the park.  It did the trick! Everyone was cooled off and much happier!

The only problem with our plan was that the kids shoes never thoroughly dried.  Whoops.  And Caleb didn't have flip flops, so he had to wear them the next day. I was hoping they would dry out enough.  Nope.  In the early afternoon, I was grossed out that they were still damp, and bought him flip flops.  The shoes never recovered.  They still had a funny odor to them. I know, gross.  They got tossed.  Luckily they were hand me downs, and were getting a little small so I was not too distraught.

Turn That Frown Right Upside Down

I know everyone has rough days where it seems like everything is going wrong.  It has been like that everyday for the past week or so! Both with Ernie and myself. We have both been thinking, what the heck is going on?  We have the bad luck curse or something. 
So, last night I decided that because things were going so wacko for a while, we both had gotten really negative. We are both generally positive people, and so it has been an interesting thing to see happen. In an effort to push past the negativism, we decided to start thinking about all the good things going on in our life.  Before we go to bed we decided to think about 5 positive things that we were grateful for that day. 
It doesn't mean that all of our frustrating situations are poof, gone. Or that they won't  have frustrating days.
Sometimes it is so good to be able to see the positive in your day, even if it seemed pretty frustrating at the time.

It is amazing how much power is in positive thinking. And it takes a lot of effort to see a positive aspect to some of the more difficult things that happen.  But it also allows you to see the humor in a lot of things that you weren't able to see before.
So here is to a better day! Or at least, a better attitude about a frustrating day. :)

The Party Never Stops!

That night was the reception at Ernie's parent's home.  The back yard looked spectacular! I was so bummed that when I looked back I hadn't taken any pictures of how it was decorated.  They did such a great job.  The tent and all the tables looked so great! 

Karli and Abi- I think my favorite picture of all!! 

(courtesy of Amanda :)

All the girls with Grandpa Bill

The sibblings

Travis, Amanda, Emily, Karli, Ernie, and Holly

Enrie and Travis with Karli

The boys

Our family.  Hopefully the photogopher got a picture with Caleb at least looking at the camera :)

Abi about to drive off (don't worry, Karli is already in the car :)

Some of the boys as we waved off the newly married couple.

Ethan and Caleb were especially excited to pose.

What a great day. I was so gratfeul that all of karli's sibblings were able to be there. 

The Luncheon

Don't worry, there was more to the festivities for Karli's big day! After the wedding, we (family and close friends) all headed over to Grandma Doreen's house for a superb luncheon. It was a perfect venue, especially for all of Kali's nieces and nephews.

We got there a little early, and so promptly Ernie and Caleb ran over and played with the neighbors dog. Luckily, Grandma's neighbors are gracious enough to let them :)

Caleb would have sat their all day with Zach's dog Jake!

However, he quickly figured out how much fun was to be had with his cousins.

It was so great to spend time with family and friends that came for the wedding.

Ernie and I with Uncle Pete and Aunt Marsha

Emily and Ernie with Grandma Elliott

A loooong way back Ernie's family lived in Nampa ID, and had made some dear friends, the Castagnettos. They came, and I had a blast hearing all of their great stories of those years together.  (But I also found out Ernie used to throw apples at some horses on his way to school every day. Seeing as I prayed daily that God would somehow provide a horse for me to love at that same age, that knowledge might have been a deal breaker :)

Emily, Travis and Ernie with the Castagnettos

Ernie and I eating with family and friends

Caleb and Heather

We love Heather! The boys were so taken back that she is able to drive.  But then I mentioned she was also old enough to date boys and , "that is just weird!"

All the cousins, before a few escaped

Jake, Ernie, Carson, and Megan

The boys were all so cute with their cousin Lincoln! He would run around and pretend to shoot them and they would all fall dramatically. It was pretty fun to watch.

We had a great afternoon.