THE Last Day!

The last day of school was wonderful and emotional and everything that I knew it would be. We got our donuts as usual and then headed over to class. The kiddos had a movie party and watched "Finding Nemo" with popcorn for everyone! They got to skip naps for this, so it was a very special day. :-) They sent us home with treat bags and all kinds of goodies and frankly, I am still in shock that it is seriously all over. How did this year go by so quickly?!? Colin said his goodbyes and then as we were walking down the hall, he let go of my hand and ran back to his room. He jumped into Miss Gina's arms to give her another hug and I thought I was going to cry my eyes out right there on the spot. I stood in that same spot in the hallway crying on the first day, so worried and upset over my crying baby who didn't want me to leave. I can't believe how far we have come!! I am just overwhelmed with love for those teachers and everything they have done for my little guy. What a perfect last moment!

Colin and Miss Keli

Miss Keli, Colin and Miss Gina!
We are going to miss them SO MUCH!!

School's Out for Summer!

I am working on THREE posts at the moment...they are all works in progress. There is so much to talk about! I have put the other posts to the side for the moment in order to post this VERY IMPORTANT message: Colin made it through his ENTIRE first year of preschool!! He did it!! We did it! We are all still alive!! :-)

This is Colin's last week of school and I just picked up him. He had a little package to give me that included a t-shirt that he made with his hand prints on it and a giant book of all the letters and numbers and drawings that he has worked on all year. On top of that, he got his "Me Book", which is basically a scrapbook filled with pictures and memories for each child that the teachers put together. Colin's is SO CUTE and the whole thing just overwhelmed me. I cannot believe that his first year is over. He has come so far and so much has changed. I knew that going to preschool would be helpful for Colin but I had no idea the leaps and bounds he would progress. He has turned into such a little boy this year and hardly resembles the little guy that I sent off on the first day. He had to be physically removed from me for the first month or so and now he happily runs into school everyday. He loves his teachers so much and they were our gift from God this year, for sure. They have had infinite patience and love for my little man. He is so much more confident now and absolutely loves anything to do with learning. He has made a classroom full of friends and talks about all of them constantly...telling me about what funny things they said to each other and who got in trouble. ;-) When school first started, he refused to tell me anything about his day, but now he talks constantly about it. He has done such a wonderful job this year and I could not be prouder of him!!

This is one of the pages in his book...the whole thing is FULL of pictures from the whole year. I just LOVE IT! Colin is with his best friend Keaton in every picture on this page and the one on the right is my favorite! That is Colin with his arm around Keaton, Presley and McKenna. Those are the 3 kids that he talks the most about and there they are together on the playground. I love that he honestly made a group of real friends! I am sad that they have to say goodbye on Thursday...I think I have 15 more of these "last days of school"...lord help me!

The little bundle we picked up at school: The "Me Book", the book of Colin's school work and his new t-shirt.
We are looking forward to summer now and all the pools and fun in our future! Can you believe that I made it Colin made it through this whole year?! ;-) Here are a few memories that I want to record for my little man:

*You attend school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-2. Your teachers are Miss Gina and Miss Keli. You have several teachers around the building who know you and call you by name when we pass them in the halls. You seem to have made friends with all of them, despite not being in their classes! Everyone loves you!

*Your best friends are Keaton, McKenna, Presley, Jackson and Caleb. You talk about them all the time.

*Your favorite activities have always been chapel, story time and playing outside. You have chapel every Tuesday and your favorite thing in the world is when all the students chant "AMEN" at the end. You seriously talk about this all the time. :-)

*Your teachers fill out a form that we get at the end of each day and you have NEVER gotten a bad report. Or even a sad or just so-so report. You have gotten a glowing report each and every day. This amazed me so much that I asked about it mid-year, wondering if they were sugar coating things for me. They laughed and assured me that they were totally accurate...you are just a very good and caring boy! I am so proud of this, Colin!

*You love "show and tell" on Thursdays and are always very serious about picking out something good to take for the theme of the week.

*We stop for donuts before school every morning. The donut shop is right around the corner from our house and down the street from school. We leave the house at 8:30am so that we have time to eat together first. The lady who owns the shop knows you very well now and you make silly faces together all the time. You always pick out a juice box when we first walk in the door and then run straight up to the glass to pick your donut. You always get one chocolate covered and one vanilla sprinkled, although you make a big show of "picking". :-) You only eat the toppings and literally leave the rest of the donut. In the last few months, you have added kolaches to the mix, but you make me throw out the wrapping and only eat the sausage. The high school is down the street and you love to watch all the teenagers come in for donuts while we eat. Our school mornings are such a wonderful memory for me!

A Royal Birthday

I am 34 years old today. This seems exceedingly old. 35 is completely unacceptable, so I may or may not be posting next year. ;-)

Today has been an AMAZING birthday - so good, in fact, that I doubt it can easily be topped. Today, Prince William and Catherine Middleton decided to get married in honor of my birthday. It was extremely nice of them to consider me on their special day. :-) This wedding was probably a bit too important to me, but nonetheless, it has ranked very high on my list of favorite moments. The reason goes back a long time...30 years, as a matter of fact. One of my first memories is of watching Princess Diana marry Prince Charles. I don't remember how my mama managed to wake me up at 4am, but knowing me, I was probably still awake from the night before. My daddy had a big brown recliner and I can recall perfectly sitting in my mother's lap in that chair when Diana got out of the carriage. I can see the big television in front of us - the kind that looked like a piece of furniture with the wood surround. It was a giant moment for my little 4 year old self. I remember thinking that it was the most unbelievable thing that I had ever seen...a real life princess getting married to her real life prince in all the pomp and circumstance that a little girl could fathom. It made such a huge impact on me and it probably had a lot to do with sharing the moment with my mama in the wee hours of the morning. My sisters would have been only about 5 months old at the time, which would explain why my mom was awake! It was our moment for just the two of us and for some reason, seeing Princess Diana step out of the carriage in a sea of bows stayed with me my whole life. My love of all things British started then and to this day, most of the novels I read take place in the UK. I can get lost in a history book about London. SO, when I found out that Diana's son would get married on my birthday this year, I thought it was clearly meant to be. I have been so excited this week that I could barely contain myself!

I set the DVR to record about 900 hours of programming and then set my alarm this morning for 5:00am. My theory was that I wanted to watch the whole wedding BEFORE watching all the recaps that would inevitably be all over the news all day today. I wanted to really watch it. Once Colin wakes up, he keeps my attention for literally the whole day. I would never be able to watch anything important on television while taking care of him at the same time. Therefore, my decision was easy...I had to get up early to watch the ceremony before the kiddo woke up. Alas, the difference of having a boy vs. a girl. I knew that Colin would not love to share a royal wedding memory with me the way that I did with my mom. ;-) The alarm went off at 5am and I went straight in to make a cup of coffee, grab a blueberry muffin and get in position. I started watching when it was still pitch dark outside, but it worked out perfectly. I got to see the most beautiful ceremony in its entirety and Colin woke up to join me right as the newlyweds were kissing on the balcony in real time. It was SO wonderful!!! Colin padded his way into my bedroom at about 7:30am this morning wearing his car pajamas and carrying his white bear. He looked at the television with his sleepy baby eyes and asked me what I was watching. I explained to him that a prince got married in England. He looked at the screen again and immediately asked me, as only Colin could, "Why are they wearing garbage can lids on their heads?". I laughed out loud and snatched him into bed with me. It was the most perfect start to a birthday in history...at least for me. I headed into the kitchen from there and made toast and bacon for breakfast and indulged in a 3rd cup of coffee. I called my mom and we talked about every last tidbit of the ceremony while I ate. Luckily, Jer went to work to later this afternoon, so he was able to watch Colin while I showered and dressed leisurely. Then I took the kiddo with me to Central Market, where we met a big group of friends for lunch on the patio. We even shared a couple of bottles of wines! Awesome! After lunch, we headed inside the market to pick up stuff for dinner tonight. I stocked up on ingredients for caprese salad (one of our family favs) and a big loaf of rustic bread. Tonight, I plan to lay around with my little family and feast on all things covered in EVOO and balsamic vinegar. I should also mention that grocery shopping with Colin is much more enjoyable after a glass of wine. HA!!

I know that I am a little too nostalgic at times and that the silliest things mean more to me than most people, but at 34 years old, I have come to accept this fact. I am a sappy old fool and proud of it! Wait...change that to "sappy super hot young fool". That sounds way better.

Let The Games Begin!

I grew up with 2 sisters in a land full of glitter, tutus and pink tights. Sports for me consisted of tightly curled ponytails, red lipstick and dance recitals. I did absolutely nothing that was not set to music. Therefore, I assumed that Colin was going to be a girl. I was certain...and not because I didn't want a boy, but simply couldn't fathom a boy. I had the bedding picked out and the decor planned in my head when we went to the ultrasound appointment. The technician said, "It's a girl!". I knew it! She even typed "GIRL" across the screen. And then Colin moved. "Wait a second...that was the cord...oh, my! It's a BOY!". Sure enough, plain as day, my son was staring back at us through the monitor. Immediately, like in a movie, images whooshed in at me all at once...dirt, sweat, soccer balls, cleats, baseball gloves and the whole nine yards. I saw myself handing a plate of dinner to a boy with a grass stained jersey and a grin on his face. I knew at that moment that I was born to be the mother of this boy. Suddenly, I was over the moon with excitement over things that I had never even thought of before. I would sometimes lay in bed at night and wonder if I was being silly...if the make believe images in my head could really come true and be reality. Keep in mind that I am the same woman who grew up certain that my high school boyfriend would look exactly like Danny Zuko and that at some point I would utter the line, "Tell me about it, Stud". I am not exactly known for having reasonable expectations. Well, for once in my life, the story that I told in my head actually came true! Last weekend, we attended the opening ceremonies for baseball season, as well as Colin's first real game. It was completely unforgettable and one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had!

Opening ceremonies turned out to be a BIG deal, which I should have known. Texans are notoriously serious about sports. :-) There was a big parade announcing all the teams and then all the kids gathered on the field for the National Anthem and the first pitch. There were bounce houses, a home run derby and lots of hot dogs. It was WONDERFUL! Colin and his friends all looked absolutely adorable, to the point that it was overwhelming me at times! Colin showed no nerves, followed his friends gleefully through the parade and was super excited to wear his uniform. His shirt hung literally to the middle of his calves, which made it even more precious. The weather was perfect and sharing this with our best friends made it even better. I am SO glad that we are all on this team together! The first game was Saturday morning and that was equally wonderful. Colin did such a great job and participated through the whole game! He really seemed to be having a great time, which was a dream come true. As I was driving over to the ballpark that morning, I was overcome with how much things are changing and how fast. It seems like 5 minutes ago that Colin was an infant and look at us now. He is sitting in the backseat of my car in full baseball uniform and eating a donut while asking me if I "remembered his cleats". I am driving around a sea of soccer and baseball moms, looking for a parking space and wishing I had thought to bring the folding chairs. How did this happen?! When did we get here?! I love everything about being the mother of a boy...especially THIS boy...I just wish it would slow down! There is almost not enough time to savor the cuteness of this stage! :-)

Here are some of the 9,000 pictures that I took over the two days. Colin is number 7!

Blastball Ready!

Colin started Blastball practice last Thursday and even though I knew that it would be adorable, I had no idea how much I would enjoy watching the action unfold! I am so excited for the whole season! His team is the "Longhorns" and this will be the one and only time that anyone will see me cheer on a team in orange. Despite my deep-rooted Aggie alliance, I am still thrilled for the games to begin! ;-)

I was very nervous about signing Colin up for a team sport and I had really decided against trying it this year. It takes Colin a while to warm up to new people and places and I had a hard time imagining him joining a group of kids and listening to coaches all of whom he does not know in order to learn something that he has never tried in a place that he has never been. That is quite a lethal combo for Colin! I figured that we would try it next summer and give him another year to work on his anxiety. Then over dinner one night in February, my friend Tanya told us that she had signed up to coach a blastball team and she would put the team together herself. This meant that all 7 players on the team are Colin's best friends. AND the 3 coaches are all our adult friends who Colin adores. It was the perfect situation...Colin gets introduced to team sports with the people he loves. I am still beside myself with gratitude for Tanya! :-)

Even with the "ideal situation", I had no way of knowing if Colin would like blastball, so I was a bit nervous as we pulled up to our first practice. Colin absolutely blew me away!! We practice at an elementary school field that has a playground attached. When Coach Dave (who is Hayden's grandpa) called the boys to start practice, they all came running with no problem. They got in a long line and did jumping jacks and then did sprints back and forth. It was ADORABLE. I literally thought that I might melt from it. The boys were instructed to make a lap around the park and Colin ended up holding hands with his buddy Jack. Oh my lord, it was sweet. Then they started learning the game and Colin was 100% into it! I could not believe it! His focus was right on and he listened to everything Dave and Nate told him. Coach Nate is Hayden's dad and Colin loves him, so that helps! He had no problem with wearing the helmet in order to bat and he was actually really good at it! He hit the ball on the first try each time he came to bat. He never got upset or frustrated, didn't cry and had a smile from ear to ear the whole time. He LOVED it! The boys were all so precious and seeing them playing a sport together as a team made my heart so full. I love these kids like they are my own family and there were times when I wanted to run out and just wrap them all up in a hug. I refrained, I swear. ;-) This experience made Colin seem so much older to me and it gave me a window into our future...I will miss the "baby days", but I am so excited to experience the rest of Colin's childhood with him!

Here are some of the super cute pictures that I got of the shenanigans!

Colin made it to the base! Look at how excited he is!!

Coach Nate showing the boys how to catch.
He hits the ball!
I love this one...he is SO happy and Dave is so incredibly sweet!

LOVE THIS! Getting "blastball ready" with Coach.

I'm Back!

Spring Break is over, Colin is back at school, I made it to the grocery store and now I am going to update the blog. I should be cleaning the house and doing laundry. "Should" is the key word there.

A LOT has happened since my last post, most of which involves me being sick. At the beginning of March, I came down with the worst illness that I have ever had. It took me 3 full days before I realized that things were really bad and I finally went to the ER. After lots of tests, I finally found out that I had colitis, an infection of the colon. I got IV fluids, pain meds, anti-nausea meds and two antibiotics that made me really feel like death. That was tough...I had to take them 3 times a day for 14 days, despite the fact that they made me sick as a dog. I won't lie, there were a few days there when I thought that something might be really wrong. It was the first time in my life that I felt what it was like to have a "long term" type illness that doesn't get any better. It made me very thankful for my health and very sad for those that battle disease on a daily basis. I ended up back at the doctor with my vision failing and hardly able to function. I was dehydrated, all my veins had collapsed because of it, and I had to sit for 3 hours with a tiny butterfly IV that they finally managed to get in the top of my hand. That was the low point, but about 5 days later, I was much better. THANK GOD! I was sick for 15 days and now, two weeks after the low point, I am still not 100%, but close to it. My stomach is still upset more than it should be and I don't eat a whole lot. But that, I can handle. :-) I have another appointment with a digestive health doctor next week and will hopefully know more then. I am back to being happy, functioning in society, and overall feeling good. And I am saying a little prayer that I NEVER have to take those damn meds again! Whew!

During this long time of illness, Colin was amazing. We didn't go anywhere and he basically spent 3 weeks entertaining himself while I whimpered on the couch that I couldn't play. NOT fun. He was a rock star and really took care of me. He knew that I was sick and did things on his own that he never would have normally. He even had to go with me to the doctors office that day and played quietly for the whole 3 hours! The nurses brought him snacks and even apples and grapes from their own lunches because I couldn't leave without the IV fluids. They were so great and I am beyond thankful for the whole office! Thank you, Dr. Buffington! Colin really showed me how wonderful he is and what a helpful boy he is growing up to be. I was also reminded that I am blessed with the best friends that anyone could ever have. All of my friends were so worried and all offered to bring dinner and take care of Colin. We had an outpouring of prayers and love from everyone!

Finally, the fog of sickness has cleared and we are enjoying the WONDERFUL Texas springtime! The weather is beautiful, and we are spending lots of time outside. We had a fun park playdate for St. Patrick's Day, an afternoon at our friend Heather's house and a fantastic Friday lunch at a Mexican place with an attached playground for the kids! That place was awesome...the ability to sit and enjoy lunch while your kids play is priceless! I actually ended up with a bit of a sunburn that afternoon and it felt GREAT! It feels great to be back in the land of the living! :-) There will be more posts to come very shortly with Colin updates and pictures! He started his first ever team...Blastball!

The Latest From Colin

Colin is so...well...Colin. I find him to be hysterical and brilliant and pretty adorable. Have I mentioned that before? ;-) He is such an interesting boy. We have been going to Occupational Therapy (OT) every Friday for several weeks now and he LOVES IT. On our second session, he struck up a conversation with one of the therapists who was waiting for her meal at the microwave. He asked her what her job there was, if she played with kids like Miss Cheryl, if she was a mom, if she liked knock knock jokes and then proceeded to ask her if they had recently vacuumed the floor. It was so funny and she was, of course, immediately in love with him. Cheryl (our OT) ended up telling me yesterday that everyone in the office thinks that Colin is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Nobody wins people over like Colin. He has had a lot of awesome things to say lately...in fact, Miss Cheryl spends most of the therapy hour looking up at me over Colin's head with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. He does say some pretty over the top things for a 3 year old, but I am used to it and really have nothing to compare it against. She looked shocked so many times on Friday that I actually started giggling. Here are a couple of his most recent additions to the conversation. I want to write them down so that I don't forget what a funny little 3 year old he was!

"Mommy, teachers are community helpers. They are there to help you learn. I already know everything, so I don't need to go back to school."

*he asked me yesterday if I knew where his pieces of chalk went. I told him that I didn't know and his response was, "Well, they didn't just get up and walk off!" Now, where on earth did he learn that?!

He really does make us laugh constantly these days. We had a moment last night that was just too sweet, and a bit sad...but mostly super cute! He asked to watch "Angelina Ballerina" after seeing several commercials for it on various DVD's that we have. We stream Netflix onto our television and I saw they had it. I turned it on for him last night and he LOVED IT. However, at the end of the hour, he burst into tears. Real tears, heavy crying, chest heaving and shuddering...the whole nine yards. We were immediately hovering over him asking what happened - I assumed he had hurt himself! He finally managed to choke out, "I want to dance ballet, but I am a boy! Boys can't dance ballet, but I really want to! I am not a girl, so I can't dance ballet!" ...all the while crying his little eyes out. I assured him over and over that if he wanted to take ballet, then he could absolutely do it! We had a very long conversation about how boys can be great dancers and that he would win over every little girl on earth if he danced. Oh my goodness, he was so upset! I had to promise him over and over again that if he wanted to take a dance class that he absolutely could and that I would go with him. It was not exactly a conversation that I pictured myself having, but I am totally okay with that. I have a lot of conversations with Colin that I never imagined I would. ;-)

In related news, after some research today, a big dance studio here offers boys only classes! How cool is that!? Things have totally changed since I was little! The boys program starts at age 5, so if Colin does decide that he wants to take classes this fall, he will still be mixed in with the girls (which I think he will love, anyway), but after that, he would have his own special program. Apparently, it is very popular and there are lots of boys in the program! Regardless, as far as I am concerned, Colin can do whatever makes him happy. Besides, can you imagine how many girls would swoon over a boy who can dance?! And why can I only picture Kent from last season of SYTYCD? :-)