Guess Who's Heading for First Grade

We had an exciting week beginning the end of school. A's teacher did something I've never seen before in letting each child that has a summer birthday celebrate their own special day during the last few days of class. "A" got to celebrate his July birthday last Tuesday with cupcakes and a birthday hat! On Thursday we got to celebrate "A" again, along with all his kindergarten classmates. With just a couple of days of school left, they had their kindergarten awards' ceremony. They were so sweet singing their little songs they had been working on, complete with hand motions and receiving their certificates of completion of kindergarten! Who can resist this cuteness? NOT this momma, for sure!

Soccer, Swimming and Sun Burns=Start of Summer!

This past Wednesday Jeff and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. If you read the previous post you know we celebrated last weekend in Dallas, but on the actual day I received these gorgeous flowers! They are extra special because the roses in my bridal bouquet were the exact same shade of pink!

We celebrated at home by ordering pizza with the kiddos. I love how that is such a joy to me now...Wow how life has changed over the last 3 years!

We filled the weekend with more family fun! I guess we were making up for lost time since we were apart from the boys last weekend. And it is definitely a preview of a summer filled with tons of fun family memory making! Thursday night we went to "A"s school for open house/school picnic/yearbook signing. We shared Chick Fil A and hours of sticky hot outdoor fun! We love "A"s school and the whole staff from teachers and nurse to front desk staff! They all adore our little "A" too. In fact this momma is proud to report that all the kids love "A" just as much! He is quite the popular little friendly, smiley guy!

Saturday we spent sweating! We had a 9 am soccer game for "J" and a 2 PM one for "A." In between we went to one of our neighborhood pools with a little splash area that the boys really enjoyed! Looks like we will be frequenting this spot especially since "A" is still pretty terrified of big, deep pools. Somewhere during our hours of sunny fun, we (Jeff and I) got sunburns. Our sweet guys just bronze so thankfully they remain sunburn free! Saturday night after a long nap, we went to our first of many Dynamo soccer games! Our boys love playing soccer and I think they will enjoy watching it as well, especially once they can sit a bit longer at one time.
These games our outdoors of course, but thank goodness the sun went down during it, so the heat was bearable. And really the view of the city in the background made it even more pleasant! The crowd was very engaged and spirited. Our boys spent most of their time inspecting the freebies we got and climbing the bleachers.But the game was pretty amazing to watch! These guys are such stellar athletes, kicking the ball from one end of the field to the other in one giant high flying kick! "A" said he was going to start head butting the ball in his little games so that will be interesting to see. I'm pretty sure that skill takes a lot more practice than he has had so far! And "J" left the game saying he wants to play soccer when he gets big!
"A" really got into cheering and dancing to the Latino music!
All in all our weekend was a blast and I can't wait for more family fun this summer! It will involve substantial sweat with this Houston heat and humidity, but the joy our boys experience is worth any amount of discomfort for their weather wimp of a momma!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Life's been pretty hectic lately so blogging is definitely on the back burner, but I had to get a post in before midnight in honor of our 3rd wedding anniversary today! We planned a weekend away just the two of us a few months ago, well I should say Jeff did. He is really great at planning romantic times for us and this weekend was an amazing example of that! We went to downtown Dallas and stayed in the Hyatt Regency connected to the famous Reunion Tower. I mean really, just look at this picture perfect scene!

We snapped a self portrait before dinner on Saturday in our gorgeous room!
The hotel lobby had a fountain that mimicked the look of Reunion Tower. The artist in me really loved that touch!
Here we are at dinner at this wonderful restaurant we highly recommend called, Craft Dallas! We shared this giant steak, great side dishes, and a yummy chocolate dessert!
Then we were off to a Nickleback concert at the American Airlines Center. All in all, our weekend away was just what the doctor ordered for us and we came back refreshed and reconnected! Praise God for 3 amazing years of marriage to the man of my dreams and falling in love with him all over again while watching him become a father!

Weekend Wrap Up-Mother's Day Edition

We had a wonderful weekend and my boys pampered me with a gift each day, including 2 bouquets of flowers and lots of hugs! I'm also super excited about the spa gift card they gave me to use in the VERY near future! J kept saying I was the princess and they are the three kings! I also got more rest time and the boys had more "guy time." One of the fun "guy" things Jeff and A did was build a wooden car and paint it. We got the kit from one of our new friends and it was a great little project for bounding time! A was a natural with the hammer!

The finished product!
Over the weekend A lost another tooth! He also lost one at school on Friday so he is quite snaggle toothed with 4 missing teeth!
Here is a picture of all my first Mother's Day loot! I sure am one blessed momma! Check out the portrait of me in the left bottom corner...my A is quite an artist!

Much Mommy Love to My Little Loves!

I could not be more excited about celebrating my first Mother's Day with my littlest loves! We started early with two fun events at their schools on Friday. First of I went to Muffins with Mom's at J's Mother's Day Out class. He doesn't usually go on Fridays, but we went just for the event! It was such a sweet time! J chose the chocolate muffin, no surprise there!

The kids made very special gifts for all the moms, a treasure chest they decorated themselves! I will "treasure" it always! His sweet teacher gave J a bigger one to decorate since it was my first Mother's Day! She was so excited and gave me a great big hug! SO sweet! That's my little love in the blue shirt and my green package at the front of the table.
After lunch I went up to A's school for a Mommy Make Over. He was so cute, pampering me with a manicure, pedicure, a massage and of course hair and make up! We shared cookies too! He also made some special art work to give me! Here's a picture of me in all my made over glory, blue eye shadow and all! Thanks Uncle Wade for the idea on that one!
This last photo is a bonus and a preview of our plans for summer fun! We have already started going to one of our community pools and also clocked some hours at Gran and Poppa D's pool! I was editing the pictures and cracked up at this photo.

J walking in like he owned the place, Jeff clearly distracted by the loads of things he is carrying, and a sign that says, "Watch Your Children." HA! Happy Mother's Day and much love from our little fam!

Morning Madness + a Shout Out

So, I said I would be real. Well, here it is. This is an email I sent to "A"s teacher this week.

Mrs. S (really I used her first name because well, we have been in this together since the beginning):

It has been one of those mornings! "J" scratched "A" in the face (see red marks on his cheek) during an early morning feud over who knows what. "A" refused to eat his breakfast (or really do anything we asked him to do) so he will likely say he is hungry later, but this is a natural consequence. In general, it was one of those mornings where you wish everyone could just go back to bed for an hour or so and then try it again. I'm sure "A" will do fine at school as usual, but I wanted to let you know.

Thanks,

Becca

And the reason I love his sweet Kindergarten teacher (that is not only an amazing teacher, but such an encouragement as a fellow mom) is her response email. It is so full of tenderness and grace not just for "A," but for us as parents as well!

Becca,

I am so sorry your day started off like that. "A" is just as happy as can be right now. He came in with a big smile on his face and ready to work. I am going to have a talk with him and see what he has to say. I just want you to know that he is the happiest little guy and it is all because of you and his dad. He is so confident at school and just happy to be who he is. That speaks volumes for the hard work and dedication of his parents. You guys are the best in my books!! Hang in there!!

Sincerely,

Mrs. S (well, again first name basis enters again here)

I hope first grade brings us another amazing teacher, but no one can beat our sweet Mrs. S!

Soccer Mom Sans Mini Van

My Facebook status this weekend gushed about how much I love my little soccer stars and being a soccer mom minus the mini van! How true it is, my friends! The boys had their first game Saturday and they did awesome! They love to be outside and running is their favorite past time so soccer is a great fit! I snapped pictures the whole time and could not have been more proud!

"J" kicking the ball with his little friend from his team...This kid totally looks like Clayton and Drew, so I want to run up and hug him even though I don't really know him!

Little "J" is on the far left. Go Dynamos!

In between soccer games, some serious father/son bonding occurred while building with Lego's!

This teenage ref. with his hand on A's shoulder was just like another coach out there! He helped the boys get the hang of the rules of the game and which goal was the one to shot for! "A" told him "good game!" afterwards. I laughed out loud and the teenager smiled proudly!

That is our little "A" in the third purple shirt from the left, right up there by the ball! Go Revolution! Between the sun (only mommy and daddy got sunburned) and the heat, we were quite fatigued afterwards! Next Saturday we will not forget the sunscreen for sure! Let us know if you want to come out and watch our little soccer stars. We'd love to give you the schedule and location information!