May

In May, Evan finished pre-school.  He can read at a 2nd grade level, and his teacher called him a sponge.  He craves reading and loves figuring out new words.  (I always cringe when we drive on the Interstate and pass a not-so-child-appropriate billboard.  Luckily, we haven't had to cross that bridge yet.  ;)

Reid got his first ride on my mom & dad's 4-wheeler.  Evan would drive, but every time Reid let go of him, he stopped.  Reid would then yell, "Go!" 

We went to Fort Wayne for Mother's Day.  We saw my grandma when she came over to my mom & dad's house.  We saw my friend, Alea, who was in town.  We also went out to eat for the first time in my life on Mother's Day.  Big mistake.  Our service was not great, and Reid was not great either.  We're in that "can't take him anywhere" stage.  We try to avoid restaurants & stores right now because he's a maniac.  He'll throw a fit, and it's just not worth it.  My girlfriends and I with boys just throw our hands up in the air - - especially when we see little girls the same age as our kids holding their mom's hands perfectly and sitting so well anywhere we go.  I just know they fight their own battles . . . maybe with doing hair, getting dressed, puberty....

I was also supposed to get my hair cut at school at the end of the school year.  The bleachers wouldn't come out that day.  Boo!  :(  I was going to have the kids cut my hair, so I had it all clean & dry (a big deal if you have naturally curly hair) and separated into ponytails that were measured out to 10+ inches. It didn't happen, so I still have my hair.  I'm going to cut it next month and then send it to Locks of Love.  One of my students from a couple of years ago grew out her hair too, so we're going to get it cut together.  

I also won "Teacher of the Year" for my school in May.  I was excited that I had won, but when I got to the Board Meeting to get recognized, I also found out I had won for my whole school district.  I didn't get into teaching to get awards, but it was nice to hear/read all of the things people said about me.  There's something very fulfilling to know that other people respect me in my job.

Evan went to a birthday party where they had Darth Vader as a guest.  What a blast it was!  He is VERY tall and intimidating, but the kids loved him.  So fun!

 "Evan's last day of school: 5/24/13  "When I grow up, I want to be a construction boss." 

 Dinner after graduation - with Auntie Judy & Grandma.  (Reid sat in between Mike & me . . . in a booth!  Flanked on both sides.) 

Reid Is Two!

In May, Baby Reid turned 2!  He's such a sweetie pie.  I don't have any pictures from his birthday right now - I have to retrieve some pictures from Mike's phone - once I do, I will definitely put them on this post.  I do have his cake.  He LOVES Disney's Cars.  I've made Lightning McQueen twice already, so I decided to go with "Radiator Springs McQueen" cake.  It basically doesn't have a huge 95 or lightning bolt on it.  (It was easier to make.)  :)

Reid was 8 pounds even & 20 inches long when he was born.  At his 2 year well-child check he was 29 pounds and 34 inches long.  He's in the 50-60%ile for kids his age.  He's not quite the moose Evan was, but he is definitely a force to be reckoned with.  He doesn't run everywhere like Evan did, but he climbs EVERYTHING.  Evan did not do this.  He can get himself up on just about anything.  We call him monkey boy sometimes.  He is still very sweet - but the non-crying baby we knew from 0-12 months, has figured out tantrums like no other.  He'll throw himself on the ground or put his hands over his eyes and pout.  We think it's funny (because we know it's a stage), but we can't smile.  As long as he's not hurting himself or others, we let him go.  He gets over it quickly when he has no audience.  It drives Evan nuts, but we have to remind him he used to do the same thing.

Reid is an average talker.  He says, "Mom, Dad, Dog, Eduh (Evan), Night Night, No!, etc."  all of the basics are represented.  He knows exactly what we say to him.  He follows directions (when he feels like it).  He can jump in place (he's been doing that since 18 months or so).  He loves to color . . . in crayon . . . on just about every surface he can.  (We LOVE the Magic Eraser.) 

It's Been a While: Let's Catch Up on April

Here we are - we've kind of gone underground for a month (or three).  I got a new phone in April, and I started taking pictures on it since it was a better camera than my snapshot camera.  (Technology is amazing.)  So I hadn't backed it up or connected the phone to my computer . . . until June 3.  Well, on June 3, I was being proactive.  I had 400+ pictures on my phone, and school was over for the year, and it was time to update my blog with my zillions of pics.  That was going well until I pushed the wrong button on the screen.  I managed to wipe away everything on my phone (contacts, texts, & pictures) and sync it with Mike's phone.  :(  I cried.  I had Mike's birthday, Reid's birthday, Evan's last day of pre-school, and lots of other fun moments on there.  Technology is still amazing, but I feel like an old lady sometimes when I don't know how to make it work for me (or when I have to get on YouTube to have an 11-year-old show me how to do something).  Luckily, I am an active participant in Web 2.0, so I was able to retrieve pictures from Facebook, Instagram, & anything I thought was cute I sent to my sister (Ti), and she sent it back to me.

So, here's April.  In April, Mike turned 35 (and we bought him a mega donut and threw him a party.  Evan designed his cake and I made it.), Evan started playing coach-pitch baseball, Reid got to go to the playground for the first time since it was finally warm enough, and Reid gave up on his crib.  He flung himself out of it, and we had to transition to a "big boy" bed.  (He now sleeps on his flip out Mickey Mouse couch he got for Christmas even though his bed works just fine.  But, having already lived with a two-year-old, we know if it isn't broken, don't fix it.  Go with what works.  Pick your battles.  Those cliches work.)

Bunny Origins

Before bed tonight Evan asked where the Easter Bunny started (like Santa Claus starts in the North Pole).  This is what he came up with about an hour later.

Evan: “Dad, I think the Easter Bunny starts in a place in the world with a ‘Cha’.”
Mike: “China?”
Evan: “Yeah, China.  I think he goes from China all over the world to California, and then all the rest of North America then North Carolina and then to Indiana and New York.  He doesn’t go see the penguins or to the North Pole because they already have presents and cookies.  And then to somewhere over by the ocean and then anywhere else in the world, then he hops back home.”
Mike: “I don’t know what he does, but that might be it.”

(I'm just glad geography is on his radar.)

Hilarious.

Here's a picture of Mimi & Papa coloring eggs.  Evan also got to make Easter chocolates with his Grandma & Aunt Judy & cousins this morning.  :)

Snow Day!

Well, the weathermen finally got it right.  We got 5-7 inches last night.  Here is our creation from this evening.  We had a snow day today - kind of - Mike had one.  Evan & I were on Spring Break, so we don't have to make it up.  :)

March

It's Spring Break (for me)!  I get not quite 2 weeks off. This week I left everyone where they usually go, so I was able to run errands without my helpers (rare).  I also met a friend for lunch and got a pedicure with Ti this week.  Yay!  Next week, the boys will be home with me.  Not much is going on here.  It's cold still.  Everyone gripes about it, but I seriously love it.  Much like my southern (Read: Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona & California) friends and family love the heat, I love the cold.  We may get significant snowfall this weekend, and I'm kind of excited.  :)

Here are some pics of the kids - - Reid seems to be eating in most of them - - he sits still when he's strapped into his seat.  Evan has been batting in the backyard with Mike.  There's been lots of sitting in the laundry basket for fun (that tells you how quickly I don't do our laundry).  

Our Valentines

Here are our sweet Valentines today.  There's Reid, who is sick again.  He had about a week of no troubles.   :(  He and I are staying home today so his fever can go away.  He's wearing his new Valentine's sunglasses, and his phone is his thermometer.  There's also Evan, who wanted to stay home with us today - even though it's Valentine's Day - one of the best days to go to school when you're 5.  He put on his favorite t-shirt (Mario) since it was red, but he offered to wear his Snoopy shirt that's red since it was my favorite.  What a doll.