Life After the Car Seat... Big A turned 8

Big A is now officially a 8 year old. He is officially out of the booster seat in the car... a big step. As I look over the pictures from this years birthday shoot I can't believe how much he has grown-up over the last year. At the photo shoot he had his own ideas for poses (some pretty awesome). He was kind of shy around the photographer (a first) and the warmed up as we went. Listening to him talk to the photographer about his life and likes again I was so struck by how very grown-up he has gotten.... How did this happen? It makes me tear up a bit (I know weepy mom mode!) whatching the "baby boy, little guy times fade into the past. He is such a bright, funny, kind, playful, thoughtful little guy. I am so blessed to be his Mom, watching him grow!

A thank you to FotoFly photography for once again giving me outstanding birthday shots of A!

1...2...3... Strikes... and we're out

 

It has been nothing but baseball, baseball, baseball at our house this spring (early summer).

Both A and a and me and Jeff have been doing pretty much nothing but baseball.

 

Big A moved up to AA ball this year. This means it's competitive now! Outs count, they keep score, there's a draft, Kids pitch, and it has all become very, very serious. There were 20 games. Jeff decided to coach again this year and he and Big A were part of the Pirates. It seemed like such a daunting thing when the season was starting, it seemed like So many games and so much effort.

 

Little a was old enough to start tee ball this year. She was so totally excited for it! She has spent 3 long seasons watching her brother from the stands and she was ready to hit the fields herself. Since Jeff was taking on the AA team I decided to try my hand at coaching (It's tee ball, I can teach them to run to the right!) It was an amazing experience. The kids grew so much and so improved from the first game to the last. By the end of the season I had 3 kids hitting a pitched ball (Little A was a total slugger, hitting a pitched ball so good!) I loved it!

 

It really has been all baseball for all of us for the last few months (My Amazing parents, Ma and Pa attended EVERY game!). Now that the season is over and I'm cleaning cleats and putting away bat bags for the year I can't believe it's over! It really did fly by. It was so wonderful watching the kids grow and improve, watching them form the wonderful bond of a team, watching them gain confidence as the season progressed. It was so fun getting to know the families, cheering on all the players. Now that it's over I can't wait for the next season!

 

 

"Spring" in Utah

 

       Spring in Utah is a funny thing. One thing to love about Utah is that you really get to experience all four seasons. We get snowy cold winters, hot sunny summers and crisp clear falls. Springtime in Utah though is a tricky thing. It seems like Mother Nature has a hard time deciding when to switch over from fall. One day it will be snowy and freezing, the next sunny and warm, then back to snow a few days later. We can be swinging at the playground in shirtsleeves on Saturday and building snowmen on Sunday. This last weekend we were able to indulge in some sunny spring weather. The kids raced and climbed through an amazing playground, soaking up the sunny spring weather. The next day we were braving slick snowy streets on the drive to work… “Spring” in Utah.

 

Big A is Lucky 7!

Big A is now officially a 7 year old. I say this every year but seriously, how is this possible? My little boy is growing up so fast it is crazy. In just the last year the changes in him are astounding. He is such a bright, funny, kind, playful, thoughtful little guy. I am truly the lucky one, this "7" is my Boy!

A thank you to FotoFly photography for once again giving me outstanding birthday shots of A!

First Grader!

The summer seemed to just fly by for us. It seriously feels like Big A's Kindergarten Graduation party was last week. Now First grade is here; Full day at school; Lunch at school; Really getting down to learning, not the fun of Kindergarten.

I am the first to admit I was a complete basket case about Big A starting Kindergarten. I couldn't imagine my little buddy leaving every day. It all turned out fantastic. We all got into a groove. A loved school and made tons of friends. The class really bonded and the parents all seemed to mesh into a great group. His teacher was AMAZING and it was so fun hearing all about his day and seeing all the new things he was learning.

 I thought I'd be good with first grade but I have struggled with the idea of him being gone ALL DAY. I will literally get a few hours with him after school before it's bedtime. I know that we will get into a groove with this too. I know that he will love 1st grade; new friends, more recess, lunch! His new teacher seems really good and I'm excited to see him flourish this year. I know all this will happen but I still stand with a heavy heart as I watch him enter the doors to first grade.

 

"Hike" at Silver Lake ... Perfect for the kiddos

We are so lucky to live in a place so full of beauty. I'm sure every one thinks this of where they live; be it the ocean, the desert, the bright lights of the city. But to me few things can compare with the beauty of the mountains surroundung Salt Lake City.

I have heard about this wonderful family friendly hike at Silver Lake just up Big Cottonwood Canyon and have been wanting to check it out for awhile now. This Saturday we had the rarity of nothing planned and the weather was gorgeous so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to check it out.

About 30 minutes away right outside of Brighton ski resort is Silver Lake. It is a breathtaking spot nestled in the mountains. The "Hike" was a super easy and consisted of an even boardwalk for about 2/3 of the way around the lake. It was pretty and fun, long enough to make it worthwhile but short enough the kids weren't complaining at the end. We packed a picnic and ate first. It was a perfect day playing in the beauty of our "backyard"!

Disneyland 2015

Disneyland 2015!!! My Mom and Dad did it again! They gave us the most magical experience. I know it's completely cliche but Disneyland (for us) really is one of the most magical places on earth. It's not just the rides and characters and Disney awesomeness; It's the amazing family experience that we got to share.

We started the trip off with a limo ride to the airport and had a perfect flight via Jet blue (Dad said he only ever wants to fly Jet Blue).  We stayed at the Grand Californian and Mom and Dad had the "Magic Makers"  "help"  mickey leave a huge welcome package for the kids full of awesome treats and gifts.

We spent whirlwind days in the parks, full of rides and the kids meeting their favorite "Stars". I think little a's biggest moment was meeting "Elsa". She looked so very nervous! Big A's favorite was the roller coaster, California Screaming. He is such the little daredevil (don't know where he gets that from...ahem). They both got picked to be part of the Jedi Training and got to "fight" Darth Vader. We did Character Dining (amazing!) and played in the hotel's beautiful pools. The entire trip was perfect. It's cheesy and cliche and all of that but it was pure family Magic.

 I hope the kids will never forget it (little a is only 3), I hope Mom and Dad had an awesome time (rides are NOT their favorite), I know that I will never ever forget it.

 

The Eye of a Stranger... recognizing kindness

Big A with his gift

It seems like you hear about “Stranger Danger” all the time. It was preached when I was a kid and it’s still a big thing today for my kids. There are many dangers out there and we have to be careful, play it safe. Watching the nightly news will likely make you want to lock your children away Rapunzel style till their 18… maybe even longer. While we all have to watch out for these dangers sometimes a stranger can make your day. This is because a stranger is not obligated to love you, like your family, has no connection to you like a friend. They are a total and complete enigma that can sometimes see something you overlook every day.

 
Case in point…….

 Me and A and a were shopping at the Disney store the other day. Big A had been a good boy, behaving, but little a had been a bit of a handful that day so a lot of my attention was focused on trying to wrangle her in. We looked through the store at all the new toys and Big A showed me a cute costume he liked. He was just browsing around being good so I wasn’t really focused on him.

 

We were about to leave the store when a  trio of ladies walked over to us and one stepped up and said “Excuse me sir,” to A. She then smiled at me and continued. “We have been looking though the store and noticed what a nice boy you are. You’ve said excuse me and thank you, helped your sister and been very sweet and mannerly this whole time. I used to be a 2^nd grade teacher and so I know how rare it is for a little boy to be so nice and polite. I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate mannerly little boys and so I bought you a gift to say thank you for being so good.” And she handed A a bag. “I saw you have a sister so I got her a little something too so she wouldn’t be left out, (she handed little a a bag too) but I want you to know this is because you are such a kind and mannerly boy and I want you to know that people notice.” We all thanked her and she left saying to me “You have a special boy there.” She had gotten Big A a Star Wars ship and little a a stuffed toy.

 

It is kind of sad. I had been so distracted that I had not really paid much attention to my Big A. He really is such a good boy all the time I think sometimes I take it for granted. It completely amazed me that my sweet little guy had made such an impression on this kind stranger that she would do something like that for him. A stranger made me remember how amazing and special my Big A is, made me realize that I shouldn’t take it for granted. Sometimes a stranger can offer much more than danger….

Big A Gets Glasses

 

Our Big A was turning into a squinter…. I remember those squinting times…. Right before I got my first pair of glasses. We were able to get him an appointment with one of the few pediatric optometrists in Utah. As we waited for our far off appointment to come Big A was squinting more and more and asking his teacher to sit closer to the board. We were sure glasses were inevitable.

The day of the appointment finally came and we all headed up to Primary Children’s to visit Dr. Dries. I wont lie I was really nervous. Jeffs family has a bunch of eye problems and I was worried. Big A was not worried and seemed to actually have fun at the check-up, pointing out 3D flies and wearing the crazy machine.

The diagnosis was what we expected, Big A needed glasses. He has an astigmatism (just like his Mommy). Nothing big, nothing scary, just an easily correctable blurriness (whew!). We headed over to the glasses store and let Big A pick out his first pair of glasses…..