Author: Jodi

Xander’s First Day of Preschool…

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Today was Xander’s first day of preschool! He was so funny about it all morning…”Mommy, I don’t want to go to preschool” then “I go to preschool two days” then “Mommy, I don’t want to go to preschool” then “Do they have snacks there?”…up and down (so clearly illustrative of anyone’s heart, if they’re honest, stepping out into a new situation). He got a little nervous when we started walking down the hallway, so we asked him to help us drop Jonas off first. Because it was the first day, Mrs. Cathy let us come in and get him settled. We helped him find his cubby, put away his backpack and lunchbox, and find his favorite toy from Get Acquainted Day (magnets). He puckered up when we said our goodbyes, but we got an email a short time later from the preschool director saying that he was doing great and busy painting. Roman and I stopped by the park on the way home and had so much fun playing…just him and me. It reminded me of not too long ago when Xander and I went to that same park after we said goodbye to Jonas on his first day of preschool. Time is a funny thing. I’m starting to sense a little bit of that speeding up thing that people keep telling me about that I’ve always had such a hard time believing. Now that I’m beginning (key word…beginning) to emerge from the survival mode fog, I’m seeing some truth in it…pretty sobering yet inspiring stuff.

Visiting with MeMe and PaPa…

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We went out to MeMe and PaPa’s this morning for a visit. The boys picked tomatoes with MeMe in the garden, chased the cat, played play-doh with PaPa and Aunt Jean, joshed around with Aunts Julie and Jeanne and Cousins Jordan and Dylan, and ate a lion’s share of the super yummy lunch MeMe made. Here are a few pictures of our Sunday fun…

Grand Ole Opry…

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We were all SO excited to get to go to the Grand Ole Opry tonight. We loved watching Pops and Maw rehearse backstage. We also enjoyed joining them on stage with Jonas, Xander, and Roman. (Maw likes to walk all of the grand babies out onto the Opry stage to introduce them to the folks…I’m sure she introduced all of her babies there too…what a tradition!) It’s always magical to watch Pops and Maw sing, and it was such a delight to my heart to get to share that moment not only with Tom but with Jonas, Xander, and Roman too.

Jonas’ Get Acquainted Day…

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Jonas had his Get Acquainted Day at preschool today. He was a little cautious at first as he tends to be in new situations but started to warm up when he saw his Daddy and his best friend, Henry, from preschool last year. I was so happy to see that five of his classmates from two years ago will be in his class this year as well. He had fun checking out the building center and the science center and decorating his own train car for the bulletin board outside the classroom. I know Jonas will really enjoy his Pre-K class and will have fun learning so many new things!

First Soccer Practice…

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Jonas had his first soccer practice tonight. It was so fun suiting him up in his shin guards and cleats with his little brothers circled around him.
When he went into the backyard to test everything out before dinner, Xander wanted to take a turn not with just kicking the ball but with wearing the shin guards and cleats as well. We just so happened to have some extras in the closet from our sweet next door neighbors who have three older boys…everything was a little big but it did the trick.
Jonas was WORN out after practice but seemed to have fun with all of the different drills (his favorite of which seemed to be chasing his coach while holding a neon plastic square with a hole in the center in front of his face).
Xander and Roman were just free styling…rolling in the grass, climbing on camp chairs, hanging upside down from the bench, trying to move the cones in the field, drinking Jonas’ water, pushing buttons on the coach’s calculator clipboard…I mean all over. We had fun though!

Xander’s Get Acquainted Day…

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Xander had his Get Acquainted Day at preschool today. I was probably more nervous than he was about it (amazingly enough) and was SO excited to see him being a little cautious but not totally freaking out like he normally would have in that new situation. Thanks be to God for reminding my heart to pray for him last night and this morning when I was starting to get anxious about how he would react…so many times that’s not my first response as a parent and oh my how it needs to be! Xander met his sweet teachers and classmates, checked out his cubby and rest mat, said hello to “Marshmallow” the class guinea pig, tried out the kid-sized bathroom, played with cars and puzzles and magnets, and even worked on a few art projects. I’m so excited for my little Xan-Man and for all that he will learn body, soul, and spirit in his first year of preschool…I know it will be so good for him and for us.

Baby Bunny…

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Tom found a little baby bunny in our backyard this morning! Luckily, he was able to rescue him from Petra. I called a small animal hospital, and they recommended putting the baby bunny back in his spot and keeping Petra away from him during the day and overnight in hopes that his mommy will come back and move him. If he’s still there in the morning, they suggested that we take him to Walden’s Puddle, a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Joelton, TN. I’m so thankful for places like this that take care of all creatures great and small!

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Happy Birthday, Maw!

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We met Pops and Maw and Aunt Julie at the Cracker Barrel to celebrate Maw’s birthday today.
I was really proud of Jonas this morning when he asked if she had a birthday cake and if she didn’t if we could make her one…just him thinking outside of himself was huge. So, we did…we made her some gluten-free chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and sparkly sprinkles, and she loved them.
I love this picture of Maw and Aunt Julie, and this is one of my favorite pictures of Pops and Roman. Happy day.

Carrots…

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The boys and I dug up some of our carrots from the garden this morning. (Some of them weren’t quite as ready as others…see the ones in Xander’s hands…but we’re still learning which ones to pull up and which ones to leave in the ground…Xan-Man loves “the baby ones” anyway, so no loss.) As I was digging them out (I love the look of them fresh from the garden with their green tops and clumps of dirt), Jonas said, “Mommy, maybe that’s why we have rabbits in our garden because we have so many carrots!” True, true…we have a little furry friend who has made a home under our huge rosemary. Yay for carrots fresh from the garden and yay for little boys who love to hold, wash, and eat them!!!

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Sop and Wet…

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Here are a few of Jonas’ most recent one liners:
“I am sop and wet.”
“The whole floor is spinning…it’s like gravitation’s roundhouse.”
“Dad’s in charge of the house cause he’s the tallest.”
“I put my bunny in my drawer because my socks and my jammies wanted to have Easter.”

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Mud Soup…

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We were out in the front yard this morning, just tootling around…Jonas and Xander were playing with bubbles, and I had set up the water table for Roman. Pretty soon after, Roman found a big clump of mud on the driveway and squished his hands in it and then proceeded to smear it on both sides of his face and all over his chest. I’m talking Native American warrior here. He climbed up into the water table because he’s not much for just standing around, so I decided to just rinse him off a little bit with the water. Then, Jonas and Xander started grabbing dirt and mulch and leaves and flower blooms and dropping them all in the water table, complete with neon plastic frogs and snakes and lizards…a wooden spoon and a few plastic shovels later…and what do you have?!? Mud soup. Some days you just have to go with it, right?

Practice Lunch…

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Since Xander will be starting preschool this fall (his first day is in just a few short weeks), I thought I’d give him a lunch bag practice round at home today. Jonas joined in too…they were so adorable…almost made me want to pucker up at the preciousness of their sweet little hearts being such big boys and such little boys all at the same time. (Oh and yes…that’s marker on Jonas’ face…and arms and legs…he wanted to be a Christmas tree today…ha!)