Right Here, Right Now

Well hello out there in blog world! What have you been up to? It's been awhile, eh?

I just sucked down an iced caramel macchiato so bear with me, I'm a little chatty.

Since last on here we've had Gabe's preschool graduation...let's talk about that for a moment...

He was ever so proud standing up there at graduation. Sang along with all the songs, hand movements and all. Too cute. Isaac was at school so it was just Daddy, Selah and me. We took pictures and videos on our phones. We (I) cried when the teacher read her end of the year poem (it's the same poem every year...I cry every time!) I watched my little man enjoy an M&M cookie and lemonade as I marveled yet again at how time surely does fly. Five years old. Jeepers, where in the world is time going?? He makes me proud, that one. We let him pick where he wanted to go for lunch. He picked the Pancake House, a favorite. He enjoyed two eggs over easy and a blueberry pancake along with freshly squeezed orange juice. I love the crooked, shy smile that slowly comes across his face when he gets to make grown up decisions like that. Love it!


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We took our first trip of the summer to Kings Island. I have more to say about this whole Kings Island thing. We went back and forth on getting season passes. We ended up getting them. Which is huge for us because it's a pricey decision. Growing up it was definitely a once a year thing. We would get there when the park opened and stay until fireworks lit up the night sky, signaling closing time. The last few years were no different, only this time we were the grown ups hauling kiddos. Everything we've gone through financially over the past few years made us appreciate going at all. We packed lunches and took our own photos so we didn't feel pressured to buy the $12 image they sell at the end of every ride. And now we have season passes?! It might sound silly to be thankful for such a thing but I really, really am. It's something the kids love to do and I look forward to making sweet memories with them. Memories that someday they will surely use as a guideline when they have kids of their own. Humbling to think I will play any part in that. But also very much an incentive to make their memories special. Those kinds of things certainly aren't lost on me... I appreciate them very much.

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I took a field trip with Isaac's class to the Boonshoft Museum. They have all kinds of cool things for kids to get their hands on. Lots of fun things for little minds to explore...planet discovery, zoo, huge indoor play area. But what I remember best were things like the way his eyes searched for mine when he correctly answered the guide's questions. The way he asked if he could sit next to me as we shared a sack lunch on the steps of the amphitheater. How his teacher told me some of the sweet things my dad told her on Grandparent's Day. I'm glad I got the chance to share the day with my boy, it makes me that much more excited for summer days when he's all mine all day!

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We celebrated Mother's Day. The kids definitely DID NOT get the memo about allowing mom to sleep in. They were too excited to give me the gifts they so carefully created at school and at home with daddy. Pictures in frames, hand print bouquets and a potted flower along with yummy breakfast from daddy. It was a good day.

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There was the YMCA daycare incident of 2012. Let me just say this never, I mean never happened with my boys. I came to pick Selah up after taking a spinning class where they informed me she had to be put in time out twice for pushing the babies!! What?! Oh, and she owned up to it too. She came running up to me saying "me go to time out, me push da babies!" What in the world is that about?? I'm afraid kids will start running when they see her coming now. In an attempt to nip this in the bud quickly I went the bribing route. Dangled the carrot in front of her so to speak. Only the carrot was a Dum Dum lollipop sticking out of her cubby. She knew she was allowed to have it when I came to pick her up as long as she DID NOT push the babies. It worked!! Yay! She might not have any teeth by the time she hits puberty but hey, I like to think I'm doing my part to help preserve the children of Springboro. I'm all about community.

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So those were some of the big things that happened but I tend to like the little things even more. These are the things I'm loving right here, right now:

Watching Selah learn to blow bubbles all on her own. Pretty funny. She's a bit too impatient for the whole thing. Instead, she blows as hard as she can and then asks for my help. Cute.

My girl, the one with the pigtails that melt my heart. Oh, and the sweet way she says 'thank you, mama' whenever I do something to her liking. And the way she dances in her car seat, it just kills me. So cute! We took a bath together the other day...we've done this before but this time her excitement was almost too much for her to contain. She gathered her bath toys and shed her clothes before I even had the chance add the bubbles. I loved every minute, and I loved that she wanted to spend that time with me.

The way she fits in my lap just so as we read every book in the doctor's waiting room during Gabe's speech appointments.

Seeing Isaac's sleepy wake up face this morning. He's usually the first to rise, I usually miss out on that half awake, still-warm-and-rosy-from-a-good-night's-slumber face.

I loooove watching my boys play baseball. It's more exciting than I ever thought it would be at this age. Watching them swing the bat, run hard and make a good play in the outfield makes my heart so full.

Dreaming up what fun summer activities will take place over the next however many days. I don't want to start counting, it will go by waaay too fast as it is!

Clean sheets with clean babies sleeping tight. Love that.

What are you loving right now?

XOXO,
Angie