Father's Day Fun

The Pittmans were nice enough to host a Father's Day gathering last Sunday that included us, my parents and my brother's family. We didn't know, however, that they had a big surprise for us.

We'd been at their house for a few minutes just chatting and getting settled when the doorbell rang. I didn't think anything of it, assuming it was just one of their neighbors. It ended up being my cousin Dan, his wife Donna and their 2 kids. That was a surprise, but not entirely out of the question because they live in Fayetteville. The real shocker came when my Uncle Ray, Auntie Elaine, and my cousin Colleen, who are visiting from Saipan (a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean near Guam), came around the corner. Uncle Ray is my mom's brother, and although he comes this way at least once a year to visit Dan and his family, it's always a big deal when we get to see family who flew across an entire ocean!

In addition to yummy "hobo dinners" for all of us, the Pittmans provided several fun activities for the big and little boys. There was a water balloon fight and a water gun fight, along with croquet, horseshoes and washers. I managed to get a few photos of the balloon fight, but between being super pregnant and wanting to stay dry, I could only get so close to the action. The little guys had a blast going after their dads and uncles.

It was a nice way to spend the afternoon and evening, and of course it was a real treat to spend time with our extended family. We might even get to see them again for the 4th of July...if we're not in the hospital welcoming a new baby!

Time for Battle

In my last post I mentioned that Tyler received foam sabers for his birthday. I've recorded one of the epic battles between Tim and the boys on the camcorder, but tonight I took a few photos. Like I wrote before, Tyler and Nathan hold nothing back when it comes to their attacks on their dad. It's a very effective form of excercise for all three of them.

These photos also show Tyler and Nathan with their new haircuts. While we've had great weather (i.e., cooler temperatures) this week, the past few weeks have been incredibly hot, so I decided it was time for their summer hairdos. Yesterday I broke out the clippers and took off LOTS of hair from each of their perfectly round heads. Even with the break from the 95-degree heat and a new haircut, my Nathan can still sweat up a storm. The good thing is that he doesn't seem to notice when he's having this much fun!

After their saber match with Daddy, they quickly switched back to being their sweet selves so I could get a couple pictures of their new haircuts. I didn't even have to tell them to put their arms around each other--they just did it on their own. So cute!

Tyler's 5th Birthday!

Tyler's birthday, June 4th, fell on a Saturday this year, so that worked out nicely. We kept our celebration plans simple, but still tried to make it special for our big birthday boy.

We started the day with a sibling class and tour at the hospital where I will be delivering the baby. I delivered Tyler and Nathan at a different hospital, so I thought the tour would be beneficial for both Tim and I. When crunch time arrives in a few weeks, it will be very helpful to know where to park and check-in.

The class for the boys was just a bonus. The class leader talked about the proper way to hold a baby and the different things the big siblings can do to help Mommy and Daddy take care of the baby. Then they each got to make a craft to welcome the baby.

While I helped Nathan make a sign that said "Happy Birthday", Tyler chose to spell out "Batman" on his. Funny boy. I'm not sure what that has to do with the baby, but he thinks the baby will like it.

Lunch was a special treat for Tyler. He chose to go to McDonald's (or "Old McDonald's" as his brother calls it every single time he sees the golden arches anywhere) because he wanted to get a Kung Fu Panda 2 toy in his happy meal. He also raves about the sliced apples as if we don't have sliced apples all the time at home. He doesn't even like the caramel dipping sauce that comes with them, so I'm not sure what makes them so special. In any case, it was his birthday, so he got to pick where we ate.

That afternoon we met Nana, Papa, Uncle Jon, Coop and Gabe at the movie theater so we could watch Kung Fu Panda 2. My boys are big fans of the first Kung Fu Panda, so they'd been talking about watching the sequel for months. Tyler wanted to sit between Uncle Jon and Cooper during the movie, but before they arrived I snapped a photo of Tyler and Nathan looking so happy.

According to my brother, Tyler had a huge smile on his face for most of the movie. He just loved it, especially all the fight scenes. Nathan sat by me, so I could see for myself that his eyes only left the screen a couple times, and that was just to get more popcorn.

After the movie, we paused in front of these 2 movie displays. How could we pass up the opportunity to take a picture with Green Lantern and Optimus Prime? Superheroes and Transformers are 2 of my boys' favorite toys, even though they've never seen any of the live action movies.

Cooper has held a special place in Tyler's heart from the time Tyler was just 1 year old. Four years later and they're still good buddies.

Right after the movie we all headed back to our house to have dinner, cake and ice cream! Auntie Becki and Eliza met us there, too. Tyler picked out a Star Wars cake from SuperTarget, which Uncle Jon referred to as a "big boy cake". It's true--any cake that has prominently displayed weapons has to be a big boy cake. The light sabers even lit up by the touch of a button. Tyler also picked out his own balloons from Party City. I just told him how many he could pick and he took it from there.

After cake it was time for presents. Since Tyler and Nathan's birthdays are exactly 5 weeks apart, I felt like we had just been through all of this by the time we got to Tyler's birthday. The guests probably felt the same way, but Cooper, Gabe and Eliza were still so excited to see their cousin's presents. Nathan was more interested in the Luke and Darth Vader figurines that had decorated the cake.

Tyler received several Lego Star Wars gifts because that's what he wanted. He LOVES Legos, especially the Star Wars sets. He's really good at putting the sets together, even though most of them are for 7 years+, and he and Nathan both love playing with the little Lego men.

One of his favorite gifts was the Lego Star Wars C3-PO watch that his cousins gave him. He can't tell time yet, but having this watch just might help him learn.

Other gifts included a construction worker costume that I got at TJMaxx on clearance after Halloween last year (hence the bright orange vest in the photos above and below) and foam sabers that the boys can pretend are light sabers. I originally got them so the boys could use those in their pretend play in place of the plastic baseball bats they normally use, but we found out that they much prefer to team up against their unarmed dad. At the end of the day, it's the best game for squeezing out the last bit of energy they might have (and by "they", I mean all 3 of them). Can you guess what Tim wants for Father's Day? If you guessed his very own foam saber, you'd be correct. He has taken quite a beating lately because his boys don't hold anything back when they're going up against Dad.

And one more picture of our big 5-year-old. I already know I'll be able to count on him to help me when the baby arrives. He already looks after Nathan and does so much to help his little brother. I'm always hearing Tyler tell Nathan, "I can help you," whether it's turning on a light, helping him with a toy, or drawing a picture of Star Wars characters just so that Nathan can draw their light sabers. What a good big brother!

Preschool Graduation

Tyler graduated from preschool onMay 26th. I wasn't sure what to expect because we've never been to a preschool graduation, but it was a really cute ceremony. The school had white caps for the kids and for their gowns each graduate wore a white button-up shirt belonging to his or her dad. They wore the shirts backward and they all looked adorable walking around in these huge gowns. Tyler, who's dad is relatively small and very fit, had one of the least billowy gowns.

Walking in during the processional

The ceremony took place in the sanctuary of the church where a big arch made of muli-colored balloons spanned the width of the stage. In Nathan's words, "It yooks yike a rainbow!"

Papa eventually had to take this one outside because he got really restless.

The graduates sang 5 songs, one of which Tyler had been singing for months around the house. Even Nathan knew most of the song and would sing it on occassion. When I asked him what he was singing, he'd say, "Tyler's song." It's really called "The Butterfly Song" (If I were a butterfly, I'd thank the Lord for giving me wings...). While they were singing, Tyler's eyes were glued on me and he looked very seriuos. I managed to get a couple smiles out of him inbetween songs, but otherwise he seemed pretty nervous to be in front of all those people. When I asked him how he felt later, he said he had fun singing. I guess he just didn't want to show it.

After they performed, Ms. Maria, the preschool director, called each of the 37 graduates to the front of the sanctuary to recognize them individually. At the end of the school year, Ms. Maria interviewed each graduate and asked the following questions.

1. What do you want to be when you grow up?
2. What things will you like doing as part of your job?
3. How much money will you make?

Some of the answers were downright funny. One little girl wants to be a princess. Carrington, Tyler's little crush, wants to be a doctor and thinks she will make $100 per patient. Tyler's buddy, Michael, wants to be a boxer because he thinks it would be really fun to punch people as a grown up.

Tyler wants to be a fireman so that he can spray the hose and drive the big fire truck. He thinks he'll make $200.

After she told us about each graduate's future ambitions, Ms. Maria presented each one with a Bible just like the one that she used during chapel each week. Tyler was really excited to get his new Bible. He was talking about it all day before graduation and even now he keeps it out of his brother's reach so that Nathan won't harm it.

Once the ceremony was over, each of the 3 classes went back on stage so the "paparazzi", as Ms. Maria calls us parents, could get photos of our big kids.

Class photo

A reception in the fellowship hall followed the ceremony. We found our assigned table by looking for Tyler's framed diploma and a photo of him wearing his graduation cap that one of his teacher's must have taken. There was even a sand bucket with little goodies for the kids to take home.

It was a very special evening for our little family and a great way to celebrate the time Tyler has had at preschool. I can't believe how quickly the past 2 years have gone.

Family Picnic and the Last Day of School

Tyler's preschool has a family picnic on the last Friday of the school year. Each family brings a picnic lunch and a blanket to sit on the playground area. This was Tyler's last preschool picnic because next year, when we go for Nathan, Tyler will be at his own big kid school and won't be able to join us.

It's always a fun day for the kids because they get to run around the playground after lunch with their friends. Tyler's best buddy at school this year was Michael. Tyler adores Michael and he will definitely miss him next year when they go to different schools.

Nathan is so ready to start preschool next year. He keeps saying, "I gonna go to school next year and Ms. Kerri gonna be my teacher!" Ms. Kerri was Tyler's teacher when he was in the 3-year-olds class, and she would always say "hi" to us when she saw us in the hallway this year. I think he's really going to love being in her class. It will definitely be an adjustment for me to have him in school, even if it is just 2 mornings each week, but I'll think about that when the time comes.

Tyler's last day of school was May 25th and graduation was the following evening (I'll post photos from that special occassion soon). I took a photo of Tyler in the same spot outside of his preschool last year and this year, and he definitely looks older in this year's photo. Our little man is growing up!

Last day of school 2010

Last day of school 2011

During our parent teacher conference a few months ago, Ms. Pam told me that Tyler is definitely ready for kindergarten. She gave me a list of all the things that Wake County would like to see beginning kindergarteners able to do on the first day, and said that he can do everything on the list and more.

Earlier in the year I'd told her that he can be very shy, but she said that after a couple weeks, he was completely out of his shell in class. She said he gets along with all of his classmates, although he usually gravitates toward Michael, and he has no trouble talking in front of everyone during circle time.

Tyler has had a crush on a little girl named Carrington since last year, and that continued into this year. In fact, the one and only time he had to sit in time out at school was when he pulled Carrington's ponytail last year. Ms. Pam made the comment, "I'm fully expecting to receive an invitation to Tyler and Carrington's wedding someday." He once told us that Carrington was his girlfriend, but when we asked him if he knew what a girlfriend is, he said, "Yeah! It's a girl who's a friend." That's right, buddy, let's go with that definition.

So Tyler is ready for kindergarten...but am I? Since the start date is still more than 2 months away, I can say that I will be ready. This kid loves to learn, so I know he's going to love kindergarten, which makes it easier on me to send my firstborn off to school. Does that mean I won't shed a few tears that first day? Let's not get carried away.

Spring Soccer

Tyler played soccer again this spring since he enjoyed it so much last fall. A lot of the same kids were on his team, and he had the same great coach, so he had fun again this season. His coach is really fantastic with the kids and he's very knowledgeable about the sport since he played in college (and maybe even a little on the professional level, too). He's also from Great Britain, and for some reason his British accent seems to make him even more of a soccer expert. Ha!

The last day of Tyler's spring soccer season was May 14th and it was a fun session for the kids. The parents who were willing and able played against their own kids during little scrimmages, so Tim even go to play a little. If I hadn't been 7 months pregnant at the time, I would've been out there, too. I was actually still playing soccer with the boys at a park when I was about 5 months along, but it just wouldn't be safe at this point (not to mention, it would look pretty ridiculous).

Waiting for his team's turn to take the field

This guy says he wants to play soccer when he's 4 so he can get a trophy, too.

Beating Daddy to the ball

After the kids bested their parents, they each received a trophy and some sweet treats to eat. Tyler, my non-sweet tooth, wanted to share his ice cream sandwich with his brother, who happily ate the leftovers.

One of Nathan's silly faces

Waiting patiently for his trophy

Tyler and Coach Buckley

We spent the rest of the day at the NC Zoo in honor of Cooper and Nathan's birthdays, which are only 5 days apart. It was raining when we arrived at the zoo, so I didn't even take my camera in with me. Eventually the rain did clear and we got to see the animals on the Africa side of the zoo before it was time for us to leave. Needless to say, our boys were pretty tired after a big day of activity!