As I went to bed after a long day of cleaning up Andrew's messes, I thought "Tomorrow is another day", but honestly I expected it to be another exhausting and challenging day, especially since Matt would be on call (meaning he goes in around 7 and comes home around 8 the following morning-
if the stars line up correctly).
Well, today was exhausting, but not at all challenging. It was spectacular!
We started the day by taking Will to ice skating lessons. He is still loving them and doing great. Check out his progress!
This is his sweet teacher holding Andrew. She always offers to give Andrew a ride at the end of lessons and today he took her up on it. He was reluctant at first, but after feeling the wind thru his hair, he kept saying "Again! Again!".
Then we took Andrew to play at a friend's house so that I could go be the parent helper in Will's class. Andrew did not cry when I dropped him off and he even took a 3 HOUR nap while there! Outstanding. And I'm pretty sure he didn't dump almond extract on her table.
Then Will and I rushed to school where we celebrated his birthday (since he won't be at school on his actual birthday). He was excited about all the attention. He had that "I'm not going to smile" look while all the kids sang "Happy Birthday" to him. "Parent Helper" days are very special days for the kids because the parent gets to sit on the special purple bench with their child, bring the snack, and other special perks that I can't remember off the top of my head. (As a side note, think back to when
Matt was the parent helper during his staycation. Would LOVE to see he and Will piled up on the special purple bench! HA!). During meeting time, Will shared the story of how his little brother touched Petcher. It's still weighing heavy on his mind...
The kids have been studying the Arctic and icebergs, so I froze Will's candles in a block of ice. The candles were held upright by Lifesavers...(see
yesterday's post as to why this block actually happening was such a big deal!). I also made five #5 cookies for each kid.
I love watching Will's class in action. They start the class by "signing in". At the first of the year, they did it by writing their first name, then writing their phone number, now their first and last name. It is always fun to see your children interacting with other children and doing all their big boy/girl jobs. This year has been great for Will and he has really enjoyed it.
Me and the (almost) birthday boy
Tonight, as Will was going to bed, he said, "Mommy, Andrew loves you a thousand, but I love you MILLION!". Now THAT fills my heart and makes me ready for another day!!
Will is kind, loving, cautious, silly, rule-abiding, protective, eager, curious, and smart! He has brought us the best 5 years and Mommy, Daddy, and Andrew love him with all of our hearts!!
Their work was quite complementary-he took care of the roof (man job) while she did the detailed decorating.
Voila! Not too shabby! I'd live in it!
...while visions of sugar plums-or cookies, or apples, or hot dogs, or anything edible-danced thru their heads.
snow poles: noun; a strong wooden or metal post driven into the ground to direct snowplows and keep them from running into your house when the snow is taller than your children
Will really enjoyed "taking care" of Wes. He kept wanting to hold him and see all of Wes' tricks.
Andrew was a wee bit jealous. If Wes was around, Andrew made sure to jump in Mimi's arms first!
On Wednesday, Pops took the boys to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This left plenty of room for us in the kitchen!
All of the boys (big and little) had a fun time playing on the field there.
Our great family before the feast (Wes was napping :( )
Mimi and Pops with their 3 grandsons (guess how many tries this took?!)
Will and Andrew were so sad to see Pops and Mimi go!
Jumping in the bouncy house. It took some coaxing to get Andrew in, but once he figured it out, he loved it!
Working...
OK, I had fun too.
Matt was able to get a lot of work done around the house. Mostly due to his fabulous little helpers!
