$2 Dinosaurs

This is sort of a silly post but something that I found really funny on Friday. I took Sophia with me grocery shopping on Thursday and she begged for a bag of these silly little dinosaurs - price tag $2. I gave in and she was happy as could be with her grocery shopping find. The next day from the time she woke up until late afternoon she and her brothers played with those critters. They made up board games, made nests (as pictured) in my artifical tree, took them in the tub, named them silly names and gave them "special powers" - it was amazing to see the JOY a little $2 bag of dinosaurs brought to my precious three!

Benjamin's Open House

Totally forgot my camera for Sophia's open house - not that she would have let me take pictures :-) I am excited about her teacher. Sophia was thrilled that her teacher's specialty area is SCIENCE! Couldn't be a better fit. Her very good friend Haley from last year's class is in there with her. I think that that made the transition to intermediate school much easier.

Benjamin is very excited about his new classroom and teacher. I cannot believe he will be gone all day - what an adjustment it will be. He was happy to see two familiar faces in his class from last year - two young ladies who seem sweet as can be. I was thrilled to see he has a Smart Board again this year. He was very excited trying to explain to me what you do and don't do with the Smart Board. Precious! His teacher was so welcoming! We are excited and are looking forward to a great year of learning and fun!

The Call

Well, Benjamin's first grade teacher is off to a great start this year (in my book anyway). Benjamin received a call from her today - completely unexpected! Open house is Friday morning and that is usually the first contact. I was really nervous that he wouldn't want to come to the phone but he did. Granted.... he didn't say much and most of what he did say I prompted. :-) He will meet her on Friday and he is more excited than he was before the call. My experience with teachers has been unbelievable - I couldn't be happier with the kid's school - top notch. Sophia's first grade teacher (who is now an assistant principal at a local Elementary school) still calls her and Sophia is going into third grade this year! There are some phenomenal teachers out there!!

William's Preschool Orientation

Friday William had his orientation for 3 year old preschool. I laugh as I tell friends that William is on the "three year plan". Sophia went one year, Benjamin went two years and William will be going three years. It has just worked out that way. William enjoyed "Parent's Morning Out" there so much that I put him in on a regular basis.
William has been super clingy to me lately so he kept asking if I was going to stay with him at the open house. He wasn't really too social with his teacher but did answer a few questions. I hope Wednesday goes well. I was so happy to hear his teacher is the mother of four boys!! They are all grown now and she reassured me that she is very used to typical boy behavior.
What will mom do with three blocks of three hours a week??? Well, let's just say I will keep busy volunteering in the kids libraries and it will give me a chance to accomplish the "boring" stuff so I have more time to play when the kids get home!!

Say Cheese!!

I took the kids in for their 6 month check up at the dentist this past week. I absolutely love this dentist and office staff. Absolutely no gadgets to keep children entertained - they do it the good ole fashion way - they're the entertainment! Sophia and Benjamin sat next to each other and William went in "the first visit" room. He was so nervous but within a few minutes he couldn't stop smiling! All three had x-rays and cleanings. NO CAVITIES in the house! Dentist's instructions: "no brushing tonight" (because of the paint-on flouride). Of course the kids thought that was AWESOME! On the way in... a little nervous.William pressing the cat's nose (buzzer) to let them know he has arrived."one potata, two potata, three potata, four....." according to silly Dr. Hamlin, they're all present and accounted for.Time for X-Rays!

Perfect Eyes!

Benjamin had his yearly eye exam today and passed with flying colors!! Perfect eyesight for my perfect little boy! He was such a brave, big boy. He is good to go until next year.

Sophia Needs A Sister To Dress Up!!

I had all of Sophia's dress up clothes packed up in a bag to give away and before I could get it out the door Benjamin and Sophia were back into it! Sophia is always asking if we can adopt a sister her age - I am thinking that maybe we should consider if she is going to dress up her brothers all the time! No photos to show of William with his make up and colored hair streaks. I am sure there will be many more opportunities to capture the perfect photo of a William makeover session! These will be some great photos to give Benjamin's future bride.
p.s. not worried about testosterone levels at our house - just come pay us a visit and you'll see!!! :-)

Trying To Maximize Our Y Days!

Summer is quickly coming to an end! My babies will be boarding the bus in two weeks! Ahhhh!! We managed to squeeze in two YMCA pool days this weekend. This year marked the first year I actually was able to sit in a chair a few times. Past years I have had to stay right with them especially after a near drowning experience with Benjamin two years ago at the Y pool. That is why all of my photos show William (my non swimmer) wearing a life jacket. Pete was actually able to join us on Saturday - what a treat for me (and for the kids).



Looking for some form of life!

Home Again!!

It feels so wonderful to be back home again. I am still not unpacked but just to be in my own home, with my own bed feels extraordinary! Lucky for us the kids travel phenomenally!! No complaints or whining (well maybe a little) the entire way. I am so thankful for the invention of auto dvd players!! We took this picture of William when we pulled in our driveway. He has impeccable timing for napping - never when you want him to doze :-)

Conway Scenic Railroad

We took an 11 mile, 55 minute round trip train ride in beautiful scenic North Conway, New Hampshire on the historic Conway Scenic Railroad. If it wasn't so rainy we would have seen beautiful views of Mt. Washington Valley countryside and surrounding White Mountains. The boys have loved trains since they were babies and last year we were fortunate enough to ride Thomas the Train in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. This year we opted for something a little closer to Bridgton and drove about 25 minutes to take this really neat train ride. The highlight was watching the conductor bring a train out of the Round House - just like on Thomas the Train :-)

Sophia's Trip to the Bridgton ER

After 8 1/2 years of parenting I had my first trip to the ER for a head wound! Not the kind of souvenir you want to bring back from a trip! We were having a family gathering at the cottages and were about 20 minutes into the festivities. One of the other children misaimed a relatively large rock and hit Sophia square at the hairline of her forehead while she was swimming. I have never seen such a mess in all of my experiences with head wounds. Sophia handled it like a trooper while I tried to maintain some composure - I really just wanted to pass out :-) Pete and I took her to the local ER where they stitched her forehead up. You can see a little bit in the photo - it is right up on the hairline (thankfully) about an 1 1/4 inches and she has a little divot on the middle of her head that didn't require stitching. She was so brave and barely even flinched when they stitched it, only 3 little stitches to minimize scarring. We had the stitches removed today and she is on the road to healing!

I think Benjamin was the most affected by the trauma. He cried and cried and wanted to know when she was going to be back. He wouldn't come out of the cottage and wanted to just get in his bed and go to sleep (slept 14 hours that night). Needless to say he was delighted to wake up to see her snug in bed :-)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Four Generations

For me the highlight of my entire trip to Maine was getting a picture of Sophia with me, my mom and my grandma. I have ALWAYS wanted this picture and as mentioned before this is the first time we have been in the same place together since Sophia was born 8 years ago. My grandmother has always been such an important part of my life ever since I can remember. I spent lots of time with her as a child. She brought me and my family to church and it was during one of those visits that I asked Jesus into my heart! I wasn't sure if I would get this picture... this year has been a very trying year for her. She has given us all two big scares this year - a rough quadruple bypass and recently severe Pancreatitis which left her with a nonfunctioning pancreas. The past few weeks have been very rough for her. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to spend some time with her and to have a picture to cherish that time!

Off To Bridgton!

After picking my parents up at the airport, we headed to our hometown of Bridgton (about 45 minutes Northwest of Portland). As I mentioned in an earlier blog, this is the first time we have been "home" with my parents since 1992. We rented a little "rustic" 3 bedroom cabin on Woods Pond in Bridgton. As I journal this a better word to describe the cabin would be "damp". Our stay there was pretty rainy and staying right on the water made for a "damp" stay - fun but... damp! The first couple of days were pretty nice but when Wednesday hit - so did the rain!
Westwood Cottages was "Heaven on Earth" for the kids. They thought they were in paradise with all of the possibilities of exploration - water, bushes, pine needles, woods, dirt, rocks... you name it! The best part.... it wasn't hot! On Sunday morning when we woke up at an early 6:30 they wanted to hit the water. We honored the "quiet time" and made them wait until 9:00. It didn't take them long to strip right down into their swimsuits. Notice the temperature!! A whopping 58 degrees!

A Visit With The Cooke Family

We spent two nights with Pete's sister Lisa and her husband Chris and our niece Hannah and nephew Christopher. We had a wonderful time catching up with them. I was able to enjoy a little shopping with Lisa! She FINALLY found me a Starbucks - it had been over a week :-)! The kids had a wonderful time with their cousins!

A Fun Time With Grandpa and Grandma!

We had an unbelievable time in East Waterboro with Pete's dad and his wife Peggy! We always have a wonderful time with them and they always make the kids feel so special when they are around. We were sad to leave! We can't wait until the next time!!