First Day of Kindergarten

The first day of kindergarten is one of those major milestone moments of childhood. One I must admit that I have been dreading all summer long. Not because I don't want him to go, but because of what it signifies . . . he's growing up. Now he will spend more time with his teachers than with me and that is just STRANGE. Because he has been my buddy and constant companion for more than 5 years. But isn't that what our job is as parents . . . to help our children grow up and achieve confidence and independence. So yes, I realize I am being selfish for wishing I could keep him with me just a little longer but I can't help it. But, enough about me . . . on to the first day of kindergarten!

We are lucky in that Finn will attend Sullivans Island Elementary School.  In just one year, the new school building will be completed and will move back on the island. Then, he will have just a short two block commute to school, but until then, we go to the temporary location over in Mt. Pleasant. His teacher is Ms. Beall and she is wonderful. There are a total of 21 kids in his class (double what he's used to) so this will be a great opportunity to make new friends. School starts at 7:30 (YAWN) and gets out at 2:30. Mark and I take him in the mornings and he rides the school bus home. The school bus was a big deal this year. He BEGGED to ride it since only "big" kids ride the bus. I couldn't bear the thought of putting my "baby" on the bus so we compromised. He rides it home since the first stop is one block from our house and several kids from his class are also on his bus so he isn't alone. It actually turned out to be a win-win for both of us: he loves it and I don't have to wait in the ridiculously long car pool line! Still, I had to wear my sunglasses the first day I picked him up because I teared up when he got off the bus. 

I am excited for Finn because I know he will have a great year and will have so much fun. He will learn and experience lots of new things and meet lots of wonderful friends.

The breakfast of champions 

Saying a final goodbye to teddy and night-night

So proud of his Star Wars lunch box that he chose himself

Because he's 5 . . . silly pictures are a must!

I love this picture--his face says it all: excitement mixed with nerves and a touch of anxiety, which coincidentally was exactly how I was feeling too.

So proud of my big boy

------------------------

In the craziness of the first day of school, I didn't get a picture of him actually going into his classroom. Mark and I both walked him in and I managed to keep it together until I made it back to the safety of the car. The halls were packed with parents and kids and he squeezed my hand until we made it to his classroom. Once there, he saw his teacher and some of his friends and barely gave us a second glance. I knew he would be just fine. 

--------------------------

Getting off of the school bus--he said riding the bus was the best part of the whole day

So proud of himself

Celebrating a successful first day with friend (and classmate) Zack

Charlie's Shenanigan's

Our Charlie will soon be 1 year old. This dog hasn't slowed down yet and doesn't show any signs of doing so anytime soon. We are going to rename her "Charlie No" since that's usually how we refer to her. Thanks to Barrett for the name. She does make us laugh so I guess we will keep her . . . for now. Here are some of the things she has been up to lately, besides eating plants, flowers, boogie boards, water bowls and shoes!

Just hanging out  . . . on the table. Watching us eat dinner through the window

This heat has been rough on her so she cools off by sitting on the ac vents. This is the second time that she has gotten the tags on her collars stuck in between the vents and had to be rescued. At least she's cool!

Playing games with Finn. She's a little girl trapped in a big girl's body--she so wants to be in that basket

Finn's first day of school I found her outside doing this . . . she's either missing him and looking for him or taking advantage of his absence.

Just a boy and his dog hanging out in a tepee

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

One of the things I remember about my childhood is always participating in the summer reading club at the library. Since I was a big nerd, I loved it. Checking out books and writing down all of the titles in my book log was really big to me. I especially loved getting the prizes at the end of the summer. I'm so glad my little apple doesn't fall far from the tree. This is our second year doing the reading club and Finn really enjoys it. Mainly he likes the rewards and awards part of it but whatever it takes to get him interested in books and reading, I am all for it. This year, not only did Finn receive his individual prizes but he won the grand prize drawing for the entire Sullivans Island branch. This was a big deal to him because he got a BASKET of prizes. Truth be told, they weren't all that great--mostly tickets to stuff that we now have to take him to, but it didn't matter to him one bit. Because he WON.

Thumbs up from the grand prize winner

Finn and our sweet librarians, Ms. Kathy and Ms. Jessie

One of his prizes was free tickets to the Riverdogs Game and the opportunity to walk out on the field and meet the players. Well, we were late for that part so we didn't tell him he missed it. He probably wouldn't have even cared because it also happened to be Star Wars night too. In his opinion, this was better than the baseball game itself.

Finn had a good time but could have really cared less about watching baseball. Not when there are lots of snacks to be had and Star Wars characters walking around.

It was extremely hot out--mid 90's so Finn is trying to cool off

This guy threw out the first pitch so of course we had to have a picture with him

We lasted until about the 5th or 6th inning which is pretty good if you ask me. I was more than ready to go on account of the sweltering heat!

It's a . . .

GIRL! 

Finn is going to be a big brother to a little sister. He was less than enthusiastic when we first told him the news because he really wanted a baby brother, but he has slowly come around. We found out really early, at our 12 week ultrasound, but I just didn't believe it. I was positive it was going to be another boy--I had already picked out a name and started designing the nursery. It took me another 2 months until our 20 week ultrasound confirmed that we were in fact still having a girl. I said I was in shock . . . Mark kept saying, "how can something that you've known for 2 months still be a surprise?" I can't explain in, but it just was surprising. For about half a second, I considered keeping it a surprise, but I wanted Finn to know so he could "prepare" and Finn doesn't do secrets. So, now the word is out.

We are beyond excited and cannot wait to meet this little princess. She is due November 20. So now, we will have a Thanksgiving baby to go with our Christmas baby, officially making the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas the busiest, most insane time of year. 

As I write this, I am 26 weeks along and definitely feeling pregnant. Finn went with me to my last check up and got to hear her heartbeat and feel her move, so this is definitely starting to feel real to all of us. I still can't believe it's actually happening. I would say I have to pinch myself but feeling her kick me in the ribs is reminder enough. I cannot wait to meet her . . . just need to get my ducks in a row first. Hang in there baby girl, 14 more weeks to go!  

Summer Camps: Hits and Misses

With baby #2 on the way, I knew this summer would be my last summer with just my Finn. So,  I wanted to make sure I balanced plenty of free time with him with a few summer camps sprinkled in (so we could both maintain our sanity). He got to choose a few camps to go to during the summer. Along with visits from friends and families, mixed in with some mommy and me time, and it has been a pretty busy summer. 

His first camp experience was a huge bust! He went to soccer camp at the IOP recreation center and when I picked him up, he was in tears. Not a good sign at all. After begging and pleading (and sharing some of our own camp horror stories), he agreed to go back, but day 2 was no better. By day 3, he refused to even get out of the car. I was really torn between making him stay, wanting him to stick with it, and letting him drop out, seeing how miserable it was making him. The emotional mama side won out and I didn't make him go back. 

Fortunately, he had Huck Finn camp to look forward to. I was a little worried because 1). he didn't know anyone going into it and 2). it was an all day affair 9-4 and he has never done anything that long. Considering our last experience, I wasn't feeling too optimistic. I should have known though--because he shares a name with the camp, that he would have an absolute blast. It is a great concept, it's basically an old fashioned outdoorsy country boy kind of camp. Not a video game, television or iPad in sight! I loved that! They did all sorts of woodworking; made their own bow and arrows, stools, built a raft out of materials they found on the beach and then launched it down at the ocean, learned how to start a fire (without a match), they made swords and treasure boxes . . . all of the stuff little boys love to do. It sounds a little dangerous, with so many boys and so many tools and weapons, but it was surprisingly safe (only one trip to the er) and everyone had a great time. I loved picking Finn up and seeing how excited and proud he was to show off the stuff he had made.  It was a great experience and totally made up for the dismal soccer camp. Huck Finn . . . we will be back next year! 

Some of his handiwork 

Take cover! He's armed with a home made sling shot

He's mad because it was the last day . . . and I made him pose for a picture

More July Fun

July has been a fun month, filled with visits from friends and family; days spent at the pool and beach; movie nights and so much fun in the sun! Summer has really flown by and July came and went in the blink of an eye. Here are a few pictures that I managed to snap with my phone. Sadly, I just don't drag the big camera around anymore. 

Finn and Mary Daniel 

Finn loves it when his cousins come to visit. T-ball games in the backyard, fishing at the beach, boogie boarding, playing old arcade games and of course, lots of legos, Finn is in hog heaven whenever they come to town. We were lucky to get to spend a little time with Paige and Danny too!

After the Stokes' visit, Dave, Mark's roommate from medical school, along with his wife Susan and boys, Simon (age 11) and Jonah (age 9) came and spent the week with us. We haven't seen them for a couple of years, so it was nice to get to spend some quality time with the whole family. Jonah happens to be a lego fanatic too, so he and Finn really hit it off. I have to credit Jonah with finally finishing two of the lego sets that have proven to be most challenging. Apparently a 5 and 7 year old are way more competent than 30 and 40 year olds! The boys had a blast together, spending most of their time at the beach, building legos and watching old Star Wars movies (like father like sons!). The adults managed to sneak away for a grown-up dinner out on the town which is always a nice surprise! 

Beach buddies

Jonah and Finn clowning around

Poor Lily, forced into a group hug

The whole gang (Charlie's fanny counts)

Nothing like an early morning spent at the beach . . . especially if you are a dog. Unfortunately, Charlie hasn't yet learned not to drink the salt water, which you can just imagine what it does to her stomach. The result is usually a hasty exit! Hopefully, one day she will learn and then we can enjoy all of our time out there. 

Just chillin

We are lucky to have the Sand Dunes Club so close to us. 

We have spent many an afternoon here at the pool. Finn is becoming quite the little swimmer and its hard to keep track of him between the water slide, diving board and games they usually have going on. This is one of our favorite ways to beat the heat!