Kissy Kissy

While we were on our peaceful drive to Gardner, on Friday, Reece threw a bump in the road.
***
"Hey Mom! A girl KISSED me today!"

(Oh, crud!!! Not yet! I didn't hear these words from Riley, until 2nd grade...)

"Really!? Where did she kiss you?"

"On the cheek!"

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No... I don't even know her name."
***
Oh, girls.... why do you do this to me?? FYI: Reece really isn't "there" yet.

Back To Gardner

Three months, to the day, the boys and I made a GRAND return to Gardner. We were lucky to be able to go back for Tyler and Zakk's Birthdays.

"My baby" Zakk, turned the BIG ONE!

(I call him mine, because he's the first baby I really warmed up to, after Reece...)

" Why so serious?"
After Zakk's cake and presents, Tyler had the movie, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," projected on to her house. It was so much fun!
Old Friends, Good Times

Scott, Brynn, Reece & Riley

Riley and Tyler winding down at night with some DS playing.

Saying goodbye... Riley and Tyler

Logan, Riley, Tyler & Reece

***

Then it was off to Olive Garden, to have lunch with family, before we returned home.

Goofy cousins, Riley and Colby

Take 2

Take 3

Take 4

Camryn and Uncle Shawn.

Uncle Shawn made the "Never Ending Pasta Bowl" Hall of Fame.

Or, so we like to think... our server was impressed!

Reece needing to jump in....

LONG weekend.... I don't remember the last time RILEY passed out in the car!!!!

Over It

I can't allow Reece and Jace to play anymore.

Friday, before school, Reece came inside bawling.

Why?

Because Jace hit him in the face with a bat.

Luckily, for Reece's pretty face, it was a toy bat, but Reece was very shaken up.

Saturday, Reece came inside a little extra whiny. I was doing dishes, and when he made it into the kitchen, he showed me a huge scratch on his tummy. He says Jace shoved a toy into his tummy. That was it. I had wanted to draw the line before, but I had to do it then

I told Reece he couldn't play with him anymore. I couldn't stand to see him get hurt. Luckily Jake wasn't home, because he would have told Reece to go punch Jace in the face!
Oh, Dad...

So, we showered Reece, and bandaged him up. It took a whopping 6 bandages.

And then Reece milked dinner on the couch from me, and was a happy boy!
The End

Summary of School

After talking with my Mom today, she has requested a briefing on the Reece's first week of school. So, here goes...

The Kindergartners are walked out 5 minutes early, to avoid all chaos in the halls. The teachers take them to a picnic table to sit and wait for their ride. When the kids see their parents, they let the teacher know, and the teacher checks them off, and they are released. Very efficient if you ask me.... guess I don't need to worry about a missing 5 year old. Well, I get the feeling that Reece loved school and did not want to come home. This is because, as soon as he saw me, he pretty much ignored me for 5 minutes, and continued to sit at the table. I even told him to get up and tell his teacher I was there. He proceeded to lay his head on his crossed arms, and didn't budge. Finally, I got him to come with me. I sure hope the teacher doesn't get the idea, that Reece has a rough home life....

Overall, Reece hasn't said much about school, but he drives me crazy in the mornings, waiting to go. This is exactly why I requested AM kindergarten for the first 10 days.... He is so bored, and asks every 30 minutes, "When is it time to go?" He has talked about computers. They have headphones and tell him what to do. He claims that he has no friends in his class... which is hard to believe. Mr. Social with no friends, yeah right! He claims recess is, "only like 1 minute." So, he says he can't have any fun. But, he loves it!

Then there is me. What happens when I drop Reece off, after hours of him driving me nuts, because he wants to go to school. I come home to a strangely, quiet home. I usually have a few phone calls to make, or emails to send for the Dinner Theater, but once that is complete, I'm LOST! I even hear noises in my house, that I never had time to adjust to. It's kind of eerie. It's an old house, and at times I find myself peeking around the corner, thinking someone is in it, but it's just my old house, that I'm not used to being empty. I guess there is only one thing I really should do to keep my mind off the empty house.... Clean! But, where's the fun in that.

Riley Update: He still is loving 3rd grade, but after his first full day, the first thing out of his mouth was..."That was a LONG day!" *sigh* Oh, and he has met a first friend named James.

Clifford...

...came home with us, from school yesterday!

Clifford is the Kindergarten theme.

Watch Out, Kindergarten!

Reece is here!

His face looks like he's in pain.... and it might be from all the supplies in his backpack.

Riley ready to guide him to school.

Outfit #2.

Actually, Reece has P.M. Kindergarten for the first 10 days, but he was dressed and ready to go by 7:30 am....

We then had a play date, which got Reece a little messy before his big first day, so we had to change. He chose his KU shirt because,"I want everyone to know that we are Jayhawk fans!"

*insert hand motions*

What a proud Jayhawk Mama, I am!!!

Saying goodbye! I dropped him off in Mrs. Olander's room, who will be his teacher through 1st grade. He was too busy checking out the class to look at me for this picture. Trust me, we tried multiple times!

I have the house to myself, and I might go crazy!!!

First Day Review!

SO.... last week, the boys and I went to tour the new school. Shortly afterwards, Riley came to me and asked why summer had to go by so fast. Uh oh.... Riley is getting cold feet. It's totally normal. We took him out of his comfort zone, away from his friends, and put him in a new, strange town.

I can't even empathize with him! I was so fortunate to attend the same school, all of my school days. It's too easy to take it for granted. I knew at this young age, he would adjust well, but it doesn't make it any easier.

So last night, I got him to bed on time, and had his clothes laid out.... his joke to me (although, I know it wasn't 100% of a joke to him) was that he wasn't going to wake up, so he could sleep all through school and not go. He ended up waking up on time, getting ready just as he always did, and quietly we set off for school. I took him in to his class, and luckily his desk was closest to the door. That was that.... I became the mom of a 3rd grader.

After all the worry, Riley came home with the biggest smile on his face! He LOVED it! He was so happy he went, and can't wait for tomorrow!! Big sigh...... Now tomorrow my youngest becomes a Kindergartener! YiKeS!!!

Hello, 3rd Grade!

Opposite Complaints

While back-to-school shopping, we let Riley pick out a few new shirts.... and this was his first choice. It's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."

Since purchasing this, I've been hearing the same complaint from both kids. Riley pouts, and gets annoyed and bored, because ,"Reece won't play inside with me."

Well, Reece turns that around, and it's, "Riley won't play outside with me."

I just tell Riley that I love having Reece outside, and there is nothing wrong for him wanting to be active all day long.

He just says, "Well, I'm an indoor person. At least, he will probably play with me more, when it is winter."

Thanks, shirt!!

****

And, a silly picture of Aidan, from last week.

Klootwyk's Come To Town =)

Brynn, Riley, Reece and Scott

On Sunday, we had our dear friends from Gardner, come visit! It was so wonderful having them here, and we really appreciate them coming all this way to see us and the new house! The kids had so much fun (minus, Reece being so GrUmPy, because he wasn't the center of attention). It was especially nice, to have Jill here to catch up, and have a great conversation with. We just picked up, right where we left off back in May.

P.S. Jill: Looking at this picture, I totally see Scott's 4+ inches he's grown! These kids grow up too fast!

Nearing the Summer's End

Saturday we enrolled the boys at Roosevelt Elementary... the biggest sign that the summer has slipped away!

Earlier, I was excited that everything in McPherson was cheaper.... enter...

EnRoLlMeNt!!!

Yikes!

I just paid $70 each, followed by lunch money, and school supplies. Mommy needs a J.O.B!!!

I can't believe both of my babies are in full time school. I feel as though I've been waiting a lifetime for Reece to finally make it to school, and now it's feeling pretty bittersweet!

I also feel as though I'm the only Mom out there (who is not a teacher) that is truly saddened that summer is over. I'll be working for Kip and Jody as soon as it starts, so I know that I'll be VERY preoccupied....

Riley has his first day on the 17th, and Reece starts on the 18th. Riley will get 1 half day, and Reece will go 10 half days, before it switches to full day.

"Call The Police"

Last night, Reece came inside from playing, and asked me to call the police on his friend, Aidan, from across the street. "For real," were his words!

I was caught off guard, and said, "I thought you were friends with Aidan?!"

"We are! But, he is the meanest kid in the whole world!"

"What makes him mean?"

"He pulls you under water (they have a small pool) without your goggles! AND with your eyes open!!! (Those of you who know Reece well, he has the most exaggerated voice, and speaks with his hands. A LOT!)

At this point I laughed it off, and Reece moved on. He has a short attention span.

This is where the story gets a little sad....

About 30 minutes later, Aidan's mom and his little brother, Jace, came to the door. She asked if we were ok? I was confused, and thought she knew her kids were rough with Reece, and was coming to apologize. WRONG! Apparently, Reece had mentioned something about the police, and Jace had been crying, thinking that I was going to call the police on his mom. His mom had yanked him out of the street, for breaking the "NO STREET" rule, and thought I was going to call the cops on her for doing so. What strange drama, my 5 year old causes me.... Lady! I'd do the same to my kid, and I used to spank too!! It's ok by me if you are a parent to your kid!! Ha ha!

So, today, Reece had to apologize to Jace for making him sad....