First Day of School

Ryan started kindergarten yesterday. What a milestone in life!! He was very excited, even if he wanted to argue that school was supposed to start on Friday not Wednesday. Then... the bus didn't pick him up. We weren't informed that he would be picked up at the corner, not the house (although the school office still says house), so the bus got to the corner and turned around! It almost did it again today, but I yelled and they heard me and stopped (although this time we weren't at the corner because I couldn't get Emma off the potty).

So a neighbor watched Emma and Nick (who was napping), while I drove Ryan to school. I got to go down to his classroom and help him find his desk (he thought that was pretty cool) and the bathroom. He said he had a great time! And was very excited to go back today. No trouble getting him on the bus or anything!

Emma, Nick and I have been enjoying our time at home. Yesterday, I painted Emma's toes for the first time. She loved it! She did believe that I should just keep painting them. Pink now, purple next.... She showed them off to everyone.

Today, I got both of them down for a nap at the same time and am taking advantage of being able to get a bunch of stuff done. When everyone is up and Ryan gets home, we're off to the pool!

Ryan, 5 Years Old

We took Ryan for his 5 year doctors appointment last week. Because of all the issues that Ryan has, Kris took some time off to come to the appointment and we had a babysitter for Emma and Nick. He did great at the appointment. No shots, so he was excited. We spoke about any physical things that may be holding him back from what we consider 'acting like a 5 year old'. We ruled out a UTI and were referred to the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to take a look at his tonsils and adnoids since he sleeps so badly.

We were called on that referral a few hours later and were in that afternoon! After his first ever X-ray, we found out he should have both out. His surgery is scheduled for October 4th (so that we can take advantage of the 2 days off of school that week). We are hoping that he will be able to sleep better after that, as well as effect his behavior during the day. Maybe, he's just not getting enough sleep!

We were also referred to the behavior clinic to get an overall picture of where Ryan is on the age spectrum. Unfortunately, it takes a while to get into the clinic, so we're still waiting on that one.

Shade Gap Picnic

We went to PA last weekend for the annual Shade Gap Picnic. I told Kris, that SGP is definitely my favorite trip to PA. Mostly because we aren't at the farm, therefore, no work can be done. Just relaxing and having fun with the family. But I am looking forward to the day, where I actually get to relax a little more instead of feeding and taking care of everyone else!

As always, we had a great and filling lunch there. For some reason, everyone decided to bring meats and desserts. So my kids were happy! Emma actually napped in the camper with Katie and Nick slept in the big stroller for the first time. The best part for the kids is the rides. Ryan went on all the big rides including the salt and pepper shakers. As soon as he got off, he asked to go again! Grammie even came and took the kids on some rides too! We relaxed with some homemade ice cream while listening to some bluegrass music. The kids enjoyed the demolition derby, well Ryan and Emma did. Nick was crying within a minute of it starting. Too loud for him! The fireworks at the end of the night, while really late, were wonderful. Emma slept right through them.

We stayed Sunday night at Grammie's house. After a wonderful dinner, we took a walk for more ice cream! Ryan and Emma were in heaven - especially since they got cones (their new obsession!).

Before we leave...

We're leaving for PA in a few hours, so I wanted to update the latest pictures I have before I have more! We spent three days this week at my parents house in Michigan helping Robin start packing for her move to Atlanta. My sister loves clothes - and has a lot of them. We helped her pare them down to a managable level and get them sorted. She did a great job parting from a lot of them! We also had a lot of fun. My mom took the kids to the splash park at Partridge Creek. Ryan loved it, Emma not so much. They also played with the water in the backyard. We put Nick into the little wagon and he had his own little pool. He loved it.

This morning this was the scene at breakfast. It was so funny, I had to tape it!

Vacation in South Haven

We spent the last week enjoying South Haven, MI with my parents. South Haven is on Lake Michigan. We rented a house there that was perfect for all of us - besides the fact that the 'queen' beds were actually 'full'. It was 4 blocks from the water and 2 from town (with three ice cream shops right there!). We had a great time.

We spent several days at the beach. Even Nick took his naps there. Ryan and Emma loved the water. Ryan even got a little more confident and used a float that made his feet not touch the bottom. The last day it was pretty windy and gave us some great waves. Ryan loved them; Emma not so much. They both loved digging in the sand and even being burried. We even got smart enough to make a sand Bumbo chair for Nick. He loved splashing in the water.

We spent one day at the Farmer's Market and the Maritime Museum and later that day Kris and Ryan went on the tall ships boat that they have. My mom and I went shopping while the little ones napped and then my dad and I took those two to the park.

We also travelled to Holland, MI to visit the famous---Chuck E. Cheese! That was where Ryan wanted to go for his birthday and we were happy to oblige. My friend from elementary/high school, Jessica lives not to far from there, so her and her family met us there to play for a while. We all had a great time. It was so good to see her again! Plus, who doesn't have fun at CEC? We stopped at a winery on the way home and picked up a case of wine. That should last us another 2 years until we probably make it back!

Kris and I also got to enjoy a wonderful few hours without the kids. Although I had brought along some milk to make it longer, somehow (ahem Emma) the bottle didn't make it into the bags that we took.

While we love going on vacation, it is great to come home. After a few nights, the kids just don't sleep as well and are just so tired from not having their normal schedules, naptimes and consistent bedtimes. Nick especially was having troubles. No doubt that the two teeth he managed to pop while we were gone helped that. But the last night, he woke up with a fever that took a few hours to bring down.

Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way and when we got home on Saturday, I ended up running him to the ER because he had a 104.6 temp (we didn't have a thermometer with us on vacation). It's now Monday and he is still battling the fever. Although it has started helping his sleeping. He took some good naps yesterday and today and slept for 7 hours last night. Thank goodness, since I haven't had a good night sleep in some time!

Ryan's 5 year old Pictures

Yes, Ryan hasn't turned 5 quite yet, but since we'd be out of town and my mom was in town, I thought it was a great opportunity to get Ryan's pictures taken. I tried to get a picture of all three kids, but it wasn't the greatest - Emma just wouldn't cooperate. And they all looked so cute! So here are some of them.