August has passed

 This boy is so excited to see his sister when she gets home from school.  He wants to cuddle (for only a minute), just to let her know he missed her.  And then he is off again.  

 For the first 16 months, we told Kate repeatedly to put him down, leave him alone, etc. Now Jack is retaliating.  Notice Kate trying to just eat her breakfast bar.  Jack is right in the middle of it all.  LOOK AT ME!

We have had some fun park days.  It is crazy to now wait...for weekends...for Kate to get home from school...for Daddy to be home.  We are all in different directions and spending less time together.

 Jack has become quite the driver.  He enjoys pole position in all vehicles.

 Dude has had to mow the gravel road more times than anyone should.  As soon as he gets outside, he is off down the gravel road.  It leads to the grass runway, so I don't even know the fun of it, but like a bolt, he is gone.

 Sometimes he also has to take his baby for a walk.  A kid this energetic should be eating, right?  Nope.

 And bubbles.  Bubbles.  Bubbles.

 Still a highlight is when Kate gets in the bath with Jack.  She uses the bath crayons to work on the words she is learning to spell.  YELLOW was that week's color.  So fun to see her growing up, but I also am wistful each time she passes a milestone (like I can't spell certain things anymore because she knows them).

 For some reason, when the water leaves the tub, I have to wait for Jack to sprawl out and roll around without water.  It is a long ordeal and if I stop it, he kicks and fusses.  So I watch, laugh, and even take pictures.  What is going on in his mind, I wonder.

 My two guys waiting for the bus to come up the hill, bringing our girl home!

 Frick and Frack.

 What a happy little guy in his bed.  He loves to yell for me to come up and then when I get there, he wants to lay in his bed and have his back rubbed.  He is a goof!

 Katiebugs cheered at the first home game since she did cheer camp.  Girlfriend was made for DC PANTHERS!!!

 For Daddy's birthday, we made a big chocolate chip cookie cake.  And I mean we.

 How do I know these are Kate's?  Real men wear pink.

 Helper.  Always helpful.  Except when he is not.

 Daddy gets a couple of nights a week home and Kate loves to have the help with whatever she is doing.

Preschool Gang

Jack is starting preschool this month.  It seems early, but I also know he needs it for academic reasons as well as social.  I am hoping he watches other kids eat and realizes he needs to as well.  (He did today).  He also is very close to mama.  And that needs to be changed as well.  He goes to the gym play area every time I go to the gym, but he doesn't see kids eating and it isn't an organized, rule-centered play like I expect from The Little House (of Learning).  Anyway, Jack is going with two of my friends kids -- and we had good giggles this morning dropping these three, stubborn boys off.  

 This face just lets me know that he will be getting into mischief.

 I had to sneak my camera around on the other side of the fence to capture these two who were looking at the playground equipment.

 Once inside, Jack started his kitchen prep work.  Success!

awwwwGUST

Since Jack is not interested in eating, it makes dining out an experience we don't have very often.  Kate and Matt wanted to go out to eat one night, and since I didn't care, I told them to have a date night and I would stay home with the Dude.  After dinner, Kate asked if they could go to Cold Stone Creamery.  What a Daddy's girl!

 We went to the park while Matt played in a tennis tournament.  Jack hung out on the bench.

 The Pioneer Woman Cooks is one of the shows this group watches together.  Kate and I really enjoy seeing what she makes, and sometimes, Kate even requests items she has made.  She really wanted the meatball sandwiches, so one day I made them for this group.  Matt says they are in his "Top Ten" for meals.  HIT!

 Lazy weekend morning.

 This is how we pick Kate up from the bus.  Both kids love it.  I crack up.  One of those "never in my life did I see this happening" moments.

 Jack is really into strollers.  Doesn't care about the color, either.  Or the size of the baby.

 Kate was loved again.  This time Carri, her babysitter, picked her up from the bus on Friday and took her for a girls' afternoon before she headed back to school.  These are the pictures from the text I received from Carri.  Kate informed her, after the fact, that she had never had a waffle bowl but had always wanted one.  :-)

 This is how she acted while eating it!  Sugar!!

 We hit the pool this weekend.  There was a little humidity in case you couldn't tell by Kate's hair.

 Norman came to stay.  Jack shared his treats.

 Jack has begun wearing necklaces.  Of the beaded variety.  The bigger the better.

kindergarten is HERE

The day arrived for Miss Kate.  She chose her dress and asked for straight hair.  She wanted to eat lunch at school, in case everyone else did.  (It helped that it was pizza and ice cream).  

Most excited about: school with friends and riding the bus

Favorite color: turquoise (like mama)

When I grow up I want to: be a cheerleading teacher

Favorite book: princess books, Barbie and the Popstar

Daddy came home so that he, too, could take Kate to school.  

 Walking into school before it starts.  She wasn't quite as relaxed as she was at home.

 Walking to the gym with her Daddy.

 And the drop off with her class.

 Her sweet teacher sent this to me after the day.  What a fun picture.

 After going to my mom's for a doughnut surprise, this was what happened on the way home.

I can't believe my baby is in kindergarten!  She loves it and she loves riding the bus home.  What a fun, independent girl Kate has become.

A visit to the Doctor

Jack had to go back to Nashville for a swallow study.  The test was to see if he was drinking correctly and if liquids were causing him to aspirate.  25% of the time he has problems with his swallowing, so we are investigating other areas of concern.  He had, fortunately, gained two pounds by consuming Pedia Sure, so he is no longer listed as "failure to thrive."  The doctor hopes that all of the future tests show nothing so that the end result is that he is what is termed a "lazy" swallower and that therapy will teach him to drink and eat correctly.  This is - and has been - a very nerve-wracking time for us as he does not eat.  I do not mean that he is a picky eater (which he is as well), but that he does not eat.  We celebrate when he eats six Goldfish crackers.  Mealtime?  He either smashes, throws, or chews and spits out whatever is given to him.  And we do give him everything.  So, we crave answers.  Just hate that it has to be something he will be in the hospital for.  More on that later.

 Anyway, after the test, mom and I decided to eat (watching him eat food laced with Barium made us hungry).  We also went to shop (because we were waiting for his next appointment five hours later).  Jack didn't want to take part in either.

Give me a "d"...

To round out our camps before school starts, and because this one is the favorite, Kate had four days at cheer camp at DCHS.  This year, she was very aware that it is Matt's school, and because of this, she tried to get to his office during the time she was supposed to be cheering. 

 And, we had to straighten her hair for picture days, because, according to Kate, cheerleaders do not have curly hair.