Preschool Graduation

You would think that because we put this off a year, I wouldn't get weepy at Jack's preschool graduation. You would think. But if you know me well at all, you know I can't miss an opportunity to cry.

Jack graduated from Lord of Life Preschool on Friday, after three years there. We have been blessed with a team of teachers who love us and our children. They are generous, smart and honest -- I am most grateful for their willingness to encourage me and help me make good decisions about my boys. Thankfully, we get to hang out with them for another couple of years with Ben.

 Here's a video of Jack getting his "diploma."

Jack and Ms. Nancy

 Jack and his best bud, Brody. (Brody hit a growth spurt. So did Jack, but you can't tell when he's around Brody.)

Pastor White holds chapel once a week, and led the graduates in song during graduation. 

Muffins with Mom

 Ben and I celebrated Mother's Day with Muffins with Mom on Friday afternoon. We skipped the muffins and went straight for the donut holes -- so, almost muffins. The class sang a couple of songs for us (see videos below) and gave us all Mother's Day gifts. I have to hand it to Ms. Sue and Ms. Jerri -- they have this 2-year-old thing down pat.

Birthday Boys

May is a whirlwind month in our house -- and we kept celebrating birthdays this past week when Pat, Howard and John's aunt and uncle, Brad and June, came to town. 

We grabbed some barbecue from a Memphis staple, bought a cake and threw together a quick birthday party in no time. We had a great time visiting with Brad and June -- and the boys loved seeing Pop and Grammy for the third time in a couple of weeks. 

Pop and Grammy got Jack some Nashville Predators hockey sticks for his birthday. I have a feeling skating lessons are in my future ...

My house has become a haven for all things Transformers, wrestling, etc.

Aunt June helps Ben with his cake

Now that I'm 6

Jack invited some of his friends for a birthday party at Crossfire in Cordova this weekend. The sports complex has a giant trampoline, foam pit and zip line. The kids loved it, and it surprised me a little how quickly Jack jumped on everything -- not timid at all. Ben jumped into the middle of it all too, despite the fact that he's probably not old enough for most of the stuff there. 

This photo cracks me up. Classic Ben.

Jack's good friend Owen.

Jack swinging from the zip line.

Foam pit fight.

Ruby had to coax Mary into the pit a couple of times. After that, she was a little daredevil.

I took some video of Jack flying through the air.

Donuts and Pizza

Jack's birthday weekend started on Friday, when we took pizza and donuts to his class. Ben managed to sneak away from his 2-year-old lunch table (he's convinced he's a 5-year-old anyway) to sit with Jack. 

Nothing says Happy Birthday like Memphis' Gibson Donuts.

Jack, an (almost) independent 6-year-old

"Mom, do I look like a 6-year-old today?" Those were some of the first words out of Jack's mouth one morning this week. He says he doesn't feel any different, now that he's turned 6. But I do.

I know I think about this every birthday, but this year he seems really big. I notice that he doesn't always want my kisses in public anymore. He isn't crazy about holding my hand in parking lots. And he sleeps like a teenager.

In some ways, parenting is getting easier. My back doesn't constantly ache from carrying boys around all day and I've almost got all the diapers out my house. But in other ways, it's harder. Now I worry about schools, friends and hurt feelings -- and lots of other things I can't really control.  

Some things I want to remember about Jack at this age:

When I look back at all the things John and I got right, holding Jack back for an extra year of preschool will be one of our best. The difference between this year and last is profound. For starters, Jack is willing to sit still and do the work -- and is proud of himself when he accomplishes a task.  He can count to 100 on his own and tells me now that he wants to learn how to count to 1,000. He can write all of his letters and numbers up to 25 or so, and will sit quietly in the back seat during road trips and practice -- something we couldn't get him to do last year if we sat on him.

He knows the difference between carnivores and herbivores and no longer wants to be a dinosaur when he grows up. Depending on which day you ask, he wants to be a fireman, a pilot or train conductor. These days, all his favorite toys are outside -- I usually find him and John playing T-ball or soccer outside in the afternoons, when I come home from work. He's also determined to earn his yellow belt in taekwondo and understands that he has to earn it with a lot of hard work. He's willing.

He's not a morning person. He can be a grouch in the morning and takes a few hours to start acting like himself. On the weekends, Ben and I are usually up for a couple of hours before Jack gets out of bed. Take today, for example. It's 9 a.m. and Jack's still sleeping while Ben and I have been up since 6:45. Jack's affinity for morning is a big reason why my favorite times with him are still bedtime -- though he always prefers that John put him to bed. When I do get to, though, we talk about his friends, kindergarten and the day's activities. 

Spencer, Quinn, Owen and Brody are his best friends, and Anna is his "girlfriend." He bought her a book at the book fair this spring and shyly gave it to her on the T-ball field this past week. Each Sunday morning, we stake out all of the 5-year-old Sunday school classrooms at church until we find Anna. And then, everything is OK. Anna's mom and I have just started texting each other when we drop one of them off, to ensure they find each other. 

He can be easily influenced by his friends, so I spend a lot of time worrying about whether his friends are good influences and trying to teach him to make good decisions on his own. Something tells me I'll be working on this one for a while. I've noticed that he has a lot of my personality traits -- his sensitivity can get him in trouble sometimes, but it also helps him pick up on the moods of others really fast. I just hope he uses it to comfort his friends, help out his brother and watch out for others. 

He's still attached to his blanket, Bobby, the little that remains of him. A few shreds of blue yarn, Bobby is easily lost these days -- which can sometimes send Jack into sheer panic that the blanket is finally gone. I'm guessing Jack knows Bobby's days are numbered. 

And finally, there's Ben -- his wrestling partner, playmate and sometimes annoying little brother. When I was pregnant when Ben and found out he was a boy, my boss promised me that I was in for the greatest blessing ever -- watching these boys grow up to be best friends. In the past year, I've broken up a lot of fights, pulled over on the side of the road to get them to stop fighting and sent them both to their rooms for yelling at each other. But I've also watched Jack include Ben in his group of friends at school, comfort him when he's hurt and help him across the parking lot while explaining the dangers of moving cars. That's when I get a glimpse of how cool it will be watching them grow up together. That's the best part. 

Predators 2, Coyotes 0

John and I surprised Jack with a trip to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs this week. It was our second trip to Nashville this week, so we're all exhausted. But it was so worth it. The Predators won their first game of the series, shut out the Phoenix Coyotes and we saw a couple of catfish on the ice. All in all, a perfect night. 

 Before we found our seats, we hit the Kids Zone outside of Bridgestone Arena, where Jack got a Preds airbrush tattoo, played a little street hockey and rode a mechanic bull. Only in Nashville.

 

 

 Pekka Renne -- the Preds' goalie -- is one of Jack's favorite players. So he was quick to take up goalie duties during the pickup game.

John was able to snag us great seats in the Lower Bowl for a reasonable price (sometimes, our procrastination pays off). Before the game, we snuck down to the ice, so Jack could greet the players when they came out to practice.

 Here they are, as the team ran out. John and Jack were able to give team members high fives when they hit the ice.

 

 

 

Growing Up

We headed to Nashville this past weekend to celebrate cousin Ryan's first communion -- and to celebrate a couple of birthdays. It was a quick trip, but long enough the boys to spend some time playing with their cousins. 

Ben and Pop watching for Ryan during the service.

Ryan and Jack playing Halo. Katie assured me it was too violent for Jack to play. 

These two girls were flower girls in my wedding. I remember Anna toddling down the aisle. They feel so grown up now, texting me their birthday wishes and friending me on Facebook. 

Guess what Grammy is getting Ben for his birthday?