Happy Birthday Brookie Marie!

We celebrated our favorite little lady, Brookie Marie's first birthday on Saturday. Brookie provided her own entertainment for the big day as she started walking just days after turning one and days prior to the birthday party. We all cheered and clapped wildly as she tiptoed her way from person to person. Yay Brookie!!

We were smart enough to arive a little early for the party so we could get our squeezes in and spend time with the birthday girl before the rest of the guests arrived. I was even kind enough to share my girl with Uncle Craig and Bampaw!

Aunt Sissy hooked up her favorite nephews by borrowing a bounce house from a friend. It was a hit!

Brookie got a bit overwhelmed by all the attention at times, but loved having her guests sing happy birthday. She had the most precious (and maybe a little goofy) smile plastered on her face throughout the entire song!

Our girl did not hold back when it came into diving fist first into her Mickey Mouse birthday cake. She was also very gracious and offerred a bite to anyone who came near.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl. You will never know how much we all love you. You are such a blessing, "my girl," and my life is so much richer with you in it. Cheers to many, many, many more celebrations.

Last Day of Soccer

The Rockstars had their last soccer game today and unfortunately they had to take on the Strikers, the most dreaded team in the U6 SYS league. I think this was the only game all season during which Ben did not score a goal but I was so proud of his effort and the fact that even though they lost by a landslide Ben still had a smile at the end of the game and a thumbs up for his proud momma!

Joey really loved cheering for his big brother...and spending time with budding babysitter Maddy!

Community Day Trip

The boys and I made our annual trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Community Day on Wednesday. Uncle Craig joined us and though the weather was almost unbearably hot we had a wonderful time. Highlights included:

• The Bounce House (where Joey got headbutted and left in tears but rallied and got back in later) and the Obstacle Course (where surely Joe had to have been the youngest kid EVER to brave this challenge and make it to the end.)

• Cheering Benny on as he smoked the competition in the mini-kart race track. He promised a victory and he delivered!

• The Hot Wheels Racetrack. Both boys loved choosing hot wheels cars to race down the ramp, cheering like mad, and then grabbing their cars and sprinting back to the starting gate over and over again.

• A Firehawk sighting!! Joey was so excited to see the firehawk and, as always, a bit confused as well!
• Popsicles at the Track and a pittstop at McDonalds on the way home for ice cream cones!

SPLASH

It has been H.O.T. the past week. We are so very blessed to have extremely generous neighbors with a pool they are more than willing to share. It is amazing to see the boys swimming abilities grow the more time we spend in the water. Joey is literally a fish. By the end of the first afternoon spent at the pool he was jumping off the diving board (with floaties on) and swimming unassisted. Amazing! Even my cautious Benny Boo is starting to swim (in the deep end!) with floaties on. I am so proud and loving watching how proud they are of themselves. Joey has woken up the past two mornings saying "I go swimmin at Mason's house?"

When we are not at the neighbors, you can find us in our backyard having some hillbilly water park fun of our own! We broke out the slip n' slide earlies this week and both boys loved that, but daddy didn't love how it tore up the yard so we have decided to put that little gem away for the foreseable future.

We have, however, spent HOURS in the two baby pools splashing and having water gun wars. So fun and definitely helps keep us cool on these crazy hot days. I'm a bit concerned about what Mother Nature has in store for us in the coming months; it seems like it has gotten hot awfully early this year...

Ben's Last Day of Preschool

Benny Boo graduated from preschool on Friday. Although I had an enormous lump in my throat when I walked into Speedway Christian Church to pick him up for the last time, the tears never flowed. Miss Angie did, however, say that Ben cried twice at school and he NEVER cries at school so she suspected that he was a bit emotional. Sorry, Ben. You get your sensitivity honestly.

It seems like just yesterday that we were starting our little man off on his education adventure.

I vividly remember Ben's first day of preschool. I was so excited and nervous for the big day. I was so anxious anticipating how he would respond to being dropped off at a strange place and left with strange people he had never met. Ben was so excited and ready to go when I dropped him off with Miss Kris and Miss Lisa that September morning in 2006. He didn't so much as blink when I kissed him goodbye. Iwas so proud of him but so sad to walk away from him and called my mom bawling from the parking lot. It turns out I wasn't the only one bawling. When I returned to pick Ben up that afternoon I could hear someone crying before I even got to his classroom. I entered the room to see this screaming child who was red faced and hysterical. This had evidently been going on for quite awhile. I immediately called my mom once again from the parking lot, crying and insisting that I was never returning. My mom and Dean convinced me to hang in there and the following week we returned to school and this time he started hysterically crying as we entered the parking lot of the church (what was it about that parking lot that reduced us both to tears?). Ben was an absolute wreck and literally broke out into hives he was crying so hard by the time I left. I ended up calling the director of the preschool that day and asking her if she thought Ben wasn't ready and perhaps I should pull him out and try again next year. Miss Debbie convinced me to give it some time and said it can take some kids several weeks to get aclimated. Benny and I both hung in there and it definitely took several weeks for him to get used to school...and truthfully a couple years before he liked school. And the years flew by until it was time for the last day of preschool. I was very emotional in the days leading up to this momentous occasion. Ben took it in stride and was fired up and ready for the future. I am so proud of how Ben has matured the past 4 years. He is confident, outgoing, competitive, and intelligent. I know he is fully prepared for kindergarten and have no doubt that he will shine at Wheeler as brightly as he shined at Opportunity Day. I love you Benny Boo. Now slow down and quit growing up so fast.

Joe Bugs Last Day of School

I cannot believe how quickly this school year has FLOWN by. Joey wrapped up his first year of preschool today and was blissfully unaware of the fact that he was passing a milestone. Joe pretty much wanders through most of life blissfully unaware :)

The year has been a good one for Joe. He has really grown and matured and along the way even learned a few things! Joe can count to ten, do virtually any gross motor or fine motor skill remotely age appropriate, color like a champion (seriously, he is starting to stay in the lines already, clearly a budding artist), and he can sing approximately 512 songs, his favorites being where is thumbkin?, the wheels on the bus, Jesus loves me, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, and the ABCs. He also loves to bob his head and sing along to the radio, some personal favorites include Lady Gaga, Rhianna, and Justin Bieber, but this skill may come from the car trips to and from school more so than acquired in the classroom.

Joey really loved school this year. His teacher's, Miss Kasey and Miss Kris, seemed to really enjoy having him in class and were always eager to share "brute" stories with me. He kept them laughing with his stories and his facial expressions.

Joey's best friends in his class included Macy DeLisle, Trey Chaplin, and Tyler Kriz. But definitely the highlight for Joe each day was getting to go pick up Benny from his class after I picked up Joe. Joey always walked into Ben's class ahead of me and I would hear a chorus of little voices excitedly saying "Beeeeennn, Joey's here! Hi Joe Bug!" Joey loved checking in with the big kids and getting Ben's lunchbox for him. I actually got teary eyed as we completed this ritual for the second to last time today. Friday is Benny's last day of school. I am already bracing myself!

Our other favorite Wednesday tradition this year has been going to visit Oma after school. We go every week to hang out, sometimes for 20 minutes, sometimes for 2 hours! There is often ice cream involved in our visits and always a Diet Coke. Poor Oma brings home a Diet Coke from Pizza Hut every Wednesday and every Wednesday Joe claims it as his own immediately upon entering the door!

Congratulations on surviving your first year of school baby boy! We are so proud of you. Your sweetness, confidence, enthusiasm, and curiosity served you well this year and I have no doubt these traits will take you far. I love you my sweet Joe Bug.