Graduations all around

I am now coming out of a fog and what feels like a drunken stupor of the past 2 weeks in which I worked a few hours short of 160 hours within those 2 weeks. There is so much that has happened in the midst of my chaos...

Kadyn finished up his preschool class a couple of weeks ago. His class has spent the last 2 months learning about the human body and they put on an end of year presentation for the parents complete with a dance and a showcase of what they've learned. Very cute. 

Getting his diploma. Even though Kadyn still has another year of preschool I couldn't help but shed a couple of tears. For one, I can hardly believe that he's going to 5 at the end of this year. Where has the time gone?

 For two, his teacher Mrs. Christy, has been amazing. She has gotten him to open up, speak up, and become excited about going to school. She's been a saint in helping us keep an eye on him when we can't be there to protect him from his allergies. We feel so blessed.

Following Kadyn's last day at preschool we drove over to Uncle Anders' Masters graduation. The boys were on their very best behavior and adored being there to celebrate Uncle Anders. 

 So we celebrate 2 graduations...at 2 different extremes: one preschool, one masters. Congratulations boys. The graduates:

As a mom of boys...

As a mom of boys I have come to expect certain things. I will always have to check the toilet seat before I sit down--not just to ensure the seat is down, but also to make sure someone didn't have bad aim. I find myself (though a concrete word like always doesn't fit here...tear) constantly stepping on trucks, trains, rocks, sticks, and other boyish things. Additionally, I have swallowed my fear to take on a new task...I have now become an expert bug, slug, and worm hunter. As a kid I caught salamanders with the best of them and I would even catch garden snakes but somewhere along the lines I developed a phobia of all these things. However, I never want to pass my own fears and dislikes along to my kids so when my son asked me to help him look for slugs and worms I took the task seriously...

After we found this slug and Kadyn insisted on holding him I said to him: "Kadyn, did you know that slugs leave poop on your hand?" And he was all... 

I made sure to tell him it wasn't really poop...it was slime. He thought this was a much better idea.

"Don't you see it mom?!" It's a potato bug!

"See?"

Our finds...

Like I said...expert. And unless you're under the age of 5 I will only charge $100 an hour for my bug, worm and slug hunting services.

And did you know that the film of slime that slugs leave doesn't wash off with soap and water? Nope. You have to scrape said slime with fingernails. Ugh. YUCK. My fee does not include clean up. 

Begging and pleading for nice weather

But making the most of the rain and cold...

Come on summer...we're more than ready for you!

A week in paradise

Arriving for a week in paradise. Greeted at the airport by Grammy and Pops. We left for the airport at 3:45 am and despite the early morning the boys did GREAT. They each had their own suitcases that we crammed full of toys, movies, books, snacks. They were troopers and everyone commented on how great they did on the plane. 

Kadyn has been talking about these "special drinks" for a year now.

Playing in the waves with Pops. 

Handsome boys.

Ready to hit the beach

Taking some down time between the beach and pool.

Cute baby crack.

Swimsuit of love. Nana fixed the waist so that it would fit Kadyn. Thank you Nana!

Kadyn picked out this keychain. He changed the "picture" every day.

Sooo tired. A hard day playing, swimming, and building sand castles will really take it out of a little guy.

View from our room.

It was so fun watching their excitement all week. 

Love, love, love.

Love, love, love.

Picking out our favorite fish in the fountain.

First nap in the past year. 

What a fabulously fun and much needed week in Kauai. The boys have been playing Hawaii for the past year and finally got to do it again for real. They were so excited that we made paper chains to help count down to the day we left. Thank you so much Grammy and Pops!