Tuesday, August 19, 2008

First Day of School!

How in the world are my babies already old enough to be going to school?!?! I'm not sure, but the truth is they were SO excited to go. Here they are in front of our house before we took them to Snoopy Day, where they "snoop" around their new classroom, meet their new teachers, meet their new friends, and play on the playground. Michael and I both went, and we made a whole day of celebrating how proud we are of our big boys.
Ben and Drew are one of THREE sets of twins in Miss Betsy's class this year, so I can't wait to see how they enjoy hanging out with other twins since they've really never had much opportunity to do so.....now that I think of it, maybe we should all start praying for Miss Betsy now! ;)
Snoopy Day was only an hour or so long, so it wasn't until today that I really had the full experience of packing lunchboxes, backpacks, dropping off and picking them up. People have often asked me if I'll be sad when the boys go to school a couple days a week, and I had talked so big, dreaming about all the things I would be able to get done with some "free time" that I didn't really think I'd be too sad about it. But - truth be told - as I pulled away from the school without the two people who've been constantly by my side for the past 3 years I found myself feeling very lost. And those feelings were a surprise to me. Yes, my babies are growing up. And I suddenly got very nostalgic thinking about how all of their firsts are my firsts, and likewise, all of their lasts are my lasts. Over the course of the last several years it has [at times] been hard to remember that whatever phase we're in won't last forever, and that they are only little once. But today it became perfectly clear.

So, their first day of school was great! They jumped out of the car with full excitement, giving me high fives and blowing me kisses. They read books, played with all their best buddies and made some new friends too. They even ate a good lunch for their teacher....must have been showing off since that's a rarity at our house. They grew up a little bit today. But the best part about the first day of school was that when we came home, things were in a little bit better perspective, and we were all a little more thankful for each other...if that's possible.

Here's to hoping that Thursday will be a little less emotional!

Monday, August 04, 2008

First Spend-the-night Party

Dear Ben and Drew, Saturday night your Daddy and I spent the night in our house without you both here for the first time since October 20, 2005...almost 3 years ago! You got to have your very first spend the night party with Aunt BeBe at her house since Daddy and I had a wedding shower at our house for our good friends Jeff and Laurie.

You boys were SO excited to pack up your backpacks all by yourselves, thinking of everything you'd need for your first night away from home and Mommy and Daddy.

BeBe took you first to McDonalds for an ice cream cone and to play on the playground (since it was way too hot to play outside), and then to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and more playtime. You went back to her house to take baths, play with the two kittens and get in jammies to read books.

You sure did have a great time, and we were so thankful to BeBe for letting you come over, but as Daddy and I laid in bed to say prayers, we sure did miss you both. We missed tucking you in bed and doing our routine that has become our favorite part of the day. We realized that part of us was missing, and the two of you really make this house our home. The things you each bring to our everyday life are everything we've ever prayed for God to give us, and He has been faithful and generous.

We are so glad you got to go and do something special, and we look forward to all the things you'll do as you continue to grow. But we're even more glad that you always come home to us.

Love, Mommy and Daddy (who slept much better Sunday night)

By The Way.....

I just wanted to mention here that I now have a link in the column to my painting blog. ...Just overlook the fact that it's taken me more than a year to get it on the web). Stop by and see what you think! I'd love to hear from any and ALL of you (even if I don't formally know you usually stop by;) ), so feel free to leave a comment, email me or give me a call.

Check back often to see what's new! Happy Monday everyone!

What We've Been Up To...

A couple of weekends ago, the Wilbecks joined us for a picnic at sunset with all the buddies in tow. We all had a great time, and since I forgot to bring our camera Jen snapped these awesome pictures of the boys. She's become quite the photographer lately. Ben and Drew (as well as everyone around us) were very entertained by a good game of golf.

Here's to great summer evenings with great friends!