Tuesday, August 25, 2015

My Little Student

Our last summer with no school children passed and pre-K started. Paxton was kind of excited about school and kind of nervous about it. He would oscillate between wanting to go and saying he was staying home forever. Thursday morning he woke up, had a waffle and some fruit and got dressed in his first day outfit. 
All the parents got to join our tiny big kids on their own special playground. When the bell rang, the kids lined up and yelled "see ya later alligator" to all the parents and went in to conquer the day. There were no tears. 

Porter, Jared and I went to breakfast together and even though Porter was kind of grumpy, we were in shock how much easier one kid is. 
After breakfast, Jared had to head to work so Porter and I hit the park. He loved the one-on-one time and having my full attention. 
We were about 20 minutes early for our first pick-up, but we did get to drive past the playground and see Paxton and he looked happy!

When he got in the car, he told us that they watched a movie about Elmo, ate Inside Out fruit snacks and colored with markers...."just kidding, we colored with crayons". 

The second day, he needed a picture on the porch again...
So far, I haven't been as emotional as I thought I would be. Of course I miss him as soon as I drop him off, but I know he's having a blast playing with a bunch of kids his age and getting to color and do age-appropriate crafts and I know the structure and routine will be great for him. Plus he's only gone for two hours so we barely have time to miss him!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Information Day

Paxton had Information Day for Pre-K today and Jared and I are kind of in denial that our tiny baby is big enough to go to school. 
We got there right when it started because we are first-timers and we are over-eager and also have no idea what's going on in the elementary school world. We were surprised to see a line out the door...but we powered through. Porter laughed and shot chewed up waffle all over the school map but we kept powering through. 

Granny V gave Paxton money for his school shirt and he was so excited when we got the bright orange shirt that he put it on right there in the cafeteria. It is his first orange shirt...and hopefully his last. 

Then it was time to meet his teacher. I was nervous. Ok, I was freaking out. We were going to see the room he was going to be in every day and his very first teacher. She was so nice and she asked Paxton lots of questions, and even though he lied to her and told her we haven't been swimming this summer, he seemed like he liked her. 
He was excited that his classroom had a mailbox and some cars to play with. We even found his cubby with his name on it. He did not want to leave his school supplies there in the community tubs, especially the glue sticks, but he went with the theme and powered through. 

He hasn't dicided yet if he is willing to go back on Thursday for his first day, but now we know there are toys that he's excited to play with and a teacher that will keep him engaged. I guess we're really going to send our baby off to school.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

The Moments Between the Highlights

I have gotten kind of lazy on this whole blog thing. I document the big things we do on a somewhat regular basis, but a lot of the everyday life gets lost and those are the moments make up P&P's childhood and I want to remember them!

Jared has remembered how much he likes golf so he has been playing that a lot this summer leaving the boys and I to find our own fun. One night, Granny V invited us to the rodeo and we said yes!
There was a little too much time between events which made these active boys a little too antsy. We made it until about 9:00 and at that point Paxton was running at full speed away from us and laughing hysterically so we knew it was time to go. Porter enjoyed watching the horses and pigs run around and Paxton liked people watching. 
We went to Hafer Park one morning and fed the ducks. 
The boys had a blast but we quickly ran out of bread because they were throwing whole slices instead of tiny pieces. And those geese are aggressive. We quickly made a run for the playground. 
And now that we have a van, we can throw stuff in the back...like the Jeep! The boys had a blast driving it around the walking trails. Porter tried to get out while Paxton was driving and ended up face planting on the trail...but it was nothing a Sonic slush couldn't fix. 
We had what Paxton considered his favorite meal ever at Flat Tire one Friday night. They have smores that come with a tiny little fire for the table to roast marshmallows on. He thought that was the coolest thing ever. 
And there was a live musician whose drummer was sick, so he needed a replacement. 
He picked Paxton and Porter and they got to sit up at the front with him and at the drums while he actually performed. 

Bubbles have been the highlight of the backyard this summer. 
We have had some lazy afternoons as a certain 4-year-old makes the transition to a non-napper. 
Baby Brooks is hanging out with us a lot and he is starting to be a good playmate for his cousins. 
After one of our lake trips, the boys couldn't stop talking about the cat that lives at Soda Steve's so we took them to the pound and adopted Sirio (or Cereal depending on who you ask) and the boys are totally in love. 
They look for him as soon as they wake up and usually kiss him goodnight before bed and can be found snuggling him and trying to wrestle him throughout the day. 

We have been going through more fruit than I could have imagined. Porter discovered cantaloupe and ate half of one for dinner one night. The boys had their first plums and loved them. And one day I was helping Porter go to the bathroom and when we came out, we found Paxton on the couch surrounded by strawberry tops...he had gotten our brand new unwashed and unchopped strawberries from the fridge and eaten the whole container (except for two). 
It has rained a lot and with two boys who need to play outside, we have played in the rain more than once. 
The boys favorite thing to do is go to the pool and this summer has seen their swim skills improve by leaps. Paxton is totally independent in his floatie and can jump off the side, swim to the steps and repeat. He is working on holding his breath for "a long time" this summer but isn't convinced that he's ready to try swimming without his floatie. 
Porter has mastered the Puddle Jumper and can also jump off the side on his own and has started to be able to swim where he wants to go. He is great at blowing bubbles in the water and has started holding his breath and putting his face all the way in. These boys love the water. 
(The picture of Porter couldn't be shared online because he decided to play in the sprinkler in his natural glory)
Paxton has been picking out his own clothes and working on getting dressed all by himself this summer. One day when we didn't have to leave the house, I gave him free reign. He went with all light blue and all backwards. 
Whataburger had a super hero night and when we told Pax about it, he asked to wear his Iron Man costume. We planned on putting Porter in his favorite Batman t-shirt but when he saw Paxton all dressed up, he had to join in. His costume is a fireman and that totally has to count as a hero! 
Whataburger was packed and we had two hungry boys so we consoled them with Braum's...Paxton refused to take his costume off. 
We got some stares and some wistful looking glances from a few older boys. Paxton thought he was the coolest thing ever. And unimpressed Porter was just glad to get to experience his first milkshake-strawberry!
We celebrated Audrey's birthday. Paxton picked out a pink toaster for her and when she opened it, he recognized it and ran over to show her how it worked. He was so excited. Porter picked out a doll with a toothbrush and she sent him a picture later that night with her baby and the toothbrush at dinner. 
Paxton loves matching Porter and every night asks if they can wear matching jammies. It's precious. 
Porter is such a mama's boy and hates when things like a window separate us. He climbs on my lap multiple times a day just to "nuggle" and follows me around yelling "hold you" when I'm trying to get stuff done. 
The boys have been obsessed with fake napping together and seriously spend most mornings fake sleeping and hiding from each other in the covers. Who knew the bed would be their favorite toy?
They have been playing together so well for the past few weeks. They have always fought over the silliest Happy Meal toy or unsticky sticker or broken Hot Wheels car so I thought these days would never come. They are so cute pretending together, even though Paxton bosses Porter around the whole time. 
They have also finally figured out how to play separately and I love sneaking in to watch them. 


Monday, August 3, 2015

A Day in Norman

With an empty weekend stretching in front of us, Jared and I were brainstorming activities. We bought Jared's Jeep in Norman and since we spent a few minutes there doing that, we have been wanting to go back and see what has changed and what has stayed the same since we lived there in college. 

We tried to get there in time for the Farmer's Market but a certain toddler was in a potty strike and the Starbucks line was really long so instead we drove around a little bit and reminisced before heading downtown. We ate lunch at my favorite Norman restaurant, Bison Witches, and it was fantastic. After lunch, we walked around a little bit and then decided to test out the family-friendly side of Norman that we had not previously experienced. Adams Park was highly recommended so we stopped there. 
The boys had a blast and the plastic equipment had some kind of coating that kept it from being unbearably hot AND the little kid's playground was fenced in! That's huge for me because Porter is fearless at the park. He likes to try to jump out of openings where there are ladders so I have to spend most of my time chasing him around which means I can't keep my eye on Paxton as much as I'd like to....
The park had a splash pad too and my kids cannot resist water. We didn't have swimsuits so they just went in their shorts. 
It was a really fun day and as we were leaving Paxton told Jared "I'm so tired from having fun that I need a nap". He quickly denied saying this and insisted that he wasn't (yawn) tired at all.