New Love.

The whole family is so excited for our new baby-love to arrive in a couple months.  

I had no idea how interested the boys would be in the whole process when I first told them they were going to have another sibling.  They've been very patient and know that the baby needs to grow before he/she can come out and meet them.  Max talks to the baby every day.  Sullivan gives razzberries and kisses.  They both hug my belly every night before bed completely unprompted.  

I never imagined that they would both embrace this experience so much, but I love that they have.  This baby is already very much a part of our family even though we haven't had formal introductions yet.

Because of this bond the boys have already formed with their new sibling, we decided to take them to our 3D sonogram.  We initially planned to go by ourselves, but something about that just didn't feel quite right.  The boys are so involved with this pregnancy and truly understand that their brother or sister is in my belly.  We thought they'd love to see the baby's face to make things even more real for them.

And here's what we saw...

These images are not as clear as we got with Sullivan, but we definitely got a good glimpse of our little ones face.  The baby was all curled up, hugging the umbilical cord and had arms in front of the face most of the time.  We DIDN'T see any boy/girl parts.  The sonographer said she couldn't even tell with the way the baby had his/her legs crossed.  We asked her to stay away from the bottom half either way.    

I thought baby resembled Sullivan quite a bit.  The lips and ears were very similar to what we saw in his 3D sonogram, but then we saw the baby frown a couple times and looked so much like Max :)  

The boys were unbelievably good for the first half.  They sat quietly and watched the big screen with nervous little smiles on their faces.  I was completely surprised by their behavior...sitting still and politely answering the sonographer's questions about preparing for a new sibling.  

About 20 minutes in they got antsy.  Fighting for the seat closest to me and bickering over their snacks.  The funniest part was that you could see the baby's reactions to the background noise on the sonogram.  Frowning at each outburst the boys made.  I could have watched the baby for hours, but it was time to call it a day before we traumatized all of the dreamy-eyed first time parents in the waiting room with the boys' antics :)  I had unwisely scheduled the appointment near lunchtime and things were going to spiral out of control quickly if we didn't get out of there.

We left with pictures, a video and full hearts knowing that our new love is just patiently waiting to meet us too.  

Back to School

Max is officially a pre-schooler and Sullivan has started his academic career in the 2+ class this year.  It's hard for me to believe that twice a week I'm a free woman!  However temporary.  

I genuinely missed them the first day.  Sometimes I feel stuck in a weird place between desperately needing a break and not wanting them out of arms reach simultaneously.  They, on the other hand, happily left my side for the excitement of a new classroom.

Prior to their first day I gave them each a little back-to-school package.  Max received a new lunchbox when he started school two years ago so it was Sullivan's turn to get his own.  And Max got a backpack since he's a big pre-schooler now.  He always envied the "big kids" in the pre-school and pre-k classes who walked in with backpacks and had their own little "lockers" to hang them in.  It was his turn to upgrade to backpack status.

My kids actually get excited for play-doh and new undies :)

Sadly, Max did not have the reaction to his backpack I had hoped for.  Apparently he had his heart set on the dinosaur one.  I got him the monkey, because he has a monkey lunch box. It seemed like ok logic on my part, but it was clearly the wrong choice. Tough cookies...sometime's life isn't fair, little man.

Sullivan's reaction was awesome, though!

And just as Sullivan was discovering how multi-functional his lunch box truly is.  Something magical happened...

Max put on the backpack and was transformed.  His initial reaction of disappointment had completely disappeared.

 And he ran like the wind.  Yelling "I love my monkey backpack!" 

And, then, posed for the camera like an awkward model :)

Ahh...the manic behavior of three-year-olds.  Keeps me on my toes.

The morning of school I set up a fun little breakfast table setting and made french toast.  This is the most effort I've  put into breakfast in a long time, so they had to occupy themselves patiently while I actually cooked something from scratch (with my camera nearby).

Max measured all the items at his place setting while Sullivan studied his apple.

 Max drew with crayons while Sullivan still contemplated his apple :)  

Max started drumming with the pencils and Sullivan was like, "Shh...its too early for that racket.  Chill.  Drink your smoothie."

And then Sullivan was like "Seriously. Stop. Or I'm going to make you."

I love their individual personalities so much :)

Dad left them a note since he had an early meeting and couldn't come with us to drop off.  He did get to help pick up at the end of the day, though, which made for two happy little fellas.

 Sullivan has come a long way from that sad baby in the window from the first day of school last year!  No longer left behind...

Sept 2012.  Max wasn't sure what I meant by "smile"?? 

 The boys had met their teachers briefly prior to school starting, but we made these little "Hello My Name Is..." gifts to reintroduce themselves on the first day.

When we got to school I let Max do his big brother duties while I stood back.  He took Sully's hand and walked him over the the playground.  I heard him say, "Here's where we go to recess.  And if you miss me today I'll see you out here, ok?"  Sully just nodded :)

Once inside Max continued to show him the ropes.  Where they have to go potty, get a drink and wash hands prior to going to class. And then helped Sullivan find his little lunch cubby.

I can't believe how big Sullivan looked when I peeked in to get a picture after we walked out of his classroom.  He was watching some other kids start their morning activity.  He joined in after a moment of observation.

Max's teacher asked the parents to stay for their morning story, "The Kissing Hand".  Max kept turning around and whispering "I love you, Momma!"  and then "Why are you still here??"

 Then they played "Who Is This Special Friend?" to learn each others names.  His class is bigger than it was last year, but he knows most of the kids already.  So many wonderful kids and families at our school.

 

Embarking on a new school year and taking on new challenges.  I'm so proud of my big boys!

Catching Butterflies

I hadn't been to Kauffman Memorial Garden in years.  Four years, to be exact.  My mom and I took a watercolor painting class at the KC Art Institute when I was barely pregnant with Max.  That was the summer of 2009.  Our first assignment was to paint flowers, so we came here to sit and work on our assignment.  

Fast forward to 2013, I was sitting on a blanket in the shade watching my boys run around while another little one kicked my belly from the inside.  It's hard to believe sometimes how quickly life moves.

Max has been on a mission for butterflies recently so we made catching one our goal of the outing.

{Supplies needed for a successful butterfly hunt}

1) Butterfly net, cage and pretend butterflies just in case real ones are scarce.

2) Curiosity.

Searching high and low.

Secret garden gate.

May have been breaking the rules just a little bit...

3) Binoculars and/or paper towel telescope

Sullivan was serious about the hunt :)

4) Sketch book and/or nature coloring book

Max really wanted to accurately capture the purple flowers we were sitting by.  Sullivan focused on coloring his snail picture.

It was a beautiful day to spend with my loves.  Capturing yet another moment in time...but not a single butterfly :)

Gratitude

"Gratitude begins when a sense of entitlement ends." - Steven Furtick

The boys are young but beginning to grasp the reality that there are people in this world...in our community even...that live very different lives than we do.  This is our main reason for collecting donations rather than presents at their birthday parties.  I know it will get increasingly difficult as they get older, but I hope by then they realize they're not entitled to endless gifts on their birthdays.  They have a responsibility to use their good fortune to help others.

We had so many wonderful books donated at Sully's party we couldn't wait to pass them along.  So we took them to The Children's Place to pack them in backpacks for the kids to take home. 

Each month The Brookside Mothers' Association packs food in backpacks for children at The Children's Place (a place where young survivors of abuse and neglect in KC receive treatment).  The food goes home with the children so they have meals for the weekend.  It had been mentioned that it would be nice to include a book for them to take home too since many don't have any of their own.  I knew it would be an awesome way to pass along the books we received from our kindhearted guests at Sullivan's birthday.

http://www.childrensplacekc.org/

I also liked that it was a tangible way for Max and Sullivan to see how they could spread kindness with their own two hands.

Trying to choose the perfect book for each backpack.

The primary reason we were there volunteering was to pack food, so we started by organizing the assembly line.  Max had bugged me for a snack the entire car ride there so when the food was brought in to be unloaded I thought he'd beg me for something off of the cart to eat.  But, surprisingly, not a word about anything for himself.  

The boys dutifully unloaded chocolate pudding packs, applesauce, oranges and mac & cheese onto the tables.  The same items that cause major meltdowns at the store if they don't make their way into our cart were being passed up for other kids who needed them.  Watching my boys serve a purpose with pride made my heart full.

They worked so hard unloading all of the food and packing the backpacks they were rewarded with a little time to play as well...

They have some cool toys here!

 I love my sweet boys and their big hearts.  

Thanks again to everyone who attended Sully's party and contributed books to give!

An Uphill Marriage: 8 years

Dear Billy,

The title of this post might make you wonder where I'm headed with this ;)  It seems going "uphill" gets a bad rap.  It's usually paired with the word "battle".  But why is uphill a negative thing?  It allows for more growth than shuffling forward on even ground.

When I look back on our relationship from the beginning I imagine us starting at the bottom of a mountain.  Climbing upward day after day.  Stopping now and again to catch our breath, looking down to see how far we've come.

Going uphill to me means having goals and fighting together for what we want.  Accepting challenges and grasping each others hands tightly.  One pulling the other up every so often when one of us looses their footing.  It's constant forward progress.  Becoming better people and a better partner for the other with each steep step we take.

So my dear, here's to heading uphill together for the rest of our lives.  We have a long way to go, but the view from up here with you is already breathtaking. More beautiful than I could have imagined. I can't wait to reach the clouds and stars and mountain tops that await us as we continue our climb together.

Happiest 8 years.

My whole heart,

Sara

\

{St Lucia honeymoon | August 2005}

Moments Bound for Memory

Yesterday afternoon we treated the boys to our traditional "anniversary celebration day".  We reserve time each year to celebrate our wedding date with the boys.  It's a family holiday.

We always want them to know how much their Momma and Dada love one another.  That we made a promise to each other and we will keep it forever.  Even if Dad is forgetful or Momma leaves dishes in the sink or we don't agree on the right way to get somewhere in the car.  We're a team.  And they are on our team too.

We tell them about our wedding day, show them pictures and talk about everyone who came to the party.  And of course do some of our favorite family activities...

A walk to the bakery for fresh cinnamon rolls in the morning:

A stroll down the Trolley Trail for some lunch at one of their favorite spots - Jalapenos.

It seems like we left no stone unturned in Brookside yesterday as we spent the entire morning and afternoon walking.

Wandering around our little community always makes me feel like we live in a different place in time.  A slower, friendlier time.  

We'll usually run into an acquaintance on the sidewalk or trail.  We pass lemonade stands and boys playing baseball in the front yard.  Among the historic houses and tall trees...something about it all comforts my old soul. 

On our way back home we passed a fire hydrant that was spouting water.  With the road blocked off we let the boys run free.  They were so intrigued with everything...the force of the water, the way it rushed down into the street drain, the fact that they were dancing in the water used by firefighters to put out fires.  I think this was the highlight of their special day.  Like we had planned this surprise water party for them.

Soaked and tired we walked the rest of the way home.  I took off their wet clothes and put them directly in bed for naps.  I checked on them a few minutes later and they were both completely passed out.  

I hoped that their minds were processing all the fun of the day.  Filing away the joy they felt in their hearts.  And that these moments we had created were bound for memory.  Even if the events of the day didn't make it to their long-term memory, they still have the pictures from this blog to remind them of another successful anniversary holiday :)