back to school {the first days}

The night before school started we had a back-to-school dinner, just the four of us. I strung up some garlands from Henry's birthday party and we ordered pizza. We kept it simple. I liked the idea I've seen to have a word to serve as a theme for the school year. For this year, since it's such a new beginning for William starting kindergarten, we chose courage. 

We also chose this verse from Deuteronomy to learn:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

{William and our neighbor boy, Finn, walking to kindergarten orientation.}

Starting something new takes courage. Walking into a brand new classroom with a new mix of peers, some old friends some new, takes courage. Eating lunch at school takes lots of courage. Deciding to sit next to the boy that no one else will at lunch takes courage. Asking someone to play with you at recess takes courage. Doing the right thing even when your friends aren't takes courage. Raising up your hand to answer when you're not certain takes courage. Having a hard day and then going back and trying again takes so much courage. School takes courage. And we are going to remind our boys this year to have courage, to be brave. To remember that they never go alone and that God is always with them.

 

 

 

back to school celebration

We now have one week of school under our belts. The boys started last Tuesday. Before their first day we celebrated with a back-to-school ice cream social. It was actually one of the lingering things on our Summer List that we still hadn't crossed off. On Sunday afternoon I sent a mass text message to all of the neighborhood moms and invited them to come with families that night to celebrate. Instead of a farewell summer, we celebrated yay! school. Honestly, I wasn't feeling it but ice cream always helps. Celebrating always helps.

 

We are so blessed to live right where we do. I have always dreamed of a neighborhood for our boys where friends live and where there is always someone nearby to play and of casual friends and get-togethers for us. I knew that the kids would all be out playing together anyway so a last minute call for ice-cream would work out just fine; there's no need for advance planning. One of my favorite parts of this night was taking each child's picture. In my heart I imagined next year and the year after that. I wondered if they would still come to make an ice-cream sundae and prayed that they will still be friends. Putting down roots is a beautiful thing. I feel hopeful for this school year ahead.  

a rainbow party {Henry turns 8}

My first baby turned 8 last month. He is a vibrant little boy who loves art and drawing, creating with and wearing bright colors. I found cute chevron rainbow color paper plates at wal-mart (.98!) and the rest of the party was planned from there. I should mention that he called this a "color" party. Rainbow is too girly maybe. So color it was. 

*photo credit: Sara {thank you so much!}

Lots and lots of vibrant color. Just as bright as vibrant as our dear Henry boy. Lots of color bunting, made from tissue paper and string (thank you Sara for this brilliant idea!). I found tissue paper that matched the wal-mart paper plates almost perfectly, cut out the flags and taped the flags to the string. One package of tissue made enough bunting for the entire house. There was a rainbow platter of fruit, sugar cookies frosted in rainbow colors, rainbow party popcorn (a party staple) and the rainbow cake. I first saw this on a blog I read and loved it and have since pinned it and seen it on many pinterest boards. My mom and I talked about the idea and she offered to make the cake. She came a night early for the party and we ended up baking it together. She stacked and frosted (with delicious homemade buttercream) each layer. It turned out even better than I hoped for. {thanks, mama!} It looked so pretty on the cake stand and was super fun to cut into. Each little chevron paper plate of cake was like a slice of the rainbow. So colorful!

My favorite part was having our house filled with family; grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. It was the first party with our entire family that we've had at this house and I loved it. I loved having everyone fill the living room when Henry opened presents, and spilling out onto the patio for lunch. It just feels like home.
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P.S. To my future self for party planning, please remember that it doesn't have to be extravagant to be special. Simple will be just as special and memorable. And even more so, because when I'm not running lots of extra errands or worrying about cooking up lots of extra things, I'm happier and more relaxed. We made salad and cut fruit for this party, but ordered pizza. I settled on just a simple sugar cookie for the favors and decided that one cake would be fine (we didn't need an ice-cream cake too!). It's all about striking a balance. Finding that happy middle place where the birthday boy feels super special and loved and my creative self finds its way to the hot glue gun and ribbons without going to extremes and feeling overwhelmed. This party felt like a happy balance to me, so I want to remember and remind me!

Dear July

For us, July means a month of celebrations and celebrating. We celebrate the Fourth on two days, first with friends on the 3rd and then again with more pomp and more fireworks on the 4th. Patrick and I celebrate our anniversary on the 20th; eleven years this year! And we celebrate Henry on the 22nd and there are many celebrations for that dear occasion. It's a fun and festive month. We also spent time crossing lots more stuff off of our Summer List.

We hosted our second annual 3rd of July party this year and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite traditions with friends. I love having a yard and house brimming with voices and laughter and the chaos of twenty-two children playing outside and running in. I love a giant meal potluck style on the patio and tripping over children riding tricycles between our legs while we serve it up. I love making festive scrappy buntings and hanging them across doorways and over the mantle. I love the magic of the Fourth. The sparklers, the excitement and anticipation waiting for the fireworks to start, the way too late night that follows. It's all magic to me. The wonder that makes up childhood and warm summer memories.

Other favorites this month included a can of gold spray paint {I used to make over our red gumball machine and some tiny chairs I got for a song and dance at a garage sale}, the start of a new tradition --Mystery Thursdays--with Henry {we go on a date that night just the two of us and do something fun together just for the joy of being together, no gifts or buying stuff. we went mini-putting and for froyo on our first Thursday}, lots of time spent at the pool with friends, riding bikes at a bmx park in Farmer City while Howie was at the vet, new shoes {for the boys and for me too}, logging more running miles and the subsequent happy endorphins that make it worth it and the start of what will hopefully become a new neighborhood tradition. When I was a girl, every summer at my Dad's we would have a gigantic-all-neighborhood-welcome water balloon fight. It was giant and I remember feeling completely in awe every time I saw the wheelbarrows filled to the brim with the water balloons my Dad and Sandi had {painstakingly} filled up. When I talk about summers past with my boys, the "water balloon fight" always gets mentioned and this year it topped their Summer List. Fittingly, my Dad and Sandi came to visit and brought the water balloons with them. When hundreds were filled and the wheelbarrow was full, the neighborhood boys came running and our first annual balloon fight commenced. It was so much fun.

July also meant celebrating Henry's birthday first with friends at the pool, and then on the 22nd and then with our dear family at the end of the month. It was so special celebrating him and being surrounded with people who love him so dearly. We are so grateful for his life and for his spirit, so determined and tenacious.

Bidding farewell to July is bittersweet. It seems like a downhill race now to back to school and the start of new schedules and earlier bedtimes and the packing lunch routine. I'm so grateful for the full summer we've had and the chances we've had to spend time with friends and our family and each other.

June {Summer days}

Oh June. You're really one of my favorites. With your sunny mornings and long warm days that stretch out until late into the night. I know I'm a bit of a sap, but June days really feel magical. With the entire summer laid before you, it feels like endless pool days and baseball games and carefree mornings. 

We crammed in as much goodness as we could in our first full month of summer. We spent a weekend in Rockford visiting family and attending Sara's Grandma's 80th birthday celebration. She is such a sweet, loved and truly special lady. The boys and I took a mini-vacation to Chicago for a super fun half week with Dan and Sara and the boys that included their first ever {parkour} camp, some downtown exploring from seeing reflections in the Bean to the {super scary} Sky Deck at the Willis Tower and the beautiful view from Sara's chic office building. We went to an indoor trampoline play park and the boys played lots of backyard basketball and kickball. Lolli and Howie bonded and Howie might have even fallen a little in love. Ahem.
We enjoyed every minute of our visit with Erica and Ben when they came here. There was lots of backyard playing, leisurely morning coffee drinking, time at the pool and scooters at the skate park. And speaking of skate parks, in June we became regulars there. We went a lot and the boys did a lot of scootering. And trick riding. We picked strawberries and made freezer jam, had fun backyard barbecues with our small group friends and went to the outdoor movies. We got pool passes and drank in as much of the sunshine as we could once the rain finally stopped. It was a good, full, summer month.
I like you, June.

Hello May

 In May, we said hello to summer and farewell to preschool and first grade. We said hello to the start of baseball season and sprinkler park season. We had lots of rainy days in and said hello to moving the couches and rollerblading in the house. We said hello to planting soybeans on grandpa's farm and harvesting some vegetables (sugar snap peas and lettuce) from our own garden. We went to a Cornbelters baseball game on free t-shirt night and scored t's and cotton candy. The boys hosted a lemonade stand at a neighbor's garage sale -- they sold lemonade, popcorn and jelly beans by the scoop! I said hello to a shabby old dresser and turned it into shelves. We visited Patrick's family at their lake house and said hello to a days worth of boating, tubing and jet-skis. May was the start of lazy mornings and slow paced days. It was full and fun and relaxed. Our first weeks of summer.