Fall Soccer

Go Fire Ants!

On That Note...

Speaking of mani/pedi's (see previous post)...Jack requested pink, while Cole stuck with a more manly steel blue. 

On Being a Mom of Boys

When we had the ultrasound for Jack in which we discovered he was indeed a he, I'm embarrassed to admit I cried when the ultrasound tech left the room. Bryce and I had always been in agreement that two kids was a really good number for our family, and that if both were boys, or both were girls, that would be fine. But in that moment, I agonized that there would not be any playing princesses, handing down of my American Girl doll to my daughter, or mani/pedi spa days.  

Fast forward three years, and I laugh at that person who wanted total control and who (unintentionally) thought that stereotypes had meaning. I've painted fingernails, I've played house, I've watched "My Little Ponies." And I've learned that my boys are my world and that the bond between a mama and her little man is very special. 

And while I've uttered the phrase "No More Wrestling!" more times than I want to think about, I absolutely love the stinky, skinny, bruised-up legs, super-hero-noise-making packages that Jack and Cole are.  

My boys.

Hello to Indian Hills

I've always thought that having Cole go to regular public school wouldn't be that big of a deal. He'd been in school for all of his life, right? Not so much. Arranging for school ended up instigating to some degree our move from Draper to Salt Lake - a pretty major life event.

Back in December of 2013 (!), I began applying to Salt Lake City schools - the only schools that have full-day Kindergarten. (Don't get me started on THAT.) Again and again we were denied. Luckily, with our move, Cole fell in the boundaries of Indian Hills Elementary - a school that not only has full-day Kindergarten, but after care as well.

Soon came the first day of Kindergarten. As I snapped pictures that morning, I marveled over how quickly time had flown and what a big day this was. At University Kids, I had some degree of control, still, but now, he'd go off to school all day and be living a big part of his life that I wasn't a part of. We'd talked about Cole's excitement and worries about starting school, and he kept reassuring me that he was "mostly excited" to go.

His first day was a great success. He thought his teacher, Ms. Harms, was "super nice" and that "all the kids were good."

Since then, we've started the roller coaster that is elementary school: the extremely active and very involved PTA president, kids not being kind, working through learning new things that aren't always the easiest, and fielding the "why can't you stay home like other mommies?" questions.

It sure doesn't get easier.

But, as I watched him suffer through the Fun Run (which he loudly informed me was "NOT FUN!"), I'm so glad we made the move we did and have ended up where we have.

Hang in there, Cole.  You've only got another 12 years of this fun. 

Farewell to University Kids

As August began to wrap up, and Cole's first day of Kindergarten got closer and closer, I realized how quickly the last few years have gone.  University Kids was (and will continue to be) a huge part of our lives.  Cole started there at three months old!  He has had some wonderful teachers, some great friends, and some very cool experiences.  We decided to have a UKids farewell party at our house, which was so much fun.  We did an "ice cream social" theme, and got some great pictures of the some of the kids from Cole's class.  

We all had such a great time, and this picture of Jack perfectly expressed how I felt after the party was done...

Thanks for the memories!