Happy Birthday Bria.....

Brianna's 31st birthday cake and candle.....I think you should always have wish for your birthday.

Summer days.....

Yesterday we spent outside in the sun. 1st we went and played mini-golf with the boys. Then we praticed riding bikes. Then we all cooled off in the pool and with the hose. A great time had by all, and good sleeping :-)

Learning to ride....

Dear Aragorn.....

You started kindergarten today, it has been the most awesome and saddest thing i have ever had happen to me.


Our day started out as usual, we ate breakfast, did some computer stuff, went up and did some school stuff. Then showers, lunch and......and taking my baby to school. We have been talking about it for a couple weeks, reminding you at bedtime that school was coming up, so you knew. I took your picture in front of the tree in our front yard, i took so many you told me to stop because your cheeks were hurting. Just one more i asked, about 7 times. Dad came home, and as a family we took you to your first day of what will be pretty normal until you turn 18. I did it, dad did it, Rohan will do it, but nothing can prepare you for the 1st moment when your baby goes in those doors. You lined up with your classmates, and smiled back at us, excited, and apprehensive. I gave you a reassuring wave and smiled, glad to have my sunglasses hiding the tears. I did good, not to many came, but enough that they made my cheeks wet. As you turned to go into the school, and into a new life, you gave us one last wave and smile as if to say "it's ok mom, it's only 3 hours" something i needed to know. I know this is an important and needed step in your life, and i know in the end, it will bring nothing but good things. But i can't believe how fast 5 years came and went.

I love you so very much monster mash.

Love,
Mom

Update after Rant.....

I sat down with Aragorn this morning and worked with him on a few things, not only did he know most of it, he knew more than even i thought he did. We worked on his scissors usage, and writing his name.

His 1st day seemed to go well. He said it was fun, and that was about it. Rohan was happy to see him too. I wish i would have taken my camera with me, Rohan kept asking when Aragorn was going to come out. I think he'll do good. I did catch a couple of words with his Teacher, and she said we need to work on pencil grip. I am not sure how to do this, any ideas? I have already tried breaking a crayon in 1/2 which forces him to hold it lower, and also tape where he can put his fingers, this seems to help here at home, but not at school.

Testing day....

Today was Aragorn's "School prepardness testing" and i'll tell you what, there is nothing that will make you feel like a horrible parent more, than having a teacher tell you your kid, basically isn’t ready for kindergarten, but really he has no choice because of his age. We were all excited for him to take this "test" as we thought he is actually a pretty smart cookie, and picks up on things well. Apprently, according to the State of Colorado, he is far from a smart anything. According to this test he had to take, he can’t cut with scissors, doesn’t recognize letters, can’t write his name, got the names of shapes wrong……the list goes on. His teacher even made a comment about how she could tell he hadn't been to preschool.

This is frustrating for me as his mom because I KNOW he knows some of it. He IS smart and we have been working on some things. The scissors thing I will give her, we haven’t worked on that. I didn’t know that was such a HUGE deal to be honest (but according to her, they will be using scissors as early as his 1st day-which is tomorrow). As far as shapes and stuff, he knows them (for Pete’s sake he called a circle an Oval, really?) She said he didn’t know the difference between the front cover and back cover of a book i will dispute that to the grave (along with the shapes thing).

I just wanna cry about this, I feel like I’ve failed as a parent……I feel like I let him down for freakin KINDERGARTEN. I mean whatever happened to kids getting to be kids? Summer was meant for fun, but now, he’s expected to know almost everything before he even goes. WHY should i have to put my child in school at age 3 to be ready for kindergarten? And WHY if that's what the schools want, do they not make Pre-school mandatory and affordable?

I am hopeful that his was just "i don't know who this women is, why is she asking me to do this stuff?" having never been in preschool, this was all new to him.

I just hope it gets better for him.

Baby Bullet.....

Just enterd to win a Baby Bullet on http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/baby-bullet-giveaway/ Check out the blog at

Hoping to win for Nichelle and baby Brooklyn!!

July Date night

Last night Eric and i went back to the museum for our date night. This time, it was to see the Real Pirates exhibit Organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International, and AEG Exhibitions. I have been wanting to see this show since it came in March, but i new it would be like Titanic, and i knew the boys wouldn't go for it, so I've been waiting. The perfect opportunity came when we went to the summer solstice in June, and they were advertising "Date night with the pirates" it was a 21+ night, and you got to see the exhibit. I do have to say, after seeing this, I am VERY impressed with how accurate the "Pirates of The Caribbean" movies are.

"Real Pirates is The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship, You'll discover the perils and privileges of pirate life as you explore more than 200artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Whydah -- the first fully authenticated pirate ship ever to be discovered in U.S. waters"

The exhibit was very informative, there wasn't much to "see" but there was TONS to read. We saw actual cannons from the ship and learned that pirates although fearsome and mean, were actually very noble. The reason a lot of men became pirates was because honest work didn't pay very much, if at all. So joining the life of a pirate was a great way to make a living. If you survived the disease & ocean, not to mention other pirates. I learned that, their want to always spilt things evenly, sometimes otherwise valuable things would be destroyed just so everyone got a portion. Everything they had on display had been on the ship, there was some stuff that was so calcified from the salt water, it had to be kept in fish tanks to prevent it from breaking down. Unfortunately, in these type of exhibits you can't take pictures (i did try to sneak a few, but they didn't come out). But it was very interesting. I think Eric actually liked it more than i did. But I had a good time, just getting out and hanging out with Him. Love the monthly date night!!

2011 Family Vacation

This year with Aragorn starting school at the end of July, we were kinda short on time. So we decided to skip the regular 4-5 day vacation, and just go for the weekend. We finally decided on the Colorado Renaissance Festival, this year was it's 35th season. It's like going back in time as soon as you step through the doors. On top of the food, and handmade stuff you can buy, they feature a cast of hundreds of authentically costumed merrymakers living and working throughout the village and performing, continuously, upon the Festival's seven stages, the illusion of a rollicking 16th Century festival day is created. Impromptu encounters with the royalty and peasantry of Tudor England are commonplace. You'll meet all kinds, from jousters to jugglers to minstrels to maidens faire, all schooled in art of interactive theatre, they are rude, and insulting, or happy and accommodating depending on who you talk to. The boys were super excited to go yesterday morning. They REALLY wanted to see knights. It was already hot my the time we got there, but we sun screened up, and headed out. They boys were enthralled with everyone, all the costumes, and things for sale. Rohan was not impressed with Skidmark who was one of the rude guys. He sat in the middle of the walkway and insulted you as you walked by, he burped at you and made other rude sounds. He and Rohan had an exchange

Skid Mark "BURP"
Rohan "Ewwwww" waving his hand in front of his face
Skidmark "You've got on plaid and stripes.....who dressed you?"

I got my hair braided, and the boys got to ride the elephant and the camel. Aragorn also got to do the bungee jump, that he really seemed to like. We got to see the joust. And we had some yummy food, strawberry Italian ice (in an orange) and fried ice cream, steak on a steak and and fries. We did go on the large swing, which was fun, and really HIGH. Everything in the park is manually operated, and the guys that push the swing try to steal your shoes, they did get Aragorn's in the end. We got lucky, in the past there are only 2 temperatures at the ren fest, HOT & rain. But this year we did get some cloud coverage with only a few sprinkles. After a day at the fest we headed over to our hotel and into their pool. We swam for about 2 hours and then heade dout for dinner. When we came home the pool was closed :-( so the boys played a game of chess, and we all turned in for the night. This morning we had a GREAT hot continental breakfast and headed home. It was a great staycation, and just enough to let us start missing home.

I once again took a bunch of pictures, but you can see them if you copy and past this link.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2247326432265.2133372.1521309712&l=baab453b6a

4th of July

Better late than never. I made the collage and then never posted it. Here are some pictures from July 4th. We decided to just hang out at home. Nichelle and Lorna and mamma Brooklyn and JJ, came over to help us celebrate. We got a free fireworks show in the front yard, as we discoverd our neihbors had all pooled thier money and got some great ones. It worked out nicely. We got to saty home, and enjoy ribs and salads of all kinds, along with corn and homemade icecream sandwiches.

A boy and his bug

Rohan found a lady bug last week while we were outside in the pool. He thought it was pretty cool.

Rohan's quote of the day.....

Rohan's Quote of the day:

While at breakfast we're sitting out in the sun, and Aragorn says
"Gee, i wish i had an umbrella" squinting at the sun in his eyes
"But....it's not raining" Rohan says
And, well.....he was right

Really Rohan.....

This has happend before. The last time he did it, it was the WHOLE dinning room, this time just in front of the door. I don't know why he insists on watering the house.

July 13th 2011

Happy Birthday Salli. We miss you more and more each day.

Love,
All of us

Rohan's quote of the day.....

“Daddy gimme kisses, and hugs, and fives”
“Rohan your stalling” Eric says lovingly
“Rohan, upstairs to bed” I yell from the kitchen
“But mommy!! I Stalling!!” Rohan says as he huffs up the stairs
::Sigh::

Update on my mom......

My mom is doing well. She had to go back into Surgery on the 1st. She was having some problems and thought it best to redo her options. She is doing better now, and continues to see her surgeon on a weekly basis. She will see an oncologist on Aug. 1st. She spoke with her surgeon last week and was told her surgery recurrence is basically 0% but she will see an oncologist on the 1st and they will talk more about it. I just wanted to give you some news and let you know that as per usual, she isn't putting up with any nonsense.

You know your a parent when......

You get a new camera, and your 1st subjects are your kids :-)

After a particularly rough bedtime routine (which is VERY rare) for the nightly Bible story, I ask Eric to please read the story of Abraham (Patience) and about 1/2 way through Ro says:

"This is taking forever" and lays on the floor defeated

:Sigh: