Kindy & 4th Grade

Today was the day.  Ryan went off to kindergarten while Tyler started 4th grade at a new school... upper elementary.  Yikes!  It was a challenging day for mom, but they were certainly ready.

Tyler was a bit nervous about being in the lowest of the 3 grades in his new school and worried about using the lock on his locker, but all is well and he made it through just fine.  Phew!

There is no question that Ryan was ready to go.  I think we have a picture very similar to this one on the day that Tyler started kindergarten.  He was pumped!

I have such handsome boys.  They both make me smile.  

I have a pretty handsome husband too.  Not sure how I got so lucky, but I have a great group of guys to call my own.

I love this shot.  Ryan has bloomed this past year.  He is a completely different kid.  I love watching his confidence grow.

He showed up in my bathroom this morning as I was finishing up and asked for his hair to be spiked.  I'm not sure I'm ready for that, but we did it anyway.  I think he aged a whole year in that minute!!  Yesterday we went to get their hair cut and Ryan asked the stylist for the "hedgehog."  Seriously.  I thought he was making something up, but the stylist said it is an actual cut similar to a mohawk and she asked if I was ok with that.  Um, no... not for the first day of kindergarten!!  Yikes!  How does he know these things?   I have decided that I will let him do what he wants with his hair as it will grow back, but timing is important!

Once I spiked his hair, he had no more need for me today.  No hug before getting on the bus.  No need for encouragement. Nothing.  He was ready.  See ya!  

They make my heart stop.  How did this happen?

Just where did my babies go?  5 and 9 soon to be 6 and 10.  Aaaahhhh!

Tyler's bus was the first to go.  Thankfully I still got my hug from Ty and he stopped for the pic.

I had to yell at this one to get my picture.  He was practically running to get on the bus.  

Yup, I yelled again.  And, with that... we're officially "big boy" parents.  No more babies, toddlers or pre-schoolers here.  I'm not ready.

The best part?  They took the bus HOME today.  Home.  Not to after-school care.  Here I am the mom of a 4th grader and I didn't know how to get a kid off the bus.  Ha! That poor lady at the bus garage who had to field all my questions.  But, we got through it and we're ready for Aunt Donna to take that job over tomorrow.  I love that they're coming home at the end of their day and spending time with family.  

So, I know I haven't been blogging much.  Hopefully I'll catch up and share all the good stuff we've been doing.  Unfortunately chasing after two kids with activities is a challenge.  I don't want to lose our memories so I've got to buckle down.

Going back in time, I've realized that I don't have a lot of Ryan funnies documented so I need to make up for that.  He's such a great kid.  I'm amazed that I can have two great kids who are completely different from each other, yet get along so well.  Their memories and funnies are often intertwined, but I still want them to be able to look back and see who they were individually.  Because they are very special individuals.

Here is a funny that might be too much information.  You've been warned.  A year or so ago instead of using the word "diarrhea" when he wasn't feeling well, Ryan would yell "mom, it is diary" from the bathroom.  I just thought he was having trouble saying the real word so I kept correcting him.  Then, about 6 months ago, he yelled "mom, it is diarrhea" and I thought we had finally got that word down.  Imagine my surprise when I got to the bathroom and he said in the most pathetic voice possible "mom, it is diarrhea of a wimpy kid and I'm the wimpy kid!"  I just about lost it.  Seriously?  Did Ryan think that the books that Tyler has been reading were about a boy with bathroom issues?  Ha!!  This kid is too much.

He makes me smile.  While Tyler is working hard at being a big kid, Ryan eats up being little. And, I love it. How much longer is he really going to believe that he is stronger when he puts on his Hulk costume? Or, that he runs faster when wearing Spider-man sneakers?  He completely bought the story we heard while in the Outer Banks that Santa Clause has a vacation home there where he goes in January.  We saw the red and green house to prove it.

I'm enjoying my minutes with these two and holding on tight as long as I can.