Panama Rocks

A trip to Panama Rocks has been on my list for a while and today was the last day of the season, so...

We dragged Grandma and Grandpa W out to the middle of nowhere and it was spectacular!

While there were huge rocks just like we saw at Rock City, this place was different.  Maybe it was the time of year?  The leaves were way past peak, but there was still enough to give us a great fall day.  Check out the crack in the rocks. One wrong step and you could be in serious trouble.

In a place as flat as it is here, to see rocks of this scale is pretty amazing.  They were huge!

The boys heard we were going on a hike and out came the walking sticks plus Tyler's water bottle.  They were prepared for quite a trek!  They are cub scouts after all!!

There he is... swagger boy.

Isn't this crazy?  It looks like it could topple at any minute!

There were all sorts of great places to explore.  This may have been where we lost grandpa... he went up a crevice and couldn't get back down!!

We heard him toward the middle of our hike so we knew he was ok and eventually found him here...

That picture doesn't do the height justice.  It was probably twice as high as it looks here.  Yikes!

This rock was really cool.  Do you see the lion?  Look for the fern mane.

They insisted on squeezing through here.  See Tyler's head back there?  He told me there wasn't enough room for him to turn his head for the pic. Yikes! The adults walked around.

Tread carefully.  These crevices went down really far... 25 feet maybe?  I was a bit concerned with two boys and slippery leaves, but we all made it through unscathed.  

I think I have to bring my tripod on our excursions more often.  Everyone in the same pictures is a beautiful thing.

What a great day!  Now I've got to come up with more outside adventures... that was the last on my list locally and that just won't do!

Boys

I'd like to go on record and say that I had nothing to do with how the boys dressed for their school pictures this year.  This is all them.

Tyler - 4th Grade

Ryan - Kindergarten

They must have also agreed that it is a no teeth year. Such handsome boys.

I had no idea how faded Tyler's cub scout shirt had gotten until I saw these two pictures.  Oh well, I guess that is proof that I do wash it regularly.  It is a well loved shirt.  I'm sure Ryan's will match in a few years.  

Last weekend I decided to get some pictures of my own.  Unfortunately Ryan wasn't feeling cooperative. But, this is a face we see often.  At least I know I'll never forget it!

This just isn't quite him.

Tyler is getting so big.  4th grade and almost in double digits.  Sigh.

4 years apart and the best of friends.

I'm still hoping for family pictures this year.  Maybe next weekend...

Pre-School Graduation - Take 2

Sometimes I think being a parent means being in a constant state of second guessing and holding Ryan back from starting kindergarten was something that I second guessed to myself a lot.  But, after seeing him at his second pre-school graduation on June 19th, I am certain that we made the right decision.  This was a completely different boy from the one who sat on the stage stone-faced last year. 

He surprised us by being the first to march out and onto the stage all by himself.  Not a hint of hesitation.

I love this picture... just a quick peek to make sure we're all there for him.

This year he participated fully in the ceremony.  He sang, he danced and at the end, he even played God in the skit.  So proud of this boy.

Handsome, confident and wearing Spider-man sneakers.  This boy is the whole package.  Watch out world!

 

I'm trying to upload a couple of videos.  We'll see if that works...

First Communion

May 3rd (cough cough... yes, more than 5 months ago) was Tyler's First Communion.  He prepared diligently and carefully for this event by attending religious education weekly, attending mass with worksheets and going to his retreat.  At the same time he completed an extra activity workbook for cub scouts and earned a religious emblem to wear on his uniform.  Tyler chose to do this and I am proud of him.  It really was a lot of work.  But, the big day finally arrived and Tyler could not have been more pleased to get all dressed up.

Very pleased with himself and snazzy with his new tie clip.

We are lucky that so much of our family takes the time to celebrate these occasions with us.  

He's still excited at this point...

Pleased with his pew marker.

Here we go... getting a little nervous.

And, here is the moment.  "Mom, it tastes bad."  He knew what the host tasted like as we attended the retreat, but I think he thought the taste changed when the priest blessed it.  Not so much.

He recovered enough for some post-ceremony pics.  

It was a very special day spent with special people.  We truly are blessed.

Dirty Girl

This week has been rather horrendous and today was no exception.  I got up this morning and prepared myself for the Dirty Girl Mud Run.  All was well until I stopped to yell at the boys for leaving something on the stairs.  No sooner did I say that someone was going to get hurt when this happened...

Somehow when I started walking down the stairs, I left my pinky toe behind and it bend completely back.  I heard and felt a pop.  It hurts!!

But, I was committed to this event so I decided to suck it up and plaster a smile on my face.  See, here we are.

 Plastered smile.

The obstacles were pretty much the same this year, but my foot provided an extra challenge.

I think I forgot my plastered smile here.  It was hard to avoid using that part of my foot on this obstacle.

Last year I landed on my feet.  Not so much this year.  Oops.

We were completely covered and this year the shower and changing facilities were not acceptable.

So, that was my last dirty girl.  Can't say I'm upset about that.  I hope my foot heals quickly!

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.