July 4th-Iowa Style!

There are two holidays we will most certainly miss celebrating in Dubuque, and one of them is July 4th.  Small town America does up July 4th in a grand way.  Last year was our first year driving over to a nearby small town called Bellevue, for their celebration "Heritage Days".  We had such a great time last year that we were sure to return this year.  Knowing it would be our last July 4th celebrated in Iowa, we were really soaking up the memories.

 All decked out and ready for the parade!  The parade in Bellevue begins late morning, and for a small town, it draws quite a crowd.  The kids had a blast!  It was bright and sunny, but not too terribly hot.  We couldn't have had any better weather.  

 My All-American girl enjoying her lollipop

 Cooper was such a good, happy baby just lounging in his stroller through the parade and then strolling around the carnival.  Funny thing is the previous year, we had been at the same carnival, and at the time I was pregnant.  I saw another family pushing a double stroller I admired, and remember thinking maybe the following year I'd be doing the same.  Sure enough, here was Cooper, proudly riding around in that stroller.  I was a happy mama watching my kiddos enjoying themselves so much! 

 It took some coaxing, but Mat convinced Charlotte to ride the swings with MJ, and she loved them.  This was her first true carnival ride!  She also rode a small little train with MJ, but it was far less intimidating.  They rode the swings several times.  After some rides and games, we grabbed lunch in town and then headed home for some rest.  

 Being just a week away from moving, it was bittersweet knowing this would be the last time we'd watch fireworks from our front yard.  This is one of those holidays that living on South Grandview is so picturesque. Our kids even stayed up for fireworks this year!  We did their first sparklers out in the front yard while we were waiting for it to get dark.  Cooper went to bed around his normal time, and managed to sleep through all the loud booms, just as MJ and Charlotte had the previous year.  This year they took turns snuggling on our laps watching the beautiful display above our home.  It will be a favorite memory of that home that I will most certainly miss!    

Weddings Galore!

In a one month time span, we had three weddings in St. Louis!  It all worked out pretty well with our house being for sale and our move, that we were able to be in town for all 3 weddings.  We began in late June with the wedding of Amanda, Mat's cousin.  She had a gorgeous wedding at the Lake of the Ozarks.  Not only was the wedding lots of fun, but we made a weekend trip out of it and joined most of the Keyes Gang down at the Lake.  Mat's Uncle Jerry and Aunt Debbie were sweet enough to offer to share their cabin with us, along with their children.  Grandma and Grandpa Keyes and the rest of the aunts and uncles and cousins were all in surrounding cabins.  It made for good cookouts, playing with cousins, fishing, and pool time.  A couple highlights include MJ catching his very first fish on his own, Charlotte falling into the swimming pool with out floaties on and me jumping in after her (with Cooper and my cell phone in my pocket..aghh), the family getting to love on Grandpa and Grandma (Grandpa had just recently been in the hospital), and of course seeing the beautiful bride on her wedding day.  So thankful we could be there!

A little pre-wedding fishing...MJ's first fish!

 My handsome big boy at the lake

 Grandma Keyes with two of her great grandsons.  MJ felt like quite the big boy trying to hang with the big cousins a bit.  He stayed at the wedding reception till 10PM, which was quite the feat for him!

 Charlotte with the beautiful bride, Amanda and cousin Andrea.  If you couldn't tell, she was eating up all the attention just a bit.

 The wedding photographer actually captured this photo, and I loved how MJ was showing off his baby brother to his cousin, Lily.  He's so proud.  MJ and Lily always play so cute together.  They liked to chase each other around!

We were all so glad that grandpa could make it to the lake for the weekend and enjoy the wedding.  He was quite the trooper and really wore himself out, but he seemed to really enjoy having the family together.  He's such a good grandpa, and I loved capturing him and Mat in conversation. 

Our second wedding was to the reception of Mat's cousin, Jeff.  They actually had previously had a destination wedding, but had a beautiful reception in the Soulard area.  For some reason I don't have a single picture, but I'm pretty sure it's because Mat and I went by ourselves!!  No cute little ones to snap pictures of or chase around meant I was laid back and not documenting a thing obviously.  It was a special night though for the obvious reason.  Mat has always thought so highly of Jeff, and we are thrilled to see him so happy with Anna.  She seems like such a great girl and wonderful addition to the family!  Mat and I offered to drive Grandma and Grandpa to the wedding reception, and I'm so glad they took us up on it.  It allowed us to have a little special time with just them.  Good memories! 

Our last wedding of mid-July was for Mat's sister, Kelly.  Our whole family was so honored to participate in Kelly and Allison's beautiful wedding.  We are so happy Kelly has found her partner in Allison.  They complement each other so well, and it was wonderful to get to be a part of their special day.  Their ceremony was intimate and special, and being the very brave souls that they are, they incorporated ALL of their nieces and nephews into the ceremony.  It kicked my anxiety into high gear, but everything went off without a hitch.  It was pretty stinkin' adorable!  It made me a bit sad that we don't get to spend more time with this side of Mat's family.  His sisters played such a special part in his childhood and particularly his adolescent years.  When they're all back together, it's like no time has passed.  Our kids just adore all the attention Kelly and Allison shower them with of course, too!

 Jessica, Kelly, and Mat getting ready for the big day

 We clean up every once in awhile 

 The whole fam decked out and ready for the wedding!

 Aunt Jessica made these adorable onesie tuxedos for the three baby boys that were in the wedding.  Cooper was adorable!

 My girl and I.  She was a total girly girl and enjoyed every minute of the wedding festivities.

 One of those rare special and beautiful pictures that I couldn't create myself if I tried.  I love when they're sweet when they think no one is watching.  

Just look at these little heartbreakers making their way down the aisle

 Not only did Allison and Kelly include each of their nieces and nephews, but also each of their siblings and spouses.  It was truly a family wedding!  Us four couples had quite a bit of fun as their wedding party!

Kelly and Allison bring out the silliness in us all

Total reality...love it!  Kelly's arms so full, boys everywhere, one crying on the side...ha!

Just a little peek of how the night went down!  Aunt Kelly can dance!!!  The kiddos actually all left before the reception (thanks mom and dad for taking them home), and we had a wonderful adults-only meal at the reception, beautiful speeches, an awesome serenade to Allison, and then the dancing began!  Such a great night. One funny side note that I'll always remember is having to totally take down my bridesmaid dress to pump throughout the night.  It was quite the ordeal but so worth it.  

My Blogging Might Be a Lost Cause...

I feel like I'm so far behind in blogging, that it's kind of even pointless to try to catch up, My poor little Cooper is going to be used as an excuse, but I'm playing the "3rd Child Card" one more time and admitting that somehow ever since becoming a mom of 3, I just can't keep up with everything quite as well (or sorta well) as I used to.  This move, although it was a super exciting one, really wore me out, and once we finally got here, I really just wanted to embrace the time with my family.  So, we've been living life, and enjoying it, and then I'm typically too tired to then document it.  So, I'm trying to cut myself some slack, and be more in the moment and not so concerned with documenting every moment.  With that being said though, I do enjoy recording some favorite memories that my children will one day enjoy looking back on, our friends and family from afar can enjoy, and my sappy self can relive as well. 

 

There's no way I can catch up with everything I haven't documented over the last several months, and I also know there's no way I'll do as good of job with the blog as I once did years ago, but as I hear my son's kindergarten teacher say "Just do your best, and move on!" So that's what I'm doing. 

 

Before jumping in with some bigger moments, a crazy quick summary of big events since my regular blogging:

• Although I'd posted that our house was under contract, it fell through unfortunately.  It was a super sad situation and we ended up taking the house off the market right before our move.  We were blessed with renters, who seem to take good care of the house.  We'll be doing some upgrades and listing it again late summer of 2015.  Lets all pray it sells this time!

• We spent a lot of time in STL this summer for weddings of various family members (Amanda Keyes, Jeff Gross, and Kelly York), and then also again in between our move from Iowa to FL.  Mom and dad were so gracious to be welcoming to us for so long.  We were able to enjoy some time with friends as well as family, which was very special knowing we were moving away and wouldn't be able to visit as frequently.

• Mat drove our moving truck to FL, God bless him, and arrived a few days before the kids and I.  He was sweet enough to paint the kid's rooms for them in order for it to feel special and welcoming for them.  Their rooms were all set up when we arrived.  Mom and I drove the kids down.  We made it within just a couple hours and then had a blowout on the highway.  Thank God no one was hurt, and besides being shaken up emotionally, all was okay in the end. 

• We spent the end of July and beginning of August settling in our new home.  We are renting a great home in St. Augustine, in a neighborhood that we love.  We enjoyed the pools A LOT those first couple months especially, MJ even taking swimming lessons there, and learning how to swim!  Visiting beaches, trying some new restaurants, being outdoors, and just enjoying our new home took most of our time.  We were all in much need of some rest and downtime! 

• We then settled into the new school year with Mat beginning his job at Florida State College-Jacksonville and MJ at kindergarten at Wards Creek Elementary! 

 

 

 

 

 

Sending in my best...

Yes, I know my blog is so behind, but my heart is heavy tonight, which turns to writing as an outlet, so I'll play catch up another time.  Here goes what's weighing on my mind...

Five years.  It sounds like a long time.  If you told me I couldn’t talk to a loved one, use my iPhone, or listen to music for five years, it would sound like an eternity.  But yet somehow, I blinked, and five years passed. Wasn’t it just yesterday I was having contractions wondering “Is this the real thing?” He’s not a newborn, not a toddler, and now not even my preschooler anymore.   Now he’s going off to kindergarten.  It’s kindergarten; it’s not college.  Why am I so emotional?  Am I really being THAT mom?  The moms that I watched, when I was a teacher myself, and thought “seriously?” Yep, I think I’ve become her. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t want MJ to go off to kindergarten.  There have been days when I felt like it couldn’t come soon enough.  I am SO excited for him.  I know he’s going to learn, grow, develop, make friends, gain confidence, and so much more. He needs the routine and structure, and  I look forward to being able to dedicate more special time to the two little ones.  I know all that.  Every logical part of my brain is happy, excited and thankful we even have this healthy child to send off to school.  But then there’s this knot in my stomach and ache in my heart that just isn’t quite ready to share him with the world.  Not quite ready to expose his fragile heart to all the cruelness that society can bring into our schools.  Yes, he’s done preschool since he was two. It’s not like he’s never been away from home.  But it was so minimal, and so Montessori (ie so loving, gentle, and low pressure).  This is different.  This is him away for HOURS in a new building (not to mention a new city and state) that I’m not very familiar with.  He’s not under my watch the majority of the day anymore.  I won’t know the words people speak to him, if he uses his manners, if he eats all of (or any of) his food.  I’m NOT IN CONTROL.  I think that’s the stabbing feeling.  He’s my baby, but somehow I have to release him and trust the world with him.  I no longer call the shots. Thank goodness I believe God will be surrounding him with HIS love and mercy. 

I hope he’s ready.  MJ is such a gentle and kind boy.  I think he’s ready to embrace new friends and learn new things.  I am so incredibly proud of all that he is and who he is.  He’s timid though.  He doesn’t like to try new things unless he thinks he’ll be great at it.  Did I prepare him enough?  Will he be behind the other children?  Will he catch on quickly and soar?  I remember being pregnant with him and thinking of how much I’d work with him during those toddler years.  I unexpectedly became a part time stay at home mom; surely I’d have no excuse.  He’d be reading early, and I’d be putting all my teacher skills to use, right?  After all, I was a Teacher of the Year District Finalist when he was in my womb, so surely I had this down pat, right?  Hmmph…  Life happened.  I read to him LOTS, played games, took him places, and helped foster a love for learning, but there were no flash cards, few learning websites, and no real forced practice of any skills.  If he didn’t want to, I never pushed it.  Instead I cuddled him and showered him with kisses.  It seemed perfect at the time, and I really don’t regret it one bit, but hopefully it was enough.  As a teacher, I remember one of my administrators saying “These parents are sending us their best.  They’re not keeping the good ones at home and sending the worst.  They are sending their best.”  I remember that really tugging at my heart, but I’m not sure I fully got it until now.  As parents, we do our best.  We try our hardest, in the way that we know how, and we hope that we send them off to school ready to learn and love.  Tomorrow, I’m sending off my best. 

I have prayed over the selection of MJ’s teacher.  You see, I always envisioned that I’d be teaching elementary school, and that my children would one day come to the school where I would teach.  I’d practically hand pick their teachers and feel great about the choices.  But again, life happened.  Things changed, and those are not our circumstances.  Instead, I’m in a brand new school district, and about to send my baby to complete strangers.  Those life changes allowed me so much sacred time with MJ during his early years, and I have no regrets, but once again it’s that uncomfortable feeling of relinquishing control and doing so in a situation where I truly am having to put my trust and faith in others.  I am confident though.  We are in the highest ranked school district in the state, a wonderful learning facility that I could’ve only dreamt of for MJ, and a teacher who comes so highly recommended.  Please let her love him, treasure him, and believe in him. 

In my head, I’ve written a letter to her several times over the last few days.  I will never give it to her because I can’t be THAT mom, but in my heart it goes like this…

 

Dear Mrs. Kenyon,

I am so excited to have you as MJ’s kindergarten teacher.  I have prayed that he would be placed with a teacher that was the best fit for him possible, and I am confident that is you.  I know you will have a classroom full of 18 students, and that you have a classroom full of students that come and go each year.  Still,  I believe that you will love, care for, and teach my son,  but I want to be sure you know that I am sending you my best. 

“For this child I have prayed…”  It’s a scripture verse of which I’m sure you’re familiar.  But seriously, for this child I HAVE PRAYED.  There were many months,  that turned into years, where I never thought there would even be a child.  I begged, I cried, and I prayed, and finally after five years and a journey too long to detail in this letter, this child was born.  There was elation, there were tears, and there was more begging.  You see, they told us he may not survive those first 24 hours.  It was dark, so very dark. For this child, I have PRAYED.  This was shocking, this was fear gripping, but then there was good news, and our boy made it.  He was a fighter.  We left the NICU, and they told us that he seemed to be so very healthy but we’d just have to wait and see how he’d develop.  There could be problems that arise during his developmental milestones or once he gets to school.  I shook my head thinking that was the very least of my concern.  My baby was here, my baby was alive, and I was taking him home.  He rolled, he crawled, he walked (quite early even), and he was so very perfect.  Any lingering fears subsided, and I was oh so grateful.  But now we’re here.  Now we’re entering kindergarten, and those words, that cautious tone, and that fear I thought was gone is back in the pit of my stomach.  I’m sending you my best, Mrs. Kenyon.  For this child, I have prayed.  For his teachers, I will pray.  I beg of you to love him (and us) and want so very much for him, even if just half as much as we do. 

I’ve been a teacher myself.  I know there will be days you are so weary.  You’ll be tired, overworked, underpaid, and weighed down by the politics of teaching.  Please teach your heart out anyways.  I know MJ will ask you 100 questions a day and you’ll probably want to silence him.  Please take a deep breath and find a way to encourage his curiousity.  I know my son will be stubborn at times, messy, silly, and distracted.  Please guide him and shape him anyways.  I know he may overreact, cry, or seem sensitive.  Please be firm yet tender with him.  We will support you in all that you do.  We are in your corner, cheering for you, encouraging you ,and singing your praises.  We are sending your our best and asking for your best.  Yes, I know it’s just kindergarten, but for this child I have prayed.  Please love him and teach him for the blessing and miracle I know him to be. 

 

Blog Fail

Well, clearly I stink at blogging lately.  I'm cutting myself some slack though and not offering any apologies.  Truth is, mama has been living life!  I've been enjoying these kiddos, making memories, working, and oh yea...trying to sell a house and prepare for a cross country move.  Being busy is an understatement, so here's a quick recap:  After my last blog, I learned not to put anything in writing until it's official.  The contract on the house fell through.  MAJOR disappointment because we've yet to receive another offer.  This has been a huge stress.  We are moving in just three days now and the house is still on the market.  Perhaps we were incredibly naive to believe we'd sell so easily.  I have such pride in our house as well as some emotional attachment.  I have prayed that a family will purchase it that will love it, like we do, and look forward to their own memories in it.  It just hasn't happened yet, though.  We are debating our options right now, and I'll leave it at that until I know more. 

In happier news:  we move very soon, the kids are nice and healthy, Cooper is growing and changing so much, and we've had lots of wonderful family time lately.  I look forward to posting some pictures and recapping some fave memories in the weeks to come.  For now though, I'm giving myself some grace and realizing that blogging will probably just be behind for awhile.  Life happens...

Another Bend in the Road

One thing is for sure:  We never lead a dull, boring life.  Just when things seem somewhat status quo, there is a change headed our way.  Once again, we have a new bend in our road and are going to be relocating to Florida! 

When we originally left Florida in 2009, it was a VERY hard move for me.  I was at a point where I was very settled in my job, career in general, home, friends, etc. and certainly didn't imagine moving.  Mat had a great career opportunity though, and we made the decision to move to Iowa for him to pursue a career in college teaching.  It was with the understanding that he would gain some experience here, continue his education most likely, and then be able to be a bit more marketable and move on elsewhere (hopefully either back to FL or to MO).  Well, he ended up loving it here at Loras, we settled into Dubuque and enjoyed it as a great town to raise our family in.  Not to mention it didn't end up working out as easily for him to continue his education here.  We were beginning to think that Dubuque might be where we were meant to be long term, hence why we bought this house and spent so much time and money fixing it up. 

Mat has always continued to keep an eye out for jobs that sounded appealing either in MO or FL though.  Despite a couple possibilities in MO over the last couple years, nothing ever amounted to much or seemed more appealing than what he was already doing, so we were getting more and more settled into Dubuque.  I must admit though that Dubuqe has never truly felt like "HOME" to me.  I have found many great qualities in it, and I do believe it's been a great city to have our children in and think I could be happy continuing here.  Something has just kept me from fully connecting though and the winters are just brutal.  I don't like them and can't imagine spending decades enduring the harsh temps and snow.  This winter was especially tough and even had Mat dying for a warmer climate.  It was almost uncanny how right after the New Year there were suddenly a few job opportunities in Florida that Mat was qualified for.  One in particular really stood out as a job he was extremely qualified for and sounded very appealing.  It was for Assistant Professor of Financial Services at Florida State College-Jacksonville.  He applied for this job as well as a couple others, but had a really strong feeling about this particular job. About a month after applying he was contacted for a phone interview.  Shortly there after they asked him to fly down for an on-campus interview, and within days he was offered the position!  It all happened relatively fast, and was very exciting yet nerve wracking. 

Overall, we are SO excited for this opportunity.  We are thrilled to be heading back to Florida, to be able to live close to Jeff once again, and hopefully have my parents down there one day once they are able to semi retire.  It's bittersweet and challenging though as well.  I have felt quite tired and stretched thin as is already.  The idea of a huge move sent my anxiety through the roof!  Not to mention I have finally in the last year felt like I've made some good friends here in Dubuque, and I also hate to see MJ go through a big transition right before starting kindergarten.  On the flip side though, this move comes at a good time so that MJ can in fact move and make new friends now rather than later once he's formed more school friendships.  It's also at a good time in Mat's career before he were to go go through the tenure process at his current job next year.  I know the next couple months are going to be challenging and tiring, but I feel like if we can get through this, we can really get settled into a nice family lifestyle once again, and I overall feel that this will be a great opportunity for our family.  We have a great feeling about the area and school district that we will be moving to.  The job Mat is taking will allow for even more time at home and family time.  We are extremely excited to be able to spend a lot more time with Jeff and look forward to being closer to some friends in FL as well. 

I'm nervous about starting over in a city that's new to us though, and we'd love your prayers for a smooth transition for our family.  We have sold both our homes in Dubuque.  We closed on one already and are set to close on the other on June 2nd.  We will then be staying in St. Louis for a month before moving down to Jacksonville.  Lots of changes ahead! 

Half a Year?!

Little Cooper has been with us for a half of a year already!  Hard to believe this little cutie is 6 months old already.  He was smiling big for his 6 month picture. 

This picture wasn't the best quality, but I just loved his laugh.  He couldn't stop giggling for me.  :)

 

 

 

 

Cooper is now rolling all over the place.  He prefers rolling to being contained for very long.  He likes to roll over to the recliners and then wedge himself underneath it and cry until you rescue him.  Ha!  I don't think that we will see him sitting on his own during this 6th month.  He will with help, but once you let him go, he's pretty content to just lay or roll around.  

 

He sits upright in his Bumbo and has been eating most of his meals like this.  Besides nursing every 3-4 hours, he's now eating baby food 1-2x/day.  He loves about any fruit he's tried as well as sweet potatoes and carrots.  He also likes the little baby puffs and has now began trying a sippy cup with water. I don't think he's managed to drink much, but he's starting to learn the purpose of it.   Last night, he began feeding himself puffs for the very first time.  This is one of my personal favorite milestones.  Ha! Seriously though, a mama can accomplish a lot in the time it takes a baby to self feed a few puffs.  

He continues to love bath time, and is now sitting on the infant/toddler side of his baby bath tub.  He loves to splash and wiggle around. I remember how MJ used to just scream and scream when we'd take him out of the bath, but Cooper continues with the smiles and giggles most times and seems to love getting lotioned up and dressed in cozy jammies. 

At six months, Cooper is continuing to wake during the nights at least once.  He's quite inconsistent, and just when I think we're getting into a pattern, it changes.  Once a night I can handle, but there are the occasional nights he wakes 3x, and that is quite hard, especially on the days where I have to be up early for work the next morning! He is always sleeping in his crib at night time now, and he does most naps in his crib as well but still has the occassional nap in his swing.   This kid loves to nurse, and I think is very comforted by it.  Our house is rather busy and full of noise from the other kiddos, so in a way I can sense that it's his quiet, comforting time just with mommy.  As much as I'd like my sleep, I do treasure that time, and know that all too soon it will be gone.  He goes to sleep wonderfully on his own at night as well as in the middle of the night after waking to eat, so luckily we've got that going for us! 

First time riding upright in a stroller

 

I bought this stroller last year with the vision of having Charlotte and Cooper riding side by side for lots of walks, zoo trips, etc.  We finally had some nice weather during April and were able to put it to use with these two!  MJ rode his bike alongside us and it worked out perfectly!  I can't wait for the weather to warm up again and stay warm, so we can take walks more consistently! 

 

 

Cooper was a happy little guy waiting on Dr. Scott for his 6 month appointment.  This also served as his hospital stay follow-up appointment.  Cooper seems to be doing pretty well.  I've had a couple little concerns regarding his breathing and this choking/coughing type sound he does from time to time.  The doctor ordered another lung X-ray just to be sure his lungs were clear, and while they weren't perfect, she said it wasn't something she would treat with antibiotics.  Overall, it was good news.  She does think that he may just have enlarged adenoids, and it might be something we'll have to look into further and/or deal with in the future.  We would need to consult with an ENT to further diagnose this.  Otherwise, Cooper checked out quite well.  He's growing and developing right on track.  His current 6 month stats are:  18.7 pounds (60%), 27.5 inches in length (78%) and head circumference of 44.5cm (65%).