Family Photos

Back in early November, we had some family pictures taken.  We hadn't had professional family pictures taken since becoming a family of five, and I was starting to feel a bit guilty about our canvases that hung on the wall of just the four of us.  I made a new friend here in St. Augustine, Astreia, who happens to love photography and does it as a small business on the side.  We met up with her at Rivertown park just a short ways from our house, and had some fun!!  Well, fun that includes trying to get everyone ready, napped, fed, happy and cooperative....so I guess the word "fun" is debatable.  After some pictures in the past that I stressed over way too much, I tried to have a more relaxed attitude this time and just go with it.  The kids had fun and did pretty well!  It was great capturing Cooper just after he'd turned a year old.  In true Keli style, I am just now getting around to sharing my favorites and hanging them on our living room wall.  Hey, it only took me 7 months!  :)

It's a Whole New World!

When I was little, kindergarten was a half day.  I honestly don't have too many memories of it, but I remember playing and doing crafts with my friends.  I remember being picked up each afternoon and going to my grandma's or great grandma's house, having lunch, and sometimes even taking a nap.  If there were standardized tests, benchmark assessments, sight words to memorize, and high standards, I certainly was oblivious. 

 For the most part, I'd say MJ is oblivious to the standards set in place for him as well, but I do know that he goes for a full day, certainly doesn't take a nap, and the teachers are overwhelmed with the amount of curriculum they have to cover!  MJ began the year feeling very excited about going to kindergarten. We were so excited for him as well.  Of course, like all parents sending off their first child to elementary school, it was very bittersweet.  It marked the end of an era in our home.  No more having all my babies at home at the same time.  But it brought about some nice changes as well.  

After attending MJ's Meet the Teacher night, he had a couple tasks to complete before his first day of school.  He was to complete this All About Me sheet and decorate a surfboard for his cubby (his classroom has a surf/beach theme).  It was so fun doing these little activities with him!  

 All set for the first day with a little gift for his teacher!

My sweet boy on his last night of summer before beginning kindergarten.  He's still a crazy sleeper.  :)  So innocent and so much awaits him...  

First day smiles and poses before leaving for school...

 This pic was taken 7 months ago (sooo behind on blogging), and it blows me away how much they've changed since this picture.  I think Charlotte's hair has grown 6 inches then!

 Thank you, God, for this beautiful gift.  Please world, treat him gently...

And there he goes

The school system here does a staggered start for kindergarten.  Seems pretty genius to me!  It was so much less overwhelming for him and for the teachers as his well.  His teacher is able to take a moment with each child as they arrive, showing them the process of where to put their bags, how to unpack, how to check in, where to sit, etc. etc etc. 

 Receiving directions from Mrs. Kenyon at his cubby

 MJ was then shown to his seat and was able to begin a coloring activity.  No tears whatsoever.  He was such a big boy and so excited for his day!  Mat had to head off to work after we left, but I'm so glad that both Mat and I were able to experience his very first day together.  Charlotte and Cooper came along, too, and Charlotte was the only one who shed a few tears I think.  She thought kindergarten looked pretty fun!  Her, Cooper, and I went to go grab some breakfast afterwards.  Then, at home, she was such a sweet helper and helped me bake an after school treat for MJ.

MJ came home all smiles and happy about his first day.  We let him pick anywhere he wanted to eat to celebrate his first day, and he chose Subway (or Subways, as he calls it). Ha!  Then, we visited DQ for some ice cream of course!  

 Loved this kissing hand poem that came home the first day.  Mama will treasure this one for years to come!  His teacher read The Kissing Hand on the first day, and each parent had written a note to their child on a little handprint, that she later gave to them. 

 Not quite as eventful, but here's MJ's second day of kindergarten and the first official day with all of his classmates.  Let the real fun begin!

A little kindergarten homework practicing recognition of color words.

So, kindergarten started off great.  MJ seemed quite tired when he came home, but overall in good spirits and looked forward to going to school each day.  Then, at the end of the second week of school this happened...

MJ woke up in the middle of the night sick.  And this poor little guy was SICK to his stomach.  He missed school for 2 days with the stomach bug.  It really wiped him out, and he was pretty pitiful that first night.  He bounced back pretty quickly though and seemed ready to return to school, but then things began to change.

It's way too long and complicated to begin to explain it all in a blog, but the gist was that it seemed like a switch flipped.  Our happy, excited little boy suddenly seemed to change.  It was like everything caught up with all at once and his brain revolted.  The parents in us felt like the big move, the huge change in mental and physical expectations, and the tiredness really took its toll on him.  He was acting out in a BIG way at home (never at school luckily), screaming (and I mean SCREAMING) and crying at night when it was time to go to bed or time to get in the car to go to school.  He was demonstrating sensory issues, struggling with fine motor skills, being defiant with us, having toddler like tantrums and I am not dramatizing it any way.  IT WAS HARD.  Our hearts were literally breaking for him.  We met with his teacher and the guidance counselor within a couple days of each other.  We were so concerned for him.  It took everything we had out of of us.  Literally at the end of the night, when we'd finally get him to bed, we would just collapse.  We had nothing left to give.  It took its toll on all of us. I felt guilty to the other kids, felt desperate to help my little boy, and felt so alone in what we were experiencing, too.  It was a hard thing to talk about.  My friends, Meg and Mindy, were so great about letting me vent to them through texts and questions, and even new friends at church were praying for MJ. Jeff helped watch our little ones so we could both attend those meetings, and my parents would check in on him often.  We kept feeling like it was just him reacting to such big changes and expectations rather than a true learning or behavior problem, but it's so hard not to doubt yourself.  Finally though through prayer, patience, consistency, and time we saw MJ turn the corner.  We kept a very detailed behavior chart for him with very specific goals.  He was able to work towards those goals through positive reinforcement, and it really began to make a difference.  In the overall scheme of things, the phase was pretty short lived.  In the trenches though, it felt like forever, and I remember thinking I had failed my child by moving him here and putting him in a school where he knew no one.  I'm glad I'm writing this now though rather than months earlier, while in the midst of it.  The perspective has allowed me to grow in my parenting, see his overall development and maturing, and perhaps be more prepared for how intensely big changes may effect him in the future.  I am so proud of this little boy of mine.  He has worked hard and made great strides this year.  He really has morphed from a baby into a little boy.  You always hear that the changes in kindergarten are unbelievable.  It is certainly true.  I'm so glad we came through that phase.  

I can now say that kindergarten is a positive place for MJ.  He loves his teacher, has made some great friendships, and has really strengthened his skills.  I'm amazed at how much his fine motor skills developed within a few months.  He's now reading SO many sight words, reads books to us, and is so inquisitive.  

I'm a Mess!

I'm just a mess.  Seriously.  I'd like to begin with " I really fell behind with the blog, and I am ready to get all caught up and back on track," buuuuut, I think the blog and I have had a little coming to Jesus kind of meeting, and we all know the truth.  Keli just can't keep up.  I'm done apologizing to myself about it, and I'm done thinking how poor Cooper is such a third child and will never have any memories to read back on his baby years (but seriously, poor kid).  This is me.  As much as I worry and stress over being good at all things in my life, the truth is I'm just a mess.  The whole "the days are long, but the years are short" phase is in full effect.  God gets me through it, and if in the end when all is said and done, I'm pretty sure life will carry on whether or not I documented it through pictures and blogging. 


With that being said though, I do LOVE writing.  I LOVE my kids, my husband, and my life, and I myself enjoy rereading the memories from time to time.  I think after the move, getting settled, and the oh-so-fun kindergarten transition, I was just wiped out!  My mind and body were done, and any free moment I had, I collapsed on the couch or in my bed and the last thing on my mind was sharing any pictures and writing of my exhaustion.  I feel like I'm coming out of the fog though, trying to get my mojo back, and am starting with a clean slate.  There's no way, I can go back and try to recap every fun (and not so fun) family moment that has taken place over the last nine months, but I'm determined to record a few highlights, and lowlights, and then move on.  We will just wait and see how I keep up from there. 


So, kids....in 20 years from now when perhaps you're reading this, please forgive your tired mommy and know that you were and are so incredibly loved, even if I wasn't blabbing about you on the internet. 

Before We Go...

Things were so busy before we moved to Florida, but we were really fortunate to have a couple weeks to spend in Dubuque just soaking up some of our favorite family activities before we left.  A quick recap of a few...

The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium has been very good to us during our time in Dubuque.  For a town the size of Dubuque, it's quite a nice attraction and our kids really enjoyed it.  We purchased a Family Membership three years in a row and really got our money's worth.  It was a great way for me to be able to get the kids out of the house in the cold winter months, even when having a new baby.  Both Charlotte and Cooper spent a few visits there just sleeping in their stroller the whole time while a big sibling played in the water table areas.  We also went as a family quite a few times, met for play dates, and took guests there as well.  It was one of our must-do spots to hit up one last time.  

Mom and Dad enjoy the 3D movies a bit more than the kids!  :)

 Lots of good times with the turtles!

 Driving a boat on his own

 In the meantime, Cooper continued to grow and grow.  Babies certainly don't slow down during big life changes.  This was his last monthly snapshot taken in Dubuque.  Bittersweet...

 This tub was one of my favorite things in our Dubuque house.  It was narrow and deep, and perfect for bath time.  The kid's didn't have too many baths in it all three together, but this was there last one.  

MJ was sure to ask if we could visit the "zoo" before moving.  I use the term zoo loosely because although it's called Storybook Zoo, it's more like a small farm and park.  It's free, it's cute, and it's perfect for little ones who tire out within an hour tops.  It's been neat seeing our family grow as we've visited this zoo over the summers each year.  I remember seeing MJ toddle around there and feed the animals for the first time, some hot visits while pregnant, and everything in between.  

 Thanks for the memories, Storybook Zoo!

 Saying goodbye to friends was especially hard.  Mat gathered with several past students for a special going away gathering, my girlfriends there threw a surprise going away party for us (unfortunately Charlotte got so sick and had to stay home with Mat), and I had a couple lunches and girls night out with a couple closer friends.  Moving on is always so bittersweet.  Leaving friends is so hard but the new opportunities are so exciting.  It's hard of course for a five year old to grasp that though, and saying goodbye to Brody was especially tough for MJ.  Brody was our next door neighbor.  He and MJ didn't even become buddies until just this past summer.  Literally, the last week of school is when they suddenly connected, and they were inseparable after that.  They would play together outside nearly every evening, talk to each other through the windows, and loved riding bikes together.  

Just some of our going away party kid-crew.  

MJ, Jackson, Skyler, Max, Kylie, Mia, Whitney, and Elliot

Last but not least, my sweet babies last nights in our Grandview house.  This house holds some pretty special memories...

One of my requirements of making this move was hiring packers!  Unfortunately it didn't go nearly as well as I'd hoped for.  Luckily though, I didn't know that when this pic was taken.  The kids and I loaded up and headed to St. Louis.  We spent a week there while Mat oversaw the packers and got a head start on driving the moving truck to FL.  And we're off....well, at least on the first part of our trek to Florida.

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!