A Circus and a Birthday Daddy

(Just a note: I'm pretty sure that if you click on that empty space just above, it'll take you to a web album of pictures related to the following post. I'll check back in a couple of days and see if it's working properly. Okay...on with the show!)

I'm starting to freak out a bit! It turns out, we may not be able to take Shadow with us to our new place and I'm getting really worried about him! Not to mention my kids, who are very attached. We'll see...

This was a fun week. Anthon had a circus at Preschool, and we celebrated Kirk's birthday, which isn't for another two days, but he's going to be swamped this week, so we did it early. It's nice that he'll be the same age as me again. I never would have thought that I would marry someone younger than me. Having always been the youngest among my friends, it never really entered my thought process. It's turned out okay, though. He'll do. :)

I am really loving my kiddos lately. I feel like I try to always appreciate them and the time I have with them, but sometimes I just feel really super attached! They are my favorite kids in the world, and I adore them. They make me laugh, and cry, and bring so much joy to my life!

Tonight while we were reading Go Dog, Go!, Erilyn's choice for storytime, she spent the whole time either jumping on the couch, pumping her arms in the air, and shouting, "Dah! Dah! Dah!" (Which means dog.), or running around the living room in circles, laughing. How adorable?! And I finally got her curls right. We've tried again and again to curl her hair, and today it finally worked perfectly. It was adorable. I wish I would have taken a picture. And Anthon looked so handsome today for Church! I remember looking into the back seat on the way to Church and thinking, my children are so beautiful--inside and out!

And Anthon has been getting good reports both from his Primary teachers as well as from his Preschool teachers and I am so relieved. For a while, I really wondered if he'd ever settle down enough to make it through either church or school. He's still my silly little smarty pants, but he's learning to control his body better. Finally! I remember talking to Steve about it a year or so ago and being really worried, and he did such a good job of giving me hope! I'm so thankful for great brothers and sisters! And I'm so glad that Anthon and Erilyn love each other, and, perhaps even better, they like each other. They're really falling into roles that complement each other. Anthon is anxious to help Erilyn and humors her when she wants to chase him, and Erilyn continues to adore Anthon and follow him around everywhere. I just love watching their relationship grow. It's great.

We're excited to see Grandma and Grandpa Schramm this week! And Uncle Daryl and Carla! Although, I have to say, I'm a little apprehensive about making the 13 hour drive to Memphis alone with the kids. Part of me is dreading it, and part of me is gearing up for the challenge. Fortunately, my kids are really starting to be road warriors, so I think we'll make it all in one piece! I should have some good pics to post after the trip! Til then...

Park Days and Conference Crafts

One of the things we tried to do with the kids to keep them busy, but still within earshot of Conference was set up a table on our back porch with painting crafts for them to do. It worked for about an hour. They both happily painted the salt dough shapes we made a few days ago, the table, the chairs, the cement, and their faces. I think I'll call it a tie: the solid hour was great to be able to pay attention to the talks, but then we had quite a mess to clean up. They were sure cute, though!



Erilyn has also learned how to climb up to the slides herself and she loves it! She's a great park player now and loved following Anthon around the park. She very literally copies almost everything he does. It's cute...for now!

Kindergarten Tears

I attended an orientation today at the school where Anthon will be attending kindergarten. For most of the time, all the kindergarten aged kids went with the teachers to see their classrooms, etc, and as I watched Anthon line up and follow his teacher out, my heart just sank, and I started tearing up. He's my little boy! I know he's ready for kindergarten, but I'm not ready for him to go. Then the principal started talking about how children who have been taught to be independent usually excel better at school and can be self-learners and so it's important for us as parents to start getting ready to cut the apron strings a little. And that did NOT help me feel better. It just makes me so sad to think he won't be home with me anymore, and that I won't be the only adult voice he hears (along with Kirk), and that I won't have so much influence over him anymore. I'm just not ready for him to grow up! Once he starts kindergarten, it'll never be the same again. For him and me, or for our family. This chapter is really hard for me to close. Fortunately, I have a few more months to get ready to open the next chapter. Hopefully that'll be enough time.