Doodlebug - Tally Mark 60 - Part 2

-Will only drink his chocolate milk with a straw.
-Is still rockin' the blonde hair even though we were afraid he would have lost it by now (like his big bro).
-Loves doing "rock and roll" hair for church (fake mohawk).
-Still says Coldplay is his favorite.
-Has had intermittent diarrhea for the last six months. I believe it has something to do with cheddar cheese.
-Wakes up multiple times every week, crying from growing pains in his legs. Poor kid!
-Will eat lettuce and tomatoes but prefers his cheeseburgers with just cheese and the patty.
-Doesn't know the name of one of his baseball coaches so he calls him Fireman Coach.
-Likes watching "Barbie" on Netflix.
-Whispers if he has to tell me something in the morning and I'm still asleep.
-Says he has magic eyes.
-Does not like automatic flushing toilets.
-Is brave enough to give prayers, talks, and recite the scripture in Primary.
-Favorite color is green.
-Is trying hard to not cry and whine so much, now that he's five.
-But pardon me while I go cry because my little stinker is a whole hand.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 60 - Part 1

Dear RieRie,

One of my favorite songs to sing to you is "Oh My RieRie!" to the tune of "Oh My Darling, Clementine". And my favorite part is when you sing it back to me saying, "Oh My Mommy!" Even though you say Mommy in the song, you normally call me Mama and I absolutely love it. Yes, you're a big five year old now but when you call me Mama, it reminds me you'll always be my baby.

This has been a great year for you! First off, you finally got to play baseball! After four years of watching The Lime play, it was finally your turn and you've done AWESOME. You thrive at every position you play; always down and ready. You know that all of your games are written in red on the calendar so you're able to see when your next one is. The day of your game, as soon as you wake up, you ask if you can get dressed but that's usually nine hours before your game so I have you wait. Then, throughout the day, you ask if it's time. You just love to play and it's hard to be patient sometimes but when 4:00 rolls around, you're SO excited things can get rolling. And as soon as that game is over, you get pumped for the next.

You've had to spend more time at babysitters' houses in the last year any other time in your life. And with how shy you are, you've done surprisingly well. You especially liked going to Ben's house and you didn't even want to leave the last time you were over there. With school starting in less than four months, you're going to make even more friends and, hopefully, work your way out of your shell even more.

You are a monster on your scooter, always zipping around at a speed that makes my heart skip a beat. You've skidded so many times, your back tire is a square. It makes for an interesting sound :) I can always tell where you are at the baseball field; I just have to look for the Evel Knievel helmet. But I think it's about time we move you up to a bike, a REAL bike. Maybe Santa will bring you one for Christmas?

Puzzles are still your strongpoint. Your little mind loves figuring things out and puzzles are the perfect challenge. You also LOVE Transformers for the exact same reason. The 8+ toys are right up your alley but they always stump me. You definitely get that attribute from Daddy.

I'm convinced you've been growing nonstop for the last six months because you're always hungry. Thank goodness you're a great eater and request things like blueberries or strawberries. But goodness gracious, if you're like this at five, I don't know how I'm going to keep up when you're sixteen.

Speaking of great eating, when I asked you what you wanted for your birthday dinner, you said pizza and salad. "Salad like the one we just had," you said. That would be Caesar salad. What five year old asks for salad for their birthday dinner?! You do tell me you hate broccoli, though, but always eat it when it's given to you. Hot dogs are not your favorite and I think it's because of the texture. Interestingly enough, you are more than willing to eat corn dogs.

You have a great eye for bugs and tell me when you see one in the house. You also don't go in the bathtub if there's one in there, even if it's a tiny fly. But you're more than happy to play with them outside. Potato Bugs have been known to make their way home with us from school but you kindly put them in the grass when we arrive, so they can go back to their families. You love pointing out butterflies and you move across the street if you see bees.

You are kind and sensitive, hilarious and quirky, shy but talkative with those you feel comfortable with. You have been just what I needed this year to feel peace and happiness. I've treasured these five years I've had you all to myself and I'm excited to see where you go from here.

I love you so much!

Mama

The Lime - Tally Mark 108 - Part 2

-Is growing his hair out. We'll see how long it gets, and how crazy is makes everyone, before we breakdown and cut it.
-Says "Let's go!" every time he gets excited about something.
-After eating salami nearly every day for lunch since kindergarten, he's now willing to take ham.
-Has also been known to take a Caesar salad.
-Still has Lucifer; sleeps with it, takes it on trips, sniffs its back when he's sitting on the couch.
-Likes to read (so unlike his parents).
-Wants to play basketball next fall instead of baseball.
-Wears a 5.5 shoe, medium shirt, and size 10 pants.
-Has to coordinate his clothes/shoes/hats. If he wears a Nike shirt, everything else (down to his socks) have to be Nike. Same goes for Under Armour.
-Still has a REALLY hard time saving money.
-Would play with our neighbor, Logan, all day/every day if he could.
-Hates breakfast but tolerates an apple sauce pouch each morning.
-Is slowly but surely learning how to tie a necktie.
-No longer watches regular TV, just YouTube.
-Is definitely my child. A classmate touched the cap of his water bottle and he insisted I take it home and wash it before he used it again.
-Still likes to pretend and can often be heard making race car sounds.
-Even though he's almost bigger than me, he still asks if I can carry him to bed every once in a while.
-Has a bit of an attitude and likes to tell us to "hold on."
-I'd like to tell him to "hold on" when it comes to growing up and stay my little Lime forever!

The Lime - Tally Mark 108 - Part 1

Dear Freddy,

I love that you still let me call you Freddy. In fact, you insist I call you Freddy. The other day, Tyler (the boy we babysit) asked who Freddy was and you quickly replied with, "ME!"

While this time is always so exciting for you, mainly because you can't wait to find out what your presents will be, it's a little hard for me. I always go back to the first January 17th and I think about all the work my body went through to prepare for your arrival. Now I just think about how it's my last day to savor you at a particular age. Like how when I kissed you goodnight last night, it was the last time I'd be doing it with you as an 8 year old.

But this letter isn't about me. It's about you!

A few months into 2018, we weren't sure where we'd end up. More than anything, Daddy and I wanted to keep our lives (your life) as close to the way its been as possible. We were worried you wouldn't be at the same school, with the same baseball league, or near your friends like you've been the last 5 years. Thankfully, we were able to move down the street and you gained a great friend next door.

We knew about Logan, just from seeing him at school or in the neighborhood, but you hadn't built a relationship with him. That quickly changed this summer and you two hit it off immediately. You both go back and forth between our houses, you play in the court across the street, and all I can think about is how grateful I am you have someone right next door you can call a good friend.

All of the first-fifth graders at your school participate in the Morning Walk (where we walk around the perimeter of the playground until the bell rings). The teachers help with the yard duty during this time and all the way back in first grade, you noticed a particular teacher on the basketball courts. From that point on, you hoped and wished she would be your third grade teacher. Imagine your excitement when you saw the class lists posted for third grade and you saw you were in her class. She thinks just as highly of you and I'm so glad everything worked out in your favor.

You got your first taste of AA baseball last fall to help you for the upcoming spring season. Every season, you come to the conclusion that your favorite position is _________ (it changes every year). This time, you tried your hand at pitching and decided you really like it. I'm anxious to see you work hard in the next few months and magnify your talents. Every time someone asks you what you want to be when you grow up, you tell them a professional baseball player. If that ends up happening, I can't wait to share all of your little league stories and photos!

The other night, I forget exactly what we were doing but I pretended to cry and, without hesitation, you got a concerned look on your face and knelt down to get a better look at my face. "She's joking," said Daddy. But I was taken back because you did the EXACT same this as a toddler. If anyone fake (or really) cried, you were the first one to see what was wrong and try to console them. I love that even though you're growing out of the little kid phase, you still harbor the same wonderful qualities.

Like pretending. When Auntie Amy and her family were over on Christmas, you, your brother, and your cousins dressed up and were playing some game. Auntie Amy looked at me and said, "I love that he still pretends!" We were getting ready to leave for the Pinewood Derby tonight and I could hear you making car sounds in your bedroom as you were getting your shoes on. You beg the boys we babysit to play Cops & Robbers with you. Please be a pretender forever! It's quite possibly my favorite thing about you.

Thank you for trying, most of the time, to do the right thing. Thank you for doing your homework every night. Thank you for still wanting to snuggle with us and for ensuring we give you a kiss goodnight. Thank you for watching our for your little brother. You two are going to have so much fun at the same school in the next two years. Thank you for coming to our family and being the best Lime we could have ever asked for.

I hope this year is simply amazing for you.

Love you tons!

Mommy

Lake Tahoe 2018

My brother called me on Wednesday letting me know he was in Reno visiting his friend Jesse and asked if we wanted to meet them in Tahoe on Friday.  I immediately texted LaVor to see if he thought he'd be able to take the day off.  Within a few hours, he said he was off and I let me brother know we'd be at the beach with bells on.

We haven't seen my brother and his family for two years, since my dad's heart surgery, and we hadn't seen Jesse and his family since The Lime's baby blessing (say what?!?!).  We all picked up right where we left off, including the kids, and had a wonderful few hours under the sun.

Our boys (the little ones) immediately jumped in the frigid cold water and just about froze their buns off.  They'd get out of he water, complain how cold they were, then jump right back in.  This process was repeated multiple times throughout the day.

Other brave souls jumped in the lake but I was not one of them. Unless I was sitting directly in the sun, I was cold and I knew the second I went in the water, I'd never be able to recover. And honestly, I hate being cold so exposing my skin to the harsh Lake Tahoe sun was good enough for me.

We saw fellow beach goers jump off poles into the middle of the lake, a mama duck and her babies, and more geese and ducks than we wanted (dang, do they beg!).

The wives chatted, the husbands chatted, everyone snacked, and the kids played until it was time to go. We had to be back home for The Lime's baseball party so on the road we went but because I'm my father's daughter, I had to take a few group photos before packing up.

We've realized we've visited Lake Tahoe for the last three summers and don't know why we don't visit more often. We'll see what happens in the next 12 months.

2nd Grade in the Bag

Seriously, folks! How has another school year gone by?! This has been a little bit of a dramatic 10 months (who knew 8 year old boys could be so catty?) but also a fun one.

I had the opportunity to be the Music Docent for The Lime's class this year. Even though I had no clue what I was doing most of the time, I ended up having fun and I think the kids learned a thing or two. Also, I felt like it gave me a chance to get to know The Lime's teacher a little bit better and vice versa.

I also got to be the Classroom Photographer, even though there were parents who are professional photographers, so I got to attend all the parties and special events at school.

It was neat to see The Lime's report card on the last day of school and the improvement he's made in all his subjects. He still prefers recess over everything else but he's really taken a liking to reading this year, even more than last. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is his favorite and he begs for a new copy every time we go to Costco.

Although we were grateful he got Mrs. Lee (actually, more grateful he didn't get a certain teacher), I was a little unsure about her after being in the classroom for the first time. She seemed a little rough with the kids and was quick to reprimand. But after being around her more, I realized she's a lot like me and we ended up building a neat relationship. She even came up to me on the last day of school and made a note to tell me how much she appreciated all my help throughout the year and said I was her favorite parent volunteer. Bless her heart! It brought a tear to my eye and made me sad to have to leave her (I always get sad on the last day of school).

The Lime was more than ready for summer to begin and kiss 2nd grade goodbye.  He's known who he wants his 3rd grade teacher to be since 1st grade (I think because he thinks she's cute) so we'll see what happens.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 48 - Part 2

-Spends too much time on the iPad watching YouTube.
-Is an early riser. Sometimes too early, like before the sun comes up.
-Says the sweetest prayers.
-Still gets the hiccups if he laughs too much.
-Hates when people watch him.
-Wears a bowtie to church every week.
-Always takes a handful of Sacrament bread and keeps his cup.
-Thinks he rules the world.
-Likes to say, "What da heck?!" and "Oh my goodness!"
-Will occasionally have PB&J for lunch but still prefers quesadillas.
-Says all sodas are spicy.
-Prefers to apply his own suntan lotion.
-Insists we look at the toys every time we go to Target.
-Is no longer afraid of ladybugs. In fact, he treats them the same as he does babies.
-Likes to exercise so he gets big muscles.
-Gets excited when he sees the letter F.
-Doesn't like loud noises.
-Likes to do different things with his fingers; I love you, rock & roll, and shaka brah.
-I give him two thumbs up for being the best RieRie!