(No) Labor Day Weekend

(I just realized today that I never actually published this.  Sorry for the old news and the old pictures for those of you on facebook).

I love holiday weekends.  There’s just something about them that makes me drop everything that needs to/has to/should be done and just relax.  Even better is when we get to relax with people we love. (And this late post is exactly what happens when I drop everything for 3 days-I end up playing catch-up the rest of the week.  UGH!)

LAST Sunday was our birthday buddy celebration.  (I think I’ve mentioned these before).  All the adults in our family have birthdays close together, so we celebrate them 2 at a time.  We headed to Ames to celebrate my birthday and my mama’s.  Katie had a lovely table set in the shade of their beautiful backyard.  It was a perfect day and all the littles enjoyed playing outside.

Later in the day, “Uncle” Tim drove in from Omaha to hang out for the weekend.  He’s always a good time and the boys ADORE him (he is a rockstar you know).

Monday dawned early with a crazy game of dart wars.

Then we headed downtown to the Sculpture Park.  We LOVE this place.

My favorite is Nomade.  The boys love finding their names within his walls.

And probably the most fun the boys had this weekend was flying their kite.  I’ve had it for about 2 years now and had yet to pull it from the box.  Every once in a while Liam asks to fly it and it’s never been a good time.  Monday was perfectly windy and warm.  The boys headed to Gav’s school because it has the best open field.

And to round out the weekend, the boys had a jam session with Tim.

We’re excited to head to Omaha in a few weeks to hang out with Tim some more and our good friends the Garretts. Yay!

What Have I Done???

I waged war last night with my middle son and lost horribly.  He is now the EXTREMELY proud owner of those ATROCIOUS light up Lighting McQueen shoes.  If you know me, you know that I HATE cartoony characters on my kids’ clothing.  It actually drives me crazy. I know. I shouldn’t care.  BUT I DO.  I prefer the styles of Gap, Old Navy, and Crewcuts.  I like when my boys look like hip little gentlemen.

Here’s the deal.  The Middlest has been feeling very blue lately.  This whole school thing with Gav-being jealous and missing his big brother and not being able to do everything that he gets to do.  Every day, he tells me feels sick and needs me to hold him.  He’s had more meltdowns in the last few weeks than I care to remember.  I know some of it is that he’s just 3.  He’s testing the waters, pushing the limits, trying my patience.

So last night, we were discussing the fact that Gav will be starting soccer soon and I pulled out some cleats for him to try on.  (These were my nephew’s and in no way are they new, but that didn’t matter to Liam).  You should have seen the sad little puppy dog look he gave me when I told him that I didn’t have any other cleats for him because he’s not playing soccer right now.  He suddenly didn’t feel good again and was so bummed.  My heart broke for the middlest who gets EVERYTHING handed down, and who never gets to experience anything first.

I decided that it was time for Liam to get some new shoes (his hand-me-down Nikes were lookin pretty worn).  So we headed to the mall and that was our first mistake.  I should have known that this McQueenhead would immediately go for the UGLY crazy shoes.  Josh tried his hardest to get him interested in the super cute Pumas and Nikes, but this boy wasn’t having it.  None of those “fit” but sure enough, the McQueen shoes “fit perfectly”.  (And I wasn’t about to spend $40 on shoes that he didn’t want).

You should have seen the looks Josh and I were giving over his head.  We were battling our inner desires for our son to wear normal shoes that would go with more than one outfit.  And then it hit me.  It’s just a pair of shoes.  This boy, being the independent spirit that he is, will probably wear a lot of things growing up that I don’t care for.  But you know what?  He left that store (wearing them) feeling on top of the world.  He was the only brother who got new shoes last night and he is darn proud of those ugly things.  And I can just hope that his feet keep growing as fast as they have been!

It’s Quiet

It’s almost TOO quiet around here.  I miss Mr. Gavin.  He’s almost got a full week of school under his belt and things couldn’t be going better.  At least I think.  He’s still all about recess and snack time and I don’t get much else out of him.  Since he only goes half day and the rest of the class goes all day, the teacher sends him quietly out the door usually with a thumbs up.  That’s all the news I get. I suppose if things weren’t going so well I’d be hearing about it.  He did tell Grandma yesterday that one of the little girls at his table looks like a fairy.  I think there’s a bit of a crush developing!

It’s been nice to get back into a routine again.  We all thrive on structure, and while the laziness of summer is nice, it’s been good to have a plan each morning.  We’re out the door by 8:10 to walk (an added bonus that I get some exercise while taking him to school).  Once we’re home, Tate’s usually ready for a nap, and I’ve had a blast hanging out with Liam.  Who, by the way, starts “art school” next Thursday and couldn’t be more excited.  Poor guy.  He longs to be bigger. (He takes his backpack with him EVERY day when we walk Gav to school). 

With Gav at school and Tate napping most of the morning, I have a lot more time to get things done.  I thought I’d be excited, but I kind of miss the chaos that 3 boys bring.  I know how extremely important school is for G, but we do really miss him!  With that being said, we all seem to be getting along much better in the afternoons!