First Day of Preschool

This morning, Jackson started a new class at Preschool. I can already tell that i am going to love his new teacher, Mrs. White. She is so cute & so sweet! (And it helped that the first thing she said to me when i picked him up today was, "You have a sweet boy!") I can already tell a big difference in the classroom this year vs last year. There are 15 kids in his class (vs 8 last year) & 2 teachers (an assistant, Mrs. Hensley) vs. 1 teacher last year. The classroom is set up with centers & just seems more like Kindergarten to be honest. When we went to open house last week, i teared up when i walked in because it was just a flash of what is to come next year. Mrs. White used to teach 2nd grade before she became a mommy & now she teaches pre-k so she can be home when her kids are home in the afternoons. So i feel like Jackson is in excellent hands & that she knows what he needs to learn before REALLY starting school next fall. Here are some pics from this morning.....

Eli really wanted to help carry something, so we let him carry the lunchbox.
Jackson & Mrs. White after the day was over....
Apparently, they talked about the story, The Kissing Hand. If you have never read it.... it is a tear jerker if you are sending your kid off to school! But it is a sweet story! Here is his raccoon mask from the story.....

More Camping!

We went camping again with Jeremy & Marie (& Kaleb) for the labor day holiday weekend. Boy are we worn out! We left EARLY friday morning (in fact, Randy said, "7:30?!" when we said we were leaving that early!) & came home monday afternoon. If you can believe it, i only took a handful of pictures because we were basically spending our time between the camper to snack & the pool to swim & then back to the camper to potty! The kids seriously wanted to eat all weekend but i guess swimming does that to you! We met new friends while we were there all the way from Ohio! They had kids very close to our kids ages (a 5 year old, nathan & a 21 month old, hayden). Jackson & Nathan played together a lot at the pool. Kristen (their mommy) & I found out how much we had in common - which was astounding! And their daddy even plays the mandolin! Seriously, how many people do YOU know that play the mandolin? Or can even really appreciate the ability to play one? But seriously, i was pretty bummed that they live in Ohio, because if this family lived in our neighborhood, they would be such close friends- i just know it! But onto the (few) camping photos....

The big boys got to ride Kaleb's new double seater power wheels (truck) a little- but i have to be honest, it was a source of stress (on many levels) so they did more packing & unpacking the bed of the truck than anything (after they about ran into the neighbor's REALLY nice "big rig.")

We also tend to break a lot of rules/routines when we camp (which to those of you who really know me, know this isn't easy for me). Eli slept with daddy for naps instead of his pack & play a few afternoons.... { on a tanget here, this was mainly because last weekend we took Eli's pacifier for the second time. Do you remember how the first time went? Well, it was bad enough that he got it back! So, this time, we didn't give in, which meant that we have been doing all we can to survive. Since we were also inflicting this horror onto others during this trip, one of us either laid beside him while he fell asleep in the pack & play, or we held him to get him to sleep for EACH nap & at bedtime! I feared coming back home after all that, but i am thinking maybe it helped because when i came into the hallway tonight, i said "RANDY!? Is Eli in the bed?!" because he wasn't crying (aka: screaming to the point of dry heaving) like he had EVERY night since last weekend! Soooooo...... maybe we are on the upside of this whole pacifier thing!}

Other breaks in routine included:

Jackson & Kaleb only took ONE nap the entire trip (this was a biggie for me! i know you are all proud of my flexibility here!) & so this meant they were EXHAUSTED at bedtime..... but even so, we didn't just throw them in their beds, we let them cuddle up together on the converted bed to "watch" a movie (which of course means the were snoring before the opening credits were over).

And Eli got to ride bikes with Daddy (with no helmet- thus the broken rule! GASP!) BUt he had a blast & Daddy held on REALLY tight!

Eli also got to see plenty of dogs over the weekend which was thrilling for him. He still calls them a "horth" (horse) though even though he KNOWS it is a dog - but that isn't in his vocab yet. He would, however say "uff uff" when i said, "what does a dog say?" Our next door camper had a dog, tyler, that was huge (really a understatement) so it didn't really bother me that Eli kept calling him a horse, because he practically was!
While we were at the pool, Eli's mission was to keep up with the large torpedo. He would throw it & expect EVERYONE to fetch it for him. (Because he refuses to get his head or face wet).

On our last day there, Jackson really got courageous & decided he could in fact swim! He has been swimming underwater all summer, but never in water that he couldn't touch bottom in. And he wasn't willing to let go in order to swim above water at all, even in shallow water. After MUCH jumping in to an adult (mainly aunt marie!) in the deep end we realized that he was practically swimming over to the ladder on his own.
And so, after only a few practices, he did this:

I can't believe it! This water was 3 ft, which was over his head & he was so proud! (Which of course, WE were so proud too!) I just hate that he did this on the LAST day of the LAST pool trip of the summer! Next year we will be starting from scratch! I guess we will have to show him the video to prove he did it!

We had a nice time camping but we have lots to look forward to this week, also. Jackson starts his 4 year old preschool class tomorrow morning & it is also Eli's birthday! Saturday we will have a party for him at the park, so he & i have lots of errands to run this week while Jackson is off learning things!

You've Got Mail!

Today, a small brown package arrived in the mail for Eli. Any guesses why?

My baby boy is going to be 2 on tuesday! I really can't believe he is seriously turning two (despite all the attitude that has been displayed here recently!) He got his first birthday package from Peto & Uncle Ed & it was a hit! It was a nice little book that plays music to the matching page... he even took it to bed with him for his nap. Thanks Peto & Uncle Ed! We love you!

Our Newest Big Thing around here....

.... is breakfast smoothies! After our beach vacation (& a lovely recipe from a magazine Peto gave me) I busted out the 'ole blender! There is no going back because the kids LOVE them & they also LOVE that they get to use their souvenir cups that Aunt Becca brought them back from the Blue Bell ice cream factory in Texas. And guess who else loves them? ME! I love them because i make healthy well rounded breakfasts that they will eat, well technically drink, & have a great start to their day. (And lets face it, i can put things in there that are good for them that they wouldn't necessarily try- like a spoonful of cottage cheese!) They have liked them all, but so far the overall favorite is the original one i tried from the magazine which is a blend of 1 c. vanilla yogurt, 1 banana, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, & milk to thin it out for them. I also added a few ice cubes to make it chilly & once i added a few squirts of sugar free chocolate syrup (only the first time when Jackson was pretty skeptical!). I have also made a strawberry/blueberry blend (which i think was really Eli's fav.) , & a banana/peach/orange one (which had the cottage cheese in addition to the yogurt & i taste tested it & it was GOOD, you couldn't even taste the cottage cheese- the whole thing tasted like a creamsicle!) IT is really fun for me to experiment & to see how much they like them. And they look forward to it. In fact, last night, i got all the cups, blender, etc laid out for this morning since i had to work & Eli wanted one right then! I had to explain he could have one in the morning & he nodded & moved on!

Don't let his face fool you, he was lovin it. This was early morning just before church on Sunday... and he is like his Daddy in the morning (a bear sometimes).....

MMMMmmmmmm...................

Baby Aedon isn't a "baby" anymore!

Mommy's best friend, Theresa had a birthday party for "baby Aedon" (as Jackson likes to call him) because he is officially ONE! Happy Birthday big boy! We had a great time at the party & the kids really enjoyed the food! Here are some pics from the event, thanks to TRW for sending them to us!

Chatting with the birthday boy:Joining in the bubble fun outside:

Explaining to Eli outside that we can't squeeze the baby frog- we have to be GENTLE!

Digging into the cupcakes:

Hi there!

Aedon LOVED his cake, he just went right for it, FACE FIRST! So fun!

"Beach" Week 2008

Our trip to the beach this year really turned out to be a trip to the pool! Since there was a pool in the backyard, we basically spent most of our time there. We only made it out the the beach one evening for a picnic dinner & kite flying. The house we stayed in is owned by 2 families we worship with & we had a wonderful time the the whole week! They were so generous to open their home to us! The kids LOVED the laundry shoot & used it daily! Jackson really got better at his swimming too while we were there. He even jumped off the deep end (with me of course) on our last day there. Eli liked the water, but he preferred to throw everything from the side of the pool & have everyone fetch it out for him! We had lots of visitors while we were there too! Grandaddy & grandma Tee visited us a few days, Nanny & Peto stayed a few days, & Rebecca & I were able to catch up with a few friends while we were there also. Overall, we had a great week & hated to come back home & get back into the swing of things.

Vacation Post Forthcoming....

I promise! I promise! I will post about our vacation in the next few days, i promise! I know it has been awhile since i posted, but after my last post, we left for the beach, & then this week we are back, but honestly, i still FEEL like i am in a fog getting back into the swing of things. So i will get to it before the week is over...... be patient with me!

A night with friends...

Our friends Theresa & Bastian (& little Aedon) came over for dinner & a jam session. We had such a nice time & made yummy homemade pizzas. I think Randy may have gotten a hankering for a new guitar since he currently doesn't own a nice one & really only plays his latest built mandolin recently. The kids played well together & little Aedon kept his mommy & daddy on their toes! In no time, he will be as big as my boys (which really depresses Theresa, i might add!)




Thanks guys for a great evening! I hope we can do it again soon! (Maybe next time we can go scrapbooking TRW, while the boys jam...... who would watch ALL the boys??)

Lil' Cowboys

The big thing around the the Moss house these days is dressing up like cowboys. Jackson came out of the bedroom the other day looking like this glorious vision here.....

And then days later he was tickled pink with himself for helping Eli do the same....

(The cowboy boots have been quite the hit since Grandma Tee passed them on to us from Kenneth ~ in fact, they get worn DAILY! I am waiting for him to ask me to wear them to church... which will be a definite NO, since they are still mighty big right now!)

A Fun Weekend with the Mermaids....

This past weekend, I took the kids to Wilmington to stay at Nanny's house for the weekend. Their cousins, Kayla & Jonathon, had been in town for a few weeks & we had not gotten a chance to see them. Unfortunately, we only get to see them a few times a year, so we didn't want to miss our opportunity! Nanny arranged a trip to Ripley's Aquarium, which involved a 15 passenger van to hold all the adults & kids (~Aunt Becca, Emma, & Leah went too!) & a 2 hour ride to Myrtle Beach. It was a lot of fun though & all the kids really enjoyed each other all weekend which was so nice to see. At the aquarium, the Weekie Watchie Mermaids were performing all the way from FL & Nanny saw them perform when she was a kid, so we were ALL excited to see them too (even Jonathon, who would NEVER admit it, i am sure!) Nanny wore her mermaid socks for the event.....And before we saw the show, we got to pose with a *real live* mermaid (Jackson was skeptical, but Eli sat right with her!)...

Eli clapping at the mermaid show....

And Jackson waving to them....

We also got to meet a pirate who called all the kids "scalleywags" & gave them some gold coins. He was nice enough to pose for a picture as long as the kids all said "ARHHHHH" (which they all complied as you can see....)The top two exhibits were the horseshoe crabs....

And the stingrays....

The pirate exhibit was a bit creepy for my taste, but the kids liked it!

On the way home, we stopped for a great burger at Fuddruckers... The hats were a hit (except with Kayla~ she is too much of a tween to put one on, ever!)...

It was so much fun! And we can't wait until Christmas when we get to spend some more quality time with Kayla & Jonathon. We love them so much!

ps- notice that Eli's tongue is sticking out in so many pictures? Well, that is his new thing- he is saying "cheese" with a little lisp, so his tongue is out everytime! I think it is kinda cute!