Still sick as a dog here. Aching all over. Sore throat. Whine whine whine 🙂

Little boy work up at the crack of dawn. He was sad too so I just came downstairs with him and gave him some love. We all just relaxed and tried to wake up in our own way. I have to say, it’s a lot of work but so much fun to have two kids. I love watching them together. Especially when they show love.

And friendship. Cause that’s always the hope when you decide to have any siblings.

Here’s Nathaniel exploring David’s legos. While David colors. Look at those toes!

I spent most of the day lying in pain and reading my book while the kids played. In the afternoon, Jake took the kids to Walmart and Safeway and I decided it was time to get off my tush. So I finally did my snack bag sewing project. I’ve wanted to make this ever since I first saw tutorial. It’s so simple and lovely idea. Since David loves green, I picked a green, happy fabric. And it turned out wonderful. (btw, the sticky velcro did totally gum up my needle which later broke so be warned.)

I’d also wanted to make another bag like the one I just recently posted about. I wanted to make one that was deeper with a bigger pocket. I don’t have a lot of big chunks of fabric so there wasn’t a lot of option. I finally came up with a goldish fabric for the lining and a simple gray linen for the outside. And a little cord in gold finished the bag. I love it. I thought I wouldn’t and I broke TWO needles while I made it. But i do love it. Yey. I even put a small patch of velcro inside so I can close this one better.

When they got back, I put the groceries away, fed the kids and then we went out for David to ride his bike. Nathaniel just loves being outside, doesn’t care what we’re doing.

And his brother rode like a champ.

Which made him laugh. Laugh and laugh.

I love love that face. That happy, contented smile.

On the way home, Nathaniel got a chance to ride the bike too.

My three boys. I love how protective and loving David is of his brother and how much Nathaniel looks up to and loves his brother. And they have the most amazing Dad ever. I am a lucky lucky gal.

little boy went to sleep right after that. David and I did some more reading. We’re in chapter 65 now. It’s amazing. I then read some more Phantom Tollbooth. He’s really enjoying it. And so am I. Love that book. Then he went to bed and here I am on the couch again, watching the Emmy’s and in pain. I did finish my book today which makes me happy. I am halfway through Phantom Tollbooth and that makes me happy, too. And I stitched. Good. good day. Let’s hope pain is gone tomorrow.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I made my new bag, really excited about it.
2. I am grateful that the 1300-page book is finally finished. It was looooonnngggg.
3. I am grateful that Nathaniel’s hand does seem to be responding to the medicine, let’s hope doctor says it’s nothing!

Two Things David’s Grateful For:
I’ve been working with David so he can be more specific with his items.
1.daddy cause he helped me ride my bike
2. that we went shopping and bought things i like like bread and bagels
3. for my snack bag and your bag

I woke up all sick and congested today. Expected but it still sucked sucked. I can’t take anything for it cause of the nursing so I just whined and felt sorry for myself. Until I saw David’s face and realized that he had a shiner under his left eye. (it’s subtle but I swear it’s there.)

then i felt bad for him. his best friend at school punched him twice this last week. i wrote to the teacher about it and talked to david and told him to make another friend. i am really upset about it but trying not to talk about it so much since it puts his focus on the bad stuff and right now he still loves school a lot. let’s see what the teacher says. I then dragged myself to my hair appointment cause rescheduling is a nightmare. When I came back, David was playing wii and Nathaniel was not napping in his bed.

so I picked him up and gave him some food and lay on the couch, feeling some more sorry for myself. Then I realized that Nathaniel’s thumb was getting infected again so I put the cream, wrapped it and called his doctor.

It turns out the sample they had taken ten days ago shows staph in the bacteria so it’s not such great news. he’s going back to the doctor on monday to see if we can do more tests. and so then i felt bad for him, too. Especially since he was back to being sock-arm-boy.

He didn’t care. He just wanted to be like his brother. So when he saw the extra Wii remote, he was in heaven.

So went our day. I talked to my mom, I napped while Nathaniel took his afternoon nap and David played. I tried to read more of my 1300-page book which is really boring me. I read the Phantom Tollbooth out loud to David. We then did some more reading exercises. And it was time for them to go to bed. I still have to read 700 pages for this book to finish. Ugh.

Long day.But at least I didn’t have work and spent the day with my boys. Grateful.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that my boys are so sweet and when I feel terribly ill like now, they are mostly easy to take care of and when they are not my husband is amazing.
2. I am grateful that I got my hair done, always makes me feel like a star.
3. I am grateful that I did all my must-get-done items and so I can just relax and be sick this weekend. This week is going to be rough at work so it’s best to rest as much as I can.

Two Things David’s Grateful For:
I’ve been working with David so he can be more specific with his items.
1. I’m grateful that I got to play A Boy and His Blob on the Wii.
2. I’m grateful that I played with Nathaniel on the big bed at bedtime (they wrestled and laughed together).
3. I’m grateful for Daddy cause he gave me peanuts while mommy was napping.
4. I’m grateful that Mommy read the Phantom Tollbooth to me.

And now that my week is over I am all sick. Runny nose, leaking eyes, headache, congestion, exhaustion. You name it, I have it. And I can’t take an anti-allergy medicine cause I am still nursing so I am not allowed. Woe is I.

The little one has a drippy nose too so I get a lot of this.

But thankfully, also, some of this.

And reaching for out of reach toys is his very favorite activity.

After we went to get David, I emptied his lunchbox and he drank water from his bottle which, of course, Nathaniel wanted to do, too. So after a lot of strong encouragement from me, he let him. Love seeing these photos.

I know all about looking up to an older sibling.

And another day is done and so is the first week of school. Save for several instances of recess punching, he seems to be loving every moment of it. I am trying to help him and watch out for him while not being insane. The instinct to preserve, protect and worry is very strong. Very. But I am working on it.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that this weekend is a quiet one. I am too sick to even think about doing anything.
2. I am grateful that I fulfilled many of my upcoming commitments so I can relax a bit and catch up on everything else for a day or two.
3. I am grateful that we’ve survived the first week. I am hoping and estimating that it will get easier.

Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. making friends on the school bus. (he made friends with some second graders)
2. going to the office at the school.
3. daddy.

I am a huge huge fan of seahorses. I took around fifty shots when we were in the aquarium. Love these things.

This week I’ve been bad about taking photos. It’s been so hectic, so insane that I captured what I thought I wouldn’t want to miss and the rest sort of fell on the floor. I asked David if I could snap some shots of him this morning. I got this one.

And this one. And that about sums up why i don’t take as many photos of him alone anymore.

Little boy woke up with a stuffed up (and leaky) nose. I had a brief moment between dropping off David at the bus stop and having to go to his school to volunteer, so I snapped a shot of the little one.

Then I went to David’s school. I volunteered in his art class and it was amazing. So much fun to watch them and him and be there. I am so glad I did it. And when the class was over, I went back home, worked, fed the little boy, and then went back to David’s school to meet with the teacher for Back to School night stuff since I am the Head Room Parent. And then came back home to my boys. While I was at the school, I noticed David was sitting with a different group of people at the end of school than he should be (he takes the bus but he was sitting with another set of kids, playing.) so when the lady who walks them down to the bus took off, she left him behind. Thankfully I was there so I told her my son was sitting at another table and I went to David and told him he had to pay attention and the bus was going to leave without him. He got sad and started sort of crying and I tried to talk to him but they had to go and so did I. So the lady who walks them over kindly held his hand the whole way there. And I had Jake call me when he got off the bus and all was ok but that was disturbing and sad to see how easy it is for him to be missed like that. I don’t blame anyone, it’s hard hard work to organize this chaos. So I told David that the end of schoolday is one of those times he has to pay super-extra attention to make sure he knows where to go.

It all worked out at the end, of course. When I came home, David was coloring and Nathaniel was cranky (as he’s been most of today.) But David told me to take a photo and he made Nathaniel laugh by making silly faces.

And he laughed and laughed and then came out from under the table.

And gave his brother a hug (even though it looks like a bite here).

And then looked at him up close.

And I just love these photos. I love seeing them together. So much. Makes me so deeply thankful.

And here they are being ordinary. David coloring, Nathaniel snacking and playing with legos. Perfectly ordinary and perfectly wonderful!

Once they went to bed, we went to Back to School night and I got to meet a lot of parents and talk and I love his teacher and I hear she’s awesome so I am very happy for him and I really hope he loves it and thrives and I also hope that I can make some good friends myself even. Let’s see.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I got to volunteer in David’s class today. It was wonderful to see him and the whole class.
2. I am grateful to be the Head Room Parent. I am a dive-in kinda gal so I dove with both arms. And I love it so far.
3. I am grateful that tomorrow is relatively quiet. This has been a long long week so I am happy that I get to experience a more “typical day” tomorrow.

Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. riding the school bus.
2. coloring
3. daddy.

A dragon fish. Aren’t they exquisite?

Today was the first day David was scheduled to take the school bus. So we walked him to the bus station in the morning and chatted while we waited. David walked around and enjoyed the morning weather.

He was quite happy.

We started to get worried cause there were no other parents there but about two minutes after scheduled time, the bus showed up and David got on and he was super-excited. He said hi to the bus driver (who’s awesome by the way!) and he thanked us so much for letting him take the bus! The driver buckled him in and they were on their way!

Once he was gone, we walked back home and I packed up for the morning meeting I had at his school (I am his class’s head room parent.) I brought a bunch of food, some legos and some water for the little boy. The meeting was scheduled for two hours and ended up taking over three hours. Nathaniel was pure joy most of the time. Towards the end, he got grouchy (by this point we would normally have been two hours into his nap!) but I held him and he was pretty awesome to be honest.

Then we came home, he took his nap while I worked and by the time he woke up and ate food, it was time to pick up David. We all walked to the stop and waited for some time. Nathaniel spent this time making some of his many faces. Like this one.

Or this one.

And screamed.

And then gave us the “please pick this up for me” look. He gives this look a bunch of times a day.

Then he laughed.

And finally the awesome smile!

We show up ten minutes early for David’s bus. So we waited for some time since they were also ten minutes late today. I was getting anxious, I have to admit. But the bus came, David came off of it and he was super happy. He said he had another fantastic day! Tomorrow I go to volunteer in his class, then get to meet with his teacher and then go back for back to school night. And then things should quiet down a bit. Or so I hope. I am hoping, guessing, praying that the next ten days or so will find us settling into our routine, finding our new normal and my anxiety will dissipate day by day.

I hope so!

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that David loved the bus. Yey for the bus!
2. I am grateful that Nathaniel did so well through the meeting and I didn’t have to leave the room but once.
3. I am grateful that I get to volunteer in David’s class tomorrow!

Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. riding the school bus.
2. my batman backpack.
3. daddy.
4. kindergarten.

And here we are. First day of school. Little boy went without any fuss. And even with a bunch of excitement.

I tried to grab some photos but he faked the smiles. He wanted to play in the playground.

He even made a new friend immediately. Within minutes they were playing, holding hands, and laughing together.

And then it was time for him to go in. He went in, picked his name and that was that for me. We went to another room where I signed up to volunteer for a collection of events and then came back home.

The little boy took a nap and played legos to his heart’s content.

And walked around and got into mischief as usual.

And then we all went up to get David who was happy to see us but said had the best first day of school ever! Tomorrow he gets on the bus for the first time, another source of anxiety for mommy. There have been too many lately. I just tell myself to get through this week and that things will get smoother. They will, right?

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that David loved his first day. So grateful that he feels happy and like he belongs.
2. I am grateful that Jake was here with us and helped me and was there every step along the way.
3. I am grateful that I have a flexible enough job that I was able to be there today and will be able to be involved and help out in his class. I am really thankful for that.

Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. my first day of school.
2. getting my new markers.
3. daddy.