This happened...

TONIGHT!!! 

I took my Tylee to KINDERGARTEN round-up & I'm still in shock!!! It just can't be possible that she's only months away from going to the "big school!!"

Beyond pumped just begins to describe her excitement....

So, here's to you, Baby Girl!!! You're going to rock that place August!!! 

Don't you ever lose that sass...and always be true to the fun-loving, take life by the horns, smilin' from ear-to-ear little lady that you are!!! I love you to the moon & back!!! 

XOXOXO

SIX! SIX! SIX!

Is the lucky number around here these days. In fact it's Trey's FAVORITE number now that he's SIX himself!! Yes, you heard me correctly, my BABY...born way back in 2006, just about a month shy of our two year anniversary, not only finished kindergarten this past month, BUT also turned SIX on May 21st.

First "Good Morning" as a SIX YEAR OLD....

Reading his birthday note from Mommy & Daddy....

Six year old birthday squeezes from ME!!

Trey's birthday fell on a Monday, which just happened to be a school day, and my last work day of the school year. He had been talking about bringing Krispy Kreme donuts and hats for his classmates on his special day for at least the last three months. So, the morning of his birthday, we dropped off the girls at daycare and went to Krispy Kreme, where Trey ordered enough donuts for everyone. He made sure not to leave without a hat for all his friends....and was super excited when we brought them into his classroom....

Ready to take his birthday treats into his room....Trey Man, I'm so glad I got to see this special moment and be with you as you got your school day off to a super start!!! You were PUMPED!

A few weeks later, because I failed to book the Nature Lodge in time, Trey celebrated his birthday with a few boys from his class. There was really no true theme...so we just rolled with fun primary colors and summertime fun ideas. The park we were able to have the party at was a first come, first serve type of deal, so the kiddos and I got there about 8:30 in the morning to decorate and set up. The party started at 10 AM and Trey was all ready when his friends started showing up...

All ready!

Helping Momma fill the thank-you goody buckets...

Ty was Trey's #1 fan on his special day!! So. Excited.

A close-up of the goody buckets for each one of the guests...

"Watch out, MOM!"

Daddy filled the water balloons for the water balloon fight...must have taken him an hour and the boys burned through them in about 10 minutes!! Isn't that how it always works?!?! Worth every second...they had a blast!!!

Boys having a ball on the equipment...PERFECT place for a PARTY!

Time to decorate COOKIES and sing Happy Birthday to the Birthday Boy!!!

Present time!

The whole gang....what a fun, fun time!!!

Hey Birthday Boy,

I hope you had a fantastic time celebrating NUMBER SIX and I am so proud of the awesome, handsome and loving little man you are growing into. You LOVE all things Angry Birds, have the biggest heart, are very strong-willed (like your Momma), and are obsessed with catching bugs (with a little help from Tylee, of course!) You are swimming like a fish and can't get enough of the pool. I swear you seem to run into one of your school buddies EVERYWHERE we go and have a knack for remembering everything you hear. You have quite the sense of humor and are actually starting to get a little bit of a "smart" mouth (again, just like your Momma!) You've done a great job contributing the manners marble jar and really enjoy playing outside on the new swing set. You LOVE helping your little sisters, but at times, really enjoy your space. You make the BEST cards and are always thinking of others. You adore reading Magic Treehouse Books and telling stories and are getting waaay better at making your bed! I know someday you might be embarrassed to read this next part, but you still sleep with Funky Monkey and are a little scared of going down to the basement by yourself. You often need Tylee to go down with you and I'm not quite sure if we are ever going to be able to get you to move your bedroom down there. Last time we talked about it, your exact words to me where, "I'm going stay in my bedroom upstairs until I'm an adult!" We'll see if you don't change your mind in a few more years or so. You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE chocolate milk and can't get enough of those yogurt tubes. Lately, you've been the Master of the Monkey Bars!!! I love you, Trey J, and hope you enjoy EVERY second of your 6th year!!!

Lots of Hugs & Kisses,

Mommy

Last Day EVER in KINDY!!!

Today was Trey's last day as a kindergartner and I CANNOT believe it!! This school year has gone by so, so, so quickly. Trey truly has enjoyed EVERY part of Kindergarten and not only learned a ton, but also grew tremendously as an individual. With the huge move last summer and the newness of baby Tay joining our family, I would have to say that Mr. Trey Man has adjusted extremely well. There were a few bumps in the road (like getting a character reminder for mocking his teacher) but there were also many "I Spy Good Character" slips with his name on them and many, many days where he kept all his cubes and even earned extra for showing awesome character! We really could not have asked for a better school year!!!

This afternoon, Ty, Tay, and I picked up a little Subway (per Trey's request) and joined him and his classmates for a little "Last School Day Picnic" fun! Not only did we get to eat lunch with Trey Man, but we got to spend a little time in his classroom watching an ADORABLE slide show featuring pictures of the class throughout the year. How awesome is it that the helper in his classroom made EVERY student a copy on a CD. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate having those pictures....being a teacher, and having pretty much the same school schedule as Trey, there are MANY classroom events that I'm unable to attend. Having these pictures made it seem like I was practically there for all the fun memories!!! So, what a fabulous going away gift that was....one that Trey and I will both cherish forever!!!

My Little Man is officially a FIRST GRADER!!!  (Please note Taylen in the background of this pic...her and Ty were AWESOME during the entire visit. Tay is in that awkward, I want to walk around everywhere, but I don't know the rules yet, phase. She sat in that stroller for almost 2 whole hours just people watching and being a good little girl. Ty followed her big bro around and thought she was one of the kindergartners. She can't wait to go to Trey's "big school." So proud of them both.....)

Diggin' into his turkey and cheese sub....

Tay having her way...but, Trey's always such a trooper!!! Still smilin' and loving his little sister!

Trey and his buddy, Cole!

Ty supporting her big bro at the end of his last recess ever as a kindergartner!!!

Trey letting his little sisters join him in line. And, even held hands!!! Headed in for the a little slide show action!!

The CUTEST slide show EVER! Thanks, Mrs. B!

Trey and his teacher, Mrs. Campbell.....He told me tonight as I tucked him into bed that he's really going to miss her. "She is AWESOME, Mom!!"

Trey and Mrs. B...she was like his 2nd teacher. In the room everyday supporting the learning going on...and the creator of that awesome End-of-the-Year slide show!!

Picking up my FIRST GRADER!!! All smiles!!

Trey watching his copy of the slide show the SECOND we walked in from the car ride home. He seriously watched it FIVE times before I made him get on his baseball uniform!!!!

Trey Jacob,

Congratulations on your first successful year in elementary school. I am so proud of you and all you've learned this year. You are a spelling whiz and have already mastered all of the 1st grade words. (Keep it up because you'll have to help me spell...just ask your daddy!!!) Your math scroll you started last week came home yesterday and you wrote numbers up to 684 and told me you wanted to finish up to 1,000 this summer. You couldn't have been prouder as you showed us every piece of work in your portfolio!! You have already told us that you want to do the summer reading challenge of reading 15 books before the end of summer and I know you'll have no problem reaching that goal. I'm so excited to spend summer vacation with you and make many, many trips to the pool with you and your sis. It will be a BLAST!! Way to go in Kindy!!! I love you bunches and bunches and BUNCHES and couldn't be prouder!!!

XXX's & OOO's,

~Mommy 

A little Valentine's Day gift....

has totally turned into my "Awww..." moment of the day.

Tonight as Jason was going through Trey's backpack, he came across Trey's little SpongeBob journal that I had given to him for V-Day. Ty and him both LOVE to write, draw, and color, so I wasn't able to pass up the little dollar journals I came across at Walgreen's V-day morning as I grabbed goodies for my 5th graders. Trey has taken his to school and has been randomly writing in it in the back of the van. I hadn't gotten a chance to glance through it until tonight.....

The inside cover....(LOVE!)

Awwww...LOVE you too, Buddy!!!

I think someone has a little Kindergarten crush!

So, thanks Trey (ahead of time) for letting me peek through your journal. I know you'll someday be annoyed with me for putting this on the blog...but I just had to capture this moment.....

It's moments like these that melt my heart....

Journaling....

about his Daddy....

Below is one of the pages from the 1st Trimester writing journal Trey brought home from Kindergarten today. It was fun to listen to him read through what he's written over the first part of the school year and watch him beam with excitement when he got to this particular page....

Great job with your journal, Trey Jacob! Keep up the great work and know that we are so proud of you!!! Do you think we'll ever be able to bribe Daddy into growing out his hair?!?! (Just for fun, of course ;)

The Great Reveal....

of Trey J's Kindy pic....

I definitely think it's a keeper (even with the "fake" smile we all tend to get when posing for these things), which is soooo funny...because we really do keep our Kindergarten pictures FOREVER!! I'm now on a mission to gather up both mine and Jason's to do a little comparing and contrasting fun. Hopefully they are tucked away somewhere safe at home with our moms....considering they were taken waaaay before the days of digital photography and the "instant upload with a click of a button" capabilities. I'll be searching over the Holidays and hopefully get them on here soon...I'm totally curious to see who he favors!!!

Happy Kindergarten Pic,Trey, and here's to many more fun years of school pics!!!

More school picture fun to come....

(Once I hunt down ours from way back when)

Ready to Read...

Trey Jacob has been absolutely LOVING kindergarten and especially loves the reading program they have at school. Each week, they focus on a new book, highlighting, or "buttering" as he calls it his "popcorn" word for the week, which just happened to be "and" this past week, and is "see" this week. After using the book in class all week, they get to bring it home and keep it forever. He even got to decorate the cutest little pizza box to use as a safe place to store all of the book.

This evening, while the kids and I were sitting around the table and coloring after dinner, Trey read us one of his very own books....He's quite the character so gather 'round and listen up!!

Trey, what a great job you are doing with all your reading and writing activities!! We are so proud of you, buddy! You know all your popcorn words and many, many others. Way to GO and keep up the awesome work at school!!

We can't wait to listen to you read all your new books!!

Reading is so much FUN and I know you'll be teaching your sisters before you know it!!!

KINDERGARTEN Kick-Off

My Little Man is OFFICIALLY a KINDERGARTNER!!

Trey J started his school journey this morning at 9:05 am....and, thank goodness I was able to be part of his big, big, BIG day! (My principal and the PE teacher at my new school GRACIOUSLY agreed to cover my 5th grade class this morning so I could be there for this HUGE milestone in his life...those few specific seconds and minutes that I'll never get back!!) I thank my lucky stars that it all worked out because being with him this morning and having the ability to drop him off for his first day of "real school" ever, meant the world to me ;)

At around 7:45 this morning, Trey and I dropped the girls off at their school and headed to Panera to enjoy a little pre-game meal consisting of a plain bagel, raspberry cream cheese, and orange juice, which happened to be Trey's top choice.

Patiently waiting for his order...

Ready to dig in....and such a sweet moment for me because I know there will only be a very small number of times that we'll be able to do this again ;) What a fabulous way to start his big day!!!

On our way to Panera, Trey made a few phone calls to let people know that his big day had finally arrived!! He also LOVED listening to the "good luck" voice mails for him on speakerphone. The smile on his face as he talked and listened was PRICELESS!

We then headed over to his "home" for the next six school years and got the year off to a super start....Trey was thrilled and I had to, without a doubt, be the PROUDEST Mommy there!!!

Me and my Little Man before we headed in....what a BEAUTIFUL day!!!

I had to snap this shot...definitely the big man on campus ;) Walking up like he was ready to tackle the world!!

Hanging out in the hallway before heading into his room....

Met a new buddy right away....

Cubby time....and getting all ready for the morning fun!

Found his name tag and signed in for the day...part of his morning routine....

All ready to color his page and watch his classmates roll in....

After I snapped that last pic, I quickly snuck in about 20 more kisses and waived good-bye to my big guy with a huge smile on my face!!

I spent all day wondering what kind of new things he was learning and hoping that he was having as much fun as I thought he would....one look at his face when I picked him up and I knew his day had been GOLDEN! He spent the whole way to grab his sisters talking my ear off about all the fun parts of his day and ended it all with his rendition of, "I Gotta Feeling....that kindergarten's gonna be a fun, fun time!", which just absolutely, positively, MELTED my heart!!! (And then he told Tylee and Taylen the whole thing again :)

Of course, to celebrate everyones' great day...we just had to go out for a little ice cream!!!

After T-ball we decided to use one of his Mario Bros (which he just happens to be be obsessed with) notebooks to start a journal for home. We decided to write a couple things down about the day and draw a picture in it each night before we go to bed....that way, he'll always be able to remember all the fun he had in Kindergarten!!!

I think he did great on the first entry.....don't you?!?!

He told me what to write and then he was in charge of drawing a picture to go along with it...see if you can figure it out :) I think he's taking after Daddy with the recess part!!

I certainly can't wait to see tomorrow's entry....

Trey Jacob,

I can't believe that you are my BIG KINDERGARTNER!! I'm so proud of you and want to thank you for heading to school today ready and willing to tackle the world. I know you'll love it, learn many new things, and make lots of new neighborhood friends. Continue to feed that curious little mind of yours and NEVER forget how much your daddy, sisters, and I all love you!! We are so excited for you!!!

Love,

Mommy

XXX's & OOO's