A New Normal

With our first full week of school under our belt, we have begun to adjust to our new normal. Our new normal involves early mornings, very early bedtimes, homework, sleepy boys, very cuddly boys, and lots of laundry to ensure a clean uniform each day. Thankfully, at this point, Caleb loves school (although he doesn't like getting up each morning) and is willing to do his homework each day without much of a fight (I'm sure that will change). Luke does well at MDO the two mornings that he goes, but is noticeably more attached to me these days.  

Over the weekend we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to the park for a few hours. 

After bike riding and playing in the heat, we were all super excited to hear the unmistakable music coming from the ice cream truck! 

Such a sweet treat!

The First Day of School

Today was a huge day for us, as Caleb started Kindergarten and Luke went to Mother's Day Out for the first time. This morning was a little hectic, but I'm sure we'll get more and more used to our new morning routine. When I woke Caleb up this morning he roared, "Pleeeeeease don't maaaaake me goooooo to schooooool," (I felt like I already had a teenager on my hands!) but then was happy the rest of the time. Luke didn't like that I woke him up at all, and may have taken a Tootsie Roll with him to school. ;)

Our Kindergartener!

Showing off his backpack that we worked so hard to find!

Little brother was a little shy at first...

but then started to show his true personality!

 We walked Caleb to his room first.

His anxious smile...

And he walked right in!

Luke walked in and seemed fine. As I left, however, he started to cry. Thankfully, Ms. Amy scooped him up in her arms and he was fine in less than a minute. 

No tears from this Momma! 

I am so happy for them (and for my mornings to clean one room without another being destroyed in the process)!

*****

After School

I was first in Caleb's carpool line so he led the class out.

All smiles!

Luke was busy playing when I went to pick him up. Ms. Amy said he did great!

Praying for a great year for our boys!!

The Land Between the Lakes

We decided to have one last family hurrah before school started back, so two weeks ago we took the boys down to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake for a few days. It was the perfect little getaway, and we loved our family time together. 

Kentucky Lake

When we got there we decided to have our picnic lunch on the boat instead of a picnic table.

The boys played at the water's edge with sticks and rocks for at least an hour. They were perfectly content.

Caleb made the call to put the boat in the water before heading to the hotel. I think he made a good choice! We cruised around and then took the canal over to check out Lake Barkley. 

Ice cream at The Moors Marina on Kentucky Lake

Luke L-O-V-E-S hotel life. Warm cookies and mints in the lobby...he was in heaven!

The sitting area off to the side of the lobby had a big stash of toys that kept them entertained while I drank coffee and got to watch the Today Show each morning. (win-win!)

For dinner one night we went to Patty's, a local favorite. The boys loved all the animals outside the restaurant.

After dinner we let the boys swim until bedtime. We had the pool to ourselves and I tried to capture some action shots. Because the sun was setting, I couldn't get the lighting perfect, so some are a little blurry. Still, you can see how much fun these little fish were having!

Every time Luke jumps in the pool he screams "Cannonball!"

We also went to the water park in Eddyville. It was very low key- Creed and I were able to sit on the edge of the pool and watch the boys, which was great! Luke and I also took a few trips around the lazy river while Creed and Caleb went down the bigger water slides. While this was our first time going there, we were really impressed and will definitely go back. It was clean, lots of fun, and everyone that worked there was really nice!

*****

As I write this, Caleb's uniform is laid out, the boys' backpacks are packed, and Luke's lunch is in the fridge. That's right- school starts for both boys tomorrow! Caleb is in half-day kindergarten (8am-12pm) and Luke is doing Mother's Day Out two mornings a week for the same amount of time. We are anxious, yet very excited, and so proud of our boys- can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring! (Hoping for no tears!)