It all happens so quick

September came and went in a blur.  I wanted to write numerous times, but just didn't get around to it. 

There was Labor Day, where we were going to travel to the Woodlands, but then decided against it because we'd go later in the month for Alexandra's christening.  We stayed home and finished the back porch tiling project and hung out with the Stovall's and the Schwarte's.  Both were fun.

There was the opening weekend of NFL, which around here is a pretty big deal.  Kids - there's little that I find more enjoyment in than opening weekend of NFL.  It was a great weekend.

Then, there was Max starting to be more than a handful.  Now, there is still Max being more than a handful.

There was Alexandra's christening, which was more about wrangling Max more than anything for me.  But the ceremony looked beautiful from the TV in the back room in the church. 

Then, there was more Max.  Driving Stephanie crazy.  Seriously.  She's had a couple of breakdowns due to the little man.  He is so head strong and independent and insecure and overall, misunderstood.  He needs A LOT of attention and right now, a lot of discipline.  Steph does a great job with him, but it is exhausting.  And that's an understatement.

There was us taking down their cribs because they climbed out of them too many times and they wouldn't sleep during nap or at night.  There was the potty training, which as of tonight, seems to be going great for Max, and so-so for Nick.  Max tells us everytime he has to go to the bathroom and does it by himself.  Nick doesn't tell us all the time.  He's getting better, though.

Then, there was also the stomach bug that ripped through our house last weekend, right before we went to Austin for my mom's 55th birthday.  First it was Max.  Then, it was Gracie.  Then, Steph, then me.  That ended this past Wednesday.  It looks to have avoided little Nicky.

There is the talking more - surprisingly, Max is talking more clear words than Nick, and there is also the learning by Gracie.  She's doing great in kindergarten.  She's got a few behavior issues that Steph is working on in all her spare time, but overall, she's doing really well.

And now we're here.  October 1.  Wow.  Family night movie night, Wizard of Oz on, Steph asleep, Gracie glued to Dorothy and Toto.

It all happens so quick, just as evidenced right here.

Gracie's first day of Kindergarten

We can't believe it's here.  Neither Steph or I couldn't sleep last night.  It doesn't help that no one in the house hasn't felt all that great, but there was anxiety about this morning for sure.  Gracie was so excited!  She colored a picture for her teacher, Mrs. Brown.

We all loaded up in the van (we're taking Keke to school every MWF, then Morgan is picking them up after school those days, so we had Keke in tow), and headed off to school about 7:45.  Once we got there, we all went in, dropped Keke off in her classroom and then all marched to Gracie's.  She was one of the first ones there.  It was a big deal for everyone.  We weren't the only ones who wanted to take pictures.

I don't think Mrs. Brown wanted all of the parents in the room, but there's only 1 first day of Kindergarten.  And then we left.  Gracie was just fine. She couldn't wait to start school.  She was seated at her desk, in her place, as we left, ready for everything to begin. 

She loved it!  They learned about rules.  And Genesis 1.  Beyond that, they read and played.  This year, she's going to learn and grow so much. She'll learn how to read and write lowercase letters and count to 100 and no telling what else.  I really can't believe it's already here.

Transition is on!

Boys' meet the teacher was Tuesday night.  They have no idea what's going on.  It's going to be a lot like church, where they have a safe place to play, good people to watch after them, and they'll get used to it.  Hopefully, they'll learn some things, even though they're only going 1 day a week.  Structure, craft-time, how to play well with others - all of these things, I hope they'll learn and embrace. 

Gracie's meet the teacher was last night.  It's so much different - looking at a kindergarten class, meeting the teacher, seeing the way the room is set up, the other kids - it's just not the same as pre-K.  Mrs. Brown is her teacher and she seems like a good one.  I'm happy for Gracie because I think it's the right place for her to be this year.  I pray that she'll continue to grow and learn and excel in the situations she finds herself in.  She's a good girl, well-mannered, smart, inquisitive - I anticipate those qualities will get stronger over the next year and she'll continue to be the leader that she is.

Tonight, we gave her her first haircut.

She loves it!  She looks clean and cute.  That long hair was just ratty and long. 

Tomorrow, we're taking her out for a special day with mommy and daddy.  We'll take her to eat wherever she wants and then take her ice-skating.  She picked that over everything else.  It will be an awesome time.

This is a big transition so we're trying to enjoy it for everything it is, make it about Gracie (and the boys in their case), not about us, and trust that we'll get through it all.  I know we will.  And we'll do our best to have fun through it all.

Managing this blog and our emotions :(

Hard to manage, this blog.  It's been a busy summer, and specifically last 4 weeks - there are so many things going (and gone) on, I'm a little frustrated to be dusting off the cobwebs now.  Better late than never, I suppose.

The thing staring us in the face right now is Gracie starting kindergarten.  This is her last week at home, no-school-on-the-weekdays for at least 18 more years.  Wow.  Obviously a huge milestone.  She woke up today and yesterday asking if this was the day that she gets to start kindergarten.  Slow down, missy.  We need to savor this week.  In general, I'm not having as hard a time with it as Stephanie is, but now, writing about it, I'm getting a little sad and nostalgic.  

While the days of coloring and asking lots of questions will no doubt continue, it won't be the same ever again.

Detroit, Wedding, Birthday, Dentist

Tuesday and Wednesday I was in Detroit for client meetings.

Thursday morning we left for Austin, to prepare for Michelle's wedding on Friday.  Thursday night was the rehearsal dinner.  The wedding venue was Texas Old Town in Kyle - real nice place, but outside, and hot.  They had a shaded area so it could have been worse.  It was really a beautiful venue.  Rehearsal dinner was at Texas Reds in San Marcos.  Man, that place hasn't changed in 15 years.  And it looks it.  But the food was still good.  Me and Steph had to give toasts.  We rocked it out.  My dad did a good job, too.  Mark even stood up and said some words.  We all represented the Cearley side well.

Friday was a crazy day to say the least.  Girls went for manis/pedis mid-morning.  Then, they all left mid-afternoon to get ready for the wedding, leaving me and Kyle to baby duty.  It didn't hit me, everything that I needed to do to get them ready (snacks, clothes, baths, etc..), until late in the afternoon.  I ended up waking the boys up - they weren't happy.  But we made it in time.  Gracie got ready with Steph and the girls.  The boys got ready with me.  And we all strolled out at about 5:30 to start the ushering (me and Mark, with the boys' help).

Everyone looked so happy and beautiful.  Steph was stunning.  Gracie was adorable.  Michelle looked fantastic.  Damon cried (I'm really happy for both of them).  Michelle was at peace the whole time.

The kids danced and ate (it did get hairy for awhile) and lasted till about 10:00.

Then, today, we had a small birthday party for Gracie at one of mom and Kyle's friend's houses.  They have a great, little swimming pool and it was perfect.  Cheri and Raymond.  Mom and Kyle.  Dad.  Mark and Hayli.  Mary Catherine and Eric.  Colleen and Rex.  And kids.  Gracie loved it.  She didn't want to leave, of course.  But we had to get back to Dallas for another birthday party tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we'll have the neighborhood party.

Then, on Monday, I go to the dentist for a deep clean.  Joy.

We are truly blessed.  Even though I have to get my teeth cleaned like that.

Gracie is 5

Wow.

Now that was fast.

Just listening to her and watching her - she is not a baby anymore.  She is a little girl and we can't believe we're already here.

She loves silly bands (these rubber bands that you wear on your wrist), leading people around, taking care of her brothers, and listening to stories.

She was a flower girl in my sister's wedding yesterday.  She was awesome.

The boys' 2 year Dr. appt.

The boys' 2 year doctor appointment was yesterday.  Steph braved it without me (she didn't have much of a choice - thanks baby doll!) The boys, while a handful and a half, are healthy.

Nick's creds:
Head - 19 1/2" (60%)
Height - 34 1/2" (25%)
Weight - 25 1/4 (10%)

Max's creds:
Head - 19 1/2" (65% - I don't know how/why this is different from Nick's?!?)
Height - 36 1/4" (75%)
Weight - 30 1/4 (65%)

Max could probably stand to slow down while Nick has a bit of room to grow.  Or at least meat to put on those bones!

Our favorite moments of our little summer vacation

1.  Getting the boys down without fuss the last night in San Antonio.
2.  Steph and I making up with each other (through apologies) for our popsicle/drink argument at the end of the Sea World excursion.
3.  Gracie sliding down the water slide by herself and seeing the fear, then joy on her face.
4.  Uchi's dinner.
5.  Watching Gracie make best friends with Peyton - Dan & Lyndsay's daughter.

Our little summer vacation: Day 5

Yes, everyone did get a solid night's sleep.  There was no waking up in the middle of the night.

We had this plan that we would eat breakfast, take the kids swimming, wear them out and then hop in the car and drive.  After breakfast, all we wanted to do was get out of there.  So, we left.  We rolled out of the hotel at 10 and arrived in Wylie at 3:30.  It was a long drive, but the kids slept for the last part of it.  From that standpoint, it wasn't bad at all.  (We stopped at a nice rest stop outside of Salado and let the kids play while we ate our packed lunch.)  Man, it's hot.  I can't imagine what July and August are going to be like.  It's just not right.

Everyone was so happy to be home!  We didn't do anything but rest.  Got the kids to bed at normal time and they LOVED being back in their beds.  There is truly no place like home.

Our little summer vacation: Day 4

Sometimes you eat Sea World.  And sometimes Sea World eats you.

The morning started at 3 AM when both boys woke up crying because they didn't recognize their surroundings.  This is the first time they've been in a hotel, plus it's the 7th day that we've been away from our house, so they weren't having any crying themselves back to sleep.  We tried to let them cry it out, but it just didn't work.  They ended up in bed with us around 4, then we all woke up around 6:30.  Lots of non-sleep in between.

Breakfast was an adventure mainly because Max didn't feel like eating.  I think he has some sort of one-food-at-a-time OCD so when I overloaded his plate from the buffet, I think he immediately turned it off.  He wanted to play more than sit in his chair and he let the whole restaurant know it.

Those two red flags were not going to deter us though!

We were at Sea World when it opened and here's what we did/saw, in order, too:

1.  Steph and Gracie rode the little Shamu roller coaster.  The boys and I played at the kiddie splash area.  Well, Nick played.  I kept Max wrangled just outside the play area.
2.  We all went to the water park and played for 1 1/2 hours.  Hands down the best part of the day.  Max and Nick didn't like the lazy river, but they all liked the little slide.
3.  Lunch in the van.  Max wanted chips, not the sandwich.  Steph was dead set on him having the sandwich and not the chips.  That was the beginning of the end.  We also did a quick change into dry clothes in the van here.
4.  Dolphin time.  Only $6 to feed them, which Gracie so wanted to do.  Only problem - I left the money in my swim suit in the van.  Steph hoofed it back to the van while I took all the kids to the Shark aquarium.
5.  Shark aquarium where no strollers are allowed.  Everyone was on foot.  Max does what Max wants to do.  He marches to his own beat.  He understands everything I'm/we're saying, but he pushes it to the last moment.  By this time, it's 2:30 and no one has slept (normal nap time is 12:30.)
6.  Shamu.  The only problem was it was 1/2way across the park.  Hot.  Cranky.  Tired.  Sweaty.  Max fell asleep in the stroller.  When we got to the stadium, I got paranoid that he was having a heat stroke, primarily because he was so hot and lethargic.  We took his shirt off of him, but in doing so, woke him up and as Steph said, "we woke the sleeping giant."  The good thing here is that the whales were not cooperating so the show ended up getting cut short.  Our kids certainly weren't cooperating with us.  At that point, I threw in the towel.  It was enough.  3:30.

We got back to the car around 4:15 and no sooner than we drove out of the parking lot were 2 out of 3 asleep.  They all ended up falling asleep and got about an hour nap.

For dinner, we met the Mallards - Dan and Lindsay, Peyton and Alannah, at Rudy's.  It was really good to see them.  I like Dan so much.  We usually only talk during fantasy football season.  I need to do a better job of keeping in touch with him.  They have a wonderful little family.  Gracie and Peyton hit it off and talked and played the entire time.

We got home a little after 8 and got everyone down.  Here's hoping that we get a solid night's sleep - everyone.