I'm BAAAACKKK!!!

I can't even believe how long it's been since I have blogged.  I absolutely love doing it and feel like it's a little way for me to reflect on my life instead of just going through the insanity that is our daily lives.  I don't want to forget the little things and I am finding this to be true, so I am committing to myself (and our family) to make it a priority.

Since I couldn't possibly go back at this point and write about the past, ugh, 19 months,  I will just move forward and fill in back stories if need be on posts in the future...

Yesterday was a big day in our house and maybe one of the reasons I felt so compelled to hop out of bed this morning at 5:30 instead of just relaxing for a few more minutes in the quiet that rarely happens. I am 100% a morning person but we have early risers, so to keep this up I will just have to rise even earlier than they (wish me luck!).

So back to yesterday, we brought Emmy in for Kindergarten registration (insert tear here).  She was nervous but it was a really quick trip including a tour of the school, peek into the classrooms and a eye exam, which she aced of course.  We go back in a few weeks for her evaluation, a meet and greet with the teachers and a few students and an opportunity for Andy and I to sit down with other parents and the principal.

She'll go to Middle Gate which is where I went and as soon as I walked in the door all these memories came rushing back.  I was pointing out all my classrooms to her, but it's funny as an adult how small everything seems.  I remember the gym and cafeteria being enormous and yesterday feeling so small. She is apprehensive to leave her comfort zone of the preschool she has gone to and friends she has been with for 3 years, but I think all these little meetings make her more excited and a little bit more comfortable.  She is such a creature of habit and doesn't like a break in her "normal".  Plus she has made such a great group of friends that I know she will miss, but fortunately I also like the moms so I know we'll make it a priority to get them together as often as possible.  It was also a bonus that we saw our neighbor in the hallway and he was excited to see her which was so sweet.  A friendly face always helps the situation.

On top of this visit, I also went to check out a local preschool for Ian to sign him up for a 2 year old program.  With Em this was just a mommy and me, which Ian and I will also do, but I just have this sense that he is ready.  He is always so eager to do exactly what Em is doing and wants to be a big kid, but is also ready and able to do it, it's amazing.  He is extremely smart and I'm not just saying that because I am his mother.  He will go Wednesday and Fridays starting in the Fall for 2 1/2 hrs.  more on that too in the months to come.

Speaking of Ian, I feel like in order to move forward you kind of need to learn a little bit about him since I haven't blogged since he was 3 months old, so here are some facts about Ian...

Meet Ian...

• He is a parrot and tries to repeat almost every word we say
• He loves to sing Happy Birthday, sometimes we have to sing to people at least 10 times a day while in the car (it's always someone different, so you never know when it could be you!)
• He loves Mickey Mouse and fire trucks.  One day we drove around looking for a fire truck because he kept asking to see one.  I think he loves the noise and if it's not a fire truck he calls it a regular truck.
• He can count to 10 (well he counts to 11, but 11 is supposed to be 10)
• If you ask Ian what color something is he always says yellow - we'll work on that later
• For weeks he had been saying 1, 2, fasha and I was totally stumped, brought me back to the days when Emmy was saying caca until I realized that was peacock.  Well just the other day out of the blue after I heard Em say it and I realized he was saying 1, 2 blastoff!!! Yay, victory is mine!
• At dinner we sit around the table talk about our highs and lows and he loves to chime in that he went to swimming or to his Tumble Jungle class.  He might not always get the actual activity correct for the day, but at least he is getting the concept.
• He has really been into body parts lately as he loves to sit on the potty like his big sister - he said "pee, pee come out pena" (that's penis for those who couldn't figure it out!).  I said yes, boys have a penis and girls have a vagina (didn't think you would be getting a health lesson so early in the day did ya?!?!).  Anyway, he now clearly understands which is which, but he is such a ham and loves to say "girls, pena, girls, pena" and then hysterically laughs at himself (already he is his own best audience).
• When we are getting ready to leave he loves to say "rock and roll" or "later gator"
• He loves to swim and we have been taking swimming for about 6 months and he is getting better and better.  He loves to jump off the side and even goes under - with assistance from me of course
• He is the mayor (which I guess I shouldn't be surprised about given who his father is).  We take Emmy to school everyday and pick her up 3 times a week and there is a walk from the parking lot to the building.  He waves to everyone who drives by and says Hi and Bye on the way in and out - he knows the drill but has taken it upon himself to make sure that everyone feels welcome.
• Instead of saying yes, he says yesh
• After we drop Em off at school we get in the car and he said, "Where sissy go?" and I say, as always, "we just dropped her at school" and he'll say, "OOOOOhhh, gotcha!"
• So more about his humor and he really has a sense of humor, he goes to the gym daycare with me about 2 or 3 times a week and it took about 6 months for him to be comfortable, but now he loves it.  In fact when I come to pick him up he usually wants to stay.  There are two ladies Linda and Suzanne and he clearly knows which one is which, but he always looks at Suzanne and says "Hi Yinda (that's what he calls her)" and she says, Ian, and he laughs and says SuZuZann (that's how he pronounces it).  He knows which one is which, but he loves to get a rise and laugh out of her!
• If you have ever cried around Ian that's what he will remember about you for a while.  One morning we saw a friend's son at school and he didn't want to go and all Ian says when you mention Coleman is that he cried.  He also does this for kids at the gym daycare who have ever cried, he must just be taping into his sensitive side!

Oh I could go on for hours and I'm sure I will be thinking of things all day but what do you know a crying boy.  I will see you soon (I promise), will update on Emmy when I return.