Life Lately- The First of Fall

Fall has officially... well, "fallen" upon us. Haha. 

My favorite season! Sweaters hide my post-baby belly, and are warm and comfy.. hence why Fall is my favorite. 

Anyways, here is what we've been up to!

Cheers! We always said once Austin was out of daycare (and we weren't paying more than our mortgage for daycare) we'd enjoy dinner out once and awhile and give our kitchen a break. So we wen to Little Cooperstown on a Friday night and all had a good time!

This guy really likes me lately. And his brother doesn't... he just wants Daddy for everything. So my approval rating is only at 50% right now. Sigh.

See? Austin loves me. He writes something like this on the back of almost every piece of paper he draws or colors on. His writing has improved so much already since school started!

Owen's happy! His favorite (aka Daddy) must be around. :-) He was being silly and enjoying the sunshine at one of Austin's soccer practices!

Gramma, Grampa, and Gramma Darlene came up to Portland one day and took me to lunch, so I brought Owen along! He wasn't so sure about the other kids in the play area at Hopworks. We all had a fun lunch though!

Gramma and Grampa also came up for one of Austin's soccer games! Other than having the wrong park and wondering why the heck we were the only ones there and then quickly trying to drive to the park we were supposed to be at... the day was a success! 

Owen and I had a little date one Sunday morning... I needed to run to HomeGoods and we got there too early so we went next door to New Seasons and checked out the pumpkins. 

We also got a brownie pop from the New Seasons bakery! Owen learned not only that I will bribe him to win his love, but that Mommy's mistake of not checking what time a store opens, will usually end up in us killing time with a treat for him... maybe he'll want to be around me more now? Ha. 

When the cat's away..... or should I say, when the big brother is away... the little brother scouts out ALL THE THINGS in his bedroom without having to deal with "Owen!! Get out of my woom!!!!"

From my one child who loves me. Owen, pay attention. 

Early October brought COLD mornings, and soccer games playing in those cold mornings, so the must loved UPS beanies came out of the closet!!

Such goofs. 

We went down to Springfield the weekend of Gramma's birthday so we could celebrate with her, and the boys had fun going to the store with Grampa to get breakfast supplies!

My Mom chose the Mongolian Grill for her birthday dinner and I was shocked when both boys ATE THEIR WHOLE DINNER. Asian food is something Neal and I make a lot at home, but haven't been able to get the boys to eat. Maybe it was the novelty of making their own bowls from all the ingredient choices, or seeing it cooked on the big grill. I don't know, but now we have two little fans of yakisoba noodles and stir fried veggies!

The weekend of my Mom's birthday was SOGGY... thankfully we packed boots so the boys could burn off some energy outside in the puddles!

We also visited Uncle Brian while we were down there and Owen loved trying on his old football helmet! He gave us his best intimidating growl. 

If you don't play in a pile of leaves... is it really Fall??

Ok, don't mind me, but I have to Mom-brag just a bit about my Austy James... he is so far really doing awesome in school and we are so proud of him! I knew the transition to Kindergarten wouldn't be too much of a challenge for him, seeing that he loves new things/experiences, got a lot of socialization at daycare, and was just so excited about this new phase in his life. 

We had a conference with his teacher recently and she said Austin is just such a good kid. He's kind and thoughtful, he raises his hand and is respectful, he has things to say that are relevant to what the class is discussing and he does the right thing even if no one is watching. 

Oh my Austin. For being an active, physical hurricane of a kid.... you are also gentle and thoughtful, considerate and polite. 

Good job, kiddo. You keep being awesome. 

First Stop On the Road to the Class of 2030... Kindergarten!

I have been thinking about this day since May 2012. That was the first day I dropped Austin off at daycare, and I felt at the time that the next five years were going to take forever. That we'd always be at daycare, that we'd always be spending a ton of money on daycare, and that nothing would ever be different. At the time, that is really how things felt. 

Five years at daycare become our world, the only thing we knew. 

Like a flash, those five years passed though. Austin's last day at daycare came and went, our daycare bill went down by a big chunk (yeah!!!!) and suddenly he's waking up as a Kindergartner. 

"Real" school is so different. The packets of info that came home after orientation made my head swim. The rules, expectations, the logistics of the bus, aftercare, the cafeteria, etc.

Talk about a leap of faith when it comes to trust as a parent. Trust that your kid is ready and smart enough to handle (even the smallest things) "on their own" now... like getting to the bathroom when they need to go, wiping themselves well, washing hands. Bigger things like what to do if they are lost at school or confused about something. Will they know to ask? Will they have enough self confidence to know how to reach out for help? Will they know their own schedule well enough to know what days they ride the bus home? 

As much as I was ready, and I know Austin was ready... were we REALLY ready? 

September 6th, 2017 came, and we were about to find out!

The day was a bit cloudy and muggy, so all my pictures turned out hazy looking. Austin bounced awake and out of bed and then quickly crumpled. 

He was nervous.

Remember, this is the kid that walks into a room and owns it. Never has hesitations or fears. He is confident (to a fault sometimes), self-assured and gregarious. And suddenly he was nervous that the kids wouldn't like him. That he wouldn't make friends.... and my heart shattered. 

If only we could protect them from everything. Every little hurt, disappointment, and let-down. Even though I know those things shape us (I mean, didn't we all learn and flourish after disappointments and heartaches??) it still hurts so much to know our kids are going to have to experience the same bumps and bruises along the way. 

We talked about how as long as he's kind, kids should like him and want to be his friend. How he should smile at the other kids, offer a "hello" to them, notice if they look sad or scared or could use a friend. How he could be that friend, that reason the other kid has a good day. 

He was back to his usual confident silly self after our chat. I packed my first ever school cold lunch, got his backpack all ready, and made sure his hair was all slicked down from it's usual dandelion-poofiness. 

Owen so badly wanted to go to Kindergarten too. I'm glad we have a few more years of daycare and little kid experiences with him though. Mama needs those as much as he does!

Well, we were ready!!!! No tears, just excitement and fun music in the car to pump us up as we drove the 1 minute drive down our hill to his school!

My little duck... because everything he does, he takes to it as easily as a duck takes to water. When we got to his classroom, he found a table to sit at and immediately started on his little worksheet. He is so intent about "work" and doing things right and well. Just like me, and I love that little piece of me inside this otherwise mini-Neal. 

The second week of school came, we got into a better groove, and Austin officially became a bus rider! The bus stop is just a few houses down from us, down a path that is through a cul-de-sac. It was a fun little walk for all of us to head to the bus stop!

Another way Austin is my child... he's very concerned every morning that we are going to miss the bus. The bus is supposed to come at 7:12 but it's usually 7:15, and really he has come anytime between 7:10 and 7:30... so it's been a bit hard to guess what time we should be at the bus stop. We aim to be there at 7:12 everyday. Some days the bus is pulling up as we get there and Austin has to run down the path! So far we haven't missed the bus yet. 

He loves riding the bus so much! He's made friends with the driver (his name is Mike) and always sits in the first seat. There are only about 5 kids who get on the bus in the morning at our stop. 

Getting off the bus though... there is usually 20 kids. It's crazy how many parents drop their kids off in the mornings.... why wait in the long drop off line, and start the car and waste the gas to drive 1 min when you could just send them on the bus? Me no understand. 

Anyways... after our first full week of real school, the boys and I celebrated at Menchies! We are an official elementary school family now!

We have a lot of fun at the bus stop! Lots of talks about our neighborhood, when the bus will come, what they see, what kinds of cars drive by... 

Austin has been going to Aftercare on Mondays and Fridays (he LOVES it), rides the bus home and Aunt Patty is with him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then on Wednesdays, I work from home (usually with Owen... working with a three-year-old chattering about has been interesting) so we meet him on those early release Wednesdays. This picture makes my heart melt into a puddle. 

His first month of school and Austin got an award! A major award! It wasn't Italian or fragile... (haha, name that movie!) but it was very special. Kindness isn't what I thought he would have won an award for. Not that Austin is mean, he isn't, he just is a little... unaware of others around him sometimes. Like he'll run into Owen and knock him down and make him cry and just keep running. He's not the most empathetic kid, though we are working on that. So to see him get recognized for being proactively kind and caring to others made me so proud!

School has been off to a great start! He comes home everyday and says he's had the BEST day. He loves the library and recess and lunch. Math he finds boring because it's "too easy" (his words) and he's been moved three times to a new desk and now sits on his own at a desk because he talks too much (that cracks me up!). He can read simple words and sentences and can write really well now, and spell a few words on his own. 

I'm sure before I know it, we will be graduating Kindergarten! So for now, I'm enjoying every little day. 

Trip to the Japanese Gardens

Our Summer 2017 ended with a lot of emotion, with losing Gramma Pete (more on that later) and family being in town. I took several bereavement days off from work to spend with everyone and I'm so glad I did. Uncle Ross and Aunt Dawn were here from Minnesota and it was so nice to spend time with them, and for the boys to get to know them better too. 

Everyone decided to do something fun and get out in the beautiful weather on Friday, September 1st... we headed to the Portland Japanese Gardens!

We all met at the Oregon Zoo to take the shuttle to the Gardens, since they are right by the zoo. We only had to wait a few minutes for the shuttle but the boys made quick work of climbing all over the rock wall. 

#EverythingIsAnAdventure

Looking like a monkey in the zoo!

Children are so great at cooperating and sitting next to each other when Mommy wants a picture. I mean, every shot is just a masterpiece. haha.

Can you tell I'm sucking in my Mom Belly so hard here??? haha. Oh well, at least I got a rare picture of the boys with me in there too!

As soon as we got to the Gardens the boys were already intrigued by everything! Owen wanted to take this dragon home!

The koi pond was amazing. The fish were huge and there were so many of them! 

We could have spent all day just at the koi pond. Owen was enamored. He was counting the fish, picking out his favorites, following his favorites around the pond.. 

So I'm seriously considering throwing away all their toys and just installing a big pond in the house. Sounds like a good idea, right?

Yeah a family photo!!! And 75% of us are looking at the camera! And we all look somewhat decent!!! The stars have aligned, people. Expect this one on the Glynn Fam Christmas Card. 

I think the Japanese Gardens would be amazing if you got to go there and actually stroll through slowly and enjoy the quiet and serenity. We went with these two, so it was a few hours of chasing them down, getting them off paths that were roped off, telling them to not hurt the plants, and thank the Lord I packed a ton of snacks so they could be occupied. 

#ParentingIsFun

We stopped in at the Rose Gardens too, since they were right next door. It was late in the season for roses so all the plants were a bit withered and getting dried up in the heat. Kinda like how we all felt after this long hot day. 

Shade!!! We found some shade at the amphitheater at the Rose Gardens and rested our weary bodies for a few minutes.

These two, however... don't know the meaning of "relaxation" or "tired" or "sit down" or "how the hell are you still full of energy." have they done any legit studies on kids as to HOW they can go and go and go for hours on end??? It could put the coffee industry out of business. Oh wait, I love coffee. I don't want that to happen. Never mind, I take all that back. 

What is this??? A weary child??? My stars!!! However did this happen??? Perhaps the 75 laps around the huge amphitheater finally did him in? Or was it the promise of a treat if he sat down and relaxed for a bit??

It was the treat. #NailedIt. Say what you will about treats... having some suckers tucked away is the smartest thing I do as a Mom. It gives us about 15 whole minutes of peace. 

No snack or treat can be enjoyed without a thorough conversation about what treat the other got, if they are the same treat, or different, and how the two compare. 

#ImportantBusinessMeeting

That was our day at the Japanese and Rose Gardens! So glad we got that time with family, and that we didn't destroy either place in our wake. 

"I'm Big Now, I'm Fee!!"

The time came in late August... the time for Owen to give up his nonnie for good! 

I was much more nervous about taking away nonnies from Owen than I was with Austin. For a few months before he turned three, Austin talked a lot about giving up his nonnies because he was going to be a Big Three-Year-Old. 

Owen, on the other hand, seemed more attached and not that excited about giving them up. 

The last week of August, Neal was back to work and school hadn't started yet, so Austin was spending the week at Gramma and Grampa's. It was nice having just Owen for that week, and being able to take him to Build-a-Bear on his own so he could have this special moment all to himself. 

So one sunny evening, we heading to the mall!

Getting ready to say bye-bye to the nonnies!!!

So many choices!!!! What to get, what to get??? We may or may not have steered him toward the bears/animals under $20... because seriously. You could easily spend $60 on just one Build-a-Bear animal. It's stupid. 

The winner was a Transformer bear! Owen wasn't so sure about the stuffing machine. 

With a little help and encouragement, he finally got the hang of the stuffing machine pedal!

Carefully putting in those precious nonnies!

Owen named his Transformer Bear "Teddy" and then gave him a good bath! 

So proud to be a big three-year-old!!! Taking Teddy home!

We had dinner at the mall and let him ride some rides before we headed home!

Well that's it. The age of nonnies is all over in our house. We got really lucky with both boys, in that they gave up their nonnies easily and had a smooth transition to sleeping and being without them. I give a lot of credit to daycare, since they started being without nonnies there at a young age. 

Bye-Bye nonnies! Hello big boy!