My Will

Dear Will,

It seems like only yesterday I was in a conference with your pre-school teacher (you were 2). She was telling me how you could not sit still during circle time and how you did not do what all the other kids did during "creative movement."  I simply pointed out that it was called creative movement wasn't it? Maybe YOU were being creative! Boy, how times have changed.

This week I watched you walk across a stage and accept a diploma at your elementary school graduation ceremony.  I listened as your teacher described you as an excellent communicator and a natural leader.  I beamed with pride as you were awarded the citizenship award and I saw your straight A's.  I watched as you were surrounded by friends engaging one another in pre-teen banter. I listened as your teacher told me that you have been one of her favorite students of all time (even though she only had you half the year!)   She told me that you will do great things...although I have always known that. I simply cannot believe how you have grown.

You have surprised me and Dad.  You were such a hyper toddler.  Teachers told us you might have ADD.  You were just smart.  You were just busy and inquisitive.  You have grown into the most compassionate and empathic young man I have ever known.  Today was your first day of summer vacation and you rode your bike up to school to help your teacher clean out the classroom. You had a bouquet of flowers for her in your backpack. You told me that you miss her already.

This Spring as we visited a few middle schools, I was ready to make a decision but you cautioned me to wait.  You wanted to see what one more school had to offer you.  You showed more maturity than me in that situation.  You have such poise and maturity for your age. It astounds me. That hyper little toddler has morphed into a calm and sophisticated pre-teen.

I know it will be just the blink of an eye before you are marching across the stage for high school and then college graduation too.  Know that I am so proud of you.  I am proud of not only of the excellent thinker and student you have become but also of the kind and generous person you have become.  Every parent should be as lucky as us.

One more thing... I had tears in my eyes as I realized that this is the last time you and your brother will ever be at the same school.  You have always been the very best of friends. I remember how the teachers used to tell me that you two would look for each other first at recess to play with one another.  You are entering different phases of life now but please don't forget about him.  He looks up to you. I hope you will always be the closest of friends.

Will, I love you so much.  I love the relationship we have and I am proud of the young man you have become.  Happy Graduation!!!

Love,

Mom

Your teacher.

Kate throwing a fit because I was not taking her picture:)

Friends

First and Last

This was your very first day of pre-school, Kate (September 4, 2008).

You did not let me leave. In fact, I attended pre-school with you for the first few weeks. Over time, you grew to LOVE school and your teachers. You made so many friends. You took ballet and tap. You loved music and art. You walked away from me every morning with a smile.

Today was your last day of pre-school. It was pajama day and you wore your favorite cupcake nightgown. You brought in pink cupcakes so that your class could celebrate your birthday. It was so sad to say goodbye to Miss Erica and Miss Lucy!

You had a great year, Kate Emerson Ru and I love you!!!

P.S. Kate gets these HUGE marks from mosquito bites. She has one on her face right now that is hard and purple and huge (and several more elsewhere). Anyone else get this or know what to do about them? Aside from DEET (which I will not use on kids)? Do you recommend any natural repellents?  

Thanks Linda...I googled it and found this info....

Some studies suggest that taking thiamine (vitamin B1) 25mg to 50 mg three times per day is effective in reducing mosquito bites. This safe vitamin apparently produces a skin odor that is not detectable by humans, but is disagreeable to pregnant mosquitoes (Pediatric Clinics of North America, 16:191, 1969)

Great weekend

We had such a perfect "kick-off to summer" kind of weekend.  It was so relaxing and fun. On Friday, I was able to go to a performance and awards ceremony for Harry.  His play surprised me ...I had no idea he was such a humorous entertainer.  He could have a future in acting!!! I was also pleasantly surprised at his awards ceremony. You may remember that the boys switched schools Thanksgiving week so they have not been at their current school for very long. Therefore, I was not expecting Harry to win any awards.  I am SO proud of him.  He was given for the citizenship award which is presented to a select group of students who demonstrate the values of the school on a daily basis.  He also won an award for academic excellence across all subjects and a special writing award for a story he wrote. He won one other award too.  I do not mean to sound boastful here (and I hope I do not) but this serves as my scrapbook for my children and I want to remember this special day and I want Harry to know how proud I am to be his Mom!!!
Saturday we spent some time at the beach with our good friends.  We had the best day! (I was too afraid to bring my new camera around all the sand..so these are with my old one).

The kids LOVE playing in the sand. The boys build drippy castles.

Kate and her friend dig, dig, dig!

Kate loved putting sand in this water bottle:)

She does not have a boo boo. She just loves her band-aids!

Harry rode some waves with a big smile.

Kate was timid at first but jumped a few waves with Daddy!

Will relaxing (or as he says "chillaxin") on the deck.

I love this shot of Harry looking through the telescope. He looks like he did when he was three...so cute.

Ahhh...Kate looks up to her big brothers so much.

I am trying to decide what to do with my blog this summer. I am enjoying this stage with my kids so much. The boys are independent and fun but they actually still like to hang out with me. Harry and I play baseball catch almost everyday and Will tells me everything. We have great talks. I know these days will not last forever and I don't want to waste time on my computer this summer. I want to relax with the kids, drink lemonade, read books, and hang out at the pool. However, I want to keep recording our memories. I am always feeling guilty that I cannot visit other blogs as often as I'd like.

Cupcake Party!

I knew as soon as a I saw this place last summer that Kate would have her little birthday party here.  And when I asked her what kind of party she wanted she replied, "a cupcake fancy nancy princess party!"  So, this posh cupcake boutique was the perfect locale.

Kate's birthday is still almost 2 weeks away but I knew that once everyone was out of school it would be hard to get the pre-school crowd to a party (too many older siblings). We will have a small family celebration on her actual birthday. There are a lot of photos again....this is my scrapbook:0)

Miss Kate primping for the party!

Okay, now I know this outfit is over the top.  I tend to choose more understated clothes for Kate. However, she picked out this oh so posh "fancy nancy" get -up. 

I made butterfly shaped finger sandwiches for the girls.

Kate's little friends.  Aren't they SO cute?!

Everyone chose a cupcake.

Kate chose "sweet strawberry" because it was pink!

I chose this one~YUM!

The goodie bags contained tiaras, princess lip balm, necklaces, stickers and pink sparkly face powder and lollipops.

After all that sugar, the girls ran back and forth.  Luckily we had the place almost to ourselves.  I stopped them once I realized they had lollipops in their mouths too.

Saying au revoir!

And a tiny little video...

Ballet and Baseball

As luck would have it, Kate's recital was at the exact same time as Harry's playoff game. Since we have watched tons of Harry's games and this was Kate's 1st recital, Dave, Will and I went to the recital first. I am warning you...as a Mom...I LOVE this stuff, so there are LOTS of photos (long post).  A video of part of the recital is in the previous post.

Kate and Mom before the show.

Kate and Daddy

Warming up...

Waiting for their big moment!

Kate was so HAPPY and chatty. She could barely contain her excitement.

When the curtains opened and Kate saw us, her whole face lit up!

Part of the ballet routine:)

Flowers for the ballerina!

One of Kate's pre-school teachers came to watch the show.

Kate's Dance teacher, Miss Christina.

The moment the recital was over, we raced over to Harry's game.

When we arrived, our team was down by a few points. Apparently, they had been in the lead for the first 3 innings and then things turned around. They rallied and got the lead again only to lose by one point! This was their 4th play-off game and they were one game away from the championship game for their bracket. I am so proud of how hard they worked.

The coach saved a game ball from each game for every player. Coach is tossing Harry the ball here (the ball is in mid-air).

.

Harry made some great plays last night. He was GREAT at 2nd base.

They earn stickers (to decorate their batting helmets) for all the offensive and defensive plays they make.

Great coaches.

This last picture is sentimental. After every game, the players get a free snow-cone. The boys always get their snow cone, climb the bleachers and eat them while they watch the majors play. Although it is not a great picture, it is a special ritual that will be missed.

If you made it this far, I am impressed! Kate's little 3rd birthday party is tomorrow. Her birthday is not until June 3rd but we wanted to have her party before school got out. I will post photos of course;)