Lincoln Is Reading

Lincoln's "learning to read" is an important part of each evening.  Beau has been really interested in listening to his big brother reading.  Each night Lincoln has two books to read, and we are all enjoying the time together.

Lincoln's progress has been so great, and he's reading so well.  The most fun part for Lincoln . . . taking the AR quiz in the library to get extra points.  He's getting crazy competitive and loving the challenge.  He checked out new books for the weekend, so more reading is on the priority list. 

Warm Week

 

We have had a fun week and spent a lot of fun time outside.  On Monday night, Beau and his shark hair joined Mommy for tennis during Lincoln's tennis lesson.  Let it be known . . . playing tennis with an almost 4 year old is way more fun if he has shark hair.  Just saying!  (Daddy was especially jealous of our Monday evening because he was in Columbus Ohio in the aftermath of the giant snowstorm with temps in the teens . . . we promised him that he would return the next day to golf weather, and we didn't lie . . . and he was happy to be home!)

Mommy surprised Lincoln at lunchtime at school on Tuesday!  He was the silliest lunch date ever, and he ate all of his lunch without too much prodding.  Note to Mommy:  always pack a Hawaiian roll turkey and cheese sandwich, a little baggie of popped popcorn, and a banana.  Win!!   

The weather has been soooooo nice this week, and we have been playing outside extra each evening.  How can it even be over 80 in January???  Love that! 

Since it has been warm each evening, we have been doing a lot of basketball practicing.  Lincoln's goal is to score at least 10 points each night.   

While this has been a fun week of lots of sport and outside time, we have also spent a lot of our evenings working on Lincoln's reading.  That's next up on the blog . . . stay tuned.

Weekend Update

Saturday brought another basketball game, and it was time for team pictures.  The boys and coaches were happy to pose before practice.  Lincoln has had a bit of a hard time adjusting to the speed and ability level of basketball, but he finally "got it" during this Saturday's game.  He really figured out that being super involved on defense helps take the ball away from the opposing team, and he's super fast to fun to his defensive/offensive spot.  Not sure why it really clicked during this game, but it made it way more fun for him,

Beau and Charlie were up to some antics while their big brothers were playing ball.  These two are super funny and will cause tons of silly trouble when they get older. 

After the game, Mommy ran along with Lincoln on a bike ride.  We did several laps of our block and a few others.  Lincoln has become a super great bike rider lately.  Any time it is nice, we should ride! 

Sunday afternoon brought a serious kid milestone . . . Lincoln's first time at Chuck E. Cheese!  Cameron's birthday party was so much fun, and we had all of our school friends, soccer friends, and basketball friends.  He loved playing the games, and spent a few tokens on the MLB throwing game. 

His favorite game was probably Skeet Ball, which is super fun.  He cheered for himself each time he got the ball in a high points circle. 

The bumper cars were a huge hit, and Lincoln couldn't wait to try it.   

Lincoln and Nick had so much fun driving their bumper cars.  They were actually pretty good drivers and had a blast! 

We took a break from playing games for pizza and cupcakes, and Lincoln was so excited that he got to sit by his two besties, Nick and Canon.  Life couldn't be more perfect for Lincoln on Sunday . . . and now he wants to have his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese . . . germy gross! 

We came home and got cleaned up for a super nice dinner of baked pork tenderloin and salads, and we did a bit of reading to practice.  It was a great weekend!

A Little Thursday and A Lot of Friday

Two crazy little boys wearing Razorback T-Shirts were ready for school on Thursday morning.  They had fun making super silly faces.

Oh, so sweet . . . for a few minutes at least!  Thursday would be a full day of school, work, homework, reading assignments, Mom's Night dinner, and Daddy and Boys trip to the (real) Campisi's.  It was a full day!

Lincoln was happy to go to school on Friday morning, and Beau was super happy to stay home and play.  We did some exercising in the morning, then he played with his Lego Juniors.   

We had lunch and discussed what we should do in the afternoon.  An acorn walk was Beau's first choice until Mommy found some small heart-shaped baking pans deep in the kitchen drawer . . . then his request changed to baking cookies.  What a great idea!  We got our supplies and ingredients out and began on the cookie dough, and then we discovered that we were short on sugar.   So we hit "pause" on our baking and headed to Tom Tom for our most important ingredient.  What a cute baking buddy!

Before we could get to the sugar, the sweetest little boy ever suggested that we needed some flowers to made beautiful bases (vases).  It was hard to say no to a request so sweet!  We divided the flowers up between a vase on the kitchen table and a vase on the playroom table.  Beau loves that there are his special flowers in the playroom!  

We came home and finished our cookie dough with the sugar and found a box delivered by the postman.  Minnie had sent the funnest shoes ever!  Leopard booties have been on the wish list for a while, and it was so fun to wear them! 

We picked Lincoln up from Kindergarten and played on the playground with a few friends for a while, but it was a little chilly with the wind.  Lincoln was ready to go inside to the library to take his first Accelerated Reader quiz.  He had checked out "Ride Fly Guy Ride!" and couldn't wait to ace the quiz.  And ace it, he did! 

Lincoln loved taking the AR quizzes, and we found two other books that he had already read that he could earn points on.  He's addicted already! 

When we got home it was time to bake our cookie dough in our special heart-shaped pans, and the boys LOVED the results.  (So did Daddy, but I didn't take his picture!)  Notice the fresh flowers on the table, courtesy of Beau! 

Lincoln spent some time in the afternoon finishing up his Santa's Workshop Lego set.  It had over 10,000 pieces (and was marked for a 12 year old), and it has been a challenge to him.  Everyone was so proud of him for finishing it.   

Dinner at Anamia's with the Kuhlmans and Hoggs then bath and a movie in sleeping bags will be the perfect ending to Friday night.  So much cuteness and so much fun, and we are ready for the weekend.

Monday Holiday

A Monday holiday was a great way to start the week.  Daddy had an early flight to New Orleans (!) for a few work meetings, and we planned on laying low and just playing.  That all changed quickly when Mommy was asked to join the Teacher Appreciation committee at Linc's school late on Sunday night, and a meeting was being held on Monday morning.  The boys were happy to wake up to the news that they could go to Nana and Pops house for a bit.  Backstory:  Lincoln learned from his teacher on Friday that he didn't have school on Monday.  Beau quickly asked if also didn't have school on Monday.  Upon confirmation of both boys being out of school, they immediately cheered that it was a Nana and Pops Day.  Mommy had to bust their bubble that she was off too, so it would be a Mommy Day.  Lincoln's immediate response:  "Mom, don't you want to be alone sometime?  Wouldn't you like to not be bossed around by us for a day?  You could do so many things if we weren't here!  Don't you want that?"  Mommy responded that she did want to spend the day (apparently) being bossed around, and they needed to get over it!  So needless to say, they were especially happy to hear the news that they got to go to Nana and Pops' house!  Lincoln completed a major Lego project, and Benny's Spaceship from The Lego Movie) at over 1,000 pieces took a while.  He was so proud!  This text picture brought a smile during an almost 3 hour committee planning meeting!

A Kindergarten friend (well, his Mom) sent a message in the morning that WOGA was having Open Gym from 12-2 on Monday, and we should meet up.  Several of us played at WOGA for almost two hours, and it was super fun.  The boys ran like crazy of course.  Beau loved diving in the pits! 

Lincoln was a maniac in the bounce house, and laughed like crazy.  They made a new friend, Miles, and played hide and seek for ever! 

When it was time for the parachute, everyone was excited.  How to get 30 kids under 6 to work together . . . bring out a giant parachute! 

After gym, Beau asked if we could hit up the Dog Stop.  He was super happy with his snack!  Lincoln played his Lego Movie video game to relax a bit, and Beau watched an episode of Berenstain Bears.  We took Lincoln to Canyon Creek to have a putting contest with Pop Pop to work with Lincoln with his new putter.  Beau and Mommy had an important popsicle and ice cream sandwich run to make to restock the freezer.  Beau was happy to choose the treats!  Lincoln went to his tennis lesson, and Beau gave Mommy a tennis lesson while we waited.  Why does Mommy have to do the most of the running???  We came back home for pork tenderloin and steamed broccoli, and it was delicious.  After a bath and shampoo, the boys fixed their "shark hair" again.  Our chapter book right now is Captain Underpants and the Turbo Toilet 2000 . . . it's not Mommy's favorite.  The boys LOVE it, and who could deny these two little boys laughing hysterically about toilets and potty humor. 

For the record, we can't finish this book fast enough for this Mom.  Next up is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Peter Pan.  It was a super busy and super fun day together.  Tuesday was going to be back to the routine.  School for the boys, work for Mommy, and Daddy back home to cook us a wonderful spaghetti dinner. 

Warm Weather Saturday and Sunday - and a Rocket Launch Party

Saturday, at last!!!  Lincoln's basketball team had a game after lunch, then we came home to enjoy the wonderfully warm temperatures.  It's been a long week of cold and yucky weather, and we were so happy to be outside.  The boys played in the backyard for several hours, and they had so much fun!  They played in their 2nd story clubhouse, they made a Whataburger window to serve food (sticks and rocks-yum!), we had a fun baseball game, and we did some basketball practicing too. 

We also did a bit of bike riding, and Lincoln did great!  It's been a while since he's been out on the bike, but he was a pro.  So much so that Mommy left the elbow and knee pads at home, and we just went for it!!  We picked up a friend from one street over, and sweet James rode with us for a while and came back to our house to do races with the boys.   

After Daddy and Pops were done golfing in the aforementioned wonderful weather, we all met for a delicious dinner at Manny's!  The boys were in the mood for a group hug, and this was the picture snapped from a Mommy's view.  Love!!!!! 

We started Sunday out with Sunday School, brunch at the club, and some grocery shopping.  We stopped at the Saugier's house on the way home.  Cannon is one of Lincoln's Kindergarten besties, and his older sister was selling Girl Scout cookies on their lawn.  We bought our cookies (trefoils and tagalongs) then had some serious playtime.  Coach Simon had just installed a new tree swing that could fit all the kiddos, and they had a blast!  Lincoln described it like a waffle (square with grid lines), and Beau later talked about how much he liked the breakfast swing!  So funny!  After playing in the backyard again, we headed back out for one more errand.  We got a text asking if we could join the Saugier's at the soccer field to do some rocket launching!!!!  We were "in" for sure!!  Beau kept insisting that he wanted to sit in the driver's seat of the rocket and that he would know what to do when he got to the moon.  Mommy wasn't exactly sure what kind of rockets would be launching, but it seemed prudent to lower his expectations by a mile or so!  After a long conversation about how one has to go to astronaut school before one can be launched in a rocket to the moon and about how only small rockets can be launched from a soccer field, we were still excited and better prepared.  Daddy and Pops had just finished with golf, so Daddy met us to join in on the fun.  Coach Simon wasn't messing around with baby rockets, and he assured us these would fly high.  This was the first rocket . . .  we had no idea what it could do!

The kids (at least a dozen) had gathered around watching the set up.  Cannon asked his dad if hit the launch button, but his dad said he should probably let someone else since Cannon had done it before.   Sweet Cannon asked if could be Lincoln, and that is how Lincoln got to launch the first rocket from the Bowie soccer field.  He was loving it!!!!! 

Mommy was prepared with the video rolling but not prepared at how fast and high the rocket would go . . . it was crazy!!!!! 

The kids went crazy when they discovered that it would break into a parachute and float back down to the ground.  The chase was on after each rocket launch, and it was so fun to watch! 

The super giantest rocket went so high that some of us lost sight of it for a second!  It's parachute crash-landed in a tree . . . but Coach Simon wasn't having that and climbed the tree to retrieve it!  (It wasn't the first time he had been caught climbing a tree on Sunday . . . he had installed the breakfast swing earlier in the day!) 

Beau was loving the rocket launches, and he mostly ran with the big kids.  Even though he didn't get to drive the rocket to the moon, he had a blast! 

Super fun weekend!!!!  It was great to hang with so many neighborhood friends, and the rockets were fun.  We all have a bonus day on Monday, but I'm not sure it can top rocket launching. 

Our Week

Lincoln had his tennis lesson on Monday afternoon, and Beau spent some quality time with Mommy doing crafts by the fire at the club.  We had so much fun just hanging out!

Just before we walked over to the tennis center to pick up Lincoln, Beau decided to demonstrate how to be a one-eyed and one-legged pirate.  Not sure what that's about, but it was pretty hilarious! 

Tuesday night's dinner was Skillet Lasagna and steamed green beans, and it was yummy!  The boys were rewarded for cleaning their plates with a special ice cream treat.  We baked tortillas in these crazy "as seen on TV" bowls.  Ice cream with strawberries, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream is WAY more fun in a baked tortilla bowl!!   

We were super busy on Wednesday night eating chicken tacos and going to swimming lessons.  Luckily, Thursday evening was more low-key.  Lincoln had some Lego time, and he loved that! 

This guy came out of his room at 10:30 sporting a faux-hawk and pajama belly shirt . . . too cute, but go to sleep already!!! 

The weather is supposed to be amazing for the next few days, and we have lots of outside plans.  Sixty degrees in January after a week of cold and rainy/gloomy . . . bring it on!!

Weekend Re-Cap

Lincoln had a basketball game on Saturday afternoon, and he was glad to get back to basketball after the holiday break.  Lincoln and his friends hustled so hard and won their game 18-6.  Great win! 

Beau was looking cute and doing tricks on the bouncy wood pieces.  No parent seems to know what this contraption is, but all of the little siblings love it!  Beau, Lucy, and Charlie had tons of fun!

There is no Cowboys game picture because we lost.  We wore our lucky clothes and sat in our lucky spots, but it just wasn't meant to be.  After the game, the boys made up a robot picnic with their robot friends.  Fun!

Lincoln spent some time working on his Lego Christmas gift.  He has been a little uninterested in Legos over the break, but he dedicated some serious time on Sunday afternoon to work on master building.

Beau was busy building a camp site in the playroom, and it was nice for them to play on their own for a while.  No fights!  Everyone was excited to come together for dinner . . . Cheesy Chicken and Tomato Rigatoni.  We all cleaned our plates!!!  (I forgot to take a picture until dinner was almost over, but it was picture perfect and super delicious.)

Since the boys made happy plates of the pasta dish, steamed green beans, and fruit, they got to have an ice cream treat!  Happy guys!

We ended Sunday night with a reading lesson and sight word practice for Lincoln.  He did great, and he can't wait for Ms. Bailey to test him this week on his words.  He is totally prepared!  Also, Lincoln has a new student in his class this semester from China.  We practiced how to say hello in Chinese, so he could talk to the new kid a bit.  Two little guys couldn't resist coming out a few (dozen) times before they could calm down and go to sleep. 

After the fun weekend, we have a full week ahead.  School, work, tennis lessons, sight words, swimming lessons, fun dinners, (5 loads of laundry, vacuuming, trash, dishes, and no one wants to hear about that part!), and maybe a fancy dessert . . . time to start the new week.