Thursday

Happy Thursday because Mommy was home from work with Beau!  Lincoln went to VBS with William, and Beau got to help Mommy clean out the playroom.  He regulated on which toys were ok to donate and which ones needed to stay . . . all while wearing his fireman costume!

We had three trash bags full of stuff to donate to Goodwill!  Daddy sent us a selfie from Belgium, so took a selfie to send Daddy! 

Daddy is on a neighborhood Dad's softball team this summer, and their first game was on Thursday night.  We went to represent the Kuhlman name, and the boys had so much fun!!!  All of the kids are friends in some way . . . older brother/younger brother/soccer teammates/baseball teammates/etc.  These kids had a blast!! 

The Golden Sombreros in the field!  Apparently, Golden Sombreros means striking out 4 times in one game, so they named them selves ironically.  (Because they were pretty good!!) 

Beau took a break from hide and seek and settle his sweaty self in between these bars.  Cutie! 

This sweaty guy couldn't sit still for long.  That snaggle-tooth smile is forever the greatest thing!!!  

Two little boys loved watching the Dads (even though their was in Belgium for the week).  So much fun at the ballpark! 

Lincoln is finishing up VBS at our church on Friday, and Minnie and Bubbles are coming for the weekend!  So much fun to come!

Quite Night at Home then Wild Night Out (White Sox Baseball party)

Tuesday arrived with the planned Pre-K for Beau and VBS/Sports Camp for Lincoln.  We didn't have too much going on in the evening.  It was nice to have a quiet dinner at home (baked pork tenderloin) and just hang out.  Beau got a little twisted up while taking off his shirt before baths . . . he was somewhere between crying and laughing at his misfortune!  It was the cutest (and maybe a good embarrassing picture to save for graduation/wedding) picture!  Love that bod!

Lincoln sneaked out to watch the end of the Rangers game, and he was looking so tired.  We were able to text with Daddy as he was flying over the Atlantic.  Love that his plane had wifi!   

Wednesday evening was our White Sox baseball team end of season party, and Coach Corey had us set up in the party room at Manny's.  The kids had so much fun (and made such a mess of chips!!!), and everyone was happy to get together again.   

Coach Corey passed out trophies after dinner and highlighted each child's improvements and strengths.  The parents cheered and really appreciated how hard the kids and coaches worked together this season.  Lincoln busted a pose with his trophy! 

Lincoln was so proud that Coach Corey gave him a game ball for the end of the season.  Each player has been selected to receive a game ball throughout the season, and they all think it is so special.  Such a sweet way to honor them after working so hard!  Thanks Coach! 

Such a fun party!  This White Sox team played great, each player really improved, and it was fun for all the families.  Daddy will get an entire post dedicated to his Belgium trip soon (and he sent great pics), but it's on with regular life for the state-side Kuhlmans. 

Swimming and Golf

Sunday evening sliding!  Lincoln and Riley had the best time on the slide on Sunday.  They went down individually (but always one after the other) many times.  When they saw that some of the bigger kids were going down the slide together, they decided to try that out!  They devised several plans, took turns being in front and in back, sometimes held on to each other, sometimes didn't hold on to each other, discussed how to go down the slide faster, and really just had fun! 

After dinner in the cabana, we all got back in the pool to play.  Mr. Josh brought one of the basketball goals over to the shallow end for the kids to play.  We were missing the start of the Finals game between CLE and Golden State, but Lincoln and Beau were busy having their own version of The Finals in the pool!!  #Lincolnscored 

Beau had watched Lincoln go down the slide a million times, but he wasn't ready all evening.  He got a few suggestions to ask Mommy to go down the slide with him, but he still wasn't interested.  Just before it was time to go home, Mommy told Beau it was time.  Let's do the slide!!!  We eagerly (nervously) climbed up the ladder, and Lincoln was so proud of us.  We confidently (uncoordinatedly) sat down at the top of the slide with Beau between Mommy's legs.  Mommy might have had a secret panic attack about landing in the water with a not-awesome swimmer who she is in charge of to not drown him/her.  Luckily, it went great!!!!  He loved it!  We took a picture and went down the slide again with Lincoln cheering us on and a lot of real eagerness and confidence.  Mom of the Year for going down the slide twice!  (Can I crown myself Mom of the Year???  I just did!  Someone bring me flowers!  Secretly, it was kind of fun!) 

Monday brought another week of summer school:  Beau back to Pre-K, and Lincoln to Vacation Bible School at our church.  Linc's only lasted from 9-12, but they had a fun Sports Camp from 12-4 that he could stay for.  It was great.  I think there is a good picture coming soon.  We went to dinner with Nana and Pops early on Monday night, then Daddy and Lincoln went to play 18 holes at dusk.  Beau and Mommy went home to make sugar cookies with blue icing and rainbow sprinkles.  Beau was happy! 

Daddy and Lincoln were having FUN!  Love these two!  Lincoln's snaggle-tooth instantly makes any picture better! 

Somewhere on the back 9, Lincoln asked to take a rest for a minute.  Daddy took this sweet picture while driving to the next hole.  

Big boy rallied and finished 18 before the sun set.  It was kind of a late bath at 9:30 when they got home, but it's great that they had such a fun time! 

We have a full week going on.  Lincoln at Bible School/Sports Camp, Beau at Pre-K, Mommy working, and Daddy going to Belgium!!!! 

Friday and Saturday: Friends and Fun

Friday fun, at last!  Lincoln went to his last day of Tennis/Swim camp for the week, and Beau and Mommy had plenty of plans.  We exercised, had a fun lunch, stopped at the Post Office to mail a package to Auntie, and visited the Galleria.  Beau loves "the cookie mall" and always needs a cookie while watching the ice skaters. 

We went to swim in the afternoon and saw the campers finishing up their week with a fun carnival!  Lincoln and Nick joined at the pool, and the slide was finally open!!  The line was long, but the anticipation was high! 

Payoff!  The slide is awesome, and Lincoln totally loves it!  The lifeguards don't allow goggles on the slide or diving board, and it's been a great way to get Lincoln to not rely on wearing goggles all of the time.  So much fun! 

Nick's family came to pick him up at and were happy to join us our group on the patio for dinner.  We all had so much fun, and the kids played great together.  Lincoln's tooth has been so loose all week, and it was just barely hanging on Friday night.  While brushing his teeth before baths, Mommy reached in and quickly pulled it out.  So quick and easy!  He was so proud, and he's the cutest snaggle-tooth EVER! 

 

The White Sox had a game on Saturday morning, and Lincoln loved playing pitcher and 3rd base.  He had some awesome hits and got 3 people out!

Beau was his sweet and silly self while Lincoln played.  He had fun playing with the girls and cheering on his big brother!

We had lunch at the club with Daddy before his golf, and then we hit up the pool with lots of swimming plans.  Unfortunately, we had three 30 minute thunder breaks.  It only rained a little each time, but we had lots of popsicles to pass the time! 

Dinner was at Shady's with the Katsoulis and Moody families.  These kids are getting along so great, and the parents really enjoy hanging out together!  Lincoln got the "swing the washer on the nail" game 10 times!  So proud! 

After burgers, fries, and apple slices, these kids were super silly!!  A giant thunderstorm was going on so we were confined to the covered patio section, and they lived it up!!! 

Sweet Firefly was necessary after dinner, and everyone got serious about their treat.  Delicious ice cream and shaved ice!  I love these kiddos! 

Life is busy and full and crazy and good.  Life is planned out and spur of the moment.  Life is the best right now.  And we have so much more life to go . . . it's hard to imagine how much better it can get! 

First Week: Tennis/Swim Camp and Pre-K

Lincoln was up and ready for Tennis and Swim Camp on Monday morning!  He had his backpack filled with sunscreen, a change of clothes, a water bottle, a tennis racket, and two towels . . . it was a full day of fun!  (Nick started feeling bad on Sunday evening with a fever and still had it on Monday, so he didn't join Linc on the first day.)

After dropping off Lincoln at his camp, Beau was all set for his first day of Pre-K at Primrose!!!  Several of his friends moved up with him, and they were all happy when Beau arrived.  He got to know his new teacher Ms. Brockway, and Ms. Ashley (a sub in Pre-School) has moved to the morning helper in Pre-K, so he was thrilled about that!  We had a few extra hugs then he was off to do some learning and have some fun! 

Tuesdays in the summer are Field Days/Splash Days for Beau!  He loves to wear his swimsuit to school and the fun water activities in the morning.   

Lincoln was all set for Wacky Wednesday . . . Rangers hat, Ninja Turtles PJ shirt, Superman swim trunks, mis-matched socks and shoes!  He was a happy kid!

After camp and school on Thursday, we had a quick dinner.  It was a great night for a bike ride . . . until we made it halfway around the block and discovered that Beau's bike was having a problem.  The right hand brake was locked, so the back tire wouldn't "go" like normal.  We made it back home  and found a neighbor's sprinkler running.  The boys spent half an hour running through their sprinkler and squealing with joy!   

The week was super busy and fun.  We had dinner at the club with Blake and her girls spontaneously.  We did some carpooling with Coach K to get Lincoln and Nick to and from camp.  We spent tons of time telling each other to "Look over there at that . . ." just so if the person looked, we could say "Made ya look, made ya look, now you're in the baby book."  That's been REALLY popular this week.  We are ready for Friday and the weekend to come!

1st Summer Weekend at the Pool

Saturday at the pool!!!!  We went to swim after lunch, and the boys were so excited!  We met lots of friends at the pool on Saturday.  At first, we swam with the Sadler's.  Then we asked the Katsoulis family if they wanted to stop by.  Their house is on the market, and it worked out great for them to have a place to go while realtors were showing their house.  Lincoln (and Beau) walked Nick around the club to show him where they would be hanging out during Sports Camp starting on Monday.  Sweet guys posed for the best picture!!!!

When it was time for the can dive, these boys were ready!!! 

Luckily, Lincoln and Beau discovered that their bestie Riley was at the pool too!  The boys had an Icee Popsicle break!   

We swam and swam and swam . . . and them it was getting a little late and time for dinner.  Daddy called in a pizza for us to pick up at Carmine's, and Mommy needed to make a super quick stop at Target before picking up dinner.  Lincoln was literally sleep-walking through Target for the 5 minutes we were there.  (He also had to pee like crazy when he woke up getting in the car, so he had permission to go on the tire . . . sorry!!!) 

The pizza was delicious, and we all got a great night of sleep.  Sunday afternoon's baseball practice was replaced with a scrimmage game against the other Bowie Kindergarten baseball team.  For some weird reason, the league didn't schedule a game between the two teams.  The boys had fun playing against each other, and there was plenty of talk/laughs while each team was on offense/defense.  Good sportsmanship for all! 

We had a cabana rented for Sunday evening, and our friends joined us for a wonderfully relaxing Sunday evening.  The kids had a blast in the pool, the parents took turns in the water supervising, and we all had a great dinner in the shade with a cool breeze.  These two had to hug it out after dinner and before they went to swim more. 

Weekends are the best!  We get to see all of our friends, hang out at the pool, sleep in, enjoy not being on a crazy schedule, and just have some summer fun.  The first week of summer break (for Lincoln) is at Sports Camp at the club, and Nick is joining him.  Super fun to come!

Last Week of Kindergarten: Part 3

Friday was the last day of Kindergarten for Lincoln!  There were lots of fun activities planned all day.  The Moms got to meet at the playground and give the kiddos a pizza party, and it was so fun.  Thankfully, it wasn't wet or rainy!  The kids enjoyed pizza on blankets under a shade tree, and Lincoln had a sweet smile (with top snaggle-tooth!) of course. 

Most of the boys finished their pizza quickly and wanted to run wild on the playground.  Popsicles and crazy wild cheers for the last day of school!! 

The Greeson's were having a neighborhood block party on Friday night, and it was filled with fun friends for both kids and parents.  Lincoln has been on a past T-Ball team with West, and Claire is just about Beau's age (and they have baby Will), so we know them pretty well.  The Moms found themselves gathered in the kitchen with all of the potluck food for a while then moved it to the area the Dads had gathered in . . . lots of yummy food!  The kids took turns eating and playing, but Emily made sure she took a dinner break with Beau.   

(Truth:  Lincoln and Beau had Chick-fil-A and fruit before we went to the party because this Mommy knew they would be too busy playing to eat much dinner.  Beau managed one slice of pizza and a few strawberries, but Lincoln was too busy with friends to bother with food!  The Greeson's backyard was filled with kiddos! 

The girls raided Claire's dress-up closet for a while and numerous princesses were running round the house like crazy!  The boys caught on and donned various Superhero costumes for a while.  Late in the evening, Beau discovered a knight costume and was in love! 

What a fun day filled with school and neighborhood friends!  We are so blessed to live in a neighborhood where we all look out for each other, enjoy each other's company, and create a relationship of parents and kids having fun together.  Does summer officially start when school is out?  We hope so because we are ready!

Baseball Game Fun

We couldn't celebrate too much after Kindergarten Graduation because we had a White Sox baseball game at 5:30.  The boys were focused and played really well.  The coaches have worked with them so much on fielding, and the boys are really getting it.  They plan out what the play for an out should be with each opposing batter, and they are actually getting some good outs!  The Moms and fans are really cheering them on so much!  Lincoln loves to be "pitcher" (even though mostly the pitcher is actual the other teams coach - it's coach pitch after all).  This position gets lots of action.  Coach Malachi was reminding Lincoln if he got the ball to make sure to throw to first.  Lincoln responded, "But Coach, if I get the ball, I can just run over and tag the runner out because I am super speedy."  Coach Malachi and Coach Corey laughed and told Mom that at least Lincoln was humble (sarcastic)!  The first batter hit one right to Linc, and he grabbed it and super speeded to tag the kid out.  Lincoln totally looked at the Coaches like "SEE"!!!  The Coaches had a laugh about it!

For some unknown and awesome reason, Lincoln has been connecting with the ball all season.  He almost never misses the pitches and needs the tee . . . he's probably hit off the tee 3 times all season.  Mommy captured this monster double just as he was about to hit it!  Love that he is batting so well! 

This guy is all about fun during Linc's games.  He has a lovely group of little sisters to play with, and Ellie, Campbell, Emily, Mrs. Kelly, and Shane are all Beau's girls.  A little sweaty and a little dirty is a great look for a "two thumbs up" Beau! 

After the game, we joined the Katsoulis family and Moody family for dinner at the Burger House.  Super fun and delicious!!!  After the kiddos ate, we headed outside for some wild shopping center hide and seek and silly pictures!  These three are awesome baseball players and fun friends. 

The last day of Kindergarten is up next, and it's a fun party!

Last Week of Kindergarten, Part 2: Graduation

How can Lincoln be graduating from Kindergarten???  Wasn't it just yesterday that he had his first day???  He was so proud to walk in . . . look at that smile!  The kids all wore a matching shirt (with their names all listed on the back) and cap.  The cafeteria was full of picture-taking proud parents and grandparents!

Mrs. Bailey's class was first, and she took a moment with each child to savor this special time.  The kids LOVE her, and she is such a special teacher.  Lincoln kind of skipped over to her because he was so excited!  Principal Low was next to shake his hand and congratulate him on a great Kindergarten year. 

The kids sang a fun song or two, and Lincoln was right behind his best buddy, Nick.  They were really into it!  (Nick's mom, Kate, said they may need to be in Glee Club in between baseball and soccer practice!!)   

The kids were sent out in twos holding hands, and it was so sweet that Lincoln and his other best buddy, Canon, walked out together.  They have been the best classmates this year, and we know Mrs. Bailey was lucky to have such a sweet and calm pair of boys.   

Mrs. Bailey presented the kids with their own Kindergarten Completion Certificate, and a personal award as well.  Lincoln was named Brightest Smile!  That is the perfect award for him.  He always (well, come on, no one can always) has the best attitude, happiest smile, and most joy.  He truly has the Brightest Smile of anyone I know! 

Class photo after the awards were handed out.  Such a great group of Kinders! 

Lincoln needed a picture with Mrs. Baily of course.  We took a couple, but Beau was begging to be in the picture too.  Mrs. Bailey has already promised us that she will request Beau when class assignments are made in 2016.  Luckily she already knows that his personality is quite different from Lincoln's so she wasn't surprised when Beau made this face! 

Beau needed to try on Lincoln's cap of course! 

The boys posed with Nana and Pops after the events.  Smiles all around! 

Our little family so proud of Lincoln for a great year!  He truly had the best school year ever! 

Kindergarten Graduation is in the books, and this Mom didn't shed a tear at the ceremony!  (Surprised, right?)  It was such a fun celebration for the kids . . . and the parents who have made it together too!  It can't be said enough, WE LOVE BOWIE!  The last day of school is still to come, so more fun to post.