Kindergartner in the hiz-ouse!

Well, it's official! We have a kindergartner ladies and gentlemen! Brayden started school yesterday at Prairie Elementary our neighborhood school. What a milestone!

After wanting to bring his "weapons" into the ice cream social last week (but then not) and then having a great time running around the gym with some old buddies, drawing his self portrait as a stick figure with a frowny face inside of a circle with an X through it at orientation, going on and on about how scared he was and didn't want to go the night before AND the morning of, he actually did a great job! After he was dressed and semi-fed we headed outside to walk down to meet his buddy Ike so we could all walk together. Once he got outside and graciously let me take some pictures of him he noticed the neighbor kids all leaving for their school at the same time and the older ones were wishing him luck on his first day (too cute). His confidence started to build as he noticed all the other kids going off to school and felt cool that he too was and that the older boy across the street wished him good luck and knew his name - now THAT is cool. We headed down the street and took a picture with Ike before heading off to school. He and Ike talked the whole way - about what, I don't know. He and Ike practically walked to their classrooms all by themselves. As we reached Brayden's class and found his backpack hook, he paused for a few moments. I asked if he wanted help with his backpack and he said no but to just give him a minute. We waited. It was as if he was contemplating his next reaction - hang up the backpack and move forward into the unknown or try to make a break for the door. I gotta tell ya, I was more than a little concerned at that point in time. Soon he decided to hang his backpack up and we all walked into his classroom, he put his school box in his cubby, found his nametag, put it on, I snapped a few more pics and we said our goodbyes and walked out.

So proud I am of my sweet little Brayden! So excited for this new experience but very apprehensive about the unknown. He took it all in stride!

At pickup the teacher sought us out to say that he had some tears throughout the day but still managed to have fun. She suggested that I wait a bit to send any more notes in his lunch box as that just made him cry at lunch. Poor booger! In the car on the way to pick up Bennett that afternoon though he said, "Thanks for that note you put in my lunch box Mom. It really made me think of you." He was even fighting back tears during that comment! He is such my sensitive little man.

So, we've all survived (him likely better than I at this point).

Look at that excited little man below and then his "uber" proud little brother!

Happy 4th B-day Bennett!

This post is a little tardy but I still wanted to get it out there for posterity sake. Our Bennett turned 4 back on August 2nd. I am so excited to see what 4 brings with Bennett as 3 was slightly more than a challenge for us all! :)

He had VERY specific ideas about his birthday party. He wanted a Spy party, at our house, with 5 little boys - no girls. Who are you child? We have never made distinctions about boy vs girl in our household. But whatever, go with it, right? It's not my party.

So one Friday afternoon 3 little boys from Bennett's preschool class last year showed up at our crime scene tape covered house for a whopping good party! They all completed a "Sprite Obstacle Course" for their Spy/Detective training, played in the house, solved the case of the missing presents, opened presents, ate cake and decorated their own ice cream scoops. (Sidenote: the "Sprite Obstacle Course" started out as a "Beer Obstacle Course." Bennett explained to Brian and I one night that this is what he wanted at his b-day party. Brian said that he would be happy to set something up for him along those lines but not until his 21st birthday! Ha - where does he get this stuff?)

I think they all had a great time. I know Bennett did and it won't be a party that he soon forgets. Happy Birthday love!

Thanks again for the awesome photos jami! :)

Bennett's mind

Conversation with Bennett this morning in the bathroom as I was getting ready for work:

B: Mommy, your hair looks different today.

Me: Oh yeah? Is that because it is wet?

B: No. The color right there looks golden from the sun.

Me: Thanks Bennett. It isn't from the sun though. Mommy got her hair a different color last week.

B: (still staring up at me) I'm going poop!

School Time!

Remember school supplies?? What was more fun that shopping for school supplies? I loved it! Get to pick out all new things for basically what would be your own "office" (if you will) for the entire school year. I remember taking the list and going through marking off what I got out and plopped in the shopping cart and then going home and spreading it all out to look at it and marvel over what I had gotten.

Of course there was always the times that I was upset that I didn't get to get some name brand of something or that I had to shop at Venture for my supplies (I was kinda a brat like that!). I don't recall specifics but I'm sure that my mother tried to keep us away from getting anything with characters on it. Likely for two reasons: it was more money and she has a thing about giving into the marketing to children like that. Since becoming a mother myself, I have faced this many a times and I'm sure will face it many more too. Whereas more often than not, our family has the money to pony up on the cost difference, I try to steer them away from it more on principle. I now understand - okay mom?? Proud? You taught me something!

Tonight Brayden and I went shopping for his school supplies. Just he and I. I armed him with our list and a pen and as we went through Target and found items on our list, he tossed them in the basket and then crossed them off of our list ever so carefully. What a fun time we had he and I. He sure is growing up.

"I'm nervous to go to kindergarten Mom." "I think a lot of people feel that way sweetie. No one has ever been before they go for the first time. They don't know really what to expect," I say. I'm not totally convinced that he is nervous though. I almost feel like he's saying it because he somehow feels like he should feel that way. We'll have to see what comes on the first day to find out for certain!

As we near the end of our list we come to the backpacks and lunchboxes. He is going towards a character backpack and lunchbox. I remind him that we already got him a lunch box at World Market. He liked it then but now sees the Scooby Doo van lunch box and wants it a bit instead. He says that he wishes we hadn't gotten one yet. He tries on the Star Wars backpack and says how much he loves it. I also have him try on the cool yet simple red and black backpack which he immediately says is too big although he likes the red. What to do what to do. Do I give into the marketing and desire to have a character on something my young son is carrying that he, by the way, may decide he doesn't like 3 months into school or do I give him others to choose from, none of which have a character on them? Is he the kid that gets made fun of because he has the plain jane backpack and all the other kids have character ones? Is he the kid that stands up for what he's got and likes and makes his own kind of cool? How do we teach him to be that without getting hurt? Why does it have to be so hard? Sheesh! I know one thing, I am likely overthinking it and making it harder than it needs to be.

I had fun with you tonight Brayden! It is so neat to see you growing up - how weird to think that we are at the point of starting kindergarten and entering yet another new chapter in this never ending story of you. I love you peanut!

Amen and good night! Phew!

Mister Picky Pants

My silly silly Bennett. He is almost 4 (b-day is Aug. 2nd) and man is he giving us a run for our money! What an independent guy. Testing it alllllll out. As we go through the days with Bennett since he turned 3, I am reminded what we went through with Brayden at this time. We are having similar issues but are not having luck in addressing them the same way. They ARE different people after all. Situations are different, I am different. Basically nothing is the same so why should I feel like we can address them in the same manner? Not sure - lazy maybe??? Lacking any sort of other answer maybe? All of the above!

For the last what seems like forever Bennett has had an opinion on what he wears. I cannot just pick out an outfit for him and he puts it on and goes. Oh no no no. I have to get him to buy off on it first and then - even after that sometimes - he goes in and changes it all. Brayden NEVER had an opinion on this. We didn't realize how easy we had it with him!

This summer Bennett has not wanted to wear any of the shorts we have. There were two pairs he wanted to wear at the beginning of the summer - a white/blue check pair with an elastic waist and a KU jayhawk pair with an elastic band. Several weeks ago I had had enough so off we went to the Gap Outlet to let him pick out a few more pairs that he would definitely wear. Good angle, right? He gets to pick it out, so he'll definitely wear it. He picked out 2 pairs that are basically reverse images of each other - athletic type/basketball shorts with elastic waists - red/gray combo. Not bad - now we have 4 pairs of shorts. That can get us through the summer. I think I can do laundry that often. WRONG - we are now back to two pairs - the two new ones from the Gap. I cannot do ANYTHING to get him to wear ANY other pairs - even the two that he used to be into. He informs me this morning that he only will wear ones that don't have buttons, zippers or pockets. This makes it hard people! Try going to a semi nice restaurant where you want your kids to look halfway decent, try taking more formal pictures than snapshots. Why I ask? Why me? I don't have any girls so I don't get a chance to dress them up all cute. Sometimes I really want to dress my boys up cutie cute but now I am relegated to basketball shorts and one of like 3 t-shirts that he is agreeable to wearing! Where did I go wrong??!

Don't even get me started on the shoes....

He's either going to grow up to be a fashionista or a Mister Picky Pants. What do you think?

My vote is on the Picky Pants.

Hello again!

I've decided it is time to start things up in the land of blogging again. So many random thoughts come through my brain that I want to somehow catalog and recall later on, that it just made sense. Time keeps marching on and I'm not tracking it all so well any longer.

There was definitely a period of mourning after moving to KC from Seattle which made it hard to do much of anything - least of which is blogging! Starting out with a fresh new look, name and site is the way to go. We are still the "Seattle Tuttles" but are currently taking up residence in Kansas City! This requires looking at things through Fresh Eyes! After all, I can't come back to a place after having all of the life experiences that I had in Seattle and be the same exact person I was when I left! (at least I hope not!)

I hope I learn a little something about myself along the way. Enjoy!

p.s. - a special thanks to a new friend for encouraging me (even if just a tiny bit!) to start it up again. Thanks Jami!