Hot Pot Weather

Tim took advantage of the fantastic weather last week and was able to hike to the hot pots twice.  I know he loves the hike and the soak, but on these trips I think he was more excited about the company.  Nothing better for him than to be able to hike with the big kids, Erika and Taylor.  Last Wednesday morning he and Erika left early in the morning and were rewarded with cool weather and very few people at the pools.  After not seeing Erika for over six months, I'm pretty sure Tim would have hiked or walked just about anywhere to have so many hours of uninterrupted time together.  The fact that it is so beautiful was just a bonus.   

On Saturday morning Tim and Taylor did yard work and played with the little kids while I went for a long bike ride.  Once I got home, they were ready for their turn to hike.  I'm not sure that I would have chosen a burger for my pre-hike meal, but they seem to be enjoying it.  

The hike was still beautiful, but unfortunately, it was extremely crowded so they didn't stay as long as they had initially planed.  They still seemed to have fun though, so another successful excursion. 

Baby Ballerina

Ruby has always loved dancing around the house and since she could barely talk, told us about being a "rina rina".  Last Fall we told her that when she was completely potty trained she could start going to ballet.   That was all it took and practically overnight she had left the diapers behind.  She started dance class in January and has loved going to her ballet.  She adores the ballet shoes and the leotard and skirt, and occasionally, would even show me something that they learned.  We have had the recital on our calendar for weeks and she has been talking about it constantly - she has been so excited to dance on a stage just like Ada.

Ruby and I went to the dress rehearsal on Friday afternoon and I got a little nervous because she mostly just stood and stared and didn't really seem to be aware or care what the rest of her class was doing.  I'm not sure if she just needed to work through a little stage fright, or if she just wanted to save the best for her performance, but when it came time to actually perform, she was completely adorable.  It was so fun to watch her move and dance and have fun, she followed along with the teacher and the other girls and looked like a complete natural.

Probably the very best part of the entire evening was the "daddy daughter dance".  She and Tim have been practicing for weeks the dance to "My Girl" and it could not have been any cuter.  There were turns together and a few kisses on the cheek and mostly Ruby looking at her daddy like he was the greatest man alive.  My mom was quite impressed and said that Tim had the best moves of all of the men.  To be honest, I was too busy watching my loves to even notice the other dancers.  

One the way to the recital Luke kept asking if there was somewhere we could find some roses to pick because he wanted to give some to Ruby after she danced.  Fortunately, they sold flowers there.  Of course we had to get some - I was so impressed at Luke's thoughtfulness and especially loved watching him support her and tell her that she did a great job.  

After the performance ended, Ruby was so proud of being a ballerina and loved seeing everyone that had come to watch.  Our dance days may just be beginning...

 

  

PreSchool Graduation

Luke celebrated his last day of preschool and now talks non stop about being in Kindergarten.  He loved preschool and had the best experience with Mrs. Fox.  He loved having so many good friends in the class.  Whenever I asked who he played with he always told me: Drake, Evelyn and Hudson.  I asked about other kids and he said he liked them but he seemed pretty content to focus his energy on these friends.  I really enjoyed watching Mrs. Fox's interactions with the kids - she was clearly in charge and had their respect, but also showed them so much love and took plenty of time to play. Luke has quickly picked up on how emotional I have become about his milestones...when we were getting him ready to go that morning, he asked me if I was going to cry!  The answer is yes...I just feel like the time is running away from me and I want to freeze it for just a little while to enjoy him and all that he is learning and becoming.

The graduation was perfect....short and informal with plenty of laughs.  Mrs. Fox went through a lot of the songs and skills that they learned throughout the year.  Luke was quick to yell out answers and knew every song.  I absolutely love watching him and his successes, mostly I love seeing him have so much fun with such a great group of friends.  Kindergarten feels like such a big move but I'm sure he will love it just as much.  Ruby will be going to Mrs. Fox next fall so she can continue the fun. 

We love Mrs. Fox!

Luke loved having Grandpa and Grandma there.

Future's so bright for these boys!

Since turning five, it feels like Luke has had so many changes and new adventures.  By the time we made it to graduation at 10:30, we had already had an eventful morning at the eye doctor.  When he went to the pediatrician for his five year/Kindergarten check, the screening flagged some issues with his vision and they recommended that he been seen by an optometrist.  We were quite surprised because he has never complained of or appeared to not see well.  It turns out that his right eye has pretty poor vision, 20/65, but his left eye sees quite well and has been compensating and making him think he is seeing well.  I thought that wounded great and assumed we didn't need to do anything to fix it, but the doctor explained that if we didn't, the right eye would eventually become lazy, leading to a lot of other problems so, glasses were important to start correcting the vision and helping his brain to even out everything.  Luckily, he was thrilled with the idea of getting glasses and was super eager to get them as soon a possible.  I hope his enthusiasm for them continues...but in the meantime, they make him even more adorable.  When he first put them on he told me that they made me look even more beautiful, so clearly, we got the correct pair.

About two months ago we decided to have Luke tested by the school district's speech therapist because he seemed to really struggle to say several sounds and we weren't quite sure how to help him.  After several assessments, they determined that he qualified for services/assistance, primarily because of his inability to say the K/C sound.  Because we started the process so late in the year, he only had two sessions with Mrs. Lenore, but we have been amazed at how much he has improved already.  She taught him a few tricks to teach his tongue how to say the sound correctly and then he has really worked to make the corrections.  I hear him walking around practicing tough words and he is so happy when he can show off a new word an extra tough word that he can now say correctly.  Mrs. Lenore was shocked at how much progress he had made already.  We are excited to work with him over the summer and see how much improvement we can make before school starts.