4th of July in the 'Brook, Part II

While we were in Bolingbrook, we made our way over to Grandpa Gary & Grandma Linda's house to hang out with them and Uncle Jesse, Aunt Abbie, Luca, and their newest addition, Cole, for a bit.  Cameron stayed behind with Grandma Lynn because we thought it might just be too much stress for him. 

Luca brought his 4-wheeler along and I, reluctantly, allowed Cody to take Owen for a (slow) spin on it.  As you can see, they both loved it!

He got that feather at a parade that he and Cody went to earlier in the day.  Again, we thought it was too much stress for Cameron so he didn't go.  I had planned to go but somehow got roped into making a 2-tiered princess castle birthday cake for Lynn's neighbor's daughter.  I won't go into how that transpired but it was quite an interesting experience, to say the least.  The only photo I have of said cake is on my phone so I can't show it to you.  I was pretty proud of my work, seeing as how I had very little tools to work with, as well as limited time. 

But back to 4-wheeling.  Not only did they convince me to let Owen ride it, they also somehow convinced me to ride it.

I enjoyed it, but I did go frighteningly slow.  It's amazing how much fear you acquire when you become a mother.  Or maybe not so much fear but caution. 

After a bit of riding, I headed inside to catch this:

There's just something about a man covered in tattoos and piercings giving a baby a bottle that is just too difficult to pass up photographing.  Of course, Grandma had to get in on the action and asked me to take a photo of her "looking matronly."

Before we left we went back outside to get a few photos of the Muhs men.  I was just bummed that our Cammer Jams wasn't there to be a part of it, but we did get some pretty good shots.

We topped the night off by heading to the Bolingbrook Golf Course to watch the most spectacular fireworks show I've ever seen.  We sat right on the golf course surrounded by great friends and we were right up front to see the whole show.  It was a great weekend!

Brothers

When I was pregnant with Cameron, I remember the anticipation of finding out whether we were having a boy or a girl.  Anyone who knows me knows that I want a daughter so badly, but I am being completely honest when I say that with Cameron, I really hoped for a boy.  Obviously, I would have been happy with a girl but the idea of two boys started to grow on me before we ever even knew he was a boy.  I thought about how much fun it would be for Owen to have a brother.  I envisioned the two of them running through the house together, wrestling, playing with trains.  I could see a sweet little boy, toddling behind his big brother and trying to do everything he was doing, even though he would be too small to do it.  I saw Owen helping and protecting his little brother, just like big brothers are meant to do.  I heard them arguing.  I heard them laughing.  I saw this:

While it's just a snapshot in time, I think you can pretty much see a lot of that in this photo.  You probably see two brothers having fun, laughing and being silly together.  Just like the two brothers I saw before they were even two brothers.  What you don't know about this photo, what you can't see because it is, indeed, just a snapshot in time, is that they weren't really wrestling or playing together.  In fact, the little brother smiling so sweetly in this photo probably wasn't paying too much attention to the older brother.  The older brother wasn't wrestling with him, but more hanging on him, trying to somehow get into his world and get him to interact with him.  There are smiles, yes.  The big brother always smiles when trying to hug on the little brother.  But that's not why the little brother is smiling.  He's probably smiling because I asked him what a monkey says and he thinks that's funny.  Or he could have been smiling for reasons completely unknown to the rest of us there.  And while I don't remember for certain, it is a pretty safe bet that as soon as this photo was taken, the little brother promptly pushed the big brother away from him and they both went about their business, playing very differently in their own worlds. 

This is not to say that this wasn't a fun moment for our family.  Quite the opposite, actually.  It was a very pleasant evening where we all enjoyed ourselves and I still look at this photo and think it is adorable.  It's just not exactly what I envisioned 3 years ago when I heard the words, "It's a boy."  And that has been one of the biggest hurdles for me since Cameron's diagnosis; something I struggle with daily.  To let go of what should have been and accept what is.  And more important than just accepting it, finding happiness in it.

Monday night we went to our first PTA meeting.  They provided pizza and free child care so we figured we would give it a go and see how Cameron would do.  If he couldn't adapt, Cody would just take him outside and wait until the meeting was over.  Cody took him to the child care room and talked to the young girl about Cameron.  He gave her his cell phone number just in case Cameron didn't do well and then came back to the meeting.  After about 15 or 20 minutes, he went to peek in the room and see how things were going.  The young girl gave him a thumbs up through the window.  But then, Owen somehow saw Cody through the window and yelled, "Daddy!!!  Cameron doesn't like it in here!"  Cody went in to see what was up and Owen proceeded to tell him that Cameron kept taking him by the hand and leading him to the door in an effort to "tell" him that he wanted to leave.  In a room of about 10 kids and a couple of babysitters, Cameron knew there was one person in that room he should go to.  He knew he belonged to Owen and that Owen belonged to him.  Even though there are so many days where it seems like Cameron doesn't see him.  Where it seems like Owen is just another thing in the room to him.  The little brother went to the big brother for help.  And the big brother, always the protector, knew that he had to yell for Daddy to help his little brother.

Maybe what is isn't so far from what should have been after all...

4th of July in the 'Brook, Part I

You know how I love to stretch out the holidays for you!  I have so many great photos of so many things that we've done in the past few months but finding the time to get them posted here has been difficult for me!  Since I am one day hoping to print this blog out in book form to preserve these family memories, I've decided I'll just post them all no matter what!  Of course, this means you'll probably be looking at photos of us swimming when there's snow on the ground and getting a recap of Christmas in July, but such is life.  I keep making promises to myself that I'm going to get some sort of every-other-day schedule established here but I also keep promising myself that I'm going to lose 50 lbs.  When either of those things happens, I will let you know.  So, without further ado, check out what we did over the 4th this year!

We made our way to Bolingbrook this year for a mini-vacation.  Cody's mom's street has a huge block party every year.  Owen and Cody got to experience it last year and they had so much fun that they wanted to go back this year.  Lucky for us, they scheduled it in the same weekend as the 4th.

There was lots of food, a little train ride, a rock climbing wall, a bounce house (which is pretty much where Owen spent the majority of his day), and the Fire Department even showed up for a while!

He looks a little too happy to be holding an axe, don't you think?

Cameron and I spent the majority of the morning inside because all the people and the bright sun were just a little too much for him.  Then Daddy decided to throw our water boy's trunks on and see if he'd like to get in the little pool.  We had to drag him out of it!

Toward the end of the evening, they rigged up a huge pinata (it's the Stanley Cup, in case you're wondering) in the street and gave each kid a few chances to take a whack at it.

Proudly displaying his loot!

All in all, it was an awesome day.  Until, of course, we had to drag Owen out of the bounce house kicking and screaming at nearly 10pm.  Stay tuned to check out the fun we had when we headed over to Grandpa's house!

First Week Wrap-Up

Well, we made it through our first week of Kindergarten!  On the first day, he came home with a self-portrait:

I am told those are fingers.

When he got home on the first day, I asked him how lunch went since he planned to eat the cheese pizza there.  I asked him if he got a lunch card and he said, "Yeah, Mommy, but it wasn't just any card.  It was a Driver's License!  It said 'Muhs, Owen' on it!"

On Thursday he got a stamp on his hand for being a Superstar Rester.  I found this very ironic considering he hasn't napped for years nor can he really sit still and stop talking for long periods of time.

I asked him that night how things were going at recess and if he was playing with new friends.  He said that he plays with Harlee and a new friend that she met named Brooke.  I encouraged him to make some new friends, too, and he proceeded to tell me, "But, Mommy, I just want to play with Harlee because she is my best friend and I love her.  And Brooke is a new friend so I played with her, too."  "Ok," I said.  "What do you, Brooke, and Harlee do at recess?"  "Well, mostly the girls just drag me around."

On Friday, his teacher stopped me when I picked him up to tell me that he had both a meltdown and difficulty following multi-step directions.  The latter was no surprise to us.  He comes by that honestly, as his daddy is still that way as an adult.  So we're working on listening carefully to directions and focusing on tasks.

The root of the meltdown was due to the fact that he didn't get his art project done in time for playtime.  I'm happy to report that he did, in fact, finish it and finished it well.  He was proudly wearing his work when I picked up him up:

They're goat horns, in case you're wondering.

 

He also went to PE on Friday and told us about some of the rules he learned.  He was more than willing to demostrate one of the most important ones for us, which is "Watch where you're going."

Here he is not watching where he's going.

 

And, of course, we have to demonstrate the correct way to do it!

All in all, it was a pretty good first week.  This morning as he was getting ready to go to school he said to me, "Kindergarten rocks!!!  That means 'really awesome,' Mommy."

First Day of Kindergarten!

Alternately Titled:  The Day Mommy Was a Blubbering Mess

Last night, Owen set his alarm clock for 7am.  This morning, I opened my eyes at 7:01am to find a cute 5-year-old at my bedside saying, "Mommy!  We don't want to be late!!!"  And thus began our foray into the school-age years.

After a quick breakfast and a change of clothes, we made our way outside to snap a few photos before it was time to leave.

With a thumbs up from our boy, we piled into our car with our neighbor friend, Harlee, and made our way the long 2 blocks to good 'ol TJ.  (We don't walk because it's along a busy road with no sidewalk and I can't handle 2 kids and a stroller by myself!)

The two buddies posed for a photo together before heading to their classrooms.  We found out Tuesday night that they purposely separated them because they were so attached to each other at Kindergarten Round-Up.  We thought that was a little unnecessary, but I digress.

Owen and I dropped Harlee with her teacher and then made our way to his classroom, where I had to snap a few more photos.

I then proceeded to stand at the doorway like a complete idiot saying, "Bye, Owen!  I love you!" more times than is necessary when telling your child goodbye.  I could not walk out that door.  At some point my sanity returned and somehow my legs carried me out.  I then resisted every temptation to drive by the school at recess like a crazy stalker checking to see how he was doing.

Six months ago I told myself that I was ready for this day. I yearned for a little peace and quiet in my day and was excited about the next stage in Owen's life. But as the calendar approached August 25th, I started looking for that magical button that would instantly halt time. While I am still really excited for him to begin this new stage, there is still a large part of me that just isn't ready for it. I'll miss our late mornings, snuggling in bed together, our afternoon grocery shopping trips, our jammy days, the list could go on forever. I think what makes this transition so difficult for mothers, whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a 9-5 mom, is that it is essentially the end of the baby years. It's the beginning of them no longer having enough time to hug you or not thinking you are the funniest person in the world when you make those silly faces. Before you know it, "Mommy" gives way to "Mom" and hugs and kisses in public are no longer acceptable.

But I'm trying focus on the positive things ahead. The field trips I'll get to chaperon, the cookies (!!!) I'll get to make for class parties, the spring sings, and the lasting friendships ahead. I did, afterall, meet my 2 best friends when I was 8 and 12 and still talk to each of them at least once a week (although usually 3 or more!) and my children call them "Auntie." So maybe the school years aren't so bad.

As we pulled into the garage today, Owen said excitedly, "I can't wait to go back to Kindergarten tomorrow!!!"  That makes the tears totally worth it.

Cookies for a Cause

In the past few months, I have really been working on my baking skills.  I've been baking and decorating cakes and cookies and I am really loving it!  I decided to put my skills to the test and try to raise a little money for the walk for autism.  So, I made hundreds of cookies, bagged them, and sold them at a friend's garage sale. 

Contrary to what my dear husband will say, I did not write on these with a Sharpie marker.  It is a food coloring marker!

Each bag had one of each of the different cookies.  Then I labled the bag with our donation site and a thank you message!  I don't believe we got anymore donations from the label, so that might be a something I change for next year.

I am proud to say that we made $99 from the cookies!  I had a ton of fun making them and I am actually gearing up to do it again for another cause this month.  I'm going to be baking and decorating cookies for the entire month of August!  I'll post photos of those as I go and stay tuned for a few more posts with my photos of my other handiwork!

The Baker's Assistant

Owen seems to share his mama's love of baking and is always eager to lend a helping hand.  So you can imagine how excited we were when we were at the Dutch Market during Tulip Time and found a Thomas apron!  Of course, we just had to buy it, much to Daddy's chagrin.  Apparently the man who has spent upwards of $5 on one beer thinks that $8 is just too much for a child's apron.  But I digress.

We got right to work and made good use of the apron on Mother's Day, when Owen helped me make pancakes.

We are still working on his candid smile.

He hangs his apron next to mine in the kitchen and is always sure to run and put it on each time he helps me bake.  I'd definitely say we've gotten our $8 out of it!

Klompen Classic

For those of you who don't know, Cody took up running in the spring.  He did a "Couch to 5K" program that started him off slowly, alternately running and walking, until he got to the point where he could comfortably run 5K.  I am proud to say that he has now participated in four 5K races and he is loving it!  His second race was the Klompen Classic during Tulip Time this year.  Owen also participated in the kids fun run.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the settings correct on my fancy new camera I got for my birthday, so I have no photos of Owen actually running!

Owen and Cameron had a ball playing around while we waited for the kids race to start!

Owen is stretching and preparing for his big race!

A little more stretching!

3 blocks is a long way to run!  It can really wear a guy out.

This is the group of people from Pella Corp. who participated in a weight loss challenge and also ran in the race.  I am proud to say that my awesome hubby won the challenge!  He lost almost 30 lbs. (I think, I can't remember the exact number because it was too long ago!) and he looks awesome!  He looks and feels better than he has in years!

Daddy after he just crossed the finish line!

Owen was so excited to hug his daddy after the race!

Congrats on a job well done, Dad!  We are so proud of you!