Koen's First Real Day of 4 Year Old Preschool

Koen was so excited for preschool today. Such a different start than last year when I had to send him off with Doug so that he wouldn't be too upset if I were the one to leave. This year I got to take him. We did a few cute pics to capture the moment. My big boy!When I dropped him off we got him checked in and then he gave me a hug and a kiss and then I turned to leave. He ran over to me for one more quick kiss and hug. I was pretty happy about that. Then he ran back happily to play. Seamless!

After the dropoff I had to go to the office for most of the day, so Doug was on Tavin duty. They had a blast! Here's a few pictures from the wagon pull to the coffee shop (and then Tavin was so tired he asked to get in the wagon for the walk home).Doug picked Koen up from preschool at noon with Tavin and they walked over for some lunch on Walnut St. (So jealous!) Doug said the boys were fantastic. They shared a pizza and the boys each ate 3 pieces and Doug only got 2. Preschool and a morning with Daddy clearly works up an appetite!My night with the boys was pretty low key. I had cabin fever after being in an office all day, so we took a long walk to run some errands and then played at the playground on the way home until bathtime/bedtime.

A wonderful start to the preschool year for all of us!

Wee Squeak!

I have to take Tavin to a few weddings this Fall. Gramma sent Tavin some shoes she found that she thought might work for the little outfits I'm planning for him. We tried them on and what do you think? Will they work for a quiet wedding ceremony?

Turns out they are half shoe and half toy! They are made by "Wee Squeak." A totally cute idea, but definitely will not work for the weddings! We'll just keep them for fun I guess. =) Tavin thinks he's pretty funny when he wears them.

Preschool Orientation Day for Koen!!

This year was soooo different from last as we approached the first day of school. Last year there was anxiety of the unknown, being left with a teacher and classmates Koen had never met in a new place... This year, it was exciting, comforting and a return to routine. Such a big transition and so much like the one in our little school boy. Here's two pictures of Koen from last year's orientation day... You can still see the baby in his face!Well, here is all grown up, checking in with his friends from last year, meeting his new teacher and showing Tavin around...Last year he cried when we left the room to go to the parent social time while the kids met with their teachers, this year he asked when Tavin and I would leave. It was great to see him so well acclimated and happy to be back at school. I'm excited for this year! Poor Tavin is going to have a hard time every time we drop Big Brother off and pick him up. Tavin loves Koen's classroom and all the exciting toys and stations. We've heard the teacher is pretty understanding about little siblings and they even invited Tavin to play for a few minutes in the mornings. Hopefully Big Brother won't mind!

Well, stay tuned for the actual First Day of Preschool 2011-12 post on Friday!

Last Official Day of Summer Break

So, today I thought it would be fun to celebrate that summer break has come to a close. Koen heads back to preschool tomorrow (well, orientation day at least, real first day on Friday). My plan was to get Koen a haircut for his first day tomorrow, then go to Mellon Park for play and a picnic and then on our walk back hit "Oh Yeah!" on S. Highland for a little ice cream to finish off our celebration.

Before we got our day going this morning, Koen wanted to do a little craft project. Tavin, of course, also wanted to color. See here how he's seeing what his brother does...So cute! Koen also, very cute when he's really working hard on a craft project. Today he was drawing grass, trees, flowers and his school. He likes to test out all his crayons before using them to see what color it really is.

The boys also had a little dance party to Koen's Veggie Tales CD about sharing. Check out these awesome Melder Boy moves (yeah, we shouldn't be allowed to dance in public ever)...

So, once we got ready to go, you'll remember that the first planned stop was for a haircut. This wasn't just any haircut. This was Koen's first haircut at a hairdresser shop. He was a little nervous, but I was actually super impressed that he was actually quite brave. I think the fact that Tavin was dying to get in the chair and have his hair (well, can we call it that yet?) cut too kept Koen motivated enough. Even Tavin thinks it looks like fun, maybe it is?>So serious! He looks like he's bracing himself for it to be painful. =)I don't have a picture of the finished product (oops!), but Michelle at Hairdressers II on S. Highland did a great job. They are a small operation and it is very comfortable and friendly there. Not to mention they only charge the dollar amount equal to the age of your child!

So, next stop was Mellon Park. The boys really like coming to this playground every once in awhile. It's a different enough setup that they are really intrigued. Koen loves the merry-go-round. He spent the first 20 minutes giving kids rides.Tavin figured out how to do the covered tunnel slide all by himself! He was so proud of himself and did it over and over again. Such a big boy!After about 40 minutes of play, the boys were ready for their simple picnic lunch. We had a fun surprise during their run-and-eat and eat-and-run picnic (seriously, it's like a to-go bar on a bench when I feed them at a park!), Daddy dropped by to say hi! The boys were so excited. Tavin was especially thrilled and was quite clingy with Daddy wanting to show him the slide. Daddy accompanied us (and gave us a ride) to "Oh Yeah!" back on Highland. The boys went in to order the ice cream with him and I stayed outside guarding the stroller. About 5 minutes later Koen comes out screaming with huge tear drops hitting the ground. What happened? They don't have chocolate! Sometimes I think Koen goes off the deep end, but under the circumstances, I was totally understanding and empathetic. Chocolate is his favorite and really the only kind he ever gets. We had built it up all morning as our summer break celebration and a reward for getting his haircut. Then there is no chocolate? (May I mention here...what ice cream shop doesn't have chocolate????!!!!!). Thankfully we got him calmed down and a scoop of a brown-colored ice cream with chocolate as an ingredient and it faired OK. Here's his less than impressed face...Tavin was easier to please and he and I shared a chocolate chip milkshake. He loved it! Here he is after we polished it off, keeping an eye on the traffic.By the time we got back from our celebrations, it was just about naptime. It was a good thing too because I am really suffering from either some crazy Fall allergies or some nasty head cold. Either way, it was time for me to not be pushing a stroller, gear and heavy boys up a hill! Well, gotta go get the guys up. We are off to the store to pick up mommy's allergy medicine. Hopefully this will lick it! Oh yes, and goodbye Summer Break, hello School Year!!!!

Backyard Babies

Today we had plans to have Aunt Jen (of Sean & Jen) and Aunt Megan (Koen & Tavin's godmother) over for lunch with their babies, Michael and Alex respectively. Beforehand we went on a long walk to run some errands and stopped at a playground for some playtime. We got back in time for Koen to help me prep our snacky lunch (it was his best behavior of the morning, this kid just lunges back and forth between an angel and a very frustrating difficulty). Anyways, we just had to eat outside because the weather was beautiful this morning. My kids kind of hovered around the food and played with the trucks (and Koen pretty much played with the boundaries of proper behavior the entire time...and of course little brother followed him in just about every way, ugh!). Here's the only picture Iwas able to catch of my guys...The babies were a lot easier to photograph and a lot more obedient! Here's a picture of adorable Alex... And moving Michael - he already crawls all over the place!
And here they both are just being so cute. I miss this stage of baby life already!Now, our meal-time entertaining with backyard babies didn't end with lunch. This morning I got the idea to invite our neighbors Hilary and Alex and their kids to come over for dinner since I was planning to make a big family dinner anyways. They were able to come despite the last minute notice. The kids got to play in the backyard with new sand Doug poured out for them (Koen and Delia were really into building things, Huck and Tav were more into scooping dirt...that's about it). We ate inside, but the rest of the time we enjoyed the beautiful evening in the backyard with these little friends. They all play so well together. Huck and Tav do parallel play, but are both distracted with one another so they are less apt to get in trouble with their older siblings. Koen and Delia play together working off of one another. Doug, Hilary and I (Alex had to work) actually got to sit and chat for awhile while this was all going on.And here's a funny picture of my buddy Tavin who couldn't get enough zucchini bread breaks at the table. He cracks me up!Hilary and the kids left a little before 7pm, so our boys got to bed around normal time. I had to include the picture below of Koen at bedtime. He took a shower, got in his pajamas and then he and Doug did one "story" with his trains and the fire truck Nana brought from his cousins (definitely a new favorite!), not to mention he's wearing a crown they gave out at Kidz Church on Sunday when discussing King David. He's just so cute (despite how much he frustrated me today).

Great Nana Visit

Although it was a short stay, it was a fantastic one. I always love seeing the boys reunite with extended family. It is such a special bond and always make me so happy to see them recognize their grandparents and feel automatically comfortable with them. Tavin was saying, "nanananana" while we waited for her arrival yesterday and once he saw brother embrace her, Tavin was golden. He knew someone special was here! Tavin actually woke up early from his nap and then was scared by the freakishly hard rainstorm that happened around that time. So, I let him get up early and hang out with Nana while I finished up some work. He was so sweet showing off for her and then even snuggling up and reading some books with her on the couch. Special moment!
Koen had a blast with Nana here as well. He was super excited about some toys his cousins had grown out of and sent along specifically for he and Tavin. That kept him busy yesterday afternoon after nap and then again this morning (you should have heard the story he had going on in his room between 7 and 8am!). Before we went to the late morning service at church we got the boys out for some exercise (they were bouncing off the walls!). Koen loved showing off on his bike for Nana.Tavin mostly chilled out in the wagon, but also pulled it along for awhile all by himself.

Nana headed home after laying Koen down for his nap (thanks for staying to help with lunch and nap lay down, Nana!). It was a great day with you, Mom. Come again soon!

StoryWalk & Alphabet Trail at Frick Park

We had a busy morning! I went to a brunch for a dear friend who's having #3 in the next week or two. Doug stayed with the boys (it did not sound like a fun time...Koen is very overtired!). Then when I got home we quickly shifted gears and took the boys over to Frick Park to enjoy a little of the StoryWalk and Alphabet Trail there put on by CitiParks before meeting up with Nana (she's here for the night, yay!!).

Right when we pulled up the boys spotted the Squirrel Hill Fire Department's fire truck. They were excited to get in the truck and Koen even got to try on a real fireman's hat.Next stop was a Pirate display. We missed the magic show performance, but Koen was still excited to run through the Pirate stuff.Tavin of course just likes to do everything Big Brother does.

We got to hear "Dr. Nan" read her story, "The Girl with Green Bean Hair." It was a cute story about a little girl who wakes up one day and finds that her hair is green beans! She ends up using this odd blessing to feed the poor. The author was so sweet. She's 86. She actually had the story as a dream one night when she was 83. She was published when she was 85 and had never written children's books before. You really can keep learning and doing new things!Since we only had an hour we had to kind of graze through the booths and stations of stories and activities. It is such a wonderful event. We were so impressed with all the work put into it. There are so many displays with creative props made specially for the day. Here Tavin and Koen discovered a bunch of paper mache hats. Tavin immediately tossed his Gap hat and searched for what he should put on instead...We also stumbled on a petting zoo...The last story we stayed for was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." This is one of Tavin's favorite books. He enjoyed seeing it read live out of a big book (ours is the small board book version) and again they had all these huge handmade props that were engaging and colorful. Koen enjoyed the Caterpillar slide at this spot.Thanks, Citiparks. This was an awesome event! Next year, we will block out the day!