A little something new

So after much consideration we have decided to make a few updates to our blog.  As much as we love highlighting all of Reeces' adventures, we wanted to somehow also include our adventures as a family. This is obviously a work in progress, as I definitely lack the patience and time to really spend in figuring this whole blogging thing out.  But while I do I certainly can post and upload pictures.
One of my new favorite hobbies is Pinterest.  I must be rubbing off on the entire family because all three of us are now completing Pinterest projects (I'll be honest most have required a lot of pressure on my part but once I get them convinced it is a fun activity to complete as a family!)

Today we have been working on Reindeer footprints.  Overall is has been a pretty easy project and will be a great keepsake for the holidays!  I used a small canvas but really someone could use any size.  The supplies were minimal ( a blank canvas, brown, black, red and blue paint, and a few paint brushes)

I then painted Reece's foot, while he giggled like crazy because "it tickles so bad".  Gregg stood him up, then he stepped right on the canvas, applying a little pressure.  WOW we got a great print!

I then repeated the same process for the other reindeer.

After letting the footprints completely dry Reece painted on the red noses, while I did the antlers, and eyes.

Our finished product.....

Trying....

So I have to admit, I have been completely negligent on posting new stuff. I have had such great intentions of adding recipes, and pintrest projects the girls and I have done.  Yet it has been a whirl and just trying to figure out which side I am going to take a breath on.  In the meantime I have a child growing up faster than I can even blink.  Two months ago Reece was hysterically crying grabbing onto to my leg not to leave at kindergarten drop off.  Starting Tuesday, Reece and his best buddy were dropped off in the school circle.  I am not sure if Kelly, Aiden's mom, or myself was more surprised.  The boys walked in like they owned the school.  It is little moments like this which make me realize I need to step back sometimes and enjoy.  For the first five years of Reece's life I was focused on his milestones.  Now they pass me by so quickly because all I can focus on is getting through my classes, my tests, and papers.  I said to Gregg, I feel like I wanted something so bad and now that I am working to achieve it I question if it really what I want at all!?!  Of course I realize this is temporary.

Tonight I was able to put all the college stuff aside and go to Reece's first soccer game.  He could not have been more excited.  He is playing in a six week introduction league with other K thru 1st graders.  The indoor arena is filled with parents and kids just trying to find their way in the game of soccer.  Not much to my surprise Reece went after it.  He is definitely not the biggest kid on the time or the fastest yet he hustled after every ball.  When he was allowed a water break, and came over to us red faced, huffing and puffing struggling to get a sentence in therefore he just nodded his head and gave us two thumbs up, then raced back on the field.  In this moment I am able to forget about my papers and finals.  This is what it is all about!!  I am incredible thankful for being Reece's mom and having such a supportive husband!

 ( As you can here from the video, it is tough not to say much from the sidelines.  The coaches have asked several times to not coach from the sideline.  Despite my voice in the videos believe it or not Gregg struggled with this.  He said he can put himself back to being on the field and looking over seeing his Mom  !  It's tough to just be a spectator , honestly not sure if we can work on this.  We are Reece's biggest fans!!!)

A Much Needed Day...

No school today...this has become a new territory for us!  I did have class but only need to go to campus to take a test, which was going to be an hour at most.  So Gregg decided to also take the day off so we could all hang out.  It seems like it has been forever since we all had a weekday to spend together.  (Yet its has just been two months, time continues to fly by).  It turned out to be a beautiful fall day so Reece and Gregg did some sightseeing while I took my exam.  (My Tuesday and Thursday classes are at a satellite campus in Mt. Clemens which feels like the other side of the world but is as far East as one can go before hitting Canada).  They visited Selfridge Airforce Base, even seeing a few cargo planes land as well as an A10.    Reece loved this!  After my exam, we decided to venture over to Metro Beach.  Wow so much fun... we played tag in the park, Reece figured out, but still lost his first game of shuffle board, much to his dismay

and even saw a freighter on the BIG LAKE.  

So the school days have definitely taken over but today was a great break and showed us we know how to have A LOT of fun together!! 

Most importantly we finished up the day today by voting, as that was why we had the day off to begin with!

Trick or Treat

Wow we had such an incredible weekend.  Friday we sent the evening with Auntie Kristen where we made our way through a haunted trail, but "we weren't the scared right?"  Then Sunday we spent the day with Aly, Brady, and Nana and Papa at Red Run's Halloween party.  It was a blast but we were most concerned with the football score, our new obsession.  Then came Monday, Halloween!!  Mommy came to help out with my class room celebration.  After we had some fun and awesome snacks, Daddy and Nana joined us for an all school parade.  Wow there were some GREAT costumes.  But no one had as cool of a pirate costume as mine!!  Then after a few minutes of chillin' out it.  It as time for the big show, Halloween and TRICK OR TREATING!  

This pirate made out with some booty!!!

( These pictures pay our weekend no justice but a little highlight!)

Our New Morning Routine

We just wanted to share how we have been spending our mornings before getting ready for school for the past month or so.  Reece is practicing writing WHOLE sentences!!   Who is this kid? 

Recapping the week

Wow, it has been another BUSY week.  There have been so many moments this week I wanted to post a thought or a photo and YEP, here we are at Saturday.  These quick highlights and photos are hardly going to do justice to our incredible adventures.  

So here it goes!  Mommy has had midterms this week so I didn't become part of the family until Wednesday evening and then fell asleep on the couch by 8:30 pm.  To say Daddy has stepped up has been an understatement!  I always knew he was an amazing Dad but he has offered me incredible support in this new adventure .  And truly I think he relishes in the time he has been able to spend with Reece.  They are quite the "boys club"! Because of my class schedule Gregg drove on Reece's field trip. They visited Diehl's apple orchard.  I was so envious of course because I love putting on the Mom hat and driving on field trips, but I reluctantly handed the role over to Gregg.  All in all the class had a great time.  Despite rain across lower MI , Ms. Stachura's class enjoyed a beautiful day with no rain.( Someone was watching over them)

Then came Thursday, parent teacher conferences.  We were assigned a early morning appointment and unfortunately it meant Gregg and I could not both attend, unless of course we locked Reece in his room for 45 or so minutes:)!  So once again I lost the bet and Gregg got to go!  We were unsure what to expect.  We were nervous yet primarily because we were hoping that Ms. Stachura would love Reece as much as his preschool teachers did.  Well,  not much to our surprise she thinks he is fantastic.  She said she thinks Reece is a deep thinker!  Gregg and I have always regularly joked about the fact we thought Reece was analytical which in turn lead to him being anxious about new situations especially.  However, we NOW prefer the deep thinker much more!  Of course being his parents we think he is the smartest most amazing 5 year old!!

FINALLY, it has been our first weekend in a LONG time were we had no real plans allowing us to enjoy a Saturday as a family.  We began our day meeting up with Reece's bowling league ( He was invited by a buddy in his class to bowl in a local league every Saturday morning.  A few other class mates are on his team.  This was his 4'th week.  It is a great activity for the boys to enjoy outside of school.)  We then headed to the orchard to soak up some fall fun!!  We found 3 great pumpkins and left with a bag full of apples, not to mention a very tired little man.  We had an amazing day!!  

An insiders view

So being in education I was always telling parents , your child is much more capable than you give them credit for.  However being a parent we tend to coddle Reece. Maybe it is my way of holding on to the fleeting time as we watch him grow up so quickly.  I just want to hang on!

This statement never proved to be more correct.  I offered to volunteer in Reece's classroom this year.  I had my first opportunity on Tuesday.  I have to admit I was awfully nervous considering how things have been improving with our rocky transition.  I mostly just hoped that I would not interfere in what seems to be working for Reece.  I was amazed, on so many levels!  

I will begin by saying that a month ago we could hardly con Reece into doing any which involved writing what so ever.  This is something he has struggled with for the past year.  We were initially concerned it was a fine motor skill issue but had been reassured by multiple professionals that it was simply a penmanship issue.  Well kindergarten has brought about a different child.  He wants to practice writing his letters every day before we even leave for school.  It blows us away every morning!  He was no different in class.  After hanging up his things he immediately went over to "his morning work" and began writing!  

What has happened?!

I was even more shocked to witness a class of 22 kids sitting down and independently reading single word pages.  Each kid then paired up with a friend and read their story to their reading friend.  I had NO IDEA Reece was so capable.  

Not all that surprising, he was probably the most outgoing kid in his class.  This was so reassuring because I knew at that moment he is so comfortable.  To think that for the first two weeks of school we wondered if we selected the wrong school, he is amazing us everyday!  It is truly something to witness the growth and excitement about school from the eyes of a kindergartener!