Our Little Fish

I'm still behind, but I wanted to post this video. Riley graduated from her swimming lessons on Friday--this was her second year taking them. We're so very proud of her--she's becoming quite the fishy. She definitely gets that from her dad.

On her last day, they let parents come near the pool to see what the kids have learned. Boy, was I surprised at what Riley can do in just 1.5 weeks!

More updates to come later this week!

Riley's Graduation

Riley graduated preschool earlier this month. Her last official school day was held in the classroom and the graduation was held at a nearby park the following day.

Getting ready to leave home on her last day.

Standing in front of her cubby.

The next day was a very chilly June day. I couldn't believe how cold it was--we wore pants and a jacket! The entire last day for school was held at a nearby park and siblings were invited. The kids had a blast running around, playing on "newer" park contraptions and enjoying the company of their friends.

Riley being a monkey.

Jeremy watching.

Riley and her boyfriend, Ian.

Riley and her friends Sylvie (Ian's twin) and Fiona.

Look at that face!

Riley and Jeremy with some great friends, Lauren and Ryan.

After playing for a bit, the teachers told the kids it was time to start their day. They began by taking attendance, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and then the kids exercised. Jeremy just stood and watched while the other kids participated. It was really cute.

Taking attendance. Siblings were invited to sit with the classmates.

Exercising.

After they got all their wiggling out of the way, the kids sat back down and they did an official graduation. It wasn't as fancy as I thought it would be, but what should I expect for preschool? Once the last child's name was announced, we all enjoyed a buffet of brunch food, and then more playing. We finally decided to head home about lunchtime, but not before we got a picture with her two wonderful teachers.

Riley with Miss Gay and Miss Betty. Once the Penguins won the Stanley Cup,
Miss Betty called and left Riley a message saying that she bets Riley
was happy the Yuckies lost.
I cannot wait for Jeremy to have them as teachers in just two years.

Parent/Tot End of Year Picnic

When I first began staying at home with the kids, I stumbled across a wonderful state-sponsored community called the Parent/Tot Center. I love this concept, which allows parents and their children to interact with other families within the community. It's for children up to the age of 4, so Riley can no longer attend. Jeremy and I made a weekly outing to the Center, which is run by a woman named Miss Carla. She is such a wonderful woman, and Jeremy loves going there.

At the end of the school year, the P/T Center sponsored a picnic and siblings were invited. It was a rather chilly day--I had luckily packed pants for the kids and had them change before we made it to the park. As for me, I wrapped myself up in a blanket I brought for us to sit on!

Jeremy was beyond excited when he saw the fire truck approaching.
He announced it to Miss Carla with such enthusiasm.

Playing with friends on the playground. Jeremy's back is
to the camera and Riley is wearing the red jacket.

We ran into three kids from Riley's preschool, who were there with their siblings. Both kids enjoyed playing on the playground and eating lots of pizza. There were cookies, too, and I caught Jeremy swiping one. A kid after my own heart (and stomach!).

There was a clown at the picnic, and she made Riley a flower and Jeremy a dog.
(I'm not quite sure why Jeremy looks so tiny here!)

Memorial Days, Years Past

A quick trip down memory lane:

Memorial Day 2007

Memorial Day 2008 (one of my favorite pictures ever)

Memorial Day 2009

Memorial Day Round-Up

Memorial Day weekend is always a big deal at our house, mainly because every Memorial Day we head back into Park Ridge for the annual parade. We've attended every year we've had kids (and I think a few of the years we didn't!), and enjoy spending time with the fam.

We loaded up the kids bright and early and headed into PR for the 10 am parade. We got to mom and dad's about 9:15 so the kids could play for a bit. Then we put the kids in the wagon that we brought along, grabbed some folding chairs and a blanket and headed to our usual spot.

Jeremy was beyond excited to see the police cars patrolling the road once the parade time approached.

He's so excited!

Riley and Nana.

Jeremy patiently waiting.

Waving their free flags.

The parade kicked off shortly after 10, and we had a prime location. The kids enjoyed grabbing all the candy and handing Papa all the "Papa treats" (aka Tootsie Rolls) and Nana insisted on any Laffy Taffy. Surprisingly the kids didn't eat too much candy during the actual parade -- and we even garnered a Frisbee, beads and of course the marigold seeds.

Riley even had her own truck!

Jeremy loved seeing the giant baseball!

Parent/Teacher Conference

A few weeks ago, the preschool teachers asked us to each sign up for a meeting with the teachers to discuss our child's year. I was a little apprehensive, as this would be my first P/T conference ever. I chose a day in which Phil would be home, as I couldn't bring Jeremy with me. It was on a Tuesday after class, and the minute I sat down with her teacher -- who is by far the sweetest and nicest woman ever -- the first thing she says is that Phil and I better start saving for the wedding between her and the little boy in the class.

The teachers had each put together a portfolio of every child's progress for the year, and she thoughtfully went through each page, explaining what Riley did or was doing. One example she gave is that at the beginning of the year, each child was asked to identify upper and lowercase letters, and Riley was the only one in the class who was able to complete that task. She was also the only one who could identify numbers 0-9. During the year, they re-evaluate the students to see how they've progressed. With Riley, she already knew her letters and numbers, so they asked her to mark down how many Xs per number, to see if she actually understood what the numbers meant. So Ms. Betty (her teacher) said that Riley was working on Number 9 and got distracted. She looked at the teacher, looked at her paper, then counted the Xs. She realized she did one too many and smiled.

Ms. Betty said Riley will have no problem with kindergarten in the fall -- she asked if I wanted to keep Riley behind so they could enjoy her another year. It's what every parent wants to hear, that their child does well. She mentioned that Riley talks about her brother all the time and how much she loves playing with him. And then we talked about Riley's love for hockey.

Turns out Ms. Betty's family is big into hockey. The conference happened to fall when the NHL playoffs were going on, so it was of great discussion every time Riley would come to class, to see if the Blackhawks won. After the conference ended, Ms. Betty and I continued our hockey talk, and I confided that I was named after a Blackhawk, as was Jeremy. She was thrilled and couldn't wait to tell her husband. And she got a kick out of the fact that we call the Red Wings the "Yuckies."

Overall, it was wonderful to hear how well Riley did during her last year of preschool. And I'm happy to say that her portfolio is a prized possession. Ms. Betty is a great teacher, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jeremy is blessed with her for a teacher in two years.

Ah June!

Feeling....so...behind!

Ever have one of those days (or weeks) where you just can't seem to catch up? I'm having that problem. I blame the warm weather. Don't get me wrong--I love nice weather more than anyone I know. And as a result, I insist that the kids spend almost every waking moment (when they're not eating or resting) outside. My poor house is neglected. I think I saw a tumbleweed roll across my floor today. The basement hasn't been vacuumed, since, well, I don't even really want to think about it.

On the bright side the kids are worn out from all the playing outside. I commented to one of my neighbors yesterday that yesterday was the perfect summery-type day. There were three moms and all of our kids (there were 7 total) were all playing together, whether it was digging in the dirt, riding bikes, playing ball or drawing with chalk. And the moms just sat and soaked it all in. I could get used to that.

So sorry for the updating delay. I have so much to comment on, from Memorial Day to Riley's parent/teacher conference, to her last official day yesterday! It was a bittersweet day. So for now, you'll just have to see for yourself what a happy little girl we have:

Nevermind that it was June 3
when this was taken and she's wearing a coat!

Now do me a favor and get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. I'll get around to posting one of these days....

Shopping with a Boy

I took Jeremy out with me on Friday to look through Old Navy's awesome sale. They were having 50% off their clearance, and we all know how much I love a good deal, right Dawn? Anyway, I found some cute shirts, and Jeremy and I headed into the changing room. I'm beginning to get undressed to try on the shirts, and what does Jeremy proclaim for the whole store to hear?

"BOOBIES!"

Yeah, that's life with a boy. I have no idea where he gets this stuff from....