Weeks 3 & 4: Down Goes January!

Well, I can't believe it, but the first month of the year is already almost over--that seemed REALLY fast to me--anyone else??  We kept quite busy in Week 3, but I must say Week 4 was a bit of a bore as all of us were sick for at least half of the week.  As I write this, the boys are chomping at the bit to get out of the house tonight!  Grandma is going to watch them tonight instead of Wednesday so Davey and I can get some rest and hopefully start to feel better.  I also feel bad because I know Tommy had some of his classic one-liners over the past two weeks, and I can't for the life of me think of what they were :(  I guess I might need to go back to trying to do a weekly blog if I can so I can actually remember those things!  

Anyway, the highlight of the week was the Raleigh Hot Stove Baseball Banquet, at which my Dad was honored as the "Love of the Game" recipient.  There were several hundred people there, including several Major League baseball scouts, Matt Harrison (pitcher for the Texas Rangers), and the head coaches from NC State, Duke, and UNC--not to mention future star (and pupil of my Dad's!), Carlos Rodon!  We were so thankful to be able to attend with the rest of my family--thank you SO MUCH to Papa and Granny for coming over to babysit for us!  It was quite an honor for my Dad, and I know he appreciated his high school coach, several formal players, and several other coaching colleagues who came out to show their support and gratitude for him.  We all had a lovely time, and we are so proud of Dad!

Mom and Dad before we went in :)

Who is that sharp looking guy?!

My Dad with two of his favorite colleagues

Laura, Nolan, and Dad :)

Me and Lo at the table!

My Dad giving his acceptance speech--he did a really nice job--way to go Dad!

Mom and Nolan yuckin' it up!

You need to zoom in on this one to see Nolan's classic "big brother being annoyed by little sister" face--LOVE IT!

There we are all looking like our normal cheery selves :)

Laura and Nolan posing for the paparazzi!

One relieved couple right there--the night was a huge success!

It was so nice to see that big smile on both of my parents' faces!  And, it was also wonderful to come home to Granny and Papa gushing over how adorable the boys were :)  Speaking of my adorable boys, they will be both be starting preschool in the fall!  Tommy and I had a nice little mommy/son date on Wednesday, and we went to tour Fellowship Preschool in Cary.  I was so very impressed with them that I asked if they had any remaining spots open for 2 days/week for the remainder of the school year.  They didn't have any spots available, but the teachers in the 3-year old class loved Tommy so much that they asked the parents of the other kids in the class if they would mind if one more student joined them!  So, Tommy will actually be going on Mondays and Fridays beginning next Monday--eeeeppp!!!  Then, starting in September, both boys will be going all five mornings from 9:15-12:15.  I have to admit, it caused some very unexpected and mixed emotions once it was all decided.  On the one hand, I really felt excited for the boys--I just know they're going to have such a fun time, and I know it's going to be so good for them.  On the other hand, I truly was a bit sad.  I'm not just saying that, it really hit home that they are indeed growing up and that I won't have them at the house in the mornings anymore starting in September.  It was a bit like how Tommy acted the whole time we were there--he asked to hold my hand in every classroom and wouldn't let it go, but when it was time to leave, he warmed the Director's heart by sadly saying, "Awww, I want to go to school Mommy."

The 3-year old class that Tommy will be starting on Monday (Ethan will be in this class in the fall)

This is the 4 year old classroom--Tommy's room for the fall :)

Afterwards, we were supposed to meet Eleanor and Caleb for lunch, but poor Eleanor got sick, so we just continued our date at Chick-fil-A!

Didn't my boy look "smart" for his date with Mommy!

"MOMMY!!!  Look at me, look at me!"

"Thanks--CHEESE!!!"

We also were fortunate to have another grilled steak dinner at my parents' house before the weather turned FREEZING!  We all played outside with the boys before coming on in to watch the Harbaugh brothers get it done to meet each other in the Super Bowl.

It's funny, but I think the boys prefer swinging the metal bats to the obviously much lighter plastic ones!

He managed to hit the ball as you can see, although I'm not sure how looking back at Granddaddy grilling!

Ethan bounced around on "Bullseye" the majority of the time :)

 

Nolan and Laura keeping warm <3

Tommy gave Uncle NoNo a run for his money!

Get it Tommy!!

This is such a sweet picture--they're both having such a good time playing around <3

 

Aunt LoLo was happy to help Tommy out during his iPad time :)

Aunt LoLo loves a good snuggle-bug!

"Hmmmmm....let me see hurrrr"

We did manage to have a little fun at the house too though :)  OH YEAH--I can't believe I almost forgot to mention this, but Tommy has been doing a great job going poopy in the potty--WOOOHOOOO!!!  Now, mind you, he still isn't 100%, but just the shear fact that he's going in the potty daily is a HUGE success in our opinion.  So, keep up the good work big guy!

Ethan hasn't quite grasped the concept of removing clothing before using the potty--we'll wait for summer with him I think!

 

He's a happy camper--even without any clothes on!

Tommy:  "Daddy, open your mouth and say 'neighhhh!!'"

"Giddy up Daddy!!"

Hahahaha--Daddy's turn--"Ride like the wind Tommy!"

Ethan's not so sure about this!

Mommy and Ethan having a little fun too :)

Here were are special books for the past 2 weeks.  I think we've gotten two new family favorites out of this group--"Bear Snores On" and, the new favorite by far--"Turtle's Race with Beaver"!  The boys go around the house chanting, "TURTLE, BEAVER, TURTLE, BEAVER!".

This was a very popular trio--hibernation week :)

The top 2 are really good moms out there--forest animals week :)

As I've been writing, I was able to remember one "Tommy-ism" from these past couple of weeks that I'll leave you with.  Although, in truth, this particular Tommy-ism came directly from his dorky parents!  Those of you who know Davey and I well might have heard the occasional made-up word before between the two of us.  We have been joking since before Tommy was even born that someday our kids would go to school and have a whole other set of vocabulary words that no one else would understand!  Well, my friends, that glorious time has finally arrived :)  The other day when Ethan was crying about something, Tommy looked up and me and nonchalantly remarked, "Mommy, Ethan is such a bubb rubb", before going about his business.  For those of you who don't know, the term "bubb rubb" is used much in the same way as "noob"--proud parents here :)

Welcome 2013--Can I Get a Couple of Starter Weeks?!

Well, here we are two weeks into the New Year, and I'm just now starting to feel resolved!  For some reason this year, I just wasn't really ready for the transition.  It's been a good two weeks, but it took me a while to start feeling like myself and garner some motivation for a few things!  I expect 2013 to be a big year for us!

• For one, we are hoping to send at least Tommy to preschool part time in the fall to ease him into the Kindergarten transition in the fall of 2014.  
• Until then though, I have put together a little "preschool" curriculum that we are implementing at home (so far so good!).  
• We are still waffling on whether to stay in our house or try to sell.  
• And, although this is a bit personal I suppose, we will decide definitively on whether to try to extend our family this year. 
•  The answer to that will affect other goals as well, namely continuing my weight loss journey!  If I end up not getting pregnant, I am hoping to reach my goal weight (which is the weight I played my collegiate softball at) by the end of the year.  
• I am also hoping to read more this year.  My goal is to read 20 new books in 2013, and Dr. Seuss and the like don't count!
• Finally, as ever, I hope to grow in my relationship with Jesus, and to give Him quality time on a daily basis.

So, even though I've gotten off to a bit of a slow start on some of these (ehem, weight loss!), I finally feel like I've gotten into a really great groove with the boys!  One of the things I'm most excited about for this year is that I've decided to really extend the boys' library.  I basically came up with a "seasonal" type of theme for every week, and then one moral theme for the month.  So, every week, we start the week with the boys unwrapping three new books, which they have loved thus far!!  Two of the books are based on the weekly theme, and the third book highlights the character lesson of the month.

The first 3 books!

Ethan tentatively opening up his new book

Tommy is now an old pro at unwrapping presents!

Chicka Chicka 123 for Ethy

And, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom for Tommy!

Week 1's theme is just a review of letters and numbers to get us started, so these books were perfect!

The boys loved having some new books to read--I need to get Tommy on video reading his rendition of Chicka Chicka 123--it's pretty hilarious :)

Daddy reading the first "moral" book--"Cookies--Bite Sized Lessons for Life!"

Here are some of the "worksheeps" Tommy does to earn his iPad time!  After months of trying to get his grip right on a marker/crayon, he finally did it all by himself on our first day--go Tommy!

He traces the letters himself, but I had to help him with his name :)

Coloring is not a favorite activity of his!

We're working on smallest to largest and numbers here...

and, some pre-writing skills here...

I was so proud of Tommy--he did all of these all by himself with no hand support or anything!

We're making some good progress on those fine motor skills!

Tommy and Ethan had fun making their Chicka Chicka Boom Boom  trees...

and, their Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 trees!!

A little patterning to end the week--Tommy was so proud to show his notebook to Mrs. Emily!

Week 2's theme--"routines", monthly moral is still "manners"...I will spare you  having to look at every single worksheet and activity that they do, but I'll keep you posted!

 Another fun but educational item that has been HUGE for us so far this year has been the iPad!  First of all, I totally underestimated the educational value of the kid apps--they are awesome!  There are a couple of speech apps in particular that have been incredible in helping Tommy grasp a few concepts he's been struggling with.  As if the fact that they're really helpful wasn't enough, the boys LOVE playing on them--they will do ANYTHING for 10 minutes of iPad time!!  So, we've gotten ourselves into quite a nice schedule in the mornings, culminating with 10-20 minutes of iPad as I prepare their lunches if they've completed their morning tasks!  As of right now, they've earned their iPad time every single day!

The boys have had a lot of fun doing their indoor activities, but don't worry, we've gotten out of the house for some good fun too!  

• Davey and I had a great time celebrating Bill's birthday on the 4th, although, sadly, I still didn't have it together enough to remember my camera :(  (Thanks for watching the boys Grandma!) 
• On the 8th, our good friends Cameron and Eleanor found out that they are going to be having a baby girl in late May or early June!

Yay for Baby Girl Moccari--let the baby naming begin!!

• On the 9th, we were fortunate to be able to visit a beautiful new addition to the world, Riley Grace Danaher <3  (Thanks for the double-dip Grandparents!!)

Mike and Megan with their precious little girl, Riley Grace, who was born on January 8th <3

• Then, on the 10th, we had a big "first" for the boys.  We went to Hit & Run to play a little baseball, and Tommy insisted on doing it "all by myself"--he did GREAT!!  My Dad couldn't believe that he was swinging the bat and hitting it off the tee all by himself already--he had some power behind it too!  Of course, as soon as Tommy wanted to do it by himself, Ethan just had to do it by himself too.  Ethan had the right idea, but the execution was a little hard for him--not quite big enough to actually swing a metal bat by himself!  He did, however, stand in the appropriate place and tap the ball off each time :)

Ethan was so eager he didn't even wait for Granddaddy to lower the tee!

I love the HUGE smiles on their faces when they hit the ball!

A sweet look from Granddaddy <3

Watch the ball, E!

Nice swing!

RUNNNNNNNN!!!!

Okay, I LOVE Ethan in this Nike jumpsuit--he looks like a mini college athlete on a travel day--so cute!!

Tommy's first hit all by himself--way to go buddy!!

Of course, Ethan had to do it "ALL BY SELF!!" too <3

Can you see the ball right at the edge of the picture  blending in with the white line--good hit Tommy!

That's pretty good form for a 2 year old!

My precious little boy--sniff, he's getting too big!

Another big hit from Tommy!

• The next day, we headed over to Grandma and Granddaddy's house for Granddaddy's birthday!  Again, I have to say, Tommy kind of surprised us with his athletic ability.  He played cornhole for the first time and did a pretty good job at it, but the real surprise was how well he was playing soccer!  He was dribbling (soccer style, not basketball!) all over the yard before kicking into the mini goal and screaming, "I WIN!!!".  Also, GO WOLFPACK!!

I'm having a Mom moment here--flashing forward about 16 years and seeing  him in college tailgating before some football game <3

My right-handed throwing lefty! 

Go State--way to beat Dook!!

Go Tommy go!!!

He's going in for the score!

Ethan wasn't too interested in soccer yet, but he got some exercise in anyway :)

It was hard to snap a clear picture--he was really dribbling fast!

We were all pretty impressed with the big guy :)

Happy Birthday Dad!!!  Love you!!

My boys <3

Silly little E and his love for all animals--sitting on top of his turtle sandbox!

That's one tired little boy--he played his little heart out!!

Ethan had plenty of energy leftover though :)

Welllll, maybe not :)

Time to snuggle-buggle with NoNo.....

or is it?!?!  "GET HIM!!"

By request from the birthday boy, my homemade apple pie was the "cake" of choice!

Ethan finally gets his shot at blowing out the candle, while big brother sings to Granddaddy!

• While we were celebrating Granddaddy's birthday, another beautiful baby girl made her entrance into this world--welcome Aileen Rose Cunningham!

Congratulations Jenny!!  Your daughter is absolutely adorable <3

•  Then, on Sunday, big props to Goggi and Papa Bill for taking the boys off our hands so we could clean out our garage a bit!  We didn't totally finish, but everything at least is in a recognizable order now!

So, there you have it--the beginning of our 2013--here's to more fun and decision making over the next 50 weeks (baby girls seem to be all the rage right now!)!  Cheers to you all, and I hope you all have a fantastic year!