Isaac is 7!

Isaac...our big Isaac is now 7!  What!?!  I know you're thinking that can't be right...I'm thinking the same thing.  Gosh, where have the years gone?
Isaac is an incredible boy...he continues to have a sweet and gentle spirit, he is observant, he is loud and talkative, and he is fun!  Isaac is a funny boy, he is completely different at home than he is out and about.  At home he is loud, crazy, outspoken, and talkative.  But at school or really almost any public place; he is calm, timid, quiet, and obedient.  Funny how he has two sides to him.  I love both sides equally...although there are times at home that I wish he'd be a little quieter.  Heehee!  Isaac is an amazing big brother!  I'm not sure if his little bro and sis realize it, but he is a blessing to them.  He takes such great care of Hannah, with a sweet loving approach.  He will meet her every need when he's alone with her.  He also takes great care of Luke.  This school year has shown us that even more.  He sits with him on the bus, walks in with him daily, and often checks to make sure he is doing okay during the day at school. 

This year was hard for him, I think the move to North Texas was harder on him than anyone.  Moving schools is not easy for a shy student, but he handled it so well!  The fall semester he stayed in his shell, he enjoyed school and made some friends.  Isaac branched out this year, he started out on a dirt bike, which he loved!  Then after the move he did stroke lessons with a swim club and soccer.  He enjoyed both, but didn't love them.  In January he decided he wanted to get back into gymnastics.  So we started him in a class, but he quickly moved to the next, then onto preteam!  He was doing very well with the skills, but his success was mainly due to his focus, obedience, and work ethic.  These characters are a big part of who Isaac is, but we never saw them this intense as we did this past year.  Last spring as he continued on in gymnastics we noticed changes in him that carried over into school.  He blossomed as a student academically and socially!  It was amazing, we could see his self confidence grow before our very eyes!  He matured a lot from 6-7 years old, he gained a new confidence in himself, and found a passion for something like never before.  6 was a fun year with our boy, but I have a feeling 7 will be full of even more adventures and growth. 

We are so thankful for our precious Isaac...he keeps us laughing, challenges us daily, and loves well.  I see so much of myself in Isaac, so I have learned more about me than I thought possible.  Heehee.  (This isn't always a good thing.)  We often laugh about the similarities between me and Isaac and between Carl and Luke.

 

 

Isaac's birthday cupcakes at the party.

 

Showing off his rope climbing skills.

 

Handprints for the handprint wall!

 

The boys got a slot car track for their birthday...the racing fun was a hit!  It took some patience, from everyone, but the boys were determined and they learned quickly.

 

Our big 7 year old!

 

Birthday present on his birthday!  Notice his sprained arm...a bad fall from the monkey bars put him in a splint for 3 weeks.

 

A new truck and trailer for our car loving 7 year old!

 

Isaac's 7 year old questionnaire...

Favorite Toy:  Slot cars

Favorite thing to learn:  reading

Favorite snack:  Graham crackers

Favorite TV Show:  The 7D

Food I dislike:  green beans

Favorite Food:  Fried Shrimp

Favorite Color:  Orange

I love to go outside to...bike!

Favorite Song:  Yankee Doodle

Best Friend:  Jack

Favorite Animal:  dogs

When I grow up I want to be:  a firefighter

My Peanut is 5!

Obviously, I am way behind on my blog posts.  But I cannot let the year go by without a post highlighting each boy for their birthdays.  I know, just a few months late.  I'll start with Luke!  The boys had a combined birthday party again this year.  We had it at their gymnastics gym, and they had a blast!  They both had a few friends from school plus some family friends.  It was perfect!

 

I cannot believe that Luke is 5!  5 is a big milestone, I feel like so much changes once kids turn 5...and Luke has proven that to be true.  Luke matured and changed so much over the year from 4-5, it was a joy to see that happen.  He continues to be our strong willed child, but with that comes a passion and determination like I've never seen.  It can be challenging to handle at times, but I know that as he grows this will be the characteristic that carries him far in life.  I am excited to see how The Lord uses that in his life.  Luke is also sensitive, he feels big and he loves big.  I see that more and more as the years go by.  He has become such a sweet big brother, he takes great care of Hannah, and plays so sweetly with her.  Of course they fight and argue, but his love for her is precious.  He continues to be a cuddlebug, but ssshhh, he might not like me sharing that bit about him.  Luke has a huge imagination, we've seen that in his playing for a while, but now he's showing it in writing and art as well.  He is very interested in reading and writing, and is doing great with both!  One thing that we saw in Luke from a young age and continue to see is that we cannot push him to do things, he will do it when he's ready.  This continues to be a huge part of who he is, so sometimes we must plant an idea, encourage him, and then wait for him to decide.  For example, when we started swimming again in May he was very cautious and a bit scared.  But after some time he warmed up to it and before long he was swimming like a fish again.
Luke is a true blessing to us.  He is so different from me, so I learn a lot from him, but he is so similar to Carl, which is neat to see.  I love this little peanut with all my heart and am so thankful he's ours!

 

 

The boys ready to party!

 

Luke and his BFF from school, Easton.

 

Parachute fun!

 

He got to put his handprints on the handprint wall in the gym!

 

Celebrating his birthday at school with cupcakes!

 

Even Hannah got to join in on the fun at school!

 

Birthday breakfast...a yummy donut!

 

presents!!!

 

I may not have blogged about this on time, but I did do the yearly questionnaire for each boy...

Favorite Toy:  RC Lightening

Favorite Thing to Learn:  Math

Favorite Snack:  Goldfish

Favorite TV Show:  Superheroes

Food I dislike:  Green beans

Favorite Food:  Fried Shrimp

Favorite Color:  Green

I love to go outside to...swim!

Favorite Song:  "I've been working on the railroad" and "Stuck in the Mud"

Best Friend:  Alex

Animal:  Tiger

When I grow up I want to be:  Police Officer

First Week of School 2015-2016

I still cannot believe that I have a kindergartener and a 2nd grader!  Where does the time go?  Leading up to the first day both boys were VERY excited!  Isaac kept telling Luke different rules and how things go in school.  It was cute to hear his advice and rules.  Luke was just overwhelmed with excitement for days.  He would randomly bounce around the house talking about how he couldn't wait for school to start.  It was really cute to see!

 

 

When I went to wake them up Isaac was already awake and ready to come down.  Luke was asleep, but he quickly woke up and remembered what fun was ahead.  We started the day with breakfast...scrambled eggs (Luke's favorite) and biscuits.  After breakfast it was picture time!   As we walked outside for the bus Luke was surprised by the darkness outside, "Daddy, it's still dark out!"

 

When did he get so tall?

 

So Isaac decided that Luke should wear the same shirt on his first day of kinder that Isaac wore on his first day.  Luke adores Isaac, so he happily went along with it.  So cute!

 

Pure joy and excitement!

 

I love these shirt pictures...I can't wait to put all of these pictures together one day and see the progression.

 

Of course Tex had to be involved in the photo shoot.

 

These boys are so special to me!

 

The sweet pictures are not posed, this was just how they were all morning...Isaac was very happy to have Luke join him at school.  He was concerned about Luke not being able to put his bag in his locker, and not get to carline in the afternoon, etc.  It made my heart happy to see how much he truly cares for his little brother.

 

How is this peanut in kinder!?!

 

Not only is it the first day of school, but it's also the first day of a new bus service for the district...so it was very late.  We waited quite a while, and Luke was so anxious!

 

THE BUS!!!

 

After they left on the bus I headed up to the school in my car to check on them and get some pictures in the classrooms.  I beat them there by about 15 minutes.  As I turned a corner in the hall I saw this!  My heart melted...the bond between these two is so strong...and the tenderness in Isaac's heart is beyond any what I can understand...so sweet.

 

Isaac insisted that we take Luke to his room first so he could help him get settled.

 

Thank goodness for the help...Luke cannot reach the hook in his locker.

 

He was all smiles and crazy excitement at the bus stop, but now in the classroom he is all business...for now.

 

Brothers!

 

Luke's class is in for a wonderful year!

 

After many kisses and hugs we headed down the hall to Isaac's room.  One big blessing of this year is that the kindergarten classes and 2nd grade classes are in the same hallway, so they share a bathroom and often see each other throughout the day.

 

He was also all business and ready to get to work.

 

I picked the boys up from school on the first day because Isaac had to get to gymnastics practice.  Hannah and I could not wait for them to get out of the building and in to our arms.  She immediately jumped on Isaac and wouldn't let go.  Both boys were really excited and all smiles after day 1.  Isaac said 2nd grade was REALLY fun!!!  I could immediately tell that he loved his teacher.  Isaac actually had quite a bit to say about his first day, and often I have to pull information out of him.  Luke also had an awesome day!  He did say, "The day was really long, mama.  At the end of the day I thought it must be the second day because we had been there so long."  Luckily, he enjoyed the day, even though it was so long.  He had PE on the first day and he loved that!  He found his best friend from preschool on the playground, so they played at recess, and that's continued every day of the first week.

 

This was a big week for us in terms of a new season of life...as we have taken on quite a change in gymnastics.  Isaac is now on team and Luke is on preteam.  Isaac practices 3 days a week and Luke practices 2 days, so between the two boys we are at the gym 4 days of the week.  It's a lot, but they truly enjoy it, so as long as they are happy and having fun we will make it work.  Isaac did great with the busyness of it, I am very proud of him!  On Wednesday he got his first gymnastics injury though.  They were all doing handstands in a line against the wall...well at one point Isaac got kicked in the face by another boy.  Ouch!  It swelled up right away, and was bleeding a bit from a small cut right by his eye.  He was super tough though, he didn't cry...such a big guy!

 

Nobody has gymnastics on Friday, so the boys got to ride the bus home today!  They were both really excited about that!  Isaac's caring and concern for Luke has not gone away...near the end of the day he asked his teacher if he could go remind Luke to ride the bus and tell him what bus number.  Thankfully, she allowed him to go, so he was very happy.

 

Hannah and I miss these boys like crazy when they are gone.  Hannah has mentioned that she misses Isaac the most, and today she showed that when they got off the bus.

 

She was yelling, "ISAAC!  LUKE!"

 

She jumped right into his arms and would not let go.

 

Together again!

 

I cannot be more happy with week 1 of his school year!  Both boys had a great start, they are loving their teachers, making new friends, and happy to go each day!  I am a thankful mama!

Soccer!

Luke played his first season of soccer this spring...and he loved it!!!  He played with the YMCA, and was on a great little team.  His favorite was always the practices, he was very aggressive and worked hard every week.  The games were a bit more difficult for him, he was a little timid and easily distracted.  He did enjoy them though, and always wanted to win!

 

 

Here he is ready to head to his first game!

 

GO TEAM!

 

Pure Joy!

 

This spring was very rainy in north Texas, so we had many cancelled and rescheduled games.  The season came to an end and we still had a few games to make up, but the fields were too wet, so they decided to move them to inside the gym at the Y.  This seemed like a great idea!  Luke really enjoyed playing indoor, I think the smaller area and less people made it easier for him to focus.  He was more aggressive and more serious when playing indoor.

 

That's him in the green kicking it in.

 

Unfortunately, during his second indoor game he took quite a fall.  He was running full speed, going for a goal, when he got tripped up and fell.  He fell right onto his head, hitting his left temple on the floor very hard.  I immediately scooped him up thinking he was okay, just shaken up, but it was more than that.  He did the cry when he isn't breathing or making noise, so I blew into his face trying to get him to breathe.  He did not, and then he just passed out, went completely limp, in my arms.  It was terrifying!  A dad had just asked me if he was okay, I said yes, but then when he passed out, I yelled, "He's not okay!"  Everyone came running over, I laid him down and he opened his eyes again after just a few seconds.  His eyes rolled around a minute before he focused on me, then he was so scared.  Who wouldn't be, he was surrounded by people, everyone asking him questions and checking on him.  One thing that I remember was his coach asking his name, he answered correctly, in the quietest voice.  Then he asked what school he goes to, Luke just stared blankly at him.  I said, "Oh he might not know that, but he knows this...what school will you go to next year, Luke?"  He immediately responded with the correct answer.  After just a few minutes I heard the sirens outside and then the paramedics came rushing in.  There were 5 or 6 of them, I think, and they very calmly starting checking him, careful not to move him or do anything to him until they were sure he was okay.  Once they were certain he was okay to move they put us on the stretcher to take him to the ambulance. 

 I was there alone because Carl was out of town, and sadly, I had not been able to talk to Isaac or Hannah after the fall.  Hannah sat with me for a bit, but then had to leave when they moved us.  Isaac had come over, but the paramedics told him to leave, not knowing he was his brother.  I wish I would have thought to tell them he could stay, but I was just worried and not thinking straight.  Once in the ambulance they checked Luke's vitals, etc, and he really appeared to be okay.  Since I was alone and knew I would have to take care of him and anything that happened later all by myself, I decided to go ahead and take him to the hospital for a CT scan.  We were blessed with a great family on the soccer team, who took Isaac and Hannah home with them. They took great care of them and made it a good evening for them so they weren't too scared.

 

At the hospital we had to wait for a while, no surprise, but we had a bed and he was able to relax.  They checked his vitals again and then took him for a CT scan.  I had tried to prep him for that, explaining it was a big camera just taking pictures of his head.  The radiologist was incredible and explained it all again, and kept it very lighthearted.  Luke was smiling and giggling through the whole thing!  The scan came back clear and after more waiting for paperwork we were clear to go home.  Whew!  It was a scary experience, but thankfully it ended up okay, and Luke is fine. 

 

 

The next day we went for ice cream because let's face it, we all needed some ice cream after that event!

 

Overall it was a good season and he learned a lot!  He loved playing and is looking forward to another great season in the future!