A Few Firsts

School starts early round these parts. Jonah's big leap to first grade was on August 5th. Overall he was happy to go but was kind of sad about missing everything at home while he was gone. Like a good mom, I assured him that all we would be doing at home was cleaning, even going so far as to get Kate excited about scrubbing the bathrooms the next day. That seemed to do the trick, because he was up and ready to go in the morning without much fuss (and sporting his favorite color, power red). I let a few tears slip as he drove away with Micah, but did much better than the waterworks show that happened when he went to kindergarten. Jonah came home saying that first grade was even more fun than kindergarten. He was up and ready super early for the second day of school. If only this sort of enthusiasm would last the whole year long...

Not to be forgotten this year, Lincoln started his own class: Story Hour at the library. He is the youngest in the class and sometimes a little attention-lacking after a while, but all in all the stories are fun. He also has a couple of little girls from Nursery in his class, so it should be a good time with friends for a half hour every week. And besides, who doesn't like playing with scissors (supervised, of course) during craft time?

Kate was the last of the group to have her first day. She was pretty nervous about preschool, but seemed to be okay the night before. I heard a lot of whispering coming from the kids' room and finally went to investigate after a while. This is what I found: a sleepover. When I asked them about it the next morning, Jonah said he had been telling Kate all about preschool and what to expect, and what the rules were, and how fun it was going to be. My heart was singing with gratitude for the kindness of a loving big brother. Sweetest thing ever.

Kate's first day of school was August 11th. She's in a Montessori program, which is quite a change from what I'm used to but should be great for her. She goes every day for half a day and is starting to like it more and more. The first day she did great. I was able to go in with her and sit with her for a while. After a bit she leaned over and whispered, "I think I'm getting used to it now." By the time I left she was waving and smiling at me. Then, of course, as soon as I got in the car I nearly lost it. Another baby growing up. I remember picking her up that first day and feeling like the clouds had been out all morning and I hadn't known until the little ray of sunshine hopped into the car and started chatting about her day. She had a little trouble the next day, but it is getting easier as she is making more friends.

So here they all are: the educated Shirts kids. I think they look pretty smart.

Totally TWO-bular

Lincoln turned 2years old on August 1st. Sometimes I just can't believe that my baby is so big! So, what is life like for this great little guy? Well, he LOVES the zoo so we went the day before his birthday to celebrate.
It was a hot one, but we didn't get rained on so it was a success! The animals were a little more active because we went in the evening. Our favorites were the gorillas and snakes this time. There were a few snakes at the Herpaquarium that were awake and moving around...which both scared and fascinated Lincoln. He's funny about animals; at a distance they are amazing but too close and he's outta there.

The kids even got to enjoy a birthday carusel ride. Lincoln chose the lion. Here he is with his signature wave.

Ever since Micah has been in the bishopric, Lincoln and Kate go to sit on his lap during the last song of sacrament meeting. I think it is the only thing that gets Lincoln through the meeting...he loves going up there. It is so cute to watch him "reverently" saunter up there and get on his dad's lap. Upon arrival, he promptly looks down at Jonah and I and waves. Every week. Everybody loves it; I don't think the meeting would be the same without it now.

Lincoln woke up on Sunday morning to a surprise: Elmo balloon! Elmo is his love right now. In fact, he's known to call Elmo is best friend. Every morning he wakes up and wants his "beebee" (blanky), sippy-cup of milk, and to watch Elmo's World. Actually, he wants to watch it all day long and of course, as a responsible mother, I can't let him have it on constantly. Of course it is pretty darn cute to hear him ask for it, ("watch Elmo's Wurld?") and sing the theme song over and over.

That morning had been crazy for us because we had to take Jonah to the ER due to severe facial swelling, which we learned later was a reaction to poison ivy. But things worked out and he came home to the party that awaited Lincoln.

Grandma and Grandpa Barrington, Uncle Michael and Aunt Caroline, and of course our family was there to celebrate. We had pizza and chips (some of the few foods that Lincoln will eat) some other yummy food, and of course, an Elmo Cake!

I had made Jonah the same cake when he was 2, so it was fun to do it again. From Lincoln's reaction, it tasted pretty good, too.

Ahhhh.....if only to savor it a little longer!

What we love about Lincoln:

--He is a talker and sounds so cute doing it. He seriously says just about everything, or at least tries to. Our favorties: "Mom, where are you?" and "Watch dis!"

---He loves being silly. He has this funny sense of humor and will laugh at everything and do silly stuff like dancing in the shopping cart or singing at the top of his lungs in the stroller just to get a laugh.

--His loves: bikes, bugs, animals, birds, books, candy, sports (especially baseball), the trampoline (he calls it "jump" and goes "boingy, boingy" when he's jumping), Elmo, and milk

--He is a terrible eater. Okay, so I don't love that but it's defintiely him. He is all about fruit snacks, Lucky Charms, Pop Tarts...anything sweet. We have battles over almost everything healthy. I think his milk gets him most of his calories.

--He loves "Nah-Nah" (Jonah) and "Yate" (Kate) and thinks he should be able to do everything that they do (we hear "My turn!" a lot)

--He is very independent and has started wanting to do it "myself" a lot.

--He has adorable curly hair

--He gives great hugs and kisses and will still snuggle with me. Yes, he is still baby enough for me!

The day turned out great and we partied until we were pooped. But hey, you're only 2 once so why not live it up!

We love you Linky...Happy Birthday!

Four and Fabulous

In our house, once Christmas is over, the countdown to Kate's birthday begins. After weeks of asking, "How many days until my birthday" and endless party planning, the big day arrived. So what did we do? We partied, of course!!

We partied in the morning before Jonah left for school (he couldn't stand it and had to wake her up--which she didn't mind). On the menu: powdered doughnuts and Lucky Charms. Who needs nutrition on their big day?
We partied with presents! Littlest Pet Shop, a princess doll, and some dollhouse furniture brought shrieks of delight. And of course there were the dress-up clothes...

Tinkerbell...

and Fancy Nancy. Didn't I say that four was fabulous?

We clowned around at Music Makers...

Lincoln got in the act as well. It's a circus theme this month and the kids love it.

That night Kate's dinner of choice was Chick-fil-A. We all know that it was mostly for the fun playground, but their food isn't too shabby, either. As the following photgraph proves, Lincoln literally stuffed himself with chicken.

Lincoln is big into stuffing these days, but not so into swallowing. I think the fries would still be in there if it hadn't been for the call of the playground. We told him he couldn't play with food in his mouth, so he finally spit it out and went gleefully on his way.
My thoughts were that this year we might take a couple of friends to a movie in loo of a birthday party. Amidst the tears of agony that I got in reponse, I relented and began preparations for a ballerina party of magnificent proportions. We didn't invite too many boys because all the activities were pretty girly (Kate planned many of them herself).

I made the all the little girls pink tutus, so I had them come in leotards and they were just too cute. We started out by reading "Angelina Ballerina" and then did some ballet moves in our family room. Let's just say there was a lot of twirling going on.

Next the kids made candy necklaces. Kate didn't even cry when I dropped hers and undid all her hard work (the candy was still good which apparently was all that really mattered).

Next we did nails and makeup. Kate did everything by herself, so I'm not sure if that is sparkly eyeshadow or nail polish on her cheek. This was a hit with the girls, but the boys did some "shaving" and then started on lunch.

This is the best shot I got of all the girls in their tutus, minus my little niece who I'm sure was off exploring somewhere.

Finally we had cupcakes, which were topped with lots of pink icing, pink sprinkles, and white pearls. She had to blow her candles out twice because Jonah was a little too helpful the first time. The party was a big success and Kate was very happy, which is what was most important.

So what is so great about Kate now that she is four?

---She is girly to the core.

---She still likes me to snuggle with her and carry her around (which I admit gets annoying, but sometimes I like it)

---She loves to dance and sing, especially original songs. Her new thing to do with Jonah is to make up "plays" which can be pretty cute.

---She's always into accessorizing and has a new love for makeup which I am trying to reign in

---She loves Joy School, dance class, and Music Makers

---Her ideal diet would be cheese, yogurt, fruit snacks, and Lucky Charms

---She still loves princesses and Dora, and has added Wizard of Oz and Barbie movies

---She loves Primary

---She is a wonderful sister and very helpful to mommy every day.

I am so blessed to be Mommy to such a sweet and special girl.

Happy birthday to my favorite four-year-old!

Got Tongue?

Wii had a Rockin Christmas

Ask...

And you shall receive.

Christmas 2009 was much anticipated around the Shirts home. While Kate requested a plethora of girly items and Lincoln was content with his sippy cup of milk, Jonah has been longing and hoping and pleading and wishing on every shining star for his own Rock Band. Thankfully, he was a very good boy this year and his wish was granted. Santa was tricky, though. He put the stockings downstairs in the family room but set the Wii (which was given to Mom and Dad--all right!) and the Rock Band up in the playroom upstairs. After unstuffing the stockings I could tell that Jonah was wondering where his Rock Band might be, but he started heading to the living room to check under the Christmas Tree. Micah went to "check on something" upstairs and alerted the kids that they had better come quick. The response was priceless. And as you can tell, it didn't take long for the whole family to get into the spirit of things. Ahhhhh...I can still hear "Eye of the Tiger" now.

There were plenty of other gifts stocked under the tree. Mom got some clothes, Dad got Bocce Ball, and Lincoln got some more sippy cups (he was really excited.) Jonah and Kate got Snuggies and were giddy with glee. Seriously, they almost rivaled what Santa brought them. Finally, a way to stay warm and still have your arms free!! (If only I had taken photos...bummer).

Here's Jonah with his prize possession. He started with his beloved drums, then tried out the microphone. Recently he's hooked on the guitar. Kate likes to sing "Eye of the Tiger" on "hard" (thank goodness for No Fail mode) and play the drums, but of course after a few frames she is tired and wants someone to help her. Lincoln, who has always loved hitting things, is a drummer all the way. Just watch your head.

Did I mention that Lincoln loves his sippy cup? While he perked up to open some of his gifts, he quickly found a spot on the chair and sucked away. The only thing missing is his beloved blanky.

Don't worry, Santa didn't forget everyone else. Katie got a new kitchen to replace our crumbling $2 yard sale special. Kate jumped right in and started cooking up a storm.

Lincoln was rockin' himself on his rocking horse. It was saved from the Island of Misfit Toys by Santa and Rudolph and found a new home with us. Lincoln loves it, and he's always pushing it around the house.
So, yeah, our Christmas really rocked. And by the look on Kate's face, we might have partied a little too hard. Here's to a jammin' 2010.

Check out this Six Pack

I've been a bit of a cyber hermit for the last couple of months, but I've finally made my way back to blogging. So, I'm hoping to slowly update my blog bit by bit, and I will start with my sweet boy's birthday!

Jonah hit the big 6 on November 9th. It was a great day for him...I was able to volunteer in his class that morning and bring cupcakes for everybody. Plus, he got to buy school lunch (a rarity for him) and they had hot dogs on the menu. What more could a boy ask for? That night we headed to Mr. Gatti's for some pizza and games. Lucky for Jonah, he hit the jackpot on the one the games and ended up with a ton of tickets! After a little persuasion, I convinced him that it would be more fun to have the ice cream cone popper guns than 100+ suckers.

That Friday we had a friend birthday party at our house. On the agenda: Pin the tail on Dr. Deufensmurtz (from Phineas and Ferb), a treasure hunt, dance party, and the limbo. The weather was perfect for an outside party (thank goodness) so we just played all afternoon.
We also had pizza and cupcakes of course. The biggest hit of the party was actually the huge piles of leaves that we had in the backyard. We could hardly keep the kids out of them. Overall it was great fun and Jonah had a fabulous time.

Here's where I'm going to record some of Jonah's great triumphs of the school year so far, so be warned there is bragging ahead. My boy is a smarty pants. Seriously, I knew that he was smart going into kindergarten, considering he'd been reading since he was four. But I didn't realize how advanced of a reader he was for his age. We went into a parent teacher conference in September and his reading level was 2.99 and his math was 2.65. He finished the inital reading computer program faster than any kindergartener ever at his school, and then whizzed through the next level program in another month (some kids don't even make it through that program through the whole year). So now he does math with a second grade class, and would do reading there as well but the schedules don't work so he goes with the first graders. His new thing is to write stories, and he'll come home with these creative "books" that he's written and I am amazed with some of the stuff he comes up with. He is also a great helper with some of the other kids in his class and loves going to school. And just so he doesn't sound quite so nerdy, I've got to note that P.E. and recess are his very favorite parts of school.
Another great achievement was that he won the PAW Award at his school. They regularly give this award to outstanding students, but Jonah was the very first kid of all the kindergarteners to receive it. He was so shocked when they called his name (he gave us a reenactment that afternoon, and commented that he really liked it when everyone clapped for him). We were pretty proud of our boy that day.

Other fun things about Jonah:

• best big brother to Lincoln
• good friends with Kate
• refuses to watch Star Wars because he's afraid it's "scary"
• loves to laugh and tell jokes
• stays very focused on things he's interested in (like baseball practice)
• won't let me spike his hair in the least...has to look "like a missionary"
• has some killer dance moves
• has memorized the first 9 Articles of Faith, working on number 10

So that's our Jonah boy. He is still 100% a six year old though, happy to play and run and climb and play video games and help mom as best he can. He bore his testimony for the first time in sacrament meeting in December (a very brave thing for a boy who is often quite shy). He's my sweet boy who I will always love with all my heart and I couldn't be prouder of him.
Happy birthday, Jonah. I love you!

Halloween in a Pumpkin Shell

October is my favorite month of the year. Not only does it contain my birthday and 2nd favorite holiday, but it is also the time when the air cools and the leaves change and I can finally pull out all the cute fall clothes. This October was full of fun activities, which will all be summarized in this one blog entry (due to my human slothfulness). Above is a photo of the kids at the pumpkin patch. They had a Wizard of Oz theme with lots of fun activities...too bad it was too muddy to go through the corn maze.
Lincoln thought it was pretty funny to wear the talking pumpkin as a necklace.

Here we are at the zoo's Halloween party. We had 2 nights to choose from...we skipped the first night because it was cold and rainy. The 2nd night ended up being colder and rainier, but we went anyway. The chaos pictured pretty much sums up the night, but it was a fun time.

Plus, how can you complain when in the end Dorothy makes it to Oz?

We carved the pumpkins with expert skill...Jonah and Kate each designed their own, and Micah and I carved them. Lincoln really liked the candles inside.

Here we have Dorothy and a Flying Monkey at Music Makers...

Make that a Running Monkey.

Here's Jonah's class Halloween Party, a.k.a. my first attempt at being Room Mother. It went off without a hitch thanks to helpful parents and a great teacher. Thankfully my mom was able to come down and watch Lincoln or else things might have been a bit more exciting.

That night Micah and I went on my birthday date (Olive Garden, of course) and the kids went to Grandma and Grandpa's Ward Trunk or Treat to get, need I say it: candy, candy, candy!

Our actual Halloween day was marked by a trip to Six Flags with Jeff, Monica, Andrew, and Allison. We got more candy, and rode lots of fun rides. We then rushed home for our own Ward's Trunk or Treat (we needed more candy, didn't we?). I made the kids pose for pictures and they agreed simply because it was my birthday.

Our Cheeky Little Monkey

Our Scary Spider

Our Sweet Dorothy

This was the end of the photo shoot, but I think they're quite a cute bunch.

And then there's me, 30 years young. I went as the Wicked Witch (per Kate's request) and even won a cool glow-in-the-dark skeleton head for "best witch." It was totally worth it.

But in the end, isn't it all about the candy?
Or, in the case of my kids, the suckers?