End of the Year

I wait for the end of the school year like some people wait for Christmas. There's so much going on and that drives me a little nuts, but when that last day of school finally comes, I celebrate like nobody's biz. 

But let's back up a bit...

The kids' school does a watch D.O.G.S. program where the dads come for a whole day. They help with security, and cleaning the playground, and fixing things, but mostly they get to hang out with their kids during recess and lunch. Sign ups are filled months in advance and the kids look forward to their day all year. Sadly, although it would be more accurate to say, devastatingly, Kate was sick on the day Greg was a watch dog, so Ethan got Greg all to himself for a full school day. Awesome sauce.

Drew finished soccer.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Kate nailed yet another dance recital. 

Drew had the most incredible teachers this year. They loved him like you always hope teachers will love your kids. They embraced his quirkiness, and while he was certainly leaps and bounds ahead of the other kids in the class, he didn't walk away from it too cool for school. There has never been a boy more ready for kindergarten, or a mom more sad for it!

Benny at 8 months

So that one day, when Ben tries to accuse me of 4th child neglect, I can say, "no way! I documented two months in a row, in all it's blogging glory!"...

This guy. So much happiness oozes from his soul on a daily basis. I've always heard of babies who wake up happy, but I've never experienced one until Benny. The second I open the door, I hear him begin to laugh. 

He's very social and loves to wave at everyone, but don't let that fool you. You try to take him from his momma and he will let you know loud and clear that it's not acceptable. Although, thankfully, if I'm not in the room, like for a babysitter, for example, he's good to go. Resume happiness.

He's totally in that clumsy-puppy phase, where he's learning all the skills, but is totally adorably clumsy about it. Loves clapping; Misses half the time. Loves waving; Takes his whole body to do it. Wants to crawl; Goes backwards. Loves to stand, holding on to the couch; Sometimes his body gets ahead of his feet. Peek-a-boo with a blanket? Okay, he's actually pretty coordinated on this one. But don't get me started on finger foods. 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he loves Soda with his whole heart. They get each other.

South Padre Island

One of the most anticipated weekends of the year, every year. We stay in overpriced, outdated condos, on a subpar beach. But we are all together, right on the (private) beach, the water is warm, the weather is splendid, and the company, quite simply, can not be beat.

Sadly, the only people missing from this picture are Ethan and Drew. Jerk faces.

I didn't get a single picture of Kate on the sand this year. She was constantly in the water. On day one, she even suffered her first jellyfish sting, and I was afraid she wouldn't go back in. Nope. An hour later, she was back at it, just as brave as ever.