Back to School

First Day at Lakewood Pres!

Tucker is in the "Pound Puppies" this year which is technically PK4, but it is almost all young 5s and a few 4s turning 5 in the next two months. Just as Tucker has been since he started going to school at age 2, he did not even want me to walk him in on the first day so we did the car pool line and he was fine!

On a side note: It should be illegal to start school after Labor Day. Now that I have survived Summer 2010 it already doesn't seem that bad, but it was such a long summer for a boy who needs a lot more stimulation than I can provide!! I know I'll be so pumped when my kids are older and we can spend days at the pool, etc, but we just aren't there yet with Mac and another baby on the way.

As mentioned earlier, we have been playing a lot of doctor around here!! The combination of Kyle starting the new job and Tucker having to do the stitches/shot at his 5 year appointment has led to Tucker giving all of us (and all his stuffed animals) shots all day long. He rips a small square of a wipe as his alcohol swab to clean the area and then pokes us with the sharpest thing he can get away with while telling us "You are just going to feel a pinch." His teacher told me he has already given both of them physicals and is starting on his classmates and "Big Joe," the large dog mascot of the "Pound Puppies."

Injuries

Our calm child, Tucker, has had quite a summer. I'm trying to decide whether to document/blog about it or completely try to block it out!! First... the broken arm. Then, just as we received the urgent care and Wolfson Childrens Hospital bills, he got stitches after a minor fall on the pool deck led to a gaping cut.

The broken arm was a breeze compared to the stitches and his 5 year doctor's appointment today. Tuck likes to know what is coming and getting the stitches was traumatic because he didn't know what to expect and he was totally panicked through the whole process. He had to be held down with a blanket and a very strong male nurse holding his head and it was terrible. The stitches needed to be in for exactly 5 days and that landed on the day we already had a regular appointment set up for his 5 year visit. So... I didn't have to tell him there was an annual visit (he has been dreading this since his 4 year visit because of S-H-O-T-S) and he was really excited to get his stitches out, so I thought we were doing just fine.

WRONG. They took his weight and height and did the eye test and he mentioned to me "This is taking longer than I was expecting if we're just getting my stitches out." By the time she took his blood pressure, it was high. She retook it and it was higher. I whispered to her that he is probably anticipating he might get a shot. But that was the nurse I told and when the doctor finished her part of the exam and loudly proclaimed that all he had left was getting the stitches out and two shots the chaos set in! She is not our regular doctor and not one of the more sensitive doctors, so when I told her it was going to be bad SHE DID NOT BELIEVE ME. Kyle was going to come with me but he had a meeting at 11 - the exact time of the appointment. So they come in to take the stitches out and ask him to lay down and he freaks out -- we're trying to hold him down - trying to talk about the lego set we are going to pick out at Target after we get through this - he is sweating and yelling and thrashing -- and with four of us she can't get close to getting steady enough to get these stitches out. I pull the nurse aside and whisper-mention that we might as well sneak attack with the shot or that is going to be worse. She can't leave because we're trying to get this stitch.

We finally have to take a break because it is NOT happening... and low-and-behold Kyle comes flying in to the office. By divine providence (God loves me so much!) his guy didn't show up for the meeting and he headed toward the doctor's office with a sinking feeling it was bad over there. He got Tucker relatively calmed down to do the stitches while the nurse went and got the shot ready (we decided against the other "elective" shot. Ha!) and she got the shot done while Kyle held him down up top and talked calmly to him. He did freak a little and ask "what is going on down there?!" but overall, the shot went easily. Once he had the shot he calmed down for the stitches. This whole thing took FOREVER. Why can't he be rational??? He just can't.

There were some moments of hilarity in the last few weeks with all these events. For one, last night Tucker told Kyle about getting the original cast on at urgent care back in June. He explained how the first lady "didn't have any idea what she was doing" and cut everything wrong and had to go get the second nurse. He told him "there was all kinds of drama going on." Ha!

And today on our way to Target he was reflecting on his visit today and told me - in all seriousness - "That doctor's visit was brutal."

I couldn't agree more.

How August has played out at our house!

As previously mentioned it has been HOT and HUMID, so we're in the water if we are outside. Plenty of swimming days, not enough beach days and lots of slip and slide! Tucker and Mac both took swimming lessons for the last month or so and Tucker has made HUGE improvements!

Daddio now has access to all sorts of fun medical supplies with his new job and there has been tons of doctor-play. This is a picture of the rare time that Mac was allowed to be the doctor~

Our friends got Tuck this dinosaur egg discovery kit -- he is chipping away at the egg to find the tiny dinosaur inside.

Tucker spends many minutes a day asking me how things are spelled and figuring out how to read. He loves this dry erase board... and exclamation points!

If there is one thing that has taken over our summer (thank goodness an inside activity!) it has been LEGOS. Tucker is obsessed and Mac is right there with him --

Tucker is excitedly acquiring all the sets in Lego City. The last two days have been miserable for me because he really wants the Lego Airport and he whines and begs and gives me 1,000 reasons he needs it NOW. We're working on patience and understanding money! Ahh! You would not believe how obsessed he is. He has been on lego.com countless times zooming in on every angle to see all the airport features. Crazy kid.

Sno cones daily...

Wrestling a few times daily...

Surfin'

Tucker helping Mac body surf inside in Hilton Head!

Dog days

We are on Day 48 of above 90 degree temperatures. I, of course, find this perfect! It does make it difficult to be outside with the boys, but when Daddio gets home they've been doing some serious Slip N Slide/Tucker's car wash combo action.

One Trip To Publix.

- Tucker told 7 strangers that he was 5. If they looked at him he asked how old they thought he was.
- He also managed to several of them about his Lego City at home. Obsessed with Legos these days.
- He begged for cinnamon rolls for the morning then did not want the cinnamon rolls when we got to them because they had a pink band around the canister.
- After spending no less than 20 minutes looking for Mac's Croc this morning (I spend MUCHO time per day searching for navy Crocs...despite my "take your shoes off at the door rule.") we were in the store and he casually mentioned that yesterday he put my coupons in my middle console with the other Croc! Ahhh! He realized it as he was saying it...
- He looks for whether or not Lunchables are on sale every time we are there. This morning they were on sale. I think they are the most disgusting things EVER but I usually let him have one if they are 10 for $10. He was pumped.
- He is very bothered by the fact that my new CD player in my "new" car is playing his VBS CDs on random. He keeps freaking out "Ahhh! That was #3 and now this is #7!!! Why is this happening??"
-"I would like to be a teacher when I grow up so I can be the one to open the curtains with the pulley system for the program rehearsals."
- Other favorite Tucker sayings lately: "You've got yourself a deal!" "That is just ridiculous."
- Mac is LOUD. He doesn't talk yet - he just yells out all sorts of jibberish. It sounded like I brought a monkey in to Publix this morning. A loud monkey.
- He will do ANYTHING Tucker is doing.
- He is 10 times more wild than Tucker in every way, shape & form.

Accessories

Mac loves to dress up. Apparently loves to dress up without his britches!!

After nearly two years of very limited time together, God blessed us with 4 uninterrupted family days in Hilton Head between Kyle's last day at his old job and training for his new job. He left this afternoon for a week in Michigan. 2 hours is the MOST consecutive time we can spend at the beach and we did that most mornings...

Mac can't seem to give up the morning nap, so he took it out there!

Kyle & Mac took long bike rides in the early mornings.

Tucker talked all week about playing mini golf. They really need to create a 9 hole course for kids with short attention spans! He was DONE (except for his fascination with the engineering of some of the holes) while Kyle and I attempted to duke it out in yet another competitive endeavor. He beat me by one point. Grrr. I fell apart on the back 9 with the distraction of whiny Tucker & wildest child Mac.

So, so grateful for this trip. We've been home 24 hours and have been shopping like mad for Kyle. Those of you who know Kyle well will be SHOCKED to know he will be in suits, ties, dress pants, real shoes. He is growing up right before our very eyes :)

5!!

Our sweet first born turned 5 yesterday... he planned his own day and it was perfect -
Started with breakfast with Daddio at the San Marco Diner.

Then he had a few friends meet us at Chick-Fil-A for the easiest, most low maintenance birthday party ever. And Chick-Fil-A is his most favorite place on earth, so it was perfect. He wanted a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake with oreos around the side. Kyle and I made this one and it was delicious. Every time we are in Publix we have to stop for a few minutes and obsess over the birthday section, so after breakfast Kyle took him to pick out whatever he wanted for the top of the cake. He kept saying he wanted a transportation cake, but he ended up getting sidetracked at Publix and it turned in to an American flag/red & blue sprinkle/firework candle cake. Ironic since he has such a love/hate relationship with fireworks.

His buddies Nicholas, Jake, Mark & Vinnie.

Tucker & Kathryn

For dinner he chose Cruisers. Mimi gave him an awesome underwater digital camera!

We are happy he had a fantastic day.

The One & Only

Tucker has learned to call whomever he desires on my cell phone. He was chatting away this morning as I tried to have a breakfast date with a friend (with my two children and her 4 month old. Ha! What were we thinking?) I asked him who was on the phone and he said "the one and only." I successfully guessed he was referring to Daddio! Cute.

We're really proud of Daddio around here and he just accepted a wonderful job offer with a great medical sales company. He is sad to leave his job that he has loved so much, but construction just isn't getting better any time soon and we needed to MOVE FORWARD... so we are. And we are thrilled. And we couldn't be more proud of the one and only.

Now we're in the midst of finding two cars, a new cell phone plan, new house, etc, etc. No big deal!!! And there is a baby arriving in T-minus 4 months. Insanity!

Broken

Above: Mac giving some love.

Saturday we experienced our first broken bone in the Ryan household (not including Kyle's broken leg in Steamboat after he decided to wrestle the heavy weight during a wrestling practice at Steamboat High School). Tucker & Kyle were hanging out with our friends Chet & Sarah and Tucker slipped going up these little stairs they have in their house. It didn't seem like a big deal except that he kept complaining about bad pain all afternoon. I took him in to urgent care and sure enough! It was broken.

Since then he and Mac have spent most of their time on my bed watching hours of TV and movies. When Tucker is not in bed he is complaining about the pain, so I'll take the TV! He seems to be better this afternoon/evening and the doctor thought his new cast should take care of the pain.

The temporary cast.

Mac's newest obsession -- building with blocks! He plays on this table with his cars, animals & blocks for hours a day. He is at that sweet point where he loves to busy himself without needing any attention or direction.

Another day of TV... again, Mac being sweet.

... and now attempting to push Tucker completely off the bed.

Getting the cast today. He got a cool cast that has velcro that we can actually remove for baths and "easy swimming" - no jumping, etc. That should be interesting. The doctor said we seem like good parents that can be trusted to watch him so he can handle this kind of cast. Hmmm. Too much responsibility! I voted for the normal cast!

He is really proud of it.

Once Upon a Time...

Once Upon a time Kyle and I traveled to Mexico and had a dream 10 Year Anniversary Trip outside Puerto Vallarto. Unfortunately it already seems like it was just a dream a long, long time ago! But it sure was fantastic. We are so grateful for the Teagues inviting us to paradise with them. We stayed at Real Del Mar in our own large house.

Kyle & Ben being Kyle & Ben at the house's pool.

Beach Club

The picture above was taken at the beach club where we attempted to spend as many hours as possible. Below Ben & Jess are standing out on our back deck with the view of the ocean (and a large orange house with a dome??) It rained many of the evenings when we were there -- Kyle obsessively took pictures of the clouds over the ocean!

Each night we went to dinner at one of the restaurants in the small towns around Real Del Mar.

Our pool and the house next to us. Our room was to the right under the thatch roof. We sat out here for breakfasts that were cooked for us each morning... ridiculous luxury! ... and SO relaxing!!

Down at the beach.

We have had a hard time readjusting to responsibility and real life and parenting!