Ty's Last Days as a Preschooler

I'm writing this on Tuesday night, July 30th. Ty's first day of kindergarten is tomorrow. I'm having a pretty difficult time accepting that his preschool years are over. He's growing up way too fast. Anyway, here are a few highlights from our last Wednesday together at home. It was pretty cool that day so it was a nice day to spend outdoors in July...not too hot. We played baseball, rode bikes, messed in the garden, picked up walnuts and met daddy for lunch. 

Tonight they had an ice cream social at Ty's school so the kids could meet their teachers. Ty's teacher's name is Miss Koestens. She seems very sweet and I'm sure she and Ty will get along great. I guess I should stop writing and get to sleep. I have a kid to get off to school in the morning. 

Count the Go Letters

My boys have turned into little fish lately.  Dallas is still using floaties but he's not afraid of the water at all.  He likes to stand on the steps in the pool and say, "Count the go letters, Mom" (which means say, "One, two, three....GO) before he jumps off and does his cannon ball.  This past Monday, Ty learned how to swim without his floaties.  Now he can swim all the way across our pool without help.  He jumps off the side and will go underwater and touch the bottom with his hands.  That's how he's always learned things.  He just makes up his mind that he's ready to do something and away he goes. 

Yesterday I was taking Ty out to my garden in the morning to look at the bees pollinating the squash plants and I was explaining to him how the bees help the plants make fruit and he said, "Ughhh, Mom.  I don't like it when we talk about girl stuff!"  I laughed and said, "What's girl stuff?"  And he said, "Like planting things.  And picking things.  And putting stuff in your hair.  UGHHH."  HA!  I laughed and laughed about that all morning.  What a little goober.

One Last Trip to the Park



This past Wednesday we met up with Trista, Elisha, Ellie and Jack at the park.  While we were there I realized that it would be my last time to take Ty to the park on a weekday (except in the summer).  It finally has hit me that his preschool years are going to be over in two weeks.  I am really really really not ready for these precious years of his life to be coming to a close.  It has gone far too fast, but I'm so proud of the little boy he is growing into.  I'm also excited to get some one-on-one time with Dallas on Wednesdays but we will miss Ty being home so much!  Dallas loves being with his Bubby too and I know he will miss being at the same preschool with him every day too.

I can't believe how quickly these two are growing up!

Baby Jack Marshall

Jack Douglas Marshall made his entrance into the world on July 12.  He weighed 8lbs. 8 oz and was 22".  We all just love him to death already of course, but I think that he and Dallas are going to be special buddies because Dallas is just so intrigued by him.  Every time we are around him Dallas just stares and stares at him and asks all kinds of questions about him.  I know he can't wait for Jack to grow up so they can wrestle.  

Tooth Fairy: Visit #3

Ty lost his 3rd tooth!

Daddy wrapped fishing line around it and pulled it out!



The Tooth Fairy brought him toothpaste (that's what he asked for...who know why) and 2 dollars!

Visiting Cousins

As I mentioned earlier, we went to South Carolina to visit Olivia for our family vacation this year, all the while holding our breath that we would not be driving all the way down there just to turn around and come home for baby Jack's birth.  But, he decided to hold out, so here are the highlights from our vacation.  On the way down, we stopped at a lake to fish (we can't go on vacation without fishing involved!)

We spent the first few days hanging out with Liv, Nick and the kids at their house.  It rained most of the time so we just hung out at their house.  One day we went to the South Carolina State Museum.  The boys thought that was really cool because there was a huge shark hanging from the ceiling.

 

They have a kitten named Boots and Dallas fell in love with him.  He kept calling him "Bootsies" which I thought was just the cutest thing.  He told me, "Mommy, Bootsies is my best friend."

 

On the evening of July 4th we put the boat in the ocean at Charleston to watch the fireworks.  That was really cool, but resulted in a very stressful boat ramp experience while putting the boat back on the trailer.

 



At Folly Beach...the boys' first trip to the ocean.  They LOVED IT!  They had a blast jumping in the waves.

At one point it started to rain all the sudden and everyone on the beach ran to their cars (including us).  By the time we got to the car it had stopped raining and the sun was back out.  So we ventured back out to the beach and Liv, Nick and the kids came to join us.

 

Visiting Oak Hill Plantation outside of Charleston

The boys on the Avenue of Oaks

 

This tree the boys are standing on is over 600 years old!

 

 

 

Swimming Party

The day after the fish fry we all went over to Mom's to let the kids swim for an afternoon while all the cousins were together.

He was just bluffing here.  He wouldn't go off the diving board, but did eventually jump in off the side.

Fish Fry

This year we had to break with tradition a bit and move the date of our annual July 4th fish fry.  Because I have a new business to run, we decided to take our family vacation this year over the week of July 4th and go to visit Olivia's family in South Carolina instead of going to Wisconsin.  So this year we had the fish fry a few weeks early.

We had a really good turnout this year.  Our guests included Mom and Jim, Collin and his family, Trista and hers, Mammaw and Uncle Bill, Aunt Peggy and David, Shayla, Ron and Kim, Kaygan, and Hilary and Halli.

The kids enjoyed some water gun fighting and swimming before it started to rain.

While we had all the family over we had a Skype shower for Grady and Alexis.  They are expecting a daughter in July.  It was really cool to get to do a shower over the internet.