the first lost tooth

Before I catch up on the past two weeks in the Shirley household, I will start with the big news.  The Mayor lost his first tooth!  Last night we were practically begging him to let us pull it...it was literally horizontal in his mouth it was so loose.  He wouldn't let us, he kept crying and was afraid to let us touch it.  But this afternoon, he came off the bus with the biggest smile yelling "I lost my tooth!!" He had an "I lost my tooth" sticker on his shirt and his tooth was hanging around his neck in a little plastic container in the shape of a tooth.  He said he kept working on it during class and it fell out.  He was so proud!  I am proud to say I didn't shed one tear but it is sad to know my sweet baby boy is growing up and that smile of his will never be the same.

Last week, I went to The Mayor's class on Wednesday because it was early release day and we were celebrating September and October birthdays.  He was so excited to celebrate and have me in his class. His teacher has this huge inflatable hammer and she gives each kid a "birthday beating".  The kids love it...she "beats" them whatever their age is and then one additional one "to grow on".  So The Mayor got 7 beatings :)

getting his beating

enjoying his snack

Last Friday was Farmer's Day at The Mayor's school.  We went out to buy him jeans and a vest that should really be worn during the middle of winter (but he swore it looked like something a farmer would wear) since he wouldn't agree to wear the long-sleeved button down plaid shirt.  We are still working on our issues with buttons on shirts...after we shopped we enjoyed a little Italian Ice and some fun one-on-one time.  I also told him he could wear my cowboy hat to really complete his outfit.

wearing my cowboy hat for Farmer's Day

Nothing is better than celebrating a great week than by getting some frozen yogurt.  We met Ms. Vicki and Aidan at the frozen yogurt place by our house to eat and then we let the kids run around for over an hour outside.  The weather was great and they had a blast playing outside making up games.  

Monday, Love Bug and some friends in the neighborhood had a play date after her ballet class.  She and Andrew have become really good friends.  They love playing together and we love having regular plans for our Monday mornings.  It is great for them to play and even better that the mommies have time to chat and catch up. 

Love Bug and Andrew

I put out the Halloween decorations this week...yep, it's early and I don't care.  I love this time of year and the kids love having decorations up.  They especially love putting the window clings on the windows.

I had a lot of left over batter and icing from cupcakes from a baby shower I helped host, so I decided to make a few one night after dinner and let the kids decorate them.  Love Bug thought it was great to be my helper; she put the liners in the pan and put the batter in them.  She is such a great helper!

This week I received The Mayor's karate pictures and his kindergarten picture.  I am beyond happy with both.  He looks so handsome and so old!  I can't believe how big he is getting!

This afternoon we went to karate and then came home to get ready for MeMe and Big Daddy to arrive. D and I are going away with our group of triathlete friends for a huge race weekend so MeMe and Big Daddy are going to spend the weekend with the kids.  While I was getting things ready around the house, I caught this sweetness happening.  I couldn't believe they kept it going once I got the camera out...usually the sweetness goes away when you try to get photo evidence.  And yes, The Mayor is wearing fairy wings and Love Bug is wearing a towel over her clothes.  My friend gave her that towel today so she wanted to wear it and The Mayor put Love Bug's wings on and ran around the house saying he was the tooth fairy.  Hysterical!

lunch date

This morning was the first day I volunteered in The Mayor's class.  I have signed up to be in his class every other Wednesday from 9:30-11:00 during their literacy block.  The second I walked into his classroom my sweet boy jumped up and hugged me, told me he missed me and that he loved me.  If only he will always act like this when I walk into a room...

Anyway, he was so happy I was in his class and did amazing.  I was really proud of how well he followed directions and understood the work sheet I was doing with the class.  He took his time and got all of his answers correct.  After the literacy block was over, he asked if I would stay and have lunch with him.  He loved getting to sit on stage with me and we talked about his day, his friends and what he would be doing the rest of the day.  I am so happy and blessed to be able to stay home so I can easily volunteer in the class and eat lunch with him.

my handsome lunch date

After the kids came home from school, I immediately put them down for a quick nap because Awanas and choir were starting tonight at church.  We had one hour from The Mayor getting off the bus until we had to leave so it was a super fast nap for him (Love Bug's was a little longer since she gets home about an hour before he does) and neither one of them wanted to wake up.  Somehow I got us out the door and into church only a couple of minutes after 4:00.  Thankfully a dear friend is the assistant teacher in The Mayor's class so I knew he was in good hands and her report this afternoon was that The Mayor did great!  Love Bug's teacher is super sweet (she was The Mayor's lead VBS teacher this summer) and after a little coaxing and luckily running into her favorite Sunday School teacher in the hall, she became excited about going into her class.  I signed both kids up for choir this year and they both seemed to love it.  The Mayor said all the singing and dancing made him tired and thirsty but he said he had a great time.  Another friend of mine was teaching Love Bug's choir so she sent me a picture and she looks to be loving it!

Tomorrow D will be home late since he and people from his company are running a corporate 5K downtown tomorrow evening.  But thankfully that will lead us into Friday and into our weekend.  We have lots of fun plans...Friday night is Spirit Night at our high school for all of the elementary school kids.  Saturday D and I are going to a friend's house to watch the Bama/Texas A&M game during the afternoon and then coming home and taking the kids to our neighborhood's Screen on the Green.  There will be a DJ from 7:30-8:30 and then at 8:30 they are showing "Despicable Me".  The kids think it is just the coolest thing that we will be watching a movie outside.  Sunday is church and tennis...and cooler temperatures!

Love Bug in her choir class

cuteness monday

Love Bug had ballet this morning and after ballet, we headed to our friend's house for a play date.  Me and two other moms from the bus stop have made this Monday morning play date a pretty regular thing since we all have kids at home around the same age.  Love Bug is the oldest at 3 1/2, Andrew will be 3 in three weeks and Nolan is 18 months.  They get along well and have a great time playing.  Today, Andrew and Love Bug really hit it off though.  They were like little BFFs.  We ended up staying until it was time to go to the bus stop to get The Mayor and Andrew's older sisters and they wanted to walk together...and hold hands.  Too cute!

The Mayor had a great day (and it was picture day) and after he got home, we had a quick snack and then went to OT.  He had a great session today.  I am so proud of him...he hasn't been to OT for a month (we had to cancel one appointment and then Labor Day fell on his session) and his OT said he did so amazing today.  She doesn't think we need to start weekly sessions and that we can keep him on the every other week plan.  YAY!

practicing his smile for picture day...and being silly

Tomorrow both kids are in school and for once I am a little sad.  I kind of want to let them skip and keep them at home with me.  But I won't...I can't start that precedence but I will be excited to spend the afternoon with them.  Wednesday I volunteer in The Mayor's class so that will be a fun treat for me...and hopefully him!

go dawgs

This week was a short week but it felt jam-packed with stuff.  MeMe and Big Daddy left Monday morning and the kids were sad.  They missed having constant playmates and people giving them their undivided attention and Love Bug really missed her Big Daddy.  She has that man wrapped around her teeny tiny pinky finger.  She literally had him feeding her like a baby...oh was her world rocked when he left.  It was no longer Easy Street around here for her.

pouting...none of us babied her like Big Daddy...she wasn't happy

No worries, they will be back in 3 weeks and Love Bug will be back in heaven.

Saturday we went to lunch with some friends and then ran around looking for granite for our basement kitchen.  We think we found the granite we love.  It is exciting to think this could be done within the next few weeks.  We got home in plenty of time to get settled and watch Georgia finally beat South Carolina.  It was a great game and we all went to bed happy!

Today we had church and then I had a tennis match.  It was brutally hot...I mean it felt like July out there.  After a long 3 hours and 15 minutes my partner and I finally won in a third set tiebreaker.  I ran off the court to come home and change because we promised we would take the kids to the gym pool after my tennis match.  We got to the pool 1 1/2 hours before it closed so the kids still had plenty of time to play.  We ran through a drive-thru to grab some dinner and after we got home and ate, it was time for the kids to go to bed.

Tomorrow is picture day for The Mayor at school and Love Bug has ballet.  She is beyond excited and The Mayor spent time today "practicing" his smile for picture day.  He cracks me up!

Go Dawgs!