Dear Lucas (4 Years 11 months),

Your very first summer vacation from school is well under way. You keep asking "how many more days of summer do I have left?" You are so worried that it is going to be over tomorrow. Even though you won't admit it I think you miss school though. You have been talking about your classmates and teachers a lot lately. "Mom, when our teachers say 'Criss cross apple sauce' we sit like this and put our hands in our laps and listen" and "Mom, can you show me how to write your phone number? You need to give it to Tatem so she can call me." I am pretty sure that you are going to go back to Pooler Elementary in the fall and it would be neat if some of your friends were in your kindergarten class.

This summer seems pretty tame compared to all the fun road trips we went on last summer but you did get to try out your very first slip=n-slide a few weeks ago. You had a blast but then again you are part fish. You love to be in the water any chance you get. It doesn't matter to you if it is a kiddie pool or a day at the beach. If you are in the water you are happy.

One thing you did get to do so far this summer is go to Vacation Bible School. Your Grandma took you with Shane and Colby and I think you enjoyed it. They had a western theme and ever since you've been wearing a cowboy hat and asking me to make you lassos out of things. You going to VBS made me reminisce about all the times your Great Gram took Lori, Eric, and I to VBS when we were kids. I've been missing her a lot lately, especially since all the fun road trips we took last summer were with her. I am so grateful for the memories of you and her together.

Okay, so we have gone on one road trip this summer but it wasn't really a vacation. We had to take you to Emory in Atlanta so you could see a specialist about your eyes. This time your Dad went with us too and he got to see how much "fun' doctor appointments can be... for instance when we had to hold you down so you could get eye drops put in your eyes while you are screaming bloody murder and saying "Mommy please help me!" We actually have to go back in a few weeks so that you can be put to sleep so they can get a better look at your retinas. They think that you may have holes in your retinas and if so they should be able to fix them with lasers. So part of me kind of hopes they find holes so they can "fix" your eyes and be done with it... so more hurry up and wait.

I'm still watching your friends David and Gabe a few days a week. When the three of you are together you fight and then when you are apart for a day (or even a few hours) you all beg to play together again. Your favorite toys right now are your stuffed dogs and all of you boys like to pretend they are real. Whenever you see a commercial on TV for the humane society you ask me "Mom can we please go adopt ALL of those dogs? They can live hear with us. You have such a big heart.

Really you boys are more like family by now then just friends. One day a few months ago I was driving you home from school and you told me, "You know Gabe and I fight sometimes because we are like brothers." You've also started asking again when you are finally going to get your big brother, oh and you want a kitten to now too. I thought about getting you one of those furreal kittens... those battery operated toys that purr... wonder if they come in a big brother style too?

I love you so very much,

Mommy

Last Day of School

I am now a mom of a kindergartner! We are going to miss Lucas' fabulous teachers but since he is staying at Pooler Elementary School next year we will get to see them around school. It has been a great school year, and boy did it go fast!

Dear Lucas (4 years 10 months),

In two months you will be 5. In less than two weeks you will no longer be in PreK and in just a few months you will be starting Kindergarten. Where does the time go? On the way home from school today we were talking about plans for your birthday and I actually asked if you could stop growing and just stay this age forever. Your response was, "Mom, that's what kids do, grow up. I have to get older so I can be like Dad and grow a mustache or maybe a beard."

Thursday was the big PreK end of the year picnic and you were presented with your certificate of completion. You asked me if that meant it was the last day of school, which would make sense but you still have two weeks left. I can't believe summer is finally here! I am so excited to get to spend more one on one time with you.

After the picnic was over your whole class headed to the beach for a chance to dig in the sun and splash in the waves. Your whole prek experience has been so awesome and I love getting to go on field trips with you. You guys had a blast. One classmate said "This is the best day ever" and pretty soon you were all saying "yes, this is the best day ever," which made your wonderful teachers day.

Your Grandma got to come to the beach with us to see you get your certificate and jump in the waves with you. On the way home she suggested we stop for an ice cream cone and a cool drink. So we stopped at the Sugar Shack on Tybee, which in a way is a part of our family history I guess. Grandma used to go there before I was ever even born and before you were born your Dad and I went there on our very first date. I never could have guessed nine years ago just how wonderful things would turn out.

Tee ball ended last week and I am so glad that we signed you up. It was so nice for me and your Dad to get up and go cheer you on every week. Playing really taught you about team work and working together and it was just such a good experience. After each game we would always go out and have lunch together as a family. We'll just have to find a new Saturday activity to replace tee ball.

The last thing that has been going on is that we have to go to Atlanta to get your eyes checked out. For some reason your eyesight has been getting worse instead of better so we are going to see a specialist to see if they can find out why and hopefully correct it. The whole waiting and not knowing thing is a little nerve-racking but we have been trying to stay calm, especially around you. No sense stressing for weeks over something that might not even be a big deal.

Love you to the moon and back,

Mommy

Pre-K Motto

Wildlife at Oatland Island (and Some Animals Too)

Last Friday, Lucas' class went on a field trip to Oatland Island. The kids had a blast looking at the farm animals at the barn and then walking the trail to see the other animals along the way.

Watching the Deer

Outside of the Wolf exhibit where three statues to show the different "expressions" that wolves make like "playful."

Then the kids had a picnic lunch before getting back on the bus and heading back to school.

Spring School Pictures

Dear Lucas (4 years 8 months),

It is hard to believe it is spring already and we have now been in our house for an entire month. It's so cool to have our own yard and watch our trees and bushes bloom and flower. Your school project this month was to make a hat that represents spring. We put a flower pot on top with flowers blooming our and a bunny hiding. We also decorated with gardening gloves and tools. You painted dirt all over the hat and I think it turned out really cute.

Friday was the very last day of school before Spring Break. So not only did you turn in your hat but you also got to have a class Easter Egg hunt right before school ended. There was an educational twist since each student had to collect twelve eggs exactly. Then when everyone collected their twelve eggs you were all allowed to go hunting for any eggs remaining. It was a mad scramble as twenty 4 and 5 year olds went running to find eggs and tear into candy.

I didn't realize how much you've gown since you started school until just the other day when I went to pick you up from school. You started running over to me and I just had to laugh. You were wearing capri pants that looked like a shorter version of the spare pants I sent at the beginning of the school year. Back in September the pants fit you perfectly, maybe even a little long. I hope your uniforms can make it through a few more months because I would hate to have to buy all new clothes for just a short bit of time, especially since next year you'll be wearing blue and grey instead of red. You got in to Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School for Kindergarten and we've decided to accept the spot. I hope we've made the right choice for you.

You've become quite Daddy's little helper. You love to help with anything that has to do with tools. Today you went with Daddy to Lowe's and got a little kit to make at home and I think you guys are going to start going to their Saturday kid workshops for a little Father/Son bonding time. I'm looking forward to the week ahead and our own bonding time because you are now officially on Spring Break. I can't wait to just hang out with you.

Luc-E, I love you to the moon and back.

Mommy

Dear Lucas (4 years 7 months)

It is hard to believe that you are now closer to five than you are to four. Your school is already sending notes home about Kindergarten since in a few short months school will be out for the year. Right now you get to go to Pooler Elementary because of the Pre-k program there but next year you have to switch to your district school. There is a small chance you might get to still go to Pooler next year since the school board is redistricting right now. It would be great if you could stay at PES. You seem to really enjoy it there and they have such fun programs like the Georgia Day Parade around the school.

You are continuing to thrive in school. You've been coming home and asking us how to spell every word under the sun and constantly trying to sound out words on your own. A few weeks ago you came home from school with a medal for good behavior. You were so proud of that award that you wore it for several days straight. You only took it off at bedtime, because we made you.

A few weeks ago it actually snowed here, which you got you so excited. We just happened to have your friends David and Gabe over that night and as soon as the snow was sticking I took you guys outside to play. You guys had a snowball fight and it was so much fun to watch.

After you went to bed and they left for the night I went outside and scooped up a little bag of snow and stuck it in the freezer. The next morning you woke up and the first thing you did was look out the window to see if the snow was still there. It had already melted away and you were bummed about that so I pulled out the bag of snow I saved and we made your very first snowman. You thought it was the coolest thing ever.

We are pretty much moved into our house and you seem to really love your new room, especially your bed. Back in your toddler bed days, you would wake up in the middle of the night and crawl into our bed. Now that you are in a twin sized bed you sleep the whole night in your own bed. We both love that your bed is now big enough for me to climb in and cuddle with you while we read stories or just to talk about your day.

The other thing that we both REALLY love about our new house is the fantastic yard. You love playing in your "club house" and I love that you can go outside and play safely while I get stuff done indoors. The back of the house has so many great windows that I can see you no matter what room I am in doing stuff. Now that the weather is getting warmer you and your friends spend most of the time playing outside.

I love you to the moon and back,

Mama

Parades, Valentines, and Snow

Friday was quite an exciting day for Lucas. It was Georgia Day and the original plan was for the students to parade around the local neighborhood but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead the students paraded around the school.

It was FREEZING outside so most of the kids wore their coats and jackets over their costumes.

Lucas' class

After the parade it was time to pass out their Valentines. The kids lined up and took turns dropping Valentines into each classmate's bag.

Then Friday night it actually snowed! We just happened to be watching Lucas' friends that night. When the snow started to stick I took the boys outside to play and they had a snowball fight.

Slave Driver

Tonight Lucas and I sat down to get his Valentine's Day cards ready to pass out to his classmates tomorrow. He signed three cards before he turned to me and said, "I think I'm getting tired. You can just do the rest. I'll go take my bath." So Curt went and filled up the bathtub and I slaved away feeling out Toy Story Valentines. When Lucas was clean and wrinkled he got out of the bath and headed over to check out my handiwork only to find me still working on his cards. "What? Mom you are not finished yet?!?!" Then he sat down beside me and started stuffing envelopes and talking about how excited he was to pass out the cards to his friends tomorrow.

Tonight was one of those nights that make me thankful for all the little unsung things that my parents did for me as a child (like buying Valentine's Day cards or cutting my PB&J into 4 little triangles.)

Marking the 100th Day of School

We had to make something for Lucas to show off at school to represent the 100 days he has spent in school as of today.

Where Are You Christmas?

Today while Lucas was in school I decided to pack away all the Christmas decorations. Usually, I wait until after January 6th but I wanted to feel like I got something accomplished today. Every year we add one of two new ornaments to our tree. This year we added Lucas' first school picture in a "2009" frame as well as a Peter Pan.

When Lucas got home from school he asked me, "Mommy where did Christmas go? I wanted to keep it around longer!"

Dear Lucas (5 Months and 4 days),

It's been such a busy crazy whirlwind of a month.

You experienced real loss for the first time in your life when your Great-Gram died. You've known about other people that have died and seen me be sad before but it never impacted you because you didn't really know them. The day your Great-Gram died Daddy picked you up early from school and told you what happened. It didn't click and you came in the house saying "Mom, Grandma died" like you would say "hey I had a great day at school." Then you looked around and said "Where is Great-Gram" and it was so hard telling you that she was the Grandma that died. After the funeral you asked me, "Mommy, please tell Jesus that I don't want to get old, die, and be buried all alone." When I picked you up from School after you returned from the funeral your teachers said you cried the entire day.

Thank goodness for Christmas. It has been a wonderful distraction for you. We made sure to fill the time with family traditions and new experiences to keep you busy. One of the things you love most about this time of the year is going to see all the Christmas lights. You kicked off the holiday season by going on a Trolley ride with Grandma to see lights. Then a few days later we took you to see the decorations that we have gone to see since your very first Christmas. Next year we should go a little earlier than we did this year. You feel asleep in the car on the way so you were SO GRUMPY when we got there and woke you up. You just wanted me to hold you, which is quite difficult now that you are four and a lot bigger than you used to be.

Another fun thing we did was go to the Westin to see the Gingerbread houses and Christmas trees. Then we hopped a ferry over to River Street and went to the candy store where I let you pick out one scoop of any candy you wanted. You picked gummy worms. We did this last year as well and I hope we keep this up as one of our Christmas traditions.

After seeing all the cool Gingerbread houses I was inspired and for the first time ever we decorated our own. You thought it was so much fun, but what is not to love about a giant bag full of icing, sprinkles, and tons of candy? I'm not sure what people do with Gingerbread houses after they are made. Ours sat in the fridge until I threw it away after Christmas.

On Christmas eve hung out at the house. We baked cookies and then opened up our new Christmas pajamas. Sometime in the middle of all the excitement your glasses broke. The arm just fell off. It was no big deal because you had a spare pair of glasses, so we didn't think anything of it. You put out a plate of cookies and a carrot for Santa and Rodolph, then you climbed in bed. We read a few stories about the first Christmas and then you were sound asleep. Christmas eve is always the EASIEST time to get you to go to bed and fall asleep. Before we went to bed we unscrewed all the light bulbs in the house so you couldn't see what Santa brought you unless you woke us up first. It worked like a charm.

Christmas morning we were woke up to "Mommy! Daddy! It's Christmas! I think Santa came but the lights don't work!" So we screwed the light bulbs in and watch you check out all your Santa loot and then we opened presents from each other. Then when you thought all was opened and unwrapped Daddy wheeled out one more present. You didn't even notice the Bike at first but when you did you got so excited. We spent the morning hanging out in our pajamas and watching you play with your new toys.

The afternoon of Christmas we loaded up the car with presents and headed over to Grandma and Grandpa O's to drop off their presents. Then it was off to Grandma and Grandpa Hunters for dinner and more presents.

Then somehow in all the excitement from Christmas your spare pair of glasses broke. Daddy took them from you to fix them and somehow you thought that you would never be able to see again. You started crying and freaking out. Thank goodness for scotch tape. I was able to fix them temporarily and then after Christmas we got them fixed.

The Sunday afternoon after Christmas we spent at my Parents' house having one last Christmas celebration. It was so much fun to all get together and laugh and eat together and just be a family. You just adore your older cousins and were so excited to get to play with them long into the night. You are officially one of the "big boys" now because you think you are too cool to play with Joseph anymore. The poor kid looks up to you so much and right now you don't understand that he isn't trying to break your toys or cramp your style, he just wants to do what you do. Lately you've started asking for a brother. You told me everyone you know has a brother except you and you need one.... but you only want an older brother. I'm not sure how that is going to work out for you. However, we did find out just a few days ago that Joseph is going to be a big brother.

In just a few days you'll be going back to school. I am pretty sure it is going to be another adjustment since you've been with me for most of December. First we were in California for a week, than you were out of school for Great-Gram's funeral, and then your two weeks of Christmas break. I've loved having all this extra time with you but I have also come to appreciate your teachers at school so much more. Seriously, five days a week they spend six hours with 20 four year olds?!?! Your teachers really are amazing. You can tell that they love you so much. You get to do so many fun things. Your homework project this month was for us to help you make a Snowman.

Snuggle-buggle, I love you to the moon and back,

Your "Mutter"