November 2014

November found us traveling quite a bit.  We started the month out in NYC watching my sister run the marathon and hanging out with our cousins.

The weekend after our NYC venture I ventured to Georgetown for my 25th college reunion.

25 years!!!  What a milestone!

I also hit another milestone...

This was only the second time I left Tate for a weekend.  He stayed with my parents.  They picked him up after school on Friday and took him back to their house.  Saturday they even took him to his soccer game!  He apparently did really well, no tears and slept like a champ.

I did pretty well :)  I didn't sleep so well, but I was still sharing a bed :) albeit with a dear old friend who I haven't seen in 4 years.  But it was a great relaxing time.  We didn't have a huge turnout, but it was great to see those who made it.  I missed Tate, but I really enjoyed not having to entertain/take care of my 5 year old for a couple of days.  It was really great to just be an adult having fun.

It was really good to be with people I love who love me.  Who have known me seemingly forever.  At a place where I feel like I really came into my own.  If I could do over any time in my life it would be those 4 years at Southwestern...not because I would do anything differently, well I would have studied harder/more...but because I was so happy those 4 years.  Happy and free.  Because I'm happy now, but I'm happier in a different way.  I'm happy but only in my personal life; the rest makes me unhappy.  Which is a whole other post.  Anyway, I had a lovely time.

Even lovelier was coming home to my sweet boy that Sunday and spending the afternoon celebrating Aunt Lindsey's 32nd birthday!

Friday night Lindsey babysat Tate, so I could go to my annual girls' Thanksgiving dinner.  Tate was happy, well I say that, but he cried when I left.  He tends to always cry when I leave him with Lindsey, and I don't know why.  He adores her, and he's always begging for her to come play with him.  But just when I hug him good-bye he gets teary.  This doesn't happen with anyone else...I've not figured out why.  But I know he's fine and she loves him, so all is good.  They had their own game/movie night!!

And I had a great time with my girls of the tribe.

Saturday morning we met Alonzo and Palmi at the Houston Area Live Steamers to do their last run of the season!  It was a cold, cold morning, but so fun!!  We love going to this place!!

Friends Forever and Always!

Then we ran off to Tate's end of season soccer party!!

 Then much to our exhaustion, ok my exhaustion :) we then ran off to H's 5th birthday party!  The theme was 'Frozen' and they did an amazing job!!!  The decorations were awesome!!!

Tate was the only boy who danced and participated in the festivities.  I love that about him!    I've worked really hard to help him know there are no boy or girl toys, that he can dance and love 'Frozen' as much as he loves 'Planes' and playing soccer.  So he had an absolute blast!!

I have a little bookworm on my hands.  Many times when I tell him to go relax or play while I cook dinner or lunch I'll all of a sudden hear his sweet voice.  I'll walk around the corner to see this....

I love it!

The Sunday before Thanksgiving his kindergarten class had a Thanksgiving playdate at a restaurant.  The food was great, and it was a really fun time!!   They had an amazingly huge patio and play area for kids!!

Not sure about this face :) 

November seemed to be the month we really got into our groove for Tate and school.  He had a playdate with a friend from school, I felt a little more part of the mom group at school, though I'm not fully there yet.  He seemed to really love playing soccer with his class mates as was evidenced by how much fun he had while we were at the end of season party.  And we had lots of family time, both extended and immediate.  I ended the month very thankful for all those we love and who love us!

December 2014 Catch Up

It's 2015 and as I look back on my blog I realize that I have very few posts about Tate's first few months of kindergarten.  This is such a huge milestone in his life, and I've hardly documented it!  I worked and stressed so hard about where to send him and whether to send him as a very young 5 and I've made almost no mention of how well he's doing.  And he's been so super busy!!  He played soccer, did after school art, attended mass several times, has a big brother in the school and made new friends.  So I'm going to play catch up!

I have time to play catch up because Tate has gotten sick.  It started last night around 11:45...he woke crying and upset which it totally out of character for him.  He complained his throat hurt, so I gave him some ibuprofen.  He was fine this morning until noonish.  And then he just piddled out, crying easily for no reason and then said his throat hurt again.  He felt warm and boom! fever of 101.  So we're still in our pjs.  Normally I would try to let the illness run its course, but with the flu being so bad this year I'm going to take him to the pediatrician tomorrow for a quick test and get some tamiflu if needed.

So a little catch up and documentation :) for Tate of his first few months of formal education.  I'll start with the most recent month of December.

We started off trying to get Vincent into the Christmas spirit.

 On the 9th my university had its annual Christmas Candlelight service.  It was one of my most favorite parts of Christmas at SU while I was there.  Just such a lovely ceremony, and I'm so glad our alumni association offers it here for the alums.  My wonderful nanny brought Tate to me at work, and we headed over when I was done with work!

Tate wasn't nearly as enamored as I was :)

He loved the candle part though!

A couple of days before we left for the Polar Express Tate got a letter in the mail...FROM SANTA CLAUS!!!

I love listening to him read these days!!!

Then it was the last week of school!!  School Christmas program, classroom party and early dismissal!!

So much fun!  And all that I had hoped raising a school-aged child would be like!  I've always wanted to be room mom, but that's just not going to be a possibility as a single working mom, so I volunteer when I can and try to participate in as many activities as I can!

Santa Claus came to visit the boys during lunch that Tuesday.  I couldn't make it, but one of the other moms took a picture of Tate and sent it to me...

He looks tired I know, but she said he was having a blast!

That Thursday the boys had a Polar Express party day.  They got to wear their pajamas and the kindergarten girls from their sister school came over for the movie and craft!  They made a cute little Christmas snow globe!

Then it was time for the Christmas program and party!

All smiles and ready at home! 

Singing their hearts out about the newborn King!

It was time for the par-tay!

The boys made Christmas trees out of ice cream cones, icing,
twizzlers and candy sprinkles! 

I was charged with bringing fruit!

Tate's class' elf...named Godzilla

Love hanging with this sweet boy! 

The parents left and the boys watched a Christmas movie!

The following day was a half day;  I was working...I decided to call upon my village and asked the mom of one of Tate's friends to pick Tate up for me.  Her son and Tate had been at daycare together from the time the boys were about 11 months old until C left at the age of 4 to go to the school Tate now attends.  I made sure C's mom could take Tate to his old daycare, but said if she was up for it that it would be great if she could keep Tate for a playdate with C.  She kept Tate for about 4 hours for me!!  She even brought him home for me.  We are so blessed.

That weekend was the weekend of our Christmas party.  I sent Tate to daycare Monday and Tuesday mornings of the week of Christmas and Nanny S picked him at 1 both days.  She took him to an indoor play yard one day and the other day took him Christmas shopping for me.

That Tuesday night Nanny S brought Tate to me at work, as I had plans to take him to ride The Christmas Train!  We bundled up into the car and headed to Alvin.  WooWee it was cold!!  We had never been on this train, but it was inexpensive, so I thought we should give it a try.  It was sweet.  The train ride was about 7-10 minutes long through a Christmas light show mostly about the birth and death of Christ.  We huddled together and enjoyed it thoroughly!

Some awesome gospel music while we waited in the station...

On the train ride!

It was just a lovely Christmas season.