First Soccer Game

These last 2 weeks have been full of firsts. Today was John's first soccer game. It was dang hot, even at 9:00 am this morning. But he played his little heart out. He did get kicked in the ankle and it hurt. But he shed a few tears and got right back out there. He even scored a goal! As a mom, I now will come more prepared to the games - I have a list already made. Number one thing on the list - more water! 

Sophia is her brother's biggest fan. She yelled for him the whole game but she also had her coloring as she watched the game. 

Sweet Nora endures it all. She just goes with the flow, even though it was hotter than Haites out there this morning. 

My favorite player!

See that sweet red face - he was so hot...

It wasn't a win, but for a first game and a new team - they did great.

John has another first tomorrow. His little mind was racing tonight as he thought about how he will be upstairs at church tomorrow for the first time. He was full of questions and asked if we could stay home.
If you think of it, send up a prayer for him tomorrow morning as he starts another new adventure. 

Girls' Weekend!

3 years ago, we began a tradition. It started when Abbey was moving to California and we thought it would be fun to do a girl's weekend before she left, plus she needed to find a wedding dress so we thought it was perfect! 

My mom, my mother in law, my 2 sister in laws - Wendi and Abbey do this tradition and we love it. 

Abbey even flew in for the weekend this year so she could be a part of it. We look forward to it every year and have a blast each time. We have always gone to Branson. We get pedicures, shop till we drop, eat a bunch of food and enjoy each other's company. One year, we bought a total of 27 pairs of shoes. Let me tell you, we are serious shoppers. 

But it isn't about all the shopping and getting our toes together - even though that is a really fun part- it is about the togetherness. I feel so blessed to be able go somewhere with my mom and my mother in law, plus 2 sister in laws. I know so many families where the two sides don't get along and everything has to be separated. But that is not the case with Matt and I. We have families that love each other. We get to do things together and I feel so blessed to have that in my life. I also feel blessed that I get to show that to my kids. I hope that one day, down the road, when they choose their spouses, they take a look at the families they are marrying into. It makes life so much easier when the two sides get along. 

PEDICURES!

The kiddos were so excited to see Aunt Abbey. 

The ladies at one of our meals. 

My sweet mama and I. 

The ladies at another meal. :) We don't miss a meal on this trip!

We have already started talking about next year and getting excited already! 

First Day of School

I usually can't sleep the night before the first day of school.  I love the first day of school. I love the little faces as I get to greet them. I love the sweet Kindergarten babies that walk in for the first time, with scared faces, and I get to take their hand and tell them how much they are going to love Kindergarten. I love the kids that get dressed up for the first day in an outfit that their mom's probably bought for them. I love the familiar faces. I love walking through the halls praying for those sweet students as they get ready to enter a new school year. 

However, this year was different. Not only did I have all those familiar feelings but I had my first baby entering into the world of school. I was excited, nervous, scared and overwhelmed with emotion as we started to enter this milestone. These are things I remember about the first day of school: 

1. John getting up at 5:45am because he just couldn't sleep anymore.
2. Seeing my sweet babies in their new outfits (John was NOT dressed fancy- his requirement) and taking pictures on the porch.
3. Going to school by myself and thinking "I wonder how John is feeling right now."
4. Being so excited when I saw the black car drive up and Matt and John getting out. 
5. Seeing John being brave, but also seeing him a little nervous. 
6. Walking through the doors and hearing my sweet son, "This is really happening." in a soft voice. 
7. Walking behind him and seeing so many teachers and staff members greet him and love him already. 
8. Giving him a hug, us counting to 10 as we hugged, and him saying "Mom, count slower." (Try holding tears back with that being whispered in your ear...but I did!)
9. Him walking into the classroom all by himself and the teacher saying "You can come in if you want." Matt and I shook our heads no because we knew it would be hard on John to say bye again.
10. Walking back to my office, and deciding that I will break into sobs if I was by myself, so to bus duty I went.
11. Getting to see my little man during Kindergarten lunch practice. 
12. Him running to give me a hug at the end of the day when I walked into my office. 
13. John asleep by 8:00 because he was so exhausted from his first day of Kindergarten. 

This boy loves his baby sister!

Jenny Johnson - he loves his hat!

He wanted a picture with a sad face...silly boy.

Sophia's sweet smile and her pose.

He's in the building!! 

Walking down the hallway and Pam, the school secretary cheering him on. She loves him and spoils him rotten!

So we have now down a week and a half of school. He is loving it and has stories every day. I love seeing him at the end of the day with a new story to tell. And if you know John, he always has stories!

The Night Before Kindergarten

Tonight the routine starts. 

Tonight the lunches are packed, the outfits picked out, the backpacks are by the door. 

Tonight I prayed over my sweet boy as he slept. I prayed for him to be a friend to others, to show compassion and to have empathy. I prayed for him to remember that Jesus loves him and so does his parents. 

Tonight I lay in bed excited for the first day of school, like I always have been, but it is a different excitement this year. 

Tonight I share with Matt that I can't believe my sweet boy is starting this chapter. "Where does the time go?"

Tonight I feel like everything is happening so fast and I try to pull on the reins, but it just keeps going. 

Tonight I realize that I am excited to see what my boy will become and how he will fit with others around him as he starts school. 

Tonight I think of his preschool teachers and how much he loves them and how much they love him. I see how they helped shape him so much over these last couple years. 

Tonight I think about Mrs. Jewel who held him when he was a baby and has become a part of our family. 

Tonight I think about Mr. B. John's new teacher. This is the person that my son will look up to for the next year and maybe for the rest of his life. I pray for him as he gets the opportunity to help shape these little people. I pray that Mr. B. will get John's humor and see his kind, sweet heart throughout this year. I am lucky because I have seen the magic that Mr. B has with his students and I know that John is one lucky boy.

Tonight I think and pray for the other staff members that will come in contact with John and the other students starting tomorrow. 

Tonight I truly realize that it takes a village to raise my children. Without this village and the people that have come and gone, my sweet boy would not be who he is today. 

I love you John Andrew. I am so glad that I get to see you each day of your Kindergarten year. I am proud of you and I will always be proud of you. 

  

A lot of things going on...

Wow...things are changing once again at the Turnbough house. I started back at work last week. It went way better than I expected and I owe a lot of that to my sweet mother in law - but that will be a later post. 

Then this week came and BAM we are getting back into the swing of things. My mom arrived last night. Tonight was Kindergarten Open House...yes my sweet boy is officially going to Kindergarten and I can't believe it. He is going to be a Cougar! I have so many thoughts going through my head right now and I think a later post will have to come after I sort out my thoughts and feelings on this matter. 

Yet, tonight he did great and I got through it without tears. There was a smudge of tears that came to my eyes when I saw him get out of the car and head to the building to greet me. But I held back and he told me "Mom I told dad I was nervous when we were in the car." I smiled and said "All the Kindergartners are nervous honey and that is okay." He looked at me and said "Dad said the same thing."

We met in his teacher's room all together and then the parents were dismissed to listen to the parent talk in the cafeteria. I thought there would be tears, but he walked straight to the carpet and had a seat. 

It is strange to be on the parent side when you are usually on the Administration side. Very weird feeling...

Overall the night went wonderful and I am so excited to see what this year will bring for my sweet boy. We are definitely taking a big step here but we fully trust in his sweet Kindergarten teacher. 

And then Sophia had her first ballet meeting to get fitted for her gear. Yup...that is right, I am going to be a dance mom. Get ready world! I don't know how I am going to quite fit this role, but we shall see. My mom took Sophia to her meeting while we were at Kindergarten Open House. Sophia was so excited when we got home. Her words were "IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME!" For those of you that know Sophia well, you know she doesn't get super excited unless she LOVES it. Oh and she loves the idea of getting to do ballet. She also said, "This going to be so much better than t-ball."

And then sweet Nora just hung out tonight and got to make her first appearance at school. People commented on her hair and her sweet cheeks all night. (This picture isn't actually from tonight, so people did see her hair.)

She just goes with the flow and seems to be content where she lands. 

We walked up to McDonalds for a sweet treat tonight. She sat up looking at her brother and sister the whole time. If they are looking or talking to her, you can bet she is smiling and giggling at them. She can't take her eyes off of them. John put it best as we were leaving McDonalds. 

John: "Mom, I am so glad Nora is part of our family." 

Me: "Me too son, me too."

You can't get any sweeter than that.

Little Bit

This little nugget went in for her 2 month check up and came in weighing 12lbs 9 oz. She is an eater! She also is 23 inches long. She is a growin'!

We also tried her out in the bumbo because she loves looking around and seems to get frustrated when she isn't up and looking at everything. She loved it. She was actually smiling bigger than below but as soon as I get out the camera, the smiles leave. Little stinker!

I love that it appears she is gazing at her big sister. So sweet!

Sitting up and being big.



Well the time has come. I go back to work tomorrow. It is crazy to think that with John I went back at 4.5 weeks, Sophia was 6 weeks and Nora is 10, almost 11 weeks. But I think it is harder. I don't know if it because I have been home so long or if it because she is my last one. In some ways I feel like the summer flew by but in other ways, it was long. I do love my job and I am excited to start this phase in my life, but dang - I will miss those afternoon naps (when I got them) with her on my chest. I will miss playing all day with the big kiddos. I will miss all of us staying in our pjs throughout the day. I am jealous that my little "momma's girl" will be snuggling with other people. But also feel blessed that we have people in our lives that will snuggle her. I know tomorrow will be tough and I pray for the day to go smooth. The best thing is that I work with awesome people, who I look forward to seeing and I know they will comfort me.

Dear God,
I pray for this next chapter in our lives. I pray that we slow down when we can and enjoy the little moments. Thank you for allowing the Nanas to be here the next 2 weeks to help transition our family. Be with Mrs. Jewel as she takes care of my sweet baby. Be with Matt as he stays home with the girls on certain days- give him patience when he needs it. I pray for Sophia's pre-k teachers as she heads to this next step. I pray for John's Kindergarten teacher and the other teachers that will impact his life during his Kindergarten year. I thank you for putting wonderful people in our lives that help mold our sweet babies. I pray for my kiddos that they will remember they are Yours and that you will hold them close. I pray that they remember to show your love through their actions and words. Letting go is so hard and I can't imagine how you feel when you have to let us go to make our own decisions. I pray for my job and the impact it has on others. I pray for my attitude and I pray that I will recognize when I need help.  I pray for balance and to stay close to you. Thank you for this sweet time that we have had this summer. It has been hard but you have been there every step of the way. Give me strength to get through the day.

Amen.

Frozen Dance Camp

Last year we did Tinkerbell Dance Camp and Sophia would not dance. She sat and watched the whole time. So when she asked when dance camp was this summer, I explained that she had to dance - not just sit. She said OKAY! So we did Frozen Dance Camp and it was precious. She went into the studio with no problem and loved every minute of it. Sophia, unlike her brother, is not one for crowds, so I wasn't sure how she would do when all the parents came in to watch their performance. The first time through she stood and smiled the whole time. Then the 2nd time through, she danced and smiled the whole time. It was precious. 

She got to meet and dance with Elsa, Anna and Olaf. What could be better? She even got a Frozen magical wand out of the deal. She practices her moves through the house and asks when is the next dance camp. So in September, we are going to try out ballet. We will give it a go and see how she likes it. She did inform me that dance camp was WAY better than t-ball. :) 

John Turns 6

 Unbelievable is the word that describes John turning 6. Who would have known that 6 years ago, a little boy would come into our lives and change it so much. 6 years ago I thought I could never be more in love and Wowie Wow Wow (we have been reading Junie B. Jones), was I wrong. This little guy is such a joy and a gift. He has so much charisma and joy for life. He LOVES people and keeps our social calendar going. He is so much like me, which is why we seem to butt heads quite a bit. He shows me things about myself that I love and other things that I might need to work on :) 

He is my little man who is becoming quite the boy. He is my cuddler and snuggle buddy. He has the love language of touch. He is loud and hyper and will drop everything to have a dance party. He loves dessert (he would have it 3 times a day if I would let him) and he is starting to love trying new things. 

He is my first off to school and I just can't believe it. I am so excited for him but scared at the same time. I am sure this will be a future post.  He loves doing experiments and will ask you at least 20 questions about anything and everything. His mind is always racing and thinking. He loves Jesus and isn't afraid to say it. He will belt out "camp songs" in the car. I couldn't be prouder. 

He is also the best big brother. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he loves Sophia and they are quite the pair. He is head over heels about Nora. That girl will have him wrapped around her pinkie, or at least for now.

Here's a few pics from his birthday weekend - yup- that is right. He had a birthday weekend and for those of you that know me well, I have birthday months. 

And then memory lane...

Our first time meeting this little guy. 

Only a few days, taken by the famous Sarah Beard, who was totally in love with him too.

A sweet 1 year old picture taken by our other amazing photographer friend, Brandon Schultz. 

Best Christmas Card EVER!

This was one of John's first play dates where the kids actually played and John still is quite the ladies man! . Miss Madeline Sharky, who is one of John's best friends and Miss Jenna Flax. 

2nd birthday party after eating the Elmo Cake.