TWO RECESSES!

        Today was Ben's first day of pre-school.  He is in a Tuesday/Thursday program and he absolutely LOVED it. We started the day with cinnamon rolls and fruit.  He was super excited about the JUMBO rolls.  He raved about how yummy they looked.  When he walked into the kitchen he saw his 'first day of school surprise' taped to the wall....a Super Mario Brothers poster. He saw it at Wal-Mart the night before and went crazy. (I decided that night that  I was going to be the mom who lets her kid hang super tacky posters on his wall....he is only a kid once).  When he walked in and saw it he was shocked.  When he got dressed he put on his backpack and wore it around the house with his Toy Story lunch box (again, they are only kids once...and yes I really liked the solid  red and gray lunch box that matched his backpack from Aunt NayNay, but.....Buzz Lightyear it is).  He was so excited for school.  So much so that he couldn't eat his yummy cinnamon roll.
         Yesterday we had a "practice lunch" so I could show him how to eat from a lunch box...you know, like taking the food out of the baggies and then throwing the baggies away...and asking someone to help him with his juice box. Ok, let's be real.  I wanted to make sure he knew that even though Mommy wasn't there, he still needed to eat his sandwich and fruit before his gummy snack.  (When I asked him later today how his lunch was he said, "I ate my fruit before anything. And I ate my whole sandwich." When I opened his lunch box there was still a triangle of peanut butter and honey left...but everything else was gone! Thank you, practice lunch.)
     So, we get to school pretty early and Ben got to put his backpack in his locker. (He really likes his locker...I think it makes him feel professional).  He handed his teacher the extra set of clothes they asked us to bring in case of an accident.  He said, "This is for when I peepee."  The look on her face was priceless.
      He walked into the class and went right to his "desk".  (I made the mistake when I picked him up from school of calling it a table which is what it actually is and he quickly corrected me.)  His teacher had smartly put a worksheet with the letter 'A' and some fruit loops on the table.  She told Ben he could glue the cereal on the polka-dots that were on the 'A.' She is now his favorite person.  Ben loves to "cut" and glue.  As Ben started to glue I gave him a hug, told him I loved him, and said good-bye.  He stopped what he was doing and very quietly whispered, "Can we eat these?"
      

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       When I picked him up he was a sweaty, grinning mess.  He had an amazing day! Thank you, Lord! He talked and talked about how much fun he had.  He told me that they had TWO RECESSES!!! (He was super excited about that).  And that they got to play whatever they wanted during recess.  I asked him who he played with....he said, "The girls. I followed them around. Cade followed  me and I followed the girls." And so it begins.
         On the way to the car he said very matter of factly and out of the blue, "I love you, Mom."
                                                      I love you, too, Ben.
     

Live at the Lake

Tonight I had the pleasure of listening to excellent music performed by my very own brother Kevin Rhine and his buddy Ashton Gustafson. They were awesome and were a joy to listen to.  We had a great time with lots of friends and family while we were there.  I love nights like tonight. We took lawn chairs, blankets (to sit on....it was 102!), and water.  We also took a spray bottle complete with fan to help us cool down a bit.  I loved getting to sit next to Josh, hold sweet Sam, and watch Ben run around with his friends. We went to Orange Leaf after for yogurt...yummy!!  I am blessed.  Thank you, Father, for these sweet memories.