ET started Wee-Tee!

How adorable is that name...Wee-Tee!  I can't get over how incredibly cute ET was playing his first ever sport!  He did such an awesome job his first day!  He received a t-shirt uniform and a baseball hat.  The name of his team is "Cottage Grove Red Sox."  His "jersey" number is nine.

Here are Jay and ET practicing before they started...

 He is so handsome!

 Here is ET is his new uniform.  He definitely looks like a he belongs in baseball!

 Practicing his throw before they start...

 Nathan was copying everything ET did from the sidelines!

 They split the kids off into three groups.  This is the head couch working with ET's group.

 ET is practicing how to catch the ball as it rolls to him in this picture...

 Future baseball player #2....

 Here the couch is giving the kids the 101 on how to hit the ball.

 While each player took a turn hitting the ball, the other kids ran after it.  At one point ET stopped and shouted out to me, "Hey Mom, am I a good guy?!"  (Meaning, "Am I a good baseball player?")  How precious is that?

 ET up at bat...

 Here all the kids are taking a run around the bases...

 End of the day cheer, "GO RED SOX!" 

ET cannot wait until his next practice!  He really loves baseball!

Near Perfect Attendace Award!

I thought I would slip this pic in as well.  Here is ET receiving a near perfect attendance award at church for Sunday school! He was pretty proud of himself, and happy to receive a special pin for his confirmation robe two years in a row now!

ET'S Preschool Graduation

ET had his last day of preschool and his graduation on Wednesday, May 30.  At school on this day ET got to celebrate his birthday with his friends.  All the kids bring treats for their birthday, but they have to be store bought.  I am not a huge fan of store bought cupcakes, and I am sure the teachers don't really appreciate the mess, so ET and I decided to bring ice cream sandwiches for his birthday treat.  I was hoping they would be able to eat snack outside, and ET happily said they did! :)

ET's preschool year was definitely a success.  The teachers never had a concern with his behavior or where he was with his education.  My favorite part of his preschool education was the lessons he learned pertaining to God and the Bible.  I was so thankful that ET could go to preschool with his buddy G from daycare, and experience a lot of life lessons about friendship, following authority, and most importantly our faith.

ET's preschool graduation was also a success.  The kids sang a half a dozen songs, and then they called each child up to receive a medal, and their preschool diploma.  It was so incredibly cute, and it took a lot for me to not cry.  When they called ET's name he stopped to wave to everyone...how adorable!  Jay's parents were able to come and support ET, and for that we are very thankful.

Here is ET and his buddy G from daycare!

After the ceremony, Gma and Gpa came over to give ET his birthday gift (a new Lego set)!

I loved the paper graduation hat!

We were impressed with the quality of the medal he was given.  It was also engraved on the back!

ET, why we love you...

My love for my children is beyond anything I could actually put into writing, but each year that my boy's celebrate a birthday I have tried to put those feeling in words.

ET our love for you is completely immeasurable, and unconditional.  It is a love that I feel emotionally, but at times even physically.  You are so important to us.  My wish for you, is that someday you find happiness, and learn just how great that love is.  The love I have for you has helped me better understand the love that the Lord has for us.  It has rooted me even deeper in my faith, love, and devotion for our family as a whole.  ET, you bring me joy every day when you enter the room.  Your presence is what keeps me going.  Your Dad and I love you with our whole hearts!

We love because...

• Your smile!  That dimple is something so special!
• Your boyish nature.  You absolutely love bugs, and will go after them with your bare hands.  Just today, you had five giant beetles just hanging out in the palm of your hand!  
• Your competitive edge.  This is something that I often have to get after you on, and remind you of your manners; however, we know this will take you far in life.  You are always striving to be the fastest, smartest, strongest, and the best at everything you do.  I absolutely love seeing this type of motivation that is just innate with you.  If you see something you like, you go after it and you don't like to lose.  It will be our job to teach you that it is okay to lose, without squelching your motivation.  You most recently have taken a huge interest in muscles.  You have been trying your hardest everyday to work your muscles while doing pull-ups on the monkey bars. :)  You just also recently joined the wee-tee baseball league.  You definitely did not sit on the sidelines and let the other boys take over.  You were so proud of yourself, as were we.
• We love your laugh!  You still have that Daffy Duck laugh when we really get you going.  You also still find the word "duty" very humorous.
• We love your energy and your love for the outdoors.  Now that it is summer time, you are asking "When can we go outside?" the moment you wake in the morning.
• We love how smart you are!  Everything we teach you seems to click so easily.  You have learned to read over the last year!
• We love to see your faith in God continue to grow.  You started saying your own prayer at night periodically.  I am just amazed at how easy these prayers roll off your tongue.  You sound so natural and comfortable speaking to God.  I pray that God continues to be your light in life.  Just a couple nights ago you prayed..."God, thank you for this wonderful day, and thank you for making me the way that I am."  My biggest wish for you is that you are content with what you have and who you chose to be in life.  I pray you always feel this way!
• We love to see your love for music continue to grow as well.  Your singing is one of the sweetest sounds on Earth!  You will be starting private piano lessons in just a couple weeks!
• We love your questions!  You are so intuitive, and really have shown a great deal of growth through the questions you have asked over the last year.
• We love your sensitivity.  You look after your family, just as much as we look after you.

Thank you for making our days sweeter than we ever imagined!
We love you,
Mom and Dad  

ET is 5 years old!!!!

Wow!  On Tuesday, ET turned ONE WHOLE HAND old!  It is so hard to believe that 5 years has already passed by since that first time I held my baby boy in my arms.  What an incredible 5 years it has been!  He is an AMAZING little man, and I could not feel more proud to be his Mom.

ET's birthday celebration at daycare was nothing out of the ordinary.  We had balloons, a birthday crown, and I made all of his favorite foods.  For breakfast he ate pancakes and pears.  For lunch he ate pizza burgers, broccoli, and apples.  Instead of the traditional birthday cupcake, ET asked for his Grandma Darlyn's special brownies, and a mini ice cream cup. Jay came home from lunch and surprised ET with a bouquet of 5 balloons.  He told ET there was a surprise in each balloon, and that he could pop them later to find out what was hidden inside.

This weekend we will be having ET's actual birthday party with all the daycare kids.  He has asked for a shark themed birthday.  I have everything bought and planned out.  There is one BIG surprise coming his way, and the only thing he knows so far is that the surprise is bigger than Daddy! :)

On Tuesday evening, ET requested that we go to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner.  This is his third birthday celebration at the Rainforest Cafe.  He says he is always going to ask to go there from here on out.  It was even more awesome for him to experience the Rainforest on this day because we have actually been learning about the Rainforest at daycare all month long.  He had a lot of great questions to ask as he was looking all around.   The highlight of the evening of course was "THE VOLCANO" cake!  ET was so excited for this!  After dinner, I told ET he could pick out one toy from the store, but he really didn't fall in love with anything right away.  He just kept begging me to go on rides.  I said he could go on one ride with Daddy instead of picking out a toy and he agreed to that immediately.  Jay and ET went on the Log Chute.

When we returned home, ET popped his five balloons and found one dollar in each balloon!  Jay also surprised ET with a new CD that he had made with all of ET's favorite songs he has learned to love over the last year (Jay did this last year for him as well).  After opening presents, the kids were put to bed.  The next day was a big day for ET.  Wednesday was his last day of preschool and his preschool graduation.  (Pictures soon to come.)


Here are all the kids riding the bikes in the cul-de-sac.  ET was so excited to show off his new scooter!

There is nothing better than Grandma's Darlyn's brownies! 

ET loves seeing the alligator at the front of the restaurant move.  Nate was still a little spooked.

We were seated right next to a fish tank.  This is the same table where we sat for ET's 2nd birthday.

I love that smile!  Look at the size of that cake! $14.00 for one dessert!  Totally crazy, but totally worth it. :)

Nate definitely knew how to eat his fare share.

By the end of the night, the balloons had fallen from the weight of the dollars.  They lasted through the whole day though.  We will keep this tradition going for the boys for each birthday.

Memorial Day weekend!

This weekend was just blissful for us.  Jay and I felt the need to set aside all other plans so that we could spend a weekend completely relaxed with the boys.  We kind of considered it ET's birthday weekend (even though his birthday actually fell on the Tuesday after).  We were pretty emotional at the thought of our little ET Bear actually turning 5 on us!  It is hard to believe he will be leaving me soon for Kindergarten.

Friday evening I took ET to get his five year pictures taken at Sears.  He did an awesome job!  I am so excited to get the pictures back and post them!  After returning home, Jay and ET had a fire in the new fire pit spot.

On Saturday, we spent the day relaxing about and taking care of a few odds and ends, and then spent time with friends in the evening.  We ordered pizza, and just hung out.  It was a great time for the adults and kids.

On Sunday, we ran a few errands.  ET picked out a new scooter at the store for one of his birthday presents.  This was a two wheel scooter that he needs to balance on.  We were pretty amazed at how well he knew how to ride on it right away.  Sunday was a HOT day - 90 degrees or above.  By mid-afternoon the kids were feeling the heat, so we set out the pool for them to play.  Jay grilled steaks, and we ate outside. It truly felt like summertime had begun!  I had borrowed my parents tent and asked Jay to take ET camping in the backyard.  We didn't know how the weather would turn out, so we just played it by ear the whole weekend.  Sunday evening was hot, but it looked like the rain was going to hold out on us, so we set up the tent and hoped for the best.  Within seconds of getting the tent set up, it started to sprinkle.  We came in to get washed up and get jammies on, and to wait and see what the weather would do.  The boys ate popcorn while they watched a movie in their sleeping bags.  Luckily, the rain subsided and Jay and ET planned to go for it.  They were so incredibly adorable!  I set them up with a few board games (Candyland and Memory), and flashlights.  When about 11:45 am rolled around, I was awakened by a HUGE thunderstorm.  They managed to hold out until about 1:00 am before running inside.  ET was fine with staying, but it was so loud Jay could not get a bit of sleep.  They still had a fun time, and plan on doing it again when the weather is more cooperative.

On Monday, we went to a nearby park to play.  The kids had a blast and Nate became a little dare devil by climbing up all sorts of ladders.  Monday evening was spent outside at the neighbor's house.  ET played on his friends slip 'n' slide!  This was his first time ever playing with one.  :)