A Day Of Mourning

Today is a day I have been dreading for over 11 years.
Today is a day I want to forget.
Today is a day I don't want to get out of bed.
Today is the last day at home with my 3 boys before they all go to school all day long.
My "Stay-At-Home-Mom" Days are over.
It's worth a good cry, don't you think?

The last 11 years have brought me more happiness and joy than words can express.
Today I am reminded of many of those moments....

Davin's birth - no drugs
Davin using me as his Binkie
Nursing every hour for 16 months
Davin's love for his mama's belly button
Davin getting his hair cut
Davin sleeping though the night for the first time
Davin's love for his green, blue, red, and purple guys
Davin's love for cereal in a baggie
Davin's love for his mama's belly button
Learning how to swim and ride a bike in the same week
Davin's fears about going to Kindergarten
Exploring Dillon Nature Center
Snuggling with Mom after taking brothers to school
Davin's love for "Boomer" the dog
Davin going down the "big" slide for the first time
Davin asking to get baptized
Davin's love for his mama's belly button
Davin climbing in the front yard tree
Painting the sidewalk with water
Davin letting daddy pull out his front tooth
Davin's love for his mama's belly button
Holding hands

Deion's full head of hair
Deion's itty bitty teeny weeny fingers and toes
Deion's infectious giggle
Deion sleeping though the night
Sucking on his toes
Deion's love for taking out the pots and pans and pounding
Deion's giggle
Deion falling asleep in my old doll bed
Deion's first big boy underwear
Wearing Papa's cowboy boots
Deion's contagious giggle
Deion's love for his first scooter
Deion falling asleep in Davin's baby car seat
Front two teeth getting pulled out
Deion's love for his Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Pittenger
Deion's love for basketball
Deion feeding the ducks at Annenberg Park
Deion talking in his sleep
Deion's giggling
Deion's chomping is food
Deion's love of the movie "Space Jam"
Deion's hugs before bedtime
Deion's smile

DaMare's lost Binkies

DaMare's love for mashed carrots

DaMare's first birthday cake all over his face

DaMare's Binkies

Stopping 5 times in one hour road trip to nurse DaMare

The way he fearlessly jumped in the pool at 1 1/2 years old

DaMare's love for his Binkie

DaMare putting on adult shoes and flexing his muscles

DaMare's love of horse books before bedtime

DaMare's love for digging

DaMare running through the Topeka Pumpkin Patch

DaMare's love for Sheridan's Custard

DaMare's love for his Binkies

Climbing GG and Papa's tree

Exploring the MANHATTAN letters

DaMare eating cotton candy and corn dogs at the Riley County Fair

DaMare learning how to ride his bike in GG and Papa's backyard

DaMare's first day of Kindergarten at Bergman Elementary in Manhattan

DaMare's first Afro

DaMare's tears the night before moving to Hutchinson

DaMare staying up until midnight reading Tree House Mystery book series

DaMare singing in the shower

Lord have mercy! Can you imagine what I'm going to be like on DaMare's first day High School or Deion and DaMare's first football game together or the worst of all, Davin's last day of High School. I hope Jesus comes back before that date.

Three Boys One Cousin Summer Fun

Nothing better than a campout... in a tent... in the basement!

Have I said, "I LOVE these faces!"

And these faces too...

Oppps! Same faces

Dillon Nature Center

Dillon Nature Center is the perfect place to take three brothers and one cousin to on an 85' Wed. afternoon. All the creapy crawly things were out today...

First we ate our sack lunch...
Then brother D and cousin Z braved the Bee Crossing!

I made them all take this picture, the eagle just screamed, "Take a picture with me!"

Cousin Z was so excited about this waterfall he let out a little squeal.

At the top of the little waterfall was a small pool of water. What boy can resist putting their sticky hands in this pool of water?

Have I said I LOVE this boy...

And have I said I LOVE to cuddle this boy...

Walking along the trails we counted birdhouses.

Have I said that I could not live without this boy!

This boys likes to look at creapy crawly things only when they are behind glass...

We made water tornados....

We looked at fossils...

We peaked over into a glass pool of water....

And the flowers, how could I not take pics. of the flowers...

1st day of 3rd and 5th grade!

DaMare is in 5th grade and Deion is now a 3rd grader. We think they are so handsome. Davin will start Kindergarten on Monday. Jena is now working at the same school all three boys attend in a behavior resource room or formally known as an ED room.

DaMare cools off in the backyard.

DaMare has always been very creative. On this day he lived up to this statement. He played in the Tupperware tub for over an hour all by himself, he was nice enough to let Mom snap a few pictures of him. DaMare loves to play alone but he also let his brothers join in the fun after he had his time alone in the Tupperware. What a silly kiddo!

DaMare takes a trip to the Doctor.

DaMare woke up Wed. morning with a sore throat. Thur. he visited Dr. Losew and had a positive strep test. His tonsils are golf ball size, ouchie! DaMare is banned to his room for the next day so the other boys don't get the bug.

Funny things about DaMare:

1. I would rather sleep on the floor than in my bed.
2. I think the worst food in the whole wide world is tomatoes.
3. I like to fall off the couch backwards onto the floor.
4. My favorite type of pizza is spinach pizza.
5. I can do 70 push-ups without stopping.