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...

Introducing Lighting McKing...

After 6 years 8 months and 22 days Davin Matthew Simms has mastered riding his bike without training wheels. I know what you all are thinking, "He is almost 7 and just learned to ride a bike?" People, let me remind you this is my baby we are talking about, who on many occasions still crawls up into my lap and wants to be two again. And on this cool, summer, day he has finally thrown off the training wheels and taken to the open road of Wayside Lane.

I promise, cross my heart, I will never, ever, ever, forget this very moment in time...

I am now being summoned to run around the block following him.....
Here we go!

Davin goes on a field trip to Dillon Nature Center...

Davin takes a trip to the Dillon Nature Center with his Kindergarten class. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and he says his favorite part was when he saw a black snake.

Front Two Teeth!

We have a happy boy at our house. I have not seen this big of a smile in a long, long, long time. Thank you God!
Davin is looking forward to telling his friends at school that the tooth fairy left him a cup of blue water and a dollar.

2006 - Davin

2006 picture of Davin, he had just turned 4. Now he is a big Kindergartner. We are on a long break from school. Wed. and Thur. are parent/teacher conferences and Mon. is MLK Day. Deion and DaMare are both in a basketball tournament this weekend and we also have a YMCA game. We are going to need Mon. to recover from the weekend.

First day of Kindergarten!

First day of Kindergarten and we start a new chapter in life at the Simms house. Davin kept asking when the afternoon was coming. He was more than ready to go this morning. Even though Mom was just down the hall from Davin she still had a hard time making it to her class without a tear or two. Davin is ready to make new friends and learn lots of new things. He is off and running.

Davin slugs one home in T-Ball!

Davin plays for the Yankees T-Ball team. He has enjoyed making new friends and learning a new game. He said he was shaking he was so scared the first time he had to walk up to the plate to bat. He got over that quickly and now is slugging the ball as far as he can hit it. He likes playing first base and throwing the ball to the catcher.

Tooth Time!

The tooth has been loose for two weeks. Davin kept telling me that he could not eat certain foods because they hurt his tooth, well that excuse is over. "I'M SOOOO SCARED!" This is what Davin said over and over when Daddy helped remove the tooth that had already fallen out. You did it Davin! Better keep one eye open tonight, the tooth fairy is known for being quick.

Davin goes to Kindergarten Roundup!

Davin gets ready for school with an evening at Kindergarten Roundup. He says he is not excited, but mom and dad think he can't wait to get out of the house. Davin already has his backpack ready to go for the beginning of school in August.

Davin Rocks!

I rock because I like to play with my brothers. I rock because I like to catch frogs. I like to play football. I love my dad, my mom, and my brothers. I really rock because I am really really happy.