1st Day of School - 2011

Today marks another milestone in the Wilson family as Luke entered Kindergarten at Johnson Elementary School! He's been waiting for this day for 2 years (ever since Nolan started going to school). While it's a fact he will be one of the younger kindergarten students in his class with a May birthday what I DO know is he's ready to learn!

Sunday night both boys were in bed by 9pm and Luke fell fast asleep however Nolan's mind was turning wondering who was going to be his friend in his classroom this year. After about 45 minutes of tossing and turning (and a dose of Melatonin) he fell fast asleep. Both boys woke up fairly quickly the next morning (they are used to sleeping until 9am-ish!) and got ready, ate breakfast and posed for some 1st day of school pictures. I know the day is coming when taking pictures isn't going to be very "cool" for Nolan but until then I'm snapping away like the paparazzi!

We walked Nolan to his 2nd grade classroom first and he seemed at ease so we said our goodbyes and then walked Luke onto his kindergarten classroom which we have the good fortune to be with the same kindergarten teacher that Nolan had 2 years ago. Luke also seemed at ease as did Dane because the next thing we knew he was sitting alongside the other kindergarten students flipping through a book! We said our goodbyes to Luke and left. Not sure if being with Luke for the last 9 months caused this but...this time I actually had watery eyes and a lump in my throat. Looking at Dane as we left the school all I could think of was "and then there was one". The next time I have a kindergartener Nolan will be moving on to Intermediate school (grade 5) and Luke will be going into the 3rd grade. I guess there's not much I can do but accept that time marches on...

Breakfast together!

Luke (kindergarten) & Nolan (2nd grade)

Luke's smile cracks me up!

Nolan looks grown up in this picture.

As does Luke!

Dane woke up and came out to join in on the fun! He immediately claimed Luke's "pack-pack"!

Mrs. Moss and Nolan (we hear she is highly sought after so we are thrilled that Nolan is in her classroom this year.)

Luke with Mrs. Chapman!

The boys are riding the school bus this year! We took them to school this morning but from here on out they will be picked up and dropped off, curb side!

Dane waited no time before he claimed the backpack and the bus pass from Luke!

Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting

Watch out Kung Fu Panda...Luke Wilson just began karate lessons this week and he's ready to kick some panda booty! Luke was so excited to start karate when we returned from our vacation and on Monday he was issued his itty bitty karate outfit and is already learning a lot. So far we are impressed with what we've seen as not only do they teach karate moves they also require discipline (no goofing off) and they are teaching basic safety skills. Luke is learning his address, phone number and how to get away from a stranger if someone grabs his wrist. He will enjoy 6 weeks of unlimited classes at which time school will start and he'll be a new kindergarten student! I foresee no bullies in Luke's future! ;)

A Wilson Summer Vacation

The Wilson boys (and token girl/mom) left for a week long vacation on July 1st to celebrate the 4th of July with the Meads in Co-do-ra-do before heading to Santa Fe to wrap up a trip of adventure. After losing Luke's Nintendo DS within the first 6 hours of the trip and dealing with Dane's car sickness about an hour outside of Denver the trip could only improve, right?! We were treated to a wonderful hamburger cookout when we arrived at Tammy & Justin's house and the boys (Nolan, Luke, Dane, Riley & Evan) had fun playing in the yard and becoming reacquainted again! In the course of 1 week we did the following: attended a Colorado Rockies baseball game in what felt like record heat (I had to put one of Dane's diapers on the bench in order to sit down); Nolan, Drew and Justin went mountain biking; road the Georgetown Loop "foo foo" train (as pronounced by Dane); visited Tammy's in-laws in Ft Collins for a BBQ, watched fireworks and spent a day swimming at the local water park...all this in Colorado alone! On Wednesday we packed up and headed out only to stop at the USA Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. After 3 hours of touring that amazing facility we headed down to the USA Olympic Training Center for another tour. Both destinations are highly recommended if you have never been there but plan to be in the Colorado Springs area.

We arrived in Santa Fe late Wednesday evening and set out to Madrid, NM the next morning. Unfortunately due to the wildfires we were unable to go to Sandia Peak so we explored the small town of Madrid and all the art galleries. One gallery in particular had very expensive fountains made of beautiful rock. The water softly bubbled out of the top when Luke (who just completed a week of "Bible School Vacation" very politely dipped his hand in and made the sign of the cross. What a FINE Catholic boy he is! Thursday afternoon Butch & Sally arrived and later that evening our very good friends, the Mitchell's joined us at the casita for the remainder of the trip. On Friday we all visited an Indian Pueblo in Taos, NM where Luke got a dream catcher made by a very authentic Indian with long braids and Nolan picked out an authentic Indian drum. On Saturday we visited a living museum which instead of learning about the Indian culture focused on the Spaniards who were living and traveling through the area. We also spent our day at the Santa Fe Plaza having a great southwestern lunch and visiting the St Francis of Assisi Basilica church as well as the Loretto Chapel which has this amazing spiral staircase built with no nails or center support! And because Saturday, July 9th is someone's special day Drew and myself and our friends, Kevin and Jennifer had a nice meal out, without kids! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for watching all 5 kids and hosting a pizza party at the casita!

Below are some pictures from the trip...enjoy!

Wilson boys at the Rockies baseball game

Nolan & Evan

Nolan, Riley & Luke (I think my kids' necks are broken?!)

The boys waiting to board the Georgetown Loop "foo foo" train!

Drew & Dane hanging out the window (before the training was moving of course!)

Riley & Luke paying attention to the Conductor

The boys posing around the plaque of "Diamond Lil" the B-52D Stratofortess airplane

The boys at the USA Olympic Training Center. Notice who thinks he won the gold!!!

(They are showing off their muscles!)

Nolan posing with the gymnast on the rings

Luke posing with the karate men

Dane peeking through the hockey player (if you look close enough you'll see Luke's face poking through the smaller hole!)

The boys "speed skating"

San Francisco de Asis Church - Taos, NM

Indian Pueblo - Taos, NM

Not only is Nolan going to be be-headed he's only got 1 leg to stand on!

Staircase in the Loretto Chapel

Celebrating Drew's birthday!

The one that DEFINITELY got away!

Nolan's 7U Mustangs baseball team just finished their 3rd weekend of tournaments with some pretty exciting games! We were lucky enough to play an 8am and a 9:30am back to back set of games on Saturday morning before it got too terribly hot. We finished the morning with 2 wins. The team then went into tournament play on Sunday and won their first game. Nolan had a great hit with one bounce off the fence. The second game at his second at bat he crushed the ball with an over the fence 2 run home run down the 3rd base line!!! I've never seen his eyes light up like they did in that moment. His team even came out to the plate to celebrate with him! If only I had my camera out at the moment...hopefully there will be a "next" time!

At bat in the 1st game of the day

Nolan holding the ball he hit over the fence. Our neighbor boy went and retrieved it for him!

Nolan's coach giving him a home run sticker on the back of his helmet after the game.

Nolan and Coach Marc after the game. We are thankful for all of Coach Marc's pitching skill!

All the boys!

I think Nolan's in love with his ball!

Brothers!

You might be expecting this post to be about Nolan, Luke or Dane but instead it's about the little birdies that gave us such excitement this morning! As Nolan was leaving for school this morning I looked down and saw a featherless bird laying on the sidewalk. At first I thought the little creature was injured and dying a slow death but Drew picked it up and said, "I think it's just cold!" We assumed this bird must have fallen from our Pecan tree. So, we took it inside and Googled "bird fallen out of nest". A few of the pointers were to get the bird warm, wrap it in a moist paper towel and at most feed it water for dehydration with a sterile syringe. So, I got my little bird incubator set up. The under cabinet kitchen lights are quite warm so it made a toasty home. About an hour later I decided to go outside to see if I could find the nest when to my surprise I stumbled across ANOTHER baby bird on my porch. This little guy didn't wiggle as much as the first bird but I brought it in and next thing I knew it was drinking from a syringe as well! Luke was so excited as he proclaimed, "Our birdie has a brother!" After making a few phone calls one woman recommended having me re-nest the baby if I could find the nest and another man told me that it was probably a Starling (which they were) and they nest in eaves and roofs. I searched and did find a bird perched in an exhaust vent on the side of the house. After retrieving a tall ladder I returned the 2 babies back to where I think they came from. I even checked on them later that afternoon and when I peeped at them they peeped back! (Oh my, I'm starting to sound like a crazy bird lady!) Drew told me I was a crazy farm girl. So what if I am?! I once cried when too many Christmas trees were chopped down. I guess I have a soft spot for living creatures.

This is a picture of the 2nd baby bird I found. It bounced back nicely after some warmth and water.

Profile of baby bird #1

Look at the size of that beak!

Brothers!

Gators vs. Pink Ladies

At the end of Nolan's baseball season Coach Drew organized a moms vs. sons baseball game and the boys were all for it! Even better...all the moms agreed to participate as well! So, we moms wore pink shirts and eye black under our eyes and attempted to play a game of baseball with the boys. What fun we had! I managed to get a few hits and catch a pop fly to boot! Final score: Gators 2, Pink Ladies 9! We celebrated with pizza for everyone!

Sam playing short stop

Nolan at bat

The Moms and their sons pose for a picture together

Family photo op...Nolan looks exactly like Drew in this picture!

Luke's 5th Birthday Extravaganza

Luke was lucky enough to have his 5th birthday celebration last an entire week! He had a baseball themed birthday party with 8 of his closest friends at Southlake Gymnastics where the kids got to swing from ropes and drop into foam pits as well as play a version of musical chairs with water guns!

This year Granny and Papa came to visit Luke on his birthday and watch him play his last t-ball game of the season. He did great although was more entertained by finding sunflower seeds in the dug out and taking them to the infield to plant them (much to our dismay)! Luke loves the idea of baseball, but not real focused on the game just yet.

The real highlight of the day came when he was opened his birthday gift and it was a Nintendo DS just like Nolan's. To us it's a curse and a blessing to have such an object in the hands of a 5 year old. Many times it causes conflict but on 10 hour car rides it offers much needed silence! All together now...ahhhhhhh.

Baseball mitt birthday cake! I found an awesome cake supply store where you can rent pans for a buck! What a deal! Saves me money AND storage for a pan I most likely won't ever use again!

Blowing out the candles!

Luke's best friends!

Luke blowing out his birthday candles at breakfast. (Yes, birthdays last ALL DAY LONG in the Wilson house!)

Playing catcher...serious stuff!

Look at his great form (in his 36 lb body!)

Luke's teammates singing Happy Birthday!

Luke's best bud, Nathan, whom he's known his WHOLE life! :)

Blowing out the candles on his birthday cake.

Finally...a Nintendo DS!