The Angel Forever

My first kindergarten kid

Posted on June 22, 2009 10:59 pm by TheAngelForever

For the past nine months I have been able to refer to NHL as my kindergarten kid. It is hard for me to believe that the little boy who went to kindergarten is now practically finished. Today, I sat at the kindergarten graduation half paying attention. You see, I was sitting there not only trying to wrangle my two year old, but I was also fighting back tears. As I watched NHL’s serious little face in the front row it really hit hard. Tears started to well up in my eyes and are doing so now as I type.

My first born baby is not a baby anymore. NHL went into kindergaten in Septermber still looking like a little boy. Now, you see hints of a little man showing through. We have had our ups and downs this year, but there is no denying how much NHL has grown physcially and academically. It still blows my mind to realize that my son can read. Not only can he recognize sight words, he can actually decode larger words using phonics. He is making the reading teacher in me so proud. Now I watch as he gets a twinkle in his eyes when he picks up a book and actually reads it to his little brother. There is no more spelling to hide things from him, JL and I may have to resort to sign language.

I truly hope that NHL’s excitement for learning more math, science, social studies…and reading lots of books will never end. My little boy is growing up so quickly before my eyes. This summer, I hope to slow down tand make more of an effort to enjoy our special time together.

Photos from graduation are not off the camera just yet. For now I will share pictures of my kindergaten kid from last week. The two kindergarten classes had a special day with pony rides, games and pizza. Here is NHL’s first time on a horse.

There is no doubt in my mind that NHL will remember his year in kindergarten forever. My kindergarten kid has made me very proud this year and I look forward to seeing him spread his wings more in first grade and beyond.

Categories:
animals looking back nhl photos school

2009 Father’s Day Wishes

Posted on June 21, 2009 8:22 pm by TheAngelForever

Growing up I was very lucky. Both of my parents were in my life. Many of my friends had fathers that were never home or involved with them. Dad made the most of his time with us. He played baseball and taught my brother and I how to be catchers. Dad was the one that showed us how to appreciate wild rides at amusement parks, along with the ability to loathe the Yankees. Over the last almost six years, I have watched my father take on the new role, that of proud Papa. There is just something about watching your father let go and be carefree with your own kids. Papa is a huge part of our lives and I am so glad for that.

When I first met JL, I knew he was going to be a fantastic father. As soon as NHL was born, he proved me right. JL does everything for the boys and always puts their needs first. He is beyond caring, patient and loving. The boys light up at the end of the day when he walks through the door. Watching my three boys play together always bring a smile to my face.

I hope that all of the fathers out there have a special day. I hope that both of the most wonderful fathers in my life know just how important they are to me. I love you JL and Dad and hope you know how much you both mean to me.

Categories:
family holidays jl my boys

Grilling Goodness – Take 18

Posted on June 20, 2009 7:50 am by TheAngelForever

1. What do you like most about your skin? – Most of the time my skin is really clear. I will see that as good through my way fair coloring and freckles.

2. Does your spouse mind grocery shopping for you or with you? – We typically do a trip together. Neither of us mind going alone and JL will often go alone on his way home from work. Since he does most of the cooking he can look for what he wants.

3. Do you have access to a pool for the summer? – There are a few public pools locally, but not too sure about them. I miss going to my Nana and Papa’s pool and spending almost all summer there.

4. Do you have plans for Father’s Day? – It depends on the weather. We may try to go strawberry picking, or perhaps to Six Flags to use our passes for the first time this year. Of course, the constant rain may stop that. We will probably do lunch out where hubby wants and then we are having pizza and wings with my parents for dinner.

5. Is there anything that terrified you as a child that you find …. now? – Can not think of anything really.

6. If you could do something instantly, what would it be? – If it was for the family, get a new/bigger house. If it was for me, drop the rest of the weight that I have been working on.

7. What would you do to entertain visitors from out of town? – Would take them to one of the local museums. There are several so lots to pick from. We could go up north to more historic areas and the lake (no less Six Flags). We are also close to caves that are a great things to go and see.

8. If your best friend owes you money, do you bug them until you get it? – I used to be bad at asking for money back. I never kept track, but now I do and patiently ask for it from time to time.

Head over to Golden Goodness to play along!

Categories:
Grilling Goodness me moments web fun

Summer days 2009

Posted on June 19, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Although many parts of the country are already on summer vacation, NHL has school until the end of next week. Monday and Tuesday are full days, then two half days after that. It is still hard for me to believe that my big boy is going to "graduate" from kindergarten on Monday. I can not believe that I will be the Mommy of a first grader in the fall. It seems like it was only yesterday when we took photos of NHL on his first day and now the year is almost over (photo below).

Recently, I have been trying to figure out activities to do with the boys this summer. We just received information about a summer camp in August that would be fabulous for NHL. They have several different programs that we can pick from for each of the week long sessions. Some have to do with Dinosaurs, Insects and even math fun. We are trying to figure out how to swing at least one session for him.

The boys and I will also participate in the reading program with the local library. NHL did this last year and really enjoyed it. Other than that, the two little guys and I will be entertaining each other for the long haul. NHL will be 6 this summer and JSL was just 2. They love to play together, but the age difference does hinder some things since JSL still needs his naps.

So my question for you this week:

What are some ideas of things to do with my boys this summer? Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #53

Categories:
Aloha Friday brothers jsl nhl photos sahm school summer

It isn’t easy feeling green

Posted on June 18, 2009 7:10 pm by TheAngelForever

Trying to play catch up with blog posts and other items has been on hold the last few evenings. I have felt quite sick and pretty green. As much as I love Kermit, being green is definitely not my thing. Sitting at the computer to do blog posts was not an option last night. I actually went to sleep at 9:00 and curled up into a ball and slept. This morning I felt better. I did my EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge workout, along with two more to total about 45 minutes of exercise. When all was said and done I felt pretty good. The plan was to go out tonight to the graduation at the school that I used to work at.

Plans changed after NHL came home from school. Suddenly at about 4:00 I felt naseous and VERY green. The boys were playing and I curled up on the couch. By the time JL arrived home from work I was hardly able to move off the couch. I had chills, felt sick and was burning up. Thanks to the thermometer I know I have a low grade fever, so my plans were off.

I had thought that the green feeling the last few evenings was thanks to my vitamins. Today I have not taken any of them and am still feeling nasty. Clearly my body is fighting off some sort of virus. I know that a lot of kids at NHL’s school have had a variety of things going on and I have been there a lot later. So, tonight I am home and will try to rest up. With kindergarten graduation on Monday, and other plans this weekend rest is a must.

On a side note, my Twitter picture is not green to show my level of illness. Here is a Tweet that explains it all: