Preschool Graduation

The end of May was not only a crazy time because we were trying to figure out moving plans but also because Sebastien graduated from preschool! After being so hesitant about being away from home and having to go to school, he had an amazing year with an amazing teacher.  Thank you Miss Ashley for all you did for our sweet boy! 

Sebastien's turn to be the spotlight.  He had some very funny responses to the questions he was asked and because I am so late in posting I cannot remember them for anything.  Oops! 

We are proud parents of our newly graduated preschooler! Bring on kindergarten. 

Sebastien with two of his buddies that he loves, adores and misses like crazy, Ryan and Mikey. 

Miss Ashley put together a book of things Sebastien did over the year.  I loved seeing the progress he made from the beginning to the end.  Even more, I LOVE the picture book she created individually for ALL the kids.  A true treasure for him to always have to look back on. 

I remember one funny thing he did in preschool....their morning routine was to come in, sit down and begin writing their names.  A lot of the kids had short names (Max, Ben, Ryan, Zac etc...) and my poor boy was always struggling to make it through his whole name.  One day while he was writing his name he got S-E-B-A-S and then said, "teacher can I just be done"? Oh Sebastien, I am so sorry you got such the long name to write. :) 

T-Ball

This was the beginning of the summer and the boys were thrilled to embark on a new adventure....T-BALL!! Sebastien has been begging to play baseball (other than at home) for over a year.  When I went to sign up they told me Manti could play too....AWESOME! They were ecstatic to get their own gloves, baseballs and bat.  Plus they got these groovy bright orange shirts and hats and still wear them at least once a week to play outside or for bed.  There were two other kids, Ben and Ryan, from preschool on the boys team and it was nice to see them form a bond outside of preschool.

My little t-ball players showing off their sweet uniforms.  Go Orange Crush!

 Sebastien is our little lefty and rocks at it! It was beyond hilarious watching the boys "warm up" for the games.  I think there was more chatting and comparing who's gloves were better than warming up. Boys will be boys... 

Sebastien was an awesome 1st baseman. 

I just LOVE the action shot of him running to 1st base.  He had a pretty good hit too. 

Manti was NOT going to let the other kids get the ball first.  It it meant he had to throw himself on top of the ball, that's what he was going to do.

My little cheese ball! He is such a ham.  He was getting ready to hit is big home run. 

I was not thrilled about paying $100 for t-ball but after seeing how much fun they had I think we will definitely be doing this again.  They miss it and were actually upset that they had to miss their last two games because that was when we moved.  I know this was just the first of MANY sports to come.  

P.S. I have no idea what happened with the layout of this post.  So I apologize for it being all over the place.  I have tried fixing it with no luck! 

5 Years and I still can't believe it...

That's right everyone...my first born turned F I V E in May! He was more excited for his birthday this year because 5 year old's are so much cooler.  They get to play t-ball and go to kindergarten.  :)  My little Sebastien is the sweetest, most helpful, outgoing, smart little boy.  He is the best big brother and absolutely loves his brother and sister.  We just can't get enough of his sense of humor and awesome personality.

This year for his birthday we planned a Super Hero party!  He was very excited as he had just made new friends from preschool and couldn't wait to have a party with them.  He picked out who to invite, what snacks to have and his cake.  I am afraid I am no longer going to be able to convince him to do what I think might be fun. Stinker! We had all of his friends come over in their super hero costumes and then played some  games on how super heroes are so "super".

He doesn't look excited to be FIVE at all! :) 

He got to pick out where he wanted to eat for his birthday dinner and that was Texas Roadhouse!

This was probably his all time favorite place to eat. 

That is one BIG bite of birthday ice cream! 

These are pictures from his birthday party.  The games were a big hit and I think all the boys had fun with it.  

GET THOSE VILLANS!! 

Manti was hard at work beefin' up for his super hero training.  I loved seeing the boys smile so big doing this.  They were all SO proud they could lift it over their heads.

Emree couldn't let the boys out do her so she had to get in on the action. 

Sebastien's friends were very generous!  He got some great presents and was very thankful to have his preschool buddies there to celebrate with him. 

I guess FIVE year old's aren't too cool to give their friends hugs. See how sweet he really is? 

This was his birthday cake this year.  My lack of skills really shows here but he thought it was pretty awesome so don't judge me too much.  

The kids all loved training to be a super hero and then fill up on cake. 

 I adore my kids and would do anything to make them feel special.  They are my pride and joy and I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for blessing me with such great kids.  I hope they will forget the days when I am not always patient and remember all these fun times.  

Satellite Launch

1. About a week or two before The Endevour shuttle flew over, we were able to drive down by the beach on base to see a satellite launch from the base.  It was a beautiful morning so we were excited to get Sebastien out of school early.  When we got closer to the beach, the fog was rolling in fast.  We sat around and chatted with other people there and then heard the rumble!  The kids loved hearing it but I sure wish we would have been able to see it better.  

Daddy and the kiddos waiting to see the launch.

See the little flame in the middle of the picture?? Yeah, that was the satellite. 

The boys did like seeing the smoke trail.  It confirmed the loud rumble they heard was REALLY something.

One really great thing about moving here is the amazing things we have been able to see.  We are excited for the next few years and hoping to see many more of these incredible events.

The Endeavour

Last week we had the honor of seeing the Endeavour space shuttle fly over the base.  The kids were in school but Troy and I took Emree to see it.  I took my good camera and was able to get some great pictures.  The kids were sad they missed seeing it but the pictures made up for it.

This was the first view of the space shuttle flying over.  It was awesome to see everyone's reaction. 

I like this picture because it gives a good perspective of how  LOW the plane was flying.   It was only  1500 feet above the ground. 

A good view of the shuttle attached to a 747.  Incredible! 

The plane/shuttle was escorted by a fighter jet.  When we first saw them flying over I only saw the jet and was a little disappointed until I saw the real thing.  

New Church Calling

Well....I have a new calling...one that I never would have thought about.  Are you ready for it???  I am the ward Christmas Party Coordinator!! I don't know what the bishop is thinking....ha! The Christmas Party is a very big deal for this ward and so I have my work cut out for me.  Any of you wonderful party planners, crafters or people who have planned a ward Christmas party before, your ideas and suggestions would be VERY APPRECIATED! I really have no idea what I am doing...

Kindergarten & Preschool

Yes, it is sad but true, Sebastien has started KINDERGARTEN!! I have a hard time believing that he is five.  While it makes me sad that he is no longer at home and I don't get to see him until the afternoon, he really LOVES school.  He is such a people person.  Everyday we walk to school, his little face just lights up when he sees one of his friends.  He gets the cutest smile on his face, will wave and say hello to everyone he knows.  He will then proceed to tell me what desk they sit at, where they sit on the carpet for group and if they got in trouble the previous day.  He definitely gets his "outgoing" side from his dad.  I wish it was that easy for me to make friends.  Another funny thing about Sebastien's class is that he is the ONLY blonde hair, blue eyed boy. It makes it very easy to spot him when they are eating lunch in the cafeteria or walking out at the end of the day from their classroom.  He has picked up on reading and is really excelling in his class. He makes us very proud! 

Along with Sebastien's big day Manti also hit a big milestone.....PRESCHOOL!! What am I going to do without my boys?  Manti has been waiting for this day since Sebastien started preschool last year.  He is in a class with about 20-24 kids and three teachers.  He is really loving it and having so much fun.  He sometimes gets sad on the weekends because he misses school.  One thing I have always thought about Manti is that he will be the child we get phone calls from the school about because he LOVES to make people laugh.  It was no surprise that as we stand in line every morning waiting for preschool to start, Manti runs around being EXTRA silly, making all the little girls giggle. 

Here are some pictures from the boys 1st day of school.... 

1st day of kinder photo! It was foggy and cold out, hence the sweater! 

He is NOT excited about going to preschool at all.... :) 

The three amigos ready to head out. 

Outside and ready to roll. They are getting so big...(tears from  Mommy) 

Manti getting a special hug from Dad. 

AND THEY ARE OFF!!! 

This is the school mascot.  The kids thought he was super cool. 

Standing on his "cougar paw" outside his classroom.  

Here he is heading into class.  He didn't even look back. 

I was hoping he would at least turn around to wave but NOPE, he walked right to his desk and got to work. 

Manti was upset that we had to wait 20 minutes for preschool to start. (After taking Sebastien) 

Learning the preschool routine....1st step, washing hands.

Activity time and making friends!

Enjoying snack time.  What kid wouldn't? 

If I ever give him milk to drink at home he refuses.  So what does he do at preschool.....drinks the whole cup!! Sure, that makes sense. 

Just being silly Manti! He loves to make people laugh and this is a pretty standard Manti expression. 

Mom and Sebastien sitting at his desk. 

He wanted to make sure everyone knew he was wearing a BLUE shirt under his sweater.  I don't know why he wouldn't just take it off and I wasn't going to fight it so this is as good as it gets.

Both boys looked very handsome their first day of school and are really loving every minute they are there.  One funny story.....The first two weeks of kinder, they were going half days (until noon) for the kids to have testing and just to get use to the process of school.  When they finally started going "all" day (they get out at 2:20) I picked up Sebastien and he said, "but Mom I thought I was going ALL day?" I told him he did and he replied again, "No, I mean ALLLLLL day!" The poor kid thought he had to go to school until it was dark and was very disappointed that I picked him up when the sun was still shining.  He is hilarious!!