T-ball

On August 28th, a new era began in the Savage household: T-BALL! Both Nicholas & Jason were waiting for this moment... and it finally arrived. My boys have worked on hitting off the tee and fielding, but t-ball practice was a whole new experience. At the first practice, the boys were divided into three groups: one worked on fielding, one worked on positioning when up to bat (with a fake pitch to signal when to bat) and running to first base, and the third concentrated on hitting off the tee. Nicholas had difficulty with fielding (as every 5-yr-old does) but did great with the other two stations. He has a lot of friends on the team, the rest are soon to be friends I'm sure. This may make cause listening difficulty...
So I dug up an old picture of my brother playing t-ball. Just how I remembered. The "field" was really a grassy area where they threw down some bases. Oh how the times have changed. Alternately, Oh how the Texans love their youth baseball! The field is INCREDIBLE! Grass infield, beautifully manicured, scoreboard, covered bleachers, playscape for the little ones. Wow!
On opening day, we have two games... can't wait! More pictures to come...

KINDERGARTEN!

Nicholas started Kindergarten on Tuesday, August 24th. Enjoy the pictures above from his first day.
Dad helped him fix his hair, he made his lunch the night before (notice the awesome new backpack + lunch bag!), new shoes on the first day, new shirt. What a dapper dude!
He was a bit nervous the night before... lots of crying & telling Mom he wanted to stay home. I think it was just the nerves talking. He did FANTASTIC on his first day. Mom cried a bit, but the school library provided donuts & juice for all teary parents. Matthew loved the donut holes. Nicholas was confused by THOSE pictures. Oops. My little guy looked so LITTLE walking down the big SCHOOL HALLWAY! How can it be??? Can't believe my little guy is old enough for Kindergarten.
Other than a slight punching incident on the 5th day of school, things have been smooth sailing. He wants to know when he starts homework & LOVES the reading log (100 books? I can do that in a week, not a month!).
Matthew really enjoys brother being gone. He does ask when it's time to "get Nicholas" but seems to thrive on being the only one at home. We read books, play games, go to music class, run errands. It's quiet around the house. Most days I love it - the silence. Some days I am still a bit weepy...

Welcome Walk

Letter to the Teacher

Nicholas & Mrs. Bursey

So there are a million reasons Texas is strange... here's one:
Most children receive a letter, phone call, or find a list taped to the school door to inform them who their new teacher will be. Not here! Nicholas' school (and others in the district) has a "Welcome Walk". Between the hours of 5 - 7pm, there will be a knock on your door. When you answer, THERE IS YOUR NEW TEACHER!!! Strange, but SO COOL! Nicholas loved meeting his new teacher, Mrs. Bursey. He handed her a letter he wrote just for her, she gave him a packet of new information about Kindergarten. Such fun! We are ready for a great year!

Informal 2 year pics of Matthew

Just me & my camera taking pics of my adorable boy... He is SO HAPPY, so polite, often quiet, other times wild. He loves books & hugs & monkey. I think (HOPE) these pics capture the personality of my kiddo. I know when YOU see him, he may not smile, he may not giggle. It's there. I promise, it's all there. Enjoy my sweet Math.

The REAL reason I stopped blogging

It was a hurtful comment... okay, I'll go ahead & say it. It was from someone I have never really been all that close to... but still words are hurtful. The comment was regarding a post I had where I was lamenting the life of a stay-at-home Momma. It's hard. Believe me. I've done it all. I worked full time with a kid, part-time, and home all the time. NONE are easy. NONE deserve any less respect. NONE of these options are "just" as in "just" a stay-at-home Mom, "just" a part-time Mom, "just" a working Mom. These "just"-ifications are hurtful to all. As Moms, aren't we really all working our hardest, pretty much all the time? You have no idea how much DIRTIER a house becomes when you are living in it all day (although it is easier with one at school, I will admit). You have no idea the GUILT a working Mommy feels (can't volunteer at school like the other Moms? your child doesn't want to leave the sitter - would rather be with THEM than you - they do see that person more during waking hours, after all).
UGH! Can't we all just agree to support each other??? I am thankful for all my supportive friends... I have made lots of choices regarding working & my kids. I am "technically" working again. I don't regret any.
I guess what I am saying is this: Don't EVER look down on someone for the choice they made. You have NO IDEA what it is like to walk in someone else's shoes. Even IF you *think* you know what it's like - trust me, you don't. We are all unique - every situation is unique. It's time to stop comparing & start living. Make it your goal to be the best you can be as a Mom/Wife/Friend. That's what is truly important. Not what so-and-so thinks about you & the choices you make on a daily basis. Trust yourself.
Sorry for the rant. Back to happy thoughts later.

Matthew is 2!

In June, Matthew turned 2... seems like something to blog about! Two is SO MUCH BETTER than 1... according to Matthew. His level of independence has increased exponentially! He likes to try and dress himself, uses forks/spoons with greater accuracy, and BOY oh BOY his vocabulary! We used to list his "words". That is no longer possible. He speaks in sentences, paragraphs. Copies us, but comes up with things all on his own. Here is a (strange) example. Me: What's your name? Matthew: People know it.
What?!?! What does that mean, little TWO YEAR OLD? He comes up with strange things...
Strangely, he is still silent when around anyone not part of his immediate family. At home, he is very comfortable and talks up a storm!
Monkey is still #1. He drags that thing everywhere. Grandma bought him an identical monkey to replace old monkey, should the time come. Sadly, Matthew calls it "New Monkey" and will have little to do with it.
He "reads" books often, making up gibberish words to tell the story, or even using real ones. It's super cute. As a typical toddler, he enjoys the same book, time after time! We often get bored...
He loves Dora, loves hugs & kisses, loves his brother, loves to eat.
That is our little Math. in a nutshell!

Houston!

Jason & I took the boys to Houston for an important event: Their FIRST Cubs game! It was SO EXCITING to see all the Cubs fans, even here in Texas! The boys did GREAT at the game...
The day before the game, we went to the Houston Aquarium. Such fun! Our little Houston trip was a great adventure!

Adorable Boys

So most of our summer was spent hanging out... going to the pool... movies... free lunch at IKEA. Nothing too exciting to report. Nicholas is now a GREAT swimmer - he will jump in at 5 ft. and successfully swim to the side. He loves the pool as does his brother. Matthew wears an inner-tube around his middle and goes anywhere & everywhere in the pool. Fun summer for all!

It's Been a Long Time...

So you think no one's reading your blog until you hear countless people (okay, maybe I COULD count them) asking where it's gone? Well, I'll tell you. It's been a busy time at the Savage Household. We've been knee deep in crazy boys!
Just kidding. The boys are doing great, I am great, Jason is great. Guess that's the update!
I will post more in the next day or two... updates will start NOW!

Yet Another Comparison

Here is a picture of Nicholas from about 22 months, and then one of Matthew around 22 months... Adorable boys. Their personalities are quite different, but they are BOTH stubborn little things!