It has been a crazy, long year!

It has been a long time since my last post. But, I have decided to try to be better about posting new events. The past year has brought a lot of new surprises...i.e. the birth of our 3rd son Chalmers. He has been so wonderful...especially since he is our first child that likes to sleep by himself. I guess after 3 tries we finally figured it out.
Hayden started preschool this month. The teachers say he is doing well, but he still cries when we drop him off. If you ask him what he did at school, he replies, "I hit..I push." I am not sure if he is saying he can't do those things or if he is really being the class bully.
William is a great big brother! He loves holding Chalmers and is pretty patient with Hayden most of the time. It was a huge adjustment sharing his toys once Hayden became interested in all things WILLIAM!

Day 15

Again today, William had a hard time going to school.  He started crying as soon as he saw the school and complaining that I leave him there too long.  He has been going to O'quinn all day since August, so it is nothing new.  However, he did move up to the 3's last week, so I think he is still adjusting.  I really hope he has a better day!

Hayden is doing great!!  Everyday, he is learning new things, and I think he is starting to say a few more words.  I think he is trying to say juice, dog, William, tv, alli (for alligator), and out. 

Day 14

Today, William started vacation bible school (thanks to Anne Wimberly).  The Island School is on summer break for a week, so I needed another alternative.  The morning did not start off too well.  I was about to leave to teach summer school, when William demanded to come with me.  We was very upset and he promised to be very quiet, so I decided to take him with me.  He sat perfectly still and ate his breakfast.  Next, it was time to take him to the church.  The entire ride there I tried to explain to him why we were not going to the other school.  But, he just did not like my reasons...he hept saying he wanted to be on vacation with Ms. Lisa.  I think all of these changes are starting to get a little difficult for him to understand.  When we got to the church, it did not get any better.  He did not want me to leave!  I stayed for a little while, but in the end, there were a lot of tears.  I think by the end, he had a great time, but I am not sure if he will remember that when we drop him off on Wednesday!

Day 11-13

We have been staying very busy since Will has been gone.  This past weekend, I took the boys to see my parents in Columbia.  I needed a little break, and they love getting all of the new attention.  We went to the zoo on Saturday morning, and William is becoming an expert tour guide.  He knows the location of all of the animals and the places he can find a new toy...which is always on his agenda.  While looking at the alligators, we ran into a family from the Island School.  William and Charlie are best buds, so it was hard to tear him away to move on to the next attraction.  After lunch, we decided to take the kids to the pool.  They had a great time and even lasted about 3 hours!  William had a new milestone at the pool...he jumped in without swimmies and swam back to the side of the pool.  I think it started off by accident, but it ended up well.  He was very proud of himself, but we are still going with the swimmies for a little while longer.  Hayden is crazy in the water.  He tries to walk straight in the pool, no jumping, just straight walking. I have managed to get the swimmies on him and he is learning to float with them on..he is growing up so fast! By the time we got them home, William was exhausted.  He ate dinner and fell asleep on the couch.  Hayden, on the other hand, is wild!!  He never gets tired!!  He even tried to wake William up multiple times because he wanted to play.  

On Sunday, we took the kids to play at Monkey Joe's.  It is a place that has a bunch of jump castles.  Hayden thinks he is about 4 and tries to climb and jump with the big kids...which does not always end up that well.  It looks like he is getting trampled, but he loves every second!  William was very helpful and at times very protective of his little brother.  Next, it was back to the pool!!  Again, they were great and it was very relaxing.  We need a neighborhood pool in Charleston!!!

Day 5

Today we met Rob and Jess at waterpark.   They were great!  Hayden loves the water!!  William is very close to swimming without his swimmies. He also listened very well, which is great since I am handling both of them alone.  We ended the trip with at the concession stand.  They both got Icees...yes Hayden got one...monkey see, monkey do.  While driving home, we saw the neighbor washing his boat.  William then asked if he could buy a boat.  I told him that they cost a lot of money, so he has been counting his money since we got home.

Tonight, I may take William to the hockey game.  I will let you know.

Day 4

William had a surprise today at school...my dad picked him up from school.  Then, they were off to Chick-fil-a for lunch.  William enjoyed his special alone time with Pappap. After lunch, they got to the house and my dad cut the grass as the boys watched. Then, he entertained them in the backyard for most of the afternoon.  When I got home, I had 2 very tired and dirty little boys, but they had a blast!  Thanks Dad!!

Day 3

I am trying to have a nightly activity in order to wear out the kids at night.  It avoids melt downs and chaos in the house.  So, we went to the park again today, but we ended up there for a little longer than planned.  I locked my keys in the car, and I did not notice until we had been at the park for almost 1 hr.  Thank goodness for Jess...she came to our rescue!!  They both were great a the park!!  William is finally gaining some independence...he met two boys and they played most the time.  For Hayden, he adores his big bother.  He follows him all over the park, and he tries to do everything.  However, it does not always end well.  

Also last night, William got to talk to Will.  He was very excited (he thinks daddy is on a plane or in the army...so there is some confusion).  They both had a great night sleep and William had no accidents in his diaper!  This weekend, we are going to work on sleeping the whole night in his bed.