My little Mary Lou

This is Lainey's first time doing gymnastics. Beau goes to a class as well but since I'm in it with him, and usually chasing him, it's darn near impossible to get any photos of him.  Not to mention, gymnasiums (does anybody even use that word anymore?) have quite possibly, the worst light for photos.  But, they both love going to their classes and it's fun to watch them.  Lainey is a lot like me when it comes to tennis- a lot of enthusiasm, but not much talent.  The difference is, she's young and just learning and I'm an old dog that apparently can't learn new tricks.  She gets better every class and her excitement for the class is adorable.  She says her favorite is the balance beam. I love seeing the look of concentration on her face when she's on it. 

Chomper

I'm trying to make it a point to take more photos that capture our everyday lives.  These two are growing up so fast and I'm afraid I won't remember these crazy, fun and sometimes wild days.  I don't know what happens between ages 4 and 5 but Lainey is looking like a young lady more and more every day.  She tells us daily that she wants to stay little and be a baby and with all of my heart, I wish I could hit the pause button and just savor her smallness.  And Beau, my crazy, smart as a whip little man, has no desire to get out of diapers yet when I hold him tells me that he's peeing on me.  I do look forward to the end of diapers, the only milestone I've ever eagerly anticipated.  I also wish I could record his sweet little voice asking me his million questions, saying, "Excuse me Mommy," and tapping me on the shoulder.  All of it makes my heart ache.  My babies are growing up and while I'm loving the little people they are growing into, I miss the the baby in both of them.   The two of them are becoming great friends and whenever I notice them sitting together, playing nicely, one or both of them asks me to take their picture. They are no stranger to the camera and I love that they want me to capture those fleeting moments.  

Little Liz and Tattoo Boy

Lainey came up to me recently, decked out with every piece of her jewelry she could find, which wasn't much but a lot for her, and did something she never does. She asked me to take her picture! And of course, I had to do what she asked.

Bug, that dimple has been there since the day you were born and I love you and it more than you can imagine.

At their last haircut the kids picked tattoos as their treat for behaving.  Lainey rubbed hers off within a day but Beau's is still going strong. It makes me laugh seeing his skinny little arms rocking that tattoo. 

First day of school x2

This week Lainey and Beau both started preschool. Lainey is in pre-k and this is Beau's first year of preschool. They are going to the same school, opposite days so we visit school 5 days a week. So fun for Mommy.  It's been an interesting week so far for all of us. Finding our groove has been challenging. More for me I think.  I'm loving the one on one time I get to spend with each of them though and how they miss each other.  

I've taken a photo of Lainey on her first day of preschool every year on our front porch. The first year we lived in Lynnwood but hopefully (fingers crossed), all of her pictures will be on our "new" front porch.  She didn't have a problem going to back to school at all. She loves school and vanished into the classroom before I could give her a kiss goodbye.  She made a new friend immediately and is looking forward to play dates.  

I decided to make it a tradition to take their pictures in front of the door.  It will be fun to see how they've grown and changed from one year to the next.  I'm working on a craft project to add to it in time for kindergarten next year. 

Beau had the exact opposite reaction to his first day of school.  The night before, he woke up crying, telling us he did not want or need us to go on a date. He's in a phase where he doesn't like us leaving him with sitters, not even his aunt.  The morning of preschool he cried after I took his picture, cried walking into the school and really cried when we got into his classroom.  I got a call from one of the teachers 15 minutes after we dropped him off, letting me know he was having a great time and had already played with about 134 things and was showing off his "cool shirt."  He's even excited to go back tomorrow!

As for me, I love having each of them one on one and it's so much easier trying to do well, really ANYTHING, with just one kid.  Along with school starting, they each started gymnastics, and of course they go on different days so I'm adjusting to a new schedule just as much as they are. 

 I can't believe my baby is a preschooler already though.  And I try not to think of Lainey starting kindergarten next year.  These years are definitely too short. There's so many days I'd like to hit the Re-Do button on, whether it's to do a better job parenting or to soak in the sweet moments one more time.  We're in a really good phase right now and I'm loving it and soaking it up as much as possible.