Happy Half-Birthday, Grayson!!!

Today is September 18th, which means my youngest son is two and a half years old. I've said it once, and I will say it again forever I'm sure, but how is this possible? I am a mom to a 5 year old and a 2.5 year old. My baby is 2.5 years old. AAHH!!!

I digress.

Grayson, oh Grayson. He keeps us on our toes. Between never knowing whether or not he will eat a single bite at a meal and his lack of fear for most things, my hair is turning gray. Not kidding. (Perhaps my 7th grade students are contributing to this, but we will never know for sure!) He is a jumper and mover. He is HILARIOUS to watch at gymnastics because before he even finishes one station, he is already moving on to the next. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have told him to walk down the stairs from the trampoline instead of JUMPING OFF the trampoline. And my goodness, this boy LOVES to talk. (Not sure where he gets that from.) He has to give you a play by play of EVERYTHING that is going on at all times. Pretty sure my little dude would walk around with a microphone all day if we let him! He has also entered a stage where he blames other people for something HE did. Just tonight he told us Claire did something. Um, reality check little man. Claire doesn't live here. She's at day care. But thanks for the laugh.

On a more serious note, tomorrow I take Grayson in for a weight check. His eating has been HORRIBLE lately, and he hasn't grown much this summer. As we took out clothes from last winter, they all still fit. If his weight is unacceptable, back to the GI doctor we go :(

Thankfully, despite his health battles, Grayson is one happy little dude. He lights up a room with his smile and his nose scrunch, and I thank God daily for bringing him into our family. I'll take the gray hairs. He's definitely worth it.

Dunigan Family or the Taco Family???

"Mom, since we like tacos so much, we should be called the Taco Family."

Recent Griffin Quote

"Mom, is it okay if I, like, love Mrs. Eagan?"

Sometimes You Just Have to Jump

Sometimes, when life hands you a puddle, you just have to jump!

Can I Bottle Your Enthusiasm?

Is it possible to bottle up enthusiasm? If you figure out how, please let me know. Because I don't want Griffin's excitement for school to fade. EVER.

This past week was quite possibly the best week of Griffin's life. Not exaggerating. At all.

First Day:
Cinnamon Rolls for Breakfast? Check!
Photo Shoot with Mom? Check!
Smiling ALL DAY long? Check!
Seriously. Excitement was oozing from his pores. I am not sure how his face didn't hurt.

Like any curious mom, I grilled him with questions the moment he got off the bus each day. Here's a sample of our conversations:

What was your favorite part of the day? EVERYTHING

Did you pick out a book from the library? No, we need to learn how to pick out just the right book first.

Did you read any books? (with fists pumped into the air) Kindergarten, Here I Come.

Oh, with the teacher named Mrs. Bindergarten? Hey, how did you know that?

Did you sing any songs? Um, yeah. It was about going to the moon. And space.

Anything else you want to tell me? It was someone's birthday. So for snack, we got a cookie! And I got to go outside. TWICE!

Are you excited for Day 2? YES!

Hey Mom, can we schedule a play date this week? I want to tell someone other than you about my first day of school.

Did you read any books today? Yes, in fact I read two! And watched a video.

And Mom, we did math today. We got to compare shapes. (yes, he used the word compare). I got to tell Mrs. Egan which shape was bigger.

My new favorite shape is the .... what's it called. It looks like a circle with a lot of sides....an octagon? YES!

Kindergarten Starts Tomorrow!!!

(Picture from Open House on 8/30/2011)

Griffin starts Kindergarten tomorrow, and I am a puddle of emotions. I am so very excited for him to start school, but I am also sad to let him leave "my" nest. I can no longer monitor his choice of friends (at least not to the extent that I can now). I won't be there to help him open all of his lunch fixings. I won't be there to help him pick out a book from the library. I can't remind him to say please and thank you. I can't make him remember to bring home his lunch box. I can't help him get on the bus to come home. I can't be there. And as much as I know he is ready and doesn't need me to do any of those things, it still makes me tear up just thinking about my baby in school. In a classroom. All day. Like the one I teach in. Do you hear that? Those are my tears falling on the key board you hear.

Griffin and I went for a run tonight, and we talked about school the whole time. He just beams with excitement when you ask him what he is looking forward to doing. And he could hardly contain his smile in bed when I went through some last minute reminders. There is no doubt in my mind that he is ready to enter the world of education. I might not be, but he definitely is :)

Sadness aside, I am excited for tomorrow's sendoff and welcome home. I bought cinnamon rolls to make for breakfast and root beer floats for dinner. I am thrilled that his teacher is letting me bring him in early to take pictures before I have to get to school to welcome my own students. I plan to fill up my camera taking pictures, and I am glad that the excitement of my own classroom will help make the day go by quickly.

Because let's be honest, I also can't wait to see him get off the bus.

End of Summer

Recent Griffin Quotes

After I explained what a Root Beer Float was, Griffin responded, "Root Beer and Ice Cream! How does it get any better than that?"

When asked what he is most looking forward to about Kindergarten, he responded, "Being there ALL day!"

When asked what he is most excited to learn about, he replied, "Nature."

When asked what he wants do first when he gets to school, he responded, "Check out a book from the library!" (Can you tell he is my son?)