I Don't Want to Grow Up!

"I won't grow up.
Not a penny will I pinch.
I will never grow a mustache,
Or a fraction of an inch.
'Cause growing up is awfuller
Than all the awful things that ever were.
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up!"

Read more: Peterpan - I Won't Grow Up Lyrics | MetroLyrics

After attending a Peter Pan musical in May, my children who are obsessed with birthdays all of a sudden decided that they didn't want to grow up either.  Kai was especially touched by that song and will often tell me with tears in his eyes that he doesn't want to get bigger, but always wants to be a kid.  While some days the thought that this season (having 3 loud & spirited preschoolers in the house) is just a season and does not last forever gives me comfort, but deep down I feel the same way.  Growing up and maturing are good things, but they bring a sense of loss and sadness also.  I remember sitting at the nursery door of our Tulsa house after putting the twins to bed when they were babies and just feeling overwhelmed by love and wishing that I could freeze time.  I knew that the stage of development that they were in would not last forever and I wanted to capture all that I could.  Although the toddler/preschool age is definitely not in my natural "sweet spot" as a mother, I want to appreciate all of the uniqueness that it brings and not wish away this time, as challenging as it may be!
I have quite a bit to catch up on, so I'll start with Easter pictures!

Evidence that they truly are not ready to grow up, which is fine by me!

Isaac is finally friends with the Easter Bunny!

Making resurrection rolls before Easter

We don't get many family pics in....so here is one!

My parents came to visit the end of May for Kai and Julia's 5th birthday party.  We decided to have a casual "Ice Cream Social" at the neighborhood clubhouse and end with swimming.  There was a lot of other fun games that I had prepared for, but nothing ever goes quite as planned!  I am promising myself not to mess with birthday parties next year.  Maybe we could do a fun family adventure instead (one that does not include hours of wasted time on planning)!   Do you think they will notice? ha!

Home made ice cream & toppings!

Kai's preschool friends

 We also signed the twins up for their first organized sport.  I should have known from my short career, that soccer was probably not going to stick!  Julia spent most of the time picking up dead grass and stuffing it into her pockets.  She did not like to be aggressive (did not like the Mad Dog  or "mean puppy" drills her coach had them perform), although she has no trouble with this at home!  My parents made it to their first and last games and did see Julia score two goals (first 2 and last 2!) at her last game.  Kai enjoyed playing also.  He had difficulty keeping up with all of the running, but put forth a lot of effort!  The league that we joined (Upwards Sports) focused not only on learning the sport, but also on character building.  Every practice included a devotional time with a Bible verse.  Kai loved applying the sportsmanship lessons and was the first to help someone up if they fell down...even if they didn't want help getting up!

Uncle Zach came for a visit also.  Love him!

 With the end of Spring, also came the end of preschool.  The kids all loved their teachers and classmates, but were looking forward to summer.  Isaac had a great first year of "school" and will go again next fall 2 days a week.  For all of the mischief that he gets in at home, he was very obedient for his teacher...unless she was being too kind to say anything!

I love this Mother's Day card the preschool teachers made ;)

Julia "graduated" preschool, although she will graduate again next year!  After a lot of prayer we have decided to enroll the twins in a year of Pre-K and delay their start to Kindergarten by a year.  They just turned 5 in May (original due date was end of July), and we really believe another year of preschool and time at home will benefit them both.

Julia & Ms. Kelly

Singing praise songs :)

Kai flourished in the PPCD (preschool program for kids with disabilities) preschool through the public school this past year.  He loved his friends, teachers, and mommy loved that he was receiving speech, physical, and occupational therapy during the half day program.  We will miss his buddies and teachers greatly next year.  Since Kai turned 5 in May, he no longer is eligible for this service.  He will join Julia & Isaac at the church preschool for a year of Pre-K in the fall.  The public school will tell us in September if there is enough funds for him to continue his speech therapy sessions at the school as a drop-in service.

Last Day of School, May 2014

 Here's the comparison to the first day of school.  They actually don't look very different to me.  Maybe it's true..."They won't grow up!" 

1st Day of School, August 2013

Well, there's the recap of Spring!  I will have to wait until we get another free moment to update on Summer.  We finally are under contract on our house after being on the market for almost 6 months!  Our new house won't be completed until next Spring.  There is a lot to do in the next few months including finding a rental house and packing everything up.  I better get busy.... :)