Three Generations at "The Yard"

Today, Nana treated Preston and me to a Giants game.  It was so fun to watch Preston's excitement for the second time and to see my mom enjoy all of his enthusiasm.  He is tons of fun to watch a game with - - he is a loud, rowdy, spirited fan... and knowledgeable. Even the people around us were getting a kick out of him! 

So many fun moments!  Love the shots of him with Nana... they make my heart super happy!
Nana got him his Panda hat and the day's giveaway was an orange Sandoval jersey, so we was totally decked out from head to toe!

After the game, Preston got to go down on the field and run the bases.  After he finished, staff at the park were high-fiving the kids and handing out Sees Chocolate Suckers.  He LOVED every bit of that! 
It was a bummer they lost, but because they were playing the Diamondbacks, Preston was happy for his cousin Jack's team!  (I don't even know if Jack likes the Diamondbacks, but Preston says that's his team because they are from Arizona!)

Gavin (Month 17)

You are 17 months and BUSY! You have enjoyed lots of water play this summer (but because I am often chasing you into the water, I don't have many pics - - not one from our multiple visits to the sprinkler parks in town!). We hired a new nurse for Gracie - Brooke - and it took you a bit to become accustomed to someone new in the house. So, during half of this month, you were attached to me like a barnacle if Brooke was working and daddy wasn't home. Thankfully, you are now much more comfortable, call her "Brooke Brooke" and point at her "da-tooo" tattoos! As the summer break winds down for Gracie and Preston, I look forward to having one-on-one time with you again!  You have changed so much in the last several weeks, so some cherished mommy-Gavin time will help burn this stage on my brain.

Love all these silly faces you make!

Brothers



Following your second haircut... which you loathed!
But look how cute you are... and look how old you look with short hair!



You make this face for in response to things that bring you joy, excitement and surprise - - it always makes me smile and want to copy you!



TROUBLE!!!
I continue to find you climbing and experimenting... you are often disappointed when I don't like your ideas!  Thankfully, you don't get too upset and are fairly easily redirected.

Gavin (Month 16)

Following in Daddy's footsteps



Another virtual date for the little betrothed couple - - Gav's Gal and Chlo's Beau!!!
(Can't wait to do this in person this summer!)

Your faces... there are a million expressions... and I adore them!

You're already such a caregiver... a big helper to your sister and to our dollies.  All on your own, you shared your sippy cup, patted her bottom, gave her love, gave Gracie a bib and a kiss.  You are a sweetie pie.

You played 'til you dropped!

Backyard fun and brotherly love

You thoroughly enjoyed our impromptu backyard hose-down on May 31st!

On June 8th
1) You had been up 11 hours and counting... UGH!
2) Here is a prime example of why an open-concept kitchen can be royal pain!
3) Yes, it was necessary to take your pics before I reprimanded you, you little monkey!

16 months exactly... on Father's Day!  Sweet- faced little man!

Looking a tad unsure in the floaty at Nana and Papa's pool.
You were armed with a squirter, though, and easily figured out how to make the water shoot out!

Last Day of School

Crazy how much this boy grew from the first day of kindergarten to the last. Kinda blows my mind.  "The days are long... but the years are short." I have no idea at the moment who said that, but it is true.  So is, "they grow like weeds."

(There is not a first and last day of school picture for Gracie as she unexpectedly missed the last few days of school due to no nursing... we are on the hunt for a new nurse... again.)

Play Ball!!!

Preston played baseball again this year.  As it turned out, our neighbor across the park was his coach and his kindergarten teacher's husband was the assistant coach.  And, to add to the coolness of the whole experience, he played on the Giants!!!  That made us all happy and it was super easy to dress the part since we are already die-hard fans!

Jamboree Weekend
The biggest adjustment for Preston at the beginning of the season was that, unlike in SoCal, he had to hit off the tee even though he was previously hitting pitches.  Halfway through the season, his division was allowed to hit pitches if they were able.

Rooting for our favorite Giant!

Nice scoop up, P!

This will go down as one of my all-time favorite pictures.  I am sure of it!

Brentwood Pony at the Stockton Ports game

End of the season party with Coach Eric and Coach Randy after getting his medal and trophy.

The 2013 Shetland 5U Giants

And the silly-faced 2013 Shetland 5U Giants!!!

Gavin (Month 15)

Oh little man, it is astounding how much you change each month. You're doing so much more now than you were just a few weeks ago. Your gross motor, fine motor and language skills are developing at warp speed! So is your sweet, playful personality. You are officially 100% weened... and that is a tad bittersweet. While I was ready to not be your pacifier, I totally miss the sweet, quiet time with you - - time that forced me to sit down and just "be" with you. And, being at this point means that you are growing up... sigh. You don't really miss it much either, except for the occasional request when you are tired or fussy. It was a natural progression that was not too forced and I will always be grateful to have had that experience with you. At your 15 month check-up, you were ##pounds and ##inches. We walked out of there with an unexpected referral to cardiology for a previously undetected "pronounced murmur" that, thankfully was determined to be a "benign" or "functional" murmur. Your heart is healthy, thankfully. Here is just a bit of what you've been up during the last month...

This pretty much sums up what you're up to lately... all kinds of climbing and mischief!

Sweet, sweet face.
You are wearing my all-time favorite jammies here.  They were Preston's first... a gift from Nana's dear, life-long friend, Ron(nie) and his wife Barbara.

I left the laundry room door open for two seconds while I carried a fresh load to Preston's room to fold. 
Trouble!!!

Hanging out with Gracie while she brushes her teeth

Your first time playing in the sprinklers!



Raiding the gladware bin



Helping Mommy with the floors

Helping Daddy in the backyard

I absolutely, positively adore this picture of you.  ADORE.

Snack in one hand, car in the other... that's how you roll!

Celebrating Six!

Preston had so much fun on his sixth birthday. It started with school and popsicles for his class. Nana and Papa were here when he got home from school which made him squeal with joy. He had a baseball game and it was our turn to bring snack again, so he had pizza and cupcakes with his team. Then it was back home for more pizza, presents and cake. Pretty much a perfect day for a brand new six year old!

Having so much fun opening presents!
 Look at all those joyful expressions!

Playing "hot or cold" to find his very own suitcase (with the iPod inside).
Kissing on Gracie to thank her for his new books.
Checking out the new guitar.

Make your wish, Bubba!

Licking frosting from the candles



Happy to be SIX!!!

Preston - SIX

 

Happy 6th birthday to our fun-loving, spirited, social, smart, athletic, funny, compassionate (and so much more) not-so-little boy! We love you so much, Bubba!

Dear Preston James,

You are such a special boy... so full of life, love, passion... you are a joy to be around (and loud!).  You are silly and funny like daddy, which I adore and am so grateful for, and you love it, too.  Anytime I say that you're funny, you want to know if you are funnier than daddy.  I have told you many times that one of my favorite things about daddy is that he makes me laugh all the time and I think you really enjoy knowing that one of his most appealing qualities to me is one you share with him. 

You are smart and excited about learning.  I hope that you always stay interested and excited.  But, like a ton of kids, you really loathe homework!  We are working hard on learning to accept your work, after all, this is only kindergarten and you have many, many years of homework ahead of you.  It isn't negotiable, so I am trying (really hard) to help you just see it as a routine part of your day.  :)

Naturally, parenting you is not the same as parenting Gracie.  I have learned a ton being Gracie's mommy, of course, but the lessons are drastically different.  I am learning SO much as a mom of (now) six year-old you... and, in turn, learning so much about myself.  You are a passionate guy... which means you care deeply and, at the same time, have quite a temper. We work on that constantly. Daddy is calm and way more laid back most of the time.   You get your passionate, reactive impulses from me.  And, that, I am afraid, is something I don't like - - for you or for me.  As I recognize this quality in you, I am learning to deal with myself as well as teach you how to redirect that kind of behavior.  Like me, I see you struggling with not being perfect or really great at something the first time you try it.  That is so much to take on as a kindergartner... way too much.  So, my hope is that I can help you work on that at an earlier age than I did - - it took me way too long to learn not to quit or give up on things because I was afraid of not being great.

You teach me patience - - wink - - because trying to reign you in can be oh-so-challenging.   And, yet, at the same time, your general happiness and excitement for life and all your experiences is one of the things I love most about you.  You might be verging on bouncing off the walls and not listening, but you are, in that exact same moment, reminding me how much fun it is to be six and that looking at the world through your eyes can be way more interesting than my own view.  You are so much fun and don't know a stranger, easily making friends wherever you go.

You, my sweet, special, kind-hearted boy, are the best big brother EVER and the best little brother to Gracie.  You are doing such a great job teaching and modeling for Gavin about how to be the other best little brother to Gracie.  You adore both of them and I could gush for days over how you treat them and think of them.  To put it in terms that you'd understand in your kindergarten world, I will say that the love I see you give Gracie and Gavin "fills my bucket" over and over.  I am so proud of you... proud of your heart.

I will close by saying what I so often say to you...
"You know what, Bubba?"
"You love me."
"I DO love you.  You know what else?
"I'm special."
"You ARE special.  You know what else, Bubba?"
"I'm important."
"Yes, you are so important to me."

I hope you always know those things... without a shadow of a doubt... and that you carry that knowledge with you wherever you go.

Happy birthday, Bubba.  I can't wait to see what the next year holds for you... and what you'll teach me.

All my heart,
Mommy

GIANT Suprise!!!

Today was a day that I have anticipated as long as I can remember.  I could barely sleep last night knowing that John and I were going to surprise Preston with his first Giants game! 

Here was my facebook status:  "Cannot WAIT until tomorrow! Taking Preston to school and picking him up just over an hour later to surprise him with his first Giants game! So excited to see his face!!!"

John took Preston to school and when we picked him up just over an hour later, he was puzzled as he walked into the office... and then he saw our shirts and asked why we were dressed in Giants clothes... and then did everything he could to keep from screaming with delight when he heard we were taking him to his first game!  It was so much fun! 

First BART ride... First time in San Francisco... First Giants game... Awesome LAST day of being five!  As a lifelong Giants fan, I have waited to take our boy to his first game since the day he was born!  The fact that they got the win in extra innings made it all even sweeter! 



Waiting for the BART train



As we walked into the stadium and he got his first glimpse of the field, I felt like I was seeing a major league ballpark for the first time, again, too.  Wide-eyed, mouth agape and, "Wow... this is SO cool" repeated at least five times!

The staged commemorative photo complete with a giant finger (that's ours... John bought that beast!)
This picture is now framed on Preston's wall. 



He loved the giant glove and the slides in the Coca Cola bottles, but was a little bummed he was too tall to take batting practice in the mini-field.  I have a feeling that coming back on a Sunday to run the real bases will make up for any disappointment he felt about that little field!



LOVE this.
LOVE them.
LOVED this day with them.

After the extra-innings win with a pinch-hit appearance by Buster Posey.