Cry Baby

That's me.  I've been crying a lot here in the last couple days.  No, I'm not pregnant.  But, it is my kids' last day of Mother's Day Out for the summer!  I should be crying over the fact that it's going to be a LONG summer without much time for a mommy break... but no, I'm crying because I am going to really miss the wonderful, loving, Christian teachers my kids had this year. And, I know Grant will miss all the sweet friends' he has made.  I'm sure I wouldn't be such a mess if they were going back in the Fall but they won't be.  As much as I have loved the program they have been in, I'll be switching them to a MDO at our church.  I hear the program is exceptional and they'll be in classes with some of their friends from church.  It was a tough decision to make but thankfully 3 year olds are adaptable and he'll be fine.  I, on the other hand, am having a more difficult time.  Is the grass really greener on the other side??  I'm really not that emotional so my reaction to all this is really strange.  I think I was the only mom with tears in my eyes when we were saying our good-byes!  

Here is Grant with his teachers, Mrs. Rebecca and Mrs. Teresa.  He LOVES them.

Here is Grant's best friend Pete.  He talks about him all the time.  We're definitely going to stay in touch with Pete so the boys can continue to stay friends.  I think this picture is precious how Grant is holding on to him. : )

Here is Luke with his teachers, Mrs. Victoria and Mrs. Kathy.  They are angels and Luke loved them from day one.   Only a couple tears were ever shed while he was there.  He was the only boy in the class with 6 other little girls!

Here are their Spring pictures that were taken last month.  

                                                                   Luke at 17 mo.

Unfortunately Mike was out of town on Mother's Day but we celebrated the night before he left, on Thursday.  I choose to eat at the Cracker Barrel.   I hadn't eaten there in so long and I was craving some yummy southern cooking.  

On Mother's Day I had a friend over from my squadron whose husband was also out of town and she has 2 boys the same ages as mine.  We had a fun time.

Tomorrow morning Mike is taking me and the boys to the San Antonio airport to catch a flight to Pensacola to spend a few weeks with my family.  I'm really looking forward to the time with my family but I'm DREADING the flight.  I'm probably a little crazy for even attempting it but it will be worth having all the help once I'm there.    So, please say a little prayer for me tomorrow afternoon.  I have stocked up on tons of snacks, new books, toys and activities for the boys.  We've even got Grant set up with some ear phones his size and Mike downloaded some music for him to listen to on my ipod.  He seems excited about that.  And, of course, just the thrill of the airport and airplanes will hopefully keep him happy.  Luke is the one that is going to give me fits.  I'm expecting the worse so maybe he'll surprise me.

This is just a funny picture of Luke.  He's wearing the hat to a penguin costume I bought recently.  He loves wearing it and says "quack quack."  I guess anything with a beak is a duck to him.  When I get back I'll give a Lukie update.  He is now 18 months and is something else!!

"I'm in the Lord's Army" Texas style!

Yesterday Grant came home singing the "Lord's Army" song that we all sang as a child.  Well, now that we live in TX apparently the words have changed.  This is how it went...

"I may never take a walk to Mexico, ride a donkey nice and slow, eat a cheesy taco... but I'm in the Lord's Army, yes sir!"  

Important Info

Since Grant is about to reach the weight limit of his convertible car seat (40 lbs) I've been doing a lot of research on booster seats and which ones are best etc... During my research I found this heart wrenching story about a 3 yr. old boy who tragically died in a car accident while in a booster seat. This accident happened in 2005 and since then the boy's family has been working hard to raise awareness regarding how unsafe booster seats really are. Apparently this U-Tube video has reached millions but I had not seen it so I thought I just had to share it. Warning.. this video will make you cry but it's definitely worth seeing if you have young children. Since adult seat belts are not designed to protect little bodies, even if the seat belt does work properly (and they are wearing it correctly), in the event of an accident there can still be severe internal damage, just because of the seat belt.

This boy's family has also created a great foundation for families who are not able to afford these pricey car seats. The website is www.kyledavidmiller.org.  There is also a lot of other good info. on that site as well.

Update:
I think I've compared and read every customer comment out there on these bigger 5 pt. harness car seats! I think I might have found a good alternative to the pricey Britax models. It's fairly new so when the video was made, Britax and only a couple other brands made a 5 pt. harness for up to 65-80 lbs. It's called a Graco Nautilus 3 in 1. Customer reviews were all excellent and has the same features, and then some, as the Britax models. The only difference is that it goes up to 65 lbs. in the harness and not 80 like the Regent. I like the fact that it's not nearly as huge as the Regent and that it looks more like a "big boy booster seat." It's sits lower and also has a good size attached cup holder and a side compartment for toys, snacks etc.. It also meets and exceeds the same safety standards/tests as the Britax models and is half the price! Plus, we've always had Graco car seats and have been very pleased with their product. I hope this helps!