Kacey's Shower

Today, Pat, Christy and I had the great honor of throwing Ryan's cousin Kacey a bridal shower.  We decided on an afternoon tea theme and though the weather wasn't quite warm enough for us to all gather outside, we had a fabulous time with great food, fun games and SO much love for Kacey.  We're excited for the nuptials in June and for her sweet fiance Jamie to become an official part of our family.

Christy found these door veils on Pinterest and somehow I got wrangled in to tacking them. Nana's freshly revamped doors were the perfect backdrop.

The stunning bride-to-be

with her SIL Haley

and her Mama :)

and her to-be-MIL

then it was time for games and gifts.......

Kacey's lil sis Sasha

Grandma Virginia and 2 of the 5 Chandler quintuplets

onion goggles in pink!

Kacey had just melted her toilet seat with her curling iron.

Grandma Virginia fashioned this apron from a shower curtain....

And we've all gotten these days of the week floursack towels. :)

Kacey's mother in law made this stunning quilt.

The Hartmans made sure the backyard was stocked for fun!

Adios and thanks for sharing and showering!!!

victory

After some trials, tribulations, and much discussion among therapists, teachers, Ben's principal and our family, we have been granted our wish to delay kindergarten for Ben.  With special ed services involved, the decision and debate are more rigorous than when they're not, but in the end the decision was left to us.  We would very likely have chosen this path because of Ben's gender and late birthday and his language and developmental delays just deepened our resolve that this was the right choice for him.  He will be at the same school and will be in a 4 year old, full-day classroom.  We will work up to the full-day part slowly depending on how successful he is and what his particular classroom's schedule is.  I will work closely with the principal in the coming weeks to attempt to chose a teacher that will be a great match for Ben.

I have slept better after the outcome of this meeting than I had in months.  As parents, we have to trust our gut and never forget we are the first in line to advocate for our kiddos.  More than half of Ben's current class is nearly an entire year older than him but because of an arbitrary line on the calendar, they will automatically attend kindergarten at the age we had to put up quite a fight for.  We are blessed to have such a great principal and look forward to lots of growth and deeper kindergarten prep after a Summer full of adventures that can't come soon enough. :)

tough firsts

Some firsts we celebrate and some we wish would never come.  When the latter come two at a time, a mama might just lose her mind!!
We planned a last-minute playdate today with my friend Jess and her son Wyatt.  It was also a fundraiser day at Ben's school so I asked our guests if they'd be ok with pizza lunch that would benefit Ben's school.  Both the Dr. and the PTA kept me longer than expected that morning and our friends arrived early and were already waiting when I got home with the pizza and a car full of groceries I hadn't had time to drop off earlier.

I was also planning on having another 45 mins to sweep the floor and do a final check of the back yard for "pup presents."  We'd been dog-sitting and our visitor enjoyed depositing right as the grass began and right in the path to the playset.  So, at this point our recipe for disaster is perfectly complete.  Before I even have all the groceries brought in, our friend has stepped in the poop and tracked it all over the patio, deck and thankfully only made it a couple steps inside.  I felt absolutely horrible but worked feverishly to clean it up to avoid further spreading while also being concerned about getting lunch on the table for my guests and both hungry kiddos.  I showed Wyatt Ben's cool cement mixer and on my next trip past, I heard Ben utter, "No. that's mine. I want it."  uuuuuuuuuurch! screamed my brakes as I abruptly halted and pulled Ben aside to explain that we share our toys and that this was not kind.  I know ALL kids say this and go through this phase but it was a first for Ben and really threw me.  Had the rest of the chaos not been present, I may have taken it more in stride, but it just sent my stress through the roof.  
I can't even recall whether I was cleaning or taking food out or even whether it was before or after everyone else had eaten, but I walked past again and saw Ben attempt to kick Wyatt.  It was a weak attempt at best but boy oh boy was that the last straw.  I threw down whatever was in my hands and grabbed Ben by the arm and drug him up the stairs.  I'm still not certain where my physical strength in those moments came from and I am far from proud of my un-calm reaction.  By the time we got inside Ben was crying and I was somehow able to firmly but calmly explain that we never, never, never kick or hit our friends.  Ben clearly understood and felt horrible for what he had done and for disappointing me.  He quickly apologized to Wyatt and somehow the afternoon was saved and things improved quickly and vastly.

*Side note: the last time Ben had seen Wyatt was at Wyatt's birthday party when Wyatt was totally enthralled with another older friend.  It had been nearly 6 months but Ben still talked weekly about how Wyatt wouldn't talk to or play with him.  Ben had also talked about this other friend pushing and hitting but as they were hidden in tubes and tunnels, I hadn't witnessed anything.  


Ben had acted funny as soon as Wyatt arrived and I should have been more aware of his behavior and quicker to connect the dots.  After chatting with Jess about this other friend and the birthday party, it all became clear and also allowed me to explain to Ben that Wyatt would enjoy him most for being kind and playing and that acting out physically was not the way to get Wyatt's attention.  After thirty plus years on this earth, I know well that life hands you days like these where more goes wrong than you could begin to imagine.  All of it in less than an hour nearly pushed me over the edge.  I was literally telling myself to "breathe. breathe. calm down. don't freak out." over and over in my head. 

 Just a few hours later I had a really clean floor, a sparkling deck, a disinfected patio and a little man who had learned some REALLY big lessons all at once. Oh, and a beer.  I also had a beer,.... or two. ;)

Update:
Thankfully there has been only kindness to friends since and we've had successful playdates without "mine" being uttered. 

carrying your own weight

Of course my Ben spotted "the mooooon!" right away.  

I laughed him off until I also spotted the magical crescent.

 

I still don't know why Ben didn't have school today but we sure made the most of it.  We'd been trying to "hike in the forest," for some time but our attempts of late had been foiled by the weather.  Monday presented a beautiful opportunity so we headed for the hills.  I chose Chautauqua park and the Flatirons because I know the trails there and also know you get into the trees really quickly.  I wrapped in some Pearl St Mall errands to get the most out of our drive.  Speaking of drive, it was a rare one without slowing or traffic and we made it from our house to up on the hill in 35 minutes.  As we approached the park, Ben pointed to the sheer rock face of the first Flatiron and said, "when we get to that part we will have to hold on REALLY tight because we didn't bring a ladder."  I'm pretty sure it's illegal to climb the part he was referring to and it would require ropes, harnesses, and one helluva grip if one tried.  Ben chose our route as we went and for the first time, carried his own weight.  He protested at the car when I told him this was how hiking worked, but when given the choice to go home, he chose to carry his pack and happily did the whole time.  We encountered the ranger twice and chatted with him.  Ben told him on the second meeting, "it's a pretty beautiful day," as he munched on the snack I forced him to pause for.  He also told me, when I applauded his efforts and told him how much fun I was having, that, "you know mom, I am a pretty good hiker."  His one-liners had me grinning from ear to ear the whole hike.  By the end, I was waiting in giddy anticipation of what he might say next.  Because of our Boulder errands that included a lunch date, we hiked for about an hour and 40 minutes.  I think Ben's limit would've been two hours without a picnic lunch but that's an improvement from last year and we had a blast.  I also decided that when I push the limits of his stamina, I'll make sure Ryan is along to help carry him.

The whole experience just delighted me.  The sun-warmed pine needles crunched beneath our feet and contrasted the pockets of still-cool morning air.  That smell just invigorates the soul.  When Ben is hiking like that, he is so well-behaved and in awe of all around him.  He doesn't try to wander from the trail and doesn't protest (too much) when we have to begin our descent.  His goal is always to make it to the top of the mountain and he's already wise to any attempt to fool him in that department.  There is a hike at nearby Sanitas that I did hundreds of times in college where you really do make it to the top of the mountain but it lacks the forest Ben loves.  As we walked, I thought a lot about my parents dragging me out for similar adventures as a kid.  I certainly didn't have the innate and natural love of it all that Ben does but I'm so glad I developed it along the way so we can continue to share this beautiful love of nature.

up, up and away we go

Ben chose this offshoot of the main trail but it made for the perfect loop.

Anytime we he stopped to rest, he put his hands on his hips and looked out over the city.

He was one happy hiker.

 

kite festival

Several weeks ago MeeMee invited us to the annual Arvada kite festival that took place today.  I'm especially speaking for my Heimer men when I say it will absolutely become a tradition. I had purchased a kite for Ryan as a gift back when we lived in Longmont and in anticipation of moving to windy Kansas.  We're pretty sure we never used it there but will be using it lots more now that we know how fun it is and what a great father/son activity it is.
Ben squealed with delight at all the kites as we departed the car and even a pretty sharp bell-ringing on the bouncy house slide didn't keep him down for long.  We ran into the Lineberry's and enjoyed their kites and Ryan showed his off one last time.
While it's often more windy at MeeMee's near the foothills, we really don't get lots of wind in colorful Colorado.  Boy was today windy and perfect for kite flying!!

Ben was happy to stick close to Dad in the "safety zone."

up in the heavens

getting his rhythm

There were so many gorgeous kites in the sky at once.

The triangle one here belonged to Grace.

This squid was my favorite.

love these clouds in black & white

After all the fun at the park we headed home to MeeMee's for some KILLER ribs and salads for dinner.  The whole day was delightful and oozed of the Summer fun ahead of us.  Ryan was watching stunt kite videos as I fell asleep so I'm pretty sure he's hooked. ;)