Last Day of PreK

Yesterday was Eli's last day of PreK (sniff, sniff). I can't believe he will be in kindergarten in a couple of months. He has had such a great year and has loved going to school even if it was only 2 1/2 hours each day. Before school started last August, we prayed that God would help him find a friend in his new class. In a few short weeks, God answered in a big way - Eli met Max and they became best buddies and were practically inseperable at school! They had so much fun together. Here he is on the first and last day of school. In the journal he brought home from school, it said he had gained 5 pounds and grew 2 1/2 inches since August, but you can't really see that difference in this picture.

On the last day, they had a end of school program where they performed all kinds of things they had been learning this past year: flag salute, flag songs, color songs, days of the week, months, and abc's in sign language. It was wonderful and such a fun memory - so glad we captured it on video. Here he is performing with his class.

This next picture is not to make you sad, but to make a point. It is a HUGE deal to your kids to be there at their activities. You are their biggest fan. This sweet girl next to Eli was so upset through the entire program. Tears just streamed down her face and she didn't sing one word of any song and of course she knew them all. I'm not certain, put I am pretty sure it was because, somebody wasn't there to see her.

On a funny note though, the girl on the top row in pink kept telling her Grandpa after every song "You can go ahead and clap now Grandpa!" They were all so precious!

We had been counting down the days until the last day of school - not because Eli was ready for school to be over, but because we started a new tradition last year. Last Day of School = First Snow Cone of the Summer! Eli was so ready (okay I admit, I was too!)! It was steamy hot yesterday and we had to wait in line for a bit, but it was worth it!

I love that Eli and Caleb pick their snowcone flavor based on color! Eli asked if we could get a snowcone everyday this summer! I told him not everyday, but maybe once a week! Looking forward to a fun summer with these boys. Hope you have a great summer too!

Tara

Can you say BIG?

This weekend was my cousin's wedding! It was beautiful and so special. What an answer to prayer that she found a man to love both she and her 4 yr. old son. We are so happy for them. One thing for sure, the Bockelman side of the family rolls out for weddings! Just look at our family pic taken after the wedding.See that sweet couple on the front? That's my grandparents - Vernor & Barbara - they've been married for 65 years! What a legacy they have left for this family. All of this started with the 2 of them (and we were even missing a few)! Let me break it down for you. Grandpa & Grandma (2) - 3 daughters & husbands (6) - 9 Grandchildren & spouses (15) - 18 Great Grandchildren - 1 sister & brother in law (2). That's 43 total in this picture. And just for the record, we were missing 16 others, which would have brought the grand total to 59!!! That's a lot of family and I love it! We don't get to see each other as much as we would like, but we have lots of fun when we do. Grandpa & Grandma sponsor a family reunion for the family every other year & usually everyone tries to make it. This is our summer to have the reunion! You can just imagine the noise level when we get together!! God has blessed this family abundantly.

Tara

When God says SURPRISE!!!

I LOVE surprises! But, I'm usually way too nosy and end up ruining them in some way!! My husband can attest to that. Two of the best surprises we've had was waiting until birth to find out the sex of our babies - so exciting and so worth it! There is nothing quite like the anticipation of hearing those words "It's a boy" (those are the only words we have heard!!)

I've come to realize that God truly does give the best surprises, because they usually come when you least expect it! That is what happened to us in March. God said "SURPRISE" you're going to have another baby! What? Um, you're kidding right. Why now, why this timing? I'm way to old for this God. These are just a few of the thoughts that were swimming around in my head. Before I go any further and offend anyone with my initial attitude, let me give you a little background.

Lance and I struggled for 3 years to get pregnant before having Eli our firstborn. I know, that seems like nothing compared to what some people go through, but none the less, it was difficult. Both of our boys were conceived while I was taking the drug - Clomid - a fertility enhancing drug. They are our miracles and have blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. But, as you can see, it wasn't easy or seemingly natural. We had all but locked the door on having other children and I was getting used to having nobody in diapers! God had other plans. He just surprises me so with his timing and his ability to accomplish the impossible (or so we think!)

After wandering around the house for a week in a daze, I finally got to share with Lance. He had been away 2 weeks for training for a new job. It was a stressful training, and I just wasn't going to share this over the phone. He just laughed when I told him! Reminds me of someone in the bible!

So, I am 18 weeks along with my due date set for October 22. Everything looks good so far. Since I am 37 ( in case you were trying to figure that out), I am considered "Advanced Maternal Age" - that makes you feel good. We have already seen a high risk OB and had some genetic testing done - all looks good.

In case you are wondering, we have decided to find out the sex of this baby - since we had our big surpise on the front end of this one! That should happen in a couple of weeks. Eli our 5 yr. old is completely thrilled and really wants a baby sister. Caleb our 2 yr old really doesn't have a clue what is going on. He will be about 3 when the baby is born, just like Eli was when Caleb was born.

Lastly, (sorry for the long post) I keep thinking of this verse. It's a familiar one that everybody loves.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I love this verse, but have come to realize that so often, we all kind of change this verse to read something like this:

"For I know the plans I have for you Lord, declares Tara, plans to get married at 25, have 2 kids ( a boy and a girl) by the time I'm 30 and live happily ever after!"

Anybody else? Time and time again, God reminds me that he is in control, not me. And it is all for his glory, not mine or anybody else's. So, I thank God for our little miracle and for the strength he will give me to raise this child. He will supply all our needs - that's a promise! Please pray for strength, endurance, energy, and a healthy baby.

Tara

12 Months of Giving: May

Since Teacher Appreciation Week is in May, we decided that would be our 12 Months of Giving project for the month. For Eli's PreK teachers we made these cute buckets (not my original idea) and stuffed them with red and orange stuff! Eli had lots of fun with this. For Caleb's Mother's Day Out teachers, we made these goodie boxes which were filled with yummy chocolate! I got the idea and directions here. They turned out well and we hope the teachers all liked them. I am so thankful for the time they spend with my children - loving them, teaching them, and caring for them.

Tara

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day - we celebrated all weekend. Friday - lunch at Pecan Porch with my mom, dad, & boys, Spa Day at PreK, then dinner at Cheesecake Factory - yum! Saturday - my brother and his family came to my parents and we celebrated his birthday a week early with dinner, cake, and homemade ice cream - lots of play time with cousins. Eli and Caleb were exhausted by Saturday night. Sunday - we had lunch at mom & dad's then I got the afternoon to myself to shop! So fun! Thank you to all my boys for spoiling mePamma with all her grandkids - aren't they so cute!

I am so thankful that God has given me the wonderful privilege and awesome responsibility of being a mother. I has been the hardest job I have ever done, but has brought me so much joy! Eli filled out a little info sheet about his mother at PreK - I got to see it on Friday. It was so cute, but the one answer that so struck me was what he said that I liked to do for fun. His answer - go to the tadpole pond and catch tadpoles! I'm so glad that he thinks what I like to do for fun is spend time with him! I'm thankful for my mom, who has taught me to be the mom that I am!

Tara

Tadpoles & Spa Treatments

We have had a busy but fun week! Here are some of the highlights:

Caught a tadpole - fell into pond trying to catch a tadpole!
Created an "environment" for our tadpole, fed it algae, read about it, watched it endlessly!

Made some Mother's Day cards for great grandmothers and worked on a surprise gift!

Went to Parent's Day at Caleb's school and enjoyed a snow cone- yummy!

Went to Mommy Spa Day at Eli's PreK where he fixed my hair, gave me a massage, painted my nails and served me refreshments! Lucky mommy! Decided Pamma also needed some spa treatments since she didn't get to go to spa day! What a man!

And dinner tonight at The Cheesecake Factory with my 3 favorite boys! Thank you God for these treasured moments - so grateful to be a mom!

Tara

Mom Interview

I'm sure many of you are trying to getting things ready for your moms & grandmas this week, so I thought I would post this fun idea that I tried last year. I got the idea from this blog, but I couldn't find the exact post and didn't really have time to search for it. Anyway, just so you know, it wasn't my idea to begin with (nothing really ever is!). It is a MOM interview that you do with your kids. I tweaked it a bit for us. It felt a little weird to ask questions about myself, so we changed the Mom to Pamma - which is what my boys call my mom (cute huh!). I filled it out as they answered and we stuck it in her Mother's Day card. Fun to hear what their thoughts were. Here are the interview questions.

My MOM

1. I really love it when my mom ...
2. My mom likes to wear ...
3. My mom always tells me ...
4. The best thing she does is ...
5. It makes her happy when ...
6. My mom loves to relax by ...
7. I like it when she ...
8. The best thing she cooks is ...
9. When my mom shops she likes to buy ...
10. My mom's favorite household chore is ...
11. My mom's favorite tv show is ...
12. If she could go on a trip she would go to ...
13. I love my mom because ...

Hope you have some fun with it! I'll post our Dad Interview at Father's day!

Tara