End of Pre-K

We were beyond lucky to get into the program that Eddie was in for Pre-K this year. BEYOND. His teacher was absolutely the best choice for us...she would probably be the best choice for any kid, really, she is just that amazing. It will be so hard to say goodbye, but hopefully we'll get to see her around the Y, as we both take the same classes :) Not to mention Eddie was hounding her to go to Portillos with us (oh yes, asking his teacher on lunch dates the whole school year!) so we've been chatting to make that happen as a surprise! In addition to the love Eddie had for his main teacher, Finn fell in love with the assistant teacher. My boys, what charmers!

I tried to take a copy photo of Eddie from the first day of school on his last day, and unfortunately was in such a hurry that I totally forgot to check my settings. Of course, this resulted in a totally blown out picture. Boo. I tried to save it the best I could, and if anything it can remind me how hectic it was trying to take pictures and manage Finn!

{ugh. it makes me want to cry just looking at it. it would have been the perfect picture! such is life, right?}

{we got both teachers a plant and Eddie wrote his little note. Adorable, no?!}

{eddie and mrs. f}

{finney hunting down his favorite!}

{goofy boy and mrs. m}

{eddie and mrs. m}

Even just typing this up, Finn is freaking out over the pictures of Mrs. M and Eddie just announced that he missed Mrs. F. awww! 

BBQ Mac

(totally un-edited photos to follow. i'm lucky i'm posting at all!)

So my brother recently got into BBQ-ing. Like, hardcore, make his own sauce and smoke all day long. Wait....that last part sounded wrong, but you know what I mean.

We first sampled his BBQ when we went down for one of his test runs. It was a super hot day, Finn cried the whole drive down to Mac and Amy's and then continued to cry the whole time he was there. We tried to have fun while he was miserable.

{that pulled pork in the back? best ever.}

{a sprinkler game quickly turned into "lets squirt Mac"}

{wwaaaahhhh}

{eddie and Maddi throwing buckets of water! i know how thrilled maddi's mom was of her lack of change of clothes!}

{oh, lovey little water boy}

We came home that evening and Eddie tore into BBQ leftovers right away. It was awesome. A couple weeks later, Mac had his official competition at the Homer Soda Festival. The festival was about 3 hours away from our house and in the middle of almost-Indiana-Illinois...a tough drive! We made it, though, and settled in for a long day of soda-ing and smoking (bbq kind!) and hanging out. 

{got there just in time for the first check and adding some sweet potatoes to the smoker!}

{uncle Mac and his boys}

{eddie's first soda. thank GOD it was a small little sample cup!}

{daddy's boy}

{freeeeeeedom!}

{finney loved the bluegrass bands. silly boy danced and swayed}

{swaying to the music. lololololol}

{huggies! eddie is so into this, obviously}

{cheers-ing our soda!}

{need to keep a baby occupied? supply giant sucker. Uh....not a great choice there, Momma}

{getting the judge's samples ready}

{that sucker....two pictures up? it equals sticky baby! we were dying laughing at this...finn stuck his face to this balloon over and over and would slowwwwly pull it off. it was awesome}

{it's a little more uncomfortable with almost 60lb eddie up there!}

{my roommate from freshman year of college lives about 15 minutes from Homer and came to visit! We haven't seen each other since my baby shower with Eddie. Can I just say how special it is to watch an old friend jump right in and love on your kiddos? Goodness, we're a lucky clan.}

{me and sierra!}

{cool kid rockin' the shades the whole way home}

Mac didn't win for any of his entries, but we had a blast and as Eddie put it "I love you anyway, Uncle Mac!". 

'smore lovin'

Despite the rainy weekend, I was sure that we'd be able to swing one summer tradition....smores. Unfortunately, the one day we did grill, Eddie lost his manners during dinner and smores were off the table. So we tried again the next night, and again, manners were forgotten and rewards were lost. Until that night, when both boys were quite fed up with this whole co-habitation thing, and we needed a diversion. 

Enter SMORES! Yes, I took them away and recanted. Whatever. We needed happiness and no one can be sad eating smores, dammit. 

{put those tears away, little boo! here, have a marshmallow}

{am I teaching my children to eat their feelings? maybe. but whatever. HAPPINESS!}

{AND LOOK! They love. Smores make love happen, for real}

disclaimer: please excuse Finn's lack of pants. He's very....free spirited. Or stubborn. Or, he just likes the feel of fresh air on his chicken legs. Whatever makes you feel better about it. Ultimately, we've kind of stopped caring. It started to be quite the battle of on-off-on-off-run away laughing-on-off-hide them somewhere....so, rock on with the no pants, little buddy. 

Weekends...

I had a giggle the other day, when, after reading a really inspiring mommy-blog, I decided that I was going to DO THIS. I was going to be the best ever. My kids? They'd be total angels. And then I turned around to find one pant-less and one picking his nose. We might not be perfect, but we are who we are, right?! So I decided that maybe WE didn't need to change. That maybe, the way we looked at things needed to change. So I started talking - and thinking - like a mommy blogger.

We went to breakfast Saturday morning, and afterwards found the most perfect spot to capture a brother-love moment.

{finn isn't wearing shoes and I hated Eddie's shirt but he picked out his own outfit and was so proud. He didn't even complain about holding Finney's hand, which is damn close to a miracle.} 

We'll totally ignore the fact that Frank and I fought over this parking spot and then we snipped at each other for forgetting Finn's shoes and then I wouldn't stop complaining at the restaurant because it was early and I needed COFFEE. And theirs sucked. Mommy bloggers wouldn't admit that in a second! They'd post the picture and let you think that everything was just that picture perfect. And you know what? Maybe we can go with that, because those boys, in that picture? It made my morning 1000 times better. 

Unfortunately we were rained out of our plans most of the weekend, but still managed to make some indoor-smores and generally enjoy each other. A trip to Cabela's and Nanna and Grandpa's made our Monday exciting, even if Eddie left crying hysterically and Finn screamed the whole way home and Eddie screamed about Finn screaming. Frank and I just smiled at each other and tried to hold in our laughter. 

For some reason my phone cord isn't working with the computer, but I have insta's to share, so hopefully it will work soon!

We Marched.

About a month ago, we marched the lake shore wearing purple tutu's. We talked and laughed and passed babies and strollers back and fourth. We held signs and wore photos of our loved ones taken too soon...and we cried, but just a little. We did these things in honor of those taken by Pancreatic cancer.

For me, I walked for my Grandpa, a man who I loved and admired more than words can say. He announced me every time I entered a room "Heeeeeeerrrrreeee's Maggie!" and enouraged me to find good looking nightcrawlers in the dirt. He smiled at me as he lay in his room, almost gone, and asked me to bring him a popsicle, my favorite kind.....I brought him root beer and remember handing it to him with shaking hands. I can still picturing him bringing it to his lips with his own shaking hands.

I walked for my beautiful cousin Margie, who was one of the biggest supporters of my writing. She had a way of making every person feel so special. I remember each gift she ever gave me or the boys....a striped scarf one birthday, monogrammed Ralph Lauren shirts for Eddie when he was a smushy little baby, a monogrammed Ralph Lauren hat for Finn....each one made me feel so incredibly special for different reasons. Margie was a pro. She was taken even sooner than my Grandpa, without much warning and leaving broken hearts behind.

Pancreatic cancer sucks. It takes people away too soon, with little notice and reckless abandon. So for them, we walked. And cried, but just a little. Because Margie would yell at us for messing up our make up if we cried too much :)

{Dana and baby Jimmy, Margie's daughter and grandbaby}

{mom, dad and finney}

{Dan, with the picture of his beautiful wife}

{thanking everyone for being there}

{and oh, my dad. gotta love him}

{Jen is my partner in crime, but apparently we take after our dads, who are each others' as well!}

{the sign!}

{Jimmy, representin'}

{hugs and motivation}

{and some more}

{love, love, love this picture}

{part of our beautiful walk!}

{one of my other favorites}

{holding hands with my boo}

{who was amazing through the whole walk, might I add}

{I know someone who loves his god mother!}

{omg, isn't he the cutest?!}

{crossing the finish line}

{me and my best elder cousin}

{d and jj}

{my other favorite cousin :) }

It was a good day. The most beautiful weather we could ask for, an awesome group of people I love to be around and supporting a great cause, PanCan research. Know it, end it! I have to believe that we will find better diagnostic tools and get the upper hand against this awful cancer SOON! Until then, we will keep walking, keep remembering and keep raising money.