Cody's First Day of Preschool

Cody started at a new school yesterday. He'll be going just T/Th, and he is so excited about it.

After visiting the classroom for "Meet the Teacher" and seeing their play kitchen, he just couldn't wait for school to officially start. And he had a wonderful day! He couldn't stop talking about all the things he did! Bubble painting, playing on the playground (driving a pretend car), music class (singing a song with clapping hands and they played bells and did a silly dance), and reading pirate books.

It was SUCH a difference from the pulling-teeth scenario we often get with Jacks ("How was your day? Fine. What did you do? Nothing. Who did you see? No one."), and an amazing difference from Cody's first day last year. I really hope his enthusiasm for school continues!

He said he wanted to go back tomorrow and wanted to know how many minutes until Thursday. :)

Cody-bration Pics

You'd be surprised how long it takes an intelligent person to spell out a 4-letter name in M&M's.
Cody sure did enjoy that cake.Luke enjoyed bopping Mama on the head with the party blowers.If you're going to take part in a Cody-bration, you've got to wear a silly hat. It's the rules.Cody provided us with a musical interlude.Until Jackson cast a spell on him and turned him into a rabbit."I'm a fabulous Grandma, daaaaaahhhhhling."Aunt Tina was the only normal one at the party, it seems. Look at her rocking that wizard hat! Smashing, baby!Grandad the Barbarian. Arr.His name is Cuban Pete...he's the king of the rhumba beat...boom chicka chicka boom boom.Daddy always helps Cody stand tall and reach for the stars.And Mama just can't get enough of Cody hugs on Cody day. Here's to another healthy year!

Our 2nd Annual "Cody-bration"

Two years ago today, the doctors at Children's Medical Center found a tumor the size of a baseball in Cody's brain. The tumor was causing his brain to swell inside his skull, and his inter-cranial pressure was through the roof...which was why we had noticed his limbs shaking uncontrollably and him unable to maintain his balance that day.

He had 2 surgeries to resect the tumor and has since had regular MRI's (we're now down to only 2 a year...he had a clean one in April and has another at the end of September). He has a 4-5 inch scar on the back of his neck. And he is more familiar with terms like "IV" and "MRI" than any 3-year-old should be.

But he is also the heart of our family. He can be a little black rain-cloud at times, but his cherubic smile can bring sunshine back into the darkest day. He's stubborn and uncompromising (he's a Penrose-Miller AND he's 3...are you surprised? ) but he is also sensitive and compassionate, wanting everyone around him to be happy. He can be very shy, but then will give a poor, unsuspecting stranger a run-down of every single thing he did that day, and maybe the whole last week as well, just for kicks. And did I mention he's an awesome break-dancer?

Life wouldn't be the same without him, and we give thanks every day that we have the privilege of watching him grow, learn and love.

We're having a small party tonight (our "Cody-bration") and I'll add more pictures here later.
But in the meantime, a very happy "Cody-day" to you all!

Jackson's First Day of First Grade

Well, there he is, Mr. Handsome himself, complete with a new backpack, new buzzcut, and his new favorite shark-tooth necklace (to fill in for the one he's missing!). Just for kicks, here he was on his first day of Kindergarten last year. Quite a difference, even aside from the extra hair and teeth he was sporting then. :)Before we left for school, he posed with Daddy (and me too, but that picture is too scary to share).
And here's the fabulous new backpack. He's addicted to sharks, so this one has a shark on it, as well as his monogram. Note the cowboy boot zipper-pull hanging down on the right...that was his souvenir from the airport when we left Dallas in June. :)
He was really nervous, but super-excited, too. We read a book called, "First Grade Stinks" last night, all about the differences between K and 1, so he's looking forward to being a "big kid" in 1st grade and all the perks that go along with that.


My big brave boy...I so hope he has a good day!

Up to the Sky and Down Again

Anthony and I have been fans of "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney since we were in dating in college. And we couldn't wait to share it with our children.

We have at least 3 copies, including a hardback, paperback, and boardbook. I think we first read it to each of the boys when they were just over a year old.

Now that Jacks and Cody are a bit older, they don't enjoy the book as much anymore (it doesn't have quite enough action for their tastes!). But we've incorporated the message of the story into our nighttime ritual.

Before they go to sleep, we say, "I love you up to the sky and down again ____ times." For a while, it was the biggest number they could think of, which for Cody was often 5. Anthony taught Jackson about googles, so then Jacks began saying "...googleplex times." I still maintain that's cheating. :)

But now, thanks to Cody, we have words filling in the blanks that aren't necessarily numbers. In fact, most often they aren't. Last night we had T-Rex, butterfly, and (my personal favorite), "I love you up to the sky and down again EYEBALL times."

I hope they never get too old for this part of bedtime, because I've become quite attached to it. And even if THEY do, I never will. They'll be 30 and I'll call them to tell them I love them up to the sky and down again TRASHCAN times.

Luke in the Bath

We've started bathing Luke in the kitchen sink. It's nice and deep, a perfect size for him, and just the right height for us. He loves it!

Meg and Cody vs the T-Rex