pirate party

Saturday we had Micah's 5th Birthday party at the beach. He told me about 6 months ago that he wanted a pirate party.

I made more cupcakes and topped them with pirate gold. He really wanted a ship with a giant octopus attacking it, but since we were having it at a very very hot beach I figured I would allow myself the easy route and do cupcakes.

The present of the day...an army helicopter. Thanks Micah Tumas!!!

The other great one, a super soaker to be used on Dido if she is biting us.

The one thing Micah asked for that I did manage to do was a treasure hunt. I told them that I had received a map from a pirate captain named Max. He had only given me the first piece and the other two pieces were hidden around the park somewhere. While Matt was burying the treasure under the pier we searched the park for the rest of the map.

Found the three pieces and now to figure out where the x marks.

"I know! I know! It's by the pier!"

They were too quick for me to get a picture of it, but X did mark the spot.

Wearing the spoils of the hunt...eye patches, earrings, pirate pencils, chocolate gold and suckers.

a pirate princess

When we got back up to the park we all got fish and chips and sat in the shade retelling the stories of Captain Max.
M - "Mama? How did Pirate Max give you the map?"
me - "um...eat your fish". *grin*

The only way to eat fish and chips at the beach, laying down.

Over all he said it was a great day and an awesome pirate party. Thanks friends for joining us and Happy 5th Birthday Buddy!

turning 5

As if I wasn't emotional enough Micah also turned 5 on the first day of school. Me and my tear stained face got home and started making the cupcakes to take back to his class at 2:00.

Bea and I stopped to get Micah some dinosaur balloons.

The class had been celebrating him all day.

It was weird seeing his name all over the room. Like here at his table...

and here...

and here.

When he came in from being outside he went straight to his table and said "Oh, mama! These are AWESOME!!!" I couldn't stop grinning.

His classmates thought they were pretty cool too!

My five year old little man!

His table mates enjoying their cupcakes.

His class... The lady in orange is the principle Mrs. Ansell. And the lady in the pink is Micah's teacher Mrs. Scott. It was a fun day of celebration. When we all got home from school he opened his presents and we had dinner, took baths and he and Beatrix were in bed by 7:00 and asleep by 7:15. It was a fun day for him, but he was pretty wiped out!
Happy Birthday Micah!!!

first day of school

Matt and I got up a little bit before waking up the munchkins. I needed the time to have another cry. I had been tearing up easily for the past two days. We woke the kids and got ready in no time flat. Matt has to be at the school by 7:30 so we were out the door by 6:45. Micah looks so big and just typing this makes me tear up again. But he was ready and excited so I tried to keep how I was feeling which was mostly sad, inside.

All smiles! The camera was having a hard time adjusting to the early morning humidity.

sigh...

We dropped Matt off and since we had 25 minutes to kill we went to Dunkin donuts to split a breakfast sandwich and a donut.

I love how her pinky finger is sticking out so lady like and dainty.

And here it begins for real. No going back now, though i thought about it. This is the start of the car line.

Walking like he owns the place.

We met at the front door so he could walk in with us too.

Micah finding his name tag and hook.

Taking his assignment book into Mrs. Scott.

A precious hug from Daddy before he had to leave to get back to class.

I hugged Micah good bye too even though I could have stood there all day just listening. But I gave him a big smile, told him I would see him soon with birthday cupcakes, kissed him goodbye and stood by the door where he couldn't see me for just a little bit. I walked slowly away and took this picture of his hook....and then I let the tears fall quietly and freely all the way to the car and a couple of miles after that.

it came! it came!

With hardly any time to spare Micah's backpack, lunch box and canteen came in the mail. He was so excited to open it and Beatrix just threw a fit the whole time cause she wanted it too.

super big smiles for the sea creature lunch box!

loving the dinosaurs!

so cute and big looking.

this school thing is becoming more real with every step.

she was happier once Micah let her put on his old backpack.

preperation for school

Micah getting a hair cut. He was not happy about it, but he made it through

and they both got suckers.

headed to the uniform shop to pick up a couple of things Micah needed.

trying on his chapel shirt.

posing in front of the store like "spider man" and bea trying to copy him.

we stopped and had lunch with matt too.

awakened at the "crocodile"

i had a dream this morning that woke me from my sleep. it was pretty disturbing. i told matt about it and he said "well of course you had that dream you are fighting for control cause you can't stop micah from going to school." i sighed and got up. fixed myself a cup of tea and took dido out for the morning. as i was sitting there waiting for her to do her thing and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, i thought about that dream and than i thought about what matt had said. i looked over and watched the sun come up and inside my head i heard a little voice saying, "mama, i woke up at the crocodile." it was a saying micah said once before he understood that it is actually the crack of dawn.... before he knew better.

matt is right. there is a certain angst that has settled over me these past few weeks. you see school was tough for me. there were times later on in my school career that i really didn't want to be there. i wished i could have run away. i know that micah has grown up in a loving, safe, and caring environment which we could by some measure control and now by sending him to school it is sending him out into all kinds of unknown situations. will the kids be nice to him? will he get picked on? will he pick on other kids? did we raise him right? these are the things i think about.

we had his orientation last night and as i sat in the tiny chair and looked around the room i saw his name everywhere; his hook where he will hang his backpack every morning, his good/bad behavior tag, and his name on the birthday wall it finally hit me that he really is going to school.

micah's birthday is tomorrow. he is going to turn 5. 5 years. i have loved that little boy ever since he entered this world with a love that i didn't know even existed. he came into our lives at a time that we desperately needed something joyous. and he was. pure joy. his smile, his laugh, his cuddles. i'm not saying that all of those things are gone by any means, but tomorrow when he puts on his uniform, his backpack and kisses me goodbye and enters that school building things are going to change. there will be 8 hours a day that i won't be able to be right there with him. 8 hours of things that he does right that i won't be able to praise him and 8 hours that he may do things that would make be cringe that i won't be there to correct. i have to trust that he has learned at least a few of the things that we have taught him. ways to be in the world. he is adventurous and kind, silly and creative, but he also gets hurt a little too easily and i guess that is what i am worried about. i see myself in him. the desire to be liked by the people in this world that don't like anything too much. sigh.... tomorrow it all changes and i don't really know how to prepare myself for it all. i am pretty sure micah will be fine. i'm probably more worried about me.

my son

yesterday we had some important errands to run. we bought micah's school supplies. well, half of them. before we went to the store though we stopped at the bank. after i did what i needed to do the teller gave us all suckers. micah and beatrix had theirs in their mouth and i glanced back at them in the rear view mirror. micah was using his stick as a sword while it was in his mouth coming very close to bea's face. i said, "buddy you probably shouldn't do that". micah replied, "oh mama, we're just being narwals!" i love that kid!