Schools out for SUMMER

Tyler loves his preschool teacher Sharon!

No more crayons, no more books, no more ABCS' for this Jersey boy. Not quite, even though Tyler passed his first year of preschool with flying colors as the Wells Preschoolers graduated. The kids going onto kindergarten sported caps. Tyler has one more year of preschool before he is old enough for kindergarten, which is fine by this mama!!!

The program was short (hello its preschool) but I'll admit, a lil' tearful for me to watch. Wasn't it yesterday that he hopped onto the school bus and waved goodbye?! Now its just old hat for him to gather his backpack, get on the bus and go to school. WOW! I know I can speak for both his father & I, we are VERY IMPRESSED with Tyler's performance. Not only has his speech improved in strides, he knows & recognizes all his ABC's, counts to 20, can spell his name (and many other words), can write most of his name and is just eagered to learn. Awe, Ty...keep up the good work buddy!

AND...we were all laughing pretty good as the graduates finish the ceremony with singing "We Are Family!" How cute that Tyler had a lil' dance number goin' on & knew all the lyrics to the song. Too cute!

I know Tyler is going to miss his buddies and teachers, but I think summer break is just what this Jersey MAN needs.

Bye Bye School, hello farm!

Tyler & friends listen to the commencement speech! LOL! As you can tell, Mr. Bohnert brought his own reading material, a request (more like a demand), his 2008 John Deere toy catalogue.

Tyler caught in the act, singing "We are Family" with a smile.

Cassie 'n books

Cassie has always been my easy baby! AND, although she isn't a baby anymore & is a lil' more demanding, she is still considered easy! When it comes to bedtime, she's always has just gone to bed, no questions asked. Lately, she says "me books please" which means she wants to read some books by herself. So I turn on her lamp and give her a book and then she says "out mama" and she reads to her dolls. I happened to catch her in the act and it was so cute. "see kitty meow" and "sheep baaa" and "nite nite baby" referring to the latest and greatest book requested by pudge! Love it. Love her.

Cassie reading to her dolls.

...And, when she finds out I'm in the room "out mama" and points to the door.

Kitty Love

Tyler shares the same love for kitties as his mama does!! ....And we found some new kitties in the calving barn, so you can guess where these Jersey kids have parked it the last few days, which is actually okay by me b/c its gets us out of the house & visiting the kitties is better than havin' them live with us (a request I had to turn down by Tyler). I have to admit, I'm impressed, Tyler is so gentle with 'em and just "loves them too pieces." He even has named a couple and tells me that they "are good eaters." Cassie likes them too, but isn't sure about the claws! She says "kitty MEOW", which is hilarious because her meow is like a dead cat saying it. LOL!

Cassie gets a kitty that claws!

...so its much better when Tyler holds 'em and lets her see 'em.

AND...Tyler has even bonded with the mama cat!

Can't break the spirit

Poor Tyler. He broke his arm on Monday afternoon at the day-care playground. I was so thankful that it wasn't his neck, that he was alright and that I was only 10 minutes away when I got the call. I knew this day would come, but not so soon and not at the playground.

Tyler will tell you the story. Two of his friends (we wont name names) pushed him off the ladder to the slide. He fell and must have hit his arm on the handle bar up to the slides. So, we rushed to the ER and ended up waiting there for two and half hours. What a trooper. He never really cried, as long as I put pressure on his arm. He even made friends with an old man who split a candy-bar with Tyler in the waiting room. When we were called back, Tyler had x-rays that confirmed the break and they splinted it. We had to go to the ORTHO the next day for a cast.

So, I thought no big deal. Well, totally an understatement. We waited there for another two hours before we got called back, had more x-rays and yes, it was broke. (I'm not a doctor, but I think I could have told you it was broke by the way it looked!). Anyhow, thankfully we did go to ORTHO docs because it was broke in two places and they were "good breaks". So, Tyler had to be put under later that afternoon (because we had to have an eight hour gap with no food & drink) to set the breaks and cast it. Again, what a trooper! Besides being hungry & tired, he really did good. We had an hour break in-between doctor appointments, so we made a trip to Target to buy the good patient a Thomas sticker book that helped occupy the afternoon wait. When it was time to go under, he went with the nurse & anesthesiologist; told me see ya and layed down so they could put the mask on. Every nurse wanted to wait on Tyler because “he reminded him of their son or because of his big, beautiful eyes or devilish grin”. Awe!

So now, poor Ty is sportin' a huge cast. They ended up splittin' the cast because of swelling, so they had to wrap it with bandage. Getting dressed, bathing and everything that he has learned to do solo have become more of a "need help" process. So these next five weeks could be a long one, but we are troopers, especially Tyler.

You can break the arm of a four year old, but Tyler proves that kids are resilient and shows you can't break the spirit of a small town, four year old farm boy!

PS....if we don't have any drama to report on 18th Avenue Ct, that would be just fine by this Jersey mama. I think we've tamped out the family deductible and you know who's gettin' our stimulus check! I don't think I even want to see the doctor bills.

GOD speaks

Isn't God wonderful? As many of you know, my mother is very sick. She made a mad-dash to the hospital last Monday, and later on, we found out if she hadn't gone, she would of been dead. She was diagnosed with Advanced Lung Disease and has pneumonia. Its really hard being this far away with a sick loved one. Thankfully, nearby family was able to flock in and be with her during this difficult time.

Its really hard knowing that she might not of made it. I had a trip lined up to western Iowa to visit some farms. The windshield time was excellent healing time for me...and in the middle of Iowa, I looked up in the sky and thought God was speaking to me. So, I stopped and took a picture of this to remind me that God does take care of us all. I love Him and love her. I'm so thankful that she is home now. For those of your reading this, please keep her in your prayers.

Dear Mom:
Thank you for always being there for me, I appreciate it more than you’ll ever realize. You have always been the sounding board & confident that I needed. You are my cheerleader, my mentor and my friend—and I’ll always cherish that.
Please know that I have so many great memories of you. From making birthdays and holidays extra special with your personal touch. I loved the homemade decorations for the tree and the Manhattan sandwiches for my birthday lunch. I love all your cooking and baking! I ravished when you would complement me on how I wore my hair braided or when I would wear a nice outfit. Your approval and complements mean so much to me. I loved that you stayed up with me burning the midnight oil, finishing whatever homework project was due the next day or cramming for that algebra test. Thank you.
I appreciate you making me TOUGH with a capital T—it has helped me deal with life’s difficulties. When I think of how challenging it is raising two kids, with a husband who farms full-time, I just think of you mom, and wonder how the heck you did it with six children. Then, I tell myself to suck it up and just do it, and I do.
AND, I loved that my personal and work successes have been yours. I remember how excited you were when I gave birth to both Tyler & Cassie that I could feel your heart swell. I loved that even when you felt terrible when we’d come visit, you’d play with the kids, even when you were hooked up to the oxygen. I really love that my kids’ success is personally yours. You were so proud when Tyler really took off with his speech and started to talk.
Mom, thank you. Thank you for showing me what it means to be a great mother. I hope I can do half the job that you’ve done with my own children. Above all mom, know just how deeply I love you!
xoxo!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

A day late, a dollar short? How does that saying go? Well, Tyler was sick on his actual birthday (May 5, my lil' cinco de mayo baby), so we couldn't celebrate with the planned birthday treats at school. The flu hit this Jersey mama one day later, but its not every day your son turns 4, so I sucked it up, got out of my pjs, put on some lipstick and made a fresh batch of cupcakes (with the requested sprinkles) and grabbed some milk jugs for the kids to celebrate Tyler's birthday.
AND...no regrets. Tyler was very appreciative (so were his classmates). Not only did they sing happy birthday, but some of Tyler's favorite songs were song, which included The Wheels on the Bus, Old McDonald and Clean up (made me laugh! We sing this one all the time, to clean up our messes!).
Happy Birthday Ty!!!!


Tyler & friends show that the wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish!

Tyler is FOUR

...and all grown-up! This Jersey boy has been very excited for the last month to turn 4 and celebrate with a Thomas the Train party!! Thankfully the clouds parted, the sun came out and we celebrated Tyler's fourth birthday with a back yard BBQ. He received more Thomas & friends toys than I realized existed! Ha, but he loved everyone's generosity and thanked each and every one for coming to his party and for bringing him gifts.
Poor kid though. He got sick on his birthday. At first we thought maybe it was the excitement, but later found out that it was the flu. Its no fun being sick, especially on your birthday. So, his Thomas & Friends toys sat without playing for a couple of days, but he is feeling better now...and the whistles are blowing, the wheels are turning and Sir Top ham Tyler is running the best train station in town!
And for whatever reason, this emotional Jersey mama shed a few tears. I wonder if this will continue for every birthday?? Its just an amazing experience to watch your children grow. AND...boy oh boy, Tyler's sure grown this year. Not just by stretching out height wise. This kid has made HUGE strides with his speech, vocabulary and comprehension of ABCs, counting, shapes, starting to write his name and even knowing how to spell a few things (curiosity of PBS show WORD WORLD). Its so wonderful to watch Tyler develop more confidence in himself! Awe, Ty, we are so proud of you...keep up the hard work buddy!
Happy Birthday Tyler James Bohnert. We love you so very much!
xoxo!

The Jersey kids check out Tyler newest additions to his sticker book!

Tyler blows his new Thomas whistle (a gift I'm sure I'll regret that I ever gave him!)

Later on uncle Brian and Uncle Eric help Tyler put together a new train station.

Soon after, Tyler was found camped out on the sofa, sick with the flu.

Brothers & Sisters

As many of you have commented, no need to blood-test these Jersey kids. Could they look anymore alike?

Jersey Girl

Okay, can Miss. Cassandra Ann Bohnert be ANY cuter? We don't think so. She is always sportin' a smile or some goofy look, knows how to bat her eyelashes and get her way! We've quickly learned there is a big difference between boys and girls. If we tell her no, she'll cry at the drop of a hat. She is all about accessorising, pretty things (esp. pink) and loves her babies. We can tell she has a big generous heart....she'd rather take care of the babies from the dollar store that look like they live out of a garbage can than the high price cabbage patch dolls. She answers to the nicknames of Cass-Cass, Cassie Ann or pudge and we just love her too pieces!