The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yesterday, we reached one of the mommy moments that I have been waiting for -- back to school shopping. To me, there is very little that is more exciting and satisfying than fresh notebooks, backpacks, and new pens. Since I came to terms with my inner nerd (and its not buried too deeply) about 30 years ago, I fully embrace back to school time and all that comes with it. As an aside, I am a little less enthusiastic now that it is my job, but I still enjoy the freshness of it all.

With both Mac and Oli starting school in a week and a half, Aunt Beth (one of the only other people in the world who gets as excited as I do about school -- not surprisingly, she is also a teacher) and I decided it was time to take the kids school shopping. I have been saving my 10% off coupon from Target, along with some coupons. Armed with the coupons and giddy excitement, we headed shopping...

We started out at Chipotle. Tim came along for that part. Delicious and successful. We were coming off of a horrible doctors appointment in which Oli got his dreaded MMR shot and Mac had to be restrained for her shot. So, lunch was a much needed break. Since we were at the mall, I decided to look for pants for work. Big mistake! Mac was so excited to go school shopping that she could not make it through my pants browsing. Into the car and over to Target.

Our first round of school shopping was not all I had hoped it would be. Mac way hyper, Beth and I were exasperated, and Oli just wanted to look in the "robot aisle." We loaded up our cart with the designated supplies (and then some), but the trip didn't quite feel right. We decided a trip to another, better Target, was in line.

It actually worked! Mac calmed down, Oli took a nap, and the next Target was much better. We finished up with a cinnamon pretzel and coffee. Mac played "kindergartner" while Beth and I enjoyed our coffee. Oli had a little trouble with his pretzel, but it was all okay in the end.

And here is a picture of just some of the spoils..

Happy Birthday Oliver!

Oliver is three! For all of our work and worry, he is progressing very nicely. He can walk and talk. He has an amazing sense of humor and a sweet little personality that melts my heart every time. He is a true blessing, and I am so proud to be his mommy!

We decided to do his birthday a little differently this year. Usually, we have a traditional big birthday party. However, it is increasingly difficult to get everyone together, and our house increasingly needs work. Between extreme hot weather and extreme business, our backyard has gone from "overgrown" to "jungle."

So instead, we had an Oli day. First, we went to Toys R Us, and Oli was given free reign to pick whatever he wanted. A dangerous concept, I know, but he was really good about it. After some fun browsing and debate, Oli wound up going with some Super Hero Squad figurines and their helicopter headquarters. In the last few weeks, Oli has gone from a Cars guy to a Super Hero guy. I have to say, I think the SuperHeros are more fun.

Then, we went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. Since a very fun trip with Aunt Beth a few weeks ago, the kids have been begging to go back. So we decided to go for dinner. Once there, Mac got her "unbirthday" gift -- a stuffed monkey she has been thinking about since our last trip.

The next morning, Oliver's real birthday, he woke up early and immediately asked for his new toy. We spent the rest of the day visiting some of his grandparents. Here is a video of Oli hauling in the Iron Man loot at Nanny and PopPops:

Then we went to grandma and grandpa's for dinner, and we still have a fun day of celebraton at the shore on Sunday. When all is said and done, we will have celebrated with  three cakes, fun gifts, and lots of love!

Last Week in Pictures