Easter at the Y

Easter egg hunts and games at the Y...Fielder loved the Easter bunny but then told me "he's not a bunny, he has SHOES!"

"Mini" Week 1

Before I get to week 1 of preschool, here are a couple pictures from the weekend before.  Andy hosted a special event in Church Hill and we brought the kids.  There was all kinds of tree work, mulching, etc going on but the real fun was jumping around in an empty water fountain.  They just love playing with their cousin Samara and I think Fielder would do just about whatever she told him to.  That night we decided to go out for Mexican - actually our FIRST time taking Fielder to a restaurant of any kind besides McDonalds and Chick-fil-a.  For some reason he had been asking me to go to Mexcian and we figured it might be the best place possible to try (chips on the table, quick service, kid friendly!)  Well, it was pretty much what I expected.  A little bit fun and a lot annoying.  He couldn't sit still, she was more interested in poking her head around the wall to see the kitchen, and of course neither one ate much at all besides chips.  There was a whole candy situation at the end of the meal, but let's just say Fielder is aware they have blow pops and he has asked us every single time we drive past if he can have one when he's older.  It will probably be another 6 months minimum before we got a restaurant again.

We decided for Fielder's first week at school that he would just go for the 3 hour preschool program and stay for lunch.  It was a good way for him to get to know the teachers and friends without being left for 10 hours on day 1.  I was so nervous to see how he would react.  Turns out, he LOVED it!  He thought it was so fun to eat with his friends.  He never cried, just marched in and started playing.

Claire wanted so badly to be in a picture with him, but this was the best we could do

bookbags and lunches all packed and ready to go!

It was a great week!  For him especially, but it also gave me 5 mornings to do errands, grocery shop, and buy some jeans and shoes that I needed for work.  I was so proud of my big boy!!  Buuuuuut....week 2 was not as great.....more later

Spring is here!

Today was Fielder's last day at the Y in the mornings.  I sent a card to everyone this week - they have been so good to him and it has been so wonderful to have somewhere fun for him to go and play with friends while I get a chance to work out.  The ladies that work there are really amazing.  When I went to pick him up, he was playing with his best buddy Meadow and I tried to sneak a picture of them, but he caught me.  I almost cried when I picked him up and Miss Abir gave him the biggest hug and told him she would miss him and loved him.  Then she said "Fielder, wherever you go, you're gonna be a star."

Then we went to see a different Abir at Divas and Dudes (a haircut seemed like a good "before-first-day-of-school thing to do!)  He chose the pink Barbie car.  He was not too thrilled about the haircut, but at least the screaming and crying days are over.  

Even though he'd already gotten 3 lollipops during the haircut, it's the first day of spring so we went to Rita's for free ice :-)
Didn't exactly feel like spring sitting outside in the cold rain so we changed our minds and ate it in the car.  All I could hear on the way home was "mmm....MMMM.....ooooo this is GOOD!"

Happy first day of spring!  Now bring on some sun!

Me & My Sidekick

We enjoyed a nice warm day this week by heading over for some playtime at the park and riding the train at the mall.  I enjoyed spending the morning with my buddy and tried not to be too sad thinking about it being our "last week" together (before he goes to school.)

And this picture....just because it is CLASSIC Fielder.  This is his group of buddies at the Y.  They posted this picture on St. Patrick's day and it makes me laugh every time I look at it.

He's going to miss his friends at the Y in the mornings but we'll still get to see them on the weekends!

A New Chapter

We are starting a new chapter for our family and 2015 is bringing us many changes, as I hinted at back in December.  Let me back up a second...
For a long time, we have been very unsure about Rob's work situation and where it might take us. After hearing a few "rumblings" here and there over the summer, we found out in September/October that his job would no longer be in Richmond.  The company is moving all of underwriting to 6 centralized locations, Richmond not being one of those.  We didn't know if he would be offered his current job and where it would be of those 6 locations.  It was an agonizing 5 months of uncertainty. All options were on the table and Rob found himself interviewing, looking into new possibilities and preparing to move, most likely to Columbus, Ohio.  We had pretty much come to accept that we would be packing it up and moving from our home that we had not yet even reached 1 year in.  Then, about 2 weeks before we would have to commit to a relocation, he was offered a job with Nationwide, but in Claims and in Richmond!!  It's a very different job than he's had before - he'll be working from home but with a lot of travel and working in the field.
Then, a couple weeks later we found out that my co-worker was leaving and so a full time position would be opening up at my office.  Rob and I had been talking for months about the possibility of me returning to work if we were to stay in Richmond.  With Rob now working out of our home, it feels like the right time for me to make a change.
So...I am headed back to work full time!  I am excited, terrified, and every emotion in between.  As much as I do feel ready to try something different, it is very emotional for me.  A whole chapter of my life is ending and it's hard to imagine not being home with my babies.
We have figured out childcare and things are really falling into place, although I guess I don't technically have the job yet!!  I still have to apply and jump through all the hoops, but if everything goes according to plan, I'll be starting in a few weeks.  Claire is SO excited to go to before and after care.  She has a buddy in her class that she'll ride the bus with now and she can't wait to be with friends after school.  I've also signed her up with "Mimi camp" for a few weeks of the summer as well as 2 different camps that I'm sure she will have a blast.  While we might not still have our regular Monday/Thursday Mimi days, I know the kids will still get to see her all the time and we will eventually figure out how to best fit in Mimi time.  I can't even try to write about how much it's meant to me that my mom has helped us in this way for the last 7 1/2 years.  I tear up just thinking about it.  I would never have been able to be a stay-at-home mom (with a part-time gig that helps make ends meet) without my mom's help.  It's been the best gift - to me and also to my kids - and I can never be able to thank her enough.  Phew....ok, moving on so I won't cry...
In order to prepare Fielder as much as I can, we've been changing things around here quite a bit!  He is *almost* potty trained!  And yesterday we changed his crib to a toddler bed.  He'll have to nap on a mat at his school so we needed to get him used to that as much as possible.  (Lord help the teachers that have to convince him to nap on the floor in a room full of kids.)  He likes his bed, but keeps asking me for "the piece" of the crib back.  He always slept with this face pressed up against that side of the crib.
So 2015 is starting out with a bang.  I  hope we can look back and say that all of this happened for a good reason and that we're happy with how we ended up.  Rob's been super busy as he has just started his new job and I'm overwhelmed with preparing for my return to work....but it really is all falling into place.  It's the end of an era, but the beginning of a whole new time in our lives!  And at least we get to spend it here in Richmond with our families and friends and in our house.  (A house by the way which I am READY to decorate, furnish, and paint....it's all been on hold for 6 months waiting to find out if we get to live here or not!)

February 2015

February came and went and all I remember?  SNOW!  We had a few storms and they've all blended together in my memory now.  We've had a bunch of days at home and we're all very much ready for Spring!

I think I forgot to take pictures on Valentine's Day.  We had a fun day together - Claire got some shopkins in her Valentine treat bag and Fielder got some underwear!! (Lots of changes for the boy, more on that later.)  One funny thing I remember is Fielder sneaking some candy while I fell asleep on the couch and Rob was occupied on the computer.  He pulled a chair over to the mantel, grabbed little wrapped boxes of conversation hearts from Mimi and Papa, opened them, and ate them all while we were completely oblivious.  I would have loved to have seen his face when he realized he had found candy and we weren't catching him.  He woke me up by shoving one in my mouth saying "mmm.....so yummy Mommy, try it."

That night, I got to take my "date" to see Charlotte's Web at the high school.  They did a wonderful job and Claire loved the show.  At intermission, she went across the aisle to sit with one of her friends...and so it begins....

When we came out from the show, there had been a crazy mini-blizzard and the temperatures had dropped drastically, snow covered our car, and it was super windy!

February also brings one of my favorite days of the year....Cake Pops Day!!  It's become a tradition now for my birthday and I look forward all year to my red velvet Pearls bakery cake pops!!

Here's a few more snow pictures.  We had to be out of the house all day while they were doing our 11 month warranty repairs so we headed over to Mimi and Papa's house.  The snow was perfect for building a snow man.

We also sledded in their backyard.  It was a little hill, but perfect because Fielder could manage to walk back up by himself.  It was actually really fun - and more of a hill than it looks like in this picture.

This picture is actually from our most recent snowstorm (which really happened in March, like I said it's all blending together.)  Claire was out of school again but the roads were fine so we went to Mimi and Papa's house again to play with Samara.  The mud puddle in the yard was the biggest hit and eating "snow cones."

Claire and her Snow Baby

January 2015

January has come and gone...here are a couple pictures and things we did from the last month.  

*No pictures at all of our Hulcher "christmas" party!  We couldn't find a time in December to get together so we did a Christmas/New Years party in January.  Unfortunately Aunt Bradford had the flu and couldn't come, but otherwise it was great to all be together.  

We celebrated Kate's birthday at her Frozen party.  The big surprise was when Ana came and read a story, sang songs, and took pictures with the kids.  Claire loved it!  Fielder was too busy stealing cupcakes (he came late with Rob and made an early exit...need to work on our social skills!!!)

I took Fielder to a class at Romp N Roll - it was a free intro and he loved it.  Of course, he managed to find a way to injure himself in the most kid-safe room possible.  He found a storage closet that wasn't locked and then slammed his hand in the door.  They gave him an ice pack which was the highlight of his day.  I'm afraid if we ever went back there, all he would care about is getting an ice pack!

Claire at the Family Theater Night at my old school!  She LOVED it.  They did all kinds of short acts from Shel Silverstein, Cat in the Hat, Stellaluna, and ended with a preview of Charlotte's Web.

 We had an "ice day" in January and then a couple weeks later woke up to our first snow!  It didn't end up being much, but Claire got out of school for the day.  We made it outside to do a tiny bit of sledding and then made snow cream