blessed beyond measure

What we had counted down to for weeks finally happened, and Aden graduated from preschool last Friday. He was super excited to be finished with his lessons but seemed just a little bit sad to be leaving behind his teachers and some of his friends. Over and over he asks, "Will I never go to preschool again?" The party and ceremony were fun, full of friends, laughs, and perhaps only two tears down Mama's cheek. Perhaps. Our beloved Mrs. Saul, who is retiring this year. She was a fantastic teacher to both Trey and Aden. Aden, Nolan, and Noah, besties from the start. Hoping they end up in the same Kindergarten class! And with that, my Aden is a preschooler no more. Sniff.

Because short snippets based off cell phone photos is apparently all I'm capable of right now. We decided Trey was old enough to start learning to drive the mower. And he's a natural, when he takes his time. Trey loves mowing. Absolutely hates when it's Aden's and my turn and he must give up his throne. First week of May, Aden got a stomach bug. Which, from what the doctors ended up telling us after x-rays, two rounds of bloodwork, and two trips to the ortho, chose to attack his right knee joint. Our tough-as-nails boy was reduced to sobbing in pain, sending us to the ER. The pain kept him from walking for three days. Which meant Brandon and I got in some quality core muscle-building, hefting around our sweet little 50-pounder. After a very surreal and prayerful few days, Aden very slowly started using his leg again, supposedly as the virus finished its work. All better now! With preschool winding down, and during one of Aden's no-walk da...

For the first time in our twelve years of marriage, Brandon is allowing me to mow the yard. He's a bit of a perfectionist about the mower lines and apparently, until necessity struck, truly didn't believe I was capable of steering the mower to his standards. I'm enjoying it. Not just impressing Brandon with my landscaping prowess, but for the time I am forced to sit still and gaze at this amazing, God-given view. Trey introduced us to this game he learned at school. It is what I assume to be the second grade version of a math statistics lesson. He asks me four questions about what is impossible, unlikely, likely, and certain. Aden has gotten into it too, but he doesn't appreciate the unlikely and likely options. He's not really a gray-area kind of guy. But we do this in the car. A lot. Over and over. After weeks of tooth-wiggling and periods of paralyzing fear over the possibility of pain, Trey finally lost another tooth. His third. Yes, he is hanging...