another graduation

Last night, the boys and I headed for the hot, muggy (but not as hot as our car, whose A/C has functioned only intermittently since we drove through some high water last year!) school gym to watch Klaudia graduate from sixth grade. The ceremony was surprisingly lengthy, and the boys did well for about the first 10 or 15 minutes, after which they perspired unhappily and asked repeatedly if it was over yet. Fun stuff.



But they perked up when it was Klaudia's turn to go up and get her diploma, and soon after that, they got to head back down the bleachers and roam more freely. Piggyback rides were the order of the day, as you can see. The funny part was, on the way back home, all the boys could talk about was how much "fun" they'd had during the graduation. Memory fades fast at that age, I guess.



Or maybe it doesn't. We got home pretty late last night, and Max surprised us all by pooping in the potty for the first time ever (he's been doing great with potty training, but this is a real milestone). We had promised him that he could pick out a special toy the first time, so I'm taking him to the store tonight. But Liam surprised me by remembering that he got a trip to a museum by reaching his potty-training goals, and insisted that Max should get the same deal. I really can't believe he remembered -- it was more than a year ago!

the graduate

Last night, the boys had their spring concert at school, along with Liam's preschool graduation. They both did really well during the program, and sang their little hearts out. I may post video later, depending on how big the videos ended up being. Unfortunately, they were placed at opposite ends of the stage from each other, so it was hard to get them both doing their thing. The concert was definitely a success, and the boys loved having most of a row there just to see them (me, my mom and dad, Loni, and Bethany, who got to see them in concert for the first time). It was a real treat. Once they finished singing, the graduates donned their little mortarboards and had their names called to get their diplomas. Each kid also got a little photo album from the teachers with pictures of them during their time at the school. Liam's was wonderful! It was so sweet to see so many pictures of him (most of which were new to us) from the past two years.

Because of a prior engagement, Grandpa Okie couldn't join us, but after the program, we went to his favorite local eatery: Ponderosa. The boys and I had never been there before, so it was fun to go someplace new. I enjoyed my steak, and the boys were big fans of the ice cream bar. Once he was finished eating, Liam got a little impatient waiting for the adults to finish, but I solved that problem by handing him my camera, and he happily spent the rest of the time taking pictures out the window of the Walgreens and McDonalds next door. Funny kid.

busy bees

Life has been a little hectic here at Circus Forticus HQ lately. Work has been busy, which is great, but leaves little time for other things (like, oh, celebrating Mother's Day, for example). But we're all doing well.

Max is working diligently on potty training and is in his second week of wearing underwear all day. He's currently in a standoff with his teachers at school, wherein he refuses to use the bathroom all day long. By the time he gets home, he's ready to explode. We're trying various treat- and reward-based programs to get him used to using the facilities at school and at home.

Liam is still loving soccer. We just got his soccer pictures back yesterday, and they look wonderful! I'll have to scan one in to share with you all. We also went to Klaudia's gymnastics practice last week, and now Liam can't stop practicing somersaults (or, I guess I should say "forward rolls"). I'm counting my blessings -- he saw her on the uneven bars, so I'm lucky he's not trying to emulate that!

We had a busy weekend. Saturday we drove to Chicagoland to give Mike's mom her Mother's Day gift and to go to a party for our good friends Mark and Katie. It was a very late night, especially for Mike, who stayed up afterward to watch the Hawks win a playoff game. I got to go to brunch with my mom, Bethany, and Laura Sunday morning, which was delicious, but probably an unfortunate choice because I had to go home afterward and work, when all I wanted to do was nap. Late in the afternoon, we headed back to my mom's house for a cookout, and then came back home so I could work some more (deadline was this morning, so thankfully I'm finished with that project!).

Oh, and for anyone who's wondering, baby seems fine, too. We had our ultrasound last week, and all parts are accounted for. Unfortunately, the tech couldn't tell us the baby's gender, so it looks like we'll be waiting a while to figure that out.

So that's us lately. Sorry the posting has been light, but between work and kids, it's all I can do to grab some sleep each night!