The Perfect Ages

When we decided to put Liam into public school, I promised myself that I would be a frequent presence at his school. I have enjoyed volunteering for his teacher on a weekly basis. This allows me to work with each of his classmates, which is an excellent way for me to get to know the kids he's hanging out with.

What I've also wanted to do is to eat lunch with Liam, and I was finally able to do that yesterday. Jack, Garrett, and I took Subway with us, and those two four year olds were all eyes as they watched the different classes walk in/out of the cafeteria.

"Mommy, there's a lot of kids in here," exclaimed Garrett. "No kidding," I said.

"Mommy, why is that boy in the camo shirt sitting by himself," asked Jackson. "Well, I'm guessing he got into trouble," I explained. "How do you know," he asked. "I was a teacher once, and I know what goes on in schools, " I said.

Let that be a lesson for you, little man.

Finally, our big first grader came to eat with us, and he beamed from ear to ear to show his buddies that he was eating at the guest table with his mom and brothers.

Can I just freeze him at this age? This age where he is not embarrassed by my presence. This age where he hugs and kisses me in front of a couple hundred kids. This age where he is learning to be a leader and his classmates love him. This age...I love it.

I should have taken my camera with me to the school, but I wasn't quite sure I could juggle it along with lunch, drinks, and two wide-eyed preschoolers. But when Liam got home from school this afternoon, I asked him what he thought of us visiting him for lunch, and he gave me a huge smile. Kind of like this.
I'm so proud of that boy. He's a lover, a giver, a leader, and a friend to so many.

After lunch, the littles and I ran a few errands before returning home. All of my boys are good at coming home and quickly finding something to do with themselves. This is great for me so that I can work on some things around the house, such as the never ending laundry and dishes.

Once I got some laundry going, I grabbed my camera, since I've neglected that appendage for too long. I walked up on Jack to find him reading The Chronicles of Narnia.
Shortly after I snapped this photo, he slammed the book shut and said, "Mommy, I finished the whole book!" Wow, 767 pages is quite impressive, Jackson.

I climbed the stairs to find Garrett gathering toys. When I asked what he was doing, he said, "I'm finding toys for when me and Liam grow up and we travel. We're going to visit each state starting with Colorado."

"That sounds like a great plan. What do you need for your trip," I asked.
He proceeded to explain that they will need two walkie talkies to talk to each other, binoculars to see where they're going, a whistle in case they need help, an Etch-a-Sketch for fun, and a bag with a dollar and a few coins to share with others.

No mention of clothing, toothbrushes, or food. For some reason, I am not surprised.

Do you know where the youngest explorer is right now? He's on the couch pouting. Pouting because he's extremely disappointed that it will take so long to be old enough to take this trip.

For me personally, I'm glad that none of my boys are old enough to travel without me. I think that all 3 of them are at the perfect age, and I really am going to find a way to freeze them at their current stages.