Monday, August 31, 2009

The Third Child turns 3!

Anyone else have a child who is the easiest and the most challenging at the same time? I can't explain it, but that is the best way to describe this child. She's a princess but not the most proper princess. She reminds me of Iggy from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. Even after she's out of the bath, she some how still looks dirty.


She's a peach.

She's one of a kind.

She loves Sleeping Beauty and she just turned 3!

Good Morning birthday girl. She choose cereal for breakfast on her birthday. I'm mean seriously, close your mouth child.

Laney wanted Savanna to open her presents before she went to school.

I played with fondant for the first time today! It's like edible play-doh for grown-ups. It was a blast.

I think her Sleeping Geauty (that's how she says it) cupcakes were awesome. Sometimes you have to toot your own horn, right?

Make a wish big girl! When I was shopping for a birthday card for her I kept picking up the cards for four year olds. She's acts so much older than she is. It truly doesn't feel like she only turned three.

We invited the neighbors over for cupcakes. I made 24 cupcakes and we all know who would eat them if they were sitting around. Mama, that's who.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Kindergarten Shenanigans Part 3

Her first week of school was really good. She loves getting up in the morning knowing she is going to school. Tonight she told me she wishes there wasn't a weekend so she can go to school tomorrow.

She did get in trouble on her second day of school, but we won't put it on her permanent record. Her teacher said she did much better the rest of the week. We took Laney to school this first week and I would walk with the other girls to pick her up from school. The school is 3/4 of a mile away and Laney would ride her scooter back home. She kills me on the scooter.

Today I let her ride the school bus. She has been dying to ride it. Here she is waiting for the bus.


Thursday, August 27, 2009

Boring Bed Pictures

I'm sure there are much more exciting things to post about. Like the weather or a fun new recipe. Or ....... I don't know, I'm not very exciting! I had to post these pictures, because they make me smile. Sometimes it's easy for me to get wrapped up in the craziness of having four young children. We mothers need to relax, take a breath of fresh air and rediscover simplicity. Right? Don't listen to me I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Having four kids so close in age has taught me................ that I don't know anything and I feel like I'm always flying by the seat of my pants!

Laney's first week of school has been emotional and chaotic for me. All the girls have been getting up early for unknown reasons. My husband has had a very busy/hectic week at work. The plus side, I have three kids napping right now! I have a moment to myself to look at pictures I have taken this week. Time to relax and enjoy the simple and beautiful moments of my girls that I can sometimes capture on camera.
Yes I realize there is neither a red head or a brunette in this picture. I like taking pictures, it relaxes me. This is my blog and I say you have to look at my boring bed pictures! (That is Savanna's new bed that Josh made, by the way. I got that quilt on clearance at Pottery Barn Teen last year. The next best thing to homemade.)

This is Addy Mae's bed. We moved her out of her crib/toddler bed into this more functional toddler bed.

This quilt was handmade by Grandma Sherry. And the bunny was hand knitted by Addy's Great Great Aunt Mary Ann. (We can take a Great out if it makes you feel better.) Actually, I think it's a bear but the girls call it a bunny. Thank you for making these treasures for my kids. I like putting real things made by hand and love, in my girls rooms.

Take a little time to enjoy the simple things in your life. It just might make your busy/crazy day go a little smoother.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Kindergarten Shenanigans Part 2

Laney's first day of school. I don't know how it happened but this day came way too fast. Just yesterday Addy was a newborn and I had three girls in diapers and one still in pull-ups and people would tell me school was right around the corner. I thought I would be happy to send one off the school, but I was totally wrong.

Round two of emotional outburst and sobbing was last night. It was a good thing, because today I only shed a couple of tears after she was gone.

Look at how big and grown up she looks. She took her own shower last night and picked out her clothes. She brushed her own teeth and got herself dressed this morning.

Baby I hope you are having the best first day of school and I can't wait to see how your day was when you get home.

Daddy took her to school.

This would be my husband asking me if I want her to be late on her first day of school because I was taking pictures.

Olivia just realized her favorite Laney will not be hanging out with her all day.

She's still a little touchy about it, but is excited to walk and pick her up from school later.

What I will not be posting here is the very cheesy picture I drew for Laney's lunch box. My husband and I had a good laugh about it last night. I'm not a very good artist and let's just say it looks like a Kindergartner drew it.

i heart face challenge- Nostalgia


Nostalgia..... I have to admit that I took this photo, just for this weeks challenge, but I have good reason for it. I love the 1950's. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to have been born in the early 50's. We had this old house when we first got married that had the original yellow, black and white tile in the kitchen with the original stove and the ironing board that came out of a cabinet in the wall. How I miss that house. Now I have four girls who love to wear dresses and aprons and I can't help but take a nostalgic 50's photo of them. When I was growing up we lived in a small town in Kansas. (We moved around a lot.) When I say small I mean very small. But it had this really cool soda shop. I think it was part store part soda counter. Like straight from the 50's, where someone serves you from behind the bar. A little grape soda never hurt anyone right? For extra fun, go over to i heart faces blog to see other Nostalgia entries!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Kindergarten Shenanigans Part 1

We ventured as a family of six to meet Laney's Kindergarten teacher. I have to admit I had a little, but understandable, emotional breakdown the night before. I know people see mom's cry when they drop off their Kindergartner's and they think they understand why. I'm not sad because I'm worried about Laney fitting in, I'm not sad about some other lady getting to see my daughter for most of her day, I'm sad because for the past 5 1/2 years I have gotten to know the coolest little wanna be padawan (Star wars, people get with the program) ever. She's sweet, she's independent, she has a heart of gold, she's sassy, she wants to be a Jedi, she loves hello kitty, she thinks that becoming a Kindergartner means she can walk to the mailbox by herself, and I am going to MISS HER!
She brought her own camera along. She wants me to "upload" her pictures to the computer. (Her words not mine.) I'll do a blog post next week of her pictures.


I figured bringing the kids along would give the teacher a good idea of what Laney's life is like at home. Wonderful and totally crazy. This is where my baby will be drinking water from during the day while two little red heads will be turning my fake blond hair........grey.

This is Ms. Barbara. I feel much better after meeting her teacher and seeing her classroom. She is very nice and has a lot of patience. I know because she let our other three children play in her classroom, and flush her potty and pound on the computer keys, and color on the table with a dry erase marker and she never once lost her patience.

This one of the play areas.

They also have a real kitchen where they cook and do science experiments.

The classroom was awesome and I know Laney will have a blast. Did you know at the end of the year Laney will know how to read and do simple addition and subtraction? I distinctly remember studying colors and shapes in my Kindergarten class.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Camping in the backyard!

Let me just say that camping in our backyard was a total blast. If you have small children, you must camp in your backyard. It keeps the kids busy. You can make a real meal in the kitchen, you can put babies that need to sleep in their own bed, in their own bed. And my favorite of all reasons...... you can use your own potty. I won't go into a lot of details, but I have a very clear memory of myself peeing on the outhouse floor rather than the open hole in the ground. I'm not a big fan of porta potties or deep poop holes in the ground. No, I will not tell you how old I was when this happened!

The kids loved helping to put up the tent (my idea of helping is probably no where close to what parents of older children consider helping.)


They loved playing inside the tent.

See, we are all smiles.

Yes, we found all these sticks in our backyard. A tree had been cut in our backyard recently and all these little branches were left behind.

She was a little OCD about the placement of the sticks and I have no idea where she gets that from.

We roasted marshmallows.

Addy ate a HUGE amount of marshmallows.

Taking fire pictures is way more fun than making the fire. I don't think anyone else in my family agrees with that, though.





If my children knew what ghost stories were, they would have been telling them. But they don't. They somehow knew that you're supposed to hold the flashlight in your face and tell silly princess with a jedi friend with a pet webkinz stories. And sing Jesus loves me/the itsy bitsy spider.