Reach for the Stars

When asked what he wants to be when he grows up…

A school bus driver.

Last year he wanted to be a pond cleaner.

This can only mean one thing

Can you guess who came to visit?

Roasting marshmallows over an open fire can only mean one thing…

Papa and Mimi came to town.

This year we tried roasting the pink (strawberry) marshmallows.

They were a hit.

Thank you for our campfire Papa and Mimi! We loved it.

Mural

Question: What does every good mom do before having a wall in the house torn out?

Answer: Let her kids color on the wall of course!

So sad that we couldn't keep the mural.

However, I'm not suggesting the kids make another mural anywhere else in our house.

Little Things

Isaac, Stella, Owen and Carson

Sometimes it's the little things that make for a good day. Like playing in the backyard. The kids have rediscovered their love for the hill. The hill in the backyard is fun just about every season. The ground right now is hard and the grass is dying. This makes for faster rides down the hill (which is a good thing). I'm so glad we hung on to those plastic ride on toys. They make the best riders down the hill.



Wheeee!




Owen and Carson race down the hill.

Today the kids flew paper airplanes all over the backyard for about two hours after school. They had a ball. Sometimes it's the cheap "toys" that provide the best entertainment.



Owen's airplane glided forever it seemed.




Carson's airplane is ready for takeoff.

A Pair of Preschoolers

Another first.

Stella and Isaac have officially started preschool or as they like to call it big preschool. They were so excited for preschool to start. They want to be big just like their brothers. Much to our surprise the two Littles have the same teacher that the Bigs had last year. I'm not sure what the teacher thinks of this, but we are thrilled. Mrs. Baird knows Stella and Isaac. She got to see them three times a week- twice a day last year. She assured me she was excited to have Stella and Isaac in her class this year.

Stella and Isaac did just what I thought they'd do on the first day of preschool. They marched right into their new classroom like they owned the place. They stopped for a quick picture with the teachers then went off to play. No goodbye. No "I love you." No nothin'! Yes. This is how I wanted it, but there is a little part of me that would like a little wave goodbye with a "love you."

Stella and Isaac had a very successful first day of school. The teacher sang their praises. She knows how to make me happy.
  



Mrs. Baird, Stella, Mrs. Funk, and Isaac on the first day of preschool. 

If you haven't noticed each milestone in my children's lives is bittersweet for me. I hate letting go of my babies. I hate to think they are able to do things on their own. I love to see my babies turning into little kids and becoming more responsible. I love seeing their personalities and glimpses of who they are going to be one day. I try my hardest to hold on to and enjoy them where they are now in their lives. I know that the time with them flies and before I even know what's happened they have moved onto the next phase in life.  

Kindergarten here we come!

Carson and Owen are officially Kindergartners. This is not only a big step in a kid's life, but their mom's life too. So bittersweet for me to see them begin this next phase in life.

The boys are loving Kindergarten, but there was a time when I wasn't sure if I'd hear both boys say that. Owen can be a very nervous child. We didn't know if we were going to even tell him when the first day of school was or not. I know this may sound harsh, but the reason for this was so the child could get a good night's sleep before his big day. I mean the night of open house he puked in bed because he was so nervous about Kindergarten, and he did great at open house.

My husband and I did end up telling the boys that they got to go to Kindergarten the night before they started. Owen handled it well. We just didn't dwell on the subject.

The whole family got to take Carson and Owen to school. We walked them down to their classroom, took a few pictures and mommy fought off a few tears. The boys walked into the classroom like they owned the joint and really never looked back.

I am feeling better about things now. I'm sure the boys will do fine in Kindergarten. They love it and love telling me about their days when I pick them up.

School has been an adjustment for the Littles. After having the boys gone for only 20 minutes on the first day of school Isaac was ready to pick them up. It was a long day for him without his brothers. He has since adjusted to having his brothers gone for the afternoon. We are all learning what our new normal is. It's coming slowly, but surly will be here before we know it.

Going to open house.

First day of school.

Carson and Owen

A bittersweet moment for this mama.

Owen getting his pencil box.

Owen sits next to Parker.

Carson sits by Grace and Mrs. Gift.

See ya! Have a great day.


PS In my mind this is how my boys still look to me - Bittersweet, I tell ya.

Six

The big boys are six. To celebrate their birthday my husband and I thought it would be fun to surprise the boys with a little birthday get-away.

On Sunday afternoon we sat the four kids down and told them they needed to go get their pillows then load up in the van because we were going on a surprise birthday trip. All were very confused. This is very unlike "us." We plan everything out and they knew nothing about this. The van was already packed up and we were ready to go in no time. We told the kids we were going to Kansas City to the Great Wolf Lodge then would spend a day at Worlds of Fun. Lots of excitement and curiosity followed.

The kids were not real sure what the Great Wolf Lodge was, but they had seen every commercial about Worlds of Fun that was on television. (Kudos to their advertising team on a job well done.) They were extremely excited about Worlds of Fun.

Once they saw the Great Wolf Lodge they realized that it was pretty cool, too. We spent Sunday afternoon swimming and going down watersides. Dinner and beds were calling our name by early evening. It was a great day. We could have gone home the next day and the kids would have been thrilled.

The kids' sleep quarters the first night.

Monday we were planning to go to Worlds of Fun, but mother nature had other plans. It rained. Instead of going to Worlds of Fun we got to spend the entire day at the Lodge. My parents made a surprise visit to Kansas City to celebrate with us. The kids were so happy and excited to see Papa and Mimi. The looks on the kids' faces when Papa and Mimi walked into the Great Wolf Lodge were priceless. We did squeeze in a break for lunch then hit the water park full force. What fun and a great way to completely wear everyone out. Later that evening we thought it would be fun to have a birthday dinner at the T-Rex Cafe. The kids (and adults) loved it. It's pretty amazing to see it all through children's eyes.

Light up cups

The Happy Birthday song and a dessert for the birthday boys.

Owen is about to be eaten by a dinosaur.

Our little Paleontologists.

Tuesday was the boys' birthdays. They woke to a happy birthday banner, birthday cake and presents galore. We had a little birthday party in our hotel room. Who knew how good birthday cake could taste at 8:30 am? After our little party it was time to hit Worlds of Fun. Poor Owen got car sick on the way to the amusement park and puked his little guts out. He made a great recovery, though.

Happy sixth birthday Carson and Owen!

A morning birthday party.

When no one was looking they helped themselves to the frosting.

Frosting face.

It was a wonderfully hot day at Worlds of Fun. The birthday boys loved everything about it. They especially loved riding on the adult, big, scary roller coasters. My parents were so nice and spent the entire day with us at Worlds of Fun. It was so nice that they were there to make the day extra special not to mention that they were a ton of help to Carson and I when it came to watching all four kids and keeping the little ones happy when their older brothers were riding on rides that they couldn't.

First ride of the day. The Octopus.

Owen with arms raised. What a thrill!

Carson and Stella.

Flying the planes.

Isaac and Mommy on a ride at Planet Snoopy.

The super scary roller coaster that Carson and Owen rode. The car spun while going on the track.

It was a fantastic couple of days. We are so glad we got to do this little trip. Great memories were definitely made.