Friday's Are For Field Day

This morning was the culmination of a very exhausting, busy week.   The only thing that got me out of bed this morning was the thought of spending the morning with McKenna and our friends at field day.

 McKenna rallied after the late night at the dance recital and performed well at the games today.

 This year was extra exciting because we were on the same team as Siena and Jessica.  This has never happened before even though we cross our fingers every, single year! 

 The weather was perfect, the teams were small, and the games were fun!  Most importantly we were together.

 I do believe that the water relays were McKenna's favorite.  She was SOAKED!

 But she was smiling!

McKenna, today was so fun.  I have loved spending field day with you each year.  It's hard to believe that we only have one left.   These days spent together are special memories for me and I hope for you, too!    Great job today.  I'm glad you had fun.

Dance Your Heart Out

Dear McKenna,

Tonight was your very first dance recital.  After trying out many sports I think you may have found your niche.   Dance has become something that you love, look forward to, practice and it showed tonight.   I wish I could describe to you what I felt when I saw you on that stage.

Really,  it's been a joy watching your progress this entire year.  You entered your class as the only kiddo with zero dance experience.   No one would have known that tonight.   I am not sure I have ever witnessed you work at something so diligently, ever.  When I asked if you were nervous for your recital you replied, "No, not really, " and  I admire that so much.  I hope you will carry that confidence with you for the rest of your life.

 

You already know how your baby sister loves to watch you dance and dance along with you.  Through your entire performance she kept asking if it was her turn because when you practice you always let her have an opportunity to dance.   Next year she will be a part of the recital.  I know that you are looking forward to that and hope that dance will become something special that you share.

We are all so proud of you and we can't wait to watch you dance again! 

 

Love, Mom

Cooper's Kindergarten Author's Tea

It's time to start wrapping up when it comes to all things school related.  Just three and a half more days and we will be home free.  Today was the Author's Tea for Cooper's class.  Kinley and I packed up our picnic blanket and headed to the school after lunch.  Unfortunately it was waaay to cold to be outside. 

 Cooper read two of his kid writing books for us.  Lots of Minecraft stories, a few appearances by his sisters and maybe one about a giant Dorito?    He's done a great job and has made lots of progress in his writing and spelling this year.

 After we read through his stories we had snacks.  I love this picture of Kinley and Cooper at the snack table.  When we arrived she hugged all over him.   When it came time for snacks he held her hand and fixed a plate for her.   I love them.  Until they fight.  Then I still love them.  But watching them today I really loved them.

 This was my last visit to Cooper's class for the year so we spent some time getting a couple pictures of special people.  This is Mrs. Heyman.  She is a teacher's aid in Cooper's class.  She is so awesome.  She oozes love for these kids.   Cooper adores her.

 Cooper has made lots of friends this year but these two are inseparable.  They are both the oldest in the class, having waited until they were six to start school.   They were happy to have one another this year and really have become close.

Mrs. Jamieson was Cooper's teacher this year.  She was also McKenna's kindergarten teacher.  We were so blessed to have her again.   To say we are hoping for a three-peat in another few years is an understatement.   Mrs. Jamieson is a wonderful teacher and Cooper has thrived in her classroom. 

Cooper is definitely ready for first grade.  I can't believe his first year is over even though I knew it was going to be done in a flash.   I'm glad to had the opportunity to spend time in his classroom and get to know the teachers, helpers and students.    We had a great year!

Our Memorial Day Weekend 2014

This weekend was one for the books.   Friday evening we kicked off the unofficial start to summer with our favorite neighbors.  We ate and played and laughed even started planning a group trip to the beach for next summer.  It was such a wonderful way to end what was a slightly annoying week for a few of us. 

On Saturday morning McKenna and I headed to a local nursery to purchase aw more plants and flowers.   She has been asking me for months to make another fairy garden.  She was response for choosing the plants.  

I thought that planting it would be a joint effort but before I knew it she had it completed. 

The fairies are hard to see but aren't they supposed to be?

Memorial Day weekend is usually the opening of bounce house season.  Let me just tell you that we sure have gotten our money's worth out of the bounce house.   The kids and their friends played in it for nearly 6 hours both Saturday and Sunday. 

Saturday evening we went to the Brouse's annual pig roast.  It's always a good time and the kids very much look forward to it.  Unfortunately, shortlu after we arrived there was a thunderstorm that they were not happy to wait out in a field under a tent.  We were left standing in puddles but were able to ultimately manage a couple of s'mores before heading home!

Of course we can't have a weekend without something odd.  Saturday night Kinley began coughing and wheezing.  I was up the majority of the night with her in bed with me so I could stay on top of her respiratory status.  A few times I thought, "if she's like this another hour we will go to the ED."  But, alas, we managed through the night.    A little albuterol and a hefty dose of allergy medicine later we were off to church and no one would have known we had any trouble!

Today we met up with our neighbors (are you seeing the pattern here) and went to the pool.    The water was COLD but the kids didn't seem to mind much.  The sun was so hot today and after the long winter it felt so good!

Last night I exchanged a few texts with my brother, Shane, and mentioned that I hadn't seen him in awhile.  Not even 12 hours later he was calling about getting togethet for dinner.  Before I knew it, our whole family was getting together - minus poor gram who didn't feel well today. 

It was a perfect ending to a wonderful weekend of friends, fun and family.  

Cooper Conquers Field Day 2014

Friday was Cooper's very first field day.  Aside from being annoyed with me over the fact that he will never share a field day with one of his siblings,  he was beyond excited.    It has been a huge struggle in recent weeks to get Cooper moving in the mornings.  Not Friday.  He was up and ready to go before I was.  It was a welcome change.  Laura, Jessica and I put the kids on the bus at 8am, prepped a little for our traditional post field day picnic and then headed to the school to serve as parent coaches.   

 We lucked out and had a beautiful and I mean beautiful day!  Not too hot, not too cool, gorgeous sunshine.    We were also lucky in that our group started the day with field events meaning the fifty kids we were responsible for were tired out by 1030!

 Cooper enjoyed the water races the most.   It was boys against girls and the boys won this one.

 The fifty yard dash was also a popular event with Cooper.

 But the long jump...not so much! 

It's hard to believe that his first field day is already in the books.   It's such a fun day and a great way for us to spend time together.  Love you, Buddy!  Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

What Became of the Binky and Other Ramblings

In the hustle and bustle that has been our life lately I have not reported on what became of the binky.  I am happy to say that we are now a binky free family.    Kinley asked for it for about two days, mostly just at bedtime.   Since then she has not mentioned it except to tell others that the Binky Fairy came and took her binky and left her gummy snacks in return.   Yes, sadly, gummy snacks are a rarity big deal around here.  But, hey, whatever it takes.    We have had a few bumps in the road in the form of Kinley waking up about once a night, giving up her daytime naps most days and wanting me to rock her at night on occasion.   Bedtime is also a little more drawn out than it used to be.  I'll admit that life was a little easier when I could hand her a bink, cover her with a blanket and call it a night.   When looking at the big picture I'm happy to suffer through those things, though rocking her isn't really a drawback for me.
And so, here we are with one last thing standing between me and a baby free household - diapers!  Kinley has been slow to catch on to being able to take her clothes off.   In the past, I've found this helpful when learning to pee on the potty and being successful at consistently peeing on the potty.  Some may disagree, but I prefer to have all the pieces in place before tackling this rite of passage.   The past few weeks have been especially busy for us but hope is on the horizon.   Then I plan to jump full force into potty training.
In the past I have been sad as these little "baby" things begin to fade one by one.  But lately I am seeing things differently.  I can glimpse the big picture.  I can see us taking off on the spur of the moment without thinking of diaper bags and snacks and supplies.  I even just bought myself a brand.new.purse.  I honestly haven't had a nice purse in years!  Sad, but so true.
So here we are on the cusp of summer with lots of fun things dangling in front of us.  I'm excited.  I can't wait to see what the next few months hold.

Fly Guy and Fragile

The calendar says that the end of the school year is rapidly approaching. MY calendar, however, has been very full of end of year activities.  

One of the traditions at our elementary school is character day.  The kids are asked to dress as a favorite character from a book.  Parents are invited to attend a parade in the afternoon.  Cooper loves the Fly Guy series and so I was challenged to come up with a fly costume.  

This picture doesn't do a great job of highlighting the detail but you get the general idea.   Kinley and I had a fun time at the parade where she readily identified all the characters from Harry Potter and Minecraft!

When McKenna left the elementary school we were slightly bummed that her character days were over.  The girl loves her books and her characters. Little did we know that in fourth grade there is a vocabulary parade.  Sounds pretty hokey but it turned out to be fun. Each kid had to pick a vocabulary word and then make a costume to portray their word.  McKenna picked the word "fragile".

Agajn, not a great picture but you can see we put her in a box filled with bubble wrap.  The thing on her head is supposed to be a glass bowl.  It was fun to see the costumes the kids came up with and the parents helped create.   As one teacher said, "we have some really creative parents in fourth grade this year."

I'll admit to being happy to NOT be crafting any costumes this past weekend. I have 2 field days, a field trip and an authors tea standing between me and summer.   By then we will ALL need a vacation!

Mother's Day 2014

So many people have asked if I had a nice Mother's Day.  The answer is a very emphatic YES.

The kids  gifted me with several potted plants made and grown at school.  Then on Sunday I received a bangle bracelet that McKenna had made.  Cooper had made a necklace with a finger print charm.

After attending church, we grabbed some lunch and headed over to see my mom.  Cooper took our picture so it's a little blurry.  Mimi enjoyed taking the kids down to the pond to feed the fish.  What a new, fun activity we have to do when we visit now!

Kinley has been asking to go see "Pappy's Fire Trucks" for weeks.  I have no idea where this notion originated but we made it to the fire station (since it's right behind Mimi and Pappy's) after feeding the fish.   Kinley was thrilled to climb around in the cab of the fire engine but she was REALLY excited when Pappy offered to take everyone for a short ride.

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Once we were back home we entertained ourselves with a water balloon fight and time spent playing soccer, swinging and decorating the driveway with chalk!

I'll admit to being very tired by the end of the day.   But how very blessed am I that these beautiful children call me their mom and that I could spend such a wonderful day celebrating my mom.

Can't Forget Cooper!

Last, but certainly not least this week, I spent the day with Cooper and his class at RB Winter State Park.  

We heard a wonderful presentation about all kinds of animals, birds, insects and fish.   We even had the opportunity to observe some frog eggs and touch a salamander and a turtle.  

Later in the morning we took a nature hike and then explored the nature center.  We always play a silly game when we see a dead skunk on the side of the road.  Cooper said "he ate it" today.  

We enjoyed lunch, except that it was a little chilly under the pavillion.  Soon we headed to the beach area where we played on the playground and in the 

sand.  

We ended the day with a little Sweet Frog.  There's frozen yogurt under there, I promise!

All in all, a great day to end the string of mommy-kid days.   Phew, I'm getting tired though!  

Girls Day #2

Yesterday was about time with McKenna.  But today was all about Kinley!

How beautiful was the weather today?  We made quick work of the laundry and breakfast dishes and made a mad break for the playground this morning. 

It's fun to watch how Kinley has grown in terms of gross motor skills.  She runs and jumps and climbs and giggles and rarely looks back.  

Imagine my complete surprise when she scaled this rock structure and promptly sat down on the top. One more thing she is learning at daycare!

We joined some friends in blowing bubbles and decorating the sidewalks with chalk.  

It's not a trip to the park without stopping to feed the ducks.  

I snapped this picture because we spent a very long time mastering this ladder.   Kinley definitely displayed a whole new level of determination today.   And even after falling from it more than once, she continued to climb it over and over.  It gives me hope that her strong will may serve her well!

As if we didn't have ebough fun at the playground, we spent some time running in the yard back at home.  We took our shoes off and felt the grass between our toes for the first time since the fall.    It was glorious! 

Tonight my spunky, fun loving girl proclaimed that the playground was her favorite part of today.  Then she rolled over and promptly fell asleep.  No rocking,  no binky.   I call that a good day!