Happy Birthday to my 6 year old!!

Can you believe it!?! I can't really. Today is her birthday, but she chose to have her party in UT with her "other" cousins. We went to Hill Air Museum early in the day, then we went to dinner at Chiles (her choice), and we went to see Despicable Me. Grandma and Grandpa, Manda and Terron and their kids, and the kids and I all went to dinner and movie. We met back up with Aaron and his family at Grandma's house for ice cream cake and presents.

The Air Force Museum was fun (and free!). The kids thought all of the manikins in uniforms were cool, A had like 20 favorites. They have two huge rooms full of planes, choppers and bombs and things, then the huge yard with more planes. The kids got to go into the back of one of them. I turned my back on I for a second (bad idea, I should know by now) and he was on the other side of the rope pushing all the buttons on one of the cockpit sections they had sitting there. This lady was standing there telling her kid that he couldn't cross the rope, and it doesn't matter what that kid was doing....then it hit me..."where's my toddler?" Fun stuff. Anyway, Jake found the whole thing absolutely fascinating. They even had this kids room there where kids could play simulators and dress up and get into a cockpit and play. It was a pretty fun time and after all of the walking the kids were ready for a good nap before the big night ahead.

Dressed in her birthday shirt we were off...Chiles is always good and we all loved the movie, it's really funny with a cute message. J giggled for a solid 90 minutes while he watched the minions fight and be silly, then he got up at the end and started shaking his stuff in the aisle. A picked a chocolate mint ice cream cake (which we drove 20 miles for the night before) and she is incredibly spoiled...as usual. I had brought a box of clothes and shoes with us to give to her and we got her other presents while we were out there. I should have gotten wrapping paper. I don't just carry spare wrapping paper in my van and with my parents move their supply was sad. It was slightly amusing that her gifts were all wrapped in wedding and Christmas bags that I could scrounge up at Grandmas. We are so glad to have had a wonderful time with our excellent relatives. She was so excited that Cousin Lin and the other Loves would be at her party.

A is such an amazing girl. She is now loving school and her teacher. I brought the birthday treat into her class yesterday and she thought that was pretty fun. She insisted on searching the school grounds after the bell for a "teacher" that she promised an ice cream sandwich to. It took us a while considering she doesn't know this teacher's name or where in the school she worked. We finally found the "teacher" who turned out to be the counselor in the office. A is getting bigger every day and I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this concept. I love her so much and while it's so fun to see her grow and learn new things, I really wish she would stay little and (mostly) innocent forever.

PS Thank you to my wonderful MIL. Grandma Kathi came up today to take A out for the afternoon. She was so excited for her surprise and had such a great time. G-ma asked A what she wanted for lunch and she promptly replied, "Chinese". She's a funny girl. They went to lunch and a movie and I know that it made A's day so special. Thanks again Kathi!!

It's been a while...

It's been a while since I have slept in my own bed, taken my dog out to do her business, cooked an actual meal in a kitchen (much less my own kitchen), dusted my living room and it's been a while since I have posted anything. All this is because we just got back from a month-long, multi-state road trip. The kids and I left for UT on July 16th and boy did we stay busy. We did so many different things out there...and then did even more when John joined us out there August 5th.

I will be posting pictures and accompanying stories but today the big news is that we have a first grader in our home!! We drove into town just in time to make it to A's school for their sneek peak on Monday evening. We dropped off  her supplies and met her teacher and saw her classroom. She even picked a desk (at the very front of the class). That night we got things together for her big day, her daddy gave her a blessing and she picked out her "first day" outfit. Then she cried. My poor little princess was very distraught. At first (when she is supposed to be in bed asleep, of course) she was just complaining that she was scared...we tried to calm her fears and reassure her and then sent her back to bed. Later, we heard her crying upstairs. I know that she was definitely hamming it up a bit...no doubt...but I do feel for the poor thing. If you count her preschools, she has been to four different schools...making this one the fifth. She was scared that she wouldn't know anyone-again, that she would have to make new friends-again, and that it was a new place all together-again. Who could blame a five year old for being upset about that? OH, how our hearts were aching for her. She calmed down and finally fell asleep.

Her first day of first grade...the alarm didn't go off. She was sleepy considering her late night. I apparently sprayed hair spray on her pancakes and she didn't finish them. She wouldn't stay put at the classroom when I walked her in to drop her off and cried when they got up to go into the classroom. She didn't sit at the desk she picked out the night before...she sat in the corner ( I am not sure why that is). Let's just say that it wasn't  the best of mornings for her, she did look awfully cute though...

Despite her terrible morning...you'll be happy to know, she was all smiles when Jake and I went to pick her up. She said she had a "really fun" day. She likes her teacher and her classmates. Best of all...no tears this morning!!

When I was little my mother made my sisters and I some night gowns out of some of my dad's dress shirts. Given John's career, we have an abundance of dress shirts around here and I decided to make my princess a few dress-shirt night gowns of her own...

Please don't mind that they aren't ironed yet, I was excited okay.

Oh, and here are some pictures of my cute home.

You will notice that the porch railings are MIA. Well, it's kind of a funny story that ends with John falling off the porch onto me. Literally...I broke his fall. I am such a good wife. Anyway, the whole porch is in desperate need of a remodel and that's one of the many projects lined up for next summer.

Part of my kitchen.

The window seat in the dining room that I will one day make adorable drapes and pillows for.

This is the chandelier in the dining. I love love love it. (Not a good picture of it though)

And the built-in in the dining.

The built-in, the arched doorways, the window seat, the original floors and windows, the fireplace...I love the charm of my house. I just wish we had the money to really do what I wanted to do to it and transform it from cute and charming to simply perfect. Ah well...in all honesty it is perfect...to me anyway.

Lightning McQueen

This is Lightning....the cat. Not two weeks after we moved, we were given a kitten. A friend of a friend's barn cat had kittens and we got one. I think that it is actually a female cat but Lightning it is. I feel a little bad for this animal. Very often I look over and the two year old has the cat by 'his' head and is trying to stuff him in the potato bin. I am actually very impressed with the kitty though...he doesn't scratch. He just kind of takes it and waits for Isaac to put him down so he can make a run for it.

BTW this is my handsome little man and his goofy grin in his specks

The 4th

The 4th of July is a big event around here. John's side of the family can no longer contain the urge to set things on fire and blow them up....so it's the perfect holiday really. Every year my mother-in-law has a BBQ and a fireworks show. The party started about 4 or 5 years ago when John and I lived in KS the last time. Kathi (MIL) invited us and the rest of the fam over for a BBQ and a fireworks show. A few friends were also in attendance. She counted Saturday night and there were almost 200 people there!! That isn't even as big as it was last year I guess. Anyway, the kids looked adorable in their home-made 4th of July apparel...

A even rocked a star...

and stripes in her 'do.

We stopped at a stand to get some small firecrackers for the kids...and John...

Then on to Grandma's with the cute cousins....

Fun friends and bouncy castles....

After the food, it was time for the firecrackers....

And of course, someone had to get shot with one...

It's just good that it was not A getting shot by her own mother with a fairly dangerous firework. She still hasn't forgotten that!! (Turns out Roman Candles aren't that dangerous after all) 

After the kids had some fun and darkness fell....the real show started. It was pretty awesome. I didn't get any pictures because John had to help light things on fire, of course, and I was the pillow for the four kids on our blanket. They all watched and enjoyed, E even fell asleep. We also had a wonderful surprise from some of John's extended family. A couple Aunts and a cousin came in for the party to surprise Kathi....and us apparently. We didn't know they had made the 16 hour drive until we were almost to Manhattan that night!! It was great to see them and BTW thanks for the wonderful gifts!!

With A and J getting bigger (sad but true), I decided they were old enough for chores. So I made a chore chart. I think it turned out pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself. I am surprised at how much they don't mind doing chores. It's still fun to help out I guess and they like that they can help do the little boys' chores too. I am just crossing my fingers that the wonderful attitudes on chores can last a little bit.

Summer is here...

Nothing says summer like swimming lessons....

A and J had a great time at their lessons. They were both signed up for level one given niether had had swimming lessons before. After the first day, A was moved to level 2...she was very proud of herself. A can now swim and was thrilled to be able to jump off the diving board all by herself. J was just happy to get in the water and practice front floats and back floats.

Weddings are also commonplace in the summer. John's lifelong friend got married on June 12 (it's a good month for a wedding!). What is not so common is that Abbi lost her first tooth later that day at the reception!!

And, of course, summer wouldn't be summer without lounging in lawn chairs around the disgustingly murky baby pool!!