Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Last Day

The kids had their last day of school last week and I made them take their obligatory last day photos. So far, they still enjoy doing it. I'm wondering when I will have to resort to bribery and when I will capture my first O-M-G-Mom-will-you-stop-with-the-picture-taking eye roll. My bets for the eye rolling are on age nine.

Peyton on the first and last days of this year:










































She definitely looks older to me. And there's something different about her face, specifically her forehead ... hmmmmmm.

Adah on the first and last days:










































She's always such a ham in these pictures. I had to cut out the ones where she was sticking her belly out so it would "look like a baby was in there." That hair keeps growing too and I'm still scared to cut it. I just get 80's bad perm images running through my mind when I think about it. I'm also afraid a lot of the curl will be gone if I cut it too.

Sam on the first and last days:










































Sam may be the winner this year when it comes to who looks like they've grown up the most. He's a bona fide big kid now. And I can't get enough of those freckles that are starting to appear on his nose and cheeks. I'm thinking there will be a lot more sprinkled across there once summer comes to an end.

Luke on the first and last days:










































Looking at Luke's pictures, I think it may be a toss up between he and Sam for who has grown and aged the most. He is all little boy now without a hint of baby anymore (except for some epic tantrums ... man can he throw one).

So what do you think? Who looks like they've grown the most in the past year?

(Luke says, "I think it's me. I'm thiiiiiiiiiiis big now!")

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Picture of the Week - May 26

Sweetness meets toughness, revealed in matching scars ...

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Celebrations, Endings, and Beginnings

Over this past month we have had activities and events that signal an end to the year. There are always a lot of mixed emotions for me come May because so many things are going on with our family. For starters, Mother's Day and Matt and my anniversary are in May. Both always prove to be pretty sentimental holidays in my book (see why HERE) and this year they were only separated by three days. Someone pass me a tissue!

In addition to those holidays, I also got to share Mother's Day this year with Luke! Our little spitfire finally turned 4 years old (he's been 3 and a half FOREVER in his eyes) and we had a week long celebration that started with a homemade cake on Sunday ...






















And ended with his party at the park on Friday. Matt was kind enough to lug our basketball hoop to the park (Luke's only request) and by the end of the day we had some very hot and sweaty kids on our hands! It was a fun day for him and a nice time to be able to celebrate with his sweet friends from preschool.





















May also brought lots of endings to our family. Sam finished up his soccer season with his undefeated team (they don't keep score, but I did) and found out that several members of his team will be attending the same elementary school as him next year. The girls finished their ballet classes and got to have their first shot at dancing on the stage. It was a rousing success and they are already excited for the fall classes to begin.






















We also got to celebrate the end of Peyton, Sam, and Adah's time at their preschool. They've been at this school for three years and have loved every minute of their time there. They have had the best teachers, made great friends, and been prepared to step into the big world of kindergarten next year. I am not ready for them to go, but at least we have one more year there as Luke moves upstairs to the big kids' classrooms in the fall.





















As always, all of these celebrations and endings mark the start of new beginnings and adventures. Elementary school, sports teams, loose teeth and many other milestones are looming in our future. I'm thankful for the buffer that summer provides to all of these new things. We get to spend a few months swimming, going to camp, jumping in the waves, visiting the Mouse, and just having fun before all of the newness begins. Those big kid days are just around the corner, but I'm going to soak up summer this year and make sure September doesn't come too quickly!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Picture of the Week - May 19

He had to wait an extra five days after his real birthday, but party day finally arrived!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

9


This.


 One of the many reasons I love him.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Picture of the Week - May 12

Happy Birthday to the youngest man in my life! I can't believe you're 4 years old today!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

This weekend was pretty laid back for us. The girls had dance, we ran a few errands, and we got to relax at the house. Sunday was church and more relaxing. I guess I should have expected something to break the peace eventually. With four kids, it is never quiet for long.

Sunday evening the kids were playing in the playroom. We heard some shouting and then Peyton rounds the corner holding her head with blood running down her face and all over her dress. I think every parent has thought about what they would do in situations like these and I don't think you really know what you will do until it actually happens. Luckily, neither Matt or I fainted and we managed to fumble for some paper towels to try and squelch the bleeding. Amazingly, she wasn't crying at all, she was just upset over all the blood.

As Matt tended to Peyton's head, I tried to tend to all the blood. OF COURSE the playroom is located around the corner and all the way down the hall from the kitchen. We managed to clean up most of the blood, but I won't be surprised if we keep finding droplets everywhere for the next few weeks!

After I cleaned up a bit, I checked on Matt and Peyton and Matt had decided that we would definitely need to make a visit to the ER. Peyton and I headed off to the ER while Matt and the rest of the kids stayed home.

Fortunately, Sunday night was slow at our ER. We're lucky that we live in a city with a teaching hospital and they have a specialized ER just for kids. It was great and they actually called our name to go back while we were still in the process of checking in! They took us back to our room and got Peyton all outfitted in her gown.





















Now, I'm not an ER novice having logged a few hours there myself as a child and teenager. Who knew that the entire ER experience could transform from a place of fear and trepidation into a four star resort in less than 20 years? Upon entering Peyton's spacious suite, she was handed a remote control so she could watch whatever she wanted on TV while she waited (I'm thinking of petitioning our pediatrician's office for this lovely distraction). We had to wait about 20 minutes for the numbing cream to take effect (no more Lidocaine shots to the forehead here!), but that passed quickly with Bubble Guppies in the background.

Finally, the dreaded doctor arrived ... except he was really nice and was noticeably younger than me. He even had a trendy first name to betray his definitely-born-in-the-80's-ness. I was prepared for some screaming or crying, but those fears quickly disappeared when a nice girl entered the room and did this for the duration of the stitching process ...





















Yes, she held an iPad up for Peyton to play with for the entire time she was getting stitched up. She must have arms of steel. The iPad is a luxury for our kids (they don't get to play with it often), so unrestricted access to one was a dream come true. Peyton actually complained when they were finished because she hadn't had a chance to finish her game.

All of it was so easy and effortless, I could hardly believe that it was over. They left us to get some paperwork and said they'd come back in just a minute and asked, "Would she like a prize for being so good?" Of course she nodded and I though how nice that was of them. Maybe they'd bring her some stickers or a lollipop. So when they waltzed in five minutes later with a Barbie, my jaw hit the floor. What?!? What kind of ER was this? No waiting, no shots, TV, iPads, free Barbies?? Where is the funding for this place coming from? I kind of want to make a trip to the adult ER to see if they're giving away free massage gift certificates or Krisy Kreme donuts in their department.

So we made it back home in under 2 hours from actual head-splitting incident to head being repaired. The girl didn't even have any Tylenol or anything and has never complained once about it hurting. She's one tough cookie if you ask me. Or maybe Barbie just makes everything better!





















(She asked me after they'd given her the Barbie how they knew to give her a dancer Barbie since she, herself is a dancer? She was amazed at their perceptive abilities).

So now we have two girls with head lacerations in the past year. I know they're sisters and all, but I'm going to have to put an end to this need to match in everything.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Phone Photo Dump

We've been busy this week, but here's a bit of what we've been up to ...

Pretending ...





















Keeping nightly traditions ...





















Visiting mom and dad's old stomping grounds ...





















Dreaming BIG ...





















Getting ready for a summer at the pool ...





















And loving our last few weeks of preschool.





















I hope everyone has had a great week!