an egg update . . .

okay, sooooo cool! ken, kam, and i were eating lunch and saw mck's chicken walking around the coop in the middle of the day! the chickens usually leave for the day and come back in the evening . . . the kids say they go on a "daily adventure"! kam's chicken ("cupcake sprinkle pants" . . . remember she's 3!) has been hanging out by the house everyday all day long since she started laying eggs . . . so we thought maybe mck's chicken ("fancy") was too! fancy was nesting when we checked on her . . . and when we came to check in the afternoon we had TWO adorable eggs! :) how fun! :) the kids expressions when they see the eggs are priceless! they think it is so cool! they take turns "gathering" them each day! :) now if i can only get them to eat them in things other than cupcakes and pancakes! :)

my little gymnasts

ken and mck started gymnastics and LOVE it. they are sad that it's only one day/week! :) it is a lot of work and a lot of paying attention, but they love that too! :) they both seem to be doing really well! :) and the best part for me is . . . it's late enough that i don't have to bring the little kids with me most of the time . . . and the classes start 15 minutes apart . . . so we aren't there all evening . . . AND i get to watch them both at the same time! :) so fun! :)

ken's first project

so this is ken's first second grade project! :) i kind of forgot to take a picture at home so this was taken in the van, on the way to school, at a stop light! :) she did such a good job and did almost everything with no help . . . not that she ever wanted help before, but i felt the need to "hover" . . . i kept reminding her to be neat and take her time . . . she did great! :) so proud of my little ken! :)

kam's meet the teacher day!

sweet kam went to pre-school to meet her teachers this morning . . . she really was excited . . . just not into smiling today! :) she did so well . . . actually talking to them and telling her name. she instantly felt at home . . . so did b.c.! neither of them wanted to leave . . . there was a cool rice pit to dig in, paint, play dough, dress up, kitchen . . . everything the kids love to play with! :) it is going to be a great day for kam each week . . . and a good transition for both of us! :) i cannot wait to see how well she does! :) she can't wait to "be big and go to school like my sisters . . . but i am still a baby!" :) love that girl!

an afternoon at mc d's!

the third day of school was wearing us out . . . we needed an ice cream and playtime to perk us all up! :) the kids would have played in the hot mc d's playscape forever if i had let them . . . crazy! :) gosh, i love these kids! soooo cute . . . and they all wanted to match today! :) ha! :) not sure how long that'll last, but if i have the chance, oh yes! we can all dress in blue! :)

and we have . . . AN EGG!

omg! we were all soooooo excited this afternoon to find . . . our very first egg! :) it is so darn cute! little and brown and speckled! :) maybe those crazy chickens are finally paying off! we think it's kam's chicken that laid the egg, since she is hanging around the house and acting different! :) hopefully we'll have more eggs to come! :) although, it's kind of funny now that the girls don't like eggs, i don't eat eggs, and bailey can't eat too many eggs . . . we may have lots of eggs to give away! :)

back to school!

from start to finish today was a perfect day! the girls woke up happy and so ready to go back to school! they got dressed, ate breakfast, and opened their gifts from "the backpack fairies"! we even left the house all dressed at 7! we got to school early and had a chance to take pictures and walk around the school and not rush things. we left after lots of hugs and headed home. kam and b.c. were excited to be the only kids . . . and although i wasn't expecting it, i kind of enjoyed the day too. it was quiet . . . and with only one kid that talks, things were quiet and no one argued with me!

i was thinking about the girls all day long . . . and worrying about mck! the day seemed to move really slowly! kam and i made "happy first day of school" cupcakes and played a lot together . . . b.c enjoyed climbing all over me and crashing trucks! the babies took good naps and i was able to get a little bit done around the house. then we packed up and headed to pick the girls up!

the school was a ZOO! it was crazy and SOOOOOO HOT! but the kids were happy when we saw them and had great things to say about their day! we went for ice cream at dq with g and r . . . a tradition now! and then came home to play! kam and b.c. were in bed and asleep by 8:05! mck was asleep by 8:35. . . and ken is so excited about tomorrow that it's 9:20 and she still can't sleep!

hope this is the first of many great days this year!

fabulous first days!

our kinder kid!

mck had a wonderful day! she even woke up sort of happy! :) she looked adorable in the outfit she and ken picked together . . . and the braids were just icing on the cake! she was so brave and did so well! she squeezed my hand all the way to her classroom, hung up her bag and took out her lunchbox and then settled down on the floor with a friend to look at a book! no tears, no whining, just a hug and a kiss and she was okay! i was worried about her all day long . . . when i picked her up she had nothing but good things to say! she had a great day! she even got a really sweet note from her teacher saying that she did a great job! wow! :) go mck! :) she is ready for day two tomorrow! :) sure do miss my mck!

our second grader . . .

ken was sooooo ready for today! what can i say? she is a nerd like her mom and was anxious to get back to learning! she was thrilled to see friends too! she was sooooo excited and was anxious for me to leave her classroom and let her get started on her day! she was already chatting with friends when i left! she looked too cute . . . but too grown up! she went through every detail of her day . . . and everything that everyone said . . . and every friend she did or did not see! :) she can't wait for tomorrow! another successful first day!

fun in the mail . . . a treat for everyone!

the girls were thrilled when they got the mail in the morning and received invitations to a movie night with ms. b.! the invitation specifically said "no moms", so i was kind of excited too! :) all four kids got to go to ms. b's for an evening of playing, pizza, popcorn, and a movie while bailey and i enjoyed dinner (yes, a real night out!) and did some last minute back-to-school shopping for the kids. we actually got to have some conversations without interruptions and ate our own food! :) what a great treat for all 6 of us! the kids had a wonderful evening and were worn out when we got home! :) thanks ms. b. for a wonderful treat! :)

rockin' river!

the last of our summer "to-do's" . . . a trip to the rockin' river. had to put it off because i knew i couldn't handle all four by myself . . . glad i waited. the kids had so much fun . . . .but were going in four different directions! it was great. ken was tall enough for the slide. mck loved the lazy river (even though there were only like 4 floats . . .). kam loved the play scape. and b.c. was in love with the frog pool or just splashing in the water! what an awesome last "hurrah" before we start school!

a lemonade stand!

the girls did a great job with the lemonade stand and were preparing for two days . . they had signs and went door-to door to get customers! :) they made a whopping $6! kam was eager to follow her big sisters around, while b.c. preferred to eat the blueberries we had made as garnish for the lemonade! the girls would have sat out there all night if i had let them. it was hot. really hot. and they weren't drinking the lemonade! they are crazy! :) they put all their money in our disney funds! :)

a night at the circus!

what fun! we rushed from meeting the kids' teachers and headed straight for the circus. the kids didn't know until we pulled into the parking area! they were thrilled! so much fun! they sat open-mouthed through the entire 2 1/2 hour performance . . . okay, the girls did, b.c. needs another couple of years before he'll do that. the girls were amazed by everything! b.c. was entertained for about the first ten minutes then he preferred to walk around and look at things and make friends! :) of course, we did the circus in true "ghetto" style and packed snacks and treats for the kids . . . i am proud to say we made it through the "bag check" and only lost one bag of popcorn . . . guess i need to do a better job of concealing all the food next time! :) favorite parts . . . ken loved the acrobats and the animals, mck loved the animals and the dancing, and kam loved the elephants and the tigers . . . and the "baby puppies"! can't wait to hit the big top again in two years . . . maybe bailey and i will actually get to enjoy the show then! :)

meet the teacher night

so, i meant to take pictures, but trying to keep up with all the kids, and get supplies where they were supposed to go, and trying not to look too scatter-brained . . . i totally forgot! :) the girls had a great evening meeting their teachers!
ken felt really comfortable in her new classroom with mrs. l. i think she is in for a great year! she put up all of her supplies and took a look around the room and seems really happy. she is excited to get back to learning! :)
mck was so sweet and soooo quiet. it's hard to tell what she's thinking. her teacher talked to her for a minute and then we put up the supplies that she brought. we looked around the room and talked about how so much of the stuff is the same things they had at kk . . . so it will be familiar. she knows a little girl in her class, so that will help too! we even got a couple of smiles out of her!
in the car ken went through her goody bag and loved her treasures. mck had a bag of goodies to make it through kinder . . . she thought it was cool that there was "a real penny"! :) can't believe we'll have two babies in school . . . they are growing up too fast! can't wait to see what amazing things they learn this year and how much they grow! :)
after meeting the teachers . . . it was off to a surprise trip to the circus! :)

kam gets "sparkly ears"

yep, our little kam now has "sparkly ears"! :) we told her she could do it for her b-day and then just put it off . . . soooooo, we were at the mall shopping, claire's had two girls working, and she was ready! we kept telling her it would hurt, that she might cry for a minute, but that it would all be over quickly like a shot and she would have fancy ears . . . little kam didn't flinch. she didn't turn red. she didn't get teary eyed. she just sat there. and then smiled when they held up the mirror to show her. holy crow. that girl is awesome! :) too cute! then she danced around with her lollipop! :)

ken the fashion designer

ken was so proud of this shirt . . . she planned it all out! it turned out pretty good! (from a kit she got for christmas!) she was so proud to wear it! :) too cute! it was a fun project for the two of us to work on while the little kids were napping and mck was at a friends! :)

mck's first sleepover!

mck had her bff c over for a sleepover. the girls had so much fun . . . play, p.j.'s, popcorn and candy, 101 dalmations, lots of chit chat, and pancakes in the morning! what a fun time! can't believe we are already at that stage . . . but oh, it's so fun! :)

one last splash day

we're crossing off the last of our summer "to-do" list . . . soooo, another splash day! uhhh. it is hot. splash days are fun for the kids, but i am not crazy enough to brave the slip and slide or sit in the baby pool, so it's hot for me! :) they love it so much! it's crazy. the water gets so gross. their hands are covered with grass. they are hot and sweaty. their toys get dirty. this time we didn't even have a big pool for the girls . . . so they all piled in the baby pool with b.c.! too funny! i am going to miss these summer days!

bouncing babes!

the kids had so much fun bouncing today! the girls ran around with their friends and b.c. walked around like he owned the place . . . he bounced and played so much that he fell asleep while i was holding him before the girls were ready to leave! we will head back here again soon! nothing like watching the kids have good fun being crazy! sooooo worth the money when you get to come home to a clean house with 4 worn out kids! :)

another birthday celebration for b.c.!

we had a great weekend in houston . . . mostly hanging out in the pool . . . that's the most relaxation we've had in a long time . . . although how relaxing can it be watching four kiddos in the pool? :) we had so much fun swimming, playing with water guns, laying on floats, watching the girls jump off the rock, getting ice cream from the ice cream man (a first for the bailey girls!), and of course celebrating b.c.'s birthday with the family! :)


the cake was ADORABLE . . . aunt sarah did a great job ordering something super special for b.c.! and they even sent along a little #1 cake just for him! :) he enjoyed almost the whole thing . . . then went for a much needed bath! :)

oh my goodness. so hard to believe he is really one. have i mentioned how much i am in love with this little guy? he is seriously soooooo much boy and drives me soooooo crazy most days! he is such a mommy's boy . . . but i cannot imagine it any other way! i love his smile, his giggle, his crazy dance moves, and the way he manages to escape when i look away for two seconds . . . (okay, dont' really love that part, but i am learning to deal with it!) :) he takes the most adorable pictures because he is a giant ham! :) here are some of the cute pics daddy took this weekend . . . he's got to be the cutest little guy ever! :)

a trip to a farm and chuck e. cheese!

we visited a little farm with just a handful of animals . . . it was great! the kids loved feeding them carrots! they did storytime and a craft and played with fun little activites . . . and the best part was it was FREE! and we finished with a picnic lunch! we can't wait to head back in the fall!

after everyone took a little rest we met our bff's at chuck e. cheese for pizza and play! the girls were in heaven! b.c. was a little overwhelmed at first . . . but after he took it all in he was ready to explore and had a blast on the rides! he knew he needed a coin to make it go and wasn't afraid to grab one! the kids devoured their pizza and played until the coins were gone! what a great summer treat! :)

making it to the top!

b.c. was able to climb to the top of the chick fil a playscape! he was BEAMING with pride! sooooo excited! the girls loved taking turns bringing him down the slide! the fun is just beginning!

austin bats

we took a trip to see the austin bats with the m family! what fun! the kids had a great time running around and checking out the scene. the bats were flying pretty late because they have just had their babies. . . and closer to the water than we were sitting . . . but they got a kick out of them flying over their heads! :) we can't wait to take another trip and head out on the water!