ken's first sleepover!

yep, our baby is growing up! :) as a treat for her birthday (because we do a trip instead of a party!) ken got to have her friend g spend the night! what a fun evening they had! they played, ate pizza and soda, and acted goofy! :) then they dressed in their p.j.'s and robes and we headed to the movies . . . after a quick stop to pick up some goodies! they saw princess and the frog (OOOH! love that movie!). we headed home and they snuggled up to watch a hannah movie and talk . . . they were out by midnight! :) and up around 6:30!!!! they had fun doing a craft and having a yummy breakfast! :) what a fun first sleepover! ken said several times "thanks so much mom!" sooooo worth it! :) is it possible that my baby turns 7 tomorrow? 7 years? how did it go by so fast?

perfect weather for a park day!

kam, b.c., and i had a wonderful morning at the park. the weather was perfect . . . the park was perfect . . . we even had a perfect picnic! kam is so much fun at the park, becoming more and more adventurous each time! :) b.c. is following in her footsteps and now wants to get down instead of being carried around . . . of course he only wants to get down so he can eat the mulch . . . but he keeps things exciting! :)

b.c. has never had juice . . . he found kam's juice box on the blanket, tipped it over, and starting lapping it off the blanket like a dog! he had his face pressed into it! :) so funny! :) kam loved that she got to pack her lunch in a lunch box . . . like a big kid! :) ohhhhh! this spring/summer will be sooooo much fun! :)

western day!

okay . . . mck looked too cute not to snap a picture of her dressed up for western day! she loved dressing the part of a cowgirl . . . okay, her version of a cowgirl . . . complete with my hat, tights and a skirt! sooooo cute! :) she had so much fun at school today! :) roping, shooting, and playing the part!

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (REAL snow!

it was truly a winter wonderland today! :) we got more than 3 inches of beautiful white powder! it snowed almost all day . . . most of it giant clumps falling from the sky! :) crazy enough . . . there were no cancellations. so, we made our own. . . we kept mck home and picked ken up at 10! :)

it was great. we played until we were wet and cold, came in, threw our stuff in the dryer, and warmed up, then repeated it all again! :) we made snowmen, made snow angels, threw snowballs, ate snow (yep, i made them all try some - they looked at me like i was crazy and then LOVED it!) they were each sooooo different in the snow. b.c. just wondered what the heck had happened and why everything was bright white . . . kam loved it for about 5 minutes, then was miserable and snotty and wanted to be held or come inside . . . mck really loved it until she was soaked and couldn't get warm then called it quits! i think one of her favorite parts may have been walking around in her panties waiting for her jeans to dry! . . . and ken could have stayed outside all day! she truly wanted to take in every minute and kept telling me "i have to play as much as i can! when do we ever have snow like this?"!

we enjoyed several cups of hot chocolate, made a giant heart shaped brownie with frosting and sprinkles. . . and to top off our day, it was national pancake day! so we had blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes for dinner! my kids LOVE pancakes. every time we make them we intend to have some leftover for the week . . . i made a ton of pancakes . . . here were the totals . . .

bailey - 10 (or maybe 12!)

ken - 9.5 (yes, that is true!)

mck - 7 or 8

me - 5 (and i was STUFFED!)

kam - 3.5

b.c. - 1.5

pretty soon it'll take more than one box of pancake mix to feed this family! i am chalking up the high totals to so much time playing in the snow . . . surely everyone had worked up an appetite, right? :)

and tonight . . . we look forward to our 2 hour delay in the morning! life is good.

president's pie!

the girls and i had lots of fun making "president's pie" with directions from mck! she made this at school and directed us through the whole process! what fun! :) it was a sickening sweet treat (oreos, cherries, and whip cream!) .. . but they gobbled it up! and we had fun squirting whip cream too! :) thanks ms. b for the great idea. . .. next year we'll be more timely and have it on president's day! :)

a wonderful weekend!

wow! everyone was healthy! grammy came to visit and help out (and give me a much needed break!)! the weather was gorgeous! things were looking up! :) the kids had lots of fun playing with grammy and having a movie night while bailey and i got to go to dinner and a movie all by ourselves! a treat for everyone! thanks, mom! :) on sunday it was off to the park for a picnic and family time! it was lots of firsts for b.c.. . first picnic, first cheeto, first time on the slide by himself! the girls had so much fun picking flowers, checking out the water, and eating cupcakes from grammy! :) what a perfect afternoon! what a great weekend! things are looking up for the baileys! :)

i'm seven months today!

oh my sweet little guy! already seven months old! and what a month it has been! you are pulling up on anything you can get your little hands on! you roll everywhere and are starting to get up on all fours! :) everything you pick up goes into your mouth! you are so cute and so beautiful! you are making lots of noises and talking to us!

this past month has been tough . . . you were pretty sick with whooping cough and then just when you were better you came down with a tummy bug that lasted a long time! poor little guy! you are STILL not sleeping through the night . . . i guess the one time you did it was a "false alarm"! your second tooth is still just about to pop through . . . you started trying lots of new foods, but while you were sick you kind of took a break . . . now you're back to trying anything we're eating! you just love food! :)

you love your walker and are so good at running around in it! you love the peek-a-blocks and balls! the girls love playing them with you! the time is going by so fast! you are growing so quickly! please, slow down! we love you sweet guy! :)

where we've been!

we're alive. . . well the kids are . . . i am just barely holding on! :) we have had a rough couple of weeks! b.c. went to the dr. with breathing problems 3 weeks ago and was put on an antibiotic . . . then the called after the weekend and said that he tested positive for whooping cough. so we all had to go on an antibiotic! poor little guy . . . what a giant mess! then b.c. got a tummy bug. unfortunately it decided to begin when we were at ken's school for the valentine/mommy lunch. he threw up ALL OVER me, himself, and the floor. seriously, after 4 kiddos you would think i would have some experience with vomiting in public. i have to say this was a first for me! thank goodness for good friends (thanks s!) who helped clean up the mess while i cleaned up b.c. as best i could, got kam and mck, and headed for the car! the bug didn't end there . . . bailey, mck, kam, and i had it on valentine's day. it was honestly one of the worst days ever . . . everyone was sick except for ken and she was soooo good at helping to entertain while bailey and i cleaned up messes here and there. uuhhh. sooooooo . . . after a long weekend and another week of b.c. being sick . . . we're back. i had a lot of catching up to do!

tub time

b.c. has officially graduated to the big tub! he loves it. he sits and splashes and tries to get whoever is in the tub with him! :) he reaches for every toy and just looks like a happy kid! :) he has even enjoyed laying back and relaxing for a bit! :) can't believe the little guy is changing so fast! :) the girls are cute . . . everyone wants to help with b.c.'s bath . . . kam wants to take a bath with him and ken and mck want to help clean him up or just hang out and watch him play! :) bath time is truly an event at our house these days! :)

sweet babies!

b.c. tried out kam's ariel car! he loved being pushed around the house! :)

kam decided to be "the grumpy old troll" (from dora) and was blocking our way and singing the song! she's the cutest little blue troll ever! :)

switching out our earings! :)

yea! :) today the girls got to take out their piercing studs and try on a new pair . . . pearls daddy brought back from china! :) they thought they looked super glam! :) and now the fun begins . . . they were already talking about getting earrings to match all of their outfits! :)

spring is here (well, almost!)

the girls and i had so much fun planting seeds today! :) it was super cool to watch the dirt "grow"! the girls had fun comparing the different seeds too! ken made a giant mess and did hers all by herself, mck wanted help (but not too much!), and kam wouldn't touch the dirt even though i told her we would wash her hands. kam held my wrists while i put the dirt in hers! :) too funny.

heart day (the first round!)

so, other than gifts and heart pancakes, our valentines day was cut short by the tummy bug! we will be having a do-over next weekend! i did manage to snap a couple of pictures of the kids opening their presents! what fun! they LOVE the barbie cruise ship (gotta love target clearance after christmas!). bentley enjoyed chewing on all of the packages and couldn't have cared less what was in them!

gifts from grammy (and grampy!)

the kids were so excited to open their valentine gifts from grammy today! :) what a treat after our crazy day! the girls got little treat bags with candy, jewlery and money and bentley is in love with his froggy! so much fun! :) even b.c. got in on the action! thanks g&g! we love you!

mommy lunch

the girls, b.c., and i joined ken at school for the valentine/mommy lunch today! instead of swinging by a fast food place i packed everyone a special lunch . . . heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly, heart marshmallows with pretzel sticks, a heart shaped brownie, and a pink drink . . . they loved their decorated bags! :) okay, so it probably wasn't the healthiest lunch, but it was cute! :) our lunch was sadly cut short by b.c. who got a little sick all over the place! we owe little miss ken a re-do! (i think i've been saying that a lot lately!)

look who's been spotted!

ken's work was proudly displayed outside the office at school last week! she got to read her story to a fifth grade teacher and the principal! what a cool idea! :) she was so proud to show off her version of the jan brett story "the mitten" entitled "the lost ice skate"! she even did all the illustrations! :) we're so proud!

high in the sky!

bentley is enjoying his swing these days (although kam still claims it as hers!). he isn't too sure about going very high or very fast, bu enjoys a light, gently push. . . in fact he'll start to close his eyes and relax! he LOVES being outside! he's even starting to enjoy trips down the slide while his big sisters hold him! :)

laundry time!

my little guy LOVES to help with the laundry . . . or at least get a ride in the basket and get "dumped" out with all the warm clothes! this was one of the only smiles i got for the day. he wasn't feeling good. :( even the girls will come to "help" so they can get warm clothes dumped on them too! :)