we are the dinosaurs!

kam and b are loving these hand-me-down dino costumes. they chase each other around the house and sing "we are the dinosaurs"! i think they are the cutest pterodactyl/t-rex team i've ever seen!

daddy date

b and daddy spent the afternoon with thomas. let me just tell you that this must have been boy heaven for b. he was beyond excited for his "big prize"! they rode thomas, met sir topam hat, got thomas tattoos, and lots and lots of snacks. he came home so worn out but with the biggest smile on his face . . . so excited to share his day with his sisters! :) oooooh. we are sooooo enjoying all this boy stuff! :)

she's got spirit!

ken was awarded the giant spirit stick at the game today! she really goes alllll out and shouts and cheers with all her heart! this girl is loving the cheer life! way to go ken! we are proud of you!

a bouncy day

kam, b, and i headed to the mall for a train ride . . . but the train was only taking cash . . . i never have cash . . . so, we spent the same amount and had a bouncy day instead. kam and b were the only kids in the place for most of the time. they ran around like they owned the place. they both climbed everything themselves. don't think we have ever been to a bouncy where i just got to watch the kids have fun. it was wonderful. they were happy, tired kiddos when we left.

kam's teddy bear tea

kam's pre-school class had a teddy bear tea party. they got to bring their favorite bear . . . and their mommy! :) it was great to get a glimpse into the classroom and meet some

of her new friends. she showed me how she sign in her name (still tracing letters, but getting better!) and puts her stuff up! she made a tag for "fuzzy" and we dined on honey bread, fish, berries, and nice cool river water! we didn't get to stay long . . . but it was great! :) kam's bear even won an award for "pinkest bear"! she was soooo proud!

a visit with g and g ... and sam too!

g and g came for a visit! it's been a long time since they've headed this way! we had lots of fun! the kids couldn't wait to show them their chicks and anything and everything that had changed since their last visit . . . on sunday we went to the rockin r . . . a local water park. despite the high heat and CRAZY winds, the kids had a great time (it was nice to have four adults to split up the kid watching too!). we went to a great dinner at the monument cafe, played games until late at night, and enjoyed a relaxing monday morning at home!
graham and sam (g&g's chocolate lab) became instant friends . . . they were both worn out after the two days together!
we were having so much fun we forgot to snap any pictures! what a great weekend! :)

new chicks

we miss our chickens and our fresh eggs, so we are giving the chicken thing another try! kam and b each got a guinea hen . . . they are soooo cute, but very vocal. kam named hers polar bear and b named his buzz (although he sometimes calls it woody too!)! ken and mck got silkies. ken named hers puddles and mck named hers chicky.

kam will actually pick them up and isn't scared this time . . . b is not scared either, but i think the poor chicks are getting slightly squished when he grabs them with one hand! the kids are already having fun chasing them around . . . and keeping them out of graham's mouth!

cheering for the eagles!

ken and mck were all smiles for their first game! they looked pretty cute too . . . they don't have all their uiform yet, but it's coming! they were really enthusiastic and had a great time . . . despite being in the direct sun and 100 degree heat the whole time! sure was fun watching them!

pooper scoopers!

you gotta love two girls who are willing to scoop doggy doo for 10 cents a pile . . . and do it with a smile! i think this will be a regular chore!

b goes to pre-school

b started pre-school today. just once a week. . . but omg you would have thought i was leaving him forever. he was so excited at the idea of going to school, packing his lunch, playing with new toys, going with kam, but when it came right down to it, i don't think he realized i wouldn't be staying with him! he was holding onto me like a little monkey . . . and wouldn't let go. he was screaming for a good ten minutes . . . i was crying outside his classroom. it was NOT a fun morning. but his teachers called and assured me he was having a good day. he was thrilled to see me when i picked him up and talked about playing and painting.
not sure i am cut out for pre-school at two! we are going to give it a month to see how it goes. . .

more please!

b is not a cookie kind of kid . . . but today we showed him how to dunk oreos in milk . . . he gobbled them up! now he wants oreos for snack alllll the time!

kam's first day of pre-k

little miss kam started pre-k today. three days a week! it's a big adjustment for me . . . she is totally fine with it . . . excited actually! this year is so different at her school . . . no more babying. they are expected to sign-in, put their stuff up themselves, make their mat up for rest time . . . oooooh. too much growing up! she is loving every second of it though. looks like it will be a great year!

our little cheerleaders

ken and mck are giving cheer a try this fall! we joined a little late so we had so catching up to do, but they are having lots of fun learning all the cheers. ken catches on really quickly to the words . . . and mck just looks like a cheerleader. it's really kind of cute to see them busting out with cheers all the time . . . in the backseat, at the dinner table, while outside playing! this is a fun change for them!

our little gymnast

kam wanted to give gymnastics a try this year . . . this will be the first time in 5 years that we haven't gone to the ballet studio, but it is so great that the kids want to try new things. kam was so excited and was not scared at all . . . although i was sitting on the bench gritting my teeth because everything she was doing was new and challenging . . . and they had a sub coach this time so he didn't know she was new! she did so well! i cannot wait to see how much she grows through the year!

first day of school 2011

reality hit at 6:15 this morning when i had to get the girls up and ready for their first day of first and third grade. summer is officially over.
ken and mck looked adorable in their coordinating (not matching - their choice!) outfits. so grown up! daddy had to miss out on the first day chaos because of a dr. appt. in houston, so we had to snap extra pictures for him. the girls were good sports even though it was so early. they wanted to make sure daddy saw how cute they looked!
we had special sprinkle donuts then loaded up to take the girls to school and walk them to their classes. they knew just where to go and just what to do. they were happy to have us there, but didn't need me. i sure do hate this growing up stuff . . . but it is awesome to see my two beautiful confident kiddos strolling into their classrooms.
in the evening we celebrated with a dinner of mac and cheese and hot dogs (their choice) and special cupcakes that the little kids and i made. it was a perfect start to a great school year!

a visit from the backpack fairy!

the backpack fairy made her annual visit . . . times FOUR this year! :) she left sweet notes and filled the kids backpacks with lots of fun goodies . . . erasers, water bottles, mini pillow pets, squinkies, a special book, fun tissues, lunch wipes, hand sanitizer, and more.
the kids had so much fun opening their treasures. the girls loved the squinky stuff and b couldn't wait to get water in his water bottle. then it was off to bed to get a good night's sleep for an early wake up tomorrow!

a messy treat

as an end of summer treat i let the kids go for a week without picking up the upstairs. this was a lot . . . for me! :) i had to take a deep breath before rounding the corner each time i went up the stairs. it was a crazy mess of toys. when they needed room they just shoved toys to the side in a big pile. the crazy thing was . . . it didn't take too much longer than a normal mess to clean up. i think maybe i could get used to this! :)

meet the teachers 2011

ken and mck were all smiles to meet their teachers tonight! i cannot believe how independent both of them are now. they knew just where to go and were not scared to walk on in and introduce themselves. they are both going to have a wonderful school year. i still cannot believe i have a 3rd and 1st grader.

summer vacation 2011

this was a MUCH needed little getaway for us all! :) we stayed close . . . only traveling to the dallas area, but it was a getaway all the same! :) bailey had to work for a few days at the gaylord hotel, so we just tagged along and got a couple extra nights. their new water park opened early in the summer, so we were just a shuttle ride away from kid paradise! :) the kids played hard all day . . . and all night! the hotel was wonderful and had so much for the kids to do . . . braiding, caricatures, tattoos, lots of yummy food, a candy shop, trains to watch, giant cowboys, balloon makers, fish, waterfalls . . . it was wonderful! i don't think any of us realized how much we needed a little vaca!

while bailey was working, aunt sarah joined us for a day at girl heaven aka the american girl store! ken, mck, and kam spent awhile just taking it all in . . . it is beautiful and overwhelming at the same time! they brought their dolls and looked for outfits for them. kam was quick to decide on a cute pink camo outfit for her bitty baby! mck took a little longer, but settled on an adorable purple flowered outfit for her bitty baby. and ken, well, ken couldn't decide for a very long time . . . and then ended up picking one of the most expensive outfits in the store . . . but kit looks adorable dressed in her school outfit! even little b had a great time - he found a stuffed deer when we walked in and tried to ride it around the store! then we got kit's ears pierced (too funny!). ken has been waiting a long time for that! then we settled with our dolls for sweets at the soda counter! ken got a huge chocolate milk shake, kam and mck picked sweet mini cones with sprinkles . . . and b got the biggest brownie sundae EVER! :) we topped off the fun day with dinner at the rainforest cafe . . . YUM and FUN!

from the gaylord, we were super spoiled and stayed at the mansion on turtle creek. . . a five star hotel that aunt sarah was interning at this summer. we got the royal treatment there . . . they knew our name at check-in, gave the kids all little stuffed turtles, delivered warm cookies and milk and tea to our room, had AMAZING iced coffee and cookies in the lobby, an amazing swimming pool, the most comfy bed (well, it would have been comfy had i not been sleeping with two toddlers!), and the most amazing staff. we got to see g and g, tim, missy, cousins, and aunt sarah. it was a great night. and we visited the most amazing animal exhibit . . . the dallas world aquarium. it was so cool! the kids are still talking about it! sadly, being spoiled only lasted a night (that's all we could afford even WITH the friends and family rate!) :) thanks sarah for the hook-up! it was amazing!

kam with curls!

kam decided she wanted to sleep with rollers . . . this was the result!

omg. so cute! you gotta love her!