munchkins at the museum

kam, b.c. and i headed there for a fun morning. the museum was empty so we had the chance to explore everything without the crowds! kam knew exactly what she wanted to look at . . . kitchen, storytime, the train! b.c., on the other hand, spent most of the morning trying to climb in and around virtually everything he could see! he enjoyed exploring the toddler area too! we can wait to head back with the big kids sometime soon!

g'town airfest!

the bailey bunch headed to g'town airport for the 2010 airfest . . . it was one HOT morning! the girls were excited to check things out . . . and b.c. was in HEAVEN. it was like he new this was cool! he walked around like he owned the place! we toured the planes pretty quickly . . . and then decided it was time for some ice cream to cool off! :)

a few "mommy" days!

for the first time i got the chance to leave all my little munchkins and spend a few days . . . doing absolutely nothing! :) i joined bailey on a business trip . . . so he was busy and i was on my own and had no car . . . in california . . . at a resort with several pools . . . in the middle of the week! it was really quite wonderful. nothing exciting, just a lot of "me" time, which i think i was desperately in need of.

the kids had a great few days and had lots of time with grammy! what a treat for the kids! they went on and on about how great their time with grammy was . . . so much so that they didn't miss me too much! :) kam and b.c. came to pick me up at the airport . . . kam was so happy and smiley - so cute and fun to see! b.c. just kept staring at me . . . like he wasn't sure if it was really me! after i talked to him a bit and got him giggling he said "mom" . . . and not just once, but several times on the way home. what a treat to come home to! ken and mck were so happy to come off the bus and see me. i got giant hugs. it was really like christmas! :)

thanks so much mom for giving me a few much needed days . . . i cannot tell you how much i appreciate that! i didn't worry about the kids one bit! :) just get ready . . . next summer you'll have all 4 all day! :)

little dancer . . .

kam is soooo in love with her ballet class. so in love, in fact that she puts her outfit on as soon as she gets out of bed . . . and wears her outfit ALL DAY LONG! she looks so darn cute all foofed up! she loves her teacher, loves her class, loves the songs . . . and pays so much attention to everything! i love listening to her talk about it.

she asked me to take pictures of her this morning with her ballet bag (her hello kitty backpack!). b.c. kept trying to steal the show and running in front of the camera! :)

4 eggs!

the day finally arrived . . . the girls collected 4 eggs from the coop! our hard work has finally paid off! now we just need to convince all the kids to eat them! :)

little monkey!

little b.c. is such a monkey these days. he will literally climb up something and then sit there proudly waiting for me to see him! he knows he's not supposed to climp up on the playroom storage . . . but how can you get mad at that sweet face? he thinks he is so darn cool . . . it's hard not to agree! :)

no school . . . it's raining!

i woke up to the radio station announcing "no school for g'town"! i shot up . . . i checked the news and the internet and couldn't believe it . . . g'town got over 15 inches of rain through the night. there was so much flooding that school was closed! what a treat for the girls . . . i let them sleep in . . . ken shot out of bed at 7:30 and panicked becasue she knew it was light out and it's pretty dark when we leave for the bus . . . she was getting dressed when i told her! she took her clothes off, put her p.j.'s back on and jumped up and down! mck was soooo happy when she finally rolled out of bed at 8! and poor little kam (who only gets to go to school one day a week!) was devastated! she was so sad . . . and she now thinks that any time it rains we don't have school!
we had a fun day of pancakes, p.j.'s, watching t.v., and playing . . . this is what the playroom looked like at 9:00 a.m. . . . imagine what it looked like by 6 p.m.! :)

countdown to disney!

our disney trip is getting closer . . . so it was time to start counting down! i left the girls with construction paper, disney stickers, a list of how to spell disney things, and headed to the grocery store! :) i came back to a pile of neatly labeled strips . . . totally decorated with things they were excited about seeing at disney! even kam got in on the illustrating! too cute. mck drew come great pictures . . . her tink is to adorable! :) ken even made a cool thing to hang it by that says "coutdown to disney"! i looped them all together and had it hung up when they woke up in the morning . . . now i am not sure if it was such a great idea . . . it reaches from the upstairs to the downstairs . . . they couldn't believe it and said "wow, we have a long time till we go!" :) hoping it goes fast! :) we could all use a fun week together! :)

weekend with g&g

what fun! we spent the day on the lake in our ghetto boat, but had a great time. the girls LOVED every minute of it . . . and even b.c. was a little bit happier in his life jacket! the lake wasn't too crowded first thing in the morning and the weather was perfect!
the girls tried tubing for the first time! :) it was awesome to watch! first, kam, mck, and i gave it a whirl! it was a little too much for kam, but she had fun. then, ken, mck, and i rode. mck LOVED when bailey went fast . . . giggling like crazy! ken, on the other hand would almost start crying when we went fast! (i think she is a little like me!) then grammy took a ride with the girls! it was so cool!
then grampy took a whirl at teaching ken to water ski . . . that didn't go so well . . . but we'll try again soon! we keep telling her she'll have to try it again or mck will beat her and be up first!
we had snacks, flooded the engine, and swam! :) it was a great day on the lake!
can't wait to do it again! and next time . . . we'll bring the camera! :)
we went to dinner all together too . . . a rare treat for us these days . . . in fact it was the first time we've eaten out as a family since bailey got out of the hospital! the kids cleaned their plates . . . and, to be honest, so did i! so nice to have some yummy "normal" food! i think even bailey enjoyed the meal! :)
on monday g&g bought trees to plant in honor of bailey's dad . . . they even helped plant them . . . it was hot and our yard is rocky, but they got it done and they look great!
we couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend! :)

my little bus riders!

so, it took some convincing, but mck finally decided she was ready to try the bus . . . just in the morning! we were ready early, took a leaisurly walk to the bus stop, hung out and played around . . . and then ken needed to go potty. so, we ran back home . . . and called it our trial run! :) we knew we would make it the next morning . . . and we did! :) the girls had a great ride to school and are even ready to try the afternoon too! :) what fun! :)

kam's first day of pre-school!

kam's first day of pre-school was AMAZING! she was sooooo excited! she woke up with a huge smile on her face and couldn't wait to head out! :) she told me as we were about to pull up to the school, " mom, you know you have to drop me off!" i told her i was going to stay and hang out with her . . . she said, "NO! you can't you have to drop me off and go home!". she was ready for some independent time i guess! :) she hung her bag up, put up her lunchbox and went straight to the rice table. . . no tears, no sadness, she was just happy! :) i felt sooooo good leaving her there. her teachers are sweet and so attentive and have lots of great things for the kids to do! so, b.c. and i headed home . . . just the two of us! it was a weird feeling!

i couldn't wait to pick kam up to hear about her day . . . she couldn't wait to tell me her "five things" just like the big girls! :) she got an sweet note from her teachers and an amazing summary of her day! she did LOTS of art projects that we'll get to bring home next week! :) she can't wait to go back . . . i am so happy for her! :)

after we picked the big girls up we went to mc d's for a first day or pre-school ice cream! :) what a great day! :)

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! :)