turkey day 2010

turkey day was a little different this year . . . celebrating here instead of at grammy and grampy's, but all of the important elements were there . . . yummy food made by grammy, family, nana's china, lots of amazing desserts, and awesome artwork made by the girls on the walls! we had a great day! we hung out all morning watching the parade and playing, the girls got all dressed up in their cute dresses, and we all sat down to a great meal together! and we finally got to use the tablecloth we work on every year (with the kid's hand prints and what they are thankful for!) the guys even watched a little football! (oh, and aunt sarah and i snuck in a quick shopping trip . . . couldn't miss out on a good deal!) what a great start to the holiday season!

where we've been . . .

a lot has been happening . . . we just haven't been keeping up with it all! :) the kids have been crazy busy with school and after-school activities and life in general keeps us on our toes! in addition to the craziness of life with four kids . . . bailey is continuing to try to get better! disappointingly, the chemo and steroids didn't do their job . . . so we have moved on to "solution" #2 and been working towards starting dialysis. he will have a machine to do it at home through the night and hopefully be able to continue working! everything since july has been an adjustment and this is just another hurdle to overcome! we are hoping the dialysis will help things and we will be able to be more "normal" really soon!

halloween

what a fun day! we started off the morning with halloween treats and a fun jack-o-lantern pancake breakfast! the kids were so excited! :) it was a countdown to trick-or-treat time ALL day! :) we visited the neighbors first . . . cupcakes and cups FILLED with goodies! they were so excited! :) then we headed to a near-by neighborhood for trick-or-treating! the kids loved every second of it! ken and mck wanted to lead the group . . . kam was happy to tag-a-long behind them. b.c. was not content to ride in the wagon too much. he quickly figured out that candy was involved and he was NOT going to miss out! he didn't even really want to hold hands . . . just run up and get the candy! :) the kids had a blast and were a huge hit with everyone . . . they thought the girls were just precious . . . and b.c. just adorable! (although he did get called a girl NINE times! omg . . . a girl mickey mouse?!?!?)

the kids got more candy than they will ever be able to eat . . . and we topped off the evening with our annual trip to sonic for sundaes! what a perfect night!

carving pumpkins . . . all six of them!

okay, so we knew we'd be kicking ourselves when we chose to purchase SIX pumpkins! holy crow! yep, we spent about 3 hours carving away! :) actually, the girls and i cleaned the pumpkins out and bailey took design requests and carved away! :) (and yes, this is the first year i had any help cleaning the pumpkins out . . . ken and mck were sort of fascinated by how gross the junk felt . . . kam would gently touch it but then had to clean her hands right away!) :) it's a good thing bailey is in charge of the carving because i would have done generic jack-o-lanterns! this year we had a scary face (bailey's), mickey mouse (b.c.), jasmine (ken), cinderella's castle (kam), and a witch face (mine!). we are in the spirit and ready for the big day! :)

look ma! no training wheels!

yep! mck has done it! the girl is riding with no training wheels! we tried just 3 short times and she was cruising up and down the street! she was all grins and giggles at her new found freedom! she spent most of the rest of the afternoon cruising! how happy! it even motivated ken to ride her "big bike" and take the training wheels off! now we have two big girls cruising the streets! :)

a double sleepover!

a sleepover is fun . . . but a double sleepover is twice as fun! :) ken and mck had a blast with their sister friends m and g! (could it be any more perfect that they also have 3 and 1 year old siblings?!!) the girls ate pizza, played, watched tinkerbell, ate popcorn and candy, read stories, chatted, and played come more! what a fun way to spend a friday night! :)

pumpkin pickin'

what a great afternoon to pick a pumpkin! we headed to kam's school to select our pumpkins this year . . . after disney we were too worn out for the pumpkin patch. everyone found a pumpkin they were happy with and then they got to play lots of fun games, eat cotton candy, bounce, and get their faces painted. the kids thought it was great! :) now for the fun part . . . carving 6 pumpkins!

disney trip 2010

what an amazing, magical, memory making week! we had so much fun! the kids enjoyed every part of it (i think they may even say they liked the drive there and back!) and we enjoyed every moment of watching them believe in the magic of disney! we packed in the fun! we were going every second of being there . . . so it was far from relaxing . . . but so, so wonderful!

heading out at 3:30 a.m.!

we made the drive to destin, fl first. it was such a treat when we got there! we checked into the hotel, grabbed our flips, and headed to the beach. it was a little too cool for swimming, but everyone got a little wet and had lots of fun playing in the sand! the visit was not nearly long enough, so we'll head back there as soon as we can! soooo worth the drive for a beautiful beach! mck kept saying the sand looked like snow . . . it really did! :)

we drove to disney the following day, unpacked the car, and headed to epcot. the first stop there was a highlight of the trip . . . meeting mickey, minnie, donald, pluto, and goofy! the kids were in awe! what a way to start the trip! goofy was hilarious . . . picking b.c. up and holding him in the air! :) it was so cool! we did the nemo stuff, fought the crowds to feed some hungry kiddos, and then watched the amazing illuminations show! it was a great start to the week!

monday morning it was off to the magic kingdom . . . we met more characters including jessie and woody! :) b.c. got a kick out of that! we took mck totally crying and scared on thunder mountain . . . afterward she admitted she liked it! :) the kids did all the rides in fantasy land and LOVED dumbo! we toured minnie's house and met the fairies and the princesses! and then stayed late to watch the parade and fireworks. omg. no words to discribe how cool it was! and to top off all the coolness. . . we were "dorked out" in matching tees! they were so cute! :) a friend made them for us! we had a ton of people ask us where they could get them! :) so much fun!

tuesday we did hollywood studios. that was great fun! the toy story rides were a hit for everyone! the green army guys put on a great show too! we caught the beauty and the beast show and the girls were in love with belle! during the little mermaid show kam screamed out "i love you ariel!" oooooohhhhh. so sweet!

wednesday it was back to magic kingdom to finish the things we hadn't gone on and to eat lunch at the castle. the girls got a call from the fairy godmother inviting them to the castle at 2. they were thrilled and dressed in the their best princess dresses for the big event! the girls loved being in the castle, meeting cinderella, and then of course talking with all the other princesses during lunch. it was sooooo cool to watch them being excited!

thursday we went to animal kingdom. we really needed another day there. it was great. cool shows, cool rides, awesome things to look at! we only did half of it and were there the whole day! the kids loved the safari ride and seeing so many cool animals up close. we headed over to main street for souvenir shopping and ate at the dinosaur restaurant . . . ha! it was crazy. we were eating in the ice cave which changed color every 10 minutes! it was a lot to take in, but the kids loved it! picking souvenirs was pretty easy for the girls . . . they had been thinking about it all week. ken picked an aurora doll, mck picked a tinkerbell minnie mouse and tink playset, and kam picked a huge princess minnie mouse. b.c. got a set of cars from the movie!

the drive home was not as much fun . . . but not horrible. the kids were soooo well behaved and really did great travelling! we were all worn out and anxious to sleep in our own beds but can't wait to do it all again in four years! :) disney 2014 HERE WE COME! :)

painting pumpkins

the kids had so much fun creating "masterpieces" out of their mini pumpkins . . . and they topped them off with LOADS of glitter! :) what a fun way to get in the pumpkin spirit! even little b.c. was loving the paint . . . maybe a little too much! :) what a beautiful day! :)

cocoa, cookies, and friends!

kam, b.c. and i hosted a fun playdate . . . cookie decorating! :) we had lots of last minute cancellations . . . which left us with just a handful of close friends! :) what fun! :) kam and b.c. had so much fun decorating! kam LOADED her cookies with as much as she could . . . making one for each member of the family! and b.c. had fun just decorating (and eating) one! :) we drank some cocoa, ate some cookies, and had lots of fun playing until lunchtime! :) nothing like lots of sugar to get you in the holiday spirit!

a new do! :)

ken got her hair CHOPPED off! it looks adorable . . . although i think she might look 3 years older! :) it is so cute to see her checking herself out in the mirror and swinging her head around! :) we have to spend some time fixing it in the morning . . . but she gets to wear it down now (that was becoming a battle because she wanted to wear it down but it was in her face and crazy!). sooooo cute! :) she wanted it shorter . . . i wasn't that brave this time . . . but maybe next time! :)

time with aunt sarah!

there was a surprise knock on the door thursday evening and the girls were thrilled to discover aunt sarah with goodies in hand! what a fun treat! it was so nice to have some time with her! we brought the girls lunch, did a little shopping, went to six flags, made bird feeders, and just enjoyed hanging out! we can't wait for her to surprise us again! :)

frightfest 2010

with a surprise visit from aunt sarah and some beautiful weather, it was the perfect day to head to fiesta texas for frightfest! bailey had us stop at cabela's first . . . the kids like that place more and more! b.c. thought it was so awesome! after getting his "oil-less turkey fryer" we drove the rest of the way to fiesta!

i swear each trip there gets more fun! the kids get braver every time! they are anxious to ride by themselves too! it is a treat to stand back and watch them having so much fun. ken is nervous to ride anything the first time . . . but almost always loves it! mck is really brave when she gets on the ride, but has second thoughts when it starts . . . she is up for trying anything! kam wants to be big enough to ride all the rides and wants to ride without mom and dad whenever possible. and b.c. is in heaven when he gets to ride anything with a steering wheel!

there were lots of cool characters to see . . . and some scary ones too! the kids had a blast riding the usual things and a few new rides! it was so wonderful to have an extra set of hands and the kids enjoyed having sarah there! :) what a fun weekend and start to this month! :)

mck's star of the week project

mck finished her star of the week poster today and did such a great job! we waited until the last minute . . . my fault . . . so she did the whole thing at once. she told me the answers and i wrote them . . . then she colored pictures for each answer and we glitter-fied the whole thing! :) we used every shade of purple glitter we had . . . then added a little silver! :) gotta love mck's taste!

some things you should know about mck . . . mck's fave food is applesauce! her fave animal is "hippopotamuses"! :) she wants to be a fairy when she grows up and if she had a wish she would with for "fairy wings"! :) mck's fave place to be is a bouncy house and her fave thing to do is art projects!

countdown to halloween

oh how i love this time of year! :) we decorated three weeks ago! and this morning we started opening the haunted house! we did the house in shifts . . . the big kids before they went to school and the little kids after the girls left on the bus! we started the year off with silly bands and boo berry cereal! ooooh! something fun to look forward to each day! :)

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! :)