Hunting/Hello Kitty Party

This year we chose a low-key party for the August birthday twins.  Last year we threw 2 birthdays in two weekends.  What.Was.I.Thinking?  Anyway, Jack opted for a hunting themed birthday and Kate loves her some Hello Kitty.  We went to local park, invited some great close friends and ate cupcakes.  It was pretty great and the kids seemed to have a great time.

Jack Turns 6

Jack's second day of school came with his 6th birthday!  I can believe he is 6.  Most parents are saying, "how did we get here" and "aren't they growing up so fast"?  It is fast, but I'm loving watching them grow into little people.  I took cupcakes up to school at lunchtime and we celebrated with our new friends.  Jack then got to go with Gigi to Toys R Us and pick out his birthday toy.  He chose an awesome Hot Wheels race track that he has not stopped playing with.  We then went to his favorite restaurant Black Bean for dinner.

Wednesday, we already had our first "illness", pink eye, so he had to stay home from school.  We relaxed and then today started home school days.  He told me a few times today, "I love my new school", "thank you so much for my new school" and "I love home school".  So far so good!

Hard at work, doing his home school work.

Kindergarten, Part Deux

Well since our boy is barely old enough to be in school, we are repeating Kindergarten at a new school.  Our new program is based kind of a hybrid of home school and mainstream schooling.  There is a big emphasis on parent/teacher interaction and for Thursday and Fridays, I am the teacher.  Jack goes Monday - Wednesday, normal school hours.  We are so happy to be at our new school.  It is a Christian program focused on growing the next generation of godly leaders.  I think he will be challenged academically and spiritually!  We are very excited for this year.

He said his first day was "good".  He seemed indifferent to school.  He kissed me and said goodbye and was coloring at his table.  He said the best thing about this day was playing on the playground and finding frogs.  Unprompted, he said, "I had fun today".

Unicorns

I'm Back!  Let's blog.  I could rehash the last 6 months with quick pictures and stories, but let's start fresh!

Kate will be turning 4 in a few weeks and really wanted to change up her room.  That meant no more toddler bed.  We got Kate her very own "big girl", twin bed and she loves it.  Since she has an opinion now (and many more), she wanted to redecorate her room.  The theme of the moment is unicorns.  Rather than have prancing, Lisa Frank inspired horses around her room, we opted for more bright colors and go with a subtle unicorn approach.  I made the duvet, bed skirt and pillows.  I then covered two pieces of foam-core board to create a lightweight headboard.  Pretty fun!

December 2012

Yes, it is March 3 and I am just blogging about Christmas and such, but at least I'm doing it, so don't judge!  Right after Thanksgiving, November 27, my sweet new nephew, Brooks Christopher was born.  He is such a sweet, beautiful baby.

A few weeks after that, my mom, dad, Craig and I took the 5 older kids to Disney.  Being outnumbered was challenging, but the house of the mouse, was fun.  Us girls had a great time a few days before the boys came.  We took the buses, explored and even did a little swimming!

A few weeks later, and we had Christmas!  We didn't travel much this year and just celebrated time together.  Nana and Papa came to visit this year and they enjoyed their 7 great-grandchildren.  It was a Merry Christmas!

Fall 2012

Our days of fall were filled with school, church activities and family and friends.  We made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch and had a great Thanksgiving with family.  As usual, it goes by quickly, but is sure is fun to get some cooler weather, wear sweaters and eat pumpkin flavored foods!

All the kids had the annual Thanksgiving Feast at school and dressed up as Indians.  Kate was Princess Flower and Jack was Chief Jumping Viper.  They sang their songs and we ate Chick-Fil-A for lunch.  This is always such a fun day.  Kate wasn't too thrilled about singing, but everyone else did great.

Thanksgiving was much anticipated as only a few short days after, Brooks would be born.  So, we let Kimberly relax and made some great food.  My mom did some great folders with tons of activities and coloring.  These kids would color for hours, if they could, and they did.

We are truly thankful!  We have been blessed in SO many ways.