1st day of school

In Michigan a few years ago there was a law passed that stated the kids didn't start school until after labor day.  We took it easy over the weekend..Had a BBQ with the family, played outside and cleaned the house. 

This year Alanna starts kindergarten and Hannah goes into the 5th grade.  My heart just skipped a beat typing that, lol.  My baby girls are growing up before my eyes. 

I thought I had a handle on Alanna starting school this year but when she walked up the big bus steps, I got a little choked up.  Seeing her with no hesitation in her step and a smile on her face, brought the tears to my eyes. My day was brightened by my baby boy...After we got home from the bus stop he kept saying, "That was cute, mama, that was cute"  I asked him what was cute and he told me...the bus.  :)

After that I had a little bit more spirit to get me through the day so we cleaned up breakfast, put away some laundry, went to the park, grocery shopping, and ate lunch...all before 11:00 am.  On any typical summer day we aren't even dressed before 11 and grocery shopping with 3 kids could take up to 5 hours on any given day, LOL....But with just 1 in tow the time is much faster, or slower depending on how you look at it.

The house is quiet and I miss my girls...Ben keeps asking if the girls are outside and if he can go too.  I try to tell him they are at school, but he just waits by the door for them to come home :(  He wanted to stare at the bus pictures all morning.  He is now down for a nap and its just me...The kitchen is clean, I vacuumed yesterday and all the laundry is put away....sigh.....

I know in a few weeks I will wish for a day like this...quiet, and nothing to do, but for now on the 1st day of school , I will sit and wait for the time to tick by, until its time to pick up my girls from the bus stop this afternoon...tick..tock..tick...tock. 

Catching you up, May1-May 23, 2010, part 1

I don't know where to begin.  The last month and a half has been a blur.  So many times I sat down to write and I just couldn't face the truth.  So many thoughts are in my head its hard to push them out on the keyboard.

I guess we can start at the beginning. 

So many things happened in May.
May 1-May 31, 2010
We started out with Tball for Alanna.  It didn't start well and its still going on...not well. She didn't like practice at first because she didn't know anyone.  Then she met a girl Brooklyn and things were going fine.  Alanna loves to bat.  She always hits it on the first try, and she is a FAST runner.  She named herself Alanna "the roadrunner" King in the start of the season.  However she HATES the field.  She gets so bored that she sits on the bench or plays in the rocks.  In reality I don't think baseball is for her and we probably won't do it again...We have a few more games to go and then we are DONE!

Next up in May was Hannah's spring concert.  She was so proud to be up on stage signing with her class.  She said that the songs they were signing was above her 4th grade level and that her teacher Mr V was so proud of them.  Her mommy was proud too...

Hanna's 10th birthday party for her friends came next.  She wanted a sleep over and then we decided to do an ice cream social for the fun activity.  We bought ice cream and then had every ice cream topping you could think of...cherries, whip cream, nuts, sprinkles, bananas, pineapple, chocolate, and even marshmellos...and so much more.  There were about 10 girls here and surprisingly there was no fighting and no crying, hehe. 

The friend party was the weekend before Hannah's actual birthday.  She had no idea about the birthday present I had in store for her.   You see, my mom got this great idea to come visit us in Michigan during Hannah's birthday, and since she would be here for her birthday why not surprise Hannah.  So the plan was Hannah thought my mom, stepdad, stepsister and my nephew Brody would be here in June.  Little did she know that at her birthday party with her friends my mom was in Michigan.  They visited my other step sister and my stepdads mom for the weekend and then when Hannah came home from school on Tuesday my mom called her.  Hannah went into her room "to get some privacy" and then my mom came in the house.  I went and knocked on Hannah's door and told her she had a friend at the door and when Hannah came out....she seen my mom.   She ran so fast and started hugging my mom...Hannah started crying, my mom cried and of course I cried...It was an awesome surprise for Hannah.

The family stayed for the rest of the weekend and then we had to say good bye...It was a great visit and I got to meet my gorgeous little nephew for the first time!!!  ( and if you remember my goals for 2010...meeting Brody is now crossed of the list.)

During the family visiting, Alanna had her last day of preschool.  The kids and teachers put on an ice cream social for the families and then passed out certificates.  Alanna enjoyed preschool so much this year, that all she has been talking about lately is kindergarten.  She tells me that she misses her friends all the time, and hopes to see them in school in the fall.

Well this gets us through May 23.  More events to occur, but they deserve their own post.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of May...May 23-May31, 2010

Happy Birthday

My sweet boy turned 1 yesterday.

We celebrated with friends and family

with BBQ, and cupcakes.

He was overwhelmed but excited

Happy but sleepy.

This past year has been filled with ups and downs,

but the greatest up this year was Ben.

He has been the greatest addition to our family, and rounds it out very nicely.

These last 12 months have flew by,

here is what Ben has been up to.

Ben can sit up, crawl and has 2 teeth.

2 more teeth are just about to pop through.

He will only eat table food and will spit out any form of baby food I try to sneak in.

He took his first steps on July 13 and has practiced everyday since.

He will let go and take 1-2 steps between toys.

He says, stop, daddy, mama, ba, kitty, bird and all done.

He likes to kiss his 2 big sisters, but loves to pull their hair more.

He cuddles, and loves to dance.

Ben loves to laugh and will do anything to make you laugh.

He likes yo gabba, gabba, and blues clues.

He growls like a lion and lays on his belly to read books.

He thinks every toy he has is a car and will make the vroom, vroom sounds while he plays,

even if he is playing with a stuffed dog.

Ben is a joy and a delight to be with.

I could go on and on about all the cute and funny things Ben does through out the days

and how much he means to me and my family,

BENJAMIN

I love you so much, and I am so overly blessed to be able to stay home with you day after day.

Happy 1st Birthday sweet boy

*Pictures of the party can be seen at flickr. Just click on the pictures on top to view all of them.*

Lists about making lists

Here is my list of things I have to do leading up to the party on Saturday. I wrote the list on Monday so we start with Tuesday. (bold means completed). This entry will probably be up for the next couple of days, so check back it will be fun to see how much I actually get done on the days its supposed to be done! And the giveaway will end next week, when all the birthday mess is over with. So don't forget to tell your friends!

Tuesday-grocery shop for us this week, grocery shop for the party, wash towels.

Wednesday-wash both bathrooms, dust, start clothes laundry

Thursday (MY BIRTHDAY)- fold and put away laundry. (I wanted to keep this day light, it is my birthday after all). Clean out toy tubs in living room

Friday- Take Hannah to library camp at 10, sweep kitchen and foyer, mop kitchen and foyer, vacuum ALL carpet rooms (thats basically the whole house), make birthday cupcakes for Benjamin, pick Hannah up from library camp at 3.

Saturday (the day of the party, party starts at 4)-Go to grocery store and buy last minute items I forgot or could not buy on Tuesday (ketchup, Ice, 2 cases regular coca~cola, wrapping paper, birthday card, and balloons), Pick up SIL and niece Kylee, because brother is working and will come over later, frost birthday cupcakes for Benjamin, and DECORATE!

In case you are wondering, Chris does have a honey do list too. He is almost as excited as I am over my list. His is not nearly as much as mine, but its stuff I DO NOT WANT TO DO, so its pretty even in my eyes.

This is his actual list, and I did not change the wording in anyway. It starts like this......

Honey do list to be completed on or before Saturday July 25, before 4 pm.

1. Clean and replace cat liter-I actually had to do this because it was worse than I thought and smelled really bad during laundry. Its okay though, he made up for it with bringing home takeout on my birthday so I didn't have to cook.

2. Make yard look pretty

3. Clean and scrub outside trash cans (no smell or dirt) so they can be used for party trash

4. Smile and be happy your son is turning 1, thats one step closer to playing catch in the yard!

See, that, I HATE #1 and I would not be caught dead doing #3, so even right?

Oh and I also wanted to point out that Hannah and Alanna have been busy working too. Hannah cleaned her closet and her art area, Alanna has re-messed up everything Hannah has cleaned. I had to take Alanna out of her room. She was making bigger messes for her sister. Tomorrow Hannah will clean under her bed, and Alanna will help put away clothes. Whats Ben doing? Well Ben is so busy being cute and prepping for his big birthday debut that he has no time for anything extra.

Okay enough stalling, I MUST get back to cleaning or I will never get done!

This week

I've been busy the last couple of days, cleaning the house and trying to deal with a certain little boy turning 1 on Saturday. The giveaway is being extended for a few more days. Enjoy!
Oh, and my camera broke, so I'm still in mourning. And, its my birthday on Thursday!

We are is so much trouble now!

(Sorry about the view. Its from my SIL phone and I can;t figure out how to turn it)

I also want to say Welcome Brody James, my new nephew who was born 7.13.09, weighing 7pounds 7oz and is beautiful. Click on his name to be taken to his picture page. And I have not forgotten about the giveaway, its coming too. I promise. As you can tell we have been pretty busy around here, LOL.

So many 1st

BIG.BOY

{tear}

crash

What goes up

Must fall down

Lately Ben has been pulling himself up on anything he can touch. Yesterday he tried to crawl up on the couch my standing on another toy, and he also took about 2 steps while holding onto the couch. Seriously? Could someone please tell my 8 month old baby boy to slow it down. Wheres the rush?

slow down already!

Last month I had this..A sweet happy 7 month old little guy, just laying around content to play with the toys I lay in front of him. He wasn't able to move, and we didn't have to worry about the open outlets, or the girls' toys laying around. I could leave the room and come back and he was still in the same spot with the same happy grin on his face.
Now I have this, just a short 30 days later. A little guy who can move. In 14 days he has went from army crawling to full crawling and now dare I say it standing. Anything and everything that he thinks can hold him he is standing on. The wipes container, the bag of diapers, the block container, to even the toy trucks he has. Ben thinks that he is master crawler already. He has mastered crawling up stairs, sort of. He gets it about 3 out of 5 times. The 2 he doesn't get, well lets just say he has an egg, and not one the Easter bunny will be bringing. He has a egg on the side of his head from falling. He is so quick, that by the time I run after him he is already there. He stands with such ease and grace that I fear in another 14 days he may have mastered the art of cruising. THEN, no one is safe!

Computer still will not let me upload my pictures from my camera. UGH! its driving me nuts.

By the way. Ben is crawling...Look out world here he comes. And, I have it on video, you just can't see it yet....see above rant.

Look at me!

Finally, caught him in action, well sitting still action, but hes upright, and by himself.

its getting better

Things around her are less stressful, now that we know some money will be coming in soon. We still have to play catch up for a couple of months but we are hopeful. Some sacrifices have been made, like losing the computer, phone and car during the day...But these are for a limited time.. Chris wants to try and fix our desk to with our tax money, and once he gets to bring his work truck home I will have the family car back and once the computer gets fixed I will have the phone again. For now me and the kids have been hanging out and relaxing. Not having to worry about the phone ringing, or blogging or even having to run to the store is nice. Being in a more simpler time during the day, has be in a more happier mood.

On another note, Ben is sitting up now. He started Sunday and has been doing it longer and longer each time. He also started crawling backwards. Well its more of an army crawl backwards, but its super adorable.

stats

I love baby fake laughs, and coughs. Ben is starting to be as funny as Alanna. He's certainly getting a personality.

Ben's 6 month stats: 17 pounds, 3 oz. Exactly 10 pounds in 6 months.

26 1/2 inches...Thats about 6 inches in 6 months.

new pics up at flickr..just click the pics above......

The 6 month letter

Dear Ben, January 25, 2009

Today you are 6 months old. The last 6 months have went by way too fast. I can't believe where the time has gone. You are an amazing addition to our family. You are so laid back and smiling all the time. You are momma's little cuddle bug and could sit in my lap all day, I know this because lately we have been doing just that. The last month you have been teething, and its not one of your favorite things to be doing. The sore gums and urge to chew on everything has been interrupting your nice long naps, and your time alone to play while mommy tries to cook dinner or clean the house. Your new favorite thing to do while teething is having mommy carry you around the house. You find it even funnier when mommy starts to limp because her back hurts so much due to you weighing about 18-20 pounds. ( we find out on Wednesday for sure).

You are meant to play the little brother role, and you do it so well. Like when Alanna smothers you with hugs and kisses all day, everyday. Even if mommy and daddy try to tell her 1 or 2 kisses is enough, she never thinks so. Its always 1 more, 1 more. Even worse when Hannah wants to play house and tries to force you to call her momma, and you just look at me with those big eyes, pleading me to rescue you, before she wipes you away to her room where you have to where bonnets and play with dolls.

Over the past month you have learned to roll over. Anytime you are laid on your back, you are instantly on your tummy. At first it wasn't your favorite place to be, but you learned fast enough to roll back over to your back or to deal with it. Now you sleep on your belly all night. You have even learned to get up on your knees and sleep with your butt in the air. If I wasn't so afraid of waking you, your butt would be plastered on the internet for all to see the cuteness effect. But for your sake, I am afraid, so it is yet to be seen. You scoot in a circle while on your belly. You already know how to scoot forward to get a toy out of reach. You are barely sitting up and already mobile. Boy are mommy and daddy in for it now. Everyday you try to sit up longer and longer but still flop over when left alone. For now mommy is okay with this..I'm already missing my sweet baby who couldn't go anywhere.

I am so proud to call you my son and look forward to seeing you grow, and accomplish your dreams. You are an amazing person and I pray you go far in life. Can you keep a secret? I often sit in the rocking chair, rocking you to sleep, and I start to cry. I cry because of the reality that I helped create you, and for the precious little boy you are. I hoped for a son, but got so much more than I ever thought I would. I love you Benjamin

Love momma

who needs teeth?

EVIL EVIL teething gums. Let my baby SLEEP, damn you!

red means stop

Can someone please tell my 5 month old that he is not allowed to get on his hands and knees yet...He's supposed to be my baby a little while longer.


*Sorry no pictures yet, still on the lap top, trying to fix the other computer. We don't want to upload anything to this computer just yet.

Next up, high school graduation

Did I tell you Ben was 5 months old on Christmas? Oh and he can roll now. Yes all in one day, he springs this on me. What am I going to do with this kid? He is crazy. He will sit on my lap watching the 2 girls and Chris play and he is practically jumping off of me because he wants to go so badly. I can't believe my baby boy is getting so big. We are guessing he is about 18 pounds now. And you want to know one more thing? His 1st birthday is only about 200 days away. I guess I better start planning now, right? Oh the bitter sweetness of our children growing. The milestones they must reach.

4months old today: 16 lbs 2 oz.

Happy Birthday

Dear Alanna,
Today you are 3. You have brought such delight and love to our family. You are funny, smart, and feisty. You know what you want and when you want it. You have an opinion and never afraid to show it. I am so proud of you everyday.

You are an amazing little sister. When ever Hannah wants to play house or school, you are always down to be the baby or the student. You are an amazing big sister. When ever Ben is crying you are there with a smile, a hug or a pacifier. Even though at times you are a little aggressive and go a little overboard with the kisses Ben always has a smile waiting for you.

You are an amazing daughter. Every morning you have a smile waiting for me and a laugh to follow. You never come up short with hugs and kisses and you are an expert at making me laugh. Everyday you become smarter and funnier if thats possible.

You have a love for animals beyond any child I have ever seen. All animals are equal to you. From anteaters to baby dinosaurs all the way down to zebras. You have a place on your bed for all 50 stuffed animals and if one is missing you know it. Thats one of your favorite excuses to get out of bed. You do an inventory every night before bed and set each animal in their spot.

You also have an amazing memory. You remember things from last year, like the last visit to the zoo or the circus. You talk about family events like they happened yesterday even if they were last Christmas. Like I said before you are an amazing little girl. I am beyond proud of you in your speech. It hasn't even been a year yet and you have improved 100%. You have worked so hard to get words right even if you have to ask for the word 10 times, you are determined to get everything right. Alanna Baylee, I am so happy to be your mommy and could not imagine a better 3 year old little girl in my life. I love you, Happy Birthday!

Love mommy

Kylee Joan

This day last year another piece of my heart was broken off and given away. It was given to this beauty right above the minute she made it into this crazy world. Kylee Joan was born November 8, 2007 sometime in the evening. She was 6 lbs 4 oz and pure sunshine to the dark November night. This little girl has been a great addition to our family and I could never imagine life without her. I love you, my sweet KyKy, Happy 1st birthday sweetheart.