Back to School

  For selfish reasons, I am so sad that summer is over and now ALL my kids are into the big world of SCHOOL. I was blessed to be able to take half the summer off to be with the kids, and I'm not sure where all that time went. It flew by! While we did what we set out to do: ENJOY SUMMER TOGETHER, there's still a few items left on our bucket lists! I guess they'll wait until next year! While I'm sad that summer vacation has come to an end, I am beyond excited to see where this school year takes them!!!! The time with them has certainly motivated me to work even harder for our goals!

Here's to a GREAT school year for them!!! <3

We'll start with Monkey...

he's now in Kindergarten!!! 

 Don't ask me how because i have no idea. It blows my mind if I think too long about it. I swear it was just yesterday that we found out we were expecting him. So I have no clue how he's already starting school! 

 Oh, but is he ready! He's so smart and polite and has crazy energy. He's going to give his amazing teacher a run for her money but at the same time give her a sense of calm and peace because he'll be there to help her when she needs it. 

 He's good like that. Always wanting to help. Always wanting to learn. Always there to cuddle and love up on. My baby. He's in big boy school now!!! 

Him and his buddies are too cute! 

Then our Buddy! 

 He is the big man on campus this year!

6th grade!

Unbelievable! 

He is beyond excited though! He's anxious to learn and have fun and wants to be challenged this year so he's ready for MIDDLE SCHOOL next year! SO proud of who he is growing up to be. He's a great person and has a huge heart! I can't wait to see how this year goes for him :) 

And our Princess <3

 Can you believe her beauty?! She just got her FIRST "real" haircut yesterday - and she hates it - but doesn't it look so cute?!!! I LOVE IT! Which makes sense - cause at 7, her and I already are opposites. If i like it, she hates it. If i hate it, she loves it! This girl!!! ;) 

All summer long she complained about school getting closer and closer, but the closer it got, the more excited she became! :) And her 1st day of 2nd grade turned out great! :) She sure is growing up way too fast - i think the haircut helps - and that laugh of hers goes on for miles. It's so contagious! I wish I could hear her laugh all day long while she's at school with her friends! She's our crazy girl, but we wouldn't have it any other way <3

Here's a few more pics from before the bus came:

Em wanted in our 1st day pics, too ;) It was her 1st, 1st day experience afterall! 

My babies & I <3

These 4 are my heart!!! 

Hello!!!!!!!!!

Yea, we have a big bus stop! So what?! ;) 

Oh gosh...there they go!!! 

There goes my baby!!! <3

                                                      




                                                       And...some AFTER school pics!

 

All smiles getting off the bus! 
At least, if they knew I was taking pics, they would have been smiling ;)



And some randoms :) 

Have a GREAT 2016 - 2017 school year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've got a bike rider!

Princess is the 1st to learn how to ride a bike!!! :) 

When I picked them up from camp today, they were already tired.

When I told them I wanted the to practice riding their bikes tonight, they all whined and Princess threw a fit.

But then, something happened. She decided that NOW was time. And, she got on her bike and started riding, then falling, then getting back up and riding again...first in our back yard and on her bike, then in our court with Monkeys bike which fits her better. Then we headed down to the trail, and ended up in the parking lot.

2 hours of never giving up. 2 hours of 7 year old bad words and getting mad at the bike and hitting it. 2 hours of some tears, but more so some smiles. 2 hours of looking each other in the eye and her seeing how much i believed in her and me seeing how much she wanted this! She amazed me at the belief in herself and her determination to never give up.

She was determined to learn how to ride TONIGHT. And, tonight, she learned.

She wasn't ready last year. She wasn't ready last week. She wasn't ready yesterday. But this evening, she was ready, and she wasn't stopping until she reached her goal.

I love it when my kids teach me life lessons ❤

Breakfast for Dinner with Santa

Winter & Wyatt surprised us with tickets to a Breakfast with Santa! We were all so excited! :)

It was set up so nicely and the kids were great! We got there and the kids decorated their own gingerbread! After we ate, Santa came and each kid got to spend a few minutes talking to him :)

Bedrooms!

 For the last year all 3 kids have been sleeping in Buddy's room. Buddy in his bed, the other 2 on the floor next to him. We allowed it because we thought it was cute. They weren't going to be this little for long, it was one time of the day they all got along (for the most part), they felt safe together, and it showed they really did love each other.

 

But, in the last month, bed time has become a nightmare. It's like a sleepover with your best friend every single night! Great for the kids. Not so great for Babe & I. So it was decided. Everyone would start sleeping in their own rooms!

 

But first, we had to make some changes. Monkey's room had a cars bed which he did not like. He slept in it once, and was scared of it ever since. So, we had to get rid of that and find him a new bed. Good thing Buddy's old bed was just chilling in against our bedroom wall. Problem solved. But then there was Priness's room. Oh, her room. Her messy room, with stuffed animals everywhere, clothes everywhere...just a mess! Which i used to not worry about, because she never slept there and I could close the door. I know, bad mom. But, we tackled the mess. She had an awesome bed. A loft bed you could climb up one side and slide down the other. SLIDE!!!!!!!! They all loved to play on it, but when it came to sleeping on it. Nope, wasn't going to happen. And I really didn't want to buy another bed. Then i remembered her crib. It was a convertible crib! A-ha! Problem solved! We put it together, I ordered a mattress and ta-da! Princess had a bed now, too!

 

Last night was the first night. They all did well! Buddy enjoyed his room to himself for once. He's getting to that age where he wants some privacy. Princess absolutely loves her new bed, and stayed up til who knows when reading books! I'll take it! And Monkey was nervous, but with his nite-lite plugged in and flashlight in hand, he did it! So proud of them! I just hope the good, peaceful bedtimes continue!

 

I will say, I did enjoy the 1:1 time I got with each kid before bed. The CALM 1:1 time. That WILL continue no matter what :)

 

He didn't have his room all to himself...Oreo joined him :)

She looks so little in that big bed!

Aww, my baby is so big!!!!

He wanted to make a funny face ;)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! :)

We spent the long weekend after Thanksgiving getting prepped for Christmas! 

We love this time of year, so want to get it started ASAP :) 

But first, lunch at the new Panera in town! 

Then onto decorating! 

Priness, at 5, holding MY 5 yrs ornament :) 

we had an ornament casualty :( 

 TINSLE FIGHT!!!!!!!!!

Beautiful tree :) 

SATURDAY MORNING, Buddy and I ran the Turkey Trot 6k that was supposed to be on Thanksgiving. No one knew it was supposed to snow more, or that the temps would be below freezing, either! 

So, at the risk of looking like puffy marshmellows, Buddy and I layered up and hit the road for our first 6k together :) 

I'm so proud of him! He ran just about the whole time, and at the end I was yelling for him to slow down so we could finish the race together! He did just a little, but still crossed the finish line before me. And I'm 100% OK with that...I loved every moment of that race with him :) 

After our run, we got cleaned up and the whole family headed to the Festival of Trees (thanks to our elf, Wyatt, for sending us!)! We hadn't been since I was still pregnant with Monkey!!!!

AND THEN....we weren't done our Christmasy stuff yet...our amazing small town had their tree lighting on Saturday night, and we went to see that, too : )