Monday, September 13, 2010

Last Year of Preschool

It's hard to believe that this is the VERY LAST year that we will have a child enrolled at the Child Development Center. I started working there when Kendal was 1, but left her with my mom that first year. At the time, we figured why pay for her to go there when my mom would watch her those two days for free :) plus we had just moved here and we really didn't know what the program was about. I was there less than a month when I regretted the choice not to enroll Kendal, but her age was already full. The program is the greatest! Kendal was enrolled the very next year and Payton and Bransyn were in the infant room as soon as they had had their first set of vaccinations. I LOVE working there, I LOVE everyone I work with and I LOVE that all our girls will have "graduated" out of there into Kindergarten. More importantly, all three of our girls have LOVED it there!
FIRST day of the LAST day of her preschool career

sisters are the best!

pals--they have moved up in the program together and will go off to Kindergarten at the same school together next fall, as of now anyway....


SECOND day of the LAST year of preschool
Didn't work out to get a pic of her with her teachers on the first day...and we HAVE to have that, it is her LAST year of preschool, after all!! :)
Bransyn with her teachers, Ms. M, Ms. M and Ms. D
The second Ms. M and Ms. D also had her when she was 1
I'M A FROG!!!
r-r-r-r-r-r-ribbit!


Until next time...

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

First Grade Do-Over

Of course starting school can't remain uneventful for us. On Thursday of the second week, Payton came home with a note from the Principal. Fortunately, we were not the only parents to receive a note from the Principal regarding our first grader. She did not get in any major trouble that warranted a note coming home from the Principal, instead it was to inform us that there was an over abundance of little first graders and an under abundance of little Kindergartners so they were taking the new Kinder teacher who has first grade experience and moving her up to first grade and Payton was one of the lucky ones that got chosen to move to her class. When I talked to Payton, she didn't seem to be the least bit concerned about it and acted like it was no big deal. Good! Great! Friday morning, she became very nervous about it and I had to explain to her (again) that it would be the next week before she changed classes, that she would still be with her original teacher, that her new teacher would be coming in to her class today to meet the students that would be transferring to her class and that next week I would walk her to her class that first day to help her get settled. That day was yesterday. We walked into her new classroom hand in hand and as we got closer, she squeezed my hand a little tighter. I wish I could have stayed with her all day!
with her new teacher, Ms. N

her new locker

settling right in at her new desk
It didn't take long before she let go of my hand and realized it was "no big deal". When she got home and I asked her about her day and her new teacher, she didn't have a whole lot to say. Typical! I did get out of her that she likes her teacher and that she is nice. :)
Until next time...

Safety Patrol

Kendal came home from school very excited one day because she had a permission slip for me to sign so she could do Safety Patrol at school. This is an honor only bestowed upon 4th and 5th graders. Safety Patrol means several students standing out to help get doors open and closed at the car line during drop off or pick up depending on when your designated time is. This is supposed to help the drop off and pick up line move quicker and smoother. I'm sure it does. Kendal's shift is every Tuesday morning. Which means, instead of leaving our house around 7:25 in the morning, we have to leave by 7:05. She has to be there and ready to help at the car line by 7:20. She doesn't care that it means getting up earlier. I'm not sure how Payton and Bransyn feel about that, but neither has complained yet.

Her first day on the job. In the rain. She didn't care. So cute in her orange vest!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Bransyn turns 5

FIVE. Age five to me means to me that the "baby" stage is officially over. I don't mean baby like goo-ga-ga, at five, you become "little girl" (or boy). Maybe you don't get what I mean...but, Bransyn hit that stage today, she is five. FIVE!!! There are no longer any "baby" stages left around here...it's all over! If she had been born five days earlier, she could have started Kindergarten this year. I'm glad she wasn't born five days earlier. I'm thrilled that I have her with me for one more year.
Today, she turns five on Labor Day, which would almost be funny to me if she hadn't been a scheduled cesarean....no labor with her. :) Her Daddy ended up not having to work on this blessed day so we got to have the whole day together to celebrate. We took a drive just for fun and then Bsyn got to pick if she wanted a birthday lunch or dinner and where she wanted to go. She chose lunch at Chick-fil-A "because then we can play". :)

"eat more chikin"



nasty feet

birthday ice cream cone...so yummy!

back at home to open presents

Alice in Wonderland from her sisters

she only asked for one thing for her birthday, she really wanted it...

meet kitty cat, Lulu
No live cats allowed here, but we were happy to accommodate Lulu. She blinks her eyes, meows and rolls back to pet her belly.
Happy Birthday number FIVE, Bransyn!
You were our very special surprise and we couldn't have asked for a better one.
You are loved so, so much!!
When I went in the next morning, this is how I found Bsyn and Lulu. She had given her a special place to sleep at night. :)

Monday, August 23, 2010

First Day of School

Today, Kendal started 4th grade and Payton started 1st. Blows my mind that in two short years we will have one in Middle School. It seems like I just walked Kendal into her Kindergarten classroom. Embrace the time you have with your children! Enjoy it, even the not so enjoyable moments. Before we know it, they will be off living their own lives and we will wonder where the time went.


So cute!
3rd grade was the year that Kendal would only wear her hair in a low ponytail. Didn't want it any other way and would have a fit when I made her wear it down for pictures. Apparently 4th grade is the year to wear it down. :)
Bsyn wanted to be in a pic with her sisters. Thankfully, Grandma and Papa were here so I didn't have to have her up and ready to go.

Kendal with her teacher, Ms. P

She is still OK with me walking her to her class (she wanted me to) and taking pictures. I wonder if 5th grade will be the year that that all changes....

Payton with her teacher, Mrs. M

her locker that she gets to share with a good friend

at her desk


A nice way to end our first day of school...a trip to Bahama Bucks with friends.
Until next time...

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Payton turns 6

Our birthday tradition is that the birthday girl gets to pick where they want to go for dinner on (or around) their birthday. After a week or so of her thinking about where she wanted to go, Red Robin, Texas Roadhouse, Ol' McDonalds (yes, that is what our girls call it, or if your Bsyn, it's McOl' McDonalds) or Burger King. When the day finally came for her to make her choice, the winner was Red Robin. Of course! Papa and Grandma W were here for her special day and Papa was happy with her choice, he really wanted a nice, big, juicy burger!



done with dinner and her bday sundae and balloon were delivered

she embarrasses easily

and this is why....

some good sport employees were singing Happy Birthday to her
***a little side note...at one point in our marriage, I worked at a restaurant and whenever it came time for the crew to get together to go sing to someone, I always had to use the bathroom, stupid bladder! Of course, it wasn't just a simple walk to the table, announce that we have a birthday in the house, oh no, it was a big production of the group attaching together and running through the restaurant like a train. Train noises and all! This chic don't do that!! OK, side note over.***

with her favorite bird

Papa got his nice, big, juicy burger and in true guy fashion couldn't NOT drip it down his shirt :)

Today is my birthday

look, money!

We had gone to Sam Moon the day before and she was upset with me because I wouldn't buy her two necklaces that she wanted. Little did she know that I did in fact buy them and her sisters gave them to her for her birthday. She was happy!

our little ragamuffins

I'm SIX!!!

She got an extra special treat. Since Grandma and Papa were here, after church they took us to Cici's for lunch.

After lunch, we took her to pick out her new, bigger bike since her knees were practically hitting the handle bars on her old one. Now she just needs to learn how to balance the bigger, heavier one! :)
Happy Birthday, Sweet Payton!
Mama, Daddy and your sisters love you very much!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Birthday Celebration

Payton turns 6 on Sunday and Bransyn turns 5, fifteen days later on Sept. 6 so last night they had a combined party at Going Bonkers, a big indoor play area...climbing equipment complete with slides, bridges, swinging ropes and an upstairs area with a bunch of different games. It was the first friend party for both of them. They were so excited to be having a party and didn't care that they were having one together.



having fun playing all the games


some random boy counting all their tickets


look how many tickets I got!!

LOVE this cute faced little girl!!!
"I'm (gonna be) 5!!"

LOVE this cute faced little girl too!!!
"I'm (gonna be) 6!!"
Payton and friend being daredevils on the motorcycles

Kendal with the older sibling friends that came to play and hang out

When planning a joined bday party, I wasn't sure how it would turn out when picking decorations and a cake. I thought they might end up wanting two different themes, but when walking down the girly decoration isle at Party City, they got to the Hello Kitty section and both pointed at it and said that they wanted Hello Kitty. Perfect!!


Happy Birthday to you....

Mama and Daddy with the birthday girls

showing their frosting stained tongues

time for presents

both were very excited to get their very own color bag...Kendal has one
discussing how they can make bracelets and necklaces

Her very own jewelry box!! Happy!! :)

the birthday gang minus one that was being camera shy

silly faces

our boy besties

he's no longer being camera shy

They each got to have one friend come home with us and have a sleepover. The four of them and Kendal doing Color Wonder papers....at 11 PM! :)

the big girls finally fell asleep between 12 and 12:30 on the playroom floor

the little girls at 12:30...STILL awake

so awake that they wanted me to take pics of them making silly faces
checked on them 10 min. later and they were finally asleep

cinnamon rolls and sausage for breakfast
despite the late night, they were all up between 7 and 7:30


time for friends to go home
A couple of hours later, more friends came over, but this time I got to have friends here too. Us Mamas got to sit and talk while the 8 kids played for a few hours.


After everyone left, we were getting the house back in order and while I was organizing the playroom closet, Bransyn fell asleep on the floor. She wasn't much help!

Payton didn't want to help clean up her room, claimed to have a headache, so I told her she had to lay on her bed. Once I was finished with it, miraculously the headache was gone and she wanted to get up. NO WAY!!! I told her she had to stay there until I told her she could come out. This is how I found her 5 min. later. Both took about a 2 1/2 hour nap. Sweet!!
I am glad to have all birthday parties done for the year. Now just to get past the actual birth days and our birthday tradition of letting the birthday child pick where they want to eat and presents from Mama and Daddy. Payton's is Sunday...so far she started with wanting to go to Red Robin, then it was Texas Roadhouse, then it was Old McDonald's (that's what my girls call it) and last choice was Burger King. We'll see where we end up.
Until next time...