Happy 70th Birthday Dad!!

We're having a big shindig for dad at a later date. But on his actual birthday, we still decided to get together. Plus, my niece Macey, turned 7 just a couple days before (hence the cake saying 70+7). Dad made doughnuts for the grandkids (an old tradition, but something really fun).

Twins Club Halloween Party

We went to our annual Twin's Club Halloween Party. Our costumes this year were all kid-chosen.

Joshua was dying to be Inspector Gadget. Dan and I worked really hard on the costume. It turned out really well.

Thomas wanted to be a Ninja turtle and the girls wanted to be birds (parrots to be exact). I think all costumes turned out to be adorable. Don't you?

Swimming Lessons

These skinny boys are doing swim lessons. Luckily they are the only ones in the class, so it's like private lessons!

Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

Every year our friend holds a pumpkin carving party. It's a wonderful gathering with friends and just an overall good time.

I've never seen Katie enjoy playing with another person as much as she enjoyed playing with Olivia. They were adorable together.

The party brings the joyous activity of seed spitting. Molly, of course, put forth a valiant effort.

Then, it was time for the adults....

The pumpkins were carved, good food consumed, laughing and playing had by all. Thanks for a good party friend!

Happy 7th Birthday Thomas & Joshua

I'm resigned to the fact that I now have 7-year olds. I guess I was kind of hoping it would never happen and that they would stay little forever.

The boys won a birthday party at a local karate establishment. They were in charge of the guest list, so it included a variety of friends from school and our neighborhood. It was so much fun! The highlights were:

The kararate cake

Hanging out with friends

Cutting the cake with a sword

The group

Then we had our family birthday party (with some added good friends).
 This theme was Angry Birds

The boys had a great party.

We ended the crazy birthday week with a party with our friends from PRESCHOOL. Most of our kids go to the same elementary school, but we as parents, never turn down an excuse to get together!

Crawdads

Dan's uncle and family invited us up to their lake place for a day of crawdad fishing and conversation. It was so much fun! Here are the many highlights!

The kids really enjoyed playing ping pong....

The boys had the best time going for a boat ride and then sorting through the crawdads.

If this picture doesn't crack you up, I don't know what will!

Then came the crawdad feed. The boys and Dan and all the cousins and kids had a great time. This mama took pictures. The girls played with toys. :)

We had an amazing time. The kids crashed on the way home and slept with smiles on their faces; also giving Dan and I time for adult conversation! Thanks to the Ball family for the invite!

The Faces of Molly

I could go through all my pictures of Molly and show you her many faces. I love them all. This girl is awesome. But, instead I'll just give you some from the span of two days. Too funny!

Preschool! Preschool?

I had anticipated Katie's transition into preschool being rocky. We even went in before school started to get a feel for the classroom and acclimate a bit.

Here's the rundown of the first day of school. The girls had mixed emotions, excited, scared, anxious, nervous, terrified, excited. ;)

They did great. They played with their buddies. I left and went to the observation room and watched for a bit and then went home. Success!

Ok, so Katie got a little sad. But Molly just grabbed her and helped her out, even if the grab was around the neck. That's just sisterly love, right? :)

The second day was not as pretty. Instead of 90 minutes it's almost a full 3 hours. Katie did not transition well. I had to pry her off my legs and then go to the observation room (and have a little cry myself). I then re-entered, helped her get started and left after she was fine.

The third day was a complete mess. I convinced myself it was better to just leave. So I did. I couldn't even watch from the observation room because her hysteria and crying was making me cry. So I went shopping. When I got back, she was "asleep." Katie does this when she is checking out and can't handle the stress of what is happening. I was not happy. So, we discussed a new plan and goal.

The fourth day, Dan took her. This was not a success. The girl needs her mama.

**Sometimes when Katie has a difficult personality I find that she is actually in pain. So I made an appointment with her chiropractor that afternoon and took her in. Turns out she had three areas that were really off and could be causing her pain. Hmmm.....I wondered if that would make a difference in her preschool experience. It certainly changes her disposition!

Yesterday, I took her again but with the new plan. I helped her transition at her own pace into the classroom. There were a few tears and a little prying from the leg, but she was completely fine. I scooted further and further away from her as the day went on and eventually even left. And she was fine.

So, our next day is Friday (two days from now). We'll continue the new plan and hopefully I can scoot out earlier and earlier as we find what works for Katie. I hope, as I look back later and read this blog, that I am happy I listened to my gut and did the transition this way.

Valley.fest

Every year we go to Valley.fest. It starts with a parade then the next day there are booths and tons of activities for kids. Here are some highlights.

 We watched a presentation on animals. I know, how fitting, right? They LOVE information regarding animals! Then, afterwards, got in line to pet the alligator. The boys also convinced the handler to open the alligator's mouth so the boys could look inside. :)

The Newest Dancers

With September starting, the fall classes also began. The girls are finally in tap and ballet combination class. This is something they have waited for forever! And their class is full of their best friends: neighbor, Camden; cousin, Natalie; friend, Carmen. So cute!

September Happenings

Gone are the lazy days of summer. Here are the fun-filled days of fall. No complaints here. I love to relax during the summer, visit parks, go hiking, and play at the river. But I also love all the activities that come with school starting.

We went to a community Renaissance Fair. Actually, Thomas, Joshua, Molly, and I went. (Katie stayed home sick with Dan). And we took neighbor kid Rowan since we had an extra seat. It was really fun. The kids got to climb in a fire truck, they made cool hats, and did fun games.

Uncle Adam took all the cousins on a four-wheeler ride. This is Thomas & Joshua's favorite thing to do. They could do it all day long.

Then we did bike race #1 and #2 (on different weekends). The kids did a great job. And it's always so much fun!