Kindergarten Round-up

Avery's 'most exciting day EVER' finally arrived today.

I think she has had this on a countdown in her brain for at least 2 solid years.

She FINALLY got to go to kindergarten!

Even if it was just round-up, she was thrilled.

Last night she insisted her hair had to be in rollers and her nails had to be painted.

She's had her clothes picked out for a week and spent at least 10 minutes this morning figuring out which necklace to wear.

I've watched all this with an anxious pit in my stomach...or heart.

I. am. not. ready.

Avery is different than Lauren.

More sensitive to what kids say, more self conscious about what she looks like, more apprehensive about trying new things...

These things just make me nervous for all day kindergarten.

That she'll come home with her tender heart broken.

I'd rather just keep her 5.

I LOVE my 5 year old Avery.

My sweet, cuddly, bouncy, sneaky, giggly, creative, funny bundle of 5.

I love how she HAS to pose for pictures.

I really thought I'd be a mess.

But I couldn't be...cause she was!

I snapped this picture of her in the van and we hoped out in the

TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR and RAN into the school.

She wouldn't come out from behind me, wouldn't walk into the room.

Begged me to stay.

Finally Mrs. Johnson, Lauren's kindergarten teacher, smiled and winked at her and we walked into the room.

She whispered, 'mommy, I'm scared'.

But I held it together.

I told her she was going to do great, that I loved her and pointed out some of her preschool friends and gently nudged her away from me.

She went and played.

I backed out of the room and left.

So grown up.

Me.

not her.

well her too.

Now come August. It will probably be the other way around.

She'll be shoving me out the door as tears stream down my face.

ugh!

Kentucky Derby

I really want to go....

Cause I really want to wear a hat like all the ladies in the stands wear.

Doesn't that look fun?

Miss Independent

Tess is growing up before our eyes.

And the thought of her losing her spot as 'the baby' makes me kind of ill.

But I will admit that her independent nature is going to make my life a lot easier.

She wants to be 4...she is trying to grow up as fast as possible.

Slow down little one...your time will come!

Here's some evidence of her independence!

Yesterday she was DETERMINED to tie her own shoes...

She finally let me but then spent the next 5 minutes looking at what I'd done and studying it.

How old is she?

She also really wanted to zip her own coat.

Victorious on this one!

I about fell over.

She wanted to ride Avery's bike...not quite tall enough!

But she can ride the horsey all by herself!

And eat spaghetti dinner all by herself.

What a mess!

And today she brought me a diaper, the wipes and the A&D TWICE, when she needed a diaper change. I'm seriously considering attempting potty training soon.

Although I know her stubborness is going to work against me here.

At the end of the day she is still daddy's girl and will gladly take a lift rather than walking by herself.

Smart

I woke up feeling...ok. Better but wiped out.

I looked at Sully who got sick last night and asked how he was...his head hurt. No fever.

I asked Avery...she said 'ok'. No fever.

Tess looked good.

We had no milk, bread, eggs, oj, nothing for lunch, nothing for supper.

We headed to Walmart.

We were pathetic. I honestly considered taking a quick nap in the parking lot when we arrived.

Sully and Avery just walked beside me, holding the side of the cart, not talking, barely even with their eyes open.

Im sure we were a sight! I did shower...and even put on some make-up...but it wasn't pretty.

So we are home and we are all going to bed soon.

And seriously...that wasn't smart. But we have food now. So we are good.

sick

we're droppin' like flies around here

Boys are first

Sullivan and the girls were arguing over who was going to get to play with daddy first tonight.

Sullivan's main argument was..."Well Jesus named the boys first!"

He's such a funny kid.

HIJACKED

My blog was hijacked tonight...

shortly after this mad man came running into my house asking if I'd 'heard the news'?

I found the previous post on my blog.

I dont know who he is but he's gone loco.

And man, he was hot! ;)

The Mayor

How exciting! Fred Hoiberg is the new coach for the Cyclones!!! No head coaching experience, but he is the MAYOR! How can you go wrong?

Jordan's First choice for the new ISU head coach: Bobby Knight

Runner up: Bring Larry Eustachy back

Third place: Bring Tim Floyd back

I'll settle for the MAYOR!

He's still working on me

These verses have been on my heart so much lately...

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me O God and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Monday

My almost 2 year old is singing, "Who Let the Dogs Out"

Who taught her this?

And now she wants to watch, "Ouch Charlie."

2? or 16?

Gaining Weight

At the beginning of this week I was so proud.

I was in my regular jeans and shirts, wearing belts, the morning sickness was gone and I was in that blissful 'hey pregnancy rocks' phase.

Yeah, that lasted 3 days.

Suddenly the weight is coming. And I'm entering the 'pregnancy stinks' phase.

But at least I dont have to deal with it alone.

I dont think I ever mentioned that for the THIRD time in a row Jordan's sister Trina and I are having babies within days or weeks of each other.

Our Sullivan and their Alexa are 11 days apart.

Our Tess and their Adele are 3 months apart and

these two impending babies will be 6 weeks apart.

Its very fun to share this together.

And since this is their fourth and our fifth...I think its safe to say that we are largely to blame for overpopulating the country. ha!

So here we are.

Oh it hurts to post.

Especially since Trina looks better than me but is 6 weeks MORE pregnant than me.

Its ok. Im not cute pregnant. I get pregnant arms and a pregnant face.

I've made my peace with it.

:)

(and seriously, what's with my hair?)

And then there's Tess

She is so completely cute and sweet and carefree and funny.

I love to just sit and watch her.

She is also incredibly naughty and defiant. We've never had a defiant child.

And stubborn. Oh my.

Her favorite thing is to 'paint' with the soap in the bathroom.

So we have a new spot for the soap.

But now she can turn on the faucet. And flood the bathroom.

And here she is after I've removed her and distracted her from the scene of the crime AGAIN.

She went back. I followed her. She climbed up on the stool turned to me and said, NO!

You can see her darling little lips in finishing up the word here.

And then she does this smile.

How? How does she do this?

I am not being easy on her.

I am being strict and stern.

It has no affect on her.

I find myself saying special prayers over this child.

Several times per day!

(And yes, I realize I'm photographing her instead of dealing with the issue here but I also feel the need to remember these moments so that I can remind HER someday.)

More Sun

We have had the most gorgeous spring!

We've had Brooklyn and Alex here for the day trying to help their mom out in some small way.

Just one of the many reasons I love being home full time - being able to help my friends.

Some serious cuteness in the yard...where we were all day. And yes, we ate lunch out there.

I think Tess just assumed they were her sisters too and that they'd do whatever she asked!

Avery and Brooklyn are such cute little friends.

We all walked up town for Avery's much anticipated hair cut this am. The shop was pretty full and when the ladies heard me say how much we were cutting off they all yelled, "No!!!"

Avery IS blessed with gorgeous hair but this will be easier, cooler and more fun for summer.

Don't worry, she's also blessed with hair that grows freakishly fast!

Tess wouldn't get out of the Burley so when Jordan came home for lunch he took her on a short ride. And she was laid back and loving it!

And this picture isnt really about today...although it was taken today.

But last night when the older girls and I got home from AWANA I found this note and flower from my 2 guys. So sweet. Love them both.

Summer Fun = Happy Mommy!

My goal for this summer is to eat more (WAY MORE) lunches and snacks OUTSIDE than we do inside. In the past week we've done great. Lots of picnics with different friends and many sandwiches and fresh fruit eaten in the grass!

There is nothing better than a park date. And when you add in keeping my kitchen and house clean, well I couldn't get much happier.

I'm so grateful for all my awesome mom friends and their kids!

See, even my feet are happy about it!

As far as I can tell the only downside is that the days of the 'every other night bath' is over.

We're back to requiring bathing every night...

Sometimes...

I can admit it.

Sometimes I still sob uncontrollably.

Sometimes I wake in the night sweating and shaking after a vivid dream.

Sometimes I feel hollow.

Sometimes I feel very ripped off.

Sometimes I still feel very raw.

Sometimes I still drive past his grave and say very angry things to him.

Sometimes I sit at his grave and I tell God, "I'm really angry at him...and worse, I'm really angry at you. You didn't HAVE to take him. You didn't HAVE to have it work this way."

I'm often ruled by my emotions...I'm overly emotional, my emotions sit right on my surface...you never have to guess what I'm feeling. (Just ask my husband, or my mom, or Melanie, or my poor kids.)

And after having said all that. I'm so very grateful that my God, my Savior is not ruled by those emotions that tend to control me.

Because my emotions, and the truths that HE tells me, often times, most times, do NOT go together. Most times they are in direct conflict of each other actually.

Because HE tells me in

James 1:2-4

" My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing."

and in Romans 8:28

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.

And emotions don't change Him. He is the same, yesterday, today, FOREVER (Hebrews 13:8). What a promise. What a faith we can have in that.

I think if Christ were ruled by emotions...we might have had a different outcome in the Garden...remember His words here... Matthew 26:39 "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." But His faith was stronger than emotion.

Unfortunately for me, my faith is often times over taken by emotions. I'm a fickle sinning human.

So I read verses like the ones above and like this one, James 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

And I remember that He's bigger than me. And that yes, He allowed my dad to pass from this life to heaven, but His purpose is greater than my emotion. And you know what else...so is His love for me. John 3:16.

When I'm angry that my dad is gone...I remember that.

But sometimes...its hard.

Silly and Sweet Sully

Sully Quote #1:

S: Mommy, do all evil guys have green eyes?

Me: Yep.

S: I knew it.

Me: Sully, look at my eyes...(they're green)

S: You're evil! I knew that too!

Sully Quote #2:

S: Papa Richard liked donuts. If he were here he'd take me to get donuts for breakfast. Cause he really loved donuts and he really loved me. Did you know that mommy?

(Yep, I did Buddy...yep, I did)

Now you can laugh...

I still have a few more posts on our trip but I'm taking a break to give you all some good laughter for the day.

Here are some of the out-takes from our time:

1. Garmin vs. Mapquest.

We had both on our trip. And for 95% of the time they worked perfectly and agreed with each other. But the 5% of the time that there was a discrepancy was beyond frustrating. Especially once in the middle of the night when Jordan started asking me to figure out why they weren't agreeing and to tell him which way we should go. (I dont read maps real well under good circumstances...so adding in the fact that it was dark and I was asleep really didn't help!)

2. Sullivan, Sullivan, Sullivan

Again for 95% of the time he was awesome on the trip. But the 5% of the time that he was wild, mischievous, LOUD and just plain crazy...he was a handful. At one point at Disney I'm pretty sure Jordan was trying to lose him. He thrives on consistency and we had none on our trip! :)

3. Which leads me to my next point. We had no schedule on our trip. Often we ate supper at 8:30 pm and the kids went to bed at 10:30 - or later! Naps were questionable and by the end everyone was getting pretty cranky. Turns out 12 days is a pretty long time to have four kids out of their routine!

4. Sand. Seriously, how do people live on the beach? I would do a load of laundry and the washer tub would have mounds of sand at the bottom. And the 'clean' clothes I would pull out would be covered in sand. Clean? We brought home much of the beach with us.

5. Puke. Oh yes. We had it. Both Avery and Contessa had car sickness. Contessa only had trouble when we were actually driving through the curvy, hilly rounds in the mountains. And lucky she didn't make much mess. But Avery got sick whenever we were in the car for over 4 hours. So at one point, again, I was asleep...Jordan starts yelling, "Pillow! Pillow!"

Or at least that was what I thought he was yelling. Turns out he was actually telling me to give her the pillow CASE! So needless to say we had to throw away Jordan's favorite pillow at a gas station and buy Resolve to clean our NEW VAN! Ugh. And for those of you who think Jordan is always even tempered and happy...ruin his favorite pillow and see what you get! (and we finally figured out the beauty of dramamine for Avery on the trip home!)

6. Lost children.

Yes. We basically lost one of the kids at Disney. It was only for about 60 seconds. And to be honest...we knew where she was...but well to make the story short...a Disney employee got involved and I'm glad DHS didn't get called! Geesch!

So there you go...laugh at us...we did.

Just a couple more...

Moments when they truly just get along...somehow they always

seem to involve wrestling...not sure what that says about us!

Oh...there they go again...stealing my heart - over and over and over and over.

This was how we told them about their new sibling...there may have been some screaming.

The whole gang.

I know, more beach pics...but I dont want to forget this week.

You don't get many chances to take a break from reality and just enjoy those closest to you very often. And this trip was just what we needed!

I spent a lot of the beach time sitting in my chair, feet in the sand, snapping pictures.

Just taking them all in!

Something about this picture just makes my heart stop.

Our walk to the beach...took about 2 minutes from our room.

Just silly.

She never wants to be left out...but always ends up

just a little bit behind her siblings...but that wont last long I am sure.

Lauren on the beach

And this one...well suddenly she is 12 years old.

She told us thank you so many times on this trip that it was almost comical.

She is a constant joy.

She makes me feel like the luckiest mom in the world.

Her early morning shot...she loved the time with Jordan.

She is a true Daddy's girl.

She is also the best big sister.

She'd do anything for them.

A little mom in training.

And always the protector...on her guard and looking out for the little ones.

And I love that, but sometimes I'd just like to tell her to be 8 for awhile!

And she's meticulous.

JUST LIKE HER DAD!

Their sandcastle was pretty cool.

Oh my heart...

Avery on the beach

Avery has changed so much in the last year its doesn't even seem possible.

She is no longer my silly, wild child.

She's much more serious and I can tell sometimes she just sits back and watches us...trying to figure out her place and probably figure the rest of us out too.

She spent a lot of time on the beach off by herself.

And I just watched...

She is an outside girl.

Jordan got Lauren and Avery up one morning to watch the sunrise and go on a walk.

They enjoyed it even though they were tired!

ALWAYS wanting to hold hands and be touching. Always!

She is so good to Tess. Will do anything Tess wants!

Also, always running, dancing and moving!

And she has the best giggle.