Its official...

summer has started.

The kids kicked it off with a sleepover on the trampoline.

Well not so much as a sleepover as a jump and watch a movie outside until 10:00, in and out of the house, until mom and dad had enough and they got put to bed kind of sleepover.

Either way they had fun.

Just because...

she is beautiful.

Its over...

So sad.

Kindergarten is over.

That was the face Bode had on the last day of school.

Don't let it fool you. He was having such a fun week.

Parties at school, cookies, and a fun water day.

Bode had a wonderful year. 

We loved his teacher and couldn't have asked for a better kinder experience.

On to 1st grade!

But first we have to make it through the summer...

it might be a long few months for these 2 hooligans.

Noturnle...

This is a conversation between Bode and I this afternoon.

B: Hey Mom?
M: Yea.
B: Is Dad noturnle?
M: Noturnle? What is that?
B: Oh, you know. Like an owl. Sleeps in the day, awake all night. Noturnle.
M: Oh! Nocturnal. No. Your dad is not nocturnal. He just works at night.
B: Well that's just not right.

Poor dad. Yes. To a 6 year old Dad seems to be nocturnal. Working night has taken its toll on all of us. We are ready for this crazy 13 hour 20 minute shift to be over.

Just dance...

Laine finished up her first year of dance. I think it is safe to say she loved it. She would start to show us all her moves whenever any music came on. She loved learning to point her toes, do summersaults and "pose". To bad that all went out the window come recital day...

She was having a bad day. A few melt downs through out the day too. She ended up taking a nap so I hoped that would put her in a better mood. Nope. She barely made it through the dress rehearsal. The only thing that put a smile on her face was being a big girl and getting some makeup on. She loved the blush, mascara and pink lipstick. Then came the recital. She did not want to do it. I was surprised. She normally loves being the center of attention. One of the teachers walked her out with her group. The music started and she froze. (I have video, but haven't downloaded it yet) The girls started dancing and she slowly made her way behind them to the corner where her dance teacher was. I didn't really care though. It made for a cute little video. 

Turns out she was acting moody and grumpy because she had a double ear infection. Poor thing. No wonder she didn't want to dance.

Happy Girl...

This girl, how did she get this big? She is just about 7 months old. Today was a good day for her. She had an appointment today to see how her little head was doing under her helmet. It is really getting better! I need to take a picture of how good it looks. Her flat spot is almost gone. She only needs to wear her helmet at night, during naps and if she will be on her back for prolonged periods of time. So hopefully in three weeks we can get rid of the helmet for good. We all just love her! How could you not with a green bean smeared face like that!

Mothering...

These are my little loves. I love them more and more everyday. Being a mom isn't easy work. It can be tedious, the same things everyday, there are days with no shower and little sleep. Lately I have been working hard to find joy in the simple things I do everyday. My kids are little right now and need me to do so many things for them. 

I used to get rushed with Bode and tying his shoes. It took forever for him to get them on, his foot would go all limp and it was hard for me to tie it. Now he can tie is own shoe. He doesn't need me to do it anymore. And like a flash, that moment we had together everyday is gone. I won't really ever need to sit down and tie his shoes again. Why was I so frustrated tying his shoes? So tonight Bode was reading a book. I sat down with him for a long while and listened to him read. He is getting so big. I love being his mother!

These children are my favorite little people. I am so grateful that they call me mom.

Working Hard...

Piper is working so hard to get places. She can roll anywhere she wants to go and eventually get to places. But she has recently started doing this half roll push forward thing to scoot forward. It won't be long until she is up on all four crawling everywhere!

Yes, I said no bananas...

Laine has a little love affair for bananas. She would eat one with every meal and in between every meal if I would let her. A few days ago I brought home some groceries. I swore I bought bananas but didn't find them when I was putting the food away. I even went out to the car to see if I left them in there. No bananas. Later when tucking Laine in at night Jeremiah noticed a banana peel on her floor. I told Jeremiah I must be loosing my mind and left the bananas at the store. He thought I should check Laine's room. Sure enough, I searched her room the next day and found the whole bunch of bananas in her little kitchen.

Batter up...

Last night was Bode's last t-ball game. He has had fun playing and his little skills have improved since the beginning. He has learned how to ground balls and throw very well. We still need to figure out how to really hit the ball. He was so excited to get a trophy. He cleared a spot for it in his room and told me that is where he will put all the trophies when he earns them. Good job Duder!

In one day...

Maybe you all have figured out how to keep a clean house, but for me it is an every going battle, struggle Mount Everest climb. I like having a clean house. When it is all clean I am more relaxed, I can play with my kids and we have more time together. My sister pinned this on Pinterest. I have been trying hard to do it once a week. I also read a blog about the was called "habits of highly clean houses". Between these two things I have really felt like I have stayed on top of my house and had more free time to do things.

Click on above picture to find original source :)

I couldn't find the blog about "highly clean houses" but I can remember a few things that where on there.

• Do the dishes every night. A clean kitchen in the morning starts the day off right.
• A place for everything, everything in its place. 
• Wipe toilet and sinks every night with a Clorox wipe.
• Do a load of laundry a day... I don't thing I will ever really make this a habit. I hate laundry! 

I am fffreee years old...

39 1/4 inches tall 80% for height

34 pounds 75% for weight

Laine had her 3 year well baby check up yesterday. She was an angel. She sat there answered all the doctors questions. He favorite thing was her brother Bode, favorite colors are pink and purple, she counted all her fingers for her and named everyone in her family. Laine just talked to her for about 5 minutes. I really didn't think too much of it. Laine talks and talks about everything under the sun. The doctor told me she was very impressed with Laine. She said most three year olds wouldn't be able to stay focused for that long of time to carry on a conversation. I don't think she is any smarter than other three year olds she hangs around. She seems right on track with her little friends. At the same time it is just nice to have an outsider compliment your child. It is also very nice to not have to worry about Laine. 

When Bode was three he had a hard time remembering the alphabet and could count to 5 on a good day. I was always contemplating getting his speech tested because I was worried about him.  We would work with him all the time without much success. I don't worry about him at all now. He loves school, can read books, loves writing and has a fun time making little math stories. It just took him a little time. 

With Laine, I am not worried at all. She loves to sing the ABC's. She can count to 20, knows all the colors and shapes. She is always asking questions and is so curious about everything. She is the 2nd child and I know that she is the way she is because of Bode. She is always trying to keep up with her big brother. 

I love you litttle Laine Jo!

What did you do this weekend...

this is what I did.

As soon as I gather all the pictures from this event I will do a whole blog about it.

It was FUN!

6 months...

26 1/2 inches long 

16.8 pounds

Piper Jane has reached 6 months old (on April 21st). Wow, that went fast. She is hitting all her milestones. She grabs for things, is eating yummy fruits and veggies, rolls all over the floor, giggles, plays peek-a-boo, can hold her own bottle and is working so hard on getting up on her hands and knees. She is a happy baby and is normally quite content to sit and watch her sibling play or  roll on the floor with toys. Her only fault it that she won't sleep through the night but we are working on that.