These cuties on picture day at school. I swear there is something bout school pictures that makes kids look and feel awkward. But at the same time there is something I love about it. 

 This cutie with a pony tail....That is a milestone that you are allowed to document, right?

 Celebrating Grammy's birthday with her. We love Grammy so much and are so lucky to get to be so close to her. These kids look forward to every sunday and I just know they will always cherish our Sunday dinner ritual at Grammy's house! What a blessing!

 Makenna and Kara are such perfect best friends for each other! They both think so much alike and are so adorable about it. I went to pick Makenna up one day and she and Kara were taping feathers not a shirt, trying to make bird wings for themselves. And then they went outside and tried launching off the trampoline to see how they would fly. It was so cute! I love these cute kids!

 Any chance to cuddle this little cutie is a good excuse for me! What is better than a warm, sunny day, sitting out by the pool while your kids swim until they are exhausted and then fall asleep on your lap? How can you not love summer?

 This boy and this dolphin hit it off like you wouldn't believe. The littles and I snuck away for a day at sea world now that the big kids were back in school. It was a gorgeous day and we had a ton of fun just playing and laughing. And this dolphin was seriously posing right next to Conner any time he went by the glass. It was the neatest thing. I think it actually boggled Conners mind. He just kept looking confused and surprised. It was so sweet. 

 Carys had a bit of a hard time adjusting to her big sissy and brother being gone all day long. She gets sad when we drop them off and then gets so excited as soon as she sees them at school when we pick them up. She is so cute about it. She runs to them, gives them hugs, holds their hand as we walk to the car with a big smile on their face. This is one of the big reasons you have a big family...is because you pray and hope that your kids will love each other and rely on each other and be best friends. 

Kinder started with a bang! Zero the hero visits the kinder classes on day 10, 20, 30, etc...and leaves them a gift. On day 10 they got capes!!! Are you kidding me? Lucky!!! And I LOVED the way Kellen chose to decorate his bear....a Padres bear! Goooooo Padres!!

 Naturally, Conner see's his brother with a bear he gets to decorate and then he needs to make one himself. Kellen is at an age where he gets annoyed with the fact that his brother wants to copy every thing he does. Todd and I try to explain that it just means that his brother thinks he is cool and wants to be like him. He still doesn't appreciate it too much, but I tell ya, from a mommies point of view it is the cutest thing. Conner just adores his big brother and wants so badly to be big! And he's growing up without even realizing it!

 Look at this cute girl! And her first time with a double scoop ice cream cone....thanks to a gift card from her birthday. Once again, a noteworthy milestone, right? (you know I am joking, right?....Kind of anyway).

 At Kellen's "All About Me" Parade that the kinder kids do every year. We got to watch him march around singing about how special he was. And then have a little picnic lunch with him. This picture of Kellen and Conner at the picnic just might be my favorite pic of these two boys ever! Totally describes their relationship right now!

This boy....that hat is so much a part of who he is, he climbs in the tub with it on without even realizing it! I love that crazy kid and his silly ways! 

3rd and K

 From the minute your child is born, time takes upon itself a whole new speed! Before you know it weeks and months and years are slipping through your fingers as your panic and try to hold on. And then they start school. And you might as well just throw your hands up in defeat, because time has just been taken from you and there is no getting it back anymore. This pretty girl is in 3rd grade. 3RD GRADE!!! I remember 3rd grade! And I remember feeling so Old and grown up in 3rd grade. And to think that she, my sweet little babe, is probably sitting here thinking of how old and grown up she is being in 3rd grade....it's just mind boggling!

 How many years will I be able to get them to take a picture like this on the first day of school???

 And this handsome boy is making it official and entering the world of Kindergarten! I have to admit that having TK last year sort of took something away from that "first day of Kinder" thing. Sending him to TK felt harder. He still felt like a baby and it was scary sending him to full day school! But now he is a pro. He has done it all before. He was totally excited and confident. He knows the school, knows the teachers, knows what to expect, is one of the oldest in class and going in with TONS of knowledge! So it made it all feel kind of strange. But he was So excited and so happy to be in Kindergarten! His excitement was so contagious!

First day of school 2014! Looking sharp!

 We all have moments in parenting that we wish we could take back and do all over again. Well, this is a huge one for me. I don't think it bothered or affected Makenna half as much as it did me! But I tell you, I was a wreck about it. We got to the school with time to park and get to class and be there early so we were not rushing. We got to Makenna's class first (since I was supposed to stay with Kellen in his Kinder class for his orientation and welcome). We hung around and said hi to her friends. And then we waited, and waited and waited. And then the bell rang. And I thought for sure her teacher would open the door right away. But no. We waited and waited and waited some more. And then I started to feel nervous and anxious. I still had to walk Kellen to class and the last thing I wanted was to get him there late on the first day. So I waited as long as I could and then finally had to kiss Makenna and wish her good luck and leave her there on day 1 in the hall, not having seen her teacher at all. I felt Sooooo horrible about it! I really did. In retrospect I wish I had just been okay letting Kellen be a couple minutes late. After all, it is day 1 and they don't care at all! As I said, I don't think Makenna noticed or was worried or anything like that. But it just didn't sit right with me. Next year we will have 3 kids needing to be walked to class. I am making sure to bring Daddy with me then. Either that or learn how to clone myself!

 Kellen was so ready to be in Kindergarten. He knew just what to do and how to get right to work. They read a cute book called the kissing hand and made kissing hands with mom or dad before they were taken away from the parents so that there were not too many tears. Kellen looked back and gave me a smile as they were walking out. And not a look back out of nervousness or fear, but with confidence and excitement! I am so proud of him and the strong boy he is! He does so well and I love knowing I can trust him to do well, succeed and always do right. Such a good kid!

Both of these kids lucked out this year and ended up with their Best Friends in class with them! I am so grateful for Kara and Joseph. You worry about the friends your kids will choose, because who your surround yourself with truly helps shape who you are. I love who these kids have chosen. I love having friends for my kids that I love with all my heart and adore! 

I'm really not the mom that counts down the days until summer is over and kids can go back to school and get out of your hair. I cherish every day of summer. Though it can be challenging some times not having the structure and routine that school brings, it is also so nice having a break where we can just take each day as it comes and enjoy it for what it is and decide what to do or not do depending upon our moods and wants and desires. So the last couple weeks of summer we spent doing as much as we could and loving every minute of it! I still can't stand it that school starts back up in August now days....ugh!

 I say it all the time, but we are seriously Sooooo lucky to have such great kids right next door. We love Joseph and Aubrey to pieces!

 We didn't let summer slip away without having a special day with our dear friend Jim. I really can't say what a special place Jim holds in our hearts for all that he did for Papa. We love him and are so grateful for him!

We spent a fun day with Jim at the wild animal park. It was a gorgeous day and we got to see a lot of awesome things. There was a small presentation on one of the stages and Makenna was picked to go up and help carry part of the Chinese Dragon. She was so excited and nervous at the same time. I love her stance here in the pic on the right....totally shows how nervous she was. But she got up there and I was proud!

 I think we all feel very lucky to have each other. And I know without a doubt that Papa was hanging out close that day too!

 Nobody can say we didn't get our share of swimming in! These kids are fish, I swear! But I will take it! Conner is a maniac, as we all know. He will stand right at the edge of the pool and just fall straight back into the water. And he thinks he is hilarious for it! I also think he likes scaring his mom and watching her flinch!

 Oh Makenna, what would I do without you!

 The summer before each kid starts kindergarten Grammy takes them on a special date to the circus. It was Kellens turn to go and he was so, so, so excited! I just love watching the kids light up and feel so loved when they get to have their own special time. 

 Grammy and her cute boys! As silly as it seems, I swear the closer you live the less often you remember to take pictures together.

 While Kellen was away playing with Grammy, mom took the other goons out for sandwiches and a fun evening at the park. Naturally, this date included funny face pictures over dinner. And this was the very first time that I went to take a picture of Carys and she said "Cheese" and really gave me a big cheese smile! I don't know why I remember that, but I do!

 This girl is nocturnal. No really, I think she could be. So she is at her prime all summer long when she has the luxury of staying up a bit late and sleeping in in the morning. Love that face!

 Sunday night treat at Grammys.

This boy has such a style of his own that I just totally eat up! I think he is just so cute. I love his attitude. I love the way he dresses. I love how he wears his hat backwards and how he can pull of anything and make it look good! Such a heartbreaker! 

We got the kids signed up for free bowling at the local bowling alley. It was so fun to go down a few times this summer and bowl a few games. We even got to drag ding down there with us a few times. 

As happy as we were for her, it was a sad day for us here when our beloved babysitter and friend Abby got married. We love to see her happy and we had a great time dancing it up at her wedding reception! But man, we are sure going to miss her!

It isn't a San Diego summer without a full day exhausting yourself at the beach!

These kids are just getting so big! All three of the big kids love to take turns boogie boarding now. Though they still need assistance and don't go out to far, it is so fun watching them learn this kind of fun. Poor little Conner is still too light to weigh down the boogie board. Any wave of substance just throws the whole thing over with him in tow. Poor boy. But he didn't stop trying and loved every little wave he caught. Kellen is getting pretty good and Makenna is old enough to hold her own and even tries to go out farther than I am comfortable with. It is both fun and scary watching them get older and take on new adventures.

Makenna showed little Carys what sand crabs are and after that she was content to play in the sand, did holes, watch the sand crabs and occasionally run away from the waves. She is just too cute for words. 

The kids and I dug a Huge hole together. And then they played in it for hours. It was such a perfect little kiddie pool for Carys. I remember when I was a kid my favorite things to do at the beach were to make drip castles and then to go and roll in the hot dry sand right after getting out of the cold water. And the neat thing is that even when you are 30 years old, those instincts from your childhood come right back. And I find myself doing those same things, but instead I am surrounded by my kids and family, rolling in the hot sand with them. Life couldn't be sweeter!

Me and my love!