ABC's and 123's...

Preschool year number 2! It's sometimes strange to look at my boy and see him suddenly looking so big. It is strange taking your babe to another year of preschool. They know the routine now. They know what to anticipate and look forward to. Kellen was quick to get out his backpack, find something to bring for sharking, help me pick out his snacks for the day. He knew exactly what he was doing and was very excited about it. It's a little bit sad seeing him act so big and so comfortable being so independent. But it also makes me so proud to see him growing up and maturing and having the confidence to take things on on his own. Where has the little baby that would cling to my leg at the park gone?

 Such a handsome boy. He really melts my heart....such good looks! He was cute and wanted to make sure to take a picture next to our nice flowers. Not the best lighting, but sweet all the same.

 Once we got to school a few nerves did come out. But he was quick to settle in to his new class and his new teacher, Mrs. Silva. He needed a number of hugs before I could leave, but no tears. Every day when I bring him to school and drop him off he always grabs on to me and tells me that he does not want me to leave and gives me a very cute, pathetic look. But after a couple of kisses and hugs and promises that I will be back soon he lets me go. And when I turn around to look back at him, he is always off playing and busy doing something within seconds. Maybe he just says this to make sure I know he needs me still ;)

 After his first day of school I let Kellen pick where he wanted us to go for lunch before we had to grab Makenna from school. Last year it was Taco Bell. This year it was Wendys...chicken nuggets with ranch, apples, fries and a chocolate frosty. These silly glasses came in his kids meal. Is he not a mini Harry Potter here? So cute.

What a little stud muffin....even in ridiculous glasses! He sure misses his big brother when he is gone at school, but it is also nice getting to have some special Conner/Mommy time. Love my boys!

 Conner is such a funny little kid. I just love this little boy so much. Even if he is a wild man and you never know what he is getting in to if you turn your back on him for more than a few minutes. He does always keep me laughing, and that counts for something huge! Conner Loves to help feed Bella. And a lot of times this is what I find when I look outside when he brings her the food. He doesn't just set the bowl on the ground, he holds it until she eats the whole thing. Such a sweetie.

 If you have spent much time at all around little Conner then you know how much this child loves "money". Every morning this little kid makes sure he has 2 coins (sometimes 3 if he can sneak an extra one) and he will carry these coins around with him pretty much all day long. He loves to have his "mimi" as he calls it. This has been going on for Months! I can't say exactly where or how it started. But it has truly become a part of who he is. Do I see a future in finances?

 On labor day our family decided to try and do something out of the ordinary and fun. Labor day is mildly frustrating for me. It is normally a very nice, warm, sunny summer day where kids don't have school and people have off of work. But it is too hot to go to a park or do most things outside without water, but the beaches are INSANELY packed, as are places like the zoo or sea world. So we decided to go up to the mountains and visit the observatory in Palomar. It was a pretty drive and the kids really enjoyed it. They always love feeling like we are in the "forest". It was a warm day, but it was not too hot to enjoy walking around a bit, going inside the observatory and collecting some acorns outside with the kids. It was just nice to spend the day together as a family and having the chance to do something new and different. 

It's been nice having some time with just Mom and the boys while Makenna is at school. It's sometimes strange to be out with just the two of them and feel like people look at me as the "boy mom" while my wild men run around playing super heroes and catching bad guys and just being boys. It is fun to see Kellen and Conner closing the age gap with each other and having fun being brothers together. Kellen is definitely getting bigger and braver and more mature. He was very proud of himself the other day for being able to cross the swinging pendulums on his own at the park. Of course Conner watched him once or twice and then attempted it on his own as well. Amazingly he was almost able to do the whole thing on his own as well. They younger ones learn quick that they have to work hard to keep up with the older siblings. 

 I am so happy that our family decided to get sea world passes this year. We have already been able to go a few times as a family, and the kids and I have gone a few other times as well. The kids are at great ages to go there and have really had a lot of fun every trip we have taken. Normally Kellen is brave and excited to go on the big ride there (he is just barely tall enough for it), but on our last trip he was unexpectedly nervous about it and decided to forgo the ride. 

 Daddy and Kenna decided to ride it together. Though Kellen's nerves wore off on her a bit, she still had fun and gave a big thumbs up at the bottom of the water slide. 

 Love my boys. Notice my mans beard??? Keep an eye on it....it just keeps getting bigger and better! I never thought I would love a hairy man....

 Daddy and Kenna getting ready for ride #2

 Makenna has taken to carrying around one of my purses with her while we go out places. She is so funny and it makes her look so big and grown up to me! I don't know exactly what she carries in it- I think she has a compact mirror, a paper fan, lip gloss, a hair brush and who knows what else. It's quite cute. I like seeing this girly side of her come out.

 After our sea world trip we hit up the corvette diner for dinner. The kids love that place, and so do us grown ups. Always a fun place to go and a very happy, lively, laid back atmosphere. 

 Love my man....don't love my swollen, pregnant face ;)

 Makenna got the royal treatment and had a waitress that was cool enough to do the straw hairdo for her. Makenna was in absolute heaven. She even tried to go to sleep with the straws in her hair before she realized that she was not able to get comfortable and asked me to take them out. Such a cutie. though....and looking so grown up!

 Conner had to be just like his big brother and got a spider man balloon as well. Both boys were so cute with their balloons. Kellen wanted to know why he couldn't get straws in his hair too. 

Dad, Dad, He's the Man!

We Love our Daddy! When he comes home he brings with him a feeling of love, excitement and completeness. We are all so lucky to be blessed to have him: as a Daddy, a husband and a friend.

We had a fun time celebrating Daddy's birthday as a family. The kids were so excited to give him cake and presents and sing to him and celebrate with him.

Daddy was sweet and let everyone participate in blowing out the candles on him yummy luscious lemon cake! And it was a good thing he had some help....trick candles take a lot of blowing to put out. The kids got a total kick out of seeing the candles re-light over and over again and Daddy was lucky enough to have the chance to make A LOT of birthday wishes.

Happy Birthday Daddy. We love you so much and are so grateful to have you and for all that you do for us. 

Yes, we swam a lot this summer. And I know that this is already evident by the amount of pictures of swimming I have put up. But these ones were too cute to pass on!

 I am so blown away by Kellen this summer. He has just left all fear behind and totally gone all out! He is a maniac jumping off the wall. He is funny and creative and silly in the things he does. And he has also become a really good swimmer. Without floaties on he is able to swim across the entire width of the pool on his own. He has jumped off the wall without floaties and been able to swim himself back to the wall or the stairs. He is doing so good and I am so proud of him. He will be swimming solo next year for sure!

 Makenna has been spending this summer perfecting a lot of her tricks. She has become a pro diver! I have been really surprised at what a nice dive a 6 year old can pull off. She is great at floating on her back. And recently we discovered she is able to swim the entire length of the pool under water holding her breath. Quite the swimmers!

Little Conner boy. With hair like that he better grow up to learn to surf!

Big Boys and their Beds

I love the things that kids can get easily excited over. The things that you can turn into a full on fun for all family event. As the arrival of Carys continues to rapidly approach we have been making some fun changes. One of the biggest ones was moving Kellen out of the toddler bed and into a "big" bed! Kellen is a kid that really knows how to appreciate and live up moments like this. Todd had picked up the bed and it was out in the living room for a few days before we set it up. Once we told him we were going to be setting it up the next day he spent the next 24 hours anxiously anticipating his bed. He helped me rearrange, clean and organize the room to make a spot for the "big bed". He had picked out a comforter and pillow case for his bed and helped me was and ready all the bed linens. And when Daddy got home from work he was right there next to him, helping him every step of the way. 

Makenna and Conner quickly caught on to the excitement of what was happening and eagerly pitched in and helped out and got their hands on everything they could!

I wish these pictures weren't blurry because I think they are so cute. Even though you can't see Kellen's mouth, you can totally tell he has a huge smile behind that mattress as he helps Daddy drag it in the room!

Kellen was definitely ready to spread out in his new bed. He is a big, tall boy and he needed the space. He just looks so much more comfy and happy now!

Everyone wanted to take a turn trying out the new bed. Kellen was patient with sharing his new prized possession. However, he has continued to be very strict about making sure people know that they are not allowed to stand or jump on the bed and makes people be good about not messing up his sheets and blankets. Kellen is a child that is particular about the way he wants things.

After we set up Kellen's bed and gave him a week of sleeping in it and adjusting to the newness of his room we then made the big transition with Conner. Conner not only moved into Kellen's room with him but also went from the crib into the toddler bed. I have to say, I think there is something absolutely adorable about seeing my boys share a room together. I love it. I have loved the few times I have had to go into their room to wake them up and heard myself say "Good Morning Boys, time to wake up!" 

Given Conner's active and sometimes "wild" personality, I was moderately concerned about what this transition into toddler bed freedom was going to be like. But I was very pleasantly surprised at just how easy this whole move has been. The first night we put him in his bed he seemed very sad/confused/a bit scared about not being in his crib and being in Kellen's room instead of his own. He sadly came out 6 or so times, but was always cooperative about sadly getting back into bed. The next night, though not excited to get into bed, he stayed in bed and didn't even try to get out once. And that has been the case since then. It only took him a few days to get excited about his big bed and be happy to crawl in there and get tucked in. But he has done amazing about staying in bed. And he has also kept right on napping like a total champ. I am so grateful and happy that it has gone so well. He may be a maniac at times, but he sure is a good boy.

And doesn't he look absolutely adorable?!!

Play Soccer!

I don't know who is more excited that Makenna is playing soccer....me or her?? Actually, I am happy to say it is probably her. She was so excited when we first talked about signing up for soccer this year. I was honestly a bit shocked that she chose soccer over dance or gymnastics. Though I believe hands down that soccer is more suited to her energy level and likes, she is a sucker for flipping on bars and does love a cute tutu. But I was glad to see her go the sports route. She loved going out and buying her shoes with coordinating ball and shin guards. And I have to say, I do think she looks quiet adorable in her soccer practice clothes.

Soccer practice has been fun for everyone. Kenna enjoys going to practice every week and the boys have been really great at cooperating and entertaining themselves at the park while we wait for practice to be done.

Makenna's first game went wonderful! She was so excited to play and not nervous at all. She was out there and was scrappy and enthusiastic the whole game! She even scored the second goal of the game and her team won 4-0. It so much fun watching her play and was a lot of fun seeing her smile and excitement and how proud she was and what a great job she did. Makenna has some good natural instincts. I am constantly impressed at her ability to anticipate where to be at just the right time. When the other team has the ball the natural instinct of most of the girls is to just chase the person with the ball. Not Makenna. She takes off down the field, ahead of the girl and then turns around, cuts her off and steals the ball. All she needs now is to get better at her own coordination with the ball and then that girl will dominate the field...in a 6 year old sort of way of course :)

So adorable! Makes my heart smile.

Kellen was right there with me through the game cheering Makenna on and was very proud of her after the game. It was cute to see the two of them so happy and excited together. Love them and their cute friendship they have with each other.