Kindergarten

All summer long all I have heard is "do I get to go to school yet, when is my school, I can't wait to go to school." Finally, the epic day came and McKenna got to start Kindergarten.
She was so excited to go to school and had a hard time waiting until 1pm to go. I made her one of her favorite breakfasts, chocolate chip pancakes, which she downed in like a minute.

She picked out her outfit to wear and all the accessories to go with it.  We had also gone to the store the day before and she picked out her very own lip gloss and body spray which she was over the moon about.  She had to put those on of course to complete her look. We also painted her nails the night before because she had look pretty she said.

What other kind of backpack would she have other than Hello Kitty.  She was wearing it around all morning until it was time for school.

We got to the school, and of course I had to take some pictures of her out front and it was nice because she had a few church friends there that are in her class so that was fun to see them all.  Graysen was all happy too cause I think he thought he was going to get to stay at school as well.  He wanted to have his Elmo backpack too so he could go to school with Kenna.

Graysen and I dropped McKenna off to her classroom and got her settled and then we headed out while she plopped herself down and just started playing.  She didn't even look at me when she said bye.....kinda sad.

I have been looking forward to her starting school because she just gets so bored with me and I needed a break, but now that she is at school I miss her.  When we got in the car Graysen started crying and said he wanted to stay and I told him sister was going to school and we had to go home.  He cried even harder and said " I want sister." It was so sweet, he really loves his big sister.
When I picked her up she was all smiles and said she had so much fun.  She couldn't for the life of her tell me anything she actually did other than play, but hey at least she is happy.
It is hard not to wonder if all the things you taught them is sticking with them.  We talked about being kind to everyone around and if there is someone who doesn't have a friend, that we should talk to them and invite them to play. We stressed the importance of listening and being a good example to everyone, and one thing I know McKenna knows how to do is help, so of course we talked about that.  I really hope that she remembers those things when it really matters, but I take comfort and trust that the Lord and angels will be there with her guiding her and watching over her when I am not there and helping her to make the right decisions.  I just hope and pray that I have taught her the correct principals and that now she can put them to use. 
I love my little Kindergartner and am so proud of the beautiful young lady she is growing up to be.

Ode to Graysen

My little Graysen turned 2 years old today!  I know I say this every time I post about birthdays or anything, but it just went by way to fast.  In my mind he should still be a little baby who needs me for everything and doesn't know how to talk or to run around or to know how to get what he wants.
He is seriously the cutest little boy in the whole wide world and I totally adore and love him to pieces.  He has been such a joy in our lives, and to think I was content on not having any boys.  He really is such a sweet boy and is so much fun to be around.
He is so smart it is crazy.  He talks so well, you can understand pretty much everything he is saying and he can communicate what he wants or doesn't want in a way that is so clear.  He already knows how to count to 13 on his own, say the ABC's and recognizes a lot of numbers and letters and what their sounds are.  He is very active and I really think he will be a very good sports player.  He can hit a ball with the bat if you throw it to him, he can hit a ball with a golf club, he can kick and throw very well, and he is a pretty fast little runner.  I am excited to see what he will be into as he gets older.
We had a nice little birthday for him.  We went out to Burger King for breakfast because he absolutely loves the french toast sticks there and I figured he would like that the best. He gobbled up his food and then he got to play so he was a happy camper.

We didn't have a party for him until the following Sunday which was the 12th.  We went up to Beaverton to Grandma and Grandpa Allen's and Uncle Tyler and Aunt Melanie came over with the twins.  Grandma made a really nice dinner for us and it was really good.
Aunt Melanie did balloon animals for the kids and they were in heaven.  Graysen got a weener dog and Kenna got a kitty.  She also made them swords and they insisted that she make one for Grandpa so they could have a sword fight.

  Graysen loves balloons, and I had a whole bunch blown up and he got to play with them all.

I think he would have been happy with just the balloons.  We also got him a buzz light year balloon on a stick.  Since there is a nationwide shortage of helium (who would have guessed that,) I couldn't get him the Mylar ones, but he was still happy.

We opened presents and he got a lot of neat things that he loves!  

Grandma and Grandpa gave him a really cute outfit and a little bike which he was so happy about.  Sister has a big wheel too, so now they get to ride them together.

 He also got an Elmo backpack so he could carry his stuff in too. We got him a T ball set because he loves playing baseball.  He turns anything into bat so he can hit any type of ball with it. He had a lot of fun playing with it.

 Grandma and Grandpa Marshall got him a cute train set which he keeps in his Elmo backpack and carries it around with him.  He loves playing with that too.
After presents we had bumper car sundaes.  I found this really cute idea in this cupcake book and just had to make them for his birthday.  He loved them, and I am just happy that they were edible.

We had so much fun, and I am so happy my little boy is in our lives, he brings me so much joy and is such a good little boy. I love him so much and am so glad he is a part of our family.

Reptile Man

We went to the Salem library a couple days ago and were able to see the reptile man.  My kids were pretty excited about it.  I thought Graysen would be more excited then McKenna, but no it was the other way around.

He showed us a lot of really cool snakes, lizards, tortoise, an alligator, and other things I had no idea what they were. McKenna actually got to go up on the stage and look into the mouth of a big snapping turtle.  He told her to keep her hands behind her back and look into his mouth to see what she could see.  I totally thought she was going to get scared when he brought the turtle closer, but she thought it was really cool and wasn't scared at all.

 I am glad my kids had fun and that they got to see and learn about some cool reptiles.  It was so neat that she got to go up on stage, makes for some great memories and pictures :)

Cannon Beach

Travis' Aunt and Uncle were in town and so we decided to go to the beach with them.  We went up to Cannon beach and walked around in the little shops which was fun for us, but the kids had to find other ways to entertain themselves like being monkeys.

We went to this cute little restaurant for lunch, and we enjoyed good food and good company.

Graysen was being a cheesball while eating his pizza

Grandma and McKenna hanging out after we ate

  It was pretty chilly when we first got there but then warmed up quite a bit and the clouds burned off and it actually turned out to be a really nice day on the beach.  The kids played in the water and the sand and had a blast with that.  They don't care if the water is cold, they just go right in and get all wet.  They really love the beach and we haven't gone nearly enough this summer so I think we need to make another trip when it is really warm and we don't have to wear pants or jackets.

 We drove through Tillamook on the way back and stopped off at the cheese factory and got some Ice cream of course.  My kids were so tired and had a little bit of a break down, but the ice cream was so good and was well worth the few minutes of tantrums :)

 My cute little cow and farmer

We had a really fun time and can't wait to go back to the beach, we love it!

The big 5

McKenna turned fiver years old  and I can't believe it!  She will be going into Kindergarten this fall and I think I just might cry when she goes for her first day.  She is so excited to be 5 and can't wait to start school.  She thinks she is such a big girl now, and wants to do everything for herself.

We are so happy that she came into our lives. She is the most wonderful daughter we could ask for and has a special spirit.  She is always so kind and helpful to others.  She rarely complains if I ask her to do something.  Some of her favorite things to do is to play with Graysen and color or paint, ride bikes, play outside, and swim.  She is recently taking swimming lessons which she loves!
When she woke up we had her chair decorated and a sign up that said Happy Birthday, and she was so excited that it was finally her birthday! We had one of her favorite breakfasts, Cinnamon rolls and eggs.  We went and got her some balloons which she loved, and then we spent the rest morning setting up for her birthday party.

 McKenna has been so excited all week to have all her friends over to play at her house.  Grandma and Grandpa Allen came too which was awesome because Trav and I couldn't have handled 17 kids all by myself, as awesome as we are :) It was nice that a few other moms were there too.

We played duck duck goose and decorated party bags while we waited for the pool to be blown up and filled.  Once the pool was up and ready we hooked up the sprinkler and let the kids play in the water. They all ran in splashing and playing around.  After they played in the water for a while we brought out the cake and the ice cream which McKenna picked out by herself, and sang happy birthday.  That was probably the quietest moment we got the whole party.

After cake and ice cream they played for a little bit and then we opened presents.  She got so many presents, she was in heaven.  She got a lot of cool things from all her friends.  She got barbies, art supplies, ponies, lots of hello kitty stuff, and a lot of cool little games and toys. She had so much fun being with her friends and playing in the water.

After the presents were done and things cleaned up a bit we brought out the pinata. The kids were all so excited about this.  They each got to hit the pinata three times and then they all raced to pick up all the candy.  It was funny to watch them all scramble over each other to get all the candy.  We handed out some party favors for them to put in the bags with their candy to take home and that was it. I wish Graysen was around for most of it, but he was so tired and he crashed after the cake and ice cream.

It was a lot of fun and really busy.  There were so many kids, but I am really glad everyone could come and that McKenna had such a good time with all her friends.  It was really fun and it makes me happy that we were able to give her the first big friend party she has had.
Grandma and Grandpa stayed after the party and we went to Paddington's Pizza for dinner which was really yummy!  The kids had fun playing and they enjoyed the pizza.  After dinner we came back home and McKenna opened her presents from Grandma and Grandpa and from Travis and I.  She got an awesome pony and very own camera with a case that she can take lots of pictures with.  She was so excited about the gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Allen. She also got a really cute outfit from them as well. It was so fun to have them there to celebrate.

We gave her a scooter that she has been asking for since we first mentioned her birthday coming up and what she wanted.  She was very adamant about the scooter, and she loves it!  I think it is safe to say this birthday was a memorable one for her.

I love my little girl and am so pleased with the beautiful girl she is.  She brings my life so much joy and love, I really don't know what I would do without her. We love you Kenna!

4th of July

We had a really awesome and fun fourth of July.  We were up at Travis parents for the week and so their neighborhood has a really cool tradition of getting together and doing a huge breakfast and a parade and fun booths and stuff so we went to it for the first time this year since having kids.
We had to wait in a pretty long line to get some breakfast, but it was worth the wait. Graysen was a little tired from waiting so he was resting on Grandpa.

The breakfast was really yummy, they had pancakes and muffins and Krispy Kreme doughnuts, fruit and cinnamon rolls.  Lets just say I probably gained a few pounds from that breakfast alone.

Grandpa helped the  kids earlier to decorate the wagon so they could walk in the parade.  After breakfast we walked in the little parade around the neighborhood led by a fire engine which the kids thought was pretty cool.  They liked being in the parade but were most excited for the fun stuff afterwards.

There were a bunch of bouncy houses and blow up slides that the kids went on that they really had fun with. The lines were so long though so we could only do each slide or bounce house just one time.  They didn't mind though.

Before we left the kids of course wanted snow cones which kept them really happy for the nice walk back to Grandma and Grandpas.

They had everyone over for a big BBQ which was really fun and the food was really good.  It was nice spending time with family and friends. Grandma and Grandpa got out some pop its and the kids had fun throwing them on the ground and stomping on them with their feet.  They had a blast and could have done it for hours.

McKenna and Graysen were looking forward to the fireworks all day and so we went to the park to watch them and what does McKenna do?  She falls asleep before they even start.  I woke her up when they started though and she was so excited to see them.  The look on her face was just pure joy and I loved just watching her face and see it light up with excitement and wonder each time a firework exploded in the sky.  I  enjoyed watching her more than the fireworks.  Graysen was sitting with Grandma and kept saying " I like that one," but when the really big ones went off and made really loud sounds he changed his saying to "I don't like that one." It was fun to watch his face too because he just sits there with such a serious face because he is an observer and concentrates hard on things.  I think he was trying to figure out how they worked and was enthralled with them. I am mad I didn't bring my camera, so no shots of fireworks this time.

We had a really nice time and the kids had such a fun day and were so worn out by the end of it they went straight to bed.  They even surprised me and gave me a nice treat and let me sleep in till past 7am.  I love the fourth of July and I love being an American.  I am so glad I live in this country where we have the freedom to be who we are, believe what we want, and to do what we want to do.  I feel very blessed to live in this land and to have so many wonderful things at my fingertips.  This country is under God and of God and will always be no matter who tries to question it or try to take Him out of the equation.