colbie is 3

3 YEARS OLD!!!

1 year old Colbie

2 year old Colbie

You are something else! You are smart, sassy, feisty, sweet, loving, energetic, and did I mention feisty? You are in constant motion and rarely sit still. You love tagging along with Averie and Baylor and are very good at pushing buttons. You love PupPup and still suck your fingers but only in your bed. You have preschool during the week, you're doing dot paint letters and watching Sesame Street (your leaning show) in the morning. You absolutely love Demsey. You want to hug, kiss, love on, hold, and be right by him every chance you get. So far he doesn't mind! But, I know eventually he will tell you otherwise. You know most of your letters and are starting to show interest in writing your name. You are left handed which we've suspected for a while now. You love to paint pictures and paint your hand and make prints. You love outside time and can pedal a bike with training wheels and a tricycle. You've also figured out how fun it is to lay on your belly and swing. You're growing up so fast these days. You do have a temper though...you don't like to ask for help, you'd rather just scream and cry. You have fits like we've never experienced before and are sometimes completely irrational! But, you have a reason I suppose. I will say though that the crazy meltdowns are getting better, we've been better about getting down to your level and figuring out why you're upset. Even though you have your feisty moments, you are still very sweet and loving.  XOXO, we love you sweet Doosie.  So so much!

Princess Colbs

My beautiful girl

Birthday lunch

Big girl bed!!

Blowing out her star candles

Big Bucket Tip Birthday!

Dora cupcakes at Big Bucket

bay's party

His tractor dirt cake.

I can't believe we have a 6 year old!

For your special day, we went to Great Wolf Lodge again!  You decided to be super brave and go down all the big slides this time!!  I was so proud of you!!  It was like a whole new experience for you.  We opened gifts, had cupcakes, dinner, and had so much fun.  We even invited your friends Bronsen and Kitsen and they were there to celebrate with you (and Colbie too).  After your Birthday, we invited GG, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Brad, Aunt Shannon (your Godparents) and Delaney over for soup, salad, and tractor dirt cake.  :o)  You chose tomato soup, Patty's salad, and garlic bread. YUM!

Bugga boy, playing.

urban photo shoot

productivity & fun

I just realized that I hadn't posted all week. So far, this week has been great! I got a chance to get familiar with the big kids computer lessons (time4learning.com) and print out weekly plans for each of them. That makes life a bit easier. We also have been doing amazing at keeping on a schedule and following it! :o) Averie is enjoying the computer time, Bay too. Bay really likes learning to read, he is so good at it too! He is on lesson 18 of 100. And reading short sentences! Love it. Today they choose to have free time in the morning and school after lunch. That is fine by me today because I have bills and church work to finish.

This coming weekend is big bucket (great wolf lodge!) for Colbie & Baylor. To celebrate their birthdays. Colbie is getting some of her gifts then too. B and K are joining us for an extra special surprise too. Pics to come next week. Hubby is on vacay all week next week too. Yessssssss!!!!

Off to be productive!!!

PS- pics in random order - D loving his fingers. Corn maze & pumpkin farm. Bay and his K book. Aves and her math.

baylor is six

My BIG 6 year old boy!!!!

5 years

Birth - 4 years

How is it possible that we have a 6 year old boy??  WOW!  Bay, you have grown so much this year!  You are flying through kindergarten, loving it all and learning it all.  You love your workbooks and learning to read and write.  You love Legos, Playmobil, cars, trucks, bikes, outside time, digging in the dirt, building things with daddy, spending time with your sisters, and snuggling and holding your brother.  You are calm and sweet and sensitive, yet have tons of energy to burn!!!  We love you so much Baylor boy!!!  Keep being the sweet boy you are. XOXO

not a case of the mondays

It's been a wonderful day!! WONDERFUL!! Now, seriously, if you know how Monday usually goes, you know how happy I am for a smooth, fun, cooperative Monday! I could jump for joy!

We had a busy-high-energy weekend. The kids had fun at grandma and grandpa's house Saturday night. Hubby, D, & I had fun shopping and spending time together alone. It was oddly (but wonderfully) quiet at times. We loved every quiet moment. :o)

Today, organization is in full swing for me and our routine. Planning ahead is my favorite thing (along with organizing) but it is hard to do with 4 kids, one if them being extra feisty these days... Ok, so it's the feisty ones fault pretty much. She's on her own agenda. <3 her though. I'm sure she'll come out of this phase...

Alrighty, almost done with the weekly plan, Aves is quietly reading and has finished math, writing, states, and our special daddy project. Bay is writing and has finished his K book and reading. Next, more secret daddy projects while feisty...er, I mean, Colbie naps. Happy Monday all!!!!!

appointments & school

The boys had their well checks today-
Bay was 43.75" tall and 40.5lb. 26th%ile for height and 25th%ile for weight.
Demsey was 23.5" and 12lb. 4oz. 55th%ile for weight, 50th%ile for height. My chunker isn't all the chunky afterall! Just plain healthy!

After lunch we did reading and writing (Bay). Averie did math, social studies (her states book), and writing (naming parts). Colbie is napping and I'm snuggling my little boy while he naps...since he got 2 shots. He needs pampering. ;o)

Tomorrow is Friday! Yay for our easy day! And a FUN busy weekend ahead!! Ballet for Aves and a sleepover for A, B, & C at Gma and Gpa's. Date night for mama, daddy, & D (which includes a trip to Ikea, dinner, shopping for birthdays, & building birthday presents! Sunday brings church & Sunday school, some relaxing time, and a big family dinner at Olive Garden. Can you say never.ending.pasta.bowl... Yummmmmmy!

zoo, etc.

Well, last Wednesday we went to the zoo for homeschooling day. The activities they had set up were fun. Dog treat making, the goat yard, guinea pigs, and a room with an alligator and snake. Bay is an observer and Averie loves hands on. It was great for both!

Thursday and Friday were great days as well. Fridays will be our low key day typically, unless appointments fall on a Wednesday and we have "stuff" to make up.

Today is gloomy but we are already schooling. Yesterday was a great day too. Baylor is on lesson 7 in his reading book and flying through it. Averie is handling math easily so far too. Today is Matt's day off, I'm hoping for some "plan ahead" time...we will see though.

school day

Day number two = great! A tad more hectic than yesterday, but, still fun and we are learning and organizing as we go!

Matt was home until 12:30 today, that was different because the kids wanted to know what he was up to and where he was. But, he was helpful, so, no complaints from me!

Averie did her states book and math, Baylor did math and abc's on the computer. Colbie watched her learning show and then did her 'A' worksheet. We all had a snack and went downstairs for playtime before lunch. They had SO much fun playing down there! Like a new playroom!

We had lunch and then dusted and vacuumed the family room together. Off to nap went Colbie. A and B continued school...A on the computer and B with his workbook and when I finished up in the kitchen, he did his reading and writing. Averie had a difficult time with writing, it will get easier, which we will finish tomorrow.

Grandma is coming over for dinner and we are having a new recipe. Olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, basil, red pepper, and onion cooked and cooled. Poured over cooked and cooled shell pasta and fresh mozzarella! Yum!

Tomorrow is homeschooling day at the zoo! That should be FUN!!

officially starting school

So far today has gone well! Calendar time and binders (more on those later). Baylor computer time, Averie started her book about states, and Colbie bowled after she watched her learning show (Sesame Street). Outside time now, lunch next. Sorting out our day and organizing the routine as we go...

Later, after an extra chore, I will read with Bay, then he will have writing time and Aves will have her computer time.

All of that, done! A & B are having more outside time while the littles nap, then quiet reading. I'm working on lesson plans but fighting the urge to snatch up my sleepy-crying boy...

DEMSEY JAMES

Welcome Demsey James! July 16th at 8:30am.  8lb. 12oz. 20.5" long. 

Meeting Mama... 

About to find out if Doodlebug is a boy or girl...

Blue = BOY!!!

We have 4 babies!!!

:o)

Going home outfit.

Finally home.

First sponge bath and hair washing.

Keeping warm.

So calm and so cute.