Why...?

Friday when Brooke got home from school she asked if they could do face painting.  I had bought the paint last Summer and we still hadn't used it.  I swear at least once a week one of the kids would ask me if they could use it.  


Well on Friday I finally gave in.  


I was still not 100% after being sick all week so I said "Go for it, knock yourself out.  But do it outside so there's not paint everywhere and there's not a huge mess for me to clean up..."

Why do I even bother opening my mouth?

In case you were wondering, even after multiple washings their faces were still tinted blue for about two days.

August 24, 2011 - August 30, 2011

It was quite an adjustment having just two kids at home during the day.

But rest assured, things are just as crazy as ever around here.

Chester thought he had a new girlfriend.

Even though Parker is obviously dressed up in a robot costume, he wanted to be a puppy too.  So he crawled around barking and carrying a ball in his mouth.

He did this for almost 30 minutes straight.  He would bring me the ball -I would throw it -He would chase it -Carry it back and the whole thing would start all over again.  By the time I took his little robot hood off he was a hot sweaty mess under there.  It was hilarious.

One new fun thing around here is dressing up for school!  Brooke attended a preschool where they wore uniforms so this is our first year that she actually gets to pick out clothes for school.  One thing that hasn't changed is that the girls still love to dress alike. Look how Ava is posed.  That girl is too much.  She cracks me up daily. 

The thing I was having fun with is packing lunches (the newness and excitement of this has warn off some since if you were wondering).  Again, this is a first in our house.  Brooke's previous school was completely peanut free and they served lunch to everyone.

  Sunbutter sandwiches are a favorite in our house.  Sunbutter is our peanut alternative of choice and I have to say that I have come to love it.  When I was visiting my parents recently without Brooke I ate regular peanut butter and I did not enjoy it near as much as I do Sunbutter.  Everyone in this house loves it.  In fact I have started buying it in a 5 pound pail because a) it goes so quick and b) it's super expensive to buy if you buy it off the shelf in those little jars.  You can use it for anything you would use peanut butter for.  Anything from sandwiches to Sunbutter Cookies (they are awesome, just ask my fellow peanut free Mama friend Kristine).

Anyways, when I pack Brooke a Sunbutter sandwich I make sure I make it a special shape or so something special to it so she knows it's her safe sandwich.  I know the chances of her sandwich getting mixed up with another sandwich is very slim but you never know.  

Plus, it's fun!    

Here's one more thing about Kindergarten that I love.  The way she puts on her backpack.  Every single morning when she gets her backpack on, the strap gets twisted. 

Every.Single.Morning.

It makes me giggle.

Nap Time

Every Mom knows, nap time is the best time of the day.  I have learned in my almost 6  years of motherhood that nap time is as much for Mommy as it is for the kids.  

This is where Ava chose to take her nap today.  In a tent in the playroom.  This girl can sleep anywhere.    

Please excuse the mess.  The kids pretty much demolished the play room earlier.  I am laid up on the couch recovering from food poisoning.  It's as awful as it sounds. 

Since Sissy is not sleeping in her princess bed, Parker asked if he could sleep there.  Sure, why not?

I went in to check on him a bit ago and this is what I found.  Poor boy fell asleep right in the middle of reading a princess book with a American Girl Doll catalog by his side.  

If this boy survives growing up with two big sisters it will be a miracle.  

There's Two New Additions To Our Home...

So a few weeks ago the girls had one of the best days of their lives thus far.  Right after Christmas the girls decided that they wanted American Girl Dolls.  Actually, Brooke decided she wanted one like 3 days before Christmas but I had already bought all of their presents so Santa brought a American Girl gift card.  I had no idea she even knew about those dolls before that.  But since then, that's all she could talk about.

Naturally since Brooke was obsessed with getting a doll, Ava started wanting one too.  Well, I don't know if you have ever priced out those dolls but they're not cheap.  I honestly didn't want to buy the dolls for the girls because I didn't think they would take care of them in the way they should take care of a doll of that price.  We told the girls they could get a doll when they had saved enough of their own money.  

Well, they did it!  They had some money in their piggy banks from doing chores and helping "clean" Grandma Cindy's house over the years.  Combined with their gift cards and the rest of the money they got for Christmas, they had enough.  

So we made a plan to head to the nearest American Girl store.  I asked Brian if he wanted to go with us and he said "No thank you.  That store creeps me out..." 

I'm not sure why...

Before we went to the store the girls had been looking over the catalog and pretty much had their mind set on which doll they wanted.  Ava had her heart set on getting a Bitty Baby.  She knew exactly which one she wanted too.  As soon as she spotted the one she had picked out she ran right too it.

There she is!

Brooke on the other hand took some more time walking around and looking at all the girls.  Finally she found her.  

Both girls have been having a ton of fun with their new girls.  And they have been taking such good care of their dolls.

  

Yep, that happened.  The dress that I found for Brooke to wear to her Daddy Daughter Dance came with a matching dress for her doll.  She wore it to a play date a week or so ago with a friend from her class who already has a ton of American Girl stuff.

I have a feeling that this whole obsession with American Girl doll stuff is just getting started in our house.

Please pray for me.  And our checking account...

August 22, 2011: Brooke's First Day of School

I was pretty sure I was going to be a basket case of emotions on this morning.  I tossed and turned all night dreading the coming morning.  In the morning I would hand my first born off to start her journey in the public school system.  Funny thing that isn't what I was scared about.  Most of my nightmares that night were of grubby peanut butter faced kids running around contaminating every square inch of the school...

Truthfully I was excited for her to go to school.  She loves school.  

Even though I am going to miss that little precious face like crazy.  

Barbie backpack and Hello Kitty lunch box.

Her "locker."

And right about here is where she lost it.  

She got misty eyed and was choking back tears.

Daddy was able to calm her down and after we said our goodbyes we headed out.  

When we got in the car Brian said "Wow, you did pretty good in there.  I thought you would have been bawling by now."  Then he turned and looked at me. I lost it.  I sobbed all the way home.

I don't think my phone left my hand all day.  I was convinced that she was going to go into full anaphylaxis on the very first day from peanut exposure.  Every time my phone rang, my heart stopped.  Somehow the we made it to 3:15 and all was well.  All except my blood pressure that is.  

I must say my fears have eased quite a bit since that first day.  We've met with her teacher who is amazing about helping us work around her allergy and the nurse who is so on top of it too.  I have to say it's been a pretty good experience so far.  I was really worried because I have heard horror stories from families who have peanut allergic children.  So far so good though.  

She even has two other little girls who are allergic to peanuts in her grade.  They all sit together at a peanut free table and their friends can sit there with them too if they get their lunch checked by a teacher.  Brooke has even told me that they had to set a limit of how many kids can sit at the table and that all her friends have to take turns because everyone wants to sit there.  This makes me so happy.  I had huge anxiety that she would be "that weird girl that sits by herself."  But I worried for nothing!  Why do I do that to myself?   

Valentines!

I found this one on my camera.  It's from AFTER the Daddy Daughter Dance that Ava and Daddy went to.  I loved how excited she was when she got home.  She took her jacket off and showed me all the cool stuff she got and the pretty necklace (which is now hanging from my rear view mirror because she gave it to me) that she made all by herself.  After she got done showing me she said "Can you get your camera out and take a picture of me and Daddy again?"  That's kind of a big deal because Ava doesn't usually like to have her picture taken.

And here's a prime example.  When it's not her idea to take a picture she does the "cheese smile" and averts her eyes from the camera.  But she's still cute anyways.  

Parker's shirt says "Mommy's My Valentine"  My cousin bought it for him last year and I found it in his closet this year.  It's a little small but I squeezed his head through the hole, put a shirt underneath it and made it work for one day.  It was too cute not to. 

After we dropped Parker off at his school, Ava and I headed over to have lunch with Brooke.  It's so fun to sit at the table and listen to little Kindergarten girls talk about whatever it is little Kindergarten girls talk about.

  

Then we headed over to Brooke's class to help set it up for their Valentines Day party. 

So much fun.  Oh to be 5 years old again...

August 17, 2011

A awhile ago at Brooke's Dance Recital Ava said to me "Next day I'm going to be a ballerina.  You know, when I'm a Brookie."  

She meant when she was Brooke's age "next day" (tomorrow or later on) than she could go to dance class too.

  

Finally "next day" had arrived!  And let me tell you she was thrilled.  She told everyone about the new dance bag Auntie Chelsea had bought her and I don't think that smile left her face all afternoon. 

Brooke also had a big first that day too.  That night she got to meet her teacher and see her classroom and classmates for the very first time.  I had been so nervous because ever since Summer started and she left her Preschool she told me over and over, "I'm going to hate my new school and my new Teacher.  I only love Mrs. Liz!"  But something changed that night.  As soon as we got home she she was so excited she said "I wish school started tomorrow because I can't wait to go!"

Daddy Daughter Dance Round Two

I'm not going to mention any names but someone was beyond excited that it was finally time for her Daddy Daughter Dance.

She picked this dress out all on her own.  For about a month she has been telling me that she wants an all pink dress for the dance.  We searched high and low for weeks and couldn't find anything that she liked.  Every time we found a pink dress it would have different colored flowers or designs on it and she didn't like it.  She would say "It has to be all pink."  

Finally after giving up and heading on our way out of the store one day, she spotted it.  The dress she had been dreaming of.  The problem was that it was in the infants section...

I told her they probably didn't have it in her size because it was in the baby section but we could double check.  There was lots of 3-6 months, 12 months, even a 18 month and then all of a sudden there it was. One single 4T!  I couldn't believe it.  It was meant for her.

Ok now this has nothing to do with the Daddy Daughter Dance but it caught my eye when I was taking pictures.  I wanted to share and see if anyone from the Kephart/Hefley families recognized them.  

They are from Aunt Ginny and Uncle Chucks house.  I remember staring at them through the bars on my crib when I would stay over there.  It's one of the earliest memories I have.  They were the only thing I had to have when we were all there that Summer for Unk's memorial.  They sit out in my bathroom and I see them everyday.  They make my heart smile thinking of all the love those two poured out on so many people.  Just had to share.

It's become a tradition over the past couple years that I pamper the girls and get them ready for the Daddy Daughter Dance.  They talk about it for weeks and weeks before.

(Click here to see last years pre-dance pampering)

It's as much fun for me as it is for them.

I love to see their happy little faces.

Brooke did not go to the usual dance that we do each year because she had a sleep over that she wanted to go to instead.  And she went with Brian to a dance the night before.  But they still wanted to take a picture together before they went their separate ways.  Silly Chester walked in front of the camera right when I took the picture.  Poor guy is starved for attention.

The Shoes.

The Purse.

The Daddy.

Daddies are the very best accessory.