Lots of firsts going on 'round here....

So in the past couple of weeks we have had lots of firsts....so I figure I would gather it in one post to show you guys what has been going on.....

1.  First day of school....I am fortunate that I have found a place that my kids ADORE...the four of them went last year and they are all returning this year.  Katelyn has switched to the 3 year old preschool program and she is one of "those" kids that LOVES school...she loves the supplies, getting a new bag, school clothes, friends and activities.  She is a mini me....fo' real...It is precious....she actually would prefer going to school daily....but for now she is just there twice a week for a couple of hours and then stays for stay'n'play so it continues into the afternoon.  Carter and Bryce attend twice a week as well, and we have our same teacher for the third time....last year, this past summer and for this year....and she is amazing!!!  The boys think she is the best and even shy little Carter runs right up to her and gives her hugs...and then we have to make him leave...(insert tantrum LOL).  Austin is in the baby room once a week and the ladies just love on the babies and get in the floor and play with them....he is all over the place and loves being able to play with toys without being trampled on by three siblings. 

The three kiddos ready to go....go figure...no Austin...

Miss KK ready to go with bag in hand

KK and her teacher

This is what I got from the boys when I wanted to take their pic....they took off in opposite directions and could have cared less about capturing the moment....

2.  First day of Soccer (practice)....KK is signed up to play soccer this year through her preschool and the Y.  It is so cute....seriously...kids running up and down the field trying to kick the ball....sometimes successful...sometimes not...but they all love it!!  I have pics from her first practice...but none from her first game....boo! Kev had to work and I had a funeral to attend....fortunatley for KK her 3 sets of grandparents were there spoiling her....pretty sure she didn't even realize Kev and I weren't there.

3.  First night of dance....take two!  This is KK's second year in dance....she has been looking forward to dance starting back ALL SUMMER.  She loves to dance...she never walks through a room...she dances through it...it cracks me up.  She is super excited because this year her good friend is joining her in the class.  I am excited because now I have a friend to hang out with during dance :)  It is win/win...

 Miss KK ready to go....

Great first night of dance with a very good friend!!

4.  First stand....as in Austin!!  He is able to stand on his own!!!  He has done it a couple of times and always has the biggest smile....but also a very concentrated look...I wish I had a picture of it!!  I will catch him soon and post :)  It is SUPER CUTE!!

 

5.  First time to wear orange....for the season that is :)  College football is up and going...We are HUGE Oklahoma State fans and we are currently sitting 2-0....Yay us :)  So of course the kids have their gear to wear....so I tried to take a few photos...

 

 

 

Well, that is all I got for now :)  The kids are doing great and enjoying getting back to a routine....I hope you guys are al having a fabulous week!!

 

 

We are fam-i-ly.....

This past Saturday I had the pleasure to surround myself with family....my parents, my brothers and their wives and kiddos.  We have a large group that enjoys laughing and talking...and fellowship. 

Breaking it down...we had a house with 3 men, 3 women, a 12 year old, 9 year old, two 3 year olds, and 4 two year olds and a 10 month old....whoa right !?!  It was such a blast watching the cousins running and screaming (maybe a hit here or there....)eating cupcakes, dirt, etc. 

Growing up, I was seven years younger than my oldest brother and I am three years younger than my middle brother.  Needless to say, we did not have a lot in common growing up.  I was the annoying little sister....I tattled, I was loud....and I was the baby, so slightly spoiled....ok...more than slightly. 

It seemed as though years and years passed before I even realized how important a sibling really was/is....and now when I look back I see times that I wished I would have really stopped to appreciate my brothers.  Like when my middle brother would gift me with a note the night before high school started...each year...sophomore, junior and senior year.  Words of encouragement...verses that showed me I was loved.  My oldest brother finally sitting down and having conversations with me and including me in his life during a heartbreaking divorce.  All of a sudden age didn't matter....support and love was there regardless. 

Two of my favorite memories in the world that include my brothers are first, my college graduation...I was the first in my family to graduate from college...and the whole crew came up to see it.  I remember a moment...in the parking lot after the ceremony that they both came walking up to me with tears in there eyes...no words just a huge hug...and I have never felt more.....happy....in my life. 

The second was the day of I got married.....when one brother stood beside my groom and watched with love and support...and the other brought our hands together in marriage, and read our vows that we repeated and prayed over our marriage. 

We are all now married...we are spouses...mothers/fathers...we have endless responsibilities and hearts full of hope....we have faced failure...heartache...and pure bliss.  Now I feel like we have so many tales to share and days that a phone call makes all the difference. 

Not only that...you know the saying "Behind every great man, is a great woman..."well that couldn't be MORE true...my brothers have both married two of the most incredible women there are in this world.  Both women have been around for a VERY long time and have seen me grow up in many ways.  I have found a friendship in both, but more than that they are truly sisters to me.  I am able to talk to them about anything and they have always showered me with encouragement and more importantly, the truth.  I am so incredibly thankful for that.....

I love knowing that we have a crazy family....as in any family we have our struggles and our ups and downs...but to know that overall we are there for one another regardless of what is going on.  I lift up in prayer every night now for being blessed with such a great group of people that I get to call family.  Life will not always be easy...things will happen that will break our heart...on the other hand there will be instances that we want to jump for joy and celebrate life...fortunately I have people around me that will catch me when needed....and jump up in joy when needed too!

Just so I remember....

Well folks...I had a crazy busy day so I am just leaving a funny story (at least to me) that I wanted to write down before I forget....and these days my memory is very limited LOL.

So it was last weekend....and we went to Cracker Barrell with my parents....so we had the 4 adults and the 4 kiddos...and the kiddos had been in rare form all day.  Once we got sat down, all the kids seemed to calm down and we were able to order and get drinks and settle in. 

Of course this lasted only a couple of minutes...because Bryce says "I need to go potty...." well, this is coming from a child that has NEVER done anything in a potty, besides sit on it and read a book.  I have not yet attempted potty training...I am not mentally prepared.   However, if one of the boys is closer to the concept, it would be Bryce.  So I don't want to ignore his attempt....so I say alright...let's go...and then....

"I need to go potty too..." (KK)
"Me too...me TOO!" (Carter)

Well, OF COURSE the other two kiddos would chime in and want to go...and who wouldn't :)  So, I agree and unload the boys out of their high chairs and we head to the bathroom.  Which is in the General Store of the restaurant...which has about 1,000 things to deter a toddlers attention...but anyway, Kev agrees to go with me and the crew and I figure I am in the clear.  KK is a breeze to take to the potty. 

However, as we begin to separate to BOYS and GIRLS bathrooms, the boys decide they want Momma....and KK then wants Dad.  So, in I go with the boys....and we find a stall.  Bryce sits down and wants to sing....we sing the usual, Veggie Tales, ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle....and nothing...but of course he announces, "I done" and wants to play with the toilet paper.  Carter, not to any surprise, refuses to sit down on the toilet...so I take the opportunity to go potty myself.  I let the boys know that momma needs to peepee (TMI ??  Sorry!)and they say..."OK!" and start playing with the door....of course I tell them to stop, and of course they don't listen...and they unlock the door and walk out to find daddy....leaving me with my pants around my ankles...in a public restroom...and not only do they leave the stall...they walk out of the bathroom!!!  They heard Kev's voice outside the door so I am yelling to make sure Kev has them....and trying to get dressed.....I just started thinking how funny it was because the boys had no idea....or care in the world.....Crazy boys....I am pretty sure I will have some LOTS and LOTS of stories that pertain to me, a couple of boys and public restrooms....I hoping I am fully clothed in the remaining stories. 

Start Sooner....

Being a parent is hard....I feel like so often we face "mom competition"....which leads to feeling down and out when we don't feel like we (or our kids) live up to expectations or milestones. This definitely hit home for me this past year with one of my boys....sweet lil' Carter.

Prior to the boys being born, we, of course, heard twins fall behind in normal milestones depending on birth date vs. due date....and with boys they normally fall behind in communication, and with twin boys they would probably be even more behind. So I had already had myself prepared to the boys being on their own path....however, it threw me off when just one boy was the only one falling behind and one thriving.

Carter has the best heart....he wears it on his sleeve actually....and he loves to help clean up, play with puzzles, put laundry in the washer...and then switch it to the dryer...he hugs and kisses and his eyes light up with each smile. But when it came to milestones...he was definitely on his own individual path. He sat up later than Bryce....took forever to want to crawl...walked 3 months after Bryce...none of this bothered me....I knew he would catch up in his own time. Our doctor said that by 2 years old it all evens out.... So when we were a couple of weeks away from their second birthday....there was one thing that nagged me....Carter's speech. He just didn't speak....at least not much...at all. Single words were few and far between....and I couldn't help but compare him to Bryce who was talking my ear off!

Around that time, I ran into a friend that had the same problems with her son around that age and told me about SoonerStart....and so I went home and googled it...

SoonerStart is Oklahoma’s early intervention program designed to meet the needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays. The program is a joint effort of the Oklahoma Departments of Education, Health, Human Services, Mental Health Services, the Commission on Children and Youth, and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority

I was amazed....and surprised...I had no idea our state had a program (free of charge) such as this....so I picked up the phone and set up an appointment. I spoke to a really great lady who had lots of questions and then she set me up with an appointment to meet with two other great women that would test Carter on 5 different sections.

At our appointment, Kevin, Carter and I went together and got their a little early. It was located in a small town close by (they set you up with a location depending on your county) and the three of us walked around together. Carter was so excited to be the "only" child...and we noticed how much he came out of his shell. Apparently have two siblings around that never quit talking causes a certain somebody to remain super quiet....

During the appointment the two AMAZING women each had a job....one would ask Kevin and I questions about Carter, his home life, his surroundings and activities and the other woman played with Carter. Different types of toys and activities that tested him in the 5 various areas in a way that would score him and we would be able to see his age vs. developmental age. I was so impressed on how geniunely concerned the women were with his development and what they could do to help.

After it was all said and done we received a "score" card and Carter did amazing....he actually scored off the charts for his age....We all came to the conclusion that his development was fine and that it would come down to him finding his voice with his siblings. Well...I tell you what....since that day, I really felt he had a confidence boost with these activities and he has found his voice. The kid is talking like crazy....it is like he is a different kid!! I wish programs like this were talked about more often so people can take full advantage of their services. This is a great way to have a child evaluated when a parent has a concern and it can be caught early if needed. I am so thankful they took the time with my sweet boy!!

Twas the night before...

Well...it is time...for school!! Well, for us, preschool and MDO....but we call it school :)

So, when I got home from work tonight, I was in fast forward getting things all together for tomorrow. So we got....

3 bags
3 blankets
5 sippy cups
3 lunch boxes
3 changes of clothes
1 napmat (the other two were taken on open house)

3 sets of clothes laid out for school
3 pairs of shoes
2 diapers

That's all...lucky for me Austin is not going tomorrow. We will however be making a quick trip to Tulsa for Austin's 9 month pictures. Needless to say, things will be CRAZY tomorrow :)

We went to Open House a couple of weeks ago and met KK's teacher and we have signed up as volunteers to help set up the classrooms each Sunday. Since her school is a church, they use Sunday's to set up for the week after church. This is a great way for us to spend time with the teachers and also learn about what they do each week. We had a lot of fun setting up this past Sunday and met great people. I am really looking forward to helping for the rest of the year.

As far as the boys go, we are pumped because their teachers they had last year moved up with them!! They LOVE their teachers and I'm glad that I know who they will be with during the week :)

Getting things back ready for school...I have come across my favorite item for this year....Orbit labels....



I ordered these for each child...you can pick out what color you like, personalize it and your done :) You get a set of four for a super reasonable price and since everything has to be labeled for school...it works perfect! Also, Carter and Bryce have a different color and so now they can identify their cup and they have really worked on learning their colors so they can give their brother and sister the right cup.

Well, I am sure I will post a pic later of the kiddos first day...but I will leave you with a pictures of the kids on our way to Open House.





Good night!!

2-for-1....what a bargain :)

Well in the absence of blogging I missed a very important post...my 9 month post for Austin...so today, on the 5th of September (where has time gone!?!) I will combine his 9 month AND his 10 month post. Yay for 2-for-1's.

Here is my sweet little man.....

From Drop Box

Such a little cheeseball...love that kid! He is a little bit taller as we hit the 10 month mark...but other than that the pics look just about the same :)

He was almost 19 pounds at his 9 month appointment...so he is MUCH bigger than any of the others at this age. They all weighed about 19 pounds at the one year mark...so I am curious to see how big he is when he hits a year old.

He eats EVERYTHING...really...anything that is put in front of him he will eat. I am glad to see that he has such a good appetite and that he is so easy going when it comes to food. Matches his personality really...carrots, green beans, lasagna, cookies, blueberries, grapes....everything!

He is ALL over the place...he has a habit of getting himself into things...like climbing on things and scarying mommy....since I always feel like he is going to fall off...he hasn't...yet...

From Drop Box

He also likes to sneak off to his room and just sit and play...I feel like sometimes he just needs a break from all his brothers and sister LOL. But he can entertain himself without a problem. Which is super helpful when I am chasing after 3 toddlers :)

He is quite the sleeper....he takes two naps, one in the morning, usually a shorter one and then one in the afternoon, which is his longer nap. He sleeps like a pro too...In bed around 7:30pm and sleeps until about 8-8:30am. Honestly...I have been so blessed with this little guy.

Austin is cruising along EVERYTHING...He keeps wanting to try to stand up on his own but of course ends up falling right now...but he is determined to keep up with his older siblings.

Sounds too good to be true...well, of course he is a baby and cries...when I don't get milk fast enough...or if one of the boys takes one of his toys...which is really funny that he is already trying to stand up to his older brothers :) Sometimes he is super happy about naptime...and he likes to tell me about it...but all in all...this stuff doesn't amount to anything when I put it up against this smile :)

From Drop Box

So happy 9 & 10 month to my "baby"....who is quickly leaving infant"hood" and approaching Big Boy status :) I can't believe we are 8 weeks away from him turning one (and KK turning 4!!!).

Guess who's baaaaaaccccckkkkk :)

So I have a new power cord for my computer!!!

(I am assuming there is ALOT of cheering and clapping...I know I am excited!)

So I will get back to blogging...I am going to be playing catch up....so hopefully I will have something to write about everyday for the next week at least...we will see!! I hope that I still have some friends out there....sorry for such a long hiatus :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day weekend :)