Way to Go, Trey Man....

Guess who was soooooo stinkin' PROUD when I picked him up after school??

Yes, that's right....Trey!!

Today Trey was spotted using good character....

He proudly pinned up his pink character slip to his bulletin board and couldn't stop grinning!!

And, I bet you can guess what he chose to write in tonight's journal entry.....

Keep it up, buddy!!! We are proud of you and know that you're still learning and figuring out what to do with all the ways of the world and trying to sort everything out in that young mind of yours. Awesome choice and continue to use all those great pillars of good character!!!

Making Beds...

has never been so fun.....

And, Trey and Tylee are getting pretty good at it. Tylee is waaaay better than Trey, and she's almost three, but, in his defense, he does have a bunk bed and I think those have ALWAYS been harder to make.

I always thought I'd never make my kiddos make their bed...as I was growing up it was always something I had to do and I never found it to be all that exciting and thought it was rather pointless...I mean, what's the point of taking the time to make up your bed when it's just going to get unmade and slept in again, night after night?? At the time, I definitely didn't see the point.

Now, after becoming and mother and, most recently, a mother of a five year old. I'm beginning to see the "point' behind all the bed making. Not only does it QUICKLY make a bedroom look waaaaaay better, but it's an EASY way to teach kids about responsibility, effort, and pitching in around the house. Who would have thought that something as simple as pulling sheets up, straightning out a comforter, and fixing pillows really could be such a great lesson about life?!?! My mother apparently ;) Thanks Mom!!!

There are still days that beds go unmade in our house, but I do have to say that I actually like making my bed now and am going to ask that my kids make their beds. I know they will think it's "pointless" and not see eye to eye with me on it, but it's okay because, in the long run, it's not about the bed!!!

(I also know that there will be a time when they choose to sleep on TOP of the bed with a blanket or sleeping bag so they won't have to make it in the morning. I know this because I've done it and I had lots of friends that also did it. It's one of those, "I'll show you, Mom!" moments)

Until then, I will continue to praise them for a job well done....

I think she did fantastic for an almost three-year-old!!!

Not too bad for bunk beds!!

And, of course, I HAD to let them pose for Silly Pictures....they are their favorite!!!!

Good job making your beds, Trey & Tylee!! Keep up the good work and know that I'll be one of "those" Moms that always makes you make your bed...

Day Trippin'.....

over to Omaha was as easy as pie on Saturday....

And, seeing Uncle Zac made our weekend!!

Jason, the kids, and I all loaded up around 7 am on Saturday and hit the road to meet my little brother, Zac, over in Omaha, Nebraska. Zac's been busy working and living the bachelor life over in California for the past few months, so we were so pumped when we found out that he was going to be in Omaha on business. Omaha is only two hours away from here and is a straight shot on I-80. As much as I'd love to take the munchkins out to Cali to visit him, being practical, I know we just wouldn't be able to swing it anytime soon. Between football and everything else going on, not to mention an airplane flight with three, five and under...the thought actually makes me cringe. That's an adventure I'll leave for another summer when they are a tad bit older ;)

Anyway...we drove over, grabbed Zac from his hotel, and got a chance to spend about 2 1/2 hours at the zoo before we dropped him off at the airport for his flight home. We enjoyed spending the time with him and I know he was so excited to see Trey and Tylee and actually meet Taylen for the first time.....

All ready to head in for a little animal fun....

Uncle Zac, Trey & Ty...excited for the fun to begin!!!

Zac and Taylen in the Gorilla House....

Being brave and crossing over the Jungle bridge....it was actually pretty high up and very wobbly! I'm surprised they have smiles this big on their cute little faces!!!

Trey found a little vine of his own....such a monkey! The jungle was really cool....

Trey on the gorillas....poor Ty....she burnt her little legs on their hot, hot backs. Otherwise, she was all up for it.

Heading back to the car....I know he can't wait until he's pushing around one of his own ;)

Off to the airport....

Thanks, Uncle Zac for squeezing a little zoo time in between all the business fun. We appreciate it and it was great to see you. It had been waaaaaay tooooo long!!! Miss you already and love you lots!!!

On a little side note, Uncle Zac has been able to cross a lot of things off his "bucket list" since he's been out in California. He's been cliff jumping, sky diving, wind sailing, etc..over the past couple months. We are proud of him for making the most out life and doing all those fun things while he can. Lately, he's been training away for a cool event he has coming up in December. Click here http://toughmudder.com/training-prep/get-tough/ to read a little more about this Tough Mudder he's going to do. He's actually signed up for two, with one being in New Jersey. Such a cool event and only one that I could dream of competing in. We can't wait to see how it goes for him!!! Go get 'em!!!

(And, we did head back to zoo after we hit the airport to take full advantage of the littlel mini vacay.....

Carousel Time!

The giant spider-web.....

Pit-stop for a little ice cream time....

Tay-Tay snoozing away! She's such the PERFECT baby! So, go with the flow and always in a good mood! THANKS, baby girl....you make it all so much easier ;)

Trey got attacked by a hippo....Look Out!!!

All smiles and watching the orangutans for the hundredth time. They were, by far, our favorite. Such smart and funny creatures. We spent many minutes giggling and laughing at them.....

What a great way to spend a Saturday!!!



My Munchkins....

have been such TROOPERS this past summer and continue to amaze me as we begin to FINALLY get into a daily and weekly routine....Trey's officially in Kindy, Jason's full blown coaching and his school year is under way, I've been back to work for two full weeks now, and Ty & Taylen are settling in nicely to their daycare and Grandma Marcia days. I think, for the first time in a LOOOOONG time, we are beginning to feel a sense of "normal" and "home"....and we are LOVING it!!

The three of them have really been taken for a ride between the move and having an entirely new set of people in their lives and have done remarkably well with the whole thing!!! We made this move and all these changes for the family and they've made it that much easier.

Now, I'm not saying that things haven't been trying at times and still won't be in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, but, overall....it has definitely been a journey to remember.....

Thanks, cuties for making life SO worth living ;)

LOVE you, and keep on smilin'.....all three of you!!!

This last pic would be one of those "maybe challenging" times ;) The good part is even though he's not cooperating for a little family pic, he still has a smile on his face!!

Happy Summer you three and here's to EVERYTHING that lies ahead for us...The Weite's!!!

Backyard BBQ and....

a little cousin action!!!

Two weekends ago, Nick, Nicole, and Baby Titan made visited from StL and, it just so happened, that ALL the cousins were together for the first time in a long time. Marcia and Ken hosted a little BBQ and everyone was able to get together and have a little fun...

Damen, Caden, Trey, Tylee, Titan, and Taylen...all posing in the backyard!!!

Grandma Marcia and Grandpa Ken with all the grand-kids ;) How fun!!!

Nothing beats a Sunday afternoon BBQ!!

It had been a while, but....

we actually made it over to the Iowa State Fair this year.

The kids had a blast and I couldn't get enough of the people watching...although, I used to be way better at it...before three kids, that is. There was just something about riding rides, checking around every second to make sure no one has wandered off, taking potty breaks, and making sure there were no head-on collisions with the double-wide stroller that REALLY cut into my "people watching" abilities!!

But, even with the lack of jaw dropping, hoosier glimpses, we still managed to have a BLAST!!!

Trey & Ty making their spin art Frisbees....

Hanging out with Aunt Lori and cuz Caden....

Ty and Trey on the motorcycles....what kid in America hasn't taken a ride on one of these??

Patiently waiting for the helicopter ride....

Tay-Tay enjoying a little "ride" of her own...and didn't fuss a bit!! She's so stinkin' fun!!

Posin' with Momma....but, secretly ready for more rides and games!!!

Using those muscles to win a little SpongeBob action...

Taylen getting her foot dipped in the wax....hoping to get a stone cast of her adorable little baby foot. But, she was a curlin' the heck out of those little piggies of hers!!!

Last picture of the evening!! And, we seriously couldn't have asked for better weather. Sure as heck beats the 115 degree temps from about 10 years ago!!!

Better Late than Never...

and this post is DEFINITELY late!!

Miss Taylen is getting so big on us!! She's already 5 1/2 months old and I cannot believe it...she's sitting up with support and is an absolute DROOL bucket!! I'm a couple weeks late on her monthly pic updates so here's the 5 month shot....

Taylen Jae...you are still the best baby ever! You're soooo happy and always smilin!! The only time you get ticked is when that belly of yours is getting empty. You are grabbin' everything around you and are usually giggling up a storm. You actually completely slept through the night (10 hours) the past two nights...I didn't even hear you stir and coo for your binky, which is a first. You are drinking anywhere from 6-8 ounces at a time and are still nursing away, but have no problem with taking a bottle from anyone and everyone, which has helped tremendously as I headed back to work. The Jump-a-Roo is one of your favorites and cereal is not. You're still not real interested in eating that pasty stuff...not that I can blame you!!! You continue to bring joy and a sense of calmness to our crazy, busy household!! Your smile absolutely, positively melts my heart and brightens my day!! My only request is that you quit growing up sooooo quickly!!! Love you, Peanut!!!

And, here's the most recent pic from a few days ago!! What a beauty!!! Love you munchkin and I know you'll be crawling before we know it!!! Lots of hugs and kisses!!!

KINDERGARTEN Kick-Off

My Little Man is OFFICIALLY a KINDERGARTNER!!

Trey J started his school journey this morning at 9:05 am....and, thank goodness I was able to be part of his big, big, BIG day! (My principal and the PE teacher at my new school GRACIOUSLY agreed to cover my 5th grade class this morning so I could be there for this HUGE milestone in his life...those few specific seconds and minutes that I'll never get back!!) I thank my lucky stars that it all worked out because being with him this morning and having the ability to drop him off for his first day of "real school" ever, meant the world to me ;)

At around 7:45 this morning, Trey and I dropped the girls off at their school and headed to Panera to enjoy a little pre-game meal consisting of a plain bagel, raspberry cream cheese, and orange juice, which happened to be Trey's top choice.

Patiently waiting for his order...

Ready to dig in....and such a sweet moment for me because I know there will only be a very small number of times that we'll be able to do this again ;) What a fabulous way to start his big day!!!

On our way to Panera, Trey made a few phone calls to let people know that his big day had finally arrived!! He also LOVED listening to the "good luck" voice mails for him on speakerphone. The smile on his face as he talked and listened was PRICELESS!

We then headed over to his "home" for the next six school years and got the year off to a super start....Trey was thrilled and I had to, without a doubt, be the PROUDEST Mommy there!!!

Me and my Little Man before we headed in....what a BEAUTIFUL day!!!

I had to snap this shot...definitely the big man on campus ;) Walking up like he was ready to tackle the world!!

Hanging out in the hallway before heading into his room....

Met a new buddy right away....

Cubby time....and getting all ready for the morning fun!

Found his name tag and signed in for the day...part of his morning routine....

All ready to color his page and watch his classmates roll in....

After I snapped that last pic, I quickly snuck in about 20 more kisses and waived good-bye to my big guy with a huge smile on my face!!

I spent all day wondering what kind of new things he was learning and hoping that he was having as much fun as I thought he would....one look at his face when I picked him up and I knew his day had been GOLDEN! He spent the whole way to grab his sisters talking my ear off about all the fun parts of his day and ended it all with his rendition of, "I Gotta Feeling....that kindergarten's gonna be a fun, fun time!", which just absolutely, positively, MELTED my heart!!! (And then he told Tylee and Taylen the whole thing again :)

Of course, to celebrate everyones' great day...we just had to go out for a little ice cream!!!

After T-ball we decided to use one of his Mario Bros (which he just happens to be be obsessed with) notebooks to start a journal for home. We decided to write a couple things down about the day and draw a picture in it each night before we go to bed....that way, he'll always be able to remember all the fun he had in Kindergarten!!!

I think he did great on the first entry.....don't you?!?!

He told me what to write and then he was in charge of drawing a picture to go along with it...see if you can figure it out :) I think he's taking after Daddy with the recess part!!

I certainly can't wait to see tomorrow's entry....

Trey Jacob,

I can't believe that you are my BIG KINDERGARTNER!! I'm so proud of you and want to thank you for heading to school today ready and willing to tackle the world. I know you'll love it, learn many new things, and make lots of new neighborhood friends. Continue to feed that curious little mind of yours and NEVER forget how much your daddy, sisters, and I all love you!! We are so excited for you!!!

Love,

Mommy

XXX's & OOO's

Muscles, Muscles....EVERYWHERE!

Today....Jason, the kids, and I all waited in line to see Mr. Ronnie Coleman, who just happens to be Mr. Olympian...EIGHT times over!!!

Ronnie made an appearance at a local NutriShop up here. After enjoying a little time out and about this morning, we decided to stop on in to get our fair share of Mr. Coleman....

Trey, Ty, and Tay were troopers in line and seemed to be in awe of King Ronnie Coleman. They both talked about showing off their muscles with Ronnie once we got up to the front of the line. Jason totally thought they'd chicken out.....but....they didn't even flinch....

Look at all those "guns"....

Ronnie asking Trey how he to spell his name for his autographed pic....

Definitely in awe.....

The crew waiting outside in line.....notice the bumper sticker around Trey's calf. Good thing there was music, candy, t-shirts, and bumper stickers from the local radio station to keep them entertained!! LOL....(and, secretly Jason and I are hoping we win the Lynyrd Skynyrd tickets we signed up for. I LOVE me some Sweet Home Alabama!!!)

Trey showing off his muscles in line....impressing the ladies!!

Ty doing what she does best...looking cute!!!

Miss Taylen snoozing away...isn't she getting so big?!?! I can't believe she'll be five months old next week. Time is a flyin'.....

What a fun day just a hangin' with the fam.....