"No bite!"

OUCH!!!

Can you believe that came from this cute little girl......

Well it did and "No bite!" has become quite a little saying around here. Ever since Ty leaned down to give Tay a hug and Tay responded by practically taking a chunk out of her cheek, we've been working on not getting in Tay's face when she doesn't want it and teaching her not to bite when she's mad. I don't think it's going to be hard to break. The pictured above has been the ONLY evidence of this little biting "phase"....Ty sure hope it ends quickly!!! Don't worry...she still gives lots of hugs!!

We know it was nothing personal....just look at that adorable Little Peanut!!! Ty, glad you are all healed up and glad you are little more careful about when and how "rough" you give "hugs"....LOL!

SIX! SIX! SIX!

Is the lucky number around here these days. In fact it's Trey's FAVORITE number now that he's SIX himself!! Yes, you heard me correctly, my BABY...born way back in 2006, just about a month shy of our two year anniversary, not only finished kindergarten this past month, BUT also turned SIX on May 21st.

First "Good Morning" as a SIX YEAR OLD....

Reading his birthday note from Mommy & Daddy....

Six year old birthday squeezes from ME!!

Trey's birthday fell on a Monday, which just happened to be a school day, and my last work day of the school year. He had been talking about bringing Krispy Kreme donuts and hats for his classmates on his special day for at least the last three months. So, the morning of his birthday, we dropped off the girls at daycare and went to Krispy Kreme, where Trey ordered enough donuts for everyone. He made sure not to leave without a hat for all his friends....and was super excited when we brought them into his classroom....

Ready to take his birthday treats into his room....Trey Man, I'm so glad I got to see this special moment and be with you as you got your school day off to a super start!!! You were PUMPED!

A few weeks later, because I failed to book the Nature Lodge in time, Trey celebrated his birthday with a few boys from his class. There was really no true theme...so we just rolled with fun primary colors and summertime fun ideas. The park we were able to have the party at was a first come, first serve type of deal, so the kiddos and I got there about 8:30 in the morning to decorate and set up. The party started at 10 AM and Trey was all ready when his friends started showing up...

All ready!

Helping Momma fill the thank-you goody buckets...

Ty was Trey's #1 fan on his special day!! So. Excited.

A close-up of the goody buckets for each one of the guests...

"Watch out, MOM!"

Daddy filled the water balloons for the water balloon fight...must have taken him an hour and the boys burned through them in about 10 minutes!! Isn't that how it always works?!?! Worth every second...they had a blast!!!

Boys having a ball on the equipment...PERFECT place for a PARTY!

Time to decorate COOKIES and sing Happy Birthday to the Birthday Boy!!!

Present time!

The whole gang....what a fun, fun time!!!

Hey Birthday Boy,

I hope you had a fantastic time celebrating NUMBER SIX and I am so proud of the awesome, handsome and loving little man you are growing into. You LOVE all things Angry Birds, have the biggest heart, are very strong-willed (like your Momma), and are obsessed with catching bugs (with a little help from Tylee, of course!) You are swimming like a fish and can't get enough of the pool. I swear you seem to run into one of your school buddies EVERYWHERE we go and have a knack for remembering everything you hear. You have quite the sense of humor and are actually starting to get a little bit of a "smart" mouth (again, just like your Momma!) You've done a great job contributing the manners marble jar and really enjoy playing outside on the new swing set. You LOVE helping your little sisters, but at times, really enjoy your space. You make the BEST cards and are always thinking of others. You adore reading Magic Treehouse Books and telling stories and are getting waaay better at making your bed! I know someday you might be embarrassed to read this next part, but you still sleep with Funky Monkey and are a little scared of going down to the basement by yourself. You often need Tylee to go down with you and I'm not quite sure if we are ever going to be able to get you to move your bedroom down there. Last time we talked about it, your exact words to me where, "I'm going stay in my bedroom upstairs until I'm an adult!" We'll see if you don't change your mind in a few more years or so. You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE chocolate milk and can't get enough of those yogurt tubes. Lately, you've been the Master of the Monkey Bars!!! I love you, Trey J, and hope you enjoy EVERY second of your 6th year!!!

Lots of Hugs & Kisses,

Mommy

Last Day EVER in KINDY!!!

Today was Trey's last day as a kindergartner and I CANNOT believe it!! This school year has gone by so, so, so quickly. Trey truly has enjoyed EVERY part of Kindergarten and not only learned a ton, but also grew tremendously as an individual. With the huge move last summer and the newness of baby Tay joining our family, I would have to say that Mr. Trey Man has adjusted extremely well. There were a few bumps in the road (like getting a character reminder for mocking his teacher) but there were also many "I Spy Good Character" slips with his name on them and many, many days where he kept all his cubes and even earned extra for showing awesome character! We really could not have asked for a better school year!!!

This afternoon, Ty, Tay, and I picked up a little Subway (per Trey's request) and joined him and his classmates for a little "Last School Day Picnic" fun! Not only did we get to eat lunch with Trey Man, but we got to spend a little time in his classroom watching an ADORABLE slide show featuring pictures of the class throughout the year. How awesome is it that the helper in his classroom made EVERY student a copy on a CD. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate having those pictures....being a teacher, and having pretty much the same school schedule as Trey, there are MANY classroom events that I'm unable to attend. Having these pictures made it seem like I was practically there for all the fun memories!!! So, what a fabulous going away gift that was....one that Trey and I will both cherish forever!!!

My Little Man is officially a FIRST GRADER!!!  (Please note Taylen in the background of this pic...her and Ty were AWESOME during the entire visit. Tay is in that awkward, I want to walk around everywhere, but I don't know the rules yet, phase. She sat in that stroller for almost 2 whole hours just people watching and being a good little girl. Ty followed her big bro around and thought she was one of the kindergartners. She can't wait to go to Trey's "big school." So proud of them both.....)

Diggin' into his turkey and cheese sub....

Tay having her way...but, Trey's always such a trooper!!! Still smilin' and loving his little sister!

Trey and his buddy, Cole!

Ty supporting her big bro at the end of his last recess ever as a kindergartner!!!

Trey letting his little sisters join him in line. And, even held hands!!! Headed in for the a little slide show action!!

The CUTEST slide show EVER! Thanks, Mrs. B!

Trey and his teacher, Mrs. Campbell.....He told me tonight as I tucked him into bed that he's really going to miss her. "She is AWESOME, Mom!!"

Trey and Mrs. B...she was like his 2nd teacher. In the room everyday supporting the learning going on...and the creator of that awesome End-of-the-Year slide show!!

Picking up my FIRST GRADER!!! All smiles!!

Trey watching his copy of the slide show the SECOND we walked in from the car ride home. He seriously watched it FIVE times before I made him get on his baseball uniform!!!!

Trey Jacob,

Congratulations on your first successful year in elementary school. I am so proud of you and all you've learned this year. You are a spelling whiz and have already mastered all of the 1st grade words. (Keep it up because you'll have to help me spell...just ask your daddy!!!) Your math scroll you started last week came home yesterday and you wrote numbers up to 684 and told me you wanted to finish up to 1,000 this summer. You couldn't have been prouder as you showed us every piece of work in your portfolio!! You have already told us that you want to do the summer reading challenge of reading 15 books before the end of summer and I know you'll have no problem reaching that goal. I'm so excited to spend summer vacation with you and make many, many trips to the pool with you and your sis. It will be a BLAST!! Way to go in Kindy!!! I love you bunches and bunches and BUNCHES and couldn't be prouder!!!

XXX's & OOO's,

~Mommy 

Mother's Day 2012

was very nice and relaxing! Jason, the kids and I, hung around outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. He grilled and I played with my munchkins. A little ball and a lot of swinging!

We've been here almost a year and we absolutely love our home and new community. Things have been busy, but I'm trying my best to continue to relish the little things and spend TIME with the kiddos. Letting things like laundry, dirty dishes, and vacuuming wait until they are fast asleep. As much as I really LOVE having an extremely clean and organized house, I realize that those things will always be here, while my kiddos are only at these various stages for what seems like a split-second. I came across this quote from Diane Loomans the other day and it totally resonated with me.

"If I had my child to raise all over again, I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later. I’d finger-paint more, and point the finger less. I would do less correcting and more connecting. I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes. I’d take more hikes and fly more kites. I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play. I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars. I’d do more hugging and less tugging."

I know I have only one shot at this parenting thing and it's very obvious that TIME seems to be flying by. So, I think the best choice for me is to give it my all and always BE there for my kids...I don't want to have to look back in 20 years and have too many regrets. I think there will always be some regrets, which keeps us growing, but there will never be an opportunity to turn the clock back and get in more kite flying and finger painting.

So, even though Mother's Day 2012 is officially over and done with, I do have to say that I often feel like EVERY DAY is Mother's Day! Throughout all the trials and tribulations, laughter and excitement, tears and Bo-Bo's that come along with raising kids, I'm relishing in each and every beautiful moment and seriously CANNOT get enough of these THREE.....

I love you, my sweet little munchkins, and couldn't imagine not being your Mommy. You bring tremendous amounts of joy to my life, laughter to my spirit, and true love to my heart. Thanks for making my day so special and thank you for the wonderful cards and gifts full of LOVE....

OH, Tylee Jean....

you have outdone yourself this time and it's VERY obvious that I need to find a new place to keep my make-up and fingernail polish.....

Tonight as I headed to bed after watching Phillip Phillips win American Idol, I checked on you munchkins like I do every night. The only difference was that your room smelled a tad bit like that oh, so noticeable scent of nail polish. Immediately, I knew I was in for a treat and I prepared myself for nail polish smeared walls or streaks on the carpet. I was actually a little scared to look around!!

I guess an 8:30 PM manicure sounded like a good idea to you. I'm just thankful that the lid ended up back on the bottle BEFORE you tucked it in under the covers with you and fell asleep. I also found an eye-liner pencil resting next to you on your Hello Kitty pillow.....YIKES!!! What a situation we could have had ourselves in!!!

Please note that you are peacefully sleeping, but that fingernail polish is not supposed to be on your cheek!!

And, for future reference, you are supposed to let your nails dry before you touch your face. The eyeliner did make it's way to your eyelid and I'm so thankful you didn't poke your eye!!!

Your very first nail painting experience! I think you used half the bottle....

Which is why it apparently wasn't dry by the time you made it back into your bed.....

And, now that I've had the opportunity to do a little bit more investigating, I've put a few pieces of evidence and a couple of clues together. I know you snuck out of your bed, went into Mommy's bathroom, scaled the bathroom counter, reached up high on the 2nd shelf of the medicine cabinet, chose a color, somehow got the top off, "painted" your nails, wiped a bunch of paint on Mommy's hand towel, grabbed an eye pencil for kicks, put on some eye-liner, left the bathroom light on, and took the two things of choice back to your bedroom.

(Funny because I now remember hearing the pitter-patter of little footsteps and the slight clicking of a light switch as I took in the last part of the American Idol season finale. I stayed put because figured you went potty like a big girl and headed back to bed. Oh, how I was fooled!)

So, Baby Girl, we will have a little chat in the morning about not using Mommy's stuff without permission as we work diligently to get that polish off your face, fingers, and out of your hair. Until then, I'll make sure I find a MUCH SAFER place to keep my make-up and other potentially messy must-haves. I am seriously glad that I'm sitting here typing up this memory, for you to one day read about, with a smile on my face. I know that it's always possible that things could have turned out MUCH worse!!!!

Love you BUNCHES & BUNCHES,

~Mommy

The Long Awaited....

SWINGING time has FINALLY come. And the kids can't get enough....

Back around Easter, when Jason's sister, Lyn, was up visiting from Louisiana, she surprised the kids with a new playground set for the backyard. They've been PUMPED ever since and Daddy & Grandpa Ken finally got the thing up and running. They are in HEAVEN and I LOVE having them in the backyard enjoying a little swinging, sliding, and (low to the ground) monkey barring. The swing set, AMAZINGLY, came in two fairly long and extremely skinny boxes. There wasn't a person that believed that all the parts were actually inside those boxes. One look at the section of the directions that stated that it would take 14-19 hours to assemble and Jason knew he was in for a ball of "fun!"

Well, a few weeks, a couple Sunday afternoons, and about three long weeknights later, the kiddos were in business and every second of the wait was worth it!! After a few family talks and brainstorming sessions, we came up with a set of swing set safety rules and, each and every day since they got the green light to play on that thing, they kiddos haven't missed an opportunity to get out and enjoy it. Even Miss Tay LOVES to just swing and watch the big kids have a ball...it's been PERFECT!!!
Just look at these faces....

The Weite kiddos definitely say THANKS, Aunt Lyn, for such an awesome gift!!! I know the three of them will have many, many fun times in their little clubhouse and couldn't be more grateful. I'm even going to get "crafty" and make them a sign for the side...won't that be cute?!?! What a perfect addition to the backyard!