Aloha!

My super-creative neighbor Lyndi and her kindergarten-teacher-extraordinaire mom Miss Marmie hosted their annual end of summer bash for all the kids. This year they had a luau for the kids and their American Girl Dolls. The two boys present, brought stuffed animals....I think even at the ages of 2 and 4 they are taken back by all the girls. The party was such fun for the kids. Here are my favs!!!

*Aloha Bingo

*Ring Toss

*Hula Dancing on the back porch

*The Limbo

*Fabulous blue-jello ocean desserts

*Blue Hawaiian cocktail drinks for the Mommy's

*Yummy Hibiscus cupcakes

*Goodies to take home

*Storytime with Marmie

Thanks again Mackenzie, Presley and Miss Lyndi, we loved it!!!

First Day Cuteness

Reagan is off to school! I took her at noon today and she was a champ!!! I guess after two years of drop-offs and pick-ups at the campus for her big sister, she knew just what to do. She was so proud carrying her back-pack and her homework from her teacher! She decorated a large piece of construction paper with our family picture and her artwork, which will be laminated and used for her snack-mat all year! We hung around for a few minutes, but she didn't' need us to. She got busy right away, exploring and playing with things around the room. I pray that she has a great year, that she learns more about Jesus, that she makes new friends, and that her first experience with school is a positive one!

Eating my Words

Look who is riding the bus! Not a great picture (my child dropped my camera and cracked the lens), but it is all I have from her first bus ride. Addison was relentless!!! She begged, and begged and begged some more. Everyday she asked if and when she could ride the bus. Her friends were on it, and she wanted to be too.

So, after 4 days of the begging, and me driving in circles from drop-off and pick-up only 3 hours apart, I began to cave. Add to the circular driving, that they don't let kindies go through the carpool lane and I have to park and take everyone out, and I gave in completely. Especially since Gracyn wasn't getting much naptime with our shuttling and for some reason Reagan despises going up there.

I still take Addison at drop-off, but she happily rides the bus with all her friends in the afternoon. 3 of them are so cute, snuggled up in one seat together. She is thrilled and it buys Gracyn more sleep time and me some extra play-time with Reagan. It is a win-win situation, even if, thanks to our districts "budget crisis" is is costing me 50 cents a ride. We call it the big, yellow taxi!

Our funny bus story, thus far, happened last Friday. Reagan and I, along with the entire neighborhood were waiting at the corner for the bus to arrive. Along comes a large group of boys, running, for the neighboring high schools cross country team. One of the guys spots another group ahead, beating them, and loudly shouts, "Oh Sh*t!". Reagan never missed a beat, she shouted, "He said, Oh Sh*t!" equally as loud. I quickly told her that was not a word we use, while shouting at the boy, "Thanks alot!". He was so embarrassed/apologetic/scared-I-was- going-to-call-his-coach all at once. I couldn't help but forgive him, especially since they promised it would never happen again....and by the look on his face, it won't. There is a high probability, however, that Reagan will try out that word again, sometime when I am least expecting it!

Reagan's Meet the Teacher

Reagan starts the 3 year old class at Cherry Hills Christian Preschool on Wednesday. Yesterday she met her teachers, Mrs. Shelby and Mrs. Weisler. She marched right in and knew exactly where to go, since her friend Ava had the same room and teacher last year. She explored the room and colored an apple for her teacher. Then, we came home and worked on a little art project Mrs. Shelby had assigned. Reagan is so ready to start tomorrow! She is such a big girl and I am excited for her school adventures to begin.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

During my parents visit, we took my Dad up to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado, Springs. It is a great zoo. Small, hands-on and on the side of a mountain. The scenery is beautiful, and pushing a stroller up and down those hills is a great work-out. I dressed us for summer, since it was August, but it was cloudy and 60 degrees when we got there. It was pretty chilly, we even had hot chocolate! Thankfully it warmed a few degrees throughout the morning and turned out to be a beautiful day.

Here is Gracyn feeding the giraffes at the entrance. She loved being so close.

The girls got to pet a baby kangaroo. They feed birds, too, but I didn't have my camera with me then.

Love that mountain background!

The girls love the "My Big Backyard" section. There are bunnies, fish, chickens and goats, that the kids can pet and play with.

The girls rode the carousel. Gracyn and her Daddy have matching big, blue-eyes. She was teary here, because she wanted to ride so bad, she didn't understand waiting in line. She just cried and cried and keep saying, "Ride!".

Melting Down

Poor Gracyn, afternoon kindergarten has been a rough adjustment for her. You see, she used to be my late sleeper, not waking until around 7:30, but she chose the week Addison started kindergarten to start rising with her early morning sisters by 6:30am every morning. Since she is up with the sun, by around noon, she is really ready for a nap. However, that doesn't work for us right now. We have to leave the house around 12:45 to drop Addison at school, so Gracyn can't go to sleep until 1:15ish when we get home. It hasn't been an easy adjustment for her, and starting around 11am, she looks like this alot of the time. She is just pretty unhappy with the world until she finally gets to bed.

There have been a few days when she falls asleep in the car, gets a 20 minute cat-nap, and then refuses to sleep anymore. On those days, I am the one in tear-full, melt-down mode. Good thing she's not big enough to take my picture!

1st Sleepover

Miss Debra had a hotel near the horseshow grounds during their stay here. She went back and forth between our house and the hotel throughout the week.

Addison, who is having an independent streak and wanting to do anything she can on her own, had planned for weeks to have a sleepover there. Reagan went back and forth, but in the end, she was not to be left out. So, one night, my Dad, Deb and both big girls stayed at the hotel for a slumber party. They were so cute with their backpacks all packed up and their Pillow Pets. Tommy and I didn't leave the hotel until 9pm and we were back by 8:30am the next day, but they loved their stay.

Addison spent 2 nights at her Grandma and Grandpa's house when she was 1. But that is it for stays away from home. We had one quick night at a nearby hotel while Tommy's parents were here a few years ago and one quick night this summer while my sister stayed here with the kids. But, that is all we have ever left them....its just not something you do much when family doesn't live in town. All went well, despite nerves (mine) and they made it just fine....they barely even said good-bye. They all did so good, perhaps I see a beach getaway in Mommy and Daddy's nearby future?

Gifted

That is my dad. He has a gift. He can fall asleep anytime, anywhere, regardless of the noise or commotion around him. This was the first morning they were here and the girls had taken him upstairs to see their room. Next thing I know, he is in the bunkbed snoring. Reagan put a sticker on his lips, but he slept through it. I think he had a 20 minute nap that day. If you have been in my house and heard the noise level, you realize what a talent this really is.

Adrenaline Junkies

My Dad and Deb arrived for a visit Wednesday and we had the whole day Thursday to visit with them before Deb had to spend the next few days judging a horseshow. We were felling spontaneous and decided to take advantage of living in the mountains. We picked Addison up from school and headed to Heritage Square in Golden to check out the Alpine Slide.

My girls loved it. Actually, except for Gracyn, who couldn't understand why she kept getting left at the bottom, we all loved it. Reagan raced off to ride over and over again and Addison is a pure adrenaline junkie. She had several chances to ride with Pappy and Miss Debra before I got a turn to go up. She insisted on handling the brake and she NEVER wanted to use it. I kept trying to pull the brake and SLOW-US-DOWN. She spent the entire ride pushing my hands away and telling me we were going to go, "Fast as the wind!" I pointed out "SLOW" signs to her and she pressed on faster and faster. Remind me not to get the girl a fast car when she turns 16.

Pappy and Reagan are in the chairlift riding to the top.

Addison and Deb headed up.
I was waiting at the bottom with Gracyn. She wasn't too happy when they left without us. She watched the chairlift overhead and shouted "Up, up, up!"

Addison and Pappy making the turn at the end of the 1/2 mile slide.

Thrilled!

Reagan coming fast.

They are a little wind-blown.

Pure joy, already asking to do it again.

Big girls riding the ferris wheel with Daddy. Motion sick Mommy stayed on the bottom with Gracyn. More screaming, "Up, up, up!"

Mommy and Reagan riding the bumper boats. I tried to let her drive, but she would always put us in a dead-spin. It's the circles that make me sick.

Daddy tried to take Gracyn to ride this banana ride, but he physically could not fit himself into it, and I was out since it went in circles. She settled for the roller-coaster train and loved it.

See that mad face? She didn't want it to stop.

Here she is later, her hair never recovered from the roller coaster.

After heading back to the Alpine Slide for one final ride for everyone, we decided to be even more spontaneous. We jumped in the car and headed 20 more minutes into the mountains to Idaho Springs to try the famous, Colorado, Beau Jeau's Pizza. We have been hearing about it for 2 years and it did not disappoint. It had charm, character and delicious pizza! And bonus, when we stepped out to leave at 9pm, it was cold! What a great night we had. My girls are tired today, and I am paying for it, but it was totally worth it!!!

Tree Huggers

In the literal sense! Climbing trees has become the new hobby of choice, and probably the reason for a future blog post on broken bones. Addison started it, with the now slightly disfigured tree in our front yard. It isn't exactly mature, so their weight has bent several of the lower branches downward. They can get pretty high. Can you find them in all the pictures?

No tree climbing yet for Princess Gracyn. She prefers to be pushed up and down the street in her pink chariot while searching for "Roll-Rolls", or roly-polys as most people call them! She insisted on bringing the pool noodle along on this day.