Monday, June 24, 2013

May Fete and Why Not Throw in a Dance Recital

This was Reese's third year of performing at McPherson's annual May Fete....seriously, LOVE All School's Day week!!!

And I love that Reese has lucked out each year she has participated and performed at the park....nothing better!


Nothing unusual about a storm brewing the day of.  But we said our prayers, and were thankful that just like every other year, the storm held off....at least until Reese was done, then hit and cleared the park.

Enjoy the pictures!



Reese's friend, Ian, was the little May Fete prince ♥

Thank you, Aunt Cheyna, for Reese's amazing up-do!!!!

































Eye-catching entertainment for Miss E.




So thankful for our families that love and support Reese unconditionally!

WORK IT!!!




 Homecoming King and Queen ♥









 Very proud of her!!!

































Seriously, the hair!!!  So perfect!!!

































An AWESOME fan club!!!  Thanks for the support everyone- Jase, Reese, Josie, Carter, Reanna!!!
Then little sister said, "Lets celebrate with thunder and margaritas!" 

































And since we're on the subject of dance, I thought I'd go ahead and share about Reese's recital.  It's always a long three days of traveling back and forth to Hutch, but worth it in the end!

And make up and milk shakes always make things better!




Aunt Cheyna to the hair rescue yet again!!!






This time, homecoming queen, Bobby Jo Gentry, went for an actual ride with her pick up man....and yes, she really was as scared as she looked!



































Grandmas doing the Too-Dee-Taw 
SPOILED LOVED 






































We are so thankful McPherson has such a wonderful, sweet dance instructor; bless her and her patience.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Happenings

I'm behind, like waaaaay behind....All School's Day, May Fete, Mother's Day, dance recital, ect. But I've waited this long to create those posts, so why not wait a little longer :)

Let's just get caught up on some every day happenings....

First, let me begin with the new babies in our family....


Reese was the first to spot the nest out the back window.  It was perched on top of our drain on our back deck.  Each week, I'd climb on top of the deck rail, stand up high on my tippy toes, and hold my phone blind above the nest to snap a picture.

A few weeks passed, and I realized we hadn't checked on them in a while, so we were happy to welcome our babies!  Properly named Reese, Cru, and Everlee.



 Once they hatched, our check ups became more frequent.


It was a sad day when we discovered "Baby Cru" had either tried to fly to coop early or he was pushed out of the nest by his sisters and wasn't quite big enough to fly and met the sidewalk instead :(





The birds grew at a rapid pace, so we figured they would be flying away sooner rather than later.

 
One afternoon while checking on them, I was standing on the deck rail and instead of snapping pictures above the nest, I was trying to take a few head on, and the sound of the camera must have scared "Reese" because right after I took this picture....

she was gone!  I nearly lost my balance because it scared the crap out of me!


And then there was Evee.....wonder if this is any sign of the future???  I think it means I need more babies ;)



Just like with the other, the click of my camera scared her as well.....














Just like that, no more babies :(

Good thing I still have her!  However, she's hardly our baby anymore, especially now that she is sassy-free!

I really thought I'd be happy about this, but I'm not.  It's just another sign that she's growing up.  

This was not a planned thing.  Chet and I had taken the kids for ice cream, and during our ride, I whispered to him that we forgot Evee's sassy (pacifier), and she hadn't even noticed.  Then, I suggested maybe this was our chance that they all should just disappear.  So that night she went to bed without it.  It was pretty rough.  She never directly asked for it, but she called me in her room to go potty, to tell me her baby had to go potty, to tell me that Charlee was sad, and umpteen other things, which all seemed to be code for where the hell is my sassy?!

Since then naps seem to be a thing of the past.  If she takes one, she cries/plays for at least an hour before falling asleep.  It has not been fun, especially because she's always been a great napper.  She does go right down at night and has been sleeping in pretty late (which is probably the whole problem anyways!), but she does not ask for her sassy.  She did, however, find a random one (one just like her old ones) underneath the bench at Reese's baseball game....what are the chances?  

So, back to no naps.  One afternoon, when Miss Evee was supposed to be napping, she had a purse in her bed, which had a pen in it and decided to tattoo herself instead of sleeping.  Also, that day, Reese woke up throwing up.  She threw up three different times, but was nearly normal by afternoon.  Random.  I was doing my best to keep everyone quiet so she could rest, however, Cru didn't seem to get the memo....he thought running around the house in his homemade thong was way better.

Seriously, never a dull moment around here!

But I am so thankful for all of it!

In the moment, I don't always see it that way, but I'm hoping to get better at that.

For instance, my first thought when the kids had to wear jackets on June 5th was to complain about it....

But I reminded myself that soon enough the Kansas heat would hit, and I'd more than likely be complaining about that, so I needed to just enjoy the chill in the air.

And I was right....the heat hit!  But sunshine always makes time in the water more enjoyable!

Reese and Cru are both in private swimming lessons and LOVING it!!!!  Their teacher is absolutely wonderful.  I hope to post some videos soon!

We are slowly making changes to our house.  Chet and I spent two days over Memorial Day weekend painting our living room, dining area, and kitchen.  We love it, but still have so much more to do.  In the process of making some changes, Reese's room was painted and both girls got some new furniture pieces!

Out with the old, in with the new....that means it's garage sale time again!

Thankfully, I had good help!

Day 2, it rained on us....Evee found a way to stay dry....

Staying dry didn't last long when she had a little friend to play in the rain with....

Speaking of out with the old.....how about off with 10 inches of hair!!!

This was hard....for me, not her.  She wanted to do this last summer, but I just couldn't.  This year, I said yes....

Gulp!

I can't even tell you how much WE ALL love it!

She's seriously like a whole new person!

With the same beautiful heart ♥

Miss E got a new do as well.   Before....

After....

Yay!  The mullet actually seems to be disappearing!

Little Red Riding Hood....so good!  Watching it with Charlee, Carter, and Maddox made it even better!

The kids experienced their first Relay For Life....

Reese spent a lot of time decorating a very special luminary for my Grandma Reese, which she rightfully deserves.  No person will ever fill her shoes.


The luminary above was made by my cousin, Emily.

It really was a fantastic evening.  We appreciate the food and fun provided by Chet's office.  That night I was also showing support for an almost three year old who's fought and won his own battle with cancer.  I've never met his mommy in real life, but I consider her a beautiful, courageous friend ♥

Makes me truly grateful for health and happiness....

And for the little moments that keep me on my toes....like when Everlee decides to strip in the middle of Target and try on clothes!

And finally, some summertime happenings that are my favorite....

Baseball!  In full swing, no pun intended.  Whether it be practicing in the yard or games Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.....LOVE IT!!!

More to come on that :)

So, that's a little or rather BIG catch up post!  Hugs and kisses until the next post since it may be a while....