April Little Things

April flew by and we are ready to start one of the busiest months of the year.  Here are some of things I want to remember from this month:

I'm pretty sure they are crazy but the kids have already had their first swim of the season!  It will definitely be several more weeks before I'm ready to even put my feet in!

Parker had a baseball tournament in Dallas so we stayed the night with Aunt MerMer and Uncle Craig.  The first thing the girls wanted to do is go see her chickens.  Eden was even brave enough to hold one of them! 

One day after work/preschool, I took Lily and Ryan to lunch at the park.  The weather was perfect and I enjoyed spending the afternoon with them.

Eden made her AR goal for the year so we had to celebrate with an ice cream treat!  I was so proud of her for reading 100,000 words this year!

As busy as April was, May is going to be even busier!  With school getting ready to wrap up in May, I know there will be very little down time but I'm looking forward to summer starting and having a few months off with the kids.

Happy 9th Birthday Parker

We just finished up a fun week celebrating our 9 year old!   

 

Parker woke up bright and early on Wednesday ready to open his presents before we left for school!  He was excited about his new water bottle from MerMer and Craig and his very first BB gun from us!

 

We all enjoyed Parker's birthday pancakes and Parker was so excited about his new watch from Granna and Granstan.

 

 Daddy and Papa brought Parker lunch at school which is always a fun treat!

We didn't have our family dinner with his real cake until Friday, but it's not really a birthday without cake, so that night we all shared one small piece I bought at the store!

 

Parker didn't want a big birthday party this year, so Friday, three of Parker's close friends (Cole, Kaden & Robert) came home with him after school to play.  We took them to see the movie Ratchet and Clank and then came back to the house for pizza and cake.  Our families joined us for dinner and presents and then the boys played their hearts out until I took them home at 9:30.

For the second year in a row, Parker requested a baseball cake.

 

Parkers friends got him some really neat Nerf guns and the boys had so much fun playing with them the rest of the evening.  Parker said it was one of his best birthdays ever and I have to agree with him.  It was so fun to watch them laughing and having fun together.  I was sad to see the evening come to an end, but I am glad Parker had a great time and felt celebrated by those that are closest to him!

 

Nine Years Old

Parker,

     Today you turn 9 years old!  You are an amazing kid and mom and dad are so proud of you!  There are a lot of things I miss about you being little but I absolutely LOVE the stage you are in!  You are funny, helpful, and still enjoy hanging out with us!  Here are some of the things I want to remember about you as you celebrate another birthday:

-You are still tall and thin.  You weigh about 80 pounds (90th percentile) and are almost 57 inches tall (95th percentile).  You are taller than most of the kids in your class.  You wear size 8-10 clothes and size 6 shoe.  You are almost moving into men's size shoes which just blows my mind!  A few weeks ago I was running late to pick you and Eden up from school so I just grabbed your flip flops to wear and they actually fit me!

-You are so smart and continue to do well in school.  You are very driven and self motivated and I never have to remind you to get your homework done after school.  You read all of the time and have met all of your AR reading goals this year.

-You still love to play baseball and are one of the starting pitchers for your team this season.

-You are a great eater and you eat A LOT!  You will usually try most new foods but your favorites right now are spaghetti, bacon, chips and salsa, fruit, chicken alfredo, and jelly beans.

-You are so helpful around the house and rarely complain when I ask you to help me with chores.  You are also good about helping daddy with chores that are hard for him.  You always take out the trash on Monday, you always remember to make your bed every morning, and you are also good at folding laundry.  I am so thankful for your helpful spirit and what a good example you are for your sisters.

-You still love to play video games and look forward to your game time after you finish your homework. 

-You started speech therapy this year to help correct your lisp.  You are slowly but surely making progress and I hope that you will be able to be dismissed next year.

-You are funny and we love joking with you now that you can understand humor better. 

-The one thing I wish I could change about you right now is how hard you can be on yourself when you make a mistake.  You hate being wrong or not being the best at something and your perfectionism can be your downfall.  I wish you could see what dad and I see every day... that you are an awesome, smart, hard-working, kind, loving kid and one little mistake doesn't change all of that! 

There was a time when you were two and three years old when I wondered if you would ever make it to this birthday!  You were stubborn, strong willed and pushed the limits several times a day.  You completely wore me out!  But it seems like I blinked and you've turned into this great kid that makes me proud every single day!  I can not wait to see what you accomplish this year! I know whatever it is, you will give it 100% just like you always do!

I love you to the moon and back! Mom

Eden's Field Trip

Today was Eden's 1st grade field trip to the Dallas Zoo.  She was so excited when she found out Aunt MerMer was going to join us at the zoo!

Her sweet friend Chloe also walked around with us and they had a great time together!

 Silly Eden! 

 We tried to feed the giraffes but they weren't interested in our food.

 

I loved getting some one on one time with Eden.  It doesn't happen very often so I treasure it when it does!

We got two chances to feed the birds and Eden was all smiles!  She's my critter lover and rarely passes up a chance to touch or feed them.

 

 

She and Chloe begged me to let them ride the merry-go-round so I finally gave in at the end of the day.

I had never been to the Dallas Zoo and I enjoyed it very much!  We were so glad that Meredith got to join us and we will definitely have to take Parker and Lily back later this summer.

Field Day 2016

Eden and Parker had a great time at our field day today!  The weather was perfect and they both came home with a lot of blue ribbons!

I was a little worried when we pulled into the parking lot this morning and Eden proceeded to get so nervous that she threw up her entire breakfast as soon as she got out of the car.  I wasn't sure she was going to participate at all, but as soon as she got to her class, she was fine.  She ended up getting first place in every race she participated in and had a great time!

Parker also came in first place in all of his races!  He is so competitive and always gives 100% on days like this. 

I spent the day running the concession stand and making snowcones, hot dogs, and nachos!  I was covered in fruit juice and cheese by the end of the day!

Our PE teachers did a great job organizing a fun day for the kids!  I am so grateful for all the time and effort they put into making our field day so memorable for all of the students!

Holland's Baby Shower

Today we celebrated the arrival of Baby Holland with a baby shower at our friend Brenda's house.  We had a great time visiting with family and friends and the kids all enjoyed getting to help Aunt MerMer open all of her presents.  One thing is for sure, this baby is already so loved and she will not lack for anything! She will also be one of the best dressed babies wherever she goes!

The Hostesses

Our mom and Craig's mom

The kids couldn't wait for the shower, especially Ryan!  He is so excited and can't wait to meet Baby Holland.  We realized a few days before the shower that he thought Holland was going to be at the shower.  He was quite disappointed when Emily told him that he still had to wait a few more months to meet her.

It was a great day celebrating Meredith and Baby Holland!  We can't wait for June to get here so we can finally meet this precious baby! I'm secretly hoping she will arrive a little early and be born on my birthday!