M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Counting down the days until we leave for Florida. I can't wait. I don't know who is more excited, me or the girls. We are planning on taking our laptop, so we'll keep you posted on pictures as much as possible.

We are not exactly sure how Jackson will do on the flight there, but we are hoping for the best. We'll just have to bring lots of snacks. Thankfully, Grandma will be flying down with us and we'll have another person to hand him off to just in case he starts getting a little bored. If worse comes to worse, maybe I'll give him a pair of shoes and let him roam the isle of the plane. (just kidding.....) I'm not worried about the girls. They will be content just looking out the window.

Once we arrive at the airport, we'll rent a car and head to the house. Thankfully, Grandpa drove down on Wednesday with all of our luggage, so we don't have to worry about that minor detail.

We hope to make this trip as stress free as possible. Our goal is to watch at least one show, eat breakfast with a few characters and catch a parade. Maybe get a few autographs and take lots of pictures. I'm sure we'll ride a lot of kiddie rides in the meantime as well. All the other stuff we'll play by ear.

Poor little Jackson will not make it to Disney World this trip, but he will have lots of fun with Grandma and Grandpa and the puppies. We'll take him when he gets a little older.

Thanks everyone for all of your advice and suggestions for our trip! We can't wait to share it with you.

Q & U Wedding

• The Kindergarten Classes at Bonsack Elementary performs the Q & U wedding each year at the last PTA meeting of the semester. It was Campbell's turn this year and she represented the letter "R" for Rainbow Ribbons. She absolutely loves rainbows so this was the perfect choice for her. She has been looking forward to this event for some time. She was especially grateful that she could share it with her best friend, Ida.

• The kids were able to choose which letter they wanted to be and the parents created a costume to reflect that letter. I have to admit, some of the costumes were so adorable and very creative!

• When we arrived, we were handed an actual wedding program and took our seats. At first all the "letter people" came down the isle and then the wedding party made their grand entrance for the wedding of the year.....the marriage celebration of Q & U!

• All the kids did such a good job singing , "Going to the Chapel" and "Stop in the Name of KWA". I have to admit, it was so funny to hear the little kids laughing when the minister told the groom to, "kiss the bride".

• Don't worry....they didn't actually kiss each other. The entire ceremony was G rated. : ) The bride and groom were holding a stuffed Q & U doll that went through the motions. Unfortunately, I wasn't at a good angle to get a picture of them.

• After the performance was over, everyone left the exact opposite they came in for the wedding. I'm hoping Brent will post the video up sometime this week before we leave for FL. In the meantime, check out the pictures when you get the chance.

• I just love Kindergarten and so does Campbell. This has been a wonderful experience for all of us.

Favorite Past Time

Jackson loves shoes! Oddly enough, he even loves them on his hands. It keeps him entertained for awhile and it makes him happy. He will crawl around the whole main level this way as long as we will let him.

Who needs toys when you have shoes, right?

Wild Flowers

We have a bank that slopes down at the edge of our back yard. We have been puzzled exactly what to do with it. It can be an eye sore at times. Brent does his best to keep it trimmed with the weed eater as much as he can.

I can't remember exactly when, but at one point Brent planted some wild flowers hoping that they would spread and eventually take over the whole bank. This year the daisies have taken off with a vengeance and they look beautiful! I picked some last night after the kids went to bed and put them in a vase for us to enjoy.

I'll be sure and post a picture of the flowers on the bank once we complete our patio. The crates (or whatever they are called) that once held the pavers are taking over our back yard at the moment. Once we dispose of them it will make for a prettier picture.

Strawberry Festival

We had the best time as always at the Strawberry Festival on Friday. Campbell wasn't completely thrilled that we went without her this year, but it didn't take her long to get over the disappointment after she saw the chocolate covered strawberries I brought home for her. She had permission to eat them when she got home from school. And what a treat that was!

Once we arrived at the festival, we set up for our picnic lunch before we dug into the yummy strawberries. We were joking that this is the only time we ever have a picnic together as a family. We will have to change that because we really do enjoy the change of scenery from time to time. Not only did grandpa and grandma join us, but we had some new friends join us this year. They recently moved down from Michigan and her husband works at NS as well. It was fun watching them experience the festival for the first time. I'm sure they will make it a family event going forward.

The strawberry festival is famous for their strawberry shortcakes. We are not that crazy about them because we prefer pound cake with our shortcakes instead of the old fashioned biscuits. Therefore, we usually stick with the strawberries and ice cream and the chocolate covered strawberries. This year I actually tried a strawberry smoothie. It was really good!

Unfortunately, I brought my camera, but didn't take any pictures this time. Oh well, maybe next year.

Hit another milestone

I knew this day was coming. Part of me was looking forward to it, but another part wasn't ready to give it up so easily.

As you can probably guess, Jackson dropped his first nap. He is only 12 months old, but he is ready. After a few weeks of trying to shorten his first nap, I realized it was useless. Even if he only took a 30 minute morning nap, he wasn't interested in an afternoon nap at all. Considering Riley and Jackson both nap at the same time, I wasn't going to let anything interfere with "my alone time".

Campbell was 15 months old and Riley was 13 months old when they dropped their first nap. I guess the more kids you have the less sleep they need.

At least we can go out and have fun in the mornings now that all of my kids are down to one nap. (with the exception of Campbell.....of course)

Now, if I can get Riley fully potty trained, we'll be in business!

80's Day

Today the SCA at Campbell's school is sponsoring 80's Days. Everyone at her school is encouraged to dress up in 80's clothing. We didn't participate because I didn't have a clue how to dress her up and I didn't think her daddy would appreciate me giving her "big" hair. In all honesty, I wasn't that thrilled about combing the mess out at the end of the day either.

While I was getting Campbell ready for school, she reminded me that today was 80's dress up day. We both agreed that it wasn't a priority and simply dismissed it. As I was braiding her hair I was thinking that 70's day would actually be more fitting for this event. Regardless, it wasn't happening.

Then Campbell curiously looked at me and asked, "What is 80's?"

As I was hysterically laughing I promised I would show her some of my old high school photos one day. (That's a scary thought....)

Man, I feel old......

Kite Festival

The girls are flying their kites.

Along for the ride.....

Penguin and Scuba Diver kites.

Thanks to Nana, we all got our faces painted.


It was a perfect day for the Kite Festival. Extremely windy. I have never seen so many kites up in the air before Saturday. We love Kite Day. Besides the Strawberry Festival, it's one of our favorite Roanoke highlights that we attend every year.

We all got our face painted, participated in the flag ceremony, had a picnic and flew our kites. This was Jackson's first year and he loved it. He didn't have a clue what was going on, he simply loved being outside...and eating.

We are already looking forward to next year!

Campbell's 6th Birthday

Campbell posing for the camera before her guest arrived.



Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party.



Sweet picture. You can view the "crazy" picture under 'Our Pictures' link.



Ida's turn to play "where's my stuffed animal" game. She had to pick out her stuffed animal in a pile while blind folded.



Here's some pictures of Campbell's "faux" Slumber Birthday Party from Tuesday. She invited 6 of her friends and had them wear their PJ's, bring a sleeping bag, pillow and their favorite stuffed animal. The best part was when the party was over at the end of the night, all the kids went home to sleep in their own beds. Faux is definitely the way to go!


The girls had so much fun! We started out by decorating there very own pillow case. The girls actually signed their name on Campbell's which turned out really cute. Then they ate pizza and painted their nails and toe nails. Next we all chowed down on some cake and ice cream. After Campbell opened her gifts, we played several games. Just to name a few: Pajama freeze dance, where's my stuffed animal game and the limbo. I also was able to get a shot of them "pretending" to be asleep in their sleeping bags. That lasted a total of 2 minutes. Then they were up and dancing again. I wished I had that much energy.

I can honestly say that I was absolutely exhausted after the party was over. I think next year I will stick to the traditional 2 hour party. Either way, as long as Campbell has her friends with her, she will be happy with just about anything.

Happy Birthday, Campbell. Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Happy Easter

Here's the kids in their Easter outfits. No, Jackson isn't walking yet. Although, he is able to stand up if the girls are holding his hands.


Easter baskets for the kids. They rec'd bubbles, chocolate, toothbrushes and toothpaste from the Easter Bunny. Jackson had plastic eggs filled with goldfish and Cheerios in his basket instead of the chocolate. Maybe next year he'll get the good stuff.


Daddy is helping the girls dye Easter Eggs. Don't they look cute in their aprons?


Ta-da!

We have had a fun weekend. Not only is it the beginning of Spring Break, but we've had beautiful weather for playing outside. We've also did our annual Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt, birthday parties, (yes, two in one day) and dyed some eggs. All of this was just on Saturday. Today we did the Resurrection Eggs, Easter Baskets, Church and ate lunch at TGI Friday's. Kids eat free on Sunday's! After nap time we are all heading over to Nana and Papa's house for an Easter Dinner, egg hunt and I've been told Aunt Candice has a fun project for the girls to do. The girls are also planning on spending the night with Nana and Papa tonight too. I love Easter! Honestly, I just love having family so close during special times like these.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Birthday Blues

Jackson woke up this morning with a rash all over his body. Of all days...it had to be on his birthday. My first thought was an allergy because he didn't have any other symptoms. I racked my brain trying to figure out what he had to eat the day before, but nothing out of the ordinary crossed my mind.

After his nap he felt a little warm. Sure enough, he had a tempature of 101.9. I'm assuming the rash is a result of a virus. Thankfully, his well visit is tomorrow and we can confirm our diagnosis.

Poor little guy. No one should be sick on their birthday. Thankfully, he's in good spirits, eating and sleeping good.

Happy Birthday Little Man! Hope you feel better soon.

Birthday Boy

Monogrammed towel from Aunt Marlene





Jackson's very own cupcake. He has been waiting a whole year for this!


My little prince.


I think he likes it!

We had Jackson's first birthday party on Saturday, although, he doesn't officially turn one until Wednesday. My parents came into town for this big event and so did Brent's parents as well. We all had a great time watching Jackson experiencing cake for the first time. Needless to say, he loved it!

He wasn't extremely excited about opening his gifts. I think his sisters enjoyed it more than he did. However, he really liked the tissue paper from the gift bags. You can check out the rest of the pictures under the link "our pictures".

Happy Birthday Buddy Boy!

No More Bottles!

That's right! The bottles are gone!

I have been offering a sippy cup of water to Jackson since he was six months old. He really didn't show any interest, it was basically a chew toy for him. Although, he was starting to get more comfortable with it.

My goal was to completely have him off the bottle before his first birthday. The past few days I have been taking baby steps and offering the sippy cup at night instead of the bottle. To my surprise, he was doing a really well.

So, this morning I held breath to his reaction when I gave him a sippy cup. He consumed the milk so fast that I gave him a second helping. I had so many emotions running through me...shock, surprised, relieved, happy.... just to name a few.

After breakfast I gathered up all my bottles and threw them away. Cleaned up the sterilizer and bottle warmer and stored them in the basement. I'm clearing off my counters one baby item at a time.

My little man is growing up so fast.

Two Green M & M's

When Campbell got home from school today she couldn't wait to tell me about her day. She learned all about St. Patrick's Day and Leprechauns. She was telling me this story about two green M & M's with such enthusiasm that I just had to share it. It was so hard to keep a straight face, but somehow I managed.

Here's Campbell's story.....

"Mrs. Sullivan ate two green M & M's before she read us a book today and when she spoke her voice sounded just like a Leprechaun! I tried eating two green skittles just now and it didn't change my voice. I guess it only works if you are a teacher."

I wonder if she will remember this next year and give her teacher green M & M's on St. Patrick's Day......

Fast Cars

After the kids and I dropped off a meal for a friend who just had a baby, we headed to Advanced Auto to get an air filter for the van. It's rarely a dull moment while we are traveling especially if Riley has anything to do with it. She is definitely my little chatter bug.

Recently, she has been fascinated with my driving. She insist that I go faster. I have to remind her daily that I can't because I might hit the car in front of me.

Just to prove it, here's a little conversation we had on our way home from running errands today.

Riley: "Mommy, did you buy an air filter?"

Mommy: "Yes, Riley I did."

Riley: "Where does it go?"

Mommy: "Under the hood of the van."

Riley: "Will it make the van go faster?"

Mommy: "Riley, you are a girl after my own heart!"

The Bible Says....

I was in my room minding my own business earlier today while Riley and Jackson were playing near the bed. It's very common for Riley to get Brent's bible and open it up and start "reading" it. (I wonder if he has noticed that it's in a different place each times he reaches for it).

Anyway, Jackson was getting a little rough with our cat and I over heard Riley tell him something. I didn't quite make it out the first time so I asked her to repeat it. Here is what she said:

Riley: "Jackson, the Bible says not to bite your cat. You can only pretend!"

Well, there you have it!

Just thinking......

It's hard for me to comprehend that Jackson will be turning one at the end of this month. A week later Campbell will be turning six. Not to mention that Riley is already three years old and will be starting preschool in the fall. Where does the time go? The next thing I know my babies will not be babies anymore.

I truly believe that being a mommy is the hardest job I have ever had, but the most rewarding. Thank you Brent for allowing me to stay home with my children while they are still young. I wouldn't trade this time in my life for anything in the world!

Weekend Guest

• It was Campbell's turn to bring home the class pet, Fluffy, over the weekend. Fluffy, as you can tell from the pictures is a Guinea Pig. I picked him up Friday morning from Campbell's school and then took him back this morning. It was a new experience for all of us. Even our Cat, Mittens didn't seem to mind the visitor. Just in case, we put our little guest on top of the dining room table to keep the "innocent....innocent."

• I had no idea how messy these little critters could be. Each morning when I came down to check on him he would have hay all over the table near his cage. Some of it even found its way on the floor. I found myself using the dust buster everyday to clean up after him. I didn't care too much for that.

• Even though he was a little messy the kids loved him! Fluffy on the other hand simply tolerated us for the most part. Campbell loves all animals and of course asked to hold him as much as possible. We found out very quickly that he had extremely sharp claws. So, as long as we wore our gloves, it didn't seem to bother us that much.

• Honestly, as much as I enjoyed seeing my kids happy, I was glad to see Fluffy go back to school. The last thing I need is something or someone else to clean up after!
  
  

Star of the Week

Campbell is "Star of the Week" at school. All the kids in her classroom get a turn to bring home the class mascot, Star. Over the weekend we took tons of pictures and put it in his journal and printed out all of Campbell's favorite things to be turned in on Monday. She presented it to the class in addition to sharing something special from home each day of the week. Yesterday she brought in a Barbie. Today she took her Diamond Castle Laptop. Tomorrow she is torn between her camera or one of her favorite books. On Wednesday she will eat a special lunch with her teacher, Mrs. Watson and invite a friend to join them. On Friday she gets to bring in a special snack to share with her classmates. She has already decided to take those yummy cookies from Wal-Mart with the pink icing. I hope they have some left over! : )

We really did have a lot of fun doing it even though it was a lot of work on my part. You can check out more pictures of Star under "Our Pictures".

Sweet Moments

• Riley was looking intently at my wedding photo placed on top of my jewelry box in my bedroom the other day. Then she said, "Mommy, you look like a princess in your dress".

• My heart simply melted right then and there. Oh, so sweet!

• On a different note, Campbell is growing up so fast and it amazes me how independent she is becoming. I have really enjoyed having her at home from all the snow during the week. She is such a huge help to me with the two younger ones. Although, with this new "independence", she brought something to my attention that I wasn't quite ready for the other day.

• She wants her ears pierced!!!

• We have openly communicated to her that when she is older she is allowed to get her ears pierced, but she has never actually asked for it. I don't know if it has anything to do with the fact that she has been spending a lot of time with her Nana and all of her "accessories". I simply told her that I would talk to her daddy and we'll decide on a good time for this to happen. She hasn't brought it up in a while so I'm hoping it was a one time deal.