1st Day - Pre-K!!

We read DW's Guide to Preschool, for a couple nights before our big day.
So... when Mom got her bag hung in her cubby & asked what she wanted to play with... she was kinda sorta really ready.
Her eyes still filled with tears, but I reminded that Mommy's always come back, just like DW's.

She walked off to play.

Mom walked off with tears in her eyes! Aw!!!!! My buddy off into the big bad world of pre-school!

1st Day of 1st grade

YAH!!! He's back!!!!
1st day of drop-off went flawlessly! YAH!!!
Good luck Mrs. Matteson!!! There's alot of excitement to see the friends again!!!

Nolan asked to pack his own lunch this AM, but didn't wake when I started. 15 minutes later, he appeared & shared that I had not packed the food he'd "hidden from JJ"!!! Round 2 meant that I remade his lunch & packed it the way he'd envisioned! LOL!

Vacation - Branson MO

Well - our vacation plans to NC and DC, with the Hipsky's came crashing down around us... but, we were able to squeek out a week at Branson instead.

BRANSON?? Really?? Isn't that just for old folks?? LOL!
No!

We were worn out after all our fun activities, which kept us hopping daily: Titanic exhibit, Butterfly Palace, Hollywood Wax Museum, Wine Tasting 101 class, Silver Dollar City, a ride on the Duck, putt-putt and fishing on Lake Tannycomo!
We needed to come home, just to rest from our vacation!!

The temps were a bit of a nightmare, with 100 degrees daily and heat index's well above 110... but, it was the escape we pulled together for 4th of July week!

Grants Farm

The kids and I traveled to the Lou for 2 Tastefully Simple parties & spent 3 days as tourists!

One of our adventures was to Grants Farm, with Aunt Carol, Cousins CJ, Sheri and Bob. (Little do the kids know that Sheri and Bob are the real cousins!! LOL!) The kids also met cousin-by-marriage Crystal - whom Nolan warmed to... well, not easily... BUT... in the Nolan way!

I don't remember Grants Farm being so tiny! All I remembered was the beer!
Jillian hated being in the goats pen.... Mom got to feed them, while she held all portions of her body high! Nolan loved the carousel ride & of course, was mad that he couldn't do it again!
Nolan loved feeding the talking parrot. Both loved the kettle corn and snow cones!

And of course, Mom, Aunt Carol, Sheri, Bob and Crystal - loved the free beer!

New Family Member

Because I thought that 2 kids, 3 and 6, was not crazy enough for me.... I agreed to a puppy.
YES - I am insane!
Jet Domino is our new family member.
He is pure-bred Miniature Australian Shepherd. Supposedly, he will only get to 20 -40 lbs, but he is already 13+ lbs at 12 weeks.
Born April 2nd... does that make him 12 weeks still????

He is a very dominant dog, trying to herd the kids - instinct.
He's proving a difficult potty trainer, BUT we had a great day yesterday - so maybe we mastered it! I am not counting my chickens!

Jillian cracks me up, as she yells "No. I in charge!" When the dog attempts to get her! Nolan... well, he's the motivator for the puppy... and he shy's away, when Jet starts nipping and jumping. Not in charge!!!

We're Back!

Hello friends! Sorry for the long delay!
We have a new camera, so I can return to keeping you updated on our chaos!
Instead of back-tracking, I will just update the most recent!

Last Mass of the School Year

Yes - the camera is still broken. I "thought" I would get a new camera for Mothers Day. Well - that didn't happen!! So, the recording feature is all we have...
My apologies that I can't keep you updated on the details of life! I will break down and buy a new camera soon.

As for the last day of school, Kindergarten led the mass. Nolan opened the service & rocked it!! The rest of the day was followed with awards, field day, and a picnic (indoor) lunch. Nolan received awards for Outstanding Art, Outstanding Music, and perfect 4th quarter attendance.

Third NWEA tests are complete and results returned. The boy also was in the 98th for mathematics and 99th percentile for reading. With the DRE testing, he finished his Kindergarten year with the reading comprehension of a high 1st grader! Seriously - this kid rocketed through his first year! We are blessed to have found SSFC and their fabulous program.

Enjoy the attached song, which the combined Kindergarten classes sang at end of mass, as well as Nolan's reading. The song was a "surprise", so I was not ready with the camera for the beginning... oops! (Our desktop too is broken... so I can not hear him read, so can only hope the upload does have it!)

PLEASE EXCUSE THE INTERUPTION.... BEEP.

Sorry there have been no pictures or posts of late.
Both the desktop and the camera have gone ka-put. One is being repaired... the other needs to be replaced.

The quick overview...

Spring break took us to Alpena, as well as St Louis. Then, there were 3 play dates. BUSY week!

Nolan lost his first tooth on St Patty's Day & another in April.
Nolan read the responsorial at the last Kindergarten led mass... and did great, as usual!

Easter we had the Noom's and G'ma Judy for a visit! What a fun weekend!
This was the 1st Easter where JJ understood the Easter egg hunt theory! I believe there were 150 eggs in our back yard!

I started my own business & am now an independent sales consultant for Tastefully Simple. Lots of fun in my 1st month!! Not sure why I didn't try this sooner!

That's it for now. Once we get "techy" again... I hope to get us back up to date on the blog.

WHAT's Happening??

We have our 1st household LOOSE TOOTH!!! The tooth fairy will soon be visiting, and as I watch Nolan wiggling the tooth....it may be tonight.
He just said that he hoped the Tooth Fairy brought him lego's. Hmmm.... really? It's not just a cash business??! I'll have to check my Tooth Fairy manual.

And...
No commitments yet... but, we started the financial process for pre-approval of a new home loan. Ugh and Yah! Nerve wracking!
What will we qualify for, with only 1 income now!?
How can I keep the house clean for sale, with a 3 and a 6 year old that destroy everything in their wake?!
Packing; Moving; Unpacking - Ugh, ugh, ugh!
But the yah - Being closer to school; Being in an area that will hold home value or increase; And, just the excitement of a new house! (Is that a Yah! or an Ugh!?)

Aunt Carol is the BomB!

Yes - Aunt Carol gets her own spot for the birthday celebration, because our house has not been the same, since JJ opened her presents!

There were many (as usual)...but ONE, BY FAR, has been the favorite.

JJ's Tent! or "My hide", as she calls it! (As in Hide & Seek)

She has not slept in her bed for over 2 weeks now! But, I have to admit - it's pretty darn good sleep she's getting in there....even if she can't stretch out! LOL! (Look real hard in the bottom pic...she's sound asleep...the flash of the picture is what woke her up that morning!)

Art Time

So, JJ's party was supposed to be a tea party. We bought the tea set and planned a day to have fun and paint.

While the kids did make lots of masterpiece's... Mom didn't have enough time for the setting, heating, etc. So - the tea party was a scratch!

Oh well - if Mom ever gets to heating the tea set - she'll have a great set to play with! LOL!

February Birthdays!

Once, again... the mom is a month behind!

But, with 3 birthday's in the house... How can I be on time?

Nolan celebrated at Incredible Pizza...with classmates and neighborhood friends. Can you say CHAOS??!! Mom was a bit nuts! The kids had a blast... I think glow-in-the-dark putt putt golf was Nolan's favorite, but he also tried his hand at bumper cars and bowling.
Christian was our savior for Jillian. She wandered off with him to the Tiny Town area & he kept her entertained for an hour, before Mom came to her senses and wondered where she was!! LOL!

Jillian's birthday was just a little Princess lunch with the neighbors and new friend, Ellie. (Her future classmate at SSFC!) We followed JJ's birthday party, with Ellie's just 3 days later! Perfect swap!

And, then there was the big girl, Ash! The big 21! While she celebrated her actual birthday in her hometown...she came here for the weekend. We bar-hopped and danced til 3 AM. We even got her to ride the mechanical bull!! Don't worry - I do have video that I will upload soon!! LOL!

It was a blast of a month!! And, it flew by!!

Kindergarten leads Mass!

Nolan was a reader!! We practiced for 2 whole weeks prior & he had it mastered! In fact, he had most of it memorized. (Even with 13 3-syllable words!)

Then, he got up there, saw all the people & forgot how to read!! LOL!
Public speaking does it to all of us!!
But we are SOOOO proud that he worked that hard prior & made it through!

I've attached his mass recording. Uuuh.... please excuse the shaking... that would be Jillian pulling on the straps of the camera. You can faintly hear me telling her to stop it... Then, you can hear me, when Nolan was going astray & I was trying to correct him!
Then, when we got home from school - I made him read it one more time & I recorded that too!
Oh, Mom!

Ridin'!

Oh boy - Are we in for trouble?!
Yes - Jillian got her own 4-wheeler for Christmas, but she prefers the back of her brothers!
And, the snow melted & weather warmed, just enough so they could get outdoors and give it a run!

They also wandered the entire subdivision like this!! Jillian made it a whole 3-4 houses before she was done trying to steer!

Christmas in St Louis!

OK - So, St Louis didn't go as planned! What does!??!
John got the stomach flu & was bed-ridden. So, on Day 1 of his symptoms, the rest of us escaped to the Stadler's!

Were the kids even in the door, before Nolan was asking to open presents?? Uhh... NO!

The highlight of this trip for JJ was her 1st pedicure! THANKS, AUNT CAROL! The highlight for Nolan was a field trip to Incredible Pizza and Borders Books with Mrs Brown, while the rest of us pampered ourselves!

The kids were SPOILED ROTTEN!! And, by far, it was their best "Not so shy" experience there!