Parents As Teachers Pumpkin Hunt

Annie and Sophie...

 This one's my fave!

 She was a natural!

 So cute!

HyVee Field Trip...

...with some Extra Special Visitors!

Auntie Jayne is here!

OK, so our HyVee field trip was awesome.  Mostly because our awesome preschool King's Kids let my family tag along.  We got a tour of the grocery store which included going into the secret back warehouse area that was HUMONGOUS!

 There was also a hay maze for the kiddos, snacks, hayride, face painting, pumpkin painting, and pumpkins pumpkins everywhere!

 Pumpkin v. Sophie

 Our little artists....

 We even spotted a rockstar!!!

 That was one serious pumpkin!

The Golden Rule

Lately at our house we have been discussing The Golden Rule: which is, basically, treat others the way you want to be treated...or better!  Kind of like karma. If you treat others well, you will be treated well.  If you treat others poorly, expect to be treated poorly by others.

For example, if you hit your brother in the face repeatedly with a stuffed rabbit while he is trying to read, you can probably expect that said brother, at some point, will turn around, grab it, and punch you in the face with it.

At some point during my pregnancy with Brinley, I decided that a great equalizer at the hospital would be if I made each child their own quilt.  I imagined Alex and Grace meeting Brinley and then opening their beautiful quilt gift at the hospital which would immediately eliminate all jealousy issues or behavioral problems associated with bringing a new baby home. Well...it didn't happen.

I am happy to say that I did finish the quilts.  And for some reason, this morning seemed like the perfect morning to give the kids their gifts.  This last week at our house has been rough.  We have been running around ragged, in and out of the house, routines have slowly started to slip away, and tantruming tired children have moved in.

Wednesday nights are crazy because we are gone from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

But last night, things seemed to somehow be getting back on track...

Just before I went to bed, I forced myself to keep my eyes open just long enough to get the quilts wrapped. For some reason, I really felt like this morning would be the morning to give them their gifts...for no reason at all!  (I love that idea!)

So, here they are!

 To my surprise, when I heard Alex's alarm clock begin to beep this morning it was quickly turned off.  I heard rustling in his room of covers being smoothed, and sounds of jammies coming off and school clothes going on.  I, too, jumped out of bed and went into the kitchen so I would be ready for him.  Sure enough, he came out with a smile said Good Morning, Mom...I love you!, and we were off to a great start!

We again talked about the Golden Rule and I was so excited to prove to him that it worked!  After breakfast he noticed the presents on top of the piano and quickly finished the rest of his responsibilities.  Grace was right behind him and when they were all ready for school, they opened their gifts! (And yes, it was still dark outside!)

 You may have noticed that Brinley isn't in any of these pictures.  That is because I, too, got to see The Golden Rule in action.  Brinley gave me the gift of sleeping through the night for the very first time!  That's right!  OVER NINE HOURS!!!  It was so awesome, and I was not about to wake her up! When she did finally wake up, she was smiling happily!

So, we opened hers up after we got back from taking the kids to school.  I don't think she minded. :)

I LOVE The Golden Rule!

Some Comparisons

Who's who?

Alex

Grace

Brinley

It's funny, and a little sad, how much and how fast you forget...

But this moment when Alex held Grace for the first time, is one that I will ALWAYS remember.

 Alex holding Brinley for the first time.

What a difference three years makes!

 Sweet Grace meeting her sister.



A few firsts...

 Alex started Kindergarten on August 21, 2012!  Can you believe it?! 

He attends Leland O. Mills Elementary, his teachers name is Mrs. Horsman, there are 17 students in his class and there are 8 kindergarten classes.

He loves it.

I love it. :)

 Grace started Preschool at King's Kids and is going Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  There are eight students in her class. She loves it. I love it!

 Brinley...just for fun...because she's sooooo cute!



We had a BABY!!!

It has been WAY too long...but we're back! ...And,

WE HAD A BABY!

This is our beautiful Brinley Rose.

She was born on July 3rd at 10:38 a.m. and weighed in at 7 lbs. 2 ounces and was 19 1/4 inches long.

She's perfect.

 When I first started blogging, it was fun. But after awhile it just became too high maintenance.

But I still want to do it! So from now on, I'm just going to upload the pics as they are, none of that ridiculous editing business. Point, click, blog.

 Alex and Grace made 'BIG BRO' and BIG SIS' shirts by ironing on cutout letters and then spraying them down with bleach water.  A really fun activity!

The big day!

 Brinley Rose

 I think I have almost this exact same shot of Alex from when Grace was born...it'd be fun to look at the comparison.

Chris was amazing as always in the delivery room.  Although, I was surprised when this time he said he didn't want to cut the cord...so I did!  It was awesome! 

 Already BFF's! This is Brinley with Lydia Jane Koeppen, born on June 1st.

 Jaundice. Groan. Moan. Took these pictures out of pity for myself mostly...it was so sad having to keep Brinley under this light the entire first week of her life.  It sucked!

 Brinley's first bath.

 She's sooooo tiny!!!

 We love you Brinley!