Fireman Parke

Hey there!

Yep, still kickin'

We've had a busy few weeks around here, a couple of weekend getaways {I'm still catching up on laundry~yuck!} and lots of fun in between. I will get to all of that good stuff later, but for now I must report on this littlest of mine. Parke had a field trip to the fire station with his preschool class. This little spunkster is wild and crazy... until you get him out of his comfort zone. This was no different~ as the rest of his class ran around answering questions and fully participating in the fire safety extravaganza, this one stayed mum!

It was all I could do to get him to stand near his classmates for a group picture... and forget about wearing that fireman hat! But isn't he adorable? I think I'll keep him;)Me and my troops~

When we left, I asked Parker why he was being so shy and his reply was, "Because I didn't know dat fireman guy." Silly stink. The fireman hat has since become a fan favorite and adopted into his repertoire of hero clothing;)
A few things that melt my heart lately...

~ Parker dressing like a super hero every.single.day. If we get him ready in the morning, you can guarantee if you turn your head for two seconds he is out of those clothes and into full hero gear. I don't know how he works so quick??

~ The way Kaden dotes on his baby brother, to which Parker usually tries to squirm away from his hugs and kisses but is secretly loving every second of it.

~ Rylie being the biggest 'daddy's girl'~ she sure does love that daddy one, and is always hanging on him... to which, he does not complain;)

~ The fact that my boys make me lay in their bed with them every night until they fall asleep. Sometimes I lay there thinking of all the things I could be getting done, but I quickly dismiss that crazy thinking and remember they will be grown boys before I even know it, and the last thing they will need is their momma snuggling them to sleep. I will take it!!

~ Any time I am in the kitchen, there is always someone jumping in and wanting to help with whatever is on the menu. Sometimes a little too much help, a few egg shells in the batter, but again... I'll take it!!

~ Rylie learning to read, and taking such pride in her school work. Oh! and cartwheels, the girl never stops cartwheeling around the house. A few injuries have been induced due to this new trick, but she has got them down~ even the one-hander! Go Ry!

~ My sweet hubby working so hard to provide for his growing family. Sometimes I wish we could all just be home all day every day together, playing and making memories. But alas, that is not reality, and I am so appreciative of all Nic does to make our world go round. He is most definitely my better half, and the best daddy to our kiddos.

And that is going to be all for now. I will get crack-a-lackin on these vacay photos and hope it's not another month before I get them posted~ sheesh!

Have a happy day!

~xo

Back to School

Ah, there is something that i love about fresh crayon's.

School definitely snuck up on me this year,

and our back to school week was a little bitter~sweet.

Kade was a little nervous/grumpy, and wasn't being very cooperative in the picture department. Alas, we were still able to snap some of the little man~

Walking to school~ that's the spirit Kade! Man i love this boy.

My big 2nd grader, back at school... I don't think we were quite ready to say goodbye.

I kept saying, "Do it for the chicken patty buddy!"

He looked pretty adorable sitting at his little desk though...

And then it was Rylie's turn~

you wouldn't believe how excited she was.

I loaded up the wagon with a couple of angels, and headed over to the school... what will i do when i can't just throw everyone in the wagon?!

We met up with some of Rylie's friends along the way.

{Olivia, Ry, Whitney, and Kendal}

Rylie workin' hard on her assignments. I love the way she writes her name, and is quite a perfectionist when it comes to her coloring:)

Parke found a really awesome fireman hat... oh, and one for me (but i was a poor sport, and chose not to wear it around the school~ i know. so rude.)

And then they were off on a safari tour around their new school. The bug loved it~

The kids were just a little bit excited to see Kade when he got home;)

Parke had his back to school night, and pretty much loved it with all his heart...

Here he is on his first day of preschool...

I seriously can't get enough of this one~ something about him. Is it his sweetness? or the fact that he is my babiest? or is it those precious dimples? Whatever it is, he's got us all wrapped around his little finger.

He got distracted by a little "tato" bug on the way into school...

Miss Katie showin' him the way~ oh, he did so good...

Me, on the other hand... did not. I went home, and sat. Alone. I had informed everyone all week that when this moment came i would indeed do a little dance. After all, it had been 8 years coming. But when the time came, there was no dance. I was stunned. Unsure of what to do with myself. I wandered aimlessly through the mall... it was so uneventful. Usually there is someone missing in a clothing rack, or begging for a gumball, or massive amounts of time wasted on the germ-infested space shuttle that they insist on every.single.time. When Nic texted me and asked where i was, my response was, "headed to the store, a-lone." Translation: come. get. me. We met up at Target, and found ourselves at the deli buying sliced turkey... just for the record it was really good:) But as I was paying for said turkey a sweet little mother came up behind me in the checkout line. Her cart was full with a baby carrier, a toddler, diapers, formula, baby food, all that good stuff. She was dropping items, and doing her best to keep her little's happy. She seemed a little frazzled, and all i wanted to do was put my arm around her and tell her to just enjoy this. Because it will be gone before she knows it. And her babies will all be in school. And she will be alone. at the grocery store. missing her kids. and those moments of utter chaos she thought would never end. Lucky for me it was only 2 and a half hours that i suffered, and then it was time to go gather our crazy brood...

and let me tell you, I've never been so happy to see them!

I think their daddy felt the same way. All in all everyone is extremely happy, the kids all have amazing teachers, and it will be a great year.

And maybe my dance is still coming, eh?

And the harvest has officially begun~ i am lovin' all of the fresh produce! I found this recipe on Pinterest {i'm a bit obsessed}, and am telling you~ if you love squash and corn, you will adore this soup, and it is quite healthful too!

Yellow Summer Squash and Corn Soup

Recipe here.

{image via pinterest}

So welcome fall, and a chill in the air.

And change, that means we are growing in the right direction.

I am so proud of our kiddos.

~xo

Wrappin' up~

I can't believe 1st grade has come and gone for our Kade~man. While wrapping up the end of an awesome school year, Kade and his class put together this dino~rific museum...

We were able to take a family tour~ and had the studliest tour guide I can imagine;)

I am so sad I didn't snatch a picture of Kaden with his darling teacher, Miss Clayton. She was an amazing teacher, and we are sure going to miss her!

Then I whipped up a batch of these pretty little things for a graduation party for our Laurels. I'll give you a hint: there are puréed berries in my buttercream. Top it with a little white chocolate and a fresh raspberry~ oh my.

And they look as sweet as they taste~

A handful of our sweet girls~ I am sure going to miss our seniors, but am so excited for them to embark on new adventures.

The lovely ladies I get to work with~

Good times.

And that's a wrap!

~xo

Preschool Graduation

Our Ry~bug graduated from Miss Bonnie's preschool. She was one lucky girl in having the opportunity to enjoy Miss Bonnie for two years in a row! We all adore her, and couldn't help but be a little sad to see this year end...

Rylie and Miss Bonnie~ she is taking a break from teaching while she has her new little one, and we are sooo going to miss her! She is amazing.

Gramy and Mimi came in full support~ we sure love these gals;)

They had the most darling little class this year. Here are some of Rylie's close friends~

Whitney and Kendal

Brecken~

Livy~Lou

And Easton~ these two are such cute buds:)

Me and my girl. I was so proud of her, she wasn't even nervous this year!

And the remainder of the day was spent playing with these balloons she got to bring home. What a day~ balloons make any day a good one!

It was a fabulous year, and Rylie learned and grew so much.

Next stop~ Kindergarten!

Aaahhh!!!

It better be a looooong summer so I can brace myself:)

~xo

Our Girl

Our sweet sis is in her second year of preschool with Miss Bonnie. She is having such a great experience so far, and has a very fun group of kids in there with her! Here she is on her first day of preschool...

Rylie loves to pick out her clothes every morning. I am learning how little control I have over my kids' wardrobe any more, but it is fun(when it's not scary) to see their own little style come out...

Rylie and her sweet friend Kendal...
The sis loves to ride her bike to school... and of course she has to go in style, sunglasses and all!

Rylie and her "all about me" poster. She worked so hard on it, and it was adorable!

Love this girl so much, she really is my best friend. She likes to tell me how to style her hair. I love that she is so much like me (although sometimes that can be tricky), but she is so fun to hang out with! I am one lucky momma!

Rylie is learning so many new things, and doing so well in school. We are excited to see her experience another fun year, and watch her blossom and grow!!

First Grader

I didn't ever think I would actually have a 1st grader! I guess there is no getting around it, my boy is officially growing up. Here he is on his first day of school in his 'smooth like butta' shirt that Gramy bought him. The funniest thing about this shirt is he has no idea what it means, he honestly wanted it because it had a big cube of butter on it. So hilarious!!

On the way we met up with some of his buddies, Jaron & James...
Oh, and another buddy, Davis...
We are really excited about Kaden's teacher Miss C. She seems like such a sweetheart!!
Kaden hanging up his backpack...

All settled into his new seat. Kade was so excited to see some familiar faces in his class. I was so glad to see him so happy and ready to go (even though I was crying inside). Ah, the joy's of motherhood.

And yes I hauled this bright red wagon full of rug-rats around the school all morning! What choice did I have? I'm shameless that way, and we had a blast!

Yes, Rylie's shirt is on backwards...and Parker's shoes are on the wrong feet...but who's paying attention?

We sure love our Kaden, and he was missed all day long!!