Last Days of Pre-K

When your big sister gets to go on her very first class field trip with Daddy, it seems only right to have an extra special morning with Mommy. Ella and I baked muffins together. She loved not having to share the jobs with her sister and having lots of one on one time with me.

While we were baking, Abby was on her way to the farm with her class. Joe and I decided it would be fun for him to go this time. Abby was really excited to have her daddy along on the trip.

The kids learned about the animals on the farm and got to interact with them a bit. I was really proud of Abby for getting right in their with those chickens.

Before Abby left for her field trip, all she could talk about was how excited she was. 
When Abby got home, the conversation she had with Ella went like this...
Ella: I'm a big girl! Why didn't I get to go to the farm? I wish I could go too. :(
Abby: You didn't miss anything, Ella. Seriously...there was poop EVERYWHERE! You wouldn't have wanted to be there.
Me: Did you not like the farm?
Abby: Let's just say it wasn't what I thought it would be.

Then, there was the preschool dance on Friday night. The kids had a ball running around and dancing together. Ella fit right in with all of Abby's friends and even chatted a bit with some of the other younger siblings while sneaking sour gummy worms from the snack table.

Carter and Abby

Snapshots

Joe and I celebrated eight years of marriage in May! It's amazing how eight years can feel like yesterday and forever at the same time.

Thankfully it's not every night that my kids make their way to our bedroom, but on the nights they do and I wake up to this sight, I can't help but smile knowing they won't be little and need me like this forever.

What happens when Uncle Cory is here and I leave him to babysit for twenty minutes while I run to the store? I left them all on the couch and started a movie. I came home to the girls jumping on Uncle Cory like monkeys and shrieking with joy. When I walked in the door, he shrugged and smiled, "I promise I only gave them goldfish!" They had a blast.

Sometimes life is hard and an afternoon nap on Mommy and Daddy's bed with your best friend is what you need.

We need to work on this before I have a real newborn sleeping on my chest again. #myfurbaby

Ella was channeling Paris with her sequined beret and french t-shirt.

Abby has been polishing up her Uno skills in preparation for our after dinner card tournaments in Florida. Look at her Uno face. She means business and she is good!

Ella is very serious about making sure our flowers stay watered. It is adorable to see her take responsibility for them.

Best day ever = tent building in Mommy and Daddy's room with a picnic lunch, deconstructed s'mores and a movie

I could watch her play in her own little world forever...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1sxlIbiMVM

We're having a...

Boy or girl?

Abby was convinced our baby was a boy and Ella was hoping our baby was a girl. When we asked Ella why she wanted a baby sister, she told us it was because she doesn't have a little sister. We reminded her that she didn't have a little brother either, to which she responded, "Yes I do! Osiser (Oliver) is my brother!" Both girls were counting down the days until the big reveal.

The morning of the ultrasound, Abby had school, so Ella came with us to our doctor's appointment.  Abby had a turn to go to an ultrasound with us when we saw Ella for the first time, so it was Ella's turn to see her baby brother or sister for the first time. 

Ella waited patiently by looking at pictures on Daddy's phone. 

 Mommy! They just called your name! It's our turn.

We were thrilled to see our beautiful and healthy growing baby pop up on the screen. It was fun to help Ella understand that the movement on the screen was our little baby moving in my belly. It didn't take long for the tech to determine, we are having another baby girl! Three little girls! What a sweet blessing.

Can you tell how excited Ella is that it really is a baby sister?

We told Abby before she left for school that at pickup she would come around the corner and be surprised with colored balloons to tell her if she was having a baby brother or sister. She even wore her big sister shirt to school and told her whole class about the big announcement. Abby wasn't the only preschooler walking down the hall looking for balloons! Even though Abby was hoping to see some blue, she was excited to hear about her new baby sister. Her logical response, "No big deal guys, I'm sure God will put a baby brother in mommy's belly when it's time for our next baby".  Hang on there, girl!

It's fun to start dreaming about what life with three little ladies will be like. We can't wait to meet our littlest girl!

Mother's Day

Both girls take celebrating very seriously.  Mother's Day was extra special this year because of all the quality time we had together as a family and the girls' hearts behind making sure I knew how loved I was.

I was invited to Abby's classroom for a special Mother's Day celebration. The kids served us muffins and juice. Abby gave me a sunflower and answered this questionnaire about me. This girl really didn't have any silly answers. She knows her mommy so well because she is constantly asking questions to learn more about people. :) The best part is that she wrote that my favorite song is "Choo-chee Buttercup", the song I made up and have been singing to her since she was a baby.

On Saturday morning, my family left together on a special Mother's Day mission that left me at home in complete silence for couple of hours. That restful time was a big gift for me by itself, but then Joe sent me this picture. My little workers were busy at Lowes making flower pots and buying flowers for me.

We spent the rest of the weekend out in the backyard together doing lots of planting and playing. It was perfectly refreshing weekend with my loves. There is no greater Mother's Day gift than having these girls call me mommy. I wouldn't trade a minute of it.

practicing their field hockey

Later in the week, we took a day trip to celebrate Mother's Day with Grandma. We went out for pizza and did a little shopping, then we spent the rest of the afternoon at Papa's house and the park. The girls were especially excited about the new playground that was recently put up in the park at the end of Papa's street. It was a beautiful day to play!

album cover?

fascinated with Papa's beard

A Dairy Queen stop for a blizzard seemed like the perfect final stop of our day. Few things say the start of spring or feels like home more than this spot.