My Boy is a Reader!

We are constantly told how smart Braden is and of course we agree! Teaching him in preschool, I can see that he is definitely above his same age peers and on par with the older kids but I've never pushed the reading thing because of lessons learned when teaching Cailey to read at 3. (I learned that they only get to play games for a few years, but have to deal with academics the rest of their lives...so while they're toddlers I want them have as much fun as possible!) I've gotten all the curriculum I'll be using next year and a couple of books arrived in the mail yesterday. I left them on the counter and when I came back Braden was reading a story!!! I don't mean looking, I mean READING out loud! I could NOT believe my boy was reading when I haven't even pursued it with him! I have been working on the -at word family at preschool with the older ones (him included because of his skill set) but WOW- I was still shocked...but most of all proud:)!!

She's got Spirit!

Last night Cailey went to Awana looking so cute! They had a patriotic theme night and she picked out a white shirt and red pants to wear. Originally I wanted to find some of the colored hair spray and make her hair red, white, and blue. Since I never got around to that I got out some ribbon and beads and did this! She LOVED it....I just thought it was hilarious! Apparently they give out prizes because Cailey was one of two people to get a prize...and hers was for the most patriotic hair! How funny is that??? When she got home she said, "Mommy, I love you so much. Thank you for making my hair American."

Open Wide!

Like her sister, Cailey loves babies too! Her favorite thing to do (other than rub their faces and heads) is to feed them baby food. Don't you love how her mouth opens so wide when she's putting the food in? I think we all do that automatically though:)!!!

I'm a believer!!

I LOVE OUTDOOR PICTURES!!!
I went outside at Laura's yesterday and took these pics in about five minutes:)!!! Also...notice the addition in the backyard-Kinsey! It's the first time we let her play outside with the 'big kids' because their yard is not fenced in. She did great...and the 'big kids' did awesome watching her!


believe it or not this was an 'unposed'
picture...he was just sitting like this!


i don't think we have ANY pictures
of just braden and rebecca


cailey slept over rebecca's house last
night for the first time...be sure to check
out the pics on laura's blog

rebecca doesn't normally like being
in pictures but she actually asked to be
in all of them....she even wanted an
extra of all the girls

couldn't resist a group picture

i really love this one!

another 'unposed' one


ready, set, go!

Daddy's 33!

Happy birthday Daddy! I love you Daddy. (This was typed and written by Cailey...the rest is Cailey, Braden and Kinsey's words, typed by me). Cailey and Braden: Today is Daddy's birthday. He is old. He likes to drink a LOT of orange juice. He likes to eat Pop Tarts for breakfast if they are the cinnamon kind. Cailey: I got him a football because he likes it. I wanted to get him a helmet too but mommy wouldn't let me. (Cailey's first choice for Brian was a pair of earrings...yeah...that would have gone over well!) Braden: I got Daddy a basketball. Mommy said he already had one so I got him a special one that grows in the dark. We played with it outside at night and we could see it growing. (If you haven't caught on, he means glowing). Kinsey: alkjsdfghiohgaw yes alksdfk daddy asdklfdkfj me. Me: Happy Birthday Brian! I love you and am so thankful for ALL you do....I know I am SOOOO blessed to have you as my husband:)!!!

the kids helped me make Brian a
snicker bar cheesecake

Sharing is Hard...

unless it's with a baby! The other night we had friends over and Kinsey got to play with Jack (who is her age). Like ANY normal two year old, sharing was an issue but they were able to have a fun time! When it came to Jack's baby brother, Sam, Kinsey was BRINGING him toys and following him around to kiss and hug him! I know I've said it before, but I'm telling you...Kinsey LOVES babies!

She just loved bringing Sam toys!

Artiist in the Making?

such concentration!

Braden made three ants...then
a toddler scribbled on one

Lately Braden has been drawing the cutest pictures! I was finally able to capture one on camera the other night....and he even titled it! I think it's amazing for a 3 1/2 year old:)

Sisterly Love

When Cailey is in school she only gets to spend about an hour hanging out with Rebecca when she's over. Usually it's good because they tend to argue like sisters and an hour is enough time for that! Yesterday Cailey got to spend the whole day with Rebecca and was VERY excited about it! They actually did well together and only had a few spats....pretty good considering they spent 7 hours together:)! Laura told me it was 32 degrees outside when she came at 9:00 am (And I DO believe you!!) and thought it would be too cold for the girls to play outside. When all the babies and Kinsey and Braden were sleeping we wanted some 'quiet' time and decided to let the girls go out. I BUNDLED Cailey up with a hat, hood, big coat, and mittens. This took a while, as you can imagine! After all that, they went outside to 70 degree weather!!! So after stripping off the winter gear they played outside for most of the afternoon:).

This was their reaction when they
found out that Cailey would be sleeping
over Rebecca's house on Monday night!

Cailey's Weekend Highlights

Cailey had an awesome time at Anne's over the long weekend! Highlights include ice skating, Monkey Joes (basically Pump it up), a picnic at the park, playground time, and movie night! Cailey also had fun playing lots of games with Anne, practicing tying her shoes, and learning how to cook some new things:)!!

Cailey has NO problem making friends on the
playground!

Cailey made it around 14 times and as you can
she was EXHAUSTED when she was done! Anne
said she did a great job:)

They're baack!

I haven't put any elastics in Kinsey's hair since last summer because my mom said they were causing her hair to break...therefore not helping it to grow longer. The other day I wanted to see how cute she'd look with pig tails....pretty cute-huh?
I'll still probably keep to the barettes so her hair can get stronger and grow longer but it was cute for the day:).

forever my baby....

Cailey is tracked out for the next few weeks and we planned some fun things for her! This weekend she is staying with Auntie Anne and I'm sure she's having a great time:). She has been looking forward to this for a while now! On Monday (five days before she was leaving) she pulled her suitcase out of the closet and started 'packing'. Anne came to get her Friday evening and Cailey couldn't get out the door fast enough! Looking at this picture reminds me of how fast time passes....

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

Last night the men in our Sunday school class cooked a Valentine's dinner for us! They started preparing and cooking at 2:00 and dinner was at 6:00....they really did an awesome job! The menu consisted of ziti, garlic bread, salad, grilled chicken, filet mignon, and fondue for dessert. They had candle lit tables with rose petals and a red rose for each of us...I was also impressed that they had place cards! We had a great time eating and chatting with friends-oh...and most impressive, the men also cleaned up!!! Thanks guys!!

I went to Kelly's house before and we
rode together

Check out the decor!

Can you figure out who goes together???

Valentine's Party

decorating and ummm...eating yummy cupcakes!

Kinsey was so sweet to Ellary! Also...check out the
girls decorating their bags:)

story and song time

waiting patiently to pass out Valentine's

hangin around and playing outside

Yesterday my friend, Janet, hosted a Valentine's Day party at her house. I'm sure when she planned it she assumed it would be a few kids and moms....well, as you can see it turned out that most of us came! It was so organized and the kids had a blast decorating and eating cupcakes, making crafts, singing, listening to a story, gathering a Valentine treat, passing out Valentine's, and playing outside together! Our Sunday school class is growing so close and I treasure all the time I've been able to spend getting to know everyone better. The kids love playing together and are always asking when they'll get to see their friends again!

Park Changes

Brian and I took the kids to a great park this past weekend that we found out about from a birthday party in the fall. Last time we were there they had very tall, fast, and old equipment but it was unique compared to the other parks around, had shade, and the kids loved it. When we got there we discovered that they had renovated and brought in all new slides, swings, sandbox area, rock climbing wall, and even a toddler play area. It's not all finished yet but there was enough to do to keep the kiddos happy:)!! I'm actually glad that it warmed up for a while so the kids could get lots of fresh air!