Mission Impossible

I have an idea. I'll get a picture with all four girls. That shouldn't be too hard....

Well, there's one. 

Hmm...three forward, one backward.

Oops, back to just one of them.

Well, that's two, and one is even smiling....sorta.

Oh, forget it.

The Song of my People

I saw the above picture on Pinterest a while back and had to laugh out loud because that song is the same song I get ready to 

                       every. 

                              single. 

                                      day. 

That princess shoe peeking out is Brecken, not me, I promise.
Clearly I would stick to a closed-toe heel for day-to-day tasks and reserve the peep-toe for special occasions.

The little girls are still at the age where they are never far from my side.

You know, the age where you insistently assure them that you're just running this basket of laundry downstairs for 30 SECONDS and you'll be right back. You promise. And yet, the second your feet hit the first step they're all up and on their way down too. By the time they've toddled/slid/rolled to the bottom you're already half-way back up.

That kind of close.

So, needless to say, when I'm finding those 3 minutes in my bathroom to run a brush through my hair and maybe throw some makeup on, there are three little girls there helping me out. And, inevitably, this song soon begins.

See it in motion?!? Oh, what a "beautiful" sound.

This is when they're waiting for it to stop so one of them can whip a hand out and get it going again. 

Perhaps in the new house we'll install an entire row of these and I can create some sort of toddler orchestra.

Perhaps not.

Last Day Fun

I have to say it, because every mom says it, because it is so true, but -- 

WHERE ON EARTH DID THE SCHOOL YEAR GO?!?

It seriously feels like I was just dropping this sweet girl off on her first day of Kindergarten: 

Then, a couple months later her foster brother joined her at Kindergarten. What a great year they had together. 

On the last day last week, grandma came by in the afternoon to watch the three little girls so that I could surprise my new 1st grader's after school with a fun date. We headed to the mall to hit up Build-A-Bear Workshop. They were so excited!  

She's trying to think of a name for her new bunny. 

Putting her heart in. 

Z was pretty confused at first but got really excited once he saw Taryn's filling up.
He was a professional bear-stuffer by the time it was his turn. 

Giving his heart a kiss!

Bear-primping. 

The final products. "Pirate Teddy" and "Lolly Bunny".  Too cute!

Of course we had to grab some yummy drinks before heading home. Now, bring on the summer! 

Summer: Day 1

Last Friday was our official first day of summer. It was a gorgeous day and we spent 99% of if outside. 

In the morning we set up our big tent to play in. The kids went in and out and in and out all day long. Dragging in treasures and blankets, stuffed animals and games.

We had the first of what I'm sure will be many, many lunches outside. I love the ease of outdoor eating. 

That evening we headed down the street to the splash park that had started running that day. I wasn't sure if the little girls would like it very much. Taryn didn't really start to like it until last year. They fully embraced all the water fun though!

We had ice cream sandwiches and Z had it all over her face so we told her to go wash it in the water.

High-powered cleaning! 

B ran and ran and ran.

A would squeal with delight every time some water sprayed her. 

Matching children are easier to find in a crowd. 

This picture makes me smile every time I see it. 

So does this one. Silly girls. Peek-a-Boo Aven!

The water was pretty chilly! 

Those squishy thighs kill me. 

After we got home and put the little girls down for bed, the big kids begged to sleep in the tent. Derek conceded to hang out there for a while.

This is them pretending to sleep. With their new animals from the trip to build-a-bear the day before.

Not sure why this is so fuzzy but I love seeing them love each other. 

If our first day of summer is any indication, this is going to be a really, really good one.  : )

Pretend Birthday

Since T has a summer birthday, she got to celebrate her pretend birthday at school before the end of the year. She chose confetti cupcakes with pink icing and sprinkles so that's what she got. 

I stopped icing cupcakes for a couple minutes to help with the bedtime routine somewhere in the house. When I walked back by later, this suspicious looking cupcake was sitting there. Hmm... 

I went on a hunt and found a sneaky little Brecken with pink lips and fingers sitting on the stairs. It sure is hard to scold a sweet-lipped silly girl! I was more impressed with her restraint from taking the entire thing! 

 There were 5 other kids with summer birthdays so it was a big party. It was also field day so everyone was pretty sweaty and tired. The end of the school year is sure rough when you're a Kindergartner!

Her teacher had quite a routine with each kiddo. It was fun to see the relationship that has formed over the school year.  We're so grateful for Taryn's school and her first teacher. It was a special year for sure.

Happy birthday sweet girl! I'm secretly happy that it wasn't really your birthday. This momma's not ready for you to be 6 just yet!