Graduation Day

This week we celebrated a big day for Brookly - she graduated pre-school and officially became a kindergartener.  Wow!  It's been amazing watching her develop from the timid, frightened 3 year-old into a confident, fun-loving girl that everyone wants to be around at school.  Her classmates and teachers just adore her.  It was hard for her to say goodbye, because most of her classmates will be going to different elementary schools, but we'll be back next year with Chandler, so she'll be able to see her teachers regularly. 

The night before her graduation Chandler came into our room in the middle of the night saying she was sick, and then came the barf!  Are you kidding me?  Who gets sick in late May?  Next thing we know, Brooklynn was down for the count as well.  She said she felt better though, and we toughed out the graduation ceremony.  I just sat there hoping she didn't puke on the boys in front of her (of course she had to be placed in the middle back row).  She made it through and did wonderful, which I can't say for the rest of us.  At least we made it through the graduation before we were all down for the count!

Singing a few songs

 Getting ready to walk the bridge to kindergarten

 She did it!

 Sister love!

 Proud parents

 Magra & Papa

 Magra Betsy

 Mrs. Baker (3 year-old teacher)

 Mrs. Blomgren (teacher)

Brooklynn has loved her time at TLC, and we're so thankful for everything they've done for her.  Now we start a new chapter with Brooklynn, while Chandler will start at TLC next fall.  We know she's ready for kindergarten and will do awesome!

Big Cats!

We were planning on visiting the Wild Animal Sanctuary for Mother's Day, but since the weekend got so crazy we postponed it to the next Thursday, and Steve took the day off.  We've been there a few years ago, but now they have this a mile "Walk into the Wild", which made this place even better!  You're able to walk right over the lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!  Last year they received about 30 lions from Bolivia (old circuses), so we were able to experience lots of them up close.

You better be good or we'll throw you over......

They just do this randomly.  Awwwww

Finally.....a Boy!

Our new little nephew/cousin is here!  He was born May 9th (a few weeks early), and we can't wait to meet him.  The girls asked to fly to California right after he was born, because they're so excited to meet him.  He's a healthy little guy and mom and dad are very proud!

 

It's a little bittersweet, because we won't be able to meet him until August when we fly out to California.  Until then we'll have to enjoy lots of pics.

 

Little Callen

Happy Thompson Fam

*Brooklynn told Carrie, "There are now 3 Callens in the world - one at my school, my cousin, and daddy's friend (actually Alan)."  So we proudly welcome only the 3rd Callen - woo hoo!

Bug's Birthday a.k.a. Mother's Day

I had to share Mother's Day with Bug this year, which was completely fine with me!  Although I'd love a day to myself in my room, meals delivered, while I curl up and catch up on all my favorite trashy reality shows, the reality is that with 3 kids you never really get a break.  I did get breakfast in bed, which the girls loved doing for me.  Then we went downstairs for gifts - for Addy and me both.

Here she is ready to open gifts!

What did she get?  A bike seat, so we can do family bike rides again.  Woohoo!

Mommy's turn - an apron made by Chandler at school and Brooklynn's magnet she made.  I love they can make me gifts now, and they're so proud of them.  And my other gift - tickets to NKOTB this summer.  Can't wait to see my boys!

Then we packed up a picnic lunch, got on the bikes, and headed out for a ride around Eastlake with a stop at the playground.  A family bike ride was all I really wanted to do on Mother's Day.  There are some things I really miss being able to do pre-kids, and bike-riding is one of them.  Thank God for trailers and bike seats, so we can still go together!

A perfect birthday/Mother's Day for sure!  I feel so blessed to be able to be the mommy of these 3 amazing girls.  Although it's a tough job, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Birthday

Last year I was blessed with the best Mother's Day gift ever - never having to be pregnant AGAIN  my sweet baby girl.  I can't believe it's already been a year, but now we officially have no babies.  We had a little family get-together at the park on Saturday for our bug.  It's always nice to share the big day with lots of friends and family, but I was feeling overwhelmed by the idea, and I really enjoyed having a small intimate group, so I could actually spend time with Addy.

We had to make a "Bug cake"

Loving the slide

Barely got a bow in that hair (our bald baby)

Don't let her burn her head!

Cousin time.....again!  Now that we have lots of May celebrations we get to see Kenz even more - no complaining here!

In true Addy style, she cried as we sang to her and gave her the cake.  Who does that......really?  My 1st dissatisfied customer...haha

After we pulled her out and consoled her.....redo singing and onto cake.  The girls were all about helping her out.

She daintily ate small pieces of the cake.  She was not a fan.  Of course, for most 1 year-olds it's the first time to try a sweet, but not this chica.  She's already tried it all, so I guess the novelty wasn't there.  Oops.....3rd kid, what can I say?

Sure made clean-up easy though!

Papa and his girlies

Bug in her favorite buggy car

Opening gifts.  What do you get a 3rd girl?  Lots of clothes!

The big girls loved the park

Another daddy's girl?  What am I going to do?

We had a great day celebrating our Bug!  Her actual birthday was Sunday, so she had to share Mother's Day with me.  If the two ever fall on the same day again I know the day is totally hers!  Happy Birthday Bug......my sweet baby girl!

Lei Day

Every year we look forward to Lei Day to see Kenz hula dance, but unfortunately we didn't make it last year, because I was so prego.  This year we took the big girls, and they were excited to see the hula dancers.  We even went early to partake in the cultural festivities and eat some Maui Ice.

The girls have been asking to go to hula lessons, but I think this is as close as we'll get.  

Kenz is now an "advanced keiki" and looked so big standing next to the little keikis.  It seems like yesterday we watching her sway her hips and trying to remember her steps and now she's a leader and terrific dancer.

Dance #2

Post show cousins pic!

After the indoor show we went outside for a fire show.  The girls were amazed and awed by all the fire.  Of course Brooklynn was a little scared someone was going to get burned!

The show was great, and the girls loved it!  Kenz has really become a beautiful young hula dancer (weep weep).  We're so proud of her and can't wait to see the next show.

May Day!

I know we always say the weather here in Colorado is crazy and unpredictable, but that has been an understatement this spring!  For the past 4 weeks we've had a "Tuesday storm", starting with our pathetic "blizzard" on April 9th.  So it snows on Tuesday and by the weekend it's pretty nice, and then we get slammed again!  We're supposed to be keeping the trend going this Tuesday but with rain instead of snow.  

So May Day didn't disappoint - lots of wet, heavy snow for us.  Our poor tulips didn't like the snow!  I guess that's why they say the only safe bet is to plant gardens after Mother's Day.

When the girls saw all the snow on Wednesday only one thought popped in their heads - SLEDDING!  I assured them it'd melt too fast and there wouldn't be enough in the grass to actually sled, but Steve was so excited when they said it he geared them up after dinner and took them out.  Turns out it was great sledding conditions at 6:00 in the evening.  Glad we were able to get one hopefully last run in.

 How we roll in May (only in Colorado)

Martha Stewart Ain't Got Nothin'

Something gave me a little big itch this spring to update parts of our house.  When we moved we took all the stuff from the old house and put it in the new one - easy, right?  Yes, but after awhile you realize you want new stuff for a new house.  I've been trying to change small things - pillows, curtains, linens, rather than furniture and expensive stuff.  Also, with limited shopping time it's been difficult to figure out what to do, so it's a matter of just buying and hopefully liking!

I was super sick of our red bedding and dreary bed, so we bought a new duvet cover, but I wanted some funky pillows.  Rather than combing the stores I went to Jo-Ann, picked out fabric I liked (so much more variety), and just started sewing away to make pillow covers!  So for $30 I made 4 throw pillows - can't beat that!  

I was also hating our brown, brown, brown family room.  So we painted the walls a nice light grey, added new drapes, and even built this wall clock made from family pics.  I really like how it turned out!

Now that I've gotten rid of the spring itch and put a small dent in the checkbook, we'll move to the outside and build a new front porch and hopefully work on the patio.  The joys of home ownership!