More BiRtHdAy Fun!

Friday May 22nd was Walter's actual birthday so of course we had to continue the birthday celebrations.  He woke up to a breakfast of pancakes with syrup (first time he has ever had syrup) and loved them, ate six mini pancakes.  Then it was off to the farm to see what all of the animals were up to.  Loved this too, he loves watching the fish jump up to catch the fish food that his sisters throw in the water  We ended the day with our first outdoor swim of the year.  The kids chose to go swimming in our neighborhood pool over going out to dinner, which was fine by us.  It gave us time to come home and relax before bedtime.

Playing chase with my sistas!

We love you Margaret:)

Happy Birthday Walter!

Soccer Star

Thursday night was Isabella's last soccer game.  A big thank you to everyone who came to cheer her on.  She was so excited all day because she knew everyone was going to be there, I know that it meant a lot to her.  She had a great experience with playing soccer this time around.  She really has the dribbling, passing, and kicking down pat, she made her daddy proud:)  When it came time to be aggressive and fight for that ball she kind of stuck to just watching.  I think this will come with time and age if this is something that she chooses to do again.  When I asked her if she wanted to play again sometime she said, "Only if daddy is my teacher again".  Looks like Coach Kyle has a new hobby:)  

First Hair Cut

Look at how handsome I am with my first "real" haircut.

I wasn't too sure about this lady messing with my golden locks but daddy was there to make me feel better.

Why is she spraying water on me?  That's kind of weird...

Walter is One!!!!!

Our little man is not so little anymore!

Last weekend, after Isabella's dance recital, we had a birthday party for Walter with family and friends.  It was a beautiful day and we were able to be outside for most of the party which was so nice.  He got to play outside in the bouncer, try to catch up with the big kids, eat pizza and cake, and open presents.  I could just tell that he had a great day, I could tell that he felt special.  I love these moments because one of my big worries as a mom is that they are not getting enough attention when they have big moments in their life because there is always so much going on.  I just want to take moments like these and freeze them forever.  Since this is not possible I just try to soak it all in because I know that it will go by in a flash.

Jumping in the bouncer

Godmother Krista even got to stop in on the party:)

He loved seeing these colorful balls when he woke up from his nap.

A rare moment,  Mommy and Walter in a picture together!

Mimi made Walter's puppy dog cake and boy was it  yummy!

We can't believe you are already one Walter!  I still remember the moment I first saw you and fell in love with you.  You will always be my baby boy!

Ummmmm...is this a problem????

Today I had the lovely pleasure of taking my three children and our 70 pound golden retriever, Shadow, to the vet.  While all of us were waiting to see the vet, for 30 minutes in a very small room that had numerous smells to it, Isabella said,

"Mommy, why is Walter wearing my socks?"

Sure enough, I looked down at what I had thought were white socks with a blue stripe.  They actually had more pink on them than blue.  Oops!!!!  Sorry buddy, Mommy will try better next time!

Even though this was a sight to see there are no pictures to document this post, my hands were a tad bit full:)

"When You're Smiling"

She did it!!!!  We are so proud of our Isabella for getting out there and giving it her all!  Her class danced to "When You're Smiling" and I must say there was nothing but smiles to go around!  

I helped out behind the scenes and I was put in charge of Isabella's group, which was really fun.  I just had to keep them occupied backstage and keep the nerves in check.  When it was her turn to perform I took them to the stage, helped to line them up, and then I got to sneak out to watch them perform.  

The girls were a lot of fun and really, quite shockingly, there were not tears only smiles.  She says she is already wanting to do it again:)

Last Day of School

Thursday was Isabella's last day of preschool!!!  

She has had a wonderful year in Ms Ginny's class and has become such an independent little helper.  Her energy is never ending and this was her outlet to be creative, confident, and smart all on her own.  I can't believe that the year is already over because it seems like it had just begun.  She goes to preschool at our church and it has been such a good fit for her.  Her teacher was able to get her to come out of her shell a bit and feel more comfortable in her own skin.  This is what I want for my girls, to have the confidence that I never really had until I was in my twenties.  I am not sure why it took me so long to get there but looking back on my younger years I wonder why I cared so much what other people thought of me.  It all seems so silly now and I realize I probably did miss out on a few opportunities because of it.  If my children remember anything that I ever tried to teach them I hope that it is to always be true to yourself.

Our last day was complete with a picnic in the park with friends.

Pretending they were at the beach

I'll always have my sissy:)

Next year is another year of preschool for Isabella.  She misses the cutoff date by 2 1/2 weeks.  She will be in a Pre-K program at our same school.  Miss Margaret is also off to wonderful things next year.  She will be doing a program that is one morning a week.  Walter and I just won't know what to do with ourselves!

Dapper Dancers

Ms Marylin's 

Dapper Dancers!

Isabella is getting all geared up for her dance recital!  This is her second year performing and I can already tell a huge difference from last year.  Although she did make it out on stage last year there was not much dancing going on, just a lot of fingers in the mouth and a "deer in the headlights" look upon her face.  

Her teacher incorporates singing into most of the performances which Isabella loves because she says it makes her feel like "Annie" from the movie:)  Her dress rehearsal was last  Wednesday  and I must say she was full of confidence.  I am just hoping that it is still all there for her performance at her recital tomorrow.  

A Happy Mother's Day!

This year was a little bit different kind of Mother's Day.  I had a wonderful day with my kiddos and my family but I did miss my other half, it is just not the same when he is not around.  Kyle was on call all weekend, which I am used to, it just seemed much  harder because it seemed like we were missing out on a holiday even though he informed me that it was not a "real" holiday:)

My day started off with a wonderful brunch at the Bristol with my family.  They kids were awesome and it was so yummy!  Of course my fave is their desert bar!  We got home in time for the kids to nap.  After a nice long nap I received one of the best gifts ever, Walter decided he was ready to walk (of course some bribing helped).  We were all sitting in the living room chatting and Isabella and I were sharing a bowl of Goldfish crackers.  My dad stood him up on his feet and once he saw us eating the crackers he took off across the room towards us to get himself a snack.  Of course he is still pretty wobbly and prefers crawling because he knows he can get there faster.  Each day I have seen him walk more and more.  I am kind of relieved because going to the park with a crawling baby has not been much fun, but on the same note I am kind of sad because this just means that his is growing up and it is happening too fast!

Wobbly Walter

Big Boy

On our way to brunch!

Coach Kyle

Last night was Isabella's first soccer practice and I must say it went really well.  She loves her new head coach... his name is Coach Kyle... and of course it is her daddy:)  I love my husband because no matter how crazy his life is and how tired he is from his long hours he will do anything to be with his kids. 

 She is on a team with three girls and seven boys so it is a good mix.  They had to come up with a team name last night and after several suggestions (soccer, hannah montana, ku) they decided to be the Bolts, short for Thunderbolts.  I got to watch a little bit of the practice (Walter was really keeping me on my toes) and I was shocked at how focused they all were.  They worked on dribbling the ball, passing the ball to a partner, and the number one rule of soccer "NO HANDS".  We have two more practices to go until game day so I am excited to see what Coach Kyle comes up with for next time:)

Kyle doing a little pep talk

Excited to do her drills

Isabella and her best bud Austin

Thank you honey for being such a good daddy!

Cousins

Last weekend was a marathon weekend of playing with cousins!  My oldest brother and his family were in town from Virginia Beach.  This may not seem like a big deal but he had not been home since Margaret was one month old (2 1/2 years ago) so it was like royalty was coming to town!  They have a little girl, Alexandra, who is four months younger than Isabella and their newest addition is William who is seven months younger than Walter.  It was so nice to have them back and see the kids getting to know one another once again.  My other brother and his family were also around and I got some great pics of the kids.

Margaret loved holding baby William

She even asked me when we were going to have another baby because Walter won't let her hold him anymore.

The girls cuddled up to watch Toy Story.  After several hours of playing together Isabella and Alexandra informed us that they weren't cousins, they were really sisters.

Isabella and baby William

Margaret, Walter, Isabella, and Alexandra (she looks just like my brother!!!)

Reece, Jack, William, Margaret, and Walter (he looks like a GIANT here compared to William!)

I must say, since they left I have realized that you never really know how much you miss someone until you get to be around them and then they leave again.  I am not sure when we will get to see them again but I hope that it is sooner than later:)

Spring Program

My posts are getting later and later because life just keeps getting busier and busier here at the Zimmerman house.  Here are some photos of Isabella's spring program at her preschool from last Tuesday.    She surprised us all and made us so very proud.  She stood up there (without fingers in her mouth), knew all of the words with hand motions (we could even hear her voice in the mic), and even gave us several smiles.  Boy have we come a long way in a year!  I am so proud of you little bug, you never cease to amaze me:)

She loved going shopping and picking out her own dress.  I had my heart set on a little dress that was kind of pricey and I was waiting for a special reason to buy it.  She saw this little number at the store (which was less than half the price of the one I had picked) and insisted that she would perform much better if she had it on.  I am thinking that she got the Hewitt gene on the thriftiness. 

Right before her performance looking very excited!

Loving on her Margaret!