Turning Two With A Roar

My sweet boy turned two last weekend and we celebrated with a night of bowling and a dinosaur themed party at the park.

So many changes have happened to this little guy this past week but he has shown no signs of letting it slow him down. I am so proud of him and of how he has handled everything. He has been excited about his birthday for quite sometime telling us that all he wanted was candy and that he was turning three. No matter how many times we correct him he just smiles at us and says, "No I three!"

Getting the party started with the dinosaur hats I found.

Cousins Lauren and Celeste came to help celebrate.

Lauren telling Walter secrets.

He wanted candy so I made sure we had plenty for all!

He got a little shy at cake time and needed help from mommy and daddy to blow out the candles.

Happy Birthday to my handsome birthday boy.

Mommy loves you to the moon and back!

Hot Shot

Look at this hot shot riding her bike like a big girl. Yes, she is riding without training wheels!!!

My goal oriented daughter had this on her list of things to do before kindergarten and by golly she got it done and it is checked off of her list. With the help of her (militant, type A) daddy they where able to knock this out in two days with only a few scrapes on the legs. I just kept looking out the window and laughing because she is so super careful I didn't know how it would work out. Kyle did great not letting her give up until she got it. I am actually proud of the both of them for still loving one another:)

I have gotten to enjoy some great bike rides with her the last few days. When we were riding this morning she told me that riding alone with me was one of her favorite things. I love this and hope to take the time to do this with her as much as I can.

Dance Recital

The girls had their dance recital last week and I couldn't have been more prouder of them.

Isabella danced to "The Toothfairy Loves Ballet" and she did a fabulous job. She was front row center and didn't miss a step. She was confident and full of grace as she did her sashays across the stage.

Miss Margaret danced a tap number to "Don't Wake the Ladybug" that I will never forget:) This was her first time up on stage and she was not nervous at all. My little bug did an awesome job telling everyone to "Don't Wake the Ladybug SHH SHH SHH"!

At dress rehearsal getting all the steps in order.

Getting her fairy wings ready at dress rehearsal.

Sweet Caroline...da da da

Yes, this is the song we have been singing since our baby Caroline arrived!

This post is full of pics of our family welcoming our newest addition. I went a little crazy here but just couldn't decide what and what not to post because I love them all!

Introducing...

Caroline Elizabeth Zimmerman

Born May 13th

8:45 pm

Weighing 7lbs 4oz

19 inches long

So where do I even begin?

It feels like it has been a whirlwind ever since but definitely an experience that I never tire of. After a full day of waiting for our little bitty she finally arrived healthy and ready to meet her family. Papa brought these guys to the hospital way past their bedtime and already in their pajamas to be the first ones to meet their new little sister.

She is just so sweet and a great addition to our clan. As you can see here the girls are very excited to have her here. They promised to help change diapers (hasn't happened yet, too ucky they say) play with her, teach her new things, and love her to the moon and back. Every morning since her birth they immediately start sorting out who gets to hold her first.

This guy is amazing. Couldn't have had any of my children without him. I know literally this is true, but I am talking about how awesome he is during the birth of our children. He is just so calm with me and knows exactly what I need at every given moment, I don't even need to ask him for it. I love you so much sweetie, thanks for putting up with me and not holding it against me:) You are the best husband and daddy ever!

Walter loving on Uncle Ben. I had to put this in because of how big he looks in this pic. Why when I have a new baby my other babies look like giants to me?

Margaret showing off her big sister skills. The night before I had Caroline I was talking with her about having the new baby and if she had any questions. She asked me if the baby was going to "get skin" when it came out. This one took me awhile because I wasn't sure why she was worried if she would have skin. Then I realized that the last time she saw the baby was at my 20 week sonogram and it was just a skeletal picture. Once I realized this I assured her that our new baby would have skin. This was a huge relief to Margaret and she is very excited to have someone to pass her clothes down to (this is a big deal to her because most of her things are hand-me-downs).

Walter kissed Caroline the moment he laid eyes on her and he really hasn't stopped. He insists on kissing her lips each time no matter what. He loved coming to the hospital to see me because of all of the fun treats as you can see.

Nana loving on Caroline

Caroline buckled up and ready to come home.

Great-Grandma Jones and Caroline

Mimi and Papa

This girl is a pro at this. Not kidding, I swear she is going to be a rock star mamma someday. She is always so eager to help me out and make Caroline a happy baby. She is the best biggest sister that anyone could ask for. Not only does she keep an eye on Caroline, but she keeps the other two in check at the same time.

We are definitely outnumbered now but surprisingly things have gone really well as far as everyone adjusting to having a new little one in the house. The real deal will start for me next week when Kyle goes back to work. Thank goodness for all of our wonderful family and friends who have helped out either by dropping by with dinner or just hanging out to give us a few extra hands. We just couldn't ask for better people in our lives, you are all the best:)

It's Soccer Time!!!

The girls started soccer last week and oh has it been interesting!!! This is Isabella's second year and Margaret's first. Let's just say on the first night of practice I had to leave early but when my husband got home with them he was fit to be tied. Apparently they both cried, for different reasons, during practice and he just doesn't understand what is wrong with them. I guess I need to remind him that they have half of my gene pool going on in them, not just his. Not that I am not competitive, just not in team sports. I am actually just more competitive with myself if that makes any sense. The story I got was that Isabella lost control of her ball was embarrassed, which brought on her tears, while Margaret was just plain tired. When I asked Margaret the next morning why she cried she said, "Mom, my feet and legs were so tired that they couldn't stay awake".

Last year Isabella got in there with the rest of the kids but wasn't really aggressive. This year I see a huge difference so far. When they do dribble races she actually tries to run fast to beat the other kids. We have our first game in a few weeks so I am anxious to see how she will play. Margaret is doing a great job of just trying to listen and keep up. We did make it through the second practice with no tears, that in itself is a big deal.

Soccer Star

Great kick!

Margaret in action.

Isabella, Margaret, and Addison

Sisters!!!

Dinosaurs Unearthed!

Last weekend we took the kids to the coolest exhibit at Union Station. It was opening day for Dinosaurs Unearthed and it was packed with tons of fun, educational activities for the little ones. I was a little nervous that it might scare the little bitty (Margaret) but she did really well, even when we toured the life sized dinosaurs. We started off with a fossil dig...

this then led us into the exhibit of the life sized dinosaurs. They were huge and very realistic looking with movement that the kids could control and tons of loud dinosaur roars. Walter was in hog heaven. I couldn't even get a picture of him in this room because he was moving around so fast from excitement.

The lighting wasn't very good in this room and the dinosaur behind them was really hard to capture but it was one of our favorites.

Margaret loving on her daddy while waiting to go into the 3D Imax Dinosaur Movie. It was so fun to see the kids in their big 3D glasses reaching out to touch the dinosaurs as they moved across the screen. It really seemed like they were close enough to touch. The movie was very educational but yet still attractive enough to hold the attention of my oldest two... not so much Walter. He liked it most when the dinosaurs were fighting. He is such a boy!

My bug and I

We ended the day with a trip to Build-a-Dino. This is just like Build-a-Bear only with, of course, dinosaurs. Here is a shot with Walter helping to get his dino filled with stuffing. The girls went a bit crazy in this store buying everything from underwear, sequined sandals, purses, and sunglasses for their trendy dinosaurs. Kyle snuck off with Walter and when they were done his dinosaur was dressed as Darth Vader, imagine that!

Overall, I think that this exhibit is very worthwhile for kids of all ages. Definitely a must see while it is here in Kansas City!

PreK Spring Program

Okay, I am only a few weeks behind here guys. Here are some pics of Isabella's Spring Program from a couple of weeks ago. She did a great job and was not even nervous! She had been practicing her songs and actions at home the week before the program so on the day of she was geared up and ready to go.

Hitting sticks along to the beat, all done while singing. I don't even think that I could do both at the same time:)

Isabella and her best bud Abby!