ZIMMERMANS

Father/Daughter Dance

2012-01-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

Isabella had her annual date with her daddy last Saturday night.

They got all dressed up and headed out to the Girl Scout Father/Daughter Dance.

She was so cute when she was getting ready, telling me that she wanted to make sure to wear something that she wouldn't get too hot in. She said it was just too hot last year after spending all night on the dance floor.

Her dinner of choice for her fancy night out...Jersey Mike's!

Not too many years left of this little one getting excited about her daddy showing off his dance moves in front of friends :)

Next year he will have two dates for the dance... Miss Margaret is catching up way too quickly!

This daddy will be on cloud nine!

Crafty!

2012-01-23T07:13:00.000-08:00

My first Pinterest craft complete!

Just a couple of hours with my BFF, our husbands away for the night, our kids running around like crazy people in their pajamas, a few glasses of wine, and voila!

LOVE!!!

Lil'Stinker

2012-01-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

Last week, as I was in the living room listening to Isabella read and finish up homework, I noticed that my other little busy people were awfully quiet...

This is what I walked in on. Miss Caroline almost jumped out of her diaper when she looked up and saw my face. For a moment I freaked because I thought it was a sharpie, then I realized she had gotten ahold of a dry erase marker.

She definitely keeps this momma on her toes!

Update!

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

It is about time I got on here and gave you all an update as to what has been going on around here! I really thought things might slow down here after the holidays but once Christmas break came to an end we dove right back into school, swimming lessons, choir, dance, indoor soccer and the list goes on and on!

Isabella is still loving first grade!

Between doing science experiments at school and the tire swing, this girl is in heaven! She has been practicing for the last week on her first speaking part in this week's all school Mass. She is very excited but nervous all in one. I keep telling her to just imagine everyone else is in their underwear... she thinks I'm weird! Margaret almost dies laughing at this because, "Mom, why would people go to church in just their underwear?" Okay not the best vision to give my children in church, hoping she doesn't get up there and start laughing.

Think positive thoughts for her :)

Caroline is just loving life!

Poor thing gets toted to this place and that place to pickup, drop off, sit and watch for an hour here, play for a little bit there. It sometimes feels like a marathon getting all four in and out of the car. I recently sat and counted how many times I have to buckle or connect a car seat in one day...28 times today folks. And that was just between Caroline and Walter because, thank goodness, the other two can now do it themselves! I really shouldn't complain here because we have been blessed with some awesome weather this winter which has made getting around so much easier. Freezing temps, snow, and stuffing babies who have puffy coats into car seats is not my cup of tea.

Okay back to Miss C...

She kind of thinks she just runs things around here. Sometimes I just watch her interact with her siblings and in her own little language she tells them what to do... and they do it! I don't know how she pulls it off because I ask them to do things in simple English and they don't seem to understand. Something about this little girl has us all wrapped around her little finger.

Her (my) New Year's resolution was to give up her paci. Although she was only allowed to have it when she was sleeping she was still growing more and more attached to it each day. I knew that this needed to go, she had already had it longer than I allowed the others to have it and I just feel the longer you wait the harder it is for both mom and baby. I started out by snipping the end of the paci with the idea that each day I would snip a little more until it was gone. First day she put it in, took it out and said "boke". She then walked it to the trash can, threw it away, then asked for another one. I then realized that this was not going down how I imagined. Day six was our magical day, it finally clicked and she realized it was "boke" and no one was going to fix it! Six days of no nap, six nights of interrupted sleep, and we both survived... and I won this one :)

Congrats to my baby girl, she is paci free!

My next challenge is to get her to sit on my lap during Mass instead of behaving like a crazy orangutan. I look around at other children her age who just cuddle with their mom and fall asleep while Mass is being said. What am I doing wrong here? She is literally calm until we hit the pew and then for the next hour she is going bonkers!

Margaret is just plowing through Pre-K.

Kindergarten couldn't come soon enough in her eyes. Mine, on the other hand, will be shedding tears like crazy next fall as I send another one off into the big bad world. She has started a new dance class and is very excited! After her first class she asked me, "Mom, do you think I can be in the Nutcracker and still be a doctor?" Of course!!!! Yes, she is my one who has talked about being a doctor since she could basically talk. I am so thankful that we have sugarcoated this road of long, exhausting, expensive, and did I mention horrible hours that one must endure to become a doctor. She doesn't think twice when she says it. She wants to work at the same hospital as her daddy, fix hearts, and eat lunch with him everyday! She says I can stop by and eat too! Thanks :)

Little man is hanging in there with all of us girlies.

There are times in the afternoon when we are all being crazy and I notice that he has wondered up to his room. When I peek in he is usually on the floor with about 150 Hotwheels. He loves to line them all up in perfect rows. Each one has a strategic place, he knows when one has been taken. He names them, talks to them, and probably thinks they are his brothers! I am so thankful that his preschool class has five boys, two girls. Even though he has learned to karate chop people, burp and fart at the table, and tell me that only daddy's can fix things I know that he needs his boy time!

We are now all caught up!

Hopefully I can get back in the swing of things here... I have missed bragging about my kids:)

Having Ourselves a Merry Little Christmas!

2011-12-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

As this Holiday season is coming to a close I can't help but reflect on how fast this year has gone by.

We have been enjoying every single moment of our Christmas break. Staying in pj's, eating great food, playing board games, eating great food, and hanging with family and friends pretty much sums it up! Here are a few (ton) of snapshots of what we have been up to...

Our break started with Isabella's Christmas program at school. Something about hearing children rejoice and sing about the birth of Christ just puts me in the best mood! They did a beautiful job!

A fun visit with Great Grandma Jones

and Great Grandma Hogan.

Believe it or not, these are the children of two families. My BFF and I ventured out to Union Station with this crew to check out the train display and just breathe in everything Christmas!

Every little detail of the display is just amazing. A fun tradition that we have done ever since Isabella was a baby.

Celebrating with a birthday party for Jesus just would not be the same without our BFF's!

Isabella sang in the choir at Christmas Eve mass. We actually got a seat this year because we had to have her there so early.

We are so very blessed that our families merge together for this celebration. It means so much to me to have everyone together for these moments. These are memories that my children will have forever! The highlight of the night was playing the "Just Dance" game on the XBox Kinect. Wish I would have gotten pics of Mimi tearing up the dance floor!

Santa was very generous this year leaving a race track for this guy...

a kitchen for my busy bitty...

lots of doll accessories for this gal...

and some fun electronics for my bug!

Our Christmas would not have been complete without getting to hang with these guys...

COUSINS!!!

Even though it had been a very long time since they had seen one another you would have never guessed it. They are all crazy about each other and clicked instantly. I loved getting to see them all together!

With a few extra days of having daddy around we finally made it to campus to visit the Natural History Museum. Kids loved it! With the amazing weather we were able to walk a bit on campus and visit one of our favorite lunch spots on Mass.

Amazing that another year has come and gone!

Lots of changes coming for the Zimmermans in 2012!

Look who we ran into today...

2011-12-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

I took Margaret in to the doctor to see what the deal was with her nasty cough that she has had for three weeks and can't quite get rid of. After finding out that she had walking pneumonia and a tutorial of how to used inhalers with a spacer we ran into this jolly old man in the waiting room...

Margaret couldn't believe her eyes! This was so unexpected that she knew it had to be for real... come on how could mom really plan this one! He had that true twinkle in his eye and the type of beard that didn't pull away from his chin.

Santa read her a story about a snowman, asked her what she was hoping for on Christmas morning, and was even special enough that Miss C spent some time on his lap...

guess it helps when you let her suck on a candy cane:)

As we were leaving the Dr office Margaret kept looking back at the building. I asked her what she was looking for. Her response..."I am looking to see if Santa's reindeer are on top, I think I heard the sleigh bells!"

Oh how I love the magic of Christmas!

Gymnastics

2011-12-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

Here is my little bit showing off her stuff at her last gymnastics class this session!

Way to go Margaret!

Nutcracker 2011

2011-12-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we also made it out to the Kansas City Nutcracker at the new Kauffman Center! It is gorgeous!

Love getting to go each year with these beautiful ladies that mean so much to me. It is a special treat for us that we look forward to every year. Very blessed to have a mother and three daughters to go with. We missed bringing Miss Caroline but hope to bring her along for the fun next year!

So amazing seeing my girls faces light up as each dancer takes the stage!

Park Place

2011-12-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

The season wouldn't be complete without a little bit of hot chocolate and iceskating!

Once again we bundled everyone up and headed to the rink. This is our third year of doing this and I have really seen a difference with the two older girls.

It clicked right away for this chick and she was whizzing by everyone for most of the night. Not even hanging on to the sides this year!

We went on a weekend evening so it was a lot more packed compared to when we go during the week. Margaret was a little bit more cautious. She liked having a hand from her daddy.

Walter did great too! Although he spent most of his time holding onto the rail he was more independent about it than I thought he would be. Unlike the girls, he was actually into falling. When he would fall he would stand up and give me this grin... silly boys!

Next time I think I might make him wear his helmet!

Little Miss C got to hang out with me on the sidelines this year. She was very concerned where her "Daddy" was at all times and could hardly take her eyes off of him. The entire time that everyone skated she was glued to the sidelines watching everyone go round. It was almost as if she was taking mental notes of what to do next year when she got out on the ice.

We ended our night with ice cream for the kiddos (brrrr) and a latte for mom!

Hope you are all finding time to fit in your Holiday traditions!!!

Baked with Love!

2011-12-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

Started our baking early this year...

we have got lots of helpers to get the job done!

Getting a little goofy as the night wore on.

Trying to split up the baking a bit this year. Hoping it won't be so overwhelming! Usually I try to do something new each year but this year I think I am sticking to the basics!

Happy Baking to All!

Troupe

2011-12-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

Isabella has been working hard this fall in her Troupe dance class. This was a step up from her dance lessons that she has taken since she was three. Last spring she got up the nerve to try out and she got in:) This class introduces Jazz to the Tap and Ballet. It also is preparing them for competition.

She celebrated her last class of this session with a Nutcracker Party with the girls.

Melts my heart to see her loving to dance!!!

Very proud of you bug, keep working hard!

Meet Charlie!

2011-12-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

Meet Charlie.

He is a jolly ole' elf with a lot of spunk!

So I fell into the "Elf on a Shelf" trap.

I had heard about this last year but didn't think much about it. This year he has seemed to have exploded because he is everywhere and everyone has him.

He fell from the sky and landed right on our porch. When the kids noticed him out in the cold they immediately begged for us to keep him. Of course I couldn't resist this cute little guy and I caved. He is now, offically, the Zimmerman elf. The children named him "Charlie"! Throughout the day he watches to make sure that my children are behaving. By night he sneeks out and takes flight to visit Santa and let him know if they have been naughty or nice. Each morning he is in a new spot and he is not to be touched or his magic will be lost.

This has been great fun for my kids each morning to find "Charlie". He has even gotten them to do things around here on the first time asked. Every time Walter misbehaves and I remind him of Charlie and he walks right up to him and apologizes.

I have decided that I really like this little elf. Even if I have woken up several mornings in a panic to get downstairs to move him before they awake, he is so worth it!

Ho Ho Ho

2011-12-04T19:07:00.000-08:00

As I look at this picture of our family with Santa, I kind of feel bad for making this my children's "Santa" experience this year. I mean really Santa, move the hair out of your face so we can see both eyes, and does he look younger in the face than Kyle and I? I think he does, how will I explain that one?

Shame on me for being so critical of Santa! He'll probably leave me a box of rocks now. I really shouldn't complain, my kids were really into him. They told him exactly what they wanted for Christmas, all except for Caroline. She loved looking at him, just didn't want him to touch her or have to touch him herself. Throughout the party she constantly walked right close to him to wave, then would turn to run. No tears this year so that was a plus:)
We took the kids to our church's annual children's Christmas party. It's so much fun for them with crafts, carnival games, face painting, and balloon making.
We look forward to this event every year and I am so thankful that my children never tire of it. It is a great way for us to get into the Christmas spirit!

Business up front...Party in the back

2011-12-04T19:02:00.000-08:00

Caroline pulled into Sheer Madness last week to get her first hair trim!

The mullet is offically gone! Not that I have anything against people with mullets, just not on my baby girl. Kyle has been telling me for quite some time that she needed to get rid of the mullet. I resisted thinking the front would somehow catch up on its own. Plus, she is my baby. In my mind I thought maybe if I never get her hair cut she will remain a baby to me forever...right?
Okay, well too many jokes about the mullet got to me and I rushed right into Sheer Madness for this cute little bob...
She did great with no tears and loved getting to drive the orange sportscar.

Mom did great too, no tears, watching the last of her babies get their first hair cut:)

That's it, won't get to do that again!

Another reminder to appreciate each and every moment with my children, no matter how hard that is at times, they grow up way too fast!

Turkey Cake

2011-12-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

I will never forget the Thanksgiving night that I went into labor with my Margaret Mary.

We had both sets of families over that year because we knew she would be coming soon. After spending the day in the kitchen and eatting a huge meal I had it in my mind that I was going to walk that baby right out of me. I made my mom walk several miles with me, then Kyle's mom walked a couple more miles.

Once home, nothing.

I waited a bit and then went out and did several laps around the cul-de-sac.

Again no progress.

Frustrated, and barely able to move at this point, I gave up. I sat down to watch Grey's Anatomy at 8:00 p.m. that night and boom, my contractions started! By 8:00 a.m. I got to meet my Margaret Mary:)

I have teased her all month leading up to her big day that since it was on actual Thanksgiving this year we would be having turkey cake, turkey decorations, turkey crafts, and heck we would probably all just dress up like turkeys! Of course she thought this was hysterical but then whispered in my ear "really mom?" I think I actually had her a little worried:)

It was a great day that she got to spend with family. I think I spent too much time in the kitchen because this is the only picture that I got and it was from the morning. Kyle took the cake shots but they were too blurry to post, and no it was not a turkey cake:)

Turkey Stroll 5K 2011

Beautiful day for a run! We took the kids out of the stroller and let them run across the finish line! Loved getting to do this, hope to do it every year!

Happy Birthday Miss Margaret

2011-11-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my little bug is five!

Her actual birthday was on Thanksgiving Day this year. We celebrated her day with lots of family and fun...hopefully I get these pics uploaded soon.

To celebrate with her friends from school Miss Margaret decided that she wanted to have a teaparty at one of our local cupcakerys.

It was a super fun party with these fun girlies!

Of course she had to attend her party in "Fancy Nancy" style. She picked out her own attire. Pearls, pink pettie skirt, pink cardigan, and high heels!The party got started with the girls mixing their own frosting for the cupcakes.
They had a blast getting to pipe the frosting on their own cupcake!
As you can see they got a little crazy with the frosting. Most of the girls made theirs so top heavy that their cupcake fell over!
So YuMmY!

The girls had a blast with their "fancy" hats and getting to make a "fancy" hat for their dolls.

Five years has gone by so fast with you Margaret! Each day that I get to spend with you I hold so close to my heart. You amaze me with your ability to just be silly, your independence, your deep thoughts and questions, and that contagious laugh that makes it so hard to discipline you:) Hope you never wonder how much I love you because it is to the moon and back!

Grandparents Day

2011-11-22T18:02:00.001-08:00

Best Grandparents Ever!!!

Way To Go Margo!

2011-11-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

Spent the weekend watching this little spitfire become the "Bicycle Queen"

She has been working on this for awhile and was determined, as she is in everything that she wants badly, to master it by the time that the weekend was over.

Everything finally fell into place for her and she is on her way to great places and great fun!

Way to go Margaret, we are so excited and proud of you!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

We have been busy around here getting costumes together and carving our pumpkins for Halloween...

we even put the little one to work!

I love how this little guy insisted he get a green pumpkin. Here he is trying to decide what type of face to paint.

With Halloween being on a Monday our weekend before was filled with lots of candy-filled activities. By the time the actual night rolled around I thought my kids would for sure be sick of dressing up and might possibly be sick of eating candy.

I was wrong!!!

They were wound up and ready to go trick-or-treating!

Introducing my very own

Ariel and Superman!

Pebbles loved Halloween!

She was literally trying to run from house to house to keep up with her brother and sisters. She immediately got the hang of it and starting reaching into bowls and grabbing handfuls of candy.

One of our best Halloween's yet!

Don't remember when the weather was this perfect for trick-or-treating.

Say Cheese!

2011-10-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Tooth Fairy is going broke!

Two in one night!

I think we will be singing a lot of "All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth" this year!

Hay Ride

2011-10-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

Last night we got to go to a hay ride for Isabella's Girl Scouts.

Got to bring my cowboy along with me:)

It was a gorgeous night filled with friends, food, and good times!

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere!

2011-10-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here are my love bugs on our annual trip to the pumpkin patch!

We look a little disorganized but at least I was able to pull off the pumpkin gear for one more year. When I pulled out the pumpkin shirt for Miss Isabella she gave me that look. I think she is going to revolt next year, I was told that sequined pumpkins on your shirt are not that cool anymore. What do I know, wish someone would buy one for me!

Miss Caroline was just having one of those days...

not much was making her happy until we purchased the kettle corn, ripped open the bag, and started giving her handfuls. Now I know this is not going to win me mother-of-the-year feeding my one-year-old a choking hazard but come on, she is my fourth and it made her so happy:)

Had to document that we are all growing:)

This is our second year going to this pumpkin patch and we loved it even more this time around. A tractor pulls you out to the fields and you get to pick your pumpkin right off the vine, doesn't get much better than that!

Best part of all is all that you have to pay for are the pumpkins.

We got off easy this year by telling the kids they could only pick what they could carry.

Even my cute little pumpkin got her own pumpkin!

Kyle and I ran the Kansas City Half Marathon last weekend too.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for running.

I love my husband for so many different reasons but one thing I love most about him is how he motivates me to be better. A better mother, wife, person. Mile ten was a hard one for me and all that was going through my head was quitting. I could see him ahead of me and I just kept thinking, "Why in the h$@# do we do this?" What I came up with is that we do it because we can. I feel so blessed to have my health and the ability to simply run.

I shaved 12 minutes off of my time from last year so I guess all of that running did pay off:)

Thank You!

2011-10-10T04:44:00.000-07:00

I love my family...

for making me feel so loved...

on my birthday:)

Got to do my favorite things.

Family + Nature = Happiness

Ready, Set, Go

2011-10-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Lately it has been super-crazy-busy here at the Zimmerman household!

We have been loving the nice fall weather and trying to soak up as much of our outside time as possible.

Last weekend Kyle and I ran the Kansas City 15K. This is a new run at Livestrong Stadium.

I had been so excited for this run...that is until the Tuesday before the run when I ran into a door and broke my toe. As soon as it happened I tried to deny the horrifying sound that I heard as my fourth toe went to the left while the rest of my body went to the right. The pain was awful and immediately my toe was twice its size and purple in color. Instead of trying to console my toe, I was mad at it! With lots of elevating, ice, and tape I was able to make it through the run. It all ended well and it was so fun to be able to run with my honey (he rocked it!) on such a beautiful day.

We also hit the Plaza Art Fair last weekend.

We haven't gotten to go for the last couple of years so it was nice to get the kids out and enjoy the fresh air. The art was beautiful, the food was yummy, and the kids had a blast with all of the kid crafts.

This great weekend ended with getting to watch Isabella score her first soccer goal!!! Wish I had a picture of this to share because the look on her face was priceless. We are so proud of you bug, way to be there for your team!

Happy Birthday Girl!

2011-10-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

This little gal celebrated her 7th birthday with some of her favorite peeps!

She has been dying to get her friends together for a skating party, so we made it happen!

Dinner at her favorite Mi Ranchito with Mimi and Papa.

Love my baby girl!

Celebrating at the Royals game with Nana and GranStan!

The weekend went by way to fast but I know that she had a blast!

Chillaxin

2011-09-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a day of visiting all of the farm animals at the farm...

a little lunch on the patio...

and a nice little nap in the sunshine.

We are so loving the cooler weather!

Happy 7th Birthday!

2011-09-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today my Isabella turned seven!!!

Most of our celebrations were this past weekend (many pics to follow) but I did manage to get her to pose for a few pics in front of her Birthday candle before she headed out to school this morning.

Each night before a birthday I pull out the Birthday candle, set it on the same candlestick as the year before, and use it to decorate their Birthday spot at the dinner table. Once this is done, I go upstairs and decorate their doorway so that when they wake up in the morning they feel extra special as they walk out of their room. Kyle thinks I'm nuts, but what he doesn't know is that these guys start talking about my crazy rituals days before their actual birthday. I usually hear them talking as we are driving down the road, and this year was no different. Last week Isabella was discussing with Margaret what color of streamers I was going to use this year for her doorway.

This year as I pulled out her candle I first noticed how light the box was that I keep it in. Once I had it out of the box I then noticed how short it was. My first thought was that it must have broken...then after looking more closely I saw that she has almost lived half of it's 18 year span. I was really doing okay with this turning seven thing, until that moment. A timeline of the years I have with her home (assuming she moves out at 18) looks a heck of a lot shorter than what I have imagined in my head. This was just a great reminder to me that time is going fast. It reminded me to stop, slow down, and appreciate everything that this girl brings my way. The good, the bad, and everything in between.

Happy 7th Birthday my sweet Isabella!

Your love for life is so BIG, just like your heart:)

Pre-K

2011-09-08T08:05:00.001-07:00

Are you ready for this one Pre-K???

Little Miss started school today and she was more than happy to get out the door this morning. I asked her in the car what she was hoping to learn this year, her answer...

"maybe some math"

My kind of girl:)

Can't wait to pick her up and give her lots of snuggles!

Walter's Big Day!

2011-09-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today was Walter's first day of preschool!!!

He has been very excited about this day, right up until last night when he found out his friends were not going to be there with him from last year. This morning at breakfast he asked me if there was going to be cars there to play with, if not he said, "I'm not going!" Margaret assured him that there would be plenty of cars to play with and sure enough he found a big basket full when we got there.

When I picked him up he was full of smiles and full of stories of his day. We couldn't even get in the car until he pulled out his folder and showed me all of his work:) He had a great day, ate all of his lunch, and made some new friends.

Way to go Walter, can't wait to see how much you grow and change this year:)

Love you buddy!

Irish Festival 2011

2011-09-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend came and went in the blink of an eye.

We finally have our break from the heat and we were able to get out and enjoy every minute of it! I love bringing my crew to the Irish Fest! We had a blast!

Margaret the Brave!

2011-09-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

This girl is like a rock!

She is small but very mighty!

Yesterday she had her second round of tubes put into her ears and she handled it way beyond her years. Most children her age would be up the night before worrying about what was going to happen the next day, this little firecracker was up late looking for her doll's matching pajamas and making me fix the doll's hair so that it would match her own.

I don't know if her giddiness was because this is one thing that sets her apart from her siblings, she is my only one with tubes so far, or she is just really the bravest four-year-old that I have ever met.

She had tubes put in two years ago to prevent her from getting those nasty ear infections. Life has been good since until about two weeks ago she came to me to let me know that her ear was bleeding. No tears, no pain, just a bleeding ear. I thought maybe her eardrum had ruptured? I took her to the ENT last week and you know it is bad when they look in your daughter's ears and say, "Oh My". She then proceeded to leave the room and come back with another doctor who proceeded to schedule surgery for her right away. Long story short, her tube was trying to grow out like they are supposed to do but hers was getting trapped and causing all sorts of issues. She now has two new tubes and very cleaned out ears! She came through like a rockstar and within an hour of her procedure downed a cookies and cream milkshake and a taco:) The life of a four-year-old!

This whole mess was much harder on me than her, as it always seems to be. Even though I knew she was in good hands and everything was going to be fine I still got tears in my eyes as they wheeled my little girl away. When I found a seat in the waiting room my goal was to write out my grocery list as I was waiting. As I sat there all I could think about was my Margaret, is she going to do well with the anesthesia this time? Then my mind led to my Isabella, how was she going to do on her spelling test today, hopefully she liked the lunch at school so she wouldn't spend the day hungry. Then of course Walter, was he listening to his coach at soccer practice? And last but not least Caroline, was she doing okay without me there? Then poof, the doctor came out 15 minutes later to tell me that she was all done and Margaret would be waking up soon.

Is this what mother's do?

For the rest of my life am I always going to worry about what my kids are doing?

How did my mom survive this? I used to just call her crazy for all of the worrying that she spent on me. I think I finally get it, I can't even sit to make a grocery list without worrying about my kids!

Back-To-School Night

2011-08-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Went to my daughter's Back-To-School night

and this is what I saw hanging in the hallway...

This is a little hard to read because it is so small, here is what it says...

My name is Isabella.

I am six years old.

I like to play and party.

ummmmm, should I be a little bit worried about this????

Love her school, love her new teacher, and very excited about her school year:)

First Day of 1st Grade

2011-08-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

My baby girl headed out the door today for her first day of 1st grade and this mama was full of mixed emotions! This is her first year of all day school and I just knew that I would be lost without my sidekick to keep me in line. She was definitely ready to make this transition, even telling me a few times this morning to "stop asking me if I am going to be okay mom!"

Last night as I was getting things together for the next day Kyle saw me plug in my camera battery. He then proceeded to give me a lecture that I was to not, under any circumstances, follow her into her classroom and take pictures of her at her new desk. He claimed that he was just not letting me do this to her.

Really?

A first grader?

Isn't this what we are supposed to do as mothers?

I thought about it all night and decided I would just ask her when she woke up. She let me know that "maybe we could just take some shots on the front porch before we leave for school, that way you don't have to carry your big old camera around mom!" Okay is this her sweet, polite, Isabella way of telling me to stop taking so many pictures of her?

When I picked her up at the end of the day I was greeted with a smiling face and a huge hug. She had a great day and is very excited to go back tomorrow!

I can't even explain how proud I am to be this girl's mama. She rocks my world in so many ways and really the only thing that makes me sad about this whole first-grade-all-day-thing is that deep down I know in my heart that she is growing up and there is just really nothing I can do to stop it!

Way to go bug!

First Grade Rocks!

Horn Wedding

2011-08-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was another great weekend of family... and of course another wedding:) We have gone to so many beautiful weddings in the past couple of years that they have become like our date night out! Great people, great food, good drinks, and tons of fun on the dance floor, what else could you ask for?

Kyle's cousin Kelley was the beautiful bride!

With tons of family in town from near and far we were able to just make a weekend of it! My kids were on cloud nine getting to be with everyone and very excited to take part in all of the festivities.

Aunt Maureen making Caroline into a movie star!

Getting ready to head to rehearsal dinner

These girls were quite the trio! They were so honored to get to be the flower girls:)

Little man did a great job bringing those rings up once again. He kept a straight face the entire length of the aisle and would barely move his head. The only thing you saw moving on him was his eyes, he was soaking in all of our stares as he walked by.

The "younger" wedding party

Getting ready to dance with Aunt Kari

The Zimmerman's!

One of the prettiest brides I have seen:)

Loving on Uncle Ben!

What an honor it was for us to be a part of your special day

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Horn!

Whirlwind of a Weekend!

2011-08-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we topped it off with a trip to Topeka to spend time with Kyle's parents.

While in town we made it to the Discovery Center for some hands-on fun!

This girl knew where more things go than her mama, pretty sure she takes after her daddy on this one.

Got to spend some time with GranNana and GranPapa!

BIG Walter...little Walter

The girls and I had so much fun going to see Peter Pan with Nana.

Here we are with Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and Indians.

Great picture with Tiger Lilly.

The girls have been trying to duplicate her dancing all week!

Love this shot of Margaret with Peter Pan!

It was a great show and the girls loved every bit of it.

I think we packed a little too much into last weekend. We have all been a little bit more tired than usual this week and lots of cranky pants being worn around here. I lost my voice on Monday and am just now able to produce a squeak here or there.

TGIF!

Getting ready to have a relaxing weekend!

Georgia's Chicken Run

2011-08-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed to the farm for the

Georgia's Chicken Run!

This was Isabella's second year running and the first for the other two. Last summer we didn't make it to the race, I think I might have been busy trying to console a screaming newborn or something like that. It is a blur as to what was going on but this year these guys were ready to run. They love going here or there watching Kyle and I run so we figured this day would be all about them. They each got a t-shirt, bib number, and a goody bag of course:)

Before the race began there were fun little games for the kids to play. A few minutes before go time a storm rolled in and we all had to take cover because of lightening. It has been 100 + temperatures here and we haven't seen a raindrop for weeks so of course this was the time that it had to rain. I am not complaining, it actually felt nice and we needed it, it was just hard to keep them excited while they waited for 45 minutes for it to pass.

Once it was race time guess who turned into my competitive one....

Miss Margaret, she told us that she was "passing people!"

Little man did well with a hand from his daddy:)

Big sister Isabella placed sixth in her age group!

Way to go Zimmerman crew, we are so proud of you!

Let's Go T-Bones!

2011-07-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

This past week the girls participated in a cheerleading camp that I had heard tons of good things about. Keep in mind I was never a cheerleader, dancing was more my thing, but I love exposing my kids to the unknown just so they can experience it all.

The camp is taught by a former NFL cheerleader who is very enthusiastic about pretty much everything. What I love most about it is that each day after practice they sit together as a group and have "girl talk". Their talks this week ranged from being a nice person inside and out, to smoking is bad for you, and how to keep your body healthy. Having three girls I feel that as many people they can hear this good stuff from the better. There are too many negative things out there that my girls can get themselves caught up in. My prayer is for them to know right from wrong and hopefully always speak up for what they believe in and what they think is the right choice.

This fun week ended with the girls cheering at the T-Bones baseball game last night. My girls were on cloud nine and loved every moment of it. Mimi, Papa, Nana, and GranStan all came out to watch them cheer.

Margaret was known as the "Sassy Shaker" and Isabella told me that she wanted to do this every summer until she was the best at it:)

Manor Park

2011-07-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

The new park is finally open in our neighborhood!!!!

We have lived here for 5 1/2 years and they have been talking about the park and trails since we moved in. Well it is finally completed (minus the landscaping) and my kids were super excited to go check it out!

Although the park equipment said for 5-12 year olds we were happy to play. A bit challenging for the little ones but still lots of fun.

Kyle has been holding off on buying a play gym for our backyard because of this "park" that was being built. I really think our kids thought we were full of it! Now after many years of waiting the pieces are finally starting to come together:)

Going to the Chapel....

2011-07-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Our little man walked down that aisle for the fourth time!

He was the ring bearer last weekend in my cousin's wedding.

He was a little nervous the night of rehearsal, until he saw how cute the seven-year-old flower girl was. On the second run through he told me I could leave, he didn't need me:)

On the big day he did a great job and even sat in the front row throughout the ceremony. He did give me a little trouble when it was time to take pictures but quickly snapped out of it when Aunt Suzy offered him the talking Mater truck.

Kyle couldn't make it to the wedding because it was out of town and he worked an extra 32 hours this weekend. We missed having him with us, but that didn't stop my kids from tearing up the dance floor. Apparently Walter has been secretly taking break dancing lessons, or maybe boys just do this but he had some serious moves. I wish I would have gotten it on video! Margaret found a "boy" as she called him on the dance floor, who happened to be my cousin's date. She wanted to dance with him all night and even asked him to come visit her in KC. I think I might be in trouble with this one! Isabella loved trying to learn all of the group dances. At 10:00 I had to drag them off the dance floor to head home. Poor Walter even had blisters on his feet he danced so hard.

Caroline was content being passed from one person to the next. She is a little trooper, she hung in there to the very end. It was a beautiful wedding and I am so thankful that we got to go and share in their special day. I loved getting to see family that I had not seen in quite awhile.

The girls with Grandma Jones

Just in case you were wondering where this red hair might have come from!

July 4th! On the 12th:)

2011-07-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so at least I got it in the same month!

July 4th was great!

We were in T-town to light up the sky at my parent's house.

We spent the day swimming with Kyle's family...

riding Papa's mule...

and hanging out one last time before my brother and his family left town.

It was sad to see them go but I am so thankful for all of the wonderful memories we made for our children while they were here.

Hoping you all had a wonderful Independence Day filled with special memories with your family!

Floatin and Boatin

2011-07-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, it has taken me awhile to pull myself together since our lake trip and I may have gone into picture overload but as I was looking through my pictures tonight I was remembering all of these moments and I couldn't resist. I actually already miss these guys!

My brother and his family were back in Kansas for the first time in about two and a half years. Life has lead them here and there and everywhere and we were just so excited to have them all home for two whole weeks!

What better way to celebrate than to throw a few swimsuits in a bag and head to the lake! Well that is just what we did, although it was a bit more than a few swimsuits in a bag considering we had six adults and six kids all ages six and under.

We headed down to Table Rock, a special place where I grew up learning how to water ski, jet ski, and tube until I just couldn't take it anymore.

What I love about this place is that when I am here I am in complete lake mode. We are in our swimming suits from the moment we wake up to the moment we crash in our beds to recharge for the next day.

Cousins!

These girls hadn't seen each other, other than Skype, for 2 1/2 years and they picked up right where they left off.

Inseparable!

Mimi and Papa celebrated their birthday's while we were there.

I have always thought that it was amazing how my parent's birthdays were one day apart:)

Night time fishing.

Caroline loved getting to know her Aunt Cecilia!

She actually let her hold her most of the time we were there.

Kyle spent some time trying to get Isabella up on skies. She was pretty close but probably needs another year to gain that arm strength. She didn't like that the water kept spraying up in her face. She told me that she was afraid that she might swallow a fish:)

Our down time was spent just hanging out. These two guys are just seven months apart. They hadn't seen each other since Walter was just one-year-old. They had a great time playing trains and cars.

He will probably hate this picture but it is one of my favorites because Walter thought he was hilarious!

Going on a ride on Papa's jetski.

Miss Caroline did so good on this trip. She loved the boat rides and swimming in the lake.

He almost caught a fish!

Relaxing with Papa.

Loving the water!

Love my boys!

Watching the big kids play outside while I packed our bag for the day.

The only one missing here is Isabella, she was off on a jet ski ride.

Are you kidding me, isn't she the cutest thing ever!

Love this girl!

My crazy family!

We spent our mornings and evenings on the lake but our afternoons were spent by the pool. The place we stayed was rocking this old school slide. I think that there may be a reason that they don't make these anymore.

The girls went down it about 3,000 times and luckily no one got hurt.

I love these guys so much and am so thankful that they got to come and spend this special time with us!

The End!

Hope to see you again next year!

(yes that is Flat Cow from Chick-Fil-a, he went to the lake with us too)

The First and Hopefully the Last:)

2011-07-01T04:15:00.000-07:00

Today is a big day at our house!!!

Yesterday Kyle completed his three-year fellowship in Cardiology. Today he starts his one-year fellowship in Interventional Cardiology. I know, they give him a huge break between fellowships. Just enough time to rest up and start fresh:) Good thing we just got back from our trip to the lake where he was able to take a bit of a breather.

I have heard through the grapevine that this is going to be a tough year for him, not only will he be learning a ton but his hours just got really bad. Supposedly the worst we have seen yet. I am not sure how it could be worse than the 80+ hours a week that he already works but we shall see. Although the thought of him being gone more this next year makes me sad I am really excited for him to get to do what he has talked about for years. I am ready for him to get this party started and finish this year out with a bang.

I am so very proud of you honey!

You are the most amazing husband and father!

I love you and hope that you have a great day!

All eyes on her

2011-06-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Check out some shots from our latest photo session with the AMAZING

Jenn Cooper:)

http://blog.jcooperphotography.com/2011/06/little-red/

I don't know how she does it, but my kids love posing for her. She is always able to get all four of them looking at the same time!

Amazing!

Love her

And She's Walking!

2011-06-21T18:51:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I don't get the Mom of the Year award for being this late on documenting my daughter's first steps. It just seemed like every time she did it my camera was not in sight.

Miss Caroline took her first steps June 12th!

We had just finished an evening at the driving range hitting golf balls (which translates to me walking Caroline around for an hour while Kyle and my other three got to hit balls). As we got everyone in the car to head home I remember looking at Kyle and saying, "I am so ready for her to walk on her own!" Once we were home and everyone was showered and in jammies we were all hanging out in Caroline's room. Kyle stood her up and told her to walk to her mommy and by golly she did! Crazy thing is that I spent the rest of the night sad because I really wasn't ready for her to take those first steps. As I watched her do it I realized this is the last time I will get to watch one of my babies do this. This soon passed and I am so ready for that next phase:)

Please bare with me on these shots, I was trying to snap them and encourage her to walk towards me at the same time.

Way to go Caroline! We are so proud of you and can't wait to run after you soon!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the great men in my life!

We spent the day "man" style.

We played nine holes in the morning...

then spent the afternoon at the lake testing out the new jet ski.

You guys are amazing dads and I love you all:)

Summer So Far!

2011-06-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

Can't believe that it is already almost the end of June! I am sitting here wondering why the summer is going by so fast. I love having a more flexible schedule around here and am already secretly dreading the school year of having to have four kids dressed and out of the house by 7:30.

We are keeping busy this summer with loads of fun activities. Here are just a few of the fun things going on around here!

Margaret joined an indoor soccer team. I was worried about her and all of the running that this would require but she LOVES it! They make it fun and this girl has become quite the soccer player. They do a great job of encouraging team work and confidence while teaching them all of the basics.

This little guy is doing soccer too. He picked out his "fast" green tennis shoes and loves to get out there and dribble that ball. He also does a pretty darn good drop kick!

We have all been spending some time on the golf course.

Isabella is actually taking lessons this week and is working on not swinging the club like a baseball bat:) (she might take after her mama a wee bit)

Little bitty has loved just hanging out and playing outside It also helps when you have your older sister's Mustang convertible to chill out in. She of course can't make it go yet but she really just likes to sit in it.

And we have our first little piggies!!!

Her older sisters loved this! They laughed for five whole minutes just seeing how cute they were on her. Every morning they ask me to put them in her hair. Poor thing has the mullet style going on. I remember Isabella's hair coming in this same way.

I am so late in writing this that I am frustrated at myself for not doing it sooner. In this pic she was starting to show signs of walking and this is how we went anywhere with her. She constantly wanted to be walked. She took her first steps Sunday June 12th which is a whole other post...promise:)

She can now wear bows without her headband...her hair is finally growing!

We have spent many nights at the softball diamonds. This is Isabella's first year playing machine pitch. Her favorite part is hitting and running the bases. My kind of girl. I remember when I played I always dreaded playing the outfield, I remember thinking there were so many other things that I could be doing.

Isabella also ended a great season of soccer. She played with a great group of girls from her kindergarten class. Hopefully she will get to play again in the fall.

With all of this craziness going on we still have gotten to go to the pool quite a bit and soak up some of that summer sun.

We are leaving for the lake next week and I am so excited! My parents and my brother and his family are coming with us and I just can't wait to be with everyone and do absolutely nothing... like ski, tube, swim, jetski, and hopefully a little relaxing with my favorite people!

PandaMania VBS

2011-06-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of PandaMania Vacation Bible School at our church. This was Isabella's third year doing this and Margaret's first. They had a blast this week and it definitely kept them busy, by the end of the day they were worn out!

I found Isabella in the crowd but had a hard time finding Margaret...

once I spotted her there was no way to get a shot of her. She was just so tiny in this big group! Our church was so energized this afternoon. I always love getting to hear this many kids excited about God and singing songs to praise Him. I pray that little hints of this will stick with my kids forever!

Sleepy Girl

2011-06-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get this little Missy to go from two naps to one and we are just plain wearing her out. My thought is that by doing this we will get out and about in the mornings and just have one long afternoon nap. This is working out fairly well, she does get cranky between 11:30 and 12:30 but she has been going down at 1:00 and not waking until 4 or 4:30.

This is how I found her yesterday.

I was getting lunch made to eat quick before we headed to the pool. She just cuddled up with her sisters and decided to take a nap.

Oh how I love summer:)

Hospital Hill

2011-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

We Conquered the Hill!!!

This weekend we met up with good friends and ran the Hospital Hill. It was pretty much brutal, the hills I expected but the heat and humidity were a little much for this early in June. This was Kyle's fourth year running the half marathon and it was my second year running the 10K. I am gearing up to do another half but am really finding it hard to do what I need to as a momma and still have time to get in all of the training that it requires.

We had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year:)

JiGgLe JaM!!!

2011-05-28T18:39:00.001-07:00

Yea, we Jiggle Jammed it!

We didn't let this crummy weather get in our way!

We had a ton of fun at Jiggle Jam this afternoon. This is our first year going because we are usually out of town. It was definitely worth it, my kids loved the crafts, dancing to the music, and the junk food galore! Check it out if you are free tomorrow, maybe the sun will be shining!

This is Margaret inside a human ball.

From the moment they laid eyes on this my kids were begging me to let them do it. Kind of looks like fun but thought people might stare if I left my four kids alone to roll around in it:)

Chop Chop

2011-05-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here it is folks, the last picture of Margaret with all of her long,thick, gorgeous, sleek, healthy-looking, shiny, vibrant hair. Okay already, this momma just wasn't quite ready for her to cut these locks but totally wanted her to be able to make her own decisions without trying to control (too much). This parenting thing is just so hard sometimes!

Seven inches gone!

And a happy girl she is!

It was worth it just to see this smile:) And of course it is still long,thick, gorgeous, sleek, healthy-looking, shiny, and vibrant!

Girls on the Run

2011-05-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the great opportunity to be a part of the Girls on the Run program here in Johnson County. I love this program for so many reasons.

It is designed for girls ages eight through thirteen, basically those awkward years. It not only promotes a healthy lifestyle but it also helps to build a positive self-esteem in these girls before they get too far out into the big bad world. The girls train several days a week after school working towards running a 5K race. It is amazing to see the confidence in themselves that they gain just after completing this race.

This year I was a running buddy to a sixth grader. She was so sweet and put up with all of my ramblings as we ran. On race day she kicked booty and sprinted in to the finish line!

My family was there to cheer us on. It was important for me to have my own kids see how many young girls were involved in this program. After my run my three oldest informed me that they would be running with me someday:) Of course Margaret corrected Walter and let him know that this was only for girls, he would have to do a Boys on the Run with daddy:)

My Little Boy is Three!

2011-05-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

Walter's birthday was last Sunday and even though we had already had a party for him it hadn't quite set in that my little man was really going to turn three. I think that with the party being a week ahead of time I was just in denial that he was actually going to turn three. But of course the day came and he did indeed become a three-year-old.

Here are the two things that Walter was most excited about when turning three:

1. He gets to finally go to visit the dentist. Don't know what the draw is here but he has been talking about this for the last six months. I can't relate, I hate going to the dentist!

2. He finally gets to do an activity other than swimming and this little guy picked soccer. In fact, he was asked to be on a t-ball team this summer but when he found out girls would be on his team too he said he only wanted to play soccer. He starts Friday:)

Each day I am reminded of what my Walter looked like as a baby. His little sister takes the cake on being his little twin. I still, in fact, see him as so much younger than my older girls when really the only difference between Margaret and him is eighteen months.

Lately though, this little guy has amazed me with all of the knowledge, courage, caring, and sensitiveness that he has. He is excellent at every sport that he tries, I can't wait to see him on the soccer field. He loves playing with his cars, drawing me pictures, reading books, running around like a maniac, and just basically doing anything and everything outside. He makes up and sings me the silliest songs each night before going to bed and he has the coolest dance moves I have ever seen!

We waited until his actual day to give him his "TA DA" present,

a Lightning McQueen scooter!

Poor guy has had to scoot around on a pink one for the last six months so this was a big WOW for him.

Couldn't even get him to stop for a good picture!

We had a great day of seeing all of the animals at the zoo. Walter's favorite part was getting to watch the giraffe eat.

Trying to coordinate a picture with all four... well you know how this goes!

Two of the most handsome boys that I know, love them to pieces!

Happy Birthday Walter!

Mommy loves you to the moon and back!

Pretty Piggies!

2011-05-19T11:10:00.001-07:00

These freshly painted piggies have brightened my dreary, rainy day:)

Dance, Dance, Dance!

2011-05-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

My little beauties have been working hard at their dance routines! Recitals are coming up and these girls are front and center and ready to rock it! Here are a few shots from their dress rehearsals. Can't wait to see my girls up on stage!

"Minnie's Boutique"

"Baby Face"

Rootinest Tootinest Round Up!

2011-05-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we did a combo party for my two little ones.

Caroline turned one May 13th and Walter will turn three May 22nd.

He actually was very excited to get to share his big party with his baby sister, which made life super easy for this momma:) He chose the theme, Toy Story, and I took care of all of the details!

Decorating was super easy for this theme, we just decorated our mantel with some of our favorite Toy Story characters that we already had lying around.

Woody is really the cowboy that inspired the party. Walter loves Woody! He's got his cowboy boots, his cowboy hat, and now he has got his cowboy vest!

My cousin made these yummy treats! They were amazing! I can honestly say that I have had a lot of cake in my lifetime because of my sweet tooth and these really are one of a kind. They rocked my world and were a huge hit!

The birthday girl just waking up from her nap.

My little cowboy was so excited. He kept asking all day, "When are the people going to get here?"

Every birthday girl needs her birthday hat!

Sharing some smooches with daddy.

This was the highlight of the party. And for any of you who thought about doing this but didn't want to spend the extra money... it was worth every stinking penny! It got delivered and setup at 12:00 and then taken down and picked up at 8:00 that night. My kids literally jumped in it from the moment it arrived until the moment it was unplugged. If it wasn't such an eyesore I would maybe even consider buying one just to get things done around the house:) The company I went with was very reasonable and very professional, I highly recommend them.

I had other games set up in the backyard but really the kids were so into the bounce house they didn't give a hoot about my bean bag toss or my ring toss games.

Caroline and her cousin Stella

Walter with his buddy Davis

He did a great job blowing out those candles!

My cousin also made Caroline's first cake. She didn't dig in quite like I thought that she would but she did take a few bites. Boy am I going to have to teach this one a thing or two about these sweets!

Not sure what to think about all of this cake...

decided to give it a try...

didn't like how it made her hands feel sticky.

Miss Stella loved her piece!

Although the weather was a bit chilly for May the party was a blast.

We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people to help celebrate and create memories that we will cherish forever!

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Caroline!

2011-05-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

She was indeed the Birthday Girl today!

She soaked up every little bit of special attention that she got and she really lived it up,

I think that she actually might have known that today was her special day!

Her day started with all of us sneaking into her room to wake her up by singing "Happy Birthday". Her birthday breakfast was a treat that is loved by all of my kids, cinnamon rolls. After morning drop off we came home, got all dressed up and took some fun pictures in her party dress.

Caroline's Godmother got her this dress and I would say it fits her personality perfectly!

Bright, colorful, happy, and full of sass!

Thanks for thinking of her, we love it!

Checking out her presents. Our rule is that they have to wait until Daddy is home to open presents. He leaves for work before the kids wake up and lately has been getting home after they are asleep already. I was a little worried he was going to miss out on this one but he made it home in time:) My kids can hardly stand this because their presents are usually wrapped and sitting out when they wake up in the morning. It is kind of like torture for them to have to wait until their dad gets home.

She loves the phone these days. Not a play phone, it has to actually be a working phone in order for her to want to play with it. She holds it up to her ear and says "Hi". I love when they first start saying words because I finally get to hear what their voice is going to sound like. This was the only way I could get her to sit still for another picture.

We were going to try to picnic at the farm today but the weather was not so good here. Very cloudy and chilly. We called up our friends and met them for a birthday lunch at Chick-fil-a. Here is her first opportunity to indulge in a sweet treat and it was a flop. I had frosted chocolate chip muffins thinking she would dive right in but it just didn't happen. Is this really my child??? Didn't know that I could have one that wasn't crazy over sweets! Maybe I will have better luck tomorrow at her party.

Okay, this looks like my child!

After naps and picking up her big sis from school we got to meet up with Daddy (still in his surgical hat and all) and boy is he a sucker, literally! No judging here! Seriously, my other kids NEVER had suckers or any type of candy at this age. He gave this to her and I almost flipped my lid but really decided to let this one go. I guess this is what happens when you are the fourth child, the mom is just to darn worn out for the fight. And really, look how happy she was:) How could I tell this sweet face no.

She loved her presents. Her siblings loved getting to open them for her:)

She was most excited about her Little People dollhouse, which of course I don't have a picture of. She was actually pushing everyone's arms out of the way so that she could get to it.

Can't believe she is one, time just goes by too quickly.

Why was it that when I was a kid time just went soooo slowly. All I wanted to do was grow up and it just couldn't happen fast enough. Now all I want is for life to slow down. I kind of wish I could just freeze her and keep her this way for a couple more years.

fUn ThInGs ThAt CaRoLiNe CaN dO

*Purposefully drops things so that she can say "Uh Oh". Cutest stinkin thing I have ever seen. I actually have this on video and will upload it soon.

* Stands on her own for a few seconds or until she realizes what she is doing and then she drops. She is still a bit timid about this walking thing. She will walk really good along furniture and behind any thing that she can push around the room

* Loves to give kisses. Just ask for a smooch and she will lay it on ya!

* Has actually started playing with her sisters. Usually they play with their baby dolls and she watches and tries to imitate what they are doing. Watching this makes me burst with happiness! Love that they have each other!

* Blows bubbles with her mouth!

* Yells at me as I am making her food. This is actually a not so fun thing that she does but thought I needed to mention it just in case you were thinking that my job was too easy. I cannot feed this girl fast enough! She really eats anything I give her. I can hardly get it cut up before she is yelling at me. Thank goodness my other kiddos are tolerant and let her eat first.

* Crawls up the stairs lickety split! Hasn't quite figured out how to go down them.

* Loves playing with anything Little People.

Happy First Birthday Sweet Bug!

Mommy and Daddy Love You To The Moon And Back!

Highlights of a Perfect Mother's Day!

2011-05-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, I must warn you before you read this post...

no your eyesight is not getting worse, my husband just thought he could take better pictures if he set my camera to manual focus.

My pics are a bit blurry, but it was really sweet of him to get in some pictures of me with my four little bugs. The blurriness actually captures the true craziness of being a mommy to these precious gifts!

My Mother's Day was AwEsOmE!!!

We started out by having brunch at the Bristol.

Love a little seafood brunch with a desert bar that is superb! Definitely fulfills my sweet tooth! These shots might best describe what it is like getting four kids ready and out the door to be some place at a certain time...

Business as usual, no one is cooperating.

Caroline is about to take a nose dive as her big sis Margaret spots a yellowjacket wasp buzzing by.

She didn't really fall on her face but boy was she mad!

Trying to get a good shot with my better half, why does he look so mad????

Love my mama!

Thanks for being the best mom ever!

Everything I know about being a mama, I learned from you:)

After some shopping with my mom we headed to the farm. This is one of my favorite places to go with my kids and I was very excited for Caroline to experience it. She was so young last summer so she has no memory of me bringing her here weekly so that we could get out of the house. Those first four months were tough and really this is the only place I could bring her that the animals didn't care how much she cried and at least my other kiddos got to have some fun.

She was a little timid when she got up close to the animals but I did get her to pet the dairy cow and she let the goats lick her arm. I must say one of her favorites was the new ice cream parlor that just opened. Her daddy shared his sherbet with her and she loved it!

Here we are in the garden. My girls love looking at all of the plants. There is a mixture of flowers and vegetables and they keep their eye on their growth throughout the summer.

This little man went CrAzY at the farm! He was like a little nut ball about everything! He wouldn't stop talking about turtles, buffalos, horses, chickens, cows, you name it he was obsessed with it! He really wouldn't stop with the horse thing so we had to buy him a ride. He really wasn't supposed to ride until he is three but they didn't ask so we didn't tell. In a couple of weeks he will be three and this just really rocked his world!

A perfect ending to a perfect day!

We ended the day with a movie and a little snuggle time.

Even though we can all be a little crazy sometimes, I love my family!

They fill me up and make each day an adventure for me.

Thank you for making my day perfect:)

Muffins With Mom

2011-05-06T19:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I got to enjoy "Muffins with Mom" with my favorite little kindergartener!

She was so sweet to introduce me to her teacher (they were practicing proper introductions) and show me all that is happening in her class. I enjoyed my time to just chit chat with her and be reminded of what a smart, sweet, awesome, caring gal that she is. As I watched her talk with such excitement about all the fun things that she gets to do at school I saw that my baby girl is now a little girl. How does this happen so quickly?

Our time ended with the class reciting a book about moms. I tried to get a shot of Isabella reciting her part but she was so quick to get through it I didn't even have a chance. This so reminds me of myself, getting up in front of a room full of peers was just not my thing.

You did a great job Isabella, you made your mommy so proud!

I love you!

Easter Blessings

2011-04-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

These fuzzy little guys made our Easter extra special this year!

When we arrived at Mimi and Papa's they were snuggled up so close and warm.

The kids couldn't believe that the Easter Bunny was keeping it's babies in Mimi and Papa's yard!

We had a great Easter filled with many reasons to feel blessed.

We got to spend time with both sides of our family and I know I put way too many pictures in this post but really it is hard to pick just a few favorites when you have four kids. So sorry if this bores you but really this is my blog so I can brag on my kids if I want to!

Here are just a few of the fun things we did this Easter...

Crafts with Aunt Nancy.

Aren't these Peep nests so darn cute!

Margaret posing with her new bunny.

Love these guys!

GranPapa, Walter, Kyle

Playing peek-a-boo with the Easter Bunny.

She still has her eyes on that bunny!

Love this picture, not sure where the other two ran off to though.

Margaret was very serious about her spin art.

Gran Stan's girl!

Easter Brunch

Happy Girl!

These guys take this egg hunt way too seriously!

Look who found the Golden Egg!

The face painter (artist) was amazing!

Margaret informed me I was never to wash her face again.

So pretty.

Easter Brunch

Love to watch these two play.

They are becoming quite the buds these days.

This little girl is moving right along with a little help from Papa.

Papa's Girl!

Egg coloring at Mimi and Papa's.

Yummy!

Spoon races.

This was hilarious! This is definately a tradition!

When the kids woke up on Easter morning they found a trail of lettuce and carrots that led them to their baskets outside. Once outside they noticed that the bunnies were gone. Even more proof to them that he is indeed magical!

Hop

2011-04-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

Got to spend my morning with these two cuties.

We went on a date to see the movie Hop.

Cute movie! Got me in the Easter spirit.

Movie + Swedish Fish + Grape Soda = two very happy (hyper) kiddos:)

Daisy Build-a-Bear

2011-04-22T04:25:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of hanging out with this group of girls last week at Build-A-Bear.

Isabella's Daisy group used the money that they earned from selling Girl Scout cookies to have a Build-A-Bear party. It was tons of fun to watch these girls all interact while they were trying to get their bears assembled. I think we scared many away who were thinking of building a bear that day:) The girls were great and it was a blast, their bears even got to wear home a Girl Scout vest patches and all!

For those of you who know my Isabella she was just in Heaven when she came across this fuzzy little guy. Blue (her favorite color) with peace signs:) And you will never guess what she named him..."Peace".

Be still my heart...

Peace out until next time

wishing you all a "Hoppy Easter"!

Eleven Months!

2011-04-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Awwwwww... the smell of spring time!!!

This picture pretty much sums it up here at our house.

We are so thankful to finally have the sun shining on our faces and to feel its warm beams soaking into our skin. It has been a long winter!

My sweet little baby is eleven months tomorrow!!!

If you look closely you will see that her second baby tooth has finally broken through. Man, these teeth have been hard on her. She is not taking the pain too well and making sure that I know all about it!

This eleventh month we are celebrating a very happy baby girl who is full of smiles and loves to show off her dimple. We just can't get enough of her. We literally still argue over who gets to pick her up out of her crib as she wakes up, who gets to hold her first, who gets to sit by her. I am not just talking about my other kids, Kyle and I do it too! It is ridiculous! You would think this would have worn off by now but we are all still just smitten with her.

We are also celebrating her love for the outdoors.

I love being outside. Doesn't matter what I am doing I just love being outside, this is why winter sometimes kills me because I hate to be cold too. I have been very lucky to have children who love the outdoors as well. I spend many hours early spring getting projects done in the house because I know that once nice weather gets here I will get nothing accomplished inside. We have already logged many hours at the park this spring and Caroline just soaks it all up. She giggles out loud every time we push her in the swing, she loves to watch her brother and sisters run around the play equipment, and she loves watching them kick the soccer ball. One of her favorites is when I put her in the Cozy Coupe and we push her up and down the sidewalk.

We are also seeing signs of a fiery little personality.

Maybe it's the red hair or just being #4 but this little one is not letting anyone walk all over her! She doesn't do well when things are taken away from her. The crocodile tears start streaming down her face and she will sob until she gets it back. She pretty much has us all wrapped around her little finger because she knows we don't like to hear her cry. I have finally told my other kids that we need to start letting her cry so that she can learn to just get over things on her own.

She is still cruising all over the place. She finally has gotten her crawl perfected and knows how to get where she wants really fast! I have been having her stand up and take steps while holding my hands but this is just not her favorite thing to do. I think she might be a little scared. When she is behind her push toys she pushes fine until she feels it going a little faster than her legs and she gets this horrified look on her face. Then come the crocodile tears.

We love you so much Caroline.

The joy you bring to our family is indescribable.

You complete us:)

Wonderscope

2011-04-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a cloudy, cool day so I packed up the kids and met friends at Wonderscope. I haven't been here in several years but was quickly reminded of what a wonderful place this is for kids. There is something for all age groups to get their hands on and my kids had a blast!

Checking out all of the vegetables in the garden.

A room full of golf balls, what more could a boy ask for?

Testing out the ramps.

Getting ready to go scuba diving!

Margaret with her scuba gear on!

OUCH!!!!

2011-04-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering where we have been hiding or even if we are okay.

Kyle has been out of town for several days and poof everything went to pot!

We missed him and realized how thankful we are that he doesn't have to travel often.

Even though he works extremely long hours there is just something about the fact that he does come home at night. Even if it is after the kids are tucked snug in their beds and all of the evening chores are complete I love getting to see him and each day.

This week was full of all of our regular activities, a horrible hail storm that left lots of damage, and this....

a sad little boy with maybe a broken nose.

Of course it was the night before his daddy was going to be home and I had like a bazillion things to get done in a two hour time frame. I was making dinner in the kitchen while he was "playing" (jumping on the couch) in the living room around the corner. His "playing" got a little out of control and he landed on his nose on my coffee table. I didn't see it but boy did it sound awful! I had one of those moments when I wanted to scream because I have told him so many times not to do this but at the same time felt so bad for him because I knew he was really hurting. It takes a lot to make this boy cry.

All is well now, not much you can do. Just a lot of bruising and hopefully a good lesson learned!

Check Out Little Bitty's Dance Moves!

2011-03-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hogan Clan/ St Paddy's Day Parade

2011-03-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we got out everything green that we could find and headed to downtown T-town with the Hogan clan to get ready for the parade. The Hogan clan is my mom's entire side of the family, she is one of twelve children so when we are all together it is BIG time. Luckily St. Paddy's day is always during spring break for us but this year there was some of our clan missing because kids were in school. Nonetheless, the party still must go on and so we celebrated the Hogan way by eating, drinking, and being merry!

I have rode on the family float for years starting when Isabella was just a baby. Each year it is something that my kids look forward to. This year since some of the "older" girls were in school my girls got to ride in the convertible driven by my Uncle. They thought they were hot stuff. Everytime that I looked back Isabella and Margaret were waving like beauty queens. Towards the end of the parade I looked back to see Isabella still going strong while Margaret had her thumb in her mouth with the other hand waving high. Afterwards she let me know that I was probably going to need to rub her arm because it was going to hurt so bad.

Walter had a great day of eating lots of candy on the float when his momma wasn't looking and Caroline slept in my Aunt's arms the entire parade!

Having a little fun at Mimi's before the parade. Caroline loved putting this hat over her head and playing peek-a-boo.

One Proud Momma

2011-03-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I almost hate to do this because every time I brag about one of my children it always comes back to bite me in the a#$, meaning they always revert back to the opposite of what I am bragging about. But this little guy has worked so hard I just want him to know how proud that I am of him. He is officially a big boy who wears big boy pants!

Over Christmas break I decided we needed to at least try to get him thinking about using the potty. My girls were fairly easy to train and I was quite nervous because everyone told me how hard it was to do it with boys. He had no problems sitting on the potty for me, he just couldn't make anything happen. Isabella's Christmas break was a great time for me to work on this because we really didn't need to leave the house and trust me this is key when potty training. It took about five days and this little guy got it all figured out. It has been about three months now and I finally feel like I can talk about it because he is doing such a good job with it.

Way to go buddy, Mommy is so proud of you and very excited to have only one kiddo left in diapers:)

Ten Months!

2011-03-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

This picture has a million meanings for me, here are just a few...

1.) Look at how big my baby girl looks in her crib!

2.) I love how she holds her blankie (aka "Bobbi) just like this each time she sleeps. I wonder if she knows when I sneak into her room in the wee hours of the night to switch it out just to wash it and then line dry it so that it is ready for her the next morning?

3.) I love how she finds this nook and cranny in the corner to snuggle her head up against.

4.) I need to take down that darn bumper, but would she miss it because she always snuggles her head up against it? Would this interrupt her wake less nights?

5.) Look at that hair, it is really starting to grow, it looks like it might be red:)

6.) We really just wear this baby girl out! As I took this picture I could have sworn that I saw her move right before I came into her room and that she is just lying there still hoping to get a few more moments rest in this crazy house!

7.) I hate to wake her up!

Okay, enough of the randomness!

Cheers to TeN aMaZiNg MoNtHs with Caroline!

Ten months has brought a few "firsts" for our little Miss. We finally have a tooth! I tried my darndest to get a good shot of it but she just wasn't having it. It finally broke through about a week and a half ago on the bottom left side. I was starting to wonder if she was going to have a toothless grin for her 1 year pics but looks like we will have at least one to shine up and make sure that it sparkles for the camera:)

This month has also landed our little toot many evenings in the sink! That is because she is just CrAzY about her finger foods!!!! Not only does she get it on her fingers but it is also on her nose, ears, hair, and just about stuck everywhere! She is pretty much eating whatever we are having for dinner, just cut up into smaller pieces. Loves any type of fruit I give her and had her first grilled cheese for lunch the other day.

She is still crawling and pulling herself up like a crazy person and making sure that her momma is on top of her cleaning duties. My biggest challenge is that the other three have not left small pieces of stuff out for her to get her hands onto. The girls are really into making beaded necklaces and bracelets right now so I feel like I am on constant bead patrol.

We are also working on only using the paci when she is in her crib, but if you see us out and about with it in no judging we are probably just having a bad day:) When I take her out of her crib she reaches up takes paci out of her mouth and throws it back in her crib. We have kind of made a game out of it and she thinks it is hysterical.

She loves to have books read to her, especially by her brother or sisters. Her favorite thing to do is turn the pages.

My favorite first of the month is "Momma".

She finally said it, I have been slaving away for ten months for this little Miss just to hear her chant "Dadda" all day. This felt so good to hear and her "Momma" is definitely a proud one:)

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-10T04:16:00.000-08:00

My favorite conversations of the day:

Margaret as we were walking into Ash Wednesday mass

" Mom, I saw God and even he is wearing ashes today!"

Apparently Margaret was a little confused and thought Father Andrew was God.

Cute:)

Isabella as she was looking at my ashes on my forehead

" Mom, why do you have so many lines on your forehead?"

I think she might have been referring to my wrinkles!

Not so cute, Ouch!

I love their innocence and honesty:)

Nine Months!

2011-02-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

My little sweetpea hit her nine month mark a couple of days ago and we celebrated by having some one-on-one time while the others were at school.

She let me play dress-up and we had a blast!

Little Miss is growing up so fast!

The other night as I was rocking her to sleep I realized that she completely fills up my lap and I swear I saw hints of a little girl lying there.

It drives my other kids crazy because the highlight of their day was getting to hold her and she wants nothing to do with that now. She is a busy gal and she wants to explore on her own. One of their favorite things to do with their little sis is to get her crawling and to go under one side of the coffee table and out the other side. She follows them each time and I swear they could do it for an hour if I let them.

This is one of my favorite shots because when ever she is concentrating on something her little tongue creeps out.

What is rockin in Caroline's world...

* no teeth yet *

This is so strange to me since my others had at least two or three teeth at this point. I have started to chop up food really small for her just in case she never gets teeth that way she can learn to gum everything:) Her favs right now are strawberries with bananas mixed in and peas. She is also a great little meat eater. She had her first steak this week and loved it!

* still does the army crawl *

Goes about everywhere around this house but slides across the floor on her belly. She really gets a workout from this because she has to use her arms so much. She gets up on those hands and knees and goes a few inches but then plops down to her belly. This is fine by me, she doesn't realize how much faster she could go if she did it the other way and this momma doesn't have her gates out yet.

* loves to stand *

She is not pulling herself up to a complete stand yet by herself but with a little help from mom once she is in standing position she loves it. She just smiles and you can tell it is a whole new world for her.

* mommy's girl *

We are going through the stranger anxiety phase right now. Even when they are not strangers to her she freaks! She really just wants her mommy pretty much at all times. She loves on her daddy when he gets home but keeps one eye on me to make sure that I am not sneaking off anywhere. My other kids really didn't experience this quite to this extreme. Should I be worried?

* dadda *

For being such a mommy's girl she sure likes to say her Daddy's name a lot! We get a lot of babbles out of her which is amazing in a house as noisy as ours. Maybe she just feels like she needs to be heard. I really don't notice her noise level until we are at church and my other ones are quiet. This is when it seems like she is really talking her head off.

We had so much fun playing dress up but we kind of did miss everyone else and all of the chaos that comes along with them. Some times she will squawk at them if they touch her but I can tell that she likes having them close to her.

Happy Nine Months Sweetpea!

Keep rockin our world!

We love you!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

2011-02-15T21:09:00.001-08:00

Kindergarten fieldtrip to Kaleidoscope

Little Miss Determined here got it in her head that she was going to get her ears pierced. After days of hearing about it, we made a date. Only problem was that Daddy forgot but had to stay late for a meeting. I tried to talk her into waiting until the next day but she was just not having it. Kyle got home just in time for Margaret, Mimi, and I to hop in the car and show up at Claire's about ten minutes before closing. I am sure the nice lady there really wanted to ring my neck.

My baby girl sat there looking so confident and ready to get the show-on-the-road. She was with us when her big sis got it done and she informed me that she would not be crying like Isabella did. When the sales clerk got the latex gloves out her eyes got a bit bigger and her hands started to shake a bit.

After the first ear that little lip started to turn...

but my brave girl got through it just like I knew that she would:)

Way to go Bitty! I must say you look super "fancy"!

Pioneer day at school to celebrate Kansas Day.

A fun trip with Nana to see Mickey Mouse's Magic Show. My kids loved this! All of the Disney princesses were there and there were actually a lot of tricks that amazed me!

Hello, is anyone out there?????

2011-02-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are all still alive at our house.

We made it home safe and sound (despite the flat tire on the way home).

Okay pretty ridiculous that it has taken me like two weeks to recoup but really being the mom is hard work! Never did I realize all of the thought and preparation that my mother went through each year when they took us on trips. Seriously she needs to be Sainted for allowing us to go each year and not complaining about it.

I must say it was worth every ounce of sleep that I lost because I got to have some much needed family time without all of the normal distractions of life.

We took our family to a very special place that is close to my heart, Beaver Creek, CO. Ten years ago after a day of skiing and an ice cold beer my best bud proposed to me here as we watched a fireworks show on the mountain and at that moment we were talking about bringing our kids there someday to ski. Well we were finally able to do it and it was so fun to see my kids in this element.

Getting Miss Margaret ready for ski school was quite the challenge as this girl doesn't like to work up a sweat. Once out on the mountain she cooled off (I think it was like 5 degrees this day) and had a great time. When I picked her up at the end of the day the first thing she let me know is that they let her rest and take as many breaks as she wanted to. You see Miss M likes to have fun but she also likes to just chill. When I asked her instructor if she took lots of "breaks" she just smiled. Right then I knew my answer:)

This little dude was a charmer!

They normally don't let them do ski school until they are three but since he is potty trained they let him have a shot.

When I picked him up from school one of the instructors came up to me and asked if I was Walter's mom. Now this is sometimes a tricky question, not knowing what it was in reference to I wasn't sure how to answer. She then let me know that he was awesome out there and when older kids in his class cried or got sad he went up to them, patted their backs and said, "It's otay, it's gonna be awrite". That's my boy, love this about him!

Walter riding the magic carpet back to the top.

Wasn't sure how Miss Cautiousness was going to handle this whole skiing thing but boy did she blow me away! She loved ski school and made several runs with her daddy. I did find out on the way home that she almost slid through the trees going really fast. Didn't like hearing this, this is what I had nightmares about before our trip! Good thing for helmets and Daddy's!

When we weren't on the mountain we were cuddled by the fireplace playing games,

or just dancing in our underwear:)

Isabella took this shot to prove that "Mommy went on our trip too".

Our condo was ski in/ski out which is what I would highly suggest with kids. Right below us was the village ice skating rink and restaurants and everything was all in walking distance.

This is what happens when Daddy takes the girls skiing and leaves little man with me...

This is what happens when I bribe him with hot apple cider and candy:)

Please excuse this picture, I had to post it because this is like our spot (the whole engagement thing) but it really is a bad shot. Fireworks are hard to capture in a pretty way and Kyle's a little crazy looking.

One moment I didn't get a picture of but wish I would have is when Margaret got up and sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" into a microphone in front of about fifty people just to get a free CD of a local guy that has played in Beaver Creek for the last twenty years.

We are home, we are unpacked, laundry is done, we are already dreaming about going back!

Oh, and just in case you are wondering yes that is Justin Bieber added to my play list.

It was not a mistake.

We are having a bit of Bieber Fever here:)

And We're Off!

2011-01-30T03:29:00.000-08:00

We are headed out of town on a much needed getaway.

Going to one of my favorite spots with my favorite people:)

Going to be an action packed adventure,

can't wait to share the pictures.

Car is packed, ready to go,

Kids are so excited they can't stand it,

House is cleaned from top to bottom

(okay is it weird that I do this? Am I the only person who can't stand the thought of her house being messy while she is gone or am I just a wacko? Who else does this? I would love to know:)

Can't wait to just spend some time loving on my family!

Here are a few shots so you don't miss us while we are gone.

Father/Daughter Dance

2011-01-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

My pretty little girl is on her first date tonight.

She went to her first dance with the best looking guy out there... her daddy:)

Tonight is her Girl Scout Father/Daughter dance.

She has been excited about this for weeks and has had it all planned out.

Her dinner of choice beforehand was none other than Chick-fil-a. Then they were going to head to the dance and stay out really late. She was hoping they would have lots of cookies there for her to eat too. Not sure about this one but can't wait for a full report when they return.

My prayer for this sweet girl is that someday she will meet someone who loves her as much as we do. That twinkle in her eyes just melts my heart and makes me have flashbacks of when she was just a baby girl. She has now grown into a beautiful six-year-old, inside and out!

Hope you both are having a blast, kinda wish I could've gone too:)

V-Tech Smart Wheels

2011-01-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

She just loves this toy that Santa brought her.

Every time we put her on it she rocks, dances, and just chats up a storm.

It is almost as if she is really headed someplace.

Probably trying to get the heck out of this crazy house!

What I would give to know what these little minds were thinking:)

She gets so excited on it I really couldn't even get a focused picture:)

Great toy!

Highly recommend it!

Sesame Street Live

2011-01-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

Hung out with some of our old friends today.

Sesame Street Live Rocks!!!

Eight is Great!

2011-01-13T11:00:00.001-08:00

i love those snuggles every night as she curls up under my neck and falls asleep.

as she lays there sleeping all i can think about is how i never want to forget this moment.

her days are filled with ...

lots of laughing with her brother

special time being held by big sister Isabella

getting songs sung to her by Margaret

getting tickled by her "tickle monster" daddy whom she now calls "dada" (not fair!)

lots of snuggles and clapping with mommy

getting to eat yummy food, new foods peaches, mangos, and zucchini (if only they would always eat this good!). Bananas and sweet potatoes are still her favorite.

running here, there, and everywhere. dropping off and picking up from school, dance, swimming, and playdates. don't know when she has time to sleep!

crawling to reach those toys she has had her eye on for months! didn't know if this would ever happen considering how much i hold her:)

so thankful to have this little one in our lives!

she is proof to me that God exists.

Happy eight months baby girl!

And She's Off!

2011-01-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

We are in sooo much trouble!

They are now all four mobile!!!

She has been scooting backwards across the room for weeks and it has finally clicked.

In order to reach those toys you have got to move forward.

Playing in big brother's room...

she notices mommy's lens cap...

she is on a mission...

gonna get that cap...

look at the determination on this face...

success!

mission accomplished!

Even though this is more like an army crawl, this girl is on the move:)

Way to go little sis!

Snow Day!!!!

2011-01-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

Yes that's right!

Today is our first big snow of winter and school was called off!

After spending a good 1/2 of an hour getting all of their gear found and put on them I was just sure that they would step outside and be back in to take it all off within thirty seconds. Much to my surprise we were almost out there an hour and a half. Just enough time for me to get the driveway shoveled and some playtime in:)

getting ready to make snow angels

of course this little dude had to taste the snow to see what it was all about

he rolled around in it so much he looked like an eskimo

even little miss, who hates to be cold, was loving it

took me about twenty minutes to talk this one into coming inside

this is how I got him...

hot chocolate with marshmallows

sprinkled with lots of giggles:)

A Few Snippets of Our Merry Christmas...

2010-12-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

Classroom parties...

Holiday baking

at Mimi's...

Gingerbread

house making...

The magical mystery of Santa...

Caroline's first Christmas...

Christmas Eve mass...

Looking at pictures from the past...

My very own cowboy...

Excitement for a "two-wheeled" scooter...

My little boy can ride a bike...

First baby dolls...

Matching pj's...

Time with Nana

and GranStan...

Our hearts are full.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from our house to yours!!!

Zimmermans on Ice!

2010-12-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

Park Place

2010

Caroline's first ice skating trip with us.

Daddy with his girls:)

Can't believe it but my baby boy loved skating!

She just got more...

and more...

confident with each lap around the rink.

Margaret loved her hot chocolate!

Beautiful night, beautiful people, beautiful memories.

Seven Months Old!

2010-12-15T18:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Seven Months Miss Caroline!!!

Life is good in the Zimmerman house, just busy with the usual Christmas mania and oh did I mention that I haven't had a kitchen since last Saturday!!! We are doing some remodeling and I have been sinkless for just about my limit. To save money, Kyle and his good friend did the demo for us on Saturday and today they finally arrived with the countertops and I hope to get my tiling done on Monday. Kyle is actually upstairs as we speak earning his master plumber title. One of the many things that I love about this man, he had never done this before but was very willing to give it a try. Kitchen should be up and running soon... better be or I may turn into a crazy person.

Enough about that, let's talk about this baby girl!

She is in love with her food!

Sweet potato, avacado, peas, carrots, pears, apple walnut, bananas are just a few of her favorites. She loves it when we sprinkle Puffs on her tray so that she can reach for them on her own and put them in her mouth. She gets a few in there but most of the time they are stuck to her fingers, arms, face, or even her hair. Just tried a Baby Mum-Mum last night and loved it. I loved it too because it kept her entertained long enough for me to get a few bites of my dinner in:)

She loves to see her daddy!

Every time he talks to her or plays with her she gets so excited. She kicks her feet, smiles, and shakes her head from side to side. Between her babbles and her dimples she has him wrapped around her little finger already.

She loves for her mommy to hold her!

No matter how much fun she is having without me when I walk into a room and she sees me or hears my voice she immediately starts whining and giving me that sad face. I just don't do sad faces so I of course rush to pick her up and she just follows me around most of the time on my hip. I know all of the rules about this, she is my fourth one, I think that I just realize now how quickly it all goes by and I am okay with her being a little bit spoiled:)

She can scoot herself backwards and spin around in a circle!

She is starting to get up on those knees and rock back and forth. We might have a crawler soon!!!

She liked sitting on Santa's lap.

She loves listening to Christmas tunes on our early morning school drop-off.

Loves her sleep, is usually asleep by 6:30 and has been making it through the night.

Thank the Lord!!!

Happy seven months little bean!

Love you!

Santa Claus

2010-12-15T18:07:00.001-08:00

Our trip to visit Santa Clause was a hit this year. As you can see there were no tears. Caroline was just in awe of his beard and glasses and Walter was actually pretty nervous (check out the seriousness on his face) as he had been quite naughty that morning and had been warned of Santa's magical powers of knowing who was naughty or nice.

Zimmerman's Wishlist

Isabella:

scooter with ONLY two wheels (apparently three wheeled scooters are not in for 6-year-olds!) and pj's that match her American Girl doll.

Margaret:

Highschool musical bike helmet and pj's that match her American Girl doll

Walter:

when Santa asked what he would like for Christmas his reply, "presents". I think that he is a bit worried this year that he might get that lump of coal I have been talking about.

Caroline:

what could a 6 month old with two older sisters need?????

We had a blast at our annual POP moms Christmas party at church. It was a day filled with games, yummy sweet treats, a turn on Santa's lap, face painting, and a nice lady who could whip out a balloon animal in no time.

Boys Will Be Boys

2010-12-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight, as I was rocking this little guy to sleep and trying to settle him in for the night I was reminiscing about when he was just a little baby and how sweet he is to still let me rock him. That is until he burped and tooted on me... twice... all while saying to me "scuse me" between his fits of laughter!

Is this what boys do?????

Santa

2010-12-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

www.portablenorthpole.tv

You have got to do this for your little ones.

Mine LOVED it!

Nutcracker 2010

2010-12-12T07:45:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas activities is taking my girls to the Nutcracker. It always gets me in the Christmas spirit and I love to see their faces as the ballerinas dance across the stage. We always start out with a fancy dinner out and then a little shopping before the show starts.

Their eyes didn't leave the stage and throughout the performance Miss Margaret was up out of her seat twirling on her tiptoes telling me that she wanted to be Clara:)

I love these traditions and can't wait to go someday with all of my daughters and their children:)

Jesus's Baby Bath

2010-12-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

I titled this post based on Margaret's description of what was going to happen during her baby sister's baptism. I love the thoughts that go through four-year-olds minds.

Caroline Elizabeth

Baptized December 5th, 2010

Her name added to the family tier on the gown her Daddy was baptized in.

GranNana & GranPapa

Nana & GranStan

Mimi & Papa

What a beautiful day it was to all be together celebrating Caroline's baptism.

She was so brave and loved the day of attention that she got from all of her loved ones.

Grandparents Day

2010-12-02T19:31:00.001-08:00

Isabella celebrated Grandparents Day at her school last week. It was a very special day that started off with morning mass followed by her class singing songs and a nice reception for the grandparents.

It was a nice way to thank all of the grandparents who are such a big part of their grandchildren's lives. It is so important for children to build these relationships with the ones that love them most. I feel so truly blessed that my children have this relationship with their grandparents and all of the other wonderful people in our lives who are supportive and love my children to pieces. What mother wouldn't want this for their children?

Thank you so much grandparents for all that you do:)

Miss Margaret Turns Four!!!

2010-12-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

Look who is four in the house!!!!!

Yes, my little cutie patootie (is that even a word, doesn't look like it) is a big girl now. She turned four last week and it was a week full of celebrations. I actually CAN believe that she is four because sometimes I have to remind myself that she is two years younger than her sister. She is so independent that I sometimes visualize them as the same age. Of all of my babies I believe that this one has grown up the fastest. With her little brother only 18 months behind her she went from my baby girl to a big girl super quick without even complaining about it. The one thing that still keeps her my baby girl is late in the day when she is tired you will find her in a little ball on the couch with her bobbie (aka: blankie) and her thumb in her mouth. She has told us for the last year that when she turned four she wasn't going to suck it any more. Well she is four and still sucking the thumb, it's just her thing and I am not messing with it:) She won't go to college with her thumb in her mouth...right?

Top Ten Things I Love About Margaret...

1. she is full of sassy spunk

2. she loves to bust a groove with her momma

3. she tells you like it is (wish I could be more like this!), doesn't hold a thing back, and lets you know what exactly she is thinking even if it sometimes isn't very nice

4. has a sensitive side that is as sweet as can be.

5. she loves to get her sleep. still a 2-3 hour afternoon napper:)

6. wants to be a doctor like her daddy and go to lunch with him everyday. when I asked if I could come too I was told "no". See # 3

7. has a deep belly laugh that is contagious

8. will wear anything I set out for her and not complain

9. likes to try new things

10. all she wanted for her birthday was a guitar

She has wanted to go to a KU basketball game since last season. Actually they all have so last week we surprised them. We didn't tell them where we were going until we walked into Allen Fieldhouse. They couldn't believe it, they were blown away. It was so fun watching them as they watched the game. Between the noise level, the cheerleaders to watch, and keeping track of Jayhawk baskets they were worn out by the end of the game.

More partying at Chuck-E-Cheese with the gang

Loved getting to do the ticket blaster!

She even got to have a special lunch with her cousins on her actual day. So glad that Mimi could make this happen, they had a blast!

Happy Birthday my sweet girl!

We love you to the moon and back!