Another attempt...

Life gets so busy around here that I usually find myself declaring after a month or two of not posting anything that it might be time to let this little blog of ours go.  Then I need to remember something and I find myself back here looking through the pictures and memories. Every time I do this I find myself falling in love with this little space all over again.  So I make a promise to myself that I'm going to do better, because these days and years are full of things I want to remember and probably wouldn't if it weren't for this space. So here I go again...

A little random rambling as to how I found my way back here again today...  It's actually quite sad, but I can't for the life of me remember what exactly Christmas looked like here last year.  Honestly I'm convinced that I have the worst memory of any 34 year old around.  My husband and kids think it's funny, but it's actually starting to scare me a bit.  So this morning as I laid in bed trying so hard to remember having Molly home with us last year on Christmas, I just couldn't do it.  So I decided to look here.  Looking back through pictures and posts of last Christmas might seem like a strange way to see what kiddos sat around our tree last year, so that I'll know for certain which one's will be around our tree this year.  It's just that it's so much more pleasant then skimming the filing cabinet looking for an ugly, dusty divorce settlement.  And for the record I could have just as easily and quickly text or called Molly's mom for the answer (which I do a lot) but I hate to bug her and really, really hate how scatter brained it makes me feel.  Even though the truth is that I am a bit of a scatter brain.  Which is just another reason that having this space is so important.

So where to begin.  Hmm....

I think I left off with a couple of cute picture of JK and Lillie at the start of the football season.  And oh what a season it was!  The jr braves ended in 3rd place with an awesome winning record 8-2.  It was a great year to end our time with the youth football program.  JK's team is stocked full of really good, sweet boys that Im excited to watch him grow with.  Through this team we have created amazing friendships we know will last a life time.  While we were a little sad to see it come to an end, we know most of these boys will be moving on into high school together and as strange as it is to say it, I can't wait!  I am so ready to cheer our Braves on through the next chapter of their lives.

And who knows we very well might be with this program again next year if Lillie decides she wants to cheer again.  While there were a few rough patches in the beginning she ended the year so strong.  All of the girls had a little dance routine they learned over just a few weeks to perform during a halftime performance and Lillie rocked it!  She really did do such a good job this year and was beyond cute cheering her little heart out.  I was reminded quite often that she was a fan favorite for sure!  

Molly ended up playing soccer closer to her other home this year which meant that we had to make a long drive up north to watch her play.  While we made it to a handful of games, it was hard to schedule it so we could get to all of them and we ended up missing more games then we would have like.  What we did notice this year was that she was definitely the star player of her team and showed improvement every time she played.  As I've said in the past I think she could really go a long way in this sport and wouldn't be at all surprised to see her playing in college one day if she decides to stick with it.

Like the Jr Bethel team JK's middle school team also had a winning season, though they did struggle a little to find their balance.  They were anticipated to be undefeated at the end of last year but with a new coaching staff their team had a little more trouble then they probably should have.  JK was named team captain at the beginning of the year and did a great job leading this group of boys under a coach who a lot of them were reluctant to play for.  In the end the boys did well and are all looking forward to starting their high school careers next year.

   
Moving onto Halloween...

For the first time in I think forever we did not get to the pumpkin patch as a family this year.  We did some switching of weekends in the month of October so that Molly could be with her other family for some fun things they had planned and it just never worked out for all of us to get there.  It made Clint and I both a little sad and it's been decided that it will not happen again next year.  It's one of our favorite things to do as a family and we both realized this year how much we missed all of us not getting to go as a family.  Lillie and I were able to make a quick trip there with some friends while Clint was at work one day, but JK didn't want to go.  I should have made him and regret that I didn't.  I've decided that I'm really starting to loathe the month of October.  Every year it seems to get busier and busier, pulling our family in what seems like a hundred different directions.  I used to think December was our busiest month, but it's a different kind of busy.  An all together busy and I'd take that over having to split up most weekends any day!

All complaints aside, we did end up finding a little bit of time to host a dinner and pumpkin carving party at our house with friends the weekend before Halloween.  On Halloween Lillie had lots of fun tick-or-treating, filling her snack bag full and then eating more candy then she probably should have.  Frankly, after her class party and night of trick-or-treating, I'm dreading her next dentist appointment.  She chose to be a princess (again) and fell in love with a little southern bell dress while we were walking through Fred Meyer one day.  It's the first year that she has not changed her mind on costumes, ever!  This little girl of ours truly has a princess heart!

With October and Fall sports now behind us we've got a little bit of a lull in our schedule (which is quickly filling up with lots of miscellaneous events and other projects) but the best part of all this year is that we FINALLY have Molly coming back again.  We went an entire moth without seeing her and decided that was just much to long.  We were all missing her tons and then when she finally came back last weekend it took a little bit of time falling into our normal, comfortable routine again.  We did get to have a fun girls night out and enjoyed dinner and Disney on ice.  I know Molly is probably getting to old for this little tradition, but I'm hoping she'll want to continue to go for at least a few more years.  As much as I love watching our kids grow into amazing young people, the speed at which they're doing it is hurting my heart a little. 

So I think that about covers most of what we've been up to the last couple of months, and now my fingers are crossed that I'll actually be better at keeping this little place a little less dusty. 

My football player and his cheerleader

My heart beats just a little faster as we're getting these two ready for a Saturday game.  It's kind of like my little dream come true...

With the age difference between the two, I never imagined that we would actually find something that they could participate in together.  This year we did.  And with JK moving onto high school next year sniff sniff this will be the only year they'll be able to participate in a sport on the same field at the same time and I'm loving every single bit of it!  The only thing that could make this any better, would have been if  Molly could have cheered along side Lillie.  Of course even if her primary house wasn't more then an hour away, I don't think we ever could have gotten that girl to trade her cleats and shin guards in for pom poms, anyways.

JK is officially playing for two teams again which makes the weekdays a little exhausting with four hours worth of practice after school.  This kid of ours never complains though and really has found his true passion.  So far he has lead his team through two games coming away with pretty big wins for both of them.  His athletic ability astounds me.  People are always asking me where he gets it from, and I honestly don't know.  I wasn't bad in sports, but I certainly wasn't the superstar that he has proved to be so far.  Next week his middle school games will start and it will be fun to get to watch him play two games a week.  Although it can be a bit nerve racking at times, I really do love watching him participate in something that makes him so happy. 

Then there's our new little cheerleader.  Lillie is love love loving cheering for her big brothers team.  While she is a little young still and I think sometimes gets a little overwhelmed with some of the cheers, she really is doing an amazing job. And don't even get me started on how stinking cute she is in her little uniform!  In true Lillie form she has made a ton of friends and the girls she cheers with adore her (especially the older one's whom JK has told to watch out for her).  I don't know why I worry, (being as shes proven me wrong time and time again) but I was a little nervous over how she'd do getting up in front of such a large crowd. As usual she seems completely unphased by the people watching her and just has a blast.  This girl of ours loves to perform and has so much spirit in her!  One of the moms told me the other day, you just can't help but be drawn to her.  I don't know if she'll follow in my mom and my footsteps and turn out to be a high school cheerleader or not, but for now she is seriously having a blast!

This last Saturday my past and present came to heads for the first time when we took on Orting.  My cousin and  stepbrothers sons both played on the Orting side in the game right before ours. It was fun to sit with family and friends and cheer on the younger Jr. Cardinals to a victory.  It just felt so natural.  For JK and Lillie's game we loaded up our chairs and headed to the Bethel side.  It was a little strange to be sitting across from people I've known my entire life, cheering against their kids, some of whom our kids are pretty good friends with.  And although I was super proud of and excited for our boys, my heart did hurt a little for my old hometowns team as JK and his teammates walked all over them ending the game with a score of 28-0.  It was fun nonetheless and everybody, including JK's old Orting coaches were good spirited and proud of him and the job he did.      

Full Day Kindergarten

Last Monday, September 9th, Lillie had her first day of Kindergarten.  Again.

Clint and I had made the decision we were going to have her repeat kindergarten last December, but had a little bit of a struggle getting the school to be on the same page with us.  Academically Lillie did fine.  Socially she struggled a little in areas we hadn't even thought about.  While she still made friends easily and was very outgoing, we noticed that where she had always shown leadership characteristics in the past, she quickly became a follower who was really concerned about fitting in.  Her sweet heart was broken by a few not so nice kids a couple times throughout the school year and overall a majority of the kids in her class were just a little rough we thought.  (Her teacher agreed saying that every couple years a rougher class then most would work there way through.)

While her teacher thought she would do fine over the years, she understood our point of view being the mother of a late August baby herself.  She was kind enough to arrange a meeting for Clint and I to discuss our reasons for wanting to retain Lillie and let us know to be prepared, that we had a little bit of a battle ahead of us being that she technically passed kindergarten.  It was a little more work then I thought it would be, but we were passionate about our decision and did not waiver.  In the end, after several meetings and more then one person trying to persuade us to let her move forward, we won the battle.

Lillie has officially been in full day kindergarten for a week now and is loving it!  She has another amazing, yet completely different teacher then the one she had last year.  Her class is full of kids who seem to be super sweet and she is making friends easily.  Her teacher stated that Lillie definitely seems to be one of the leaders this year and is often the first to have her hand in the air when questions are asked or volunteers are needed.  While I was a little nervous that she might be the tallest in her class, she's not.  She fits nicely right into the middle and has no idea that doing full day kindergarten isn't supposed to be the next step after half day kindergarten.  

As for Clint and I, we our beyond excited that we get to keep our little girl home with us one year longer.  We will no longer have to worry about sending a 17 year old off to college, or having our child be the last one of her friends to get her drivers license.  Yes, it was a little tough to think about holding one of our children back a year in school, but now that the decision is made we are at total peace and couldn't be happier with our decision and sticking with it.

Family Birthday Celebration

I swore when Lillie was born just a little over a month after Molly's birthday that we would never, ever combine their birthdays into one party.

That little promise came to an end this year.

Our summer schedule this year has us running in about a billion different directions.  Trying to schedule just one party seemed nearly impossible and two, well it just wasn't going to happen.  So Clint and I decided to break the promise we made nearly 6 years ago by inviting the people we love most over for taco Tuesday. We enjoyed two cakes for dessert and turned a fun little family dinner into a laid back birthday party where we all got to celebrate and spoil our two favorite girls.

I did stick to my guns on the cakes.  Each girl got to choose the type of cake they wanted and each of them got their own cake with their own candles for their very own wishes.  Molly chose strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting and Lillie chose triple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  (Neither of their choices surprised me.)  Though you wouldn't guess it from looking at them, both cakes were equally DELICIOUS!!

If you're noticing that Lillie only has 5 candles on her cake, she does.  Molly quickly pointed that out to me.  I guess I'm just not ready for my baby to be 6.  Her growing up is hurting my heart a little. 

(And here's proof that we fixed the candle situation before any wishes were made.) 

Both Molly and Lillie were spoiled beyond belief.  They got so many great things including lots of really cute clothes.  We did have a little trip to Oregon to do some school clothes shopping at the end of the month planned, but honestly I don't think there is much else that I could get these girls besides maybe a few pairs of shoes and undergarments.  Their closets are literally bursting at the seams with fun new things to wear. 

  

Thank you Molly and Lillie for being so gracious about sharing your birthday celebrations with each other.  You sweet girls make my heart swell! 

When I'm bored doesn't work....

The kids (especially the girls) tend to get a bad case of the "I'm bored's"  during the summer.  Sometimes their whining pushes me into action to find another activity for them, but most times it just frustrates me.

For the most part we tend to be a family on the move.  An example of a few things we've done to date just this summer...  

• Gone on three camping trips 
• Spent a handful of days at my parents enjoying their pool 
• Gone for summer night walks almost every week day
• Had friends stay over almost a handful of times.  
• There's been football practice twice a week for JK since the beginning of June
• Swim lessons twice a week for Lillie
• Horse riding/ training lessons for Molly twice a week when she's with us.

Add a few birthdays, weddings, bridal showers, and baby showers into the mix along with the fact that both Clint and I work, and I think you can understand why I might want to blow a gasket when I've finally sat down for the 11 minutes that the noodles are boiling for dinner and the kids come to tell me they're bored.

For the most part I'm generally able to maintain my cool, they're kids I get that they want to be entertained 24/7.  Every once in a while though, it gets to me.  Which is why I've come up with a list of chores that need to be done around the house.  So when I hear those dreaded words the day after we get back from a camping trip while I'm folding laundry, I might heave pulled a chair up and told the kids they could either help or go find something else to do, in a not so sweet voice. 

Something fun like two sisters giving each other makeovers.

Makeovers that ended up leaving both girls giggling for hours and dad speechless.  Makeovers that took lots of scrubbing to get the glitter and waxy fake stuff off their faces.  Makeovers that created memories and bonds that these girls will most likely laugh over as adults.  Best of all makeovers that entertained my girls for at least two hours leaving me with a little peace and quiet to fold and put away camping laundry. 

tooth fairy drama

Since I'm on a role with this whole blogging/ documenting our life again, I've decided to go back in time a bit and catch up on a few of the important things that really shouldn't have been missed out on in the first place...  

Like Lillie loosing her first and second tooth!

On June 4th Lillie lost her very first tooth in a very undramatic fashion.  She came to me shortly after lunch and said "mom, will you wiggle my tooth?  It's feeling a little strange."  I looked inside that little mouth of her's and was surprised to see her tooth laying sideways completely unconnected to any gums.  I reached in, pulled it out and watched her eyes sparkle with such excitement as she stared at that teeny, tiny little tooth of hers.  We had to take a quick picture and send the exciting news to dad at work so he could be included in this huge milestone, too.  

After Lillie nearly burnt a hole through her tooth by staring at it for so long, we decided to get it prepped for the tooth fairy.  We added a little water to a glass cup and Lillie happily dropped the tooth into to it to set near the window sill for it to be collected during the wee hours of the morning.  (I know it's not the traditional put the tooth under the pillow thing, but it's how we roll here at the Briggs house.)      

As Lillie slept the tooth fairy visited leaving a few dollars in quarters in the cup that sits at the kitchen window just like she'd done many times before for JK and Molly.  I was making pancakes when Lillie woke up and ran to see what had been left for her.  As I handed her the cup where her tooth had been her lower lip started to quiver and crocodile tears started to leak from her eyes.  Although I didn't know what was wrong, my heart broke to see my little girl so sad.  I quickly bent down took her in my arms and asked what was wrong.  "I thought the tooth fairy was going to leave dollars for my tooth, not coins."  She choked out.  I explained to her that I wasn't sure the tooth fairy carried dollar bills and quickly remedied the situation by buying the quarter from her and replacing them with dollar bills.

Two weeks later Lillie lost her second tooth in almost the exact same fashion that her first tooth came out in.  It was still early in the morning this time so she was able to share her excitement with dad before he'd left for work. 

We went through the same process getting her little tooth ready for the tooth fairy, when she stopped us and suggested that we write a note asking that this time the tooth fairy leave dollar bills if she could.  Clint chuckled as Lillie instructed me on what to write.  

The following morning Lillie woke up a little happier to see dollar bills waiting in her cup, but exclaimed she was still a little disappointed when she pulled out one dollar bills instead of 5 dollar bills.  I knew it was time to stand my ground and explained to Lillie that she should be grateful for the fact that the tooth fairy even comes and leaves her a little gift for her teeth.  She agreed (knowing she was pushing it) and happily went on her way to stuff her newly acquired dollars into that piggy bank of hers.

Oh sweet girl!  It's a good thing dads aren't the tooth fairy, because after telling your dad of our second conversation I think he would actually drain our savings account paying out the fee you think your teeth should be valued at.  

    

Christmas Recital

Last night Lillie had her Christmas recital for both ballet and hip hop.  As usual she was adorable and did great!  It amazes me how this little girl of ours can pick up and remember several dance routines, but struggles a bit with letter and number recognition.  I just can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that she can remember exactly what somebody wore yesterday or who played a certain role in a Christmas program last year, but she can't tell me what the letter M is.  I know at some point she'll decide she wants to learn how to read and write and get it all figured out.  So in the meantime I'm trying to not get to stressed out about the progress in which she is learning and am just enjoying the way she chooses to flutter through life so full of animation, excitement and wonder.

This recital was bittersweet for me as Lillie has decided to hangup her ballet shoes for a while and is so badly wanting to try out gymnastics.  I've always believed in letting the kids participate in as many sports as they want, but can't find the time in our schedule to let her take two dance classes and gymnastics all at the same time.  We found a tumbling class near our house that starts with the basic skills that we think will be great for her.  Next year we'll give her the choice to go back to doing dance or getting her into a real gym.  I'm secretly hoping she'll choose dance.  While I wasn't a fan in the beginning, I've come to love watching my sweet girl twirl her little heart out.

Snow Angel

For the past few weeks our sweet Lillie girl has been praying, no pleading with God for snow.  So the fact that it happened to start falling on a day that I had kept her home sick did not change the fact that this girl was determined to go outside and enjoy it.

After a half hour of digging through bags of snow clothes I came up with a pair of ski bibs that I don't remember ever seeing before.  Rain boots with several pairs of socks and a pair of gloves that were a little long in the fingers and I'm sure must be Molly's.  My girl may have looked like she ran through a thrift store grabbing random items, but she was warm.  And happy!

After about a half hour of laughing, making snow angels, throwing snow balls and a little bit of sledding she was coughing like crazy and I could tell she was exhausted.  So against her will the fun mom who had made the decision to let her sick child go out and play in the snow that we get so little of was gone.  We spent the rest of the day sipping on sprite, (she would have loved hot cocoa, but I just didn't think her little tummy could handle it and still believe milk products don't go with colds) watching Christmas movies and cuddling.

Allowing Lillie to talk me into letting her go outside with a cold and flu may not have been the responsible mom decision, but seeing the joy on her face and listening to her squeal about how God had answered her prayers while she made snow angels was well worth any criticism I might face.

Santa 2012

{Jk 13, Molly 10, Lillie 5}

This past weekend we visited Santa and then spent hours baking, decorating and taste testing cookies for his big arrival on Christmas Eve.  And because Lillie has decided that his reindeer like oranges better then carrots, we even bought another bag of cuties I'm hoping won't all be gone by next week.  

While we all love the Santa we visit, Molly and Lillie have determined that he is most definitely not the real one, but one of Santa's very best helpers.  Molly came to this conclusion after he asked if she wanted a movie for apparently the second year in a row.  She thought that seemed silly being that Santa has never actually left her a movie on Christmas morning.  Clint and I had the discussion with the kids on our way home that Santa does have helpers who listen to what each child wants and gets pictures taken as he is obviously super busy this time of year and couldn't be at all of the malls at once.  Lillie was satisfied with the explanation and Molly being the smart big sister she is assured us that the information we were sharing was old news to her.

The kids had put their letters to Santa in the mail box at the end of November and I'm really hoping he received them.  Lillie can't remember what was on her list, but wants just about everything she sees so I'm assuming it was pretty random.  Molly is being super secretive about what she asked for and won't tell a soul what was on her list to the big guy.  And JK, well being the teenager he is, his list is pretty much full of really expensive electronics and items I just don't think Santa could or would deliver on.  Luckily I was able to get him to scale his list down to some reasonable items that he wants so he won't be super disappointed come Christmas morning.   

Lillie's Pool Party

It's been a frustrating almost two weeks since Lillie's birthday party.  After many tears and lots of frustration, the reality has hit me that the memory card with over 100 pictures from Lillie's 5th birthday party is corrupt and can not be fixed.  Thankfully my good friend Amber had snapped a few photos with her phone, so at least we've got a few sweet pictures to go along with our memories.

Like this one!  

Our super sweet girl was grinning from ear to ear the entire day.  She had so much fun playing with her friends and being celebrated.  While Clint and I stressed all morning about the cold weather that had rolled in just in time for the swim party, Lillie was unphased.  Excited to finally be having the swim party she said she'd been dreaming about her entire life, when I asked her about maybe doing a last minute switch to an indoor party.

Some of the pictures that are forever lost would have shown our sweet 5 year old swimming her heart out in a pool that her nina and papa heated to a warm 98 degrees to keep the kids happy, the teeth from chattering and the lips from turning blue under a grey cool sky.

There were pictures of dozens of goofy kids and family members having fun in the little photo booth we had set up wearing Hawaiian leis and holding up silly lips, crowns, bow ties and mustaches. 

There was a small video of our sweet girl making a wish and trying hard to blow out her candles (that I promise were not trick candles) and only succeeding with a little help from her daddy.

There was photos of an excited little girl tearing through tons of fun gifts and squealing over each and everyone of them with a mob of kids scooting closer and closer until some of them decided to help her tear into a few at the end.

There was a food spread fit for a King (or Queen).  Pinata, lots of fun games and joy on every face that helped us celebrate our Littlest Princess.  Even with the drama of loosing the photos from the party, it really was a fun little celebration that Lillie truly enjoyed. 

Photos courtesy of Amber  :)

Kindergarten

After going back and forth over the decision to enroll Lillie into kindergarten this year and then publicly stating that we wouldn't be, we did.

Socialy she was ready last year.  Academically, I'm not so sure.  She's smart and nearly everybody that knows her thinks she'll do great and really blossom this year.  Clint and I agree.  We've also decided that if for some reason she doesn't do as well as we think she will, we'll just repeat kindergarten.  Maybe putting her in full day next year.

Getting Lillie off to kindergarten this morning wasn't the emotional roller coaster I had thought it would be.  Her school encouraged parents to stay for the first day helping to get the kids familiarized with their new classroom and teacher.  I loved it!  Our little Lillie is going to have no problem making friends.  The girls flocked to her the minute we arrived wanting to know her name and what her favorite color was.  Her teacher seems great, but not in the sing, songy, hugs and cuddles kind of way I had thought she might be.  While I was a little disappointed at first, I honestly think she'll be great for Lillie.  She gets lots of love hugs and cuddles at home so a little more structure at school will be good for her.  

Now that all of our kids are off to school (Molly started 5th grade homeschooling at her other house) I had a small moment where I wished I had another little one at home.  That moment didn't last long though as I happily agreed to volunteer in Lillie's class every Monday.  I love the ages our kids are at right now and honestly have no real desires for another baby.  I do wish that I could find the pause button to keep all of our kiddos at exactly the age they're at just a little longer.  They are all so much fun and can all use the toilet which makes life fabulous! 

Five!

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that it was FIVE years ago on this very day, that I heard the words I think my heart had been secretly hoping for...

"It's a girl!" 

Since that day Lillie, you have added so much joy to this family.  I honestly have a hard time remembering life before you were a part of it.

You are so full of personality and have a way of winning over every person you meet.

You are sweet, fun loving, and a little sassy from time to time.

You're beautiful strawberry hair, sparkling blue eyes and scatter of freckles is always a conversation starter with adults.  A true beauty is what I'm often stopped and told.

The amount of joy that penetrates from you is unbelievable!

I thought that as you got older your personality might start to differ from mine taking on it's own little shape.  Instead, you seem to be more like me everyday.  My mini me is what so many others often refer to you as.  Sorry, for that.   

You love dressing yourself, sneaking into my makeup, and adding lots of bows and headbands to your hair.  Your way of thinking... the more color the better!

You are independent, strong willed and a free spirit.

You are everything I imagined you would be.  Being your mom Lillie girl, is pure bliss!!

Here's just a little run through as to how your 5th birthday went down...

After bee-bopping from mine and dads bedroom (which you snuck into in the middle of the night) around 8:30am, we sang Happy Birthday to you while you grinned from ear to ear.

We feasted on Birthday cake pancakes and then being the thoughtful girl you are, you gifted each dad and I with one of your special books.  On your birthday you thought to give us a gift.  I love your sweet heart!

After you gave us gifts we decided to give you yours.  A brand new bike and helmet...

 And you were over the moon.  No more hand-me down bikes for you!

Dad was able to take most of the day off, but did have to work just a few hours.  While he was working we loaded up your new bike and headed to the Orting trail and bike park to try it out.

You had a little difficulty getting up some of the smaller dirt hills, but no worries.  You're amazing big brother who loves you tons made sure you conquered the course a few times over. 

After getting used to your new little bike we met up with dad for some ice cream cones and drinks before heading home to get ready for your very first high school football game.  JK was really wanting to watch the Bethel team and you were super excited to watch the "crimson cheerleaders" as you refer to them.  You, dad and JK made several trips to the concession stands bringing back dinner consisting of stadium hot dogs, pizza and lots of snack food.  You cheered along with the cheerleaders the entire night and seemed to have loads of fun!

You stated over and over how much you loved your birthday day, but I know the real fun for you will be next weekend when we're able to celebrate with family and friends. 

We love you Lillie!  Happy 5th Birthday Princess girl!!

Should Have...

Lillie Should have gotten in trouble for sneaking into her sisters room without permission.

I should have been upset that she disobeyed me.

She should have known that it's not okay to borrow Molly's things without asking.

And while she should have been disciplined for doing things she knew she shouldn't have done...

 I just couldn't do it.

Because how do you break the spirit of a sweet girl who is so extremely proud of herself for making her toenails beautiful all by herself.

Our Little Biker

Look who's finally riding a bike!

Our neighborhood was built on a hill and has no sidewalks. Certainly not the ideal place for bike rides.  When we lived in Orting we used to ride bikes as a family all the time.  Since Lillie's been born, I don't think we've really had the bikes out more then a handful of times.  It's just not something we really do anymore.

Last month at the request of the kids we took JK and Molly's bikes to my parents house for our little 4th of July celebration.  Lillie was super bummed to not have a bike of her own and made her wishes of learning how to ride a bike known.  So, Clint dusted off Molly's old bike, we headed to the Orting trail and my little girl took off!  While a new bike (one without rusting) may be in store, I'm thinking that if we keep at it Lillie could be riding without training wheels in no time.

In fact, I'm thinking long bike rides might just be the perfect activity to getting our family out and exercising a little more.

Preschool Year One Completed

It seems so crazy to me that it was just 8 months ago that we were sending our sweet little Lillie off to her first day of preschool. 

This sweet little girl of ours has grown and changed so much in her first year of school.  She made lots of new friends, learned how to count to 10 in Spanish, picked up some mad coloring skills, and expanded a personality I just didn't think had the potential to grow any bigger. 

Lillie's preschool didn't do any type of graduation ceremony, which honestly made me a little sad.  But they did get these cute little photos of the kids in caps and gowns and made little certificates for the kids with quotes about what the teachers thought the kids would grow up to be.  Lillie's certificate read future Disney Princess.  (Which is ironic being that they took this picture on princess day.)  While I don't know that a Disney Princess is honestly what I hope Lillie grows up to be, I defiantly see why they would picture her as that.  This little Lillie girl of ours certainly has a princess personality with the sweetest little voice I think I've ever heard.  

With Lillie's first year of preschool behind us, we now sit scratching our heads with what to do about next year.  After filling out all of the kindergarten registration paperwork and still not feeling right about the decision, Clint and I decided we will not be sending Lillie to kindergarten this Fall.  While Lillie may be ready, we're just not.  We are not ready to let the world make it's impact on our little girl just yet and since God has given us the responsibility to do the decision making for her life right now, we've decided to let her be a little girl just one year longer. 

Now that the decisions been made and Clint and are I completely at peace with it, we've got to decide what next year will look like.  We've thrown around a few ideas, and as much as we would love to send her back to the same preschool, we agree with her teacher that she would probably be bored doing the exact same things all over again.  So for now there are a few Montessori schools that we'll be looking into as well as the option of possibly doing some pre-K homeschooling.  For now we're just super proud of the progress Lillie has made this year and are excited for the extra time keeping her home for one year longer is going to allow for us to spend with her. 

Sunshine, Makes Me Happy...

And so does spending time with this super sweet girl of mine.

Today we spent the afternoon playing at the park, picnicking, and licking ice cream cones.  It was a fabulous day that left me yearning for Summer break when all of the kids will be out of school and we can be spending more afternoons outdoors like this one.

Class of 2025

Today I went to register our girl for kindergarten.

Our sweet, little carefree, ready to take on the world, girl.

We walked into what will be her elementary school with her little hand -covered in pink nail polish and white polka dots- curled into the safety of my hand. My hand which has the ability to push and pull her in the direction I think is safest for her, the same hand that will hold on tight until that day in Fall comes, when I have to let go.

When we entered the school office I watched my little girl as she beamed from ear to ear explaining to the secretary that we were there to sign up for kindergarten so that she could get smart and then go to college. The realization of what she was explaining started to set in as I watched my little girl become a little more independent and my heart started to race. Lillie didn't seem to notice the onset of my anxiety though, because she just went right on chatting away at the young secretary -the stranger- about how excited she was to finally be going to the big school like JK and Molly do.

As I sat with the registration packet, I looked over at my tiny little girl and started to panic. I knew I needed a little more time. So, I asked to take the packet home, promising to bring it back by the end of the school day. Only, I didn't bring it back. Instead the filled out packet is now sitting by my bed. Waiting. Waiting while Clint and I pray a little more and talk a little longer about sending our little girl, who's birthday just happens to fall on the registration cutoff day to school next year, making her apart of the graduating class of 2025.

Because really the truth of the matter is not so much as to how I think she'll do, it's how I think I'll do. Honestly both Clint and I know Lillie will be fine as the oldest or youngest kid in her class, because which ever way we look at it, that's exactly what she'll be. The oldest or the youngest.

The real question that needs to be addressed is whether or not I'm ready to send my baby, my last child off to school with all of it's influences. I so badly want to be selfish and hold onto my baby girl for just one year longer. But if I do, is that the right thing for her? Is it fair to keep a bird in a cage, when is all that little bird wants to do is spread her wings and start her own journey?

Oh Lillie, who would have thought kindergarten registration would be such a difficult decision! If you had been born just one day later, this decision, well it wouldn't have been a decision at all.

Family Photos

The last time we got family pictures taken, Lillie had nearly no hair and neither JK or Molly were wearing glasses yet. So to say that the picture hanging above our fireplace was a little outdated, would be a bit of an understatement.

We had tried to set up a photo shoot several times over the past few months, but with bad weather, kids in sports and just living a busy life, it seemed that we were always having to reschedule. This past Sunday though, all seemed right with the world. The sun was shinning and the amazing Sarah Richardson was available to capture our family in a way only she can.

We all had so much fun being outdoors for our little shoot and Clint and I are both super excited with the end results.

Here are just a few of our favorites...

JK ~ 12 years

Molly ~ 9 years

Lillie ~ 4 years

My Body Preschool Perfomance

For the past 4 weeks Lillie's preschool class has been learning about all the body and practicing fun songs and dances they could perform to show us what they had learned.

Lillie has been extremely excited and secretive about the performance. She practiced (in the privacy of her room) for the past several weeks, deciding the songs and dances were top secret and that we could have no sneak peaks, so that we would be so surprised on the day of the big show.

Today was finally the big day and we were not disappointed. Lillie and her classmates were all adorable and did such a great job!

We also got to see the much anticipated body bags. I was so relieved to see that they weren't the morbid items I was afraid they would be. The projects are actually very cool and I know Lillie learned a lot about how the body works while putting hers together.

And then of course there was the adorable self painting she was so super proud of. This adorable body painting is now proudly displayed on her bedroom door, where she drags each and every person that walks into our house to see it. :)