I've got to remember this!

My girls are great sleepers.  Just ask anyone who was at my Mom's the day they slept until 12:30 pm.  Really, they don't normally sleep that late. They go to bed at a decent time every night and sleep soundly (okay, we did end up with Kimber in our bed last night) until about 8 or 9 the next morning.  They aren't the kind of kids to fall asleep on the couch or other odd places.  They are strictly bed sleepers. 

So when I saw Kimber in the middle of the floor like this-

I was shocked!

I've got to remember this.

Pedi's

Addie's first day was school was a huge hit!  Then the second day rolled around.  She cried and cried saying she didn't want to go back because it wasn't like she thought it would be.  I finally got out of her that she thought there would be more girls to be friends with.  Poor thing.  Everywhere she goes she is the only girl.  With the exception of a few girl cousins, she has never had a real girl friend.  We were really excited, thinking school might change everything, but once again she is outnumbered by boys.  In her class there are 6 girls and 12 boys.

We talked it over and were finally able to compromise.  I she would do good at school all week I would reward her with a pedicure.  She {along with Kimber} has been dying to have one ever since I came home with bright pink toes with black argyle diamonds.  I'm not one for bribery but since I was wanting to take them anyway, this was a great way to motivate!

It was a huge success! 

She did a great job!  She even made a few girl friends from the other Kindergarten class to play with at recess.  So after school that Friday we loaded up and headed for the Beauty School.  I figured you can't go wrong with a $5 pedicure, right?  Right.

The girls sat back and enjoyed their foot massages while Lucy slept snug in my wrap. 

Check out Kimber's toes!  Too cute!  They ended up costing $10, but come on, it was worth the extra charge.  The girl did a great job.

And then there were Addie's.  To this day I am still trying to figure them out.  But her sheer joy was worth way more than five bucks.

Let's just say it's some of the best money I've ever spent.  Talk about happy girls. 

Little Mother

Addie has always been a little mother but I have noticed it even more since Lucy was born.  She has a little Anne Geddes bear (or do you call it a baby?) that she likes to mother.  Recently I have found the bear in some interesting places.

To the left, she has watched me tie my wrap enough that she figured it out on her own.  And to the right, her own improvised version of a wrap. 

I just have to add this- I saw this last night.

Yes, it's in her shirt.

Things I Can't Live Without

Lucy has been a part of our family for five weeks now and I've come to the realization that there are somethings that make this adjustment a little more pleasant. 

My wrap. 

The best gift I have ever received.  Every time I put Lucy in she's asleep within a matter of minutes.  It makes cooking, cleaning, shopping, walks with Addie and Kimber and pretty much everything else possible.  Love it!

Hair bows.

I pulled out my ribbon last week to make ONE black headband for Lucy.  65 bows and headbands later I called it quits.  You might wonder why this makes my life more plesant.  There has not been one person who has asked if she is a boy or girl.  Something I have been able to avoid with all of my girls to date.  Very pleased with that.

Oxy Clean. 

Great for those baby blowouts.  That's all I have to say about that.

Nose Sucker. 

 

I hate boogers.  Enough said.

Swinging Chair. 

 I can't even guess how many hours Lucy and I have spent swinging in the lawn while my girls ride bikes, drive their Jeeps, dig in the sand and so on.

These girls.

They make every day more pleasant.  They keep me on my toes, laughing, learning and very busy.

(This actually happened on the 18th of July but I never got around to finishing it.)

On Sunday Addie starting questioning me about getting struck by lightning.  A friend had told her that she was scared her dad was going to get hit.  I downplayed it so that we didn't have a girl who was freaked every time a storm rolled in.  I told her that if you are out in the forest during a storm and there are no trees or anything around, then you might get struck.  I explained that the chances of her or our house getting struck or were slim to none.  "You would have to be around something metal to get hit, the chances of you getting struck are not good." 

If I could only have fast forwarded a hour or two.

Jared was just leaving for a meeting when a huge storm rolled in.  It was getting dark outside and I wanted to show the girls that there was nothing to be afraid of so we opened our curtains and watched as the rain came down and the lightning lite up the sky.  It wasn't long before we lost power and the storm was right over us.  The lightning and thunder were simultaneous and the girls were getting a little apprehensive but I was able to keep them calm.  

That was until there was a gigantic strike, with a simultaneous thunder and a huge pop in our fireplace!  We all jumped and screamed.  I told them that I thought we had just got hit and instantly smelled for smoke. I tried to stay calm and decided I needed to ask Jared to come home. I knew that someone needed to check and see if our house was on fire but I'll admit I was too scared to go outside and see for myself.  I needed to be sure that flames weren't pouring out of the attic.

I was able to get a hold of someone at the meeting and have them send Jared home.  Of course he rushed home in a panic.  Once he got home I knew we were safe because it took him forever.  The building he was at for the meeting had no power so they had to search him out in the dark, thus the delay.

Thankfully our house was spared and thankfully our TV wasn't.  Our gorgeous (cough, cough) big scream was a victim of the strike and has since been replaced with a plasma.  Our satellite was fried as well but has been replaced as well.

While we were waiting for Jared to get home I took the girls in their room and had the following conversation with Kimber:

"Is Dad going to get the lighting?"

"No, you can touch lighting."

"Why?  Because he's a race car?"

I may have shed a little tear today

All because this girl is old enough to start Kindergarten.

Each time I am holding Lucy and look at Addie I realize how fast time goes.  It seems like just yesterday Addie was the baby in my arms.  Now she's off to school.

For weeks she has been counting down the days to Kindergarten.  (And I mean that literally.)  She has had her first day of school outfit picked out for about two weeks.  She also swears her shoes make her run faster and jump faster.  (Monica, I know EXACTLY what you're thinking!  PF Flyers!)   

This morning she could hardly stand it.  I made her pancakes for breakfast and by 9:30 she was already asking if she could eat lunch.  Time just couldn't go fast enough for her.  

When it was time to go out for the bus I was more nervous than she was.  You see, riding the bus was all her idea, one I was not crazy about.  All last school year she watched as a bus passed our house dropping off the morning Kindergartners.  I guess it looked fun.  When she told me she wanted to ride I just about died.  We finally compromised and she gets to ride to school since there are no big kids and they will pick her up right at my driveway then I will pick her up everyday.

Last night the thought of her riding the bus just about made me cry.  I'm not someone who ever has a hard time falling asleep.  My head hits the pillow and I'm out, but last night was different.  Every time I closed my eyes all I could see was Addie getting on the bus and looking out the window at me while I wave bye and she suddenly bursts into tears while some strange driver takes her away. 

Thankfully the driver was running extremely late so I just took her.  It made me feel so much better and now that the first day is over I feel much more comfortable with her feeling confident in riding the bus.  Although I don't think she was the one with the problem.

Once we dropped her off and walked out of the classroom I noticed Kimber hide behind me and slump over.  She had great big crocodile tears streaming down her face.  When I asked her what the problem was she told me she didn't want to leave Addie.  It broke my heart.  They are best friends and are separated for the first time in their lives.  Even if it is for just a few hours a day.

When I picked Addie up from school she was glowing.  When I asked her how it was she said "good, but I didn't learn how to read today."  

This is just the beginning.

And She's Off!

I've got to give it to Addie.  When she decides she ready do to something, she sticks with it with a strong sense of determination.  I must add that when she is not ready to do something, she shows the same strong sense of determination.

The latest thing she put her mind to:

 

She has officially conquered the art of riding her bike with no training wheels.

 

On Monday night she asked Jared to take them off and  by Tuesday afternoon had it mastered.  Now I can't keep her off of the darn bike!