Tatum is officially in kinder!

My sweet and precious Tatum-tot is officially in kinder.  And, true to fashion, her daddy walked her to school today and got her settled into her class, just as he did her big brother on his first day of kinder.

And he sent me a picture of her sitting behind her desk.  All smiles.

Not even a hint of a tear.

She was a little nervous, though, until she sat down at her desk and realized there was PINK PLAY DOH!  Then she was just fine. 

The school is bigger than her daycare, but she has such a super-duper BIG personality that I'm not the least bit very worried about her.

Kinder is coming

I have been trying to register Tatum for kinder for a while.

Yeah, I know...I can hear you mocking me now.  Things like, "For a while? Registering for kinder can't be that hard, can it?"

Ah, but yes, yes it can.

Allow me to explain.

During the beginning of the summer, Kellen took a session of Kids Klub at the school where he and Tatum will be attending elementary in the fall.  So I stopped by the office for the registration paperwork (yeah me...score 1 for efficiency!).

The paperwork sat untouched for a l-o-n-g time.  I wasn't ready to deal with it, quite honestly, until the week prior to the registration for Kids Klub afterschool care (um, yeah...late July) when I felt the need to register Tatum for kinder before actually registering her for after school care.

Call me crazy.  I just felt like they should be done in the correct order.

Apparently no one else cared, because when I went to do so, her elementary was closed that particular week.  And I tried to register her at the main administration building for the school district.

But you can't register a kid for kinder at the main adminstration building, which I quickly learned.

*sigh*

So I was all psyched to get her registered for kinder -finally- all mentally prepared, and it would have to wait until the following week when the elementary reopened.  So into the office I went the following week with all of the forms completed and with the shot records in hand......Only to realize that I had neglected to bring the proof of residency, birth certificate and the social security card.

Doh!

Considering my schedule last week, I knew there was no way that I was going to be able to make it to the safety deposit box, where I hoped beyond hope that two of those three required items were located.  The time delay allowed me to do one thing, though....have repeated nightmares that I would enter the safety deposit box to find zero birth certificates there and have to scramble to acquire the necessary documentation needed to get Tatum registered for school.

Fast forward to today, when I go to the bank, check the box, and sure enough....there are no birth certificates there.  Now, I am confident that I have them, but the question is simply, "Where?"  I didn't have the time or the energy to figure out the answer to that question and since hubby thought they were there as well, my recurring nightmare was fast coming true.

The county clerks office was my next stop, and I decided that while I was there, I was going to do a clean sweep for all kids, so I picked up copies of all three birth certificates.  I managed to get back to the school in enough time to provide them all of the remaining documentation they needed to officially register Tatum for school, so I'll consider that a success for today!

Maybe there was so much stress and chaos surrounding the actual registration of Tatum for kinder to distract me from the fact that she's actually starting kinder in a few short weeks.  She is so excited for 'big school' but right now, I just want to freeze time!!

And in case you're wondering, I did make it back to the bank and all of the certificates are back in safe keeping (so I won't have a repeat of this in three years for Jacey)!!

Turn around

I finally did it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants and toddlers ride rear facing until they are two or until they have outgrown their height/weight restrictions on their carseat, and my particular feeling is to keep the kiddos rear facing as long as possible (with the girls, I didn't know as much with Kellen and he obviously turned out fine) to maximize their safety. Please note that I am not saying that the kids are unsafe if they are turned around prior to this, they are simply safer rear facing. Heck, I stood up behind the driver seat when I was little and apparently turned out just fine.  Maybe.  Well, that's up for debate.

Considering that Jacey was 26 lbs and 35 inches long at her 2 year check  up, and that she seems to be growing quite a bit in the way of her height lately, I finally did it.  That in and of itself is reason for celebration, so go ahead and celebrate that growth right there!!

I turned the car seat forward facing tonight.

And I'm sad about it.

Such a strange thing to be sad about.  But I am.

She's my BABY!  She isn't supposed to be forward facing yet.  She's just not.  But when I get into the car tomorrow, I'll be able to look into the rearview mirrow and the special kids mirror attached to it and see her sweet cherub face smiling at me as we head to school.

And we'll begin a new chapter where she isn't as much of my baby anymore.

Elmo invaded Jacey's World!

We had Jacey's party this weekend.  I cannot believe she's almost 2!  It was a small party.  Just a few of her friends (4 friends total for her - that whole thing about the number of friends equal to how old the kid will turn has apparently gone out the window with us).  This was supposed to be my no-stress party.

I will say, I wasn't really all that stressed out on Saturday.  Except about the floating fish.  But that wasn't all that bad and I'll get to that later.  I wasn't stressed out because I had been up late all week turning my pinterest finds and other ideas into reality.

The result: Jacey LOVED her party and I think everyone had a good time  That equaled success in my book!

Activities
Elmo's Music Magic was playing in the background on the TV (kudos to my genius of a hubby for that brilliant idea!!), and there were a few times that I noticed that the adults were busy watching the show and the kids were doing their own thing.  Interesting. Apparently Elmo appeals to a wider audience that I originally thought.

We played Place the Nose on Elmo (thank you Maw Maw for finding this activity!!). The kids had a blast with this once they understood what it was they were supposed to do (and a thanks goes out to big sis Tatum for demonstrating the process).

We got video of each of the little kids placing the nose on Elmo, but I'll only post my kiddo here.  I will; however, share the video with each of the families for their viewing pleasure.  Spinning a preschooler who isn't yours (or who is, for that matter), can be quite entertaining.  I'm glad we have those moments on video.

There was also a coloring station with Elmo coloring pages and crayons for the kids to color and take home (with individualized cups filled with crayons to minimize tantrums or fighting!) 

We also had a tattoo parlor, and all of the girls were able to get Sesame Street themed tattoo's for their wrists/arms.  The birthday princess got two (mommy saved her one of the Elmo ones and then she picked out her mommy's favorite, Ernie, herself!).

I had intended to have story time, with both Paw Paw and Grandpa taking turns reading a story, but we never did get around to that....I think the kids would have loved that!

Food
We had Elmo cupcakes and a larger (half cake) Elmo.  We also had cake balls/pops (my first attempt - see separate post on that fiasco).  I must have blocked out those cake balls so much because of it that I almost forgot about them...I remembered them about 30-45 minutes into the party!

Happy Birthday was sung and cupcakes were eaten in the dining room (I think I may have had a nightmare or two about two-year olds and our light carpet...).  So we staged her cake area first using the "Jacey's World" sign I had made for her and the Happy Birthday banner Maw Maw had gotten.

It took a while to get Jacey to actually blow out the candles.  I kept trying to get her to blow on them like she blows on her nails. Yeah...that's the reference I used on my princess at her 2 year-old party. Yup.  Incidentally, we had just finished painting her nails as her guests were arriving because she wanted them 'pretty' and I wanted them red for the party.

Considering it was really red frosting, I considered it a smashing success when all of the kids faces, hands, arms and a few legs were red-stained.  I knew I chose the dining room for a reason!

We had Oscar the Grouch and Elmo veggie trays and a Big Bird cheese tray as healthy(er) options for everyone to snack on throughout the party (and down where the kids could reach them).

As you can see from the picture above, we also had goldfish crackers in a small goldfish bowl.

We had small 'grabby' snacks of jellybeans, red hots, and more goldfish crackers as well, and the kids could put them in red cupcake liners (just the right size for two-year old hands).

I had orange and red buckets with water, capri suns and an assortment of cokes in them for beverages.  Oh, and dear sweet hubby cooked hot dogs, and we served the buns on a red tray and everyone ate on red plates.  (Obviously, we went with a primarily red and orange theme).

Party Favors
I initially decided to go easy on the party favors, and just decorate bags with Elmo on them and use those as part of the decor.

I set this up one night and the next morning, Jacey come out - gasps - and then I hear her singing, "Ya ya ya ya, Elmo's world!"  I took that as a positive sign.

And then, since I was letting Jacey watch Sesame Street and listening to it for ideas, I kept hearing, "Elmo loves his goldfish, his crayons, too...." I had the idea........

Goldfish.

Not just for snacks.

But since I'm not that crazy, I did send text messages to the parents of the girls coming to the party and ask permission to buy their children goldfish.  Luckily, they all said yes.

The fish were all doing wonderfully, by the way (in case you were wondering about my earlier reference). Unfortunately, hubby and I hadn't communicated well about the actual number of girls attending, so I had one bowl with two fish in it (for Jacey - and as a spare in case one went belly up before the party), but when I realized that I needed another whole set up, I didn't have time to acclimate the fish to the new water, so.....it didn't adjust to its new environment very well.

So all of the girls took home fish and Jacey and I went and picked out two brand new fish Sunday afternoon!!

Making Memories
Part of the decor was a five foot replica of Sesame Street that Maw Maw found and we hung on our wall that had a cast of the characters on it.  So, naturally we lined the girls up for a photo op.  I wanted ALL of the girls and then each of the girls individually with the birthday girl.

One of the dads was wary about my grand idea and didn't think I could manage to pull it off.  I just looked at him and laughed...I don't think he's been introduced to the lengths my stubbornness will go to get what I want.  Especially when pictures are involved. 

We decided to leave up a lot of the decorations until her actual birthday, and then we'll take them down.  So we have a couple more days of living in Sesame Street!

Jacey's first fish

We all went fishing yesterday afternoon as the finishing touch for Daddy's father's day.  Jacey was sitting in her stroller watching, when she decided she wanted a turn.

During the second cast, Daddy indicated they had one, so I started the video....How often do you get your baby's first fish on video?

Daddy was so proud. It was a fitting finale to his Father's Day.

Blue Man Group!

Grandma Gerren and I had discussed, a l-o-n-g time ago, back when the OPAS schedule first came out for the season, about the fact that the Blue Man Group was coming to town the weekend of Tatum's birthday. We both thought that she might really enjoy the Blue Man Group.

So a week and a half before her birthday, when we discussed this again, I realized I hadn't thought much about it since then. And in seemingly normal fashion, Grandma Gerren and I chatted, and she made it work.

She managed to get some pretty good seats for 'the girls' to attend the Blue Man Group for the Sunday afternoon showing. 

I didn't do a very good job of explaining the Blue Man Group to Tatum, nor did I explain the theatre itself, so it's no wonder she got a little scared.  For the record, she DID enjoy it. It has just taken her a little while to process through what she saw to realize that.

She's been talking about it ever since....Mommy how did those blue men do ____________?, Mommy, were those men really blue? Are they blue all over? Mommy, during that one part, how did they ______?

I love that we were able to take her, I just wish I would have done a little more research on what to expect from their show so I could have better prepared her. But I loved it!

Tatum's very first sleepover....

We didn't finish Tatum's party and call it a night. Oh no. We decided that on her most special of days, she could invite a friend to spend the night.

So her sweet friend E came to spend the night after the party.

I suddenly developed an accent, and the girls turned into princesses. And then they were different princesses. They had a spa (read: bubble bath), ate dinner, got their toes and fingers painted while watching a movie (that they BOTH agreed to!!), then ate a dessert of yummy warm cookies (because they hadn't eaten enough sugary goodness at the actual birthday party).

And by that point in time, it was then very late and they went to bed....we didn't even get a chance to do any of the various crafts I thought we might...and had set aside in case.

Jacey had been moved for the night to mommy and daddy's room (and wasn't sleeping, but that's another story). Kellen had been moved to mommy and daddy's room so that the Grand Queen (grandma) could use his bed for the night.

So everyone had their place, and Tatum gave her bed to E and I set up a pallet on the floor next to the bed and put them to sleep...after E called her mommy and told her 'Good night'.

Daddy and I switched care for the girls and I took over for Jacey and he continued to check on the 'big girls'. They got scared once or twice, but nothing that turning on the lamp rather than just the nightlight couldn't cure.

On Sunday morning, Daddy made a big batch of his morning mess (scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage and hashbrowns) and everyone had some of that, then Mommy got up and made cinnamon rolls. And the girls ate those - two rolls each. Then we got dressed for church, put on our glittery spray, lip gloss, and off we went.

We met up with E's mommy and daddy by the nursery counter so they could see her before Sunday school.  They had a BLAST. A complete and total BLAST. Tatum was upset that it wasn't a two-night sleepover.

Happy birthday, Tatum!!

I can't believe you're 5!!

You decided that you wanted a butterfly-themed party (which shocked your Mommy and Daddy to no end...we just KNEW you would want a princess party), but you made up your mind. You and I sat and pored over pinterest ideas for cupcake decorations and party activities...you were so thoughtful and excited about this day!!

We decided to have the party in the backyard, and do some butterfly-related crafts, complete with a butterfly cupcake cake, additional cupcakes decorated with butterflies, and just play. But as the day drew closer, the ramifications of the enormous amount of rain we had in February sunk in....and the yard wasn't drying out. Although we didn't get the rain we thought we might in the week leading up to your birthday and party, the yard still wasn't dry enough for all your friends to play and have fun in the backyard, so we explored other options.

Your daddy was fabulous...he made all kinds of phone calls to find out what we needed to do to have your party at the park right down from our house. And he also prompted Mommy to look into a bouncy house for you...and he was so right. He made calls to all sorts of people about that bouncy house to make sure we could have it up at that park for you and your friends.

The morning of your big day, you enjoyed tremendously....you relaxed, and helped get things finalized for the party. You even took a short nap before the party so you would be ready to play to your hearts content.

And outside of the intense wind, it was a beautiful day for a party at the park. We had our treats.....

And you and your friends bounced and bounced (and each of the Hapes kiddos managed to get a bang or bruise of some sort from the bouncy house).

And we did enjoy the crafts....despite the wind...the kids made and decorated butterfly and bee masks, then did some of the scratch art butterflies. We never made it to the candy necklace station, but that was ok.

Everyone sang Happy Birthday to you, then enjoyed butterfly cake and ice cream. We didn't even bother with trying to light birthday candles...it would have been completely futile in that wind.

You didn't seem to mind at all.

We decided to open presents once we got home so we could leave more time for you and your friends to play in the bounce house. You were such a sweet birthday girl and made sure to talk with all of your friends and show them how glad you were that they came to your party. I was so proud of you!

Things you like:

• All things pink
• Princesses
• Littlest pet shop
• Playing dress up
• Fishing with your daddy
• Helping mommy bake/cook
• Having your toes/fingernails painted
• Riding your bike
• Barbies
• Zhu-zhu pets
• Your build-a-bear stuffed animals (thank you, Aunt Boo!)
• Reading, sounding out words for spelling, doing math
• Coloring/drawing/painting

Sports you like:

• Last fall you tried Upward Cheer (cheering for football) and you really enjoyed it (but we couldn't make you understand why you weren't scheduled to cheer for Kellen's team)
• You're about to play soccer...with practices starting later this month
• Virtually all things Aggie (your normal comment to me is, "We want the Aggies to win, right?"

A look back....

You are so beautiful and so sweet and so loving and I am so proud to have you as my daughter. You make my heart melt in so many ways....Happy 5th Birthday, Tatum!!

Jacey's 18 months old update

The littlest princess is 18 months old.

Where did the time go?

What's that saying, 'The days are long but the years are short.' In this case, the months are short....

18 months...really?

Her 18 month check up was a day shy of her 18 month birthday, but we'll take it.

She weighed in at 21.9 pounds (insert Mommy's incredibly HUGE *Happy Dance* here) (putting her at the 16% for weight - WHOOP, that's UP from 10% at both the 12 and 15 month check up!)

She also grew 2 inches in height (putting her at the 86%, down from the 95th at her 12 month check up, but considering she *finally* grew, I'll take it!)

[For those wondering what that comment means, she didn't gain any weight or grow any in length between her 12 and 15 month check ups. That, along with some other longstanding feeding issues, earned us a referral to ECI]

Here are some pictures of her in the doctors office entertaining herself with the other baby in the mirror.

She has undergone a verbal explosion over the last couple of weeks....her vocabulary has increased exponentially...it's remarkable, really.

And now she begins her newest adventure attending daycare where her sister has been attending for quite some time.  This adventure for her will make life easier for Mommy, who will now only have two - count 'em - two, drop offs every day.  While we are sad to leave her old daycare and the teachers who love us behind, we know this is the best move to make.

Matt and I were remarking the other day that we can barely remember what life with like without our littlest princess...We are so thankful that God blessed us with her..even when we didn't know that she was what we needed.

Happy birthday, Kellen!

Eight years ago yesterday, I began my parenting journey with Matt when we were blessed with you, Kellen.  I still remember so many vivid details about that day.  Matt and I took Bailey for a walk trying to 'move things along' and I had to continually stop for contractions; calling and talking to the doctor to check in; taking a warm bath to try and relax to discern whether it was real or false labor; timing contractions; calling and talking to the doctor again; taking our good ole' sweet time getting to the hospital in large part because Matt didn't believe I was 'really' in labor; having the doctor check me and then convince Matt that - yes, the baby WAS coming.  I remember scarier things, too....having to be put on oxygen because your levels weren't looking all that great, getting pitocin to speed things up, the doctor trying to break my water only to realize there really wasn't any 'water' to break, but then you got here, and despite having a perfect knot in your cord and the cord wrapped around your neck - twice, you were perfect.

And we were parents.

Parents totally and completely in love with you.

Eight years later and we're still totally and completely in love with you.

Happy birthday, Kellen!!

You have developed into such a wonderful young man!  I still call you my sweet baby because you will forever be that to me, but you are growing up before my very eyes.  So responsible, you enjoy - no thrive - on helping.  During school, you want to make everyone's lunches and get everyone's breakfasts ready.  You take your jobs very seriously.

You were such a great helper with Tatum and are even more so a help with Jacey.  When she wasn't quite as mobile and 'wiggly', you would get her up in the mornings, change her diaper and clothes, and bring her to me so I could feed her.  Once she started getting a little bigger, it was harder for you to do that, but you still are at her beck and call.  If she cries or needs something, you are typically the first to get to her to help.  In fact, you got her in the middle of the night last night when she was fussing.  It is so obvious that you ADORE her that it melts my heart.  And if she cries, for whatever reason, it just seems to literally break your heart.  You absolutely cannot stand it.  Period.  So much so that if she's crying and you can't help - you have to leave the room or walk out of the house.  You can make her light up like no one else in the world.  She has a smile and laugh reserved just for you, and you know it!

And Tatum....oh you two are typically so good together!  As she's getting older, the bickering is getting a little more common, but it's not bad.  You're typically good about sharing your toys with her, reading to you, and taking turns playing something she wants then something you want.  I couldn't ask for too much more.  Well, except maybe for the toys to go back to their places all of the time, but you guys are actually pretty good about that, too.

As for you and your dad, this year in particular has been your fishing year.  You guys have both really taken to fishing and that seems to be your 'thing' to do.  You get up virtually every Saturday morning and go fishing - typically to Jack's place, or to Central Park, and fish.  I'm thrilled that you get to spend that quality time with your dad!  And I am really touched that it happens to be fishing...which my Pap would have loved to do with you both if he had the opportunity.  I'm glad that you got the chance to meet him, even if you don't happen to remember it.

And us - we enjoy doing lots of stuff, don't we?  Our 'special nights' with picnic dinners and movies; you helping me bake a cake or brownies; reading, or playing games.  You are just so much fun to be around!

You're getting to spend a lot of time at your Maw Maw and Paw Paw's this summer.  I'm so glad that you're getting that quality time with them and that they're able to keep up with you!  Some day you will realize what a blessing this time and these memories are that you're getting to create with them.  I hope that you cherish the memories you're making.

About you this last year:
Sports/Activities:
Awana's at church
Upwards Flag Football
Upwards Basketball
CS Little League
Cub Scouts
Taekwondo
(Yes, you keep VERY busy!)

You enjoy your sports, you enjoy watching and sometimes getting to go to the Aggie football games, but the best and most important thing about the last year is that you made the most important decision of your life this past fall - while fishing with Daddy at Jack's place  - and accepted Jesus as your savior.  We are so proud of you and pray that we help to mold and shape you to grow in Christ!

So, to celebrate your birthday, we actually had a family celebration this past Sunday (on Jacey's actual birthday, but her birthday party was the day before - so it was ok).  I made a green dinosaur cake (at your request) and you opened just a couple of gifts.

But they were things that you had been asking for for quite some time....since before Christmas, I believe....

And I think you were excited to finally get them!  So we all have to admit that you outgrew your Leapster....

We did a small family party because the big celebration was a trip to the Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus ON your actual birthday.  So we gave you the tickets on that Sunday so you could look forward to the circus, then went last night.  You had a BLAST!

 

The tigers were taking a nap before the show.

You and Tatum could have spent a very long time just watching the elephants!

 

Exploring the elephant tooth on display.

Did I mention that you and Tatum would have happily spend the evening just watching the elephants stand around?

 

You and Tatum decided to get tattoos on your hands - both of them - and Tatum quickly made friends with this performer, who gave you guys LOTS of extra tattoos.

Dress up time!

Who's the ring leader?

 

Tigers!  Tatum was enthralled and I'm not sure she blinked at.all. the entire time this part of the show was taking place.

The Bionic Brothers. And yes, they were *THAT* amazing!

 

These ladies bent in ways that just made me hurt watching them.  Absolutely amazing.  It made me want to go home and stretch.  Not that I did, but I thought about it.

 

Another set of folks whose feats of strength were quite amazing!

 

Snakes!

And this guy, Mighty Meetal, managed to hold over a half a ton on his legs.  

That's weights and a handful of people just balanced ever-so on him.  

Incredible.  Paw Paw was duly impressed.  

This was by far the act he was most looking forward to during the show!

 

There were SEVEN people riding motorcycles in this cage.  SEVEN!!!  

 

A little someone was thrilled!  

Everything was 'awesome' and she couldn't pick a favorite!

 

With their costumes and bouncing around, they looked like little flames bouncing all over the place!

Getting ready for the grand finale.

The kids had such a good time!

Happy birthday, Kellen!  I hope that you not only enjoyed your birthday celebration on Sunday, but your birthday Skype with Aunt Boo, Mommy and Jacey, and your circus celebration.  You had quite an eventful birthday yesterday!

Your mommy and daddy love you so very much and are so proud of the gentleman you're growing into!