It's not fair

So it seems that my baby girls has learned a valuable lesson in life already. It is not fair! So what you may ask is it that is so unfair, let me share (from Mackenzie tonight)

1. It is not fair that I won't let her eat cereal for dinner tonight
2. It is not fair that I won't let her try to make Turner laugh (even though it was making him scream at the top of his lungs)
3. It is not fair that I will not let her sleep in my bed tonight
4. It is not fair that I woke her up this morning while she was still sleeping.
5. It is not fair that she had to go to school when she was still tired
6. It is not fair that she cannot go to the park because Turner doesn't feel good

So, me being the calm mother that I am respond in the only way that seemed fitting...

1. It is not fair that I had to go to work today even though I wanted to stay at home.
2. It is not fair that you are mad at me even though I'm doing the best that I can
Sorry sweetie, but there are so many things that are unfair, you just have to learn to deal with it.

Well I didn't really think that this would be a pre-K lesson in the first week, but I'm sure this will be one to revisit over and over throughout the years! lol

BTW - Mackenzie LOVES school. She says it is "even more fun than going to Nany's all day". Whew, I guess I did make a good choice. I love to pick her up everyday and hear the detailed version of everything that they did. Now tomorrow I have to send my sister off to her first day of school. That will be fun, seems like just yesterday i was moving in to my college dorm, wow what a different life I have now. I love to kid her about how much her life could change in the next couple years too! All for the better of course.

Well, Aaron got to be out at happy hour and softball tonight while I was in the midst of laundry, dishes, sick fussy kids, and I've only had the 3 minutes of writing this post to myself tonight - but hey, no one said life is fair! lol So nigh night - mommy bear is tired.

1st Day of School

"Heaven Scent" - Now this is just fitting for her - they could have just used her picture in the ad!


There was a lady behind us that I overheard saying "This must be her first day of school" I wonder what gave it away, me taking pictures of her eating her donut! lol The lady was there with her 10 year old on his first day of school and she teared up saying it just seemed like yesterday she was doing the same thing with him.


How stinkin cute does she look!


Mackenzie and Mason - both of their's first day


"Yo Mom, where is my sissy? Oh and check out how big I am in my big kid carseat! I'll be going to school next week!" - Austin



"I miss my Sissy :(" - Turner

Had to post all of the other stuff from the weekend first, because this is deserving of it's own post. Today was Mackenzie's first day of school. It is pre-K, but basically it is her 1st day of school. So I woke her up at 6:15 to lay in bed and watch cartoons, give her a chance to wake up on her own a little. She kept telling me that she was "nervous" still, so Aaron and I told her that was ok, that all the little kids were nervous today. So we got up and got dressed. She picked out her clothes last night and wanted to wear her "new outfit". Looking back at pictures, she wears this outfit a lot - it is the one Ellie got her. So we get her all ready, and all the while from 5:30 this morning Turner is having MAJOR meltdown. Don't know what is up, I think it is combination of maybe having a bad dream last night, being overly tired, and the fact that sissy was leaving for school. Finally we get out of the door, and go up to the donut shop right by our house. Mackenzie was in a great mood, never once said anything about not wanting to go to school or anything. So we are sitting there eating, her eating her chocolate long john (she is her mommy's girl!), and she gets done and says, "I'm done mommy, I'm ready to go to school". I push back the urge to tell her that we are going back home and climbing under the covers together, and smile and say "Well, lets get going then!" We get up to school and she just jumps out of the car and is ready to go. Once we got in the gym for drop off, I she started getting a little shy, but then she saw our neighbor Mason and went over to play with him. Aaron and I walked out and as I looked back, she was happily playing with Mason. Why is it that we WANT them to be happy and content to stay - all the while secretly HOPING that they'll cry when we leave! Oh well, we got out of there without any tears shed - not even any from me or daddy. I'm proud of her for being so grown up today. I can't wait to pick her up and have her tell me every detail of her day!

Camping with Friends

Mackenzie, Samantha, Turner, Claire

Doreen, Scott, Chloe (dog), Todd, Sadie (dog), Jennifer, Aaron
Scott and Todd were like 2 peas in a pod - they are both from same small home town- what are the chances!

Getting ready for their bike ride - Mackenzie, Turner, Sam, Claire

Off to the playground with Caitlyn


This weekend we went camping with friends. Went right up there after work on Friday. We were planning on staying through Saturday night, but ended up packing up after a late night round of smores on Saturday about 8:30 so we could all get a better nights sleep. The kids didn't get to bed till really late on Friday and didn't nap on Saturday. I ended up going to pick up my sister, Cheryl, on Saturday afternoon, so that took a little out of my day. The kids had a blast having other friends there with them, and we did too. Thanks guys, it was a blast. And Caitlyn met a group of guys while she was there, they ended up being all the football players from Lindenwood, so of course she is more excited than ever to start school. She ended up going to hang out at school with them again Saturday night.


Yesterday - I started unpacking and getting the laundry going first thing. Went grocery shopping and then my dad and Grandma came up since today is my dad's birthday - Happy 51st Dad! I had invited him up earlier in the week so that I could make him dinner and his favorite Gooey Butter Cake. The whole thing was delicious. Yesterday also happened to be Mackenzie's 4 1/2 birthday, so she had fun. She went grocery shopping with Aaron and I to spend "Special time" and picked out her gift - a doll, imagine that!lol Then we fixed brownies, went to the park to the train display and playground, then went to Grandpy's favorite spot for ice cream, and then went home to sing and do candles. It was a GREAT day and weekend overall. But very busy and I'm exhausted, but well worth it all.

What we'll be up to

So this weekend we are going camping again. Heading straight there from work. I can't wait. This weekend we have neighbors and friends from work joining us, so it will be even more fun. I can't believe how full my van is and we have to take Aaron's car too! But I still stand by that it is worth every bit of effort.
Mackenzie had her last t-ball game of the season last night. Soccer will be starting up again in the fall and she is looking more forward to that. And Sunday is her HALF BIRTHDAY! She is "So tired of being only 4" and can't wait to be 4 1/2. I don't know what she'll have us do for her on Sunday. Today is her last day at Nany's so she took her flowers and tootsie rolls (Nany's favorite!). I know that they will miss each other so much. Nany has been much more than just a babysitter to my kids. We love her dearly. Mackenzie has been there ever since Turner was born and doesn't remember any other way. I sure hope I did the right thing by putting her in school. I really do think I did, but doesn't make it easier.
Hope that everyone has a great weekend!

This week has been a little of a downer. Mackenzie was sick with fever and cold Monday, but I couldn't stay home with her since my boss was also out of the office, so she stayed home with Caitlyn. Yesterday I wasn't feeling well either so I stayed home with her. I did get a lot accomplished around the house which was good, but probably didn't rest as much as maybe i should have, so don't feel too much better today - but hey, I get to go home to a cleaned basement, mopped floors, clean bathrooms, and laundry being done! And we made Mackenzie's new blanket for school. Ughh, I'm just no good at that being sick and laying around all day. Believe me, I wish I could. See, now today if I had been home I maybe could have been lazy, because I would feel like the other stuff wasn't sitting there just waiting to be done. I remember the days when I could literally not move from my chair/couch ALL day - but those days are long gone, I think that being a mother literally rewired me!
Monday night Mackenzie had her "Meet the teacher" night. I'm not so sure about all of this. She starts school on Monday and it is taking everything I have not to pull her out and just keep her at Nany's. It makes me sick to my stomach to just think about. And then on top of it, Austin has started sleeping through the night, and Turner did great on Monday and Tuesday without his Sissy at Nany's with him. Sure, you're probably thinking that this is great news, and while I do admit yes it is, it pulls at every heart string that I have that all my babies are growing up, and of course all at once. So I'm telling Aaron all this today and he was like "we still have Austin, he's a baby" Yeah right, the kid is almost crawling, doesn't wake up in the middle of the night and is starting to eat table food - heck he's half way on his way to college already! lol Aaron just laughed and said "Oh goodness, we aren't done yet are we?!" Well, I couldn't give him a final answer, but I do know for sure I'm going to have to find some little babies to love on soon - but not to the point that they have to be mine - I'll take any babies I can get a hand on! Oh, and Mackenzie is pretty weary of school - she flip flops back and forth between being ok with it and then not wanting to go. Don't worry, I keep on the happy face in front of her, and try to not let her smell my own fears coming through.
Last night after we had dinner, we decided to make some cookies so she could take cookies to Nany's today. I think they turned out pretty good. And the kids had a blast!

This is my attempt to give Mackenzie (and me) a security blanket for school. She has to take one for nap time, so I took her to the store with me and let her pick out any fabric she wanted. Shocker that she picked Dora! But my hope is that every day when she lays down for nap time she will think of us makig this blanket together and think about how much her mommy loves her and it will be her happy thought before she drifts off to sleep.

Who says you have to wait till Christmas to decorate sugar cookies...we'll find a reason anyday!

Camping Trip

So we did decide to go camping Saturday and it was wonderful. We went up to Cuiver River state park which is only about 20 minutes from home. I wish I would have taken a picture of the van at some point, we were packed up more than we were for the trip to Michigan, but we all fit and it was worth any effort it took, which really wasn't that much. You know what I love about camping - the fact that it takes us 15 minutes to walk up to the bathroom and back - and I don't mind one bit!

This was yesterday morning before we started packing up to head home. We left at about 1 on Saturday and got home about 11 yesterday.

The kids fixing dinner on Saturday night. They LOVED the campfire hot dogs and both kids ate 2 1/2 hot dogs!!

In case anyone wondered, a pack-n-play fits wonderfully in the tent!

Grandpy and Grandma Pat drove up Saturday night and spent a little over an hour with us. They brought KFC. So I had bagged up all of the stuff after we were done but still had it sitting on the table, and after the kids were in bed Caitlyn, Aaron and I were sitting around the campfire and heard some loud ruckus over by the table. We got out the flashlight and saw a HUGE Raccoon that had come by to get the scraps. All night long we were sweeping the perimeter with the flashlight!

We took along the training potty since we didn't know how far we would be from bathrooms and of course little kids never say they have to go until they have to go "Right now". Ended up being a very smart decision (and came in handy that night once I started drinking! - now that would have been a funny picture!)

We brought along a few modern conveniences. This was Austin's first camping trip. He didn't quite know what to think of it all, but he loved it and did great. I'm so glad that we don't let having a baby keep us from these kind of activities.

So Friday night we went out to eat with our friends and had a great time. Thanks guys, we should do it more often. Then Saturday was spent camping. And yesterday I got in a good nap and took Mackenzie school supply shopping.

The camping was SOO wonderful. I just can't say enough about it. There is something so relaxing about not having anything else to do or places to be. I am fine with the boring silence that camping entails, I don't need to have stuff going on around me all the time. I didn't do breakfast on the fire because I was worried that it would just feel like too much with Austin and then having to do dishes, etc. But next time we will, I mean when there is NOTHING else that you need to be doing or taking your attention away, it is amazing how much time you have on your hands. I did a little reading, took long walks with the kids, sat and had long conversations with my husband - basically I was in HEAVEN. I kept telling everyone thank you so much for the best present they could ever give me. I think we may go back this weekend if it isn't raining.

YIPPEEE

I think we've decide that we are going camping this weekend. That ensures some great pictures and memories from the weekend, so stay tuned for Monday!