dAdDy'S tOyS

Anyone who really knows William, knows he LOVES his toys! William has Legos, Transformers, G.I. Joe's, comic book characters, model & toy cars... just to name a few. Ever since we found out that our newest family member was to be a boy, William pulled out the toy bins and got to work. Let's just say it's been a long time coming! He finally put together his last Lego set and had the time to arrange everything. Kaylie and Makenzie have been helping him put together, and sometimes take apart:), all the Legos. Dannen's room is loaded with Daddy's toys now.

On a funny note, I love to rearrange... especially when stressed or bored. Well, I heard lots of noise in Dannen's room the other day and knew William and the girls were hard at work displaying all the great toys. I walked in to find William did some rearranging of his own. To accommodate the toys, Dannen's room got a little makeover! For the first time he surprised me and did some furniture moving without my knowledge. Turned out pretty good, too:)

Daddy hard at work

Hmmm... where to put this?
Tah-Dah! :)

Oh and don't forget the window decor LOL

Tooth Fairy for Kaylie!!!

Bring on the tears... happy tears that is:) Kaylie pulled out her very first tooth tonight!!! Her tooth had been loose for a while now, but tonight marked a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

I put the girls to bed at 710pm. About five minutes later, both girls came out saying I needed to see Kaylie's tooth. We walked in their bathroom to see a VERY wiggly tooth. It was time for it to come out... a time that I personally have been dreading and nervous about... William was deemed "THE TOOTH MAN" LOL I pulled out the baby orajel (swear by it!!!) and kept applying for a good 15 minutes while Kaylie wiggled away. Both girls sat on the counter in the bathroom through the whole process. Kaylie could actually bend it backwards, towards the back of her mouth!? Makenzie was right by her side the whole time cheering her on. I attempted to loop a piece of dental floss, but failed miserably lol While trying to make another knot, she yelled, "Mommy! I did it!!!" My baby girl pulled out her own tooth!!!!!!!! Instantly both girls started crying: Kaylie because she was filled with "I lost my tooth" and "WOW!" & Makenzie because her big sister was crying.

After cleaning the tooth and preparing a bag, it was time to carefully put it under the pillow. Kaylie is soooo proud of losing her tooth:) She called Daddy right away with a smile from ear to ear:) It's funny to hear her lisping a little! Makenzie seemed somewhat nervous with the idea of the tooth fairy coming in their room. They just watched Santa Claus 3 earlier in the day and thought of the man who played the tooth fairy character. Kaylie assured her that they'd be asleep, and the tooth fairy was beautiful like their favorite fairy, Tinker Bell:)

Good night little "toothy"... Good night Kaylie :)

First Cereal

Dannen tried Rice cereal for the first time this past weekend. Surprisingly, he did really well:) He had all the signs of being ready to eat solid food: able to sit up unassisted, thrusting tongue forward, making the sucking noise, and being interested in when others ate food. He likes to get up and have his first bottle for the day around 6-630am, so it should be interesting getting everything ready that early! (Hopefully the girls can either sleep in some, fingers crossed, or learn that with getting up before 645am means taking a nap or having a full hour relax time in the afternoon.) They had tons of fun watching Dannen eat. Kaylie was sooo funny. She kept saying, "Mommy, wipe his face off!" Definitely interesting explaining to both girls how it's okay if babies get kinda messy when they first learn to eat. Guess we've done a good job teaching them to eat cleanly... they want to make sure Dannen learns fast, too:)

Hmmm... what's going on?

Okay, this is kinda good!
Yummy! Keep it coming:)

Yummy!

The girls had fun eating their ice cream cones after school the other day. Dannen was VERY interested in what his big sisters were eating =P Oh-yeah... this is gooooood:)

Dannen tested out his new high chair. We'll be introducing him to cereal soon:)
He had that,
"Hey there, baby!" look in his eyes LOL

Clowning Around

Our local park had a fun Clowning Around event last weekend. The kids enjoyed getting balloon animals, playing games, getting tattoos and best of all face paintings. It was super hot outside! We're really lucky to live within walking distance of such a nice park:)

Both girls got giraffe balloons

Ready, set, toss!

My boys holding the girls' place in line

Dollie the clown gave Kaylie and Makenzie butterfly tattoos:)

Daddy even joined in on the fun...

What a proud Daddy to wear the Scooby Doo tattoo they picked

On to face painting- Kaylie wanted a dolphin on her cheek

Makenzie's dolphin was on her hand... She was a bit nervous.

What a nice time together!

Little Trip- Lots of Fun

The kids and I hung out at Downtown Disney for the day while William was at a GM Training Class in Orlando. Holy moly was it ever HOT!!! It had been quite a while since the girls got back on Disney property. This was Dannen's first trip near Mickey's house:) We enjoyed the fun spots and looking around at the neat gift shops. Things certainly look different when there are three kids to budget for! They all did so good... we're planning our next trip already, but with Daddy:)

The biggest balloon ride we've ever seen!

The fountain's spray was sooo refreshing!
The new restaurant features tons of dinosaurs!

Lego play time!!!

Chillin' in the heat

Hand-made Flower Pots

We've been collecting the empty formula cans used for Dannen. Mother's Day weekend was the perfect opportunity for the girls to show Mommy their crafting skills. They first decorated each can with paint, feathers, glitter, jewels, etc. Then it was time to fill with soil. If you really know me, you know I get nervous with messes LOL (Thanks to my Dad for passing on his OCD =P!) Kaylie and Makenzie had a BLAST getting dirt all over the table. I was very proud of them for keeping things pretty neat and helping to clean up. They planted some seeds I received in the mail from the Breast Cancer Foundation I help to sponsor each year. Can't wait to see them bloom!!!

Makenzie's cheese smile

Bring on the soil!

Oh-yeah... this is fun!

Cinderella's watering can works great:)

Hmmm... how much water can I put in here?

*Pics of the flowers coming soon!*

jUmP!

Forget rolling over or crawling... Dannen went straight for standing and jumping!

Our little three month old LOVES to giggle, scream from excitement, and make grunting noises while jumping:)

Awards Ceremony

What a delight! William, Makenzie, Dannen & I had the opportunity to see Kaylie accept her award for completing Kindergarten:) Her official last day of school is May 28th.

Mrs. Bowden congratulating Kaylie

YAY!!!
So grown-up...

What a GREAT class!

We're so proud of Kaylie and all the hard work she's done this year. She's always wanting to read and learn more and more every day! Here's hoping to another great teacher next year- pretty hard shoes to fill after such a wonderful teacher like Mrs. Bowden:)

I'm a Little Fish

Okay, so this phrase sticks with ya...

A few days ago, while entertaining the kids, William had Dannen on his lap and the girls cuddled around him. He put his fingers up to Dannen's cheeks/lips and, making a fish face, said "I'm a little fish, kiss-kiss-kiss!" Let me just say that not only did this make all three laugh very hard, but it has been burned permanently in my brain as the funniest "tune" ever sung by my husband LOL No matter where we are, what we're doing or who's around, one of the girls, William or I will start humming or go for Dannen's little face to sing "I'm a little fish, kiss-kiss-kiss!"

Had to squeeze in a little fish tune during bath time=P

Mother's Day Poem

Thank God for Little Children
by Frances E. W. Harper

Thank God for little children,

Bright flowers by earth's wayside,

The dancing, joyous lifeboats

Upon life's stormy tide.

Thank God for little children;

When our skies are cold and gray,

They come as sunshine to our hearts,

And charm our cares away.

I almost think the angels,

Who tend life's garden fair,

Drop down the sweet wild blossoms

That bloom around us here.

It seems a breath of heaven

Round many a cradle lies,

And every little baby

Brings a message from the skies.

Dear mothers, guard these jewels.

As sacred offerings meet,

A wealth of household treasures

To lay at Jesus' feet.

~*~HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY~*~

Pinch Pot

What an awesome Mother's Day present! Kaylie made me a
"pinch pot". She kept saying there was a big surprise coming from school. She created a cute ceramic dish for me in her art class. It's now the main focus on my dresser:)

Let's Play!

Dannen has decided he no longer wants to just lay down to play... it's time to sit up, stand, and grab everything!

He LOVES spending time in his fish swing. Now we have to tilt it all the way upright and attach the play-tray. Before he used to try and sit up on his own, nearly jumping out of the swing!
The girls CONSTANTLY like to play with Dannen, handing him toys, singing, and pushing his swing faster. We've even said, "Slow down or he'll get launched out the window!" Of course we get the smart comment, "No Mommy, the tree (fake one next to his swing) is in the way!"

I got a Bumbo seat from a friend who no longer used hers. Yes it's pink, and yes Dannen, Mommy's so sorry... honestly, real men enjoy pink! LOL He has great neck muscles and likes to be able to sit and interact. (Do you like his hair? Daddy loves the spiked look!)

Another friend of mine had a walker/activity center Dannen now totally enjoys. OMG he can't get enough wiggling and standing up on his own. He's NOT a fan of tummy time... try to get him on his belly for more than five minutes and he's done! Get him standing and he's a happy little baby:)

Time sure is flying by... not even three months ago my baby boy joined the family... now he's definitely making his mark on our daily activities!