Firsts in hair and life!

There were two new firsts this week. After 7+ years of my little girl having long locks, we have officially cut them all off and given her a cut very much like her favorite celebrity Anne Hathaway. It was a necessary thing that was tough to do but we couldn't be happier with the results! We figure that since it is summer anyway it will be much cooler to have the shorter hair and she won't have to worry about putting it up or brushing out the massive tangles her wavy thick hair has a tendency to get. She looks incredibly adorable with her new Pixie cut, which also works for the other new thing she experiencing this week.

On Monday she left for her first time ever week at St. Albans Girl Scout Camp. She was super excited and nervous to be attending camp with some of her favorite girl scout friends! She had so much fun shopping for and labeling all her supplies for camp. We made sure we had it all packed up and crossed off the list so that she had everything she needed. Her Memere even sent some money to help pick up the sleeping bag and some socks to go with her.

She even wanted Snuggles to go along for the ride which was cute and made me smile.
When she went to camp she was put in the Pixie group at camp (just like her haircut-see perfect) and I thought that was great because one of her favorite Disney characters happens to be a pixie! Tinkerbell! So how totally perfect was that!?!

I wrote her a letter yesterday, I don't know if she will get it before the end of the week but I tried. I meant to do it earlier but it was so stressful thinking about this week coming up and knowing that Andrews leaves in just five days from today.

We can't wait to see her on Friday at the Family Picnic/Pick Up and I am hoping to be able to get her a camping patch since they are not too much to buy. It will be great to add to her vest before she takes it to CT to show her Memere, who is very excited to see all the things she has done and patched she has earned! It is so crazy that she gets home from camp on Friday, Andrew leaves Monday, She leaves again on Wednesday night, and then is gone for ten days! I miss her face! Though I am sure she will be back to drive me nuts before I know it!

That is it for all the first lately. Hope you are having a fantastic Summer!

Just a Family Update

Comfy Movie Watching with Mama

We are about half way through the month and there have been no HUGE events but just some fun. I have spent some fun time with the kids. We've watched some good movies that Mckenzee LOVED! First we watched Matilda, Mckenzee loved the part where Matilda makes things fly around her house and the music play. She thinks the scene at the school where they get back at the Trunchbull is the best part too.

Hocus Pocus

Now since it is October and Halloween movies are all over the television, we also sat down after dinner one night and watched Hocus Pocus! Mckenzee loved that movie too! She gets so invested in them sometimes that if you watch her face then you know if the movie is happy or sad. When Binx gets run over the first time she reacts almost the same as the little girl in the movie. She covers her mouth and looks so distraught! It made me laugh when she did it but being her first time watching it and understanding it I was kinda proud of her as well! I think it is possible that we will watch Twitches once it records followed by Twitches 2. Tonight's movie might be The Nightmare Before Christmas, it is one of my favorites and the kids like it too so I am excited to watch it. I am hoping to get some Mini Pumpkin Pies made tonight (thank you www.bettycrocker.com) and we will enjoy them during movie time after dinner (which is Tuna Helper) tonight.

On Saturday I tried sushi for the first time. IT WAS AWESOME!! I had a California Roll which was much better than I expected. I think I just may occasionally get some from the sushi bar at work. When I had my cart set up next to it on Saturday it was fascinating to watch them make it and I was amazed by how many CHILDREN like sushi around here! Back in CT you would be lucky if ANYONE ate sushi. Out here in WA it seems MOST people like some kind of sushi. The hot foods near where I set up in the store also has THE BEST vegetable egg rolls I have ever had!
On Sunday we had game day here at home. Once I got out of work we got into game mode and made some yummy nachos, put on some game gear, and settled in to watch the Seahawks versus the Cowboys. My nachos were SUPER yummy and Mckenzee looked so cute wearing Andy's Seahawks Jersey that he got for Christmas last year! She had her friend Maddie over to play with as well and went from playing with her friend and Spencer and then watching the game. Maddie is a big Seahawks fan and Mckenzee is like her daddy all about the Cowboys so it was funny watching them go back and forth during the game! I love that Mckenzee has made such good friends with Maddie. Especially since she only lives right across the hall. We ended the night letting her sleepover and playing a game of Heads Up with them (fun game!!!) After the kids went to bed DJ and I watched The Replacements (because it was Football Sunday) and then we watched the Season 5 Premiere of THE WALKING DEAD!!! It was so so good and I cannot wait for the next episode!

So that is pretty much all we have been up to, like I said nothing special just some family fun!

#MamaLife

So it Begins....

It all starts now. 

First it is school, my daughter starts second grade on Wednesday! She is so excited, she is in a new school (hopefully this is the last "new school" in a while)and she LOVES school. This year she actually got a character back pack (for the first time) Disney Fairies! She also has some great back to school outfits thanks to her Gramma and Memere back in CT! My son started middle school this past week and he is a little less excited than his sister. He has always had a little trouble with school because of his ADHD but with the program he is a part of he has been doing well. He is an excellent speller and pretty good at word math problems (like his Mama ;) ). It bums me out a little that I don't get to see him when he goes to school and such but I know it won't always be that way. I am a little disappointed that his father (the photographer) couldn't get a good picture of Andrew on his first day I mean seriously, I thought he prided himself on picture taking skills! 

Now soon to follow after school starts is Halloween, my mother's favorite holiday! This will be Spencer's first Halloween where he can actually walk on his own AND have (some) of the treats he gets. I am hoping that I can make a Halloween dinner or treat sometime close to it just to make it really fun for them this year! 

 This picture is from about 4 years ago and to this day is still one of my favorite shots from pumpkin picking when I had my oldest boy and daughter with me! They are so cute in this picture! My mom thinks I should send it in to Jones Soda for their photo bottles! 

Before I know it after Halloween passes it will be time for Thanksgiving and then *YIKES* CHRISTMAS!!! 

This Christmas will be DJs and my first one on our own without anyone else in the house! Just us and the kids! We even have our own ornaments and everything so I am kinda excited for it to come...except for the recent job loss part that totally bites! 

We are making it all work and we are doing it on our own. We are going to make the best of whatever we can in this holiday season and for many more to come! 

Well that is all I have time for right now readers! Hope you enjoyed and know that BECAUSE my little girls starts school on Wednesday, there will be a picture filled blog of her *YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED* :) 

#MakingItWorkTogether 

Baby Steps (In more ways than one)

So in a few little ways there have been some changes in the house. First and the most exciting of them all is that my little boy Spencer, nine months old, is a walker! At first it was just a few steps here and there, but now as of this morning he is walking everywhere and even in socks, which was hard for him at first on the hard wood floors.

The next baby step taken was with my organization. I have been able to keep track of things a lot easier, I bought a binder (thank you Alicia for the idea), and have started getting rid of unneeded items and old things that make no sense to hold on to. OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW....(that is how it goes right?!)

I have even starting organizing Mckenzee's things, like her homework items and such, as well as her and her brothers' clothing. (I had NO idea just how much clothing they all had)
Mckenzee also gets these lists of words from her teacher for her to practice and make sentences out of most of which are actually too easy for her and others that are at a second grade level. Since I wanted to make it fun for her to practice these words I made her a word box. We take the lists of words, cut them up, and put them in the box. Then she takes to words out here and there and try to make a sentence out of them.  Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, but it is fun!
She is getting to be an excellent little reader!

Things are slowly coming together and I am sure that before I know it life will run a little smoother and be a little easier to manage!

....and we will all rest a little easier!!