The Wells 4 K Girls

Happy Happy Birthday!!

2011-10-19T08:49:00.004-04:00

Kam and Kourt are three!!! Can you believe it has been three years? I cannot believe that we have had them that long. They are growing up so fast. Kamryn loves horses. She wants to be an "animal doctor" when she grows up and is really interested in all kinds of animals but horses are her favorite. She can spot one a mile away whether in a movie, on the side of the road or on someone's clothing. Kourtney doesn't have a specific thing she loves as much as Kam loves horses but she does like cows and cats. She wants to be a "mommy" when she grows up. She is very prissy and always carries her purse (which is actually a huge duck bag full of little things - lip gloss, cars, brush, books, jewelry, dolls, camera, etc). She brings her "duckie bag" everywhere! They love going to school - Mother's Morning Out - two days a week. They are learning their letters and they love listening to bible stories and singing songs! They also love going to Puggles on Wednesday nights where they do more singing, have bible lessons and enjoy playing with their friends. They are so smart and articulate! They know all about Karlee's gymnastics and Kendall's t-ball and love to go watch their big sisters perform. They love playing with each other and I enjoy listening to the conversations they have. It is quite entertaining. They often pretend they are other people and hearing them repeat what they have heard others say is very interesting. What a blessing they are to us!!

Play Ball!!

2011-09-07T00:17:00.005-04:00

Kendall's first day of t-ball practice. She had a great practice - she can throw and catch really well. She needs a little work on her hitting - sometimes she hits the tee. She loved it and can't wait until time for her first game.

All-Around Champion!!!

2011-09-03T22:46:00.011-04:00

Karlee had her first meet of the season this past weekend. The Judges Blast-Off was held in Roswell and Karlee did great. She was all excitement and adrenaline and no trace of nervousness!! We could not believe how calm she was. She had a beautiful bar routine but she took a few steps on her dismount (she is too powerful!) and earned a 8.9. Then she moved on to beam where she scored a 9.1 and floor where she scored a 9.4 and finally finished on vault with a score of 9.2. Her all-around score was a 36.6! All of these were first place scores making her the All-Around Champion!! Way to go Karlee! We are so proud of you.

First Day of School . . . Again!

2011-08-17T22:51:00.003-04:00

Kourt and Kam had their first day of school today. They are going to Mother's Morning Out (MMO) at our church two mornings a week. They were so excited to be going. You can tell they have big sisters because the night before they had to lay out their clothes just like they have seen Karlee and Kendall do. They love their teachers, Ms. Jackie and Miss Nicole. They are learning letters, colors, numbers and shapes. They get to play in the playroom and have special snacks. The first day was a huge success and they can't wait to go back tomorrow.

First Day of School

2011-08-10T21:56:00.012-04:00

The big day finally arrived! Karlee starting 2nd grade and Kendall starting pre-K. They were up at the crack of dawn ready to go. The had new outfits that they had picked out the night before and a delicious breakfast of cinnamon rolls, bacon and juice. Then they headed out the door to begin a new year.

Kendall was not thrilled with school today when I picked her up. She had just finished with "nap time" and she DID NOT like it. "You can't even say anything Momma!" she told me. You know Kendall is not going to like anything where you have to be still and quiet. Once she gets used to it, I think it will be much better. After she got home and had her special afterschool snack (see below), she felt better. Later she told us about how much fun she had on the playground and at centers. She even said she made a new friend but couldn't remember his name. Karlee had a great day. She brought this cute cup I made for her new teacher. You can get your own for yourself in any deign by clicking the Pigtails & Polkadots button on the left.

She was excited about having art on her first day - she is excited about the project they will be working on this semester. It will be a portrait of what they want to be when they grow up. Most of you that know Karlee can probably guess what it will be - but you will have to wait until Christmas to find out for sure! She also had her 2nd homework assignment (her first was the night before school started!). I think it is going to be a great year for Karlee and Kendall!!

A New Start

2011-08-08T22:35:00.018-04:00

I have been absent from blogging for a while but am back now and ready to go!! I could try to catch you up on all you have missed but there are no pictures to go along with them - my hard drive crashed and all my data (including pictures) was lost. So, I will just tell you that we have had a busy, fun-filled summer with several trips to SSI, NJ and most often, the pool!!! Here are the few pictures that I have taken since I lost all of the others.

Tomorrow is a big day as we have meet the teacher for Karlee's new 2nd grade class and for Kendall's new Pre-K class!!! Look for more pics tomorrow.

SSI Vacation - Day 1

2011-06-07T00:21:00.006-04:00

We are having a blast at St. Simons!! The girls LOVE the beach and playing in the ocean.

Easter/Mother's Day

2011-05-14T23:37:00.005-04:00

The girls had beautiful Easter dresses so they wore them again for mother's day and I was able to get some cute pictures with them. We had a great Easter week - egg hunts at school, egg hunt with Ken's family, egg hunt with my family, a visit from the Easter Bunny, church and lots of candy and some really cute new outfits!

Kendall's Sweet Shoppe

2011-05-10T00:13:00.005-04:00

Kendall's Sweet Shoppe was a huge success!! The kids had a blast, enjoyed some yummy sweets including cupcakes, make-your-own ice cream sundaes and lots of goodies from the sweet shoppe. Kendall loved playing with all her friends on the playground and in the bouncy house. She got some great gifts from family and friends and enjoyed LOTS of candy!!!!!

Kendall's Birthday

2011-05-08T23:35:00.003-04:00

We celebrated Kendall's 4th birthday all week long. Her birthday was on Sunday, so we started off by going to church. After church, we had a great lunch at The Georgia Club. Then we came home and sang "Happy Birthday" and enjoyed some cookie cake. After the cake, it was on to presents!!! All she has been asking for is a big girl bicycle and she was so excited to see it in the mudroom. She also got a new Leapster game from her sisters along with a card that played "Lollipop". The theme of her party coming up at then end of the week is Kendall's Sweet Shoppe so the card was a big hit. We finished off the night with dinner and ice cream at Your Pie - soy cheese and sorbet!!! She is super excited about her party coming up on Saturday. Monday she got to celebrate her birthday at school with her classmates. The twins and I took rice krispie treats for her class to enjoy. She was pumped about her bubblegum shirt that she got to wear to school!

The Other Spring Break

2011-05-03T23:04:00.012-04:00

We had a great Spring Break in Daytona Beach! We got to spend a day at the beach with some new friends, eat at several of our favorite restaurants and try new ones, experience Silver Springs with Mama Sandy and Papa, play on an awesome playground, enjoy opening night at the Daytona Cubs and have lots of fun family time together.

Kendall's Spring "Break"

2011-04-26T22:09:00.006-04:00

We were planning to leave town on a Saturday night to head to Daytona Beach for Spring Break. Early Saturday afternoon, the girls were playing in the garage and Kendall came inside crying. She said she had fallen on the concrete and her arm was hurting. She gets hurt all the time so at first we didn't really think anything too serious. However, as time went on, she continued to cry and complain that it was hurting. Ken and I decided that it might be something serious and since we were going out of town, we wanted to be sure. Karlee was going to be a runner for the NCAA Gymnastics Regional meet so I took her to that while Ken took Kendall on the the doctor. Long story short - the x-ray showed no break but a lot of swelling which usually means a break. So they made her a half-cast and we headed off to the beach. By Monday morning she was still complaining of pain and she had fallen so much that she had broken the cast! Ken decided that she needed to see an orthopedic so he made some calls and got her an appointment on Tuesday. This time the doctor was able to see a small fracture and put on a hard cast. She was such a trooper and has done great with the cast. She was very, very proud of it.

What's Happening

2011-03-29T23:16:00.009-04:00

We have been busy lately . . . Papa has a new calf named Spring. The girls love to ride out in the pasture in Papa's Yada (Mazda Miata) to check out the cows. We had some beautiful weather a last week so we spent one morning at the park with Mama Sandy. Kourt and Kamryn love to swing and Kendall loves to try the monkey bars. We were so impressed that Kamryn could figure out how to do the big see-saw by using her body to make it rock back and forth.

Ken and I took the big girls to cheer on the Gymdogs at the SEC Championships in Birmingham AL. We had a great time tailgating before the meet. We couldn't have asked for better seats - front row! The girls were so excited - especially Karlee. After the meet, we had a pizza picnic in the hotel before we headed to the pool for a swim.

Karlee had her end of the year awards banquet for gymnastics last week. It was a fun time to see all the girls together and look back on the season. Karlee won the "Most Team Spirit" award for the way she always cheers on her teammates at meets and in practice. I am so proud of how hard Karlee and her teammates worked this past year. Karlee, especially starting so late in the training season with barely a two months before her first meet. And WOW how she improved from the beginning of the season to the end. Her all-around score went up about five points in that time. She has worked so hard and we are so proud of her.

National Gymnastics Challenge - Vault Champion

2011-03-13T22:38:00.005-04:00

Karlee had her first gymnastics meet since the season ended in November. The meet was local - in Athens - so she had lots of friends and family come to watch. She did awesome!!!! I was so proud of her whole team. They have improved so much since their last meet. They were the first place team for their age group and they only had 4 girls!!! They beat out other teams that had at least 10 gymnasts. Karlee won second place All-Around, 1st place on vault and 2nd place on bars, beam and floor. She had a great time competing and was so proud of her awards.

Happy 7th Birthday Karlee

2011-02-26T23:58:00.003-05:00

Karlee celebrated her 7th birthday on Friday but it was really more of a week long celebration. We had dinner and cupcakes on Monday with the Bishop family . . .

Dinner and cake on Tuesday with the Wells family . . .
A date with her daddy to the Varsity on Wednesday. And to finish off the week, a birthday party at the Georgia Gymdogs meet. We had such a great time. They started off the meet wishing Karlee a "Happy Birthday"

The nice guy from the GA Center (where we met all her friends for the meet) gave her a bulldog for her birthday. Notice we are all wearing our pink for the Pinkout for breast cancer.

We had a visit from Hairy Dawg who lead the girls in singing Happy Birthday. Such sweet girls! They were so good at the meet - they all got along great, made new friends and were so nice and kind to each other.
HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY KARLEE GRACE!!! I hope it was the best one yet!

More Double Cuteness!!

2011-02-23T22:39:00.003-05:00

Valentine's Day

2011-02-22T22:17:00.010-05:00

We started Valentine's Day off with pink heart pancakes and pink strawberry syrup. Our Valentine for Mrs. Britt (and a few for a friend's teachers). Karlee had a a great time at her party at school and was very proud of the box she created.Waiting for Karlee to get home we had some cupcakes with Me-mom and Nen-dad.

I Love You a TON!

2011-02-12T00:29:00.006-05:00

For the girls valentines this year, I decided to do bag toppers and fill the bags with the candy of their choice. They were so excited to choose the design for their cards. Karlee wanted an elephant with the saying "I love you a ton". The idea came from a shirt the twins have that says the same thing with two elephants. She chose Hershey's kisses for her candy and we changed it to be a little more school friendly - "I like you a TON!" This is what the finished valentines looked like.

She had a small party this afternoon at school. The swapped valentines and had yummy snacks.

Double Cuteness!

2011-02-07T23:12:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to share this picture of the twins!!

Kendall's Gymnastics Show

2011-01-28T22:44:00.004-05:00

Kendall loves going to gymnastics just as much as Karlee and has been waiting a long time to do a "show" like Karlee. Well, she finally got her chance on Thursday. Her class had a short show during the last few minutes of class where they got to show off all of the skills they had learned. She was excited that her grandparents were their to watch but a little disappointed that Karlee couldn't get out of school to come. They did their stretching . . .

then they did some handstands, forward rolls, cartwheels, tuck jumps and straddle jumps.

Next, they showed off their skills on the beam and bars.

Finally, they received a certificate, treat and standing ovation from family.

Snaggle Tooth

2011-01-27T10:23:00.003-05:00

Karlee had an exciting day yesterday. She got off the bus with a huge grin so I knew that something was up. When she smiled at me, I saw that she had a huge hole in the front of her mouth. I asked what happened to her tooth, she replied "I lost it!". It was very loose but she doesn't like to touch or wiggle her loose teeth so we were just leaving it alone. At school she was biting into a cookie and it stuck straight out and started to bleed. So, the sent her to the nurse who pulled it out. She was so excited. She also had a great practice yesterday! On Wednesdays they work on level 4 skills (the next level up from where she is now) and she did her round-off back handspring with very little spotting from her coach. She was very proud of her self and told her daddy that she thought she wanted to move up to level 4.

Karlee's Baptism

2011-01-23T23:01:00.004-05:00

Today was a very special day for us as we got to see Karlee get baptized. She told us back in late November that she had asked Jesus in her heart. She went through a new Christians class at our church where she learned about what it means to be a christian, baptism, the Lord's supper, etc. All of the family was there including Kendall. It was such a neat experience to be able to see up close with her. She was very excited that her friend Hannah was getting baptized too. As a parent, this is the number one thing you pray for, that your child will come to know and love Jesus Christ. I am so proud of her and will treasure this day forever.

December Recap

2011-01-11T15:11:00.033-05:00

Brunch with Santa at the Georgia Club - We had a family photo taken with Santa then enjoyed a wonderful brunch that included a kids buffet and gold painted cookies. Decorating Our Tree - each year the girls get an ornament to remember a special event from the past year. We also get them from vacations and other activities that we do. Here are a few of our favorites. Birthdays - We had dinner and yummy cupcakes from Silver Lining for my birthday (which is also the same day as Shanna's). I can't decide which is my favorite - sea salt and caramel or the Quentin (chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting)!
Kendall's Holiday Musical - Her class performed 3 songs and she did a great job. She loves to sing and had been practicing for weeks. Gray Annual Open House - We all headed to Gray for the annual holiday open house. We always look forward to seeing everyone and eating some really good food that Me-mom and Nen-dad had been preparing for weeks. The girls all got new outfits including new boots that they loved!Grinch Day - Karlee and her classmates celebrated Grinch day by wearing green, watching the movie, reading the book and doing Grinch related writing and crafts.

Polar Express Party - The next day, Karlee had a Polar Express party at school. They got to wear their pajamas and have hot chocolate while they watched the movie. Party Day!! - This day was jam-packed with parties. First was Kendall's school party where they celebrated with a book swap game, decorated cookies and made magic reindeer food. Then we headed to Karlee's school for her party. They decorated gingerbread houses with their 5th grade book buddies then they had snacks and decorated ornaments with snowmen families. Then it was off to the ACGA gymnastics party. The girls played games and had free time on the equipment first. Then they decorated picture frames, had a snack and gave gifts. All the girls loved their picture frames. Gym Dog Sneak Peek - Karlee and Kendall are member of the GymKids this year for all the UGA meets so they got to attend this special event and see the Gymdogs perform and then have a pizza party with the girls and get autographs. Karlee really enjoyed it.
Killin' Time - Since we had a whole week off school until Christmas, we had to find some creative ways to pass the time. So, we headed to Jungle Jumpers in Winder then to lunch at Chick-fil-A with some friends. I also had to go to the dentist to get my permanent retainer fixed and had to take all 4 girls with me! They were so good - coloring and watching. It didn't hurt that they got free coloring books and a treat at the end.

Here We Come A'Caroling - We had such a blast caroling last year that we decided to do it again this year. We invited a ton of kids (and parents). Ken pulled everyone around the neighborhood on the trailer full of hay. The kids loved it and our neighbors seemed to enjoy it too.
North Pole Breakfast - On Christmas Eve morning, we attended Mary's annual North Pole breakfast where we dined on all kinds of yummy Christmas themed dishes. The big girls had a great time playing and doing crafts. Christmas!!! - We spent Christmas Eve in Gray with Ken's family. Santa knew where to find us and had no shortage of gifts. Some of the favorites were a DSi, Leapster Explorer, new leotards, BlackJACK the riding horse, a cupcake maker, digital cameras, new babies and race cars. They also got tons of cute clothes, a purse for Kendall, piano for the twins, a new lunch bag for Karlee.
Christmas in W'ville - After lunch Christmas day, we headed back to my mom and dad's to celebrate Christmas with my family. Lots of great gifts here too including dress up clothes for the big girls, more new leotards, things for the twins "big girl" room, a race car driver outfit for Kendall, tons of sunglasses for the twins, RC cars, travel games, Sing-a-ma-jigs and . . . a pink balance beam!!WHITE Christmas - It started snowing on Christmas night so we had our first white Christmas. The girls were so exhausted from the day that they didn't even want to go out and play. However, the next morning they did head outside to play for a while. The twins were not crazy about the cold and the feel of the snow. Kamryn was ok with it but Kourtney really did not like it at all. The ATL - We were supposed to go yo NJ on the Tuesday after Christmas but the 22 inches of snow kinda changed our plans. The girls still wanted to go somewhere and since we had planned to go to the American Girl Store in NYC, we decided that we would go to the one in Atlanta. We found a great rate at a hotel with an indoor pool right across the road from Northpoint Mall. The kids had a blast swimming, eating out and best of all going to the AG store and getting new dolls. Molly for Karlee and Felicity for Kendall and then lunch at the Bistro.

Visitors from the Midwest - Since we could not go to NJ, Aunt Lois and Uncle Bob were able to come to Ga and see us. We had a great visit with weather warm enough to go to the park and play. We enjoyed opening more presents and listening to Mama Sandy and Aunt Lois play camp games.

New Years Eve - we spent the last few hours of 2010 hanging out with good friends and celebrating the upcoming year.

December Daily - Days 2,3 & 4

2010-12-05T00:55:00.004-05:00

WOW! What a busy start to the month. We have been so busy that I have not had a chance to post in a few days. Thursday we had the Athens Christmas Parade. Karlee's gymnastics team was walking and she was so excited. She got to do handstands, cartwheels, round-offs, and tick-tocks. They also did a short dance routine for the judges to "Jingle Bell Rock". There is supposed to be a way to view the parade online but I have not been able to find it yet. Friday night we took a Journey to Bethlehem. A local church puts on a great production with live animals, Roman soldiers, market vendors, shepherds, angels and of course Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. It was really, really good and Karlee especially enjoyed it.

Saturday we took a trip to see Santa. The twins were afraid of Santa but agreed to sit in the chair with their sisters when Santa "went Bye-Bye". Then he peeked around the edge to see them. It made for the cutest picture. I love it!

December Daily - Day 1

2010-12-01T23:47:00.003-05:00

I found an idea on line to scrapbook every day in December. It sounded like it would be really cool. There are so many fun and exciting things we do this month that I thought it would be a great way to capture all the memories. Here is my page for day 1.

State Meet

2010-11-19T00:23:00.016-05:00

Karlee had her level 3 State Meet last weekend. I am so proud of her winning 4th place on bars. Bars has been her lowest scoring event all season - she has really struggled with her mill circle. But she did great at this meet - got her mill circle beautifully. She did well on the other three events but not as good as she has done. I think she was more nervous that she thought she would be. We are very proud of how far she has come - to make it to the state me and place 4th when you have only been competing since June is great!

Fun on the Farm

2010-11-13T23:46:00.004-05:00

What a beautiful day!! After a great day on Friday - Thanksgiving Feast with Karlee at RBES, dinner at Zeb's and red velvet and birthday cake cupcakes from Silver Lining Cupcake Co - we kept up the fun on Saturday. Since the weather was so beautiful we headed out to the farm to play and visit with Papa for a few hours. We had a picnic lunch and then Papa and the girls built a hay house. They loved it!! I thought that Kourt and Kam might be afraid to get in but they were not. We took at hayride through the farm to see the huge hornet's nest and the fox squirrel nest. Ken, Papa and the big girls walked down to check out the creek. We finished off the day playing some more in the hay house. The pictures are not great but I think you can get the idea. We are so blessed to have this beautiful farm to play on and enjoy.

Bishop Farms

2010-11-07T23:26:00.009-05:00

Saturday we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Bishop Farms. We had a big party down by the lake - games, hayride, horse rides, great food, live music and lots of friends. All my cousins came in from South Carolina, Florida and the North Georgia Mountains. It was very cold and windy - we were bundled up in long johns, fleece jackets, hats, gloves, scarves and blankets! The girls had a great time playing on the hay and Karlee and Kendall loved riding the horses!

Halloween

2010-11-01T00:15:00.004-04:00

We hurried home from FL today so we could go trick-or-treating tonight in our neighborhood. Daphne and Velma were joined by Minnie Mouse x2.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-25T22:39:00.008-04:00

Several days ago we took our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch. We started off by picking a few pumpkins.

Then we headed to the back to enjoy the other activities. We took a hayride, jumped on the giant pillow, rode the cow train and played on the playground. Kamryn loved riding the cow train but Kourtney wouldn't have anything to do with it.

Birthday Fun

2010-10-18T00:18:00.010-04:00

Kourtney and Kamryn turned TWO today! I cannot believe how the time has flown by. It seems like yesterday that I was (still) laying in the bed waiting for them to arrive. Life is certainly crazier these days. Kourtney and Kamryn continue to amaze us - they show absolutely not signs of any effects from TTTS. It is truly a miracle - God has big plans for them one day. They talk a mile a minute - picking up new phrases from their sisters everyday. They ask a bazillion questions (mostly the same one over and over and over and over . . .). They love to play babies and push them in strollers all over. They pretend to vacuum, iron, cook, change diapers and feed their babies. They are NEVER without a purse. They usually have sunglasses, a phone and some kind of play money in the purse. Oh . . . and silly bands! Wonder where two year olds learned about silly bands? You can often find them trailing behind me in a store with theri babies and purses. They play great together and can entertain themselvea in the playroom for hours. They love to do puzzles and watch Dora. They love to play outside in their little cars or swing. And they love to jump on the trampoline. They still sleep together in a single crib and they play for about 30 minutes every night before finally falling asleep.

While they are similar in many ways, they are also very different. Kourtney is a morning eater - she loves breakfast - cheese grits, muffins, pancakes, waffles. But by lunchtime she is fading and by dinner she doesn't eat very much at all. Kam, on the other hand, doesn't eat too much breakfast and gets warmed up by lunch finishing off with a great dinner. Kam is outgoing and much friendlier while Kourt is shy and more reserved. Kam is generally louder that Kourt - her voice, her cries, her singing. While they both can be stubborn, Kam is up front and in your face about it while Kourt is a silent stubborn. Kam has better gross motor skills while Kourt has better fine motor skills - she loves to "color" with a pencil or pen but she also like to play ball. Kourtney follows directions better but they are both great helper - getting diaper, clothes, shoes and toys for each other.

We had quite a week celebrating their birthday - Grandmother Mickey and Aunt Lois came down last weekend so we had their party then. We enjoyed spending time with them and they loved seeing all the kids. We did some tailgating both weekends and finished today off with more cake and a few more presents.

Game Day!

2010-09-19T23:32:00.009-04:00

Fall Saturdays in Athens only mean one thing . . . football!! We decided to take all FOUR girls to the ball game on Saturday. We knew that we would not be able to see the whole game but wanted to try for a little while. We went over early and had breakfast in the East Commons Dining Hall. The girls love it - they can get what ever they want to eat - from cereal and donuts to omelets, cheese grits, biscuits and gravy to waffles with a Georgia "G" in the center. We had a parking pass for a lot close to the stadium so we headed over to park. The girls did great at the game! The twins watched everything for a while then they colored and had some snacks. Karlee and Kendall had a few snacks as well and enjoyed cheering for the dawgs. After we left, we stopped at The Varsity for some lunch. Perfect fall Saturday!

Fun at the Park

2010-09-03T00:31:00.006-04:00

We had to kill some time today while our house was being cleaned, so we headed over to a park near our house. We have seen the park many times on our way to and from ATL but we have never been. So . . . I thought this would be the perfect day to check it out. It was lots of fun. The twins are a little young but they could still do some of the things. There were baby swings, lots of slides and fun stuff to climb. Once the weather cools off a little, it will be a really nice place to spent the morning. There are covered picnic tables and huge grassy area to run and play as well as the playground. I think we will be spending a lot of time at "Play Park" this fall!

First Meet Video!

2010-08-31T22:48:00.004-04:00

Judges Blast Off!!!

2010-08-28T23:20:00.007-04:00

Today was the big day! Our first gymnastics meet - the Judges Blast-Off in Roswell. Ken was so nervous for her that he could hardly sleep the night before. She did great!! She tied for 5th on beam and 6th on floor. We were so proud!

Vinyl Products

2010-08-25T23:41:00.010-04:00

I shared some of the items from my craft fair back in June and was planning to set up a website to sell them all. But, I just haven't gotten that situated yet so I wanted to post a few of the new items I have for sale. Let me know if you are interested in anything or have questions!

Fonts

Busy Busy Days

2010-08-24T21:47:00.006-04:00

We have been busy busy lately. We are getting adjusted to a new school year. Karlee loves 1st grade. She really likes her teacher and her classmates. She has homework every night - no more than 15 minutes though. She is still doing gymnastics three days a week and has her first meet on Saturday!!! She is getting very excited. Kendall loves school also. She goes MWF and thinks she is big time. Her teacher has praised her for being very helpful to a classmate who doesn't speak English. I think it had something to do with popsicles and helping him select a flavor - but the more I think about it, I am wondering if she was going to "help" him by eating the popsicle for him!! Kendall is also going to gymnastics class every week. She really enjoys it and comes home telling me all the fun things that they have done. We have also started back all of our church activities - Cubbies, AWANA, bible study, Wednesday night supper and children's choir. We have tried to squeeze in a few last trips to the pool as well but we are slowly running out of time. Gymnastics meets and football season is upon us! Just wanted to add some cute pics of Kam and Kourt. They are growing up sooo fast. They are like little sponges absorbing everything you do and say. They are really talking well - they repeat all kinds of things that their big sisters do - especially if it gets a laugh.

First Day (Again!)

2010-08-17T08:19:00.005-04:00

Kendall's first day of preschool finally arrived after much waiting and anticipation. We went to open house on Friday to check out our classroom and meet her teachers. She was a little apprehensive but warmed up quickly especially when she saw all of the cool toys in the room. She liked the cash register and the reading nook best.
She was all smiles on her first day.
She was excited to see her teachers again and be-bopped right out of the truck in driver line. She had a great day and was a very good helper to some of her classmates (not sure about how that's gonna work out - she IS a good helper but for the twins who are younger!). We are looking forward to what this year will bring!

Kendall's Big Day

2010-08-12T23:56:00.003-04:00

Kendall had a very busy day today. She started the day out by having blood drawn to be tested for celiac disease. She did awesome! We were so proud of her. A few tears but nothing compared to when she had a shot last week. The lab tech was great - she was so fast and quick, Kendall didn't even have time to protest.

Her prize for being so good was a trip to Waffle House for waffles and cherry coke. Then she headed home to play with her grandparents while I had a meeting. After lunch, she headed to her first gymnastics class. She has been waiting to go to gymnastics for months but we had not been able to find a class that fit in our schedule. She had a great time - her teacher was impressed with her ability to do a pullover with straight arms and pointed toes. She loved the "ferris-chute" (parachute) that they did at the end of class. She finished the evening off with a trip to the pool and dinner from "pinocchio's" (Inoko's).

The Lake

2010-08-09T00:29:00.007-04:00

We have been waiting for weeks to go to the lake with our friends. So we headed down as soon as school was out on Friday and spent the weekend on the lake. It was a blast. Karlee and Kendall couldn't wait to get into the lake.They begged to go tubing and had a blast. Ken was a little hesitant to let Kendall go with out a grown up but she did great. I could not believe Karlee - she loved it! She begged to go fast and loved when we would sling her in circles.
The twins even got in on the fun with a boat ride and a dip in the lake. However, they much preferred to play on the porch where they could keep an eye on all the happenings!

We had some amazing hosts who were so generous to let us come and stay - thanks Papa Bill, Dede, Kyle and Jess! We had a blast!

First Day of First Grade

2010-08-08T23:52:00.006-04:00

A new school year is upon us and we are excited about first grade!! Karlee really likes her new teacher, Mrs. Britt. I think that it is going to be a great year. She has one of her classmates from last year in her class again. She also has a friend from the pool in her class as well as several other kids we know. When ever I hear "first day of first grade" this song keeps running through my head. It covers every grade and it is a very catchy tune - its from Jonah: A Veggietales Movie

Billy Joe McGuffery

Now Billy Joe McGuffrey was a really clumsy kid

On the first day of first grade, I'll tell you what he did

He tripped over a pencil box, flew up in the air

Landed on a kangaroo who pulled out all his hair

First aid in the first grade

You could buy a zoo with all the doctor bills he paid

Pool Time

2010-08-04T00:03:00.008-04:00

We had a blast playing at the pool with my cousins Monday night. Blair, J.R., L.E. and Joseph came up from Florida to visit for a few days. We enjoyed grilling out at the pool and then swimming. I took some pictures of the girls - I haven't taken many at the pool this summer. L.E. is a great photographer and took tons of pictures of all the cousins playing. Even the adults got into the action - Ken, Scott and I did flips and dives off the board and Meredith had the best back dive of the night. Papa even did a comedy act that ended up with him going off the board as well. These are just some pics of the girls - L.E. has the ones of all the cousins so I will post those as soon as I can get them from her.

Canopy Birthday

2010-08-03T00:38:00.006-04:00

Karlee's friend MG had her birthday party at a trapeeze studio called Canopy. She and Kendall were so excited to be able to try the trapeeze. It was such a fun time and Karlee really enjoyed it.

Mock Meet

2010-07-29T23:38:00.007-04:00

Karlee has been doing gymnastics at ACGA since the end of May and WOW!! She has improved 100%. Her team had a mock meet today where they competed their routines like they would in a meet. Karlee did great. I really cannot believe how good she has gotten over these past few weeks.After the meet, we had a family swim and then a potluck dinner. The girls all stayed for a slumber party at the gym. Karlee was very excited and I hope she will make it through the night.

Spider Girl

2010-07-21T00:03:00.004-04:00

Karlee is really working hard at gymnastics especially at the conditioning. They have been doing all kinds of push-ups and she has really gotten strong. So strong that she feels the needs to climb things.

Weekend Getaway

2010-07-16T23:41:00.002-04:00

Ken and I are on a little mini vacation in the mountains this weekend. We are excited to get some time alone to rest and relax. We started off our trip by tubing down the Chattahoochee River in Helen. We tubed with Cool River Tubing Co. and they were great. The water was very cold and the river was very low so we got stuck a lot and Ken had to work hard with the push pole to steer us and keep us moving along. It was overcast and threatening to storm but we made it out just in time. After tubing we enjoyed a picnic lunch from The Daily Deli. We had chicken salad croissants, orzo pasta salad, fresh fruit with strawberry pina colada dip, pimento cheese with pretzel thins, cheese straws, a cranberry pecan scone and lemon shortbread cookies. After lunch we headed to our cabin, Rabbit Hill, at Paradise Cabins & Spa for a nap. The first time I have had a nap in ages. Then we took a drive around the mountains through Young Harris and had the seafood buffet at Brasstown Valley Resort for dinner. After dinner, we went bowling at the bowling alley I used to go to in college. YHC had intramural bowling, I took bowling as one of my P.E. courses and the college would rent it out several times a year for "Rock and Bowl" nights. It was a fun trip down memory lane and I beat Ken! Looking forward to some more good food, good sights and good company tomorrow.

Papa's Miata

2010-07-16T23:28:00.002-04:00

Whenever we go to the farm, the girls beg to ride in Papa's "race car" as Kendall calls it. Karlee and Kendall sit up on the back and wave like they are riding in a homecoming parade. Kourtney and Kamryn sit in the front seat thinking that they are big time. And all four wave and smile the whole time they are riding. Their daddy likes driving it too!

American Girl

2010-07-10T00:46:00.009-04:00

Karlee's best friend celebrated her 7th birthday this week and invited Karlee (and her doll Kit) to celebrate with her at the American Girl Store. They enjoyed lunch at the American Girl Bistro - spaghetti and meatballs for Karlee!

There were special seats and dishes for their dolls to eat with them.

They also got to visit the Doll Hair Salon and get their dolls' hair done. Kit got a simple side braid - very classic! Karlee also had some money saved (we added a little to it) and she was able to get a bathing suit and summer outfit for her doll.

She had a great time celebrating MG's birthday with her!

Beach Vacation - Days 5-9

2010-07-05T22:26:00.011-04:00

Well we have been so busy enjoying our vacation that I haven't posted until now. We are now at home but I'll catch you up on the last few days at the beach.

Day 5 - Rainy Day Movie - it poured at the beach so we decided to go see a movie. The kids were begging to see Toy Story 3, so Amy and I loaded them up and headed out. After a little issue with movie times and a gushing downpour of rain, we made it to the movie. The kids enjoyed popcorn and soda and the movie was great!!! Woody and Buzz make me laugh - they are a great comedy team. I did cry at the end though. A good way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Day 6 & 7 - Beach Time - we spent the days hanging out at the beach. It was very windy so it was a little sandy and the water was a little rough, but we still had a great time.

Day 8 - Happy Birthday America! - we spent the day hanging out, going to the pool, digging in the sand. We finished the day with BBQ, a festive flag cake, glow sticks and fireworks!!
Day 9 - Heading Home - we skipped our tradition of breakfast at The 4th of May and picked up Sweet Mama's instead. Love the pork pops (cheese, bacon and sausage bite sized biscuits)!

Beach Vacation Days 3 & 4

2010-06-30T23:25:00.006-04:00

Not much going on the the way of exciting adventure here at the beach. Just doing what you are supposed to do on vacation - relaxing!!!! We hit the beach early both days and stayed until lunchtime. Remember that Karlee and Ken have been home for gymnastics camp but we had Paige and Aunt Lynn to take their place. Kendall headed to the beach early with Paige and Tanner both days while the twins and I followed a little later. Kami LOVES!!!! the beach and the ocean. She like to go out with me past where the waves are breaking and just float and hang out bobbing up and down with the waves, She likes to play at the edge of the water and dig with her shovel. She is not afraid of the ocean at all and will run right in if she sees someone that she knows. She likes to dig in the sand and make sandcastles as long as she has a bucket of water to play in as well. Kourti is the exact opposite. She does not like the ocean at all and she doesn't particularly care for the beach either!! The first two days she was ok to play in the sand but stayed away from the ocean. Today she spent the whole time sitting in her Nen-dad's lap. Kendall likes to dig and play in the ocean and she had really been great at the beach. Ken and Karlee got back early this evening after an interesting car ride down with Mama Sandy and Papa.

Beach Vacation Day 1

2010-06-28T23:48:00.003-04:00

We arrived this afternoon and had time for a quick trip down to the beach. It was sooo windy but it helped with the heat. Ken and I decided that this would be the best night to go out to eat so we headed out to Crabdaddy's. It was very crowded so we went next door to the CrabTrap. We enjoyed some good seafood and then had time to go back for a quick swim in the pool. Great start for a fun week at the beach!!

Beach Vacation Day 2

2010-06-28T23:19:00.009-04:00

What a great day we had today!! We hit the beach early (we were there by 9:30) so it wasn't so hot. Karlee had a great time riding the waves on her boogie board with her daddy. Kendall tried once but she preferred to dig in the sand. The twins came down a little later. Although they were not too thrilled with the feel of the sand at first, after a few minutes they got used to it and started to play. Kamryn loved being in the ocean, but Kourtney was like Kendall - she was content to just sit and play in the sand. We came in for a lunch break and then put the twins down for a nap. Ken, Karlee, Kendall and I headed back down to the beach with Aunt Lynn, Paige, Aunt Amy and the boys. The kids decided to dig a big huge hole which took them quite a while. We enjoyed relaxing and I even found a few minutes to read.

Ken and Karlee had to head home tonight so she could go to a few days of team gymnastics camp. We dropped them off at the airport in Jacksonville. They took a quick flight and are home and ready for camp in the morning.

Pool Party!

2010-06-18T23:58:00.004-04:00

Ok so it wasn't really a party but we sure did have a great time at the pool tonight. Kendall has been taking swimming lessons from Mama Sandy with her daddy. She is doing awesome - it doesn't hurt that her buddy Mercer is in the class as well. Today she jumped off the diving board by herself!! She is so proud. Karlee, of course, is a water bug. She is working on perfecting her dive and doing a front flip off the diving board. The twins are too funny. They love the water and ususlly spend most of thier time in the baby pool but tonight we brought them into the big pool. They love to be dunked and as soon as you bring them up they say "ginn, ginn" meaning again. They squirm and wiggle trying to get loose unware of what will happen when they do. The like to float on their back, be thrown in the air, kick their feet and jump in. Papa, Aunt Kay and Kerry came to watch the fun! We had such a fun time together as a family playing in the pool!

Daylily Festival

2010-06-18T00:28:00.009-04:00

I participated in my first Arts & Crafts Festival recently. It was the Daylily Festival in Gray. It worked out perfectly because Ken's parents live there and could help out with the kids and also his mom has a lot of friends that might buy my products. I worked for a few weeks to get everything made and my creative, super organized friend Marlana came to help me finish up and get ready to go. Here are some pictures of my booth and some of the products that I sold.

I personalized products on-site - cake carriers, Halloween buckets, sand buckets, decorative containers, cups, trays. These are great for summer cookouts and picnics to keep up with your dishes as well as great gift ideas. They can be personalized with any name and any colors. Let me know if you are interested in getting some for yourself or others. I also sold handmade decorated trays and buckets as well as magnet boards. We did really well for our first festival and we are excited about doing another one soon. Just not in the SUMMER! It was way too hot.

I Must Have Lost My Mind!

2010-06-18T00:03:00.003-04:00

Karlee's new gymnastics team had a potluck dinner tonight for everybody to meet and get to know each other. We had a great time meeting all the level 3 girls and their families. After the dinner, Ken and the big girls headed to the pool and the twins and I headed home. I had a crazy idea to run in Macy's and see if I could find a new bathing suit and cover up for our beach vacation next week. I didn't have a stroller but I thought that I could handle the twins for a few minutes while I looked for a suit really quickly. NOT SO MUCH!!! They were wild. Running around, pulling clothes off the racks, hiding, chasing each other, climbing up the step stool, emptying everything out of my purse and wallet, smiling sweetly and waving to everyone! Next time I will bring my stroller!!

Monday Monday

2010-05-24T22:42:00.007-04:00

We had a busy Monday - wash clothes, pick up toys, make beds, fold clothes, work on projects for craft fair, send e-mails, put away clothes, take naps, run in Hobby Lobby, go to gymnastics, fix dinner, put away dishes, go to book club, go to bed. Ken's parents did come today to help with the kids so I could get some of the above done. Good thing they were here so his dad could kill the snake on the playground!!!

I mentioned that I had book club tonight. We have read some really great books over the past several months. If you are looking for some summer reading, check out some of these books.

Swimming Pool Sunday

2010-05-23T22:46:00.002-04:00

The pool opened this weekend. Yesterday was the first day but we didn't go - Ken was in Gray with the big girls to help open his parent's pool & I stayed here with the twins to work on some projects for the craft fair I am doing in a few weeks (more on that in a later post).

We had a yummy lunch with Aunt Kay, Uncle Gene and Kerry then headed home for a nap so we would be well rested for the pool. Once everybody got up , we loaded up and headed out. And by loaded up, I do mean LOADED UP! 6 beach towels, 4 bathing suits for the twins, 4 sand buckets (one each), 2 sets of water wings, 2 inflatable rings, 1 pair of goggles, 2 floats, 2 watering cans, 4 torpedoes, 5 diving sticks, 4 pairs of pajamas and a partridge in a pear tree!

The baby pool was nice and warm (of course!) but the big pool was pretty cold. Not too bad though because I did get in all the way down to the deep end. The twins had a good time in the baby pool and Karlee and Kendall had fun in the big pool as well. Uncle Scott and Shay-Shay came to play too. After we were worn out and waterlogged, we headed to Mama Sandy's for some Chinese food for supper. As I was unloading all the stuff (see above) from the car - wet towels and bathing suits specifically - I announced to Ken that "SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!"

Busy Busy Busy!

2010-05-22T23:07:00.010-04:00

We have been very busy these last few weeks.

Gymnastics: Karlee is really doing well at her gymnastics. She is getting very good!! She has been practicing 2x a week for several hours but she will be switching to a new gym beginning Monday. It will be a better fit for us all around. She hopes to be able to compete in the fall. Kendall has been begging for gymnastics classes since Karlee started taking again. Mama Sandy gave her "lessons" for her birthday so they have been going once a week.

End of School! Kendall finished out her school year with a "See You Later Alligator" party. They had swamp snacks, played alligator tag and made alligator crafts. We had a great year at Friendship Preschool and she loved Ms. Suzanne and Ms. Christy. (She thinks she and her friends are going to camp in Ms. Suzanne's car but she will need to bring her own booster seat because Ms, Suzanne doesn't have one!) Karlee had Field Day last week. I still haven't figured out all the games that they played but I do know that she had a great time. She had her party yesterday and her daddy and I both got to go. They played games outside (including water balloon toss - her favorite), got tattoos and face painting, did the limbo and made ice cream sundaes. The twins have been busy playing and causing havoc around the house. They love to go outside and especially love playing in the water table. Hopefully the will love the pool as much. Speaking of the pool, we tried it out last weekend to make sure it was ready for opening day. The water was surprisingly warm and we are excited for the pool to open.

Kendall is 3!!

2010-05-03T22:41:00.014-04:00

Our sweet Kendall is growing up. She turned 3 this past Saturday and we celebrated for several days. We started off the festivities with cupcakes at school. Kendall wanted PURPLE cupcakes, so PURPLE is what we made. Then on Friday, she invited a few friends to Chick-fil-a for lunch. They had a blast sitting by themselves at the big table, playing on the playground, eating cupcakes and opening gifts. She really enjoyed it. Saturday was her actual birthday and we started it off with blueberry muffins, bacon and orange juice (her choice!!). She spent the morning hanging out with her sisters, playing with her new toys from Friday and getting birthday phone calls from family and friends. On Sunday we had her family birthday party. All the family was here to celebrate with us - we enjoyed a quick supper of hot dogs and hamburgers, then a Backyardigans cake followed by many, many wonderful gifts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL!!

Spring Break 2010 - Charleston

2010-04-28T23:26:00.012-04:00

Ken's dad had knee surgery the during the beginning of Karlee's Spring Break so we decided to just go somewhere close for the end of the week and Ken picked Charleston. We had a blast! There were tons of things to do with kids - we didn't even have time to do them all. We did visit the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry . . .
after the museum we had a yummy snack at Cupcake - Red Velvet for Karlee, Chocolate for the twins, Vanilla for Kendall and Praline for me. YUMMY!!!!
We visited the South Carolina Aquarium . . . and rode out to the beach at Folly Island.
We had a great trip and I would definitely recommend it as a trip to take with the kiddos!

"Cows in the Kitchen"

2010-04-28T22:42:00.009-04:00

Karlee has been waiting for several weeks for the Kindergarten Barn Dance. She has been practicing her songs, especially "Tom Farmer", so much that Kendall has learned them. The day finally arrived and I think that Kendall was just as excited as Karlee. We enjoyed the songs and especially the dancing. The kids were beside themselves when the parents had to dance. Then we got to have breakfast with Karlee and her classmates. Lots of fun!!
Cows in the Kitchen

Cows in the kitchen

Moo, moo, moo

Cows in the kitchen

Moo, moo, moo

Cows in the kitchen

Moo, moo, moo

What shall we do Tom Farmer?

Kendall is Stylin'

2010-04-21T00:18:00.007-04:00

Kendall is lookin' good lately - she has new shoes . . .

and some new PINK glasses!!!

You Go Girl!!

Kami's New Smile!

2010-04-14T22:39:00.002-04:00

Kami fell yesterday and hit her mouth, chipping her tooth. We took her to the dentist but they can't do anything until she is at least two - so she will have a "new" smile for a while!

Easter

2010-04-04T23:16:00.007-04:00

Zaxby's Easter Briar Patch

2010-03-29T22:07:00.003-04:00

Zaxby's hosted a little fundraiser for several schools in the area - one was Karlee's - so we went for a while tonight. Kendall had a blast snacking on popcorn, cotton candy, skittles and "little sandwiches (Nibblers)". Karlee liked playing the bean bag toss to win chances to spin the prize wheel. The twins had fun just running around. We called Uncle Scott and Shanna (since he works for Zaxby's) to come out with us, so it was fun to spend some time with them.

Egg Hunt Gather

2010-03-28T23:09:00.013-04:00

What a fun, exciting weekend we had. We started out Friday night with a Sunday school class social - Game Night. We were so excited to get to have our game night in the youth area of our new church. It is so cool - indoor basketball court, huge TVs, Wii, ping pong. We had a good time just hanging out and getting to visit with everyone. Before the social, we had a quick (but delicious) dinner at the Georgia Club. I had the chef's sliders - beef tenderloin with blue cheese pesto and Ken had fish and chips - YUMMY!

We started Saturday off with breakfast at The Big Easy, a little restaurant in Watkinsville that serves up some really good food New Orleans style. Kourtney loved the cheese grits with bacon, Kamryn only wanted to eat fruit and Karlee and Kendall had peanut butter toast. We stopped to see Papa for a second and then headed out to a big Easter Egg Hunt. We called Kerry to come with us. We met some friends there and the older girls rode some ponies . . .

and hunted some eggs. Actually, they gathered the eggs, there was no need to hunt. They were just spread out in a big field.

We spent the afternoon hanging out at the "cabin" on the farm - the girls loved playing outside on the playset and just enjoying the warmer weather. Karlee spent the afternoon eating popcorn and Skittles, drinking Coke and watching How to Train Your Dragon with a friend and her dad. We ended the night at Supper Club. It was a great night of fun and good food. Heather channeled her inner Food Network chef and made a delicious meal.

We finished the weekend off with a special Palm Sunday service including special music, drama and the Lord's Supper.
Now time to rest and get ready for another big Easter week ahead.

A Sweet Treat

2010-03-19T23:43:00.008-04:00

Ken has always been the BEST about sending flowers - birthday, Valentines Day, in the hospital when the girls were born, the first day of school and just because. He is also sends them when he is out of town. So, today I got a call from a delivery lady checking that we would be home for a special delivery. I let Karlee answer the door and she was very excited to see the lady holding this

It was for "The 4 K Girls and their mom" and we all loved it!

Spring is Here, Spring is Here, Its the Best Time of the Year!

2010-03-08T22:01:00.013-05:00

What a beautiful day we had today! I am glad that I got to spend time outside with the girls - they played on the trampoline, the twins figured out how to climb up the ramp so they could slide!! They loved it, asking to go again and again.

We have been busy lately - we are finally fully recovered from the stomach bug. Kendall and I managed to avoid it but everyone else succumbed. Once they all started feeling better, we celebrated Karlee's birthday several times with both sides of the family. I think that we kind of enjoyed having it stretched out over a long time - she got presents for over a week! So between celebrations, we had church, gymnastics, lunch and dinner out with friends, a carnival birthday party, science class and even a lunch date with my husband (at the Big Easy - you have to try to chicken and apple salad with peppers- its GREAT!!).

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks

Birthday Celebrations!

Kamryn and Kourtney Love Cheetos!

Trying Out a New Toy (yes it is PINK!)

Happy 6th Birthday Karlee!

2010-02-28T22:19:00.002-05:00

Karlee celebrated her 6th birthday on Thursday - but it was a pretty low-key celebration since her dad and twin sisters had the stomach bug that has been going around. I went to school to eat lunch with her and and bring a yummy snack. She was excited that she got to invite a friend to sit with us and then pass out cookie sandwiches. We were planning to have dinner that night but ended up just ordering pizza and hanging out - Ken was sick in bed. He was feeling a little better by Friday and was able to stay home with the twins while I took Karlee, Kendall and a friend (MG) to the Gymdogs Meet. Karlee was excited to spend the evening with her friend as well as see the gymnastics girls. By the end of the meet she was getting pretty tired. And we found out why around midnight - she woke up and was sick all in her bed. When we finally got her settled and all cleaned up after several more episodes of sickness it was close to morning. Her party was supposed to be Saturday morning at School Street Gym but we had to cancel. She spent the day in bed - sleeping most of the time. I really think that she felt bad because she never complained about not being able to have her party. Her fever got as high as 104! Tonight, I finally feel like things might be getting back to normal. We even sang "Happy Birthday" and had some cupcakes.

Baker Baker I Am Not!

2010-02-12T16:27:00.007-05:00

Okay so I am not a baker - we already established this. I really had good intentions of making those cake pops but since it was so cold and rainy this past week . . . I never got to the store to buy my supplies.

But I did have what I needed to make these yummy treats. And they turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself!

We wrapped them up and tied them up with ribbon for Kendall's Valentines along with this note:

Valentine,
You make my

heart POP!

Love,
Kendall

Karlee and I made these heart shaped crayons to give for her Valentines.

Father Daughter Dance

2010-02-05T22:36:00.001-05:00

Karlee's school had its 3rd annual Father Daughter Dance tonight. Karlee was so excited to go with her dad. She got to wear her Christmas dress and her daddy even bought her some "high heels" to wear. Ken took her to dinner at the Georgia Club before the dance. I think she had a good time although her daddy said he didn't see her all night - she spent the whole time running around and playing with her friends.

Baker Baker

2010-02-04T23:01:00.006-05:00

Please keep our dear friends Kyle and Jessica in your prayers. You can read about their story on their website All Things New Again. They are expecting baby Samuel in May and Jessica will be having surgery tomorrow to help keep him safe inside until it is time for him to arrive. They are a great family that we have really grown to love (and laugh with). I know that God is protecting this precious baby boy.

I like to bake but by no means would call myself a baker but I found both of these and I am thinking about trying them out - you know, when I put down my bon bons and Wii remote.

Leave me a comment with your vote!

Bon Bons & Wii

2010-02-02T22:27:00.004-05:00

I have been so excited about Spuer Mario Bros. for the Wii. I asked several people to give it to Ken for Christmas but not one did. Karlee has several friends who have it and has seen them playing it - so she has been asking for it. Ken decided to get it tonight (I think as much for me as for Karlee and himself). We let Karlee play for a few minutes and I played with her. It was so much fun!!!! It was so much like the old Mario - it all came back to me as soon as I started playing. Ken says that I will never get anything done now - that I will spend all day playing Wii - while I am eating my bon bons. This is our running joke about what I do all day, eat bon bons. So now I will enjoy my bon bons while I am playing Super Mario Bros.

Holidays! (Part IV)

2010-01-24T16:15:00.025-05:00

After our whirlwind Christmas we headed off to visit my Grandmother Mickey (GGM) in New Jersey. We have been going as much as possible so she has many chances to see the girls. They are her only great grandchildren so we want them to see her as much as we can. We usually try to take several days to get there so we are not in the car so long. It is a 14 hour trip normally but with kids it is at least 16 hours.
We had a great trip up. Kendall especially, loves to stay at a "hotel, motel, Holiday Inn", although we rarely stay at a Holiday Inn. We spent most nights on the road at a Country Inn & Suites - they have a suite with two separate rooms, great breakfast with homemade waffles (and free!!) and really reasonable rates. We went through Williamsburg, VA on the way up but it was sooo cold and windy that we did not want to be outside at all.

On Wednesday we opened Christmas presents with GGM - we got her a calendar too! We also made our biannual trip to Ocean Grove - a quaint little town on the shore. We always visit the cheese shop and the yummy bake shop. There are tons of cute little shops - Karlee and Mom found some cute Ocean Grove t-shirts and a bookstore.

In New Jersey, we stay at a Holiday Inn Express that also has a two room suite, indoor pool and yummy breakfast. Karlee and Kendall love snuggling together and watching the Disney-on-Demand shows in the hotel.
We woke up on Thursday to a beautiful snowfall. Karlee and Kendall had a great time playing but it was a very cold, wet snow. The twins were not too sure about it - I think it was a little cold for them but GGM loved watching them.

We left on New year's Day and made a quick stop in New York City!! We drove through the Holland Tunnel and right in with no traffic at all. We wanted to take Karlee to the American Girl Store and see the city decorated for Christmas. All the decorations were still up and it was so beautiful. We saw the tree at Rockefeller Plaza, the nutcrackers outside of Radio City and the amazing store windows along 5th Avenue.

Holidays!! (Part III CHRISTMAS!!!!)

2010-01-23T12:42:00.014-05:00

Christmas Morning at our house: Santa Claus came and he was very good the 4 K Girls! Karlee got an American Girl Doll - Kit Kittridge and a beautiful fancy bed for her along with lots of other great things. All Kendall asked for was flip-flops (which are a little hard for Santa to get in December - but he came through) and she got a pair just like Karlee's. She was also very excited about her Little People Amusement Park and Ruthie -who is Kit's best friends (but not a real AG doll). Kourtney and Kamryn got a Laugh N' Learn Kitchen, dollhouses, clothes and lots of other neat stuff.
After we finished seeing what Santa brought we got ready to head to my mom's house. We enjoyed opening presents with Scott and Shanna. The twins had fun playing with the wrapping paper and bows and Kendall was excited to get some Barbies of her own. Karlee really enjoyed her mini voice recorder and outfit for Kit that Mama Sandy's friend made. We made personalized calendars for the grandparents with pictures of the girls and Kendall loved giving it and showing off the pictures. After lunch we headed down to Gray to celebrate with the Wells side of the family. After the dust settled from a whirlwind of opening gifts, Karlee received a Vera Bradley wallet and Kendall got an iron and ironing board. The twins were not into opening their own presents but they did like to play with everyone else's presents.

Holidays!! (Part II)

2010-01-14T22:41:00.011-05:00

The week before Christmas we had several activities planned to keep us (and the kids) busy.

Open House: Ken's mom always holds a big Holiday Open House every year for all her friends and family in Gray. We go down early and help cook, decorate and set up food. It is always a fun evening visiting with friends and family and eating yummy treats. This year we were even able to get a family photo.

Caroling & Hot Chocolate: We headed over to the Griner's for caroling and hot chocolate a few days before Christmas. The kids had a blast - Kendall could barely walk in her big coat, hat, gloves and scarf - but she LOVES to sing and kept up pretty good with the big kids as they ran from house to house. She had a blast. Ken brought the golf cart for the pregnant ladies to ride on, while the dad's walked with the kids. After lively renditions of "Jingle Bells", "Rudolph" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", the kids were worn out and ready for hot chocolate and cookies.

North Pole Breakfast: Mary saw a cute idea in a magazine for a North Pole Breakfast so we decided to throw one for the kids on Christmas Eve morning. We served "Christmas Morning Pancakes, Busy Elves Bacon, Frosty's Fruit Salad, Rudolph's Mini Muffins and Joy Juice". The kids were so excited to see everything set up - we kept it as a surprise and had them come in their PJ's! We did some really cute crafts and enjoyed visiting with friends as well as the yummy food.

New Church . . . Finally!!!

2010-01-11T21:36:00.006-05:00

We have been waiting for over two years for our new church building to be ready and that day finally came this past Sunday! It is so beautiful. I will post more pics of the church as soon as I get some.Santa brought Karlee a beautiful new dress that she saw at the last minute that she was dying to have. She was so excited about wearing it for the first service in the new church but . . .

it is sleeveless. And it is really cold here right now. Did I mention the dress is sleeveless? So her daddy came to the rescue and found an awesome faux fur shrug that looked so cute.

After church we enjoyed lunch at the Georgia Club with some friends - be sure to get the shrimp and grits if you go.

Holidays!! (Part I)

2010-01-11T00:05:00.016-05:00

I am going to try to give you a summary of our busy, but happy holiday season.

Magical Nights of Lights: We started the season off the way we usually do with a trip to the Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier. The fabulous mom that I am, I forgot coats for 3 of my 4 children, so we couldn't get out at the Carnival area. Ken took Karlee (who had a coat) and Kendall (wrapped in a scarf) to ride a few rides while the twins and I sat in the car. We still had a great time - it was not crowded at all so we could take our time with the lights. Kendall really enjoyed it this year.

My Birthday: We had a great dinner for me and Shanna's birthday at Olive garden and then chocolate cake back at the house. Ken planned a great outing for me and our friends. We had dinner and then saw the John Berry Christmas Concert. We had so much fun!! We have such great friends.

School Festivities: Next we celebrated with Kendall's Holiday Musical and Party - her class sang "Jingle Bells" and "Where is Santa?" while they were all decked out in their handmade Rudolph shirts and later had a party complete with yummy treats, story time and a craft. Karlee had her party the same day. They played Santa Bingo, made edible Christmas trees and marshmallow snow globes, had a book gift swap, made Magic Reindeer Food and ate yummy treats.

Christmas Baking: No holidays are complete without a little baking - we made Rudolph cookies, munchie mix, pretzel bites with Hershey's hugs & M&Ms and Rolos & pecans.

Book Club: My church has started a book club and our December selection was a great book, The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren. It was a cute little story about the things mother's do for their children and how they strive for perfection at the holidays. It was so funny!! I would highly recommend it for next year's Christmas reading.

Part II coming soon!

Jumpin' Monkeys!

2009-12-19T01:31:00.004-05:00

In an effort to prevent ourselves from going crazy with our kids out of school (and it being soooo cold and rainy), some friends and I took our kids (and a few extras) to Jungle Jumpers, a bouncy house place in Winder. It was great!! It is beautifully decorated in the foyer and hallway, the jumping room is super nice with couches and wing back chairs. The bathrooms are nice and big with changing tables. It was so clean and nice. I would highly recommend it to anyone who lives in the area and is looking for something fun to do with your kids. Check out the website for all the details.

Party Time!

2009-12-17T23:35:00.007-05:00

We have finished up school for 2009! Today was party day for Karlee and Kendall. I found a great babysitter (who doesn't have another job and can work during the day) to keep the twins while I did a little bit of Christmas shopping and then hit the party circuit. Kendall's was first - she was so excited about it. They had a feast: apples, grapes, cheese cubes, Christmas tree cookies, white chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, cheese puffs, fudge covered oreos and apple juice. The juice was the biggest hit since they only get water at snack time everyday. Then they made paint swirl ornaments and listened to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. After the party, I took Kendall back home and then headed to RBES for Karlee's party. It was so much fun, but like a whirlwind - so crazy with 16 kindergartners running around. They played Santa Bingo, made Magic Reindeer Food, iced and decorated ice cream cone Christmas trees, made snowmen snow globes, had a book exchange and ate a snack. It was such a fun day and I loved seeing all the fun crafts they made especially the ornaments. I have a small tree for only hand-made ornaments but I think I will have to get a bigger one for next year.

Thanksgiving Queen

2009-12-06T00:43:00.002-05:00

FINALLY!!!

2009-11-11T14:47:00.005-05:00

We have been trying to lose this (our first) tooth FOREVER. After much, much drama when Ken and I tried to ~~check~~ pull it out, it fell out when Karlee was brushing her teeth before school this morning. With no drama at all.

Bright Spot in a Gloomy Day

2009-11-10T23:16:00.004-05:00

What a yucky day today - rain, cold, wind. Not fun at all - but we did have one bright spot in our day. Kendall, Kourtney, Kamryn and I got to go to lunch with our "adopted" college students. Our church has a program to pair college students with family in an effort to help them connect and have a "home away from home". We have known about our two girls for a while, but had not been able to find a time to meet with them. We finally worked out a chance to meet them today at Chick-fil-A (Kendall's favorite. Okay, my favorite too.) We had a great time meeting with Jillian and Melody and we are excited about getting to know them better. I can already tell that they will be great Christian examples for the girls.

I Want S'more!!

2009-11-08T22:52:00.006-05:00

Ken had been promising the girls that he would take them fishing. Kendall was upset that she didn't get to go to the ballgame today so Ken decided that after the game we would go down to the lake and fish, have a bonfire and roast hot dogs and make s'mores! We called Papa, Kerry and Aunt Amy and the boys to join us. The girls loved fishing with their new pink & purple Barbie fishing poles - but were bummed because they didn't catch anything. The roasted hot dogs were delicious and s'mores just might be my MOST favorite dessert of all time. Karlee had a little loose tooth drama near the end of the night, but a hug from Tanner was all she needed to feel better.

A Day in the Life . . .

2009-11-08T00:09:00.005-05:00

Several people have asked me recently - "what's it like, how do you do it, what's your typical schedule like?" So I decided to document a typical day in our KRAZY life. Obviously I missed some things but hopefully this will give you an idea of what happens around here on a daily basis.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T00:39:00.001-05:00

First Birthday Fun!!

2009-10-18T22:43:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe that it has been one year since we have had the babies. It seems like yesterday that I was on bed rest waiting impatiently for them to arrive. We celebrated with a huge birthday/thank you party for all those who blessed us (and the babies) during this time. We had a great time visiting with old friends (I'm so glad you (and Derron & DJ)came!!!) and new friends, watching Kourtney "drive" her new pink car and eating yummy snacks and birthday cake. Poor Kamryn had did not feel good - she was running a little fever by the time we finally got home. Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed our chance to say thank you to all of our friends and family. (Special thanks to Mary & Chris for coming back early from their trip and taking pictures for me!!)

"Top Secret Personal Beeswax!!!"

2009-10-14T09:50:00.001-04:00

Karlee and I discovered Junie B. Jones a little over a year ago and we love her. She is the funniest kindergartner/first grader I know. Sometimes I am laughing so hard when we are reading that I have to stop and catch my breath. Junie B. is always getting into some kind of trouble and it is so fun to find out what happens in the end. Karlee has been asking about a Junie B. movie for months, but I read somewhere that the author, Barbara Park was not interested in making a movie about Junie B. Karlee was very disappointed. When I saw that she was coming to the Classic Center as a children's musical, I think I was more excited than Karlee (but she was pretty pumped too!) It was fall break so Ken and I both got to go and we took Kendall as well as Karlee. We met the Griner boys and some other friends there.

It was a great show. Karlee really liked it. I caught her doing the dance moves and singing along with the theme song at the end. Mary and I loved Camille and Chenille, Lucille's "new" best friends in 1st grade - I think we laughed as hard as the kids!

GGM's 90th Birthday!!

2009-10-11T23:31:00.001-04:00

We have had a lot going on this fall but I wanted to catch you up on my grandmother's fun 90th birthday party we had on Saturday night. GGM's birthday is actually in November but it was hard to find a time when we all could come to NJ to celebrate. So, we decided that everyone would come here and we would all be able to celebrate - even though it is a little early. My aunt Lois and uncle Bob flew in from Indiana and mom hosted a party for GGM. Ken "catered" the event - he grilled chicken, steak, tilapia and veggies. He also fixed twice baked potatoes and apple cinnamon pecan salad with blue cheese vinaigrette. The food was delicious and the company was great. We had a nice time visiting with everyone and looking at old pictures of GGM. The kids had a great time running and playing and the twins enjoyed walking/crawling around.

Happy Birthday Grandmother Mickey! And many, many more!!!

Game Day

2009-09-26T23:54:00.000-04:00

Since it was a cold, rainy day we decided to skip the tailgating (and the game) and stay at the house. Ken was planning to go to the game with some friends so we invited the Griner boys (and their parents) to come over for some burgers. Mary made some yummy buffalo chicken dip and we had grilled burgers, chicken and hot dogs for the kids. After we ate, we sent the guys off to the game in their rain gear. The kids had a great time playing - Kendall had been waiting for "the boys" all day. They played legos, k'nex and kindergarten. They had the most fun wrestling - and "only a couple" of them got hurt. Mary and I planned the SS fall social - lots of fun! A great night spent with friends.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-09-14T23:09:00.000-04:00

We have been busy, busy lately. The week before last we were house-bound for the week with the flu. Kendall was the only one who officially tested "positive" but I took Karlee to the doctor with Kendall and he said she probably had it too since she was running a fever. So Karlee stayed home from school M-W and Kendall (who only goes Tu & Th) stayed home all week. Karlee went back on Thursday but had early release on Friday so she was home by 11:30. We also stayed home from church on Sunday, Wed and Sun again. Needless to say - by the end of the week we were desperate to get out of the house - and have a break from each other.

On Saturday & Sunday we headed out for a "get-away" - we were looking for a recliner to replace the one in our bed room that had broken. (Now, I know that you are thinking "a recliner? . . . in the bedroom?" Yes -in the bedroom and I use it EVERYDAY!! It was the ultimate bachelor recliner that Ken had before we even knew each other. When we moved to this house, I emphatically told him that it was not going in "my new house". He made his case and I finally agreed that it could go in the bedroom. I am willing to admit - here in public - that I used it more than he did. I nursed and rocked all four of my babies, slept many a day and night, graded more papers than I care to think about, read over 500 books, folded hundreds of loads of laundry, fixed many, many pig- and ponytails and enjoyed countless movies and TV shows all in the recliner. And one day last week, I sat down and that back just fell off - I guess 14 years is pretty good for a recliner. Anyway, we wanted one exactly like it but did not want to pay and arm and a leg for one.) We searched Athens and the Mall of Georgia area and found nothing. So Ken's parents checked around Macon and found one that sounded like it might work. So we headed there on Monday (Labor Day) and found a great recliner for a GREAT price in Macon. Karlee and Kendall also found a recliner that suited their fancy!

So Monday we spent the day in Gray, Tuesday we headed back to school in full force - Kendall and Karlee both. Kendall had a great time - she really loves it and really missed it when she was out. Tuesday night I had a MOMS (mothers of multiples) meeting at Taquiera del Sol (awesome corn and shrimp chowder and good conversation with other moms who know what it is like to have TWO - or more - kids the same age) and then headed to bible study. We finished our current study and are getting ready to start a new study next week - We will be reading and discussing Crazy Love by Francis Chan and I am sooo excited. It is going to be great. Wednesday we headed back to church for family night supper, AWANA, Puggles and bible study (Beth Moore's The Inheritance - it is AWESOME and no homework!!!) Thursday morning we had the Kindergarten breakfast at Karlee's school. Everybody went - Karlee was a little concerned because that "would be six people and we would probably need a whole table and my class only has three tables you know." We quickly explained there would be plenty of room because they would be using the whole cafeteria for the breakfast and there would be enough room for all the kindergartner's and their families.

Thursday afternoon I had my first session of S3 - Super Science Sleuths - the science class that I am teaching a Kendall's preschool. I have eight 3 and 4 year olds and we had a great time learning some basic science skills for our first class. This week we will be learning about WATER - wonderful, wet, water. Thursday afternoon was soccer practice and then dinner with my cousin Kerry. Friday was a little slower, just a trip to Sam's for tailgating food. Saturday was GAME DAY - GOOOOOO DAWGS!!! But before we could tailgate, Karlee and Ken had soccer and then Karlee had a birthday party at the skating rink. After the party we headed down to the Ramsey for our tailgate. We enjoyed hanging out with family and friends - the Fullers and Griners stopped by for a while. Then Ken and I headed home with Kendall and the twins to meet the babysitter. We dropped them off - all crying of course - and headed back to the game to join Karlee and Ken's family.

Sunday held an Open House for our new church building, family reunion for lunch, Birthday party for our neighbor in the afternoon and children's choir that night.

Now here we are - another Monday - beginning a week that looks just a busy as the last.

My dog sister ate my homework!

2009-09-05T17:01:00.001-04:00

While Karlee was out sick earlier in the week, we e-mailed the teacher to request her work. Ken stopped by and picked up a packet of work for her and we decided to work on it while Kendall was asleep. The babies were happily playing in the bonus room and I was working in my scrapbook room. All of the sudden I heard "Hey baby - don't eat that! It's my homework!" Kourtney had gotten a worksheet off the table and apparently still hungry from lunch - helped herself to a bite.

BAT GIRRRRRRL!

2009-08-20T21:36:00.000-04:00

Another First Day

2009-08-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

Kendall had her first day of school today. She is proud to tell you that she goes to "Friendship", and that "Miss Suz-ANNE and Miss Cris-TEE" are her teachers. She was quite proud of herself this morning as we were getting ready to go. She wanted to carry her bag with no help and even tried to pick up the bags of supplies as well. She hopped right up into the truck with Ken and Karlee, gave me a big smile and waved as they drove off. She and Ken dropped Karlee at school and then headed off to breakfast. As the entered The Big Easy, the man behind the counter called out "Good Morning Ken! Who's that you've got with you today?" They had grits, bacon, toast and some great conversation. Kendall informed her daddy that she was going to play and "make a silly face" at Miss Suz-ANNE. She went right into the classroom when they got to school and headed back to the kitchen area to get the babies. It sounds like they had a busy day:

Art : "Momma-I paint with my fingers!"
Outside time: "I swing and go on slide!"
Storytime: "I sit on my K, Karlee and hear story"
Snacktime: "petzels and teddy bears"

I am so glad that she had a good first day and I know that she is going to love going to school!!

Grocery Trippin'

2009-08-14T23:37:00.000-04:00

Just a typical day in the Wells household - laundry, breakfast, baths, picking up toys. Oh yeah, and go grocery shopping. The new Publix off 316 in Bethlehem is only abut 10 minutes from the house. It is new so it is very nice and clean. All the people are super friendly and they always have lots of sample. If we go in the morning it is never crowded and best of all - the buggies. They have "rocket ship" buggies that have a place for two kids at the front plus two baskets for groceries as well as room underneath. The top basket is perfect for Kendall to ride in. So I can go by myself and still be able to get groceries. I used to go but I would have to take the stroller and then I couldn't fit very many groceries in the basket.

(Kami - Don't text and drive!!)

We had a great time - Kendall got a cookie, the twins "drove" around and I got everything I needed.

Hula Hoop Queen

2009-08-11T08:35:00.000-04:00

It is hard to get information out of Karlee about school. I don't think that it is because she is unwilling to share, but rather that she "can't really remember anything." So we probe and pry for any little bits of info that we can get. Which is why I was so surprised yesterday when she offered this story:

"Mama - I won an award. I was the best hula hooper! I was the best so I had to go to the boys room and show them how to do it. "

How about that! I didn't even know she could hula hoop. We don't even own one - I have mention once or twice getting one but we have never gotten around to it. Maybe now we should.

She also rode the bus for the first time yesterday. She was a little nervous at first but her good friend Will called to tell her all about it. He explained how fun it was, how "you don't even have to wear your seat belt" but that you do have to "sit down in your seat all the way home." She smiled and nodded, then told him okay, handed the phone to me and told her daddy "I still don't want to ride the bus." We convinced her to try it for one day and see how it goes. She did well - didn't seem nervous or scared when she got off but she was sooooo hot. Her cheeks were flushed, she was sweating and she told us it was "too hot - she wasn't riding tomorrow!" I asked her to try one more day but I am afraid it is going to be just as hot today so maybe we will take a break until the weather cools off just a little. She is excited about having art today and I look forward to seeing what she creates. She also told us Mrs. Brown said they will have homework on Tuesday, so I am anxious to see what she brings home.

Off to Kindergarten

2009-08-05T08:47:00.000-04:00

Karlee had a great first day at kindergarten. Ken walked her in this morning but she had no problems going right into the classroom. She ate almost all of her lunch - I was worried that she wouldn't eat and then be hungry later. She loved the playground at recess, especially the jungle gym and was very disappointed when they had to go in early because of thunder. She built hula hoop houses in PE and sat at the yellow table for lunch. I was almost in big trouble because I forgot to send a snack but it was Tripp's birthday so they had Popsicles for snack time.

I was a little sad this morning but Kendall, the twins and I kept busy. I played legos with Kendall, checked up on all the back to school moms on facebook, took Kendall to the bathroom, heated bottles, helped Kendall get dressed, fed the twins, uploaded the "back to school" pictures, changed diapers, fixed and ate breakfast, took Fred out, cleaned up the kitchen, gave Kourt and Kam a bath, folded clothes, put the twins to bed, folded more clothes, cleaned up the bonus room, washed some clothes, put Kendall to bed, made my tutoring flier, picked up legos, k'nex and Mr. Potato Head, cleaned up the bathroom from bathtime, put away clothes, took Fred out, got Kendall up, played babies with Kendall, got the twins up, changed diapers, fixed lunch, fed the twins, took Fred out and finally loaded everybody up to get Karlee.

I hope tomorrow is another great day for Karlee.

The Night Before Kindergarten

2009-08-04T23:23:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that Karlee will be starting kindergarten tomorrow. We went to open house today and met her teacher. Her teachers are Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Looney. I understand that Mrs. Brown's husband was the former principal at RBES and she is nearing retirement. I think that she will be good - Mrs. Looney seems really fun as well. We checked out the PE schedule and met the PE coaches. Karlee will have PE tomorrow so no flip flops. That put a kink in our first day of school outfit (it was a skirt with new flip flops) so we had to make an alternate choice. But it will still be cute - she gets to wear her new tennis shoes so she is excited about that. We toured the school and saw the art and music rooms - she really liked the music room and has already decided what instrument she wants to play first (if I remember correctly it is the violin and then the drums.) We met the media specialist, looked around the media center and most importantly - found the Junie B. Jones books!!! We walked through the line in the cafeteria and talked about how to get your lunch - although I think we will be bringing our lunch most days. After all, that is why we got the cute monogrammed lunchbox. Before we left, we signed up for PTO and Ken even went to the first meeting tonight. We are so excited that her friend Luke from church is in her class. He is a sweet little boy that Karlee has gotten to know and Ken and I have gotten to know his parents as well. I love his mom and I am excited about getting to know her better over this year. I prayed all morning that they would be in the same class and isn't God amazing - they are sitting right next to each other!!!
I am excited for Karlee - she is going to love school. I am a little sad for Kendall. I think that she is going to miss her big sister. I am not so sure about Karlee especially after I heard this conversation today:
Karlee: "Kendall - I'm going to kindergarten. Are you ready for kindergarten?"
Kendall just laughs
Karlee: "Well, I am because I'm tired of you hitting me and biting me all the time."
Which is not so true - Kendall DOES NOT hit and bite her all the time although lately they have been fighting over everything. I think that Karlee will be too busy during the school day to miss Kendall but if she were to stop and think about it, I know that she will miss her. I am sending Ken alone with her in the morning instead of going with them - that way no one will see me crying except my sweet Kendall who I am sure will be very concerned.

I know that she will have a great day and I can't wait to pick her up tomorrow afternoon and hear all about it.

The Doctor, Pictures and Sisterly Love

2009-07-22T23:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the twins had their 9 month check up. They are doing great - everything was right on track and within range. The vital stats are as follows:
Kamryn - 19 lbs 14 oz; 27 3/8 in. long
Kourtney - 19 lbs 7 oz; 27 in. long
They are both crawling but Kourtney crawls better and faster. Kamryn is pulling up and standing all the time. Kourtney had pulled up once or twice but she is content to sit and play. The are eating good and both are about average as far as weight and height percentiles. They both have four teeth - two on the top and two on the bottom. They did have to get two shots each but they were fine as soon as they had their bottles.

Today I took the twins to get their 9 month pictures taken. I thought I had planned it perfectly - I scheduled my appointment for 10:40. They napped on the way there and I fed them as soon as I got there so they should not have been tired or hungry. Kamryn did great - but Kourtney was another story. I really think that she did not feel well from the shots yesterday. We tried everything to get her to smile but nothing worked. We finally got her to stop crying but the photographer had to take the pictures while she was sitting in my lap. Kam laughed and hammed it up as usual so we got some really cute shots of her. You can tell from the pics that Kourtney isn't feeling well. I am posting a few of the shots but the do have the copyright symbol over them. (Kourtney then Kamryn)

Kami Loves Kourti -Tonight when I put the babies to bed, they fussed a little but settled down pretty quickly. About 20 minutes later I heard loud crying - the kind you hear when someone is hurt. I came up to check on them and Kourtney was laying on her stomach crying and Kamryn was laying across Kourt's back. I picked Kourt up and she quickly settled down but Kam started to cry. I took Kourt to my room to rock and I thought that Kam would settle down and go to sleep but she just cried louder and louder. I decided to put Kourt back (she had stopped crying) and see if I could get Kam calm. When I went in, Kam was sitting at the other end of the crib bawling. As soon as I started to put Kourt down Kam crawled towards her. Kourt turned away and went right to sleep. I took Kam to my room and she snuggled in with me and calmed down pretty quickly. She was still awake but I took her back into to lay down. I put her at the opposite end from Kourt so she wouldn't wake her but she started to cry and tried to sit up. So, I moved her up next to Kourt and she snuggled right up next to her. I went back in to check a few minutes later and Kam was asleep across Kourt's back. So, I have one baby who can't go to sleep with the other one and one baby who can't go to sleep without the other one. What do you do about that?

VBS - The Boomerang Express

2009-07-20T23:42:00.000-04:00

The week that we came back from Philly was VBS week at our church. I was helping with the 2 yr old class - which was just for workers kids but we still had about 12-14 kids each day. They let Kendall move up to this class since I was working. I missed the first day because we were coming back from Philly, but we jumped right in on Tuesday when we got back. I was so impressed with us that we managed to get there on time everyday - 8:00 am is pretty early for us to all get up, shower, get dressed and eat. I had a great time teaching Kendall's class. However, I did learn that I never want to be a preschool teacher - you have to have an abundant amount of patience. Kendall loved it. She listened to story time, made crafts, played music went to recreation and made snacks. Because most of our kids were new to using the bathroom like big kids - we had a lot of bathroom breaks. In the older kids classes, the were collecting offering to be used for the area food bank. To up the ante, the boys and girls were competing to see who could raise the most money. The losing team would get a pie to the face of their leader "Mr. Chan" or "Ms. Christi". Karlee was pumped about the contest and came home everyday wanting money. Being the awesome mom that I am, I wanted to make the most of this teachable moment so I offered to match the money she earned doing various chores around the house. She worked very hard to raise money for her team. But when she came home the third day and told her daddy that the boys were still winning, he decided that he would have to help her out. So, he pulled out the box of change that we kept under the bed. We had so much that Karlee could not even lift the bag. She brought her loot in on Friday which also happened to be "Wacky Hair Day". I think the girls were extra motivated and they managed to beat the boys. Overall it was a great week and the kids raised over one thousand dollars for the food bank.