Chess

My dad has taught Ainsley how to play chess ("chest" according to Brynn). She really knows how to play... not just pretend. It is quite impressive.
He recently took a group to Jordan and brought her back a handmade chess set. She loves it!

Good Morning...

I love hearing what my girls say first thing in the morning... the very first thing out of their little mouths. It often makes me wonder what they dream about or what is on their mind.
This morning:
"Nuggets... Nuggets... NUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEETTTTTTTSSSSSS!" (Brooke)
"I got boogers. Big, big, big ones and they are stuck!" (Brynn)
"Good morning, mom. I love you." (Ainsley)

Ainsley often wakes up talking about castles and princesses. Or asking deep questions about God and life and the world.
Brynn often wakes up asking about our plans for the day... where are we going? Who will be there? When are we leaving? What am I wearing? Will daddy be there?
Brooke often wakes up asking for food and daddy.

Only In Kansas...

Can you post both snowman people and barefoot sunny days in the same month!
We had a random day in the high 70's. We spent the afternoon with friends at the park and then came home and played outside some more. It was wonderful to have some time outside.

A Few More...

More Family Pictures...

My older sister came into town, so we had some family pictures taken with all of the grandchildren together. We were missing my little brother and his girlfriend which was sad!
We have a large family portrait framed above our fireplace; however, it was taken when we only had two children. I was hoping that we would get a new one to frame. It didn't happen... unless I decide to frame the one of Brynn sticking her tongue out or Ainsley kicking or maybe the one with Brooke's hands in her mouth.

Must. Love. Middle. Children.

You must click on this to see it larger... for the full impact of her personality!

Mom's Day at School with Ainsley

I had a wonderful time with Ainsley this morning at her class's mom's day. We were able to do the daily activities with them and see what their class is all about. It was very clear to me today that we made the right decision waiting a year for kindergarten.

Snowman Family

Brookie's First "Piggy"

Brooke finally has enough hair for a "piggy" as she calls it! Now she asks for her "piggy" if I forget. She is getting so big!

And pretty soon she will have hair like this:

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day:
-My phone broke. Spent the day driving to different Sprint stores trying to convince them it was NOT water damage (which would have cancelled out my insurance policy and required me to pay for a new phone).
-Crabby kids.
-Dirty house.
-Dirty mommy... realized at dinner time that I never got a shower.
-Cooked dinner... which was cold by the time I sat down to eat it.
-Cleaned up from dinner.

BUT...
-I did take the girls to the bookstore and enjoyed watching them put on a show on the stage and explore books.
-Put my dirty hair in braids and pretended it didn't look so disgusting.
-Spent some one on one time with my Brynn.
-Was given great little gifts from my family.
-Enjoyed a yummy Valentine's cake decorated by my girls.

So, although it was not a candle lit dinner at a fancy establishment, it was wonderful because I was with my family.
I hope yours was wonderful too.

Here We Go...

Well, I have spent an hour this morning trying to figure out sports for the girls. Ainsley played teeball last summer and had so much fun. Brynn is begging to play both "Three and a half year old baseball" and soccer. I think that we are going to sign her up for both.
Things are more complicated for Ainsley though. The team that she played on last year is now in the higher division, so they are playing machine pitch baseball instead. It is for 6-8 year olds. She has been given permission to play at 5 since she played last year; however, she is so much smaller and younger than the other girls. She keeps reminding us that "she is ALMOST six" and will be fine playing, but we just don't think it is a great idea.
I am trying to find a younger team for her to play on. It is hard because she isn't in kindergarten, but she is the age of a kindergartener. For example, soccer is either 3-5 year olds or k-1st grade. She is kind of in the middle of those. I hate to put her on Brynn's team, but she is still officially in that age group.
I have sent out some emails and am trying to get it worked out.
So, I imagine that we will be spending our spring and summer racing from practice to practice and game to game! I don't think we can put this stage of life off any longer. The girls are ready even if we aren't!

American Girl Update

The girls are working on earning their money for American Girl dolls. Ainsley has slept in her bed EVERY NIGHT! Brynn is about 50/50, but she is not as eager as Ainsley is.
I surprised them each with a gift card for their hard work and effort. So, we are now using the gift bags to collect the money. They will be receiving another gift card for Valentine's Day... so maybe we will reach this goal sooner than 22 months!

My Gym

We have re-enrolled Brooke in My Gym tumbling class. She LOVES it! The big girls did not have school last week due to the snow, so they were able to go and watch her class. Both of them took the same tumbling class when they were babies from the same awesome teacher. She was excited to see them and couldn't believe how big they have gotten!

Blizzard of Oz

Yesterday we had what is being referred to as "The Blizzard of Oz". According to the news, the area we live in had just short of 13 inches of snow and the snow drifts were at least 3 feet tall. It is very beautiful, but I must admit that it is a bit annoying that the kids keep missing school!
The windchill is supposed to be -21 degrees tonight. It is just freezing... way too cold to play outside which is also annoying. I let the big girls get all bundled up and go out for 10 minutes. I don't think that they even lasted that long. Ainsley came in and said, "ok, now I get my hot cocoa. That is the only reason I went outside." Silly girl... I would have given you hot cocoa without spending 30 minutes getting you dressed to stand on the front steps!
Here are some pictures: