September School Days

I realized today that it has been awhile since I've blogged. Then I went to look on my phone and didn't find many pictures from the past couple of weeks. We've had a good couple of weeks - just nothing major to post about. Figuring out our new routine with Kendall and Cooper's schools, day-to-day stuff, and battling a little sickness has consumed our time lately. Good weeks - just nothing big.

One day last week, Cooper and Calli and I went and met Kendall at her school for lunch. The school asked us to wait a couple of weeks before we came to eat with our students, just so they could establish routines and learn how to eat in the cafeteria. So last week I finally got brave enough to take both girls up for lunch. They did great! Mary came and ate with Sarah, too, and Kendall loved that because Sarah is in first grade, and Kendall was able to sit with her for lunch. Cooper and Calli and I had fun, too! It was great to see her with some of her friends, meet a few other moms that were there, and see Kendall in her school environment. She is so big!

Cooper is in preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so those days are for Calli and I to spend together. One morning recently we went to Chick fil A for breakfast. She was totally accessorized and I had to take her picture. She didn't mind. Purse, glasses, necklace, and her cup. She's so awesome.  

 She loved going to Cooper's class for her birthday. I had a hard time tearing her away from the centers. She will love going to school next year!

My Granny got the girls these maroon and white polka dot dresses for Cooper and Calli's birthdays. They are so precious! They wore them the Sunday after our loss to Alabama (sadness) and they looked adorable. If I do say so....

 

The girls passed around a little fever for about a week and a half. Cooper missed a day of school, then Kendall missed a day of school. Calli just started battling some congestion and wheezing yesterday, so hopefully that goes away soon.

Calli had her follow up with her ENT today and it went well! We don't have to see him again for another six months! She has tubes in her ears now, and her hearing tested perfectly!

Soon I want to post a blog about our daily schedule. Just for us - for the girls' books - because I want to remember what our days look like at this stage in their lives. It's been an adjustment having Kendall in Kindergarten. Drop-off, pick-up, and naptimes in between. Kendall is just doing so well at school, though, and we are so proud of her!

Our lives are busy and full and most of the time exhausting, but we love our three precious girls so much and I wouldn't trade being home with them for anything! They still make us laugh all day long, and God is still teaching me so much through being their Mom. And also we are thankful for that 8:00 bedtime that is pretty strict because of school these days - because by then we are ready for some down time!

Cooper's "Celebrate"

Last week Wee Place celebrated all the August and September birthdays! Calli and I went up for snack time with Cooper, to share cupcakes with her class and sing Happy Birthday.

Despite the way this picture looks, Cooper was super excited for us to be at school with her! We met them at recess and she wanted me to stay right next to her and not have to walk in the line with her class. She became super clingy because I was there.

 Waiting in line to wash her hands. Still wanting me right next to her. :) I love that little bug.

Then we all ate cupcakes! Even Calli got to enjoy one! Cooper was proud to show off her little sister to her class.

 Her friend Aubrey has the same birthday as her! Aubrey's big sister was in Kendall's class at Wee Place the past two years, so these two have become little buddies at school.

 Lately we've been noticing that Coop is feeling extra squishy. :) We think she may be about to grow taller, because for awhile now she's been growing rounder.

 

 Calli thinks that anytime I'm taking a picture, she needs to be in it. We've trained her well. :)

We told her the night before that they were going to "celebrate" her birthday at school. So she started calling it her "celebrate," like instead of her "party." Since then, she has said, "Mom, remember when we had my celebrate at school?" Cracks us up.

We had fun visiting Cooper at school! Our big three year old Giraffe!

Double Check-ups!

Cooper and Calli had their 2 year old and 3 year old check-up today! In honor of the occasion, they wore their matching zebra with rain boots outfits they got from the Mitterlings. A zebra with rain boots. And Cooper in her rain boots. Does it get any better? Yes - it does - they match!! And they have tu-tu skirts! Stop it right now.

 They posed for a few pictures for me before we left. We picked Randy up to go to the appointment with us, since our doctor is right across the street from his office. Yay! They loved getting to see Dr. B and our sweet nurse and friend, Teresa. And the best part - other than the matching cute outfits - neither one had to get a shot! Hallelujah!

Everyone checked out just great! And just because these are their baby books/blog books that I print out each year:

Calli is 34 inches tall (50th percentile) and 25 pounds (25-50th percentile). She was 22.5 pounds when we brought her home, so she has gained a little bit of weight in 5 months! She's still just so little. I think she's grown one inch in that same amount of time.

Cooper was 36.5 inches (25-50th percentile) and 32 pounds (50-75th percentile).

After their appointment, we stopped at the taco truck and got lunch to take back to Randy's office. Taco truck tacos, in Dad's conference room. These girls were pretty happy!!

Calli and Her Babies

Calli was awake and talking happily to herself for awhile today before I went and got her up from her nap. I let her play as long as she was happy. When she started fussing, I went in and sat down next to her and hugged her. She pointed to the end of her bed, and when I looked, I saw her babies all covered up by her quilt. She has several stuffed animals, but she only wants to sleep with, and HAS to sleep with, her baby we got her before she came home, her puppy that Granny and the girls gave her when she was in the hospital, her quilt I made her, and her pink princess pillow. She had put her babies up on the pillow, set them up just so, and covered them with her quilt to where only their heads were showing. I loved it.

 I told her to sit there while I went to get my phone to take a picture. She was so proud!

It's so amazing to us to watch her learn to "mother" her babies. We are so thankful that she loves to receive love and nurturing from us and that she is beginning to pass that on to her "babies." So blessed to be on this journey with her!

Kendall Loses her First Tooth!

Kendall lost her first tooth last Sunday! It wiggled and wiggled for so long and neither Randy nor I were willing to pull it. It looked like this for awhile. Ewww!!

But then last Sunday, when she was at Gigi and Peeps' beach house, it just fell out! She was so excited and had to show everyone. She brought it home to us in a baggie and was so proud. She showed everyone at church that morning!

She and Cooper spent the night at the beach house again Sunday night, so we didn't put her tooth under her pillow until Monday night when she was back home. She was so excited! I still have the pillow I used to put my teeth in growing up (Randy would say go figure! We have a lot of my old stuff. :) I was a Snow Heights Polar Bear, and one of the moms made these for all the kids in my Kindergarten class. Kendall was super pumped about putting her tooth under her pillow.  

I can't believe she is old enough to be losing teeth! I said, "Really?! Starting Kindergarten and the first tooth all in one week?! Give this mama a break!" It's so fun watching her have all these new adventures, though! And her new smile is pretty cute!

Cooper's First Day of Preschool

Tuesday, September 3rd, was Cooper's first day of preschool at Wee Place! She has been so excited, so she was READY for her first day of school! She picked out one of her new dresses that she got for her birthday. This was from Great Granny. I loved the Aggie Maroon! We took some pictures before school - her faces crack me up.

 She's taking Kendall's old backpack to school. Bless her little heart - she's so excited about it. It even says "Kendall" on it. Use it up, make it last, make it do, or do without! Ha!

 Randy was able to meet us at school to walk her in. I'm so thankful that his job is so flexible that he can do things like that!

 Our little 3 year old giraffe!

She walked in so confidently, hung up her backpack, washed her hands, and then sat down at her seat to play with play-dough! No problem at all! Such a big girl.

We're so proud of our little giraffe! We can't wait to see what new and exciting things she learns this year in school!

Double Birthday Party!

Cooper has been so excited "for August 31st." She has been saying the date of her birthday for a couple of months now and it's so cute the way she says it. I have it on video somewhere. We figured Calli would be happy with whatever Cooper picked for the birthday party, so a couple of months ago I asked Cooper what she would like. She has been obsessed with school buses for awhile now, so she immediately said she wanted a school bus party! So funny. So, I looked around online and, turns out, there have been lots of people that have had school bus parties - except all the ones I saw were for boys. Oh well. Our little Cooper loves school buses. So that's what we did!

We love that it's in summer, and that we get to have a swimming party outside. We just can't ever plan on that in February for Kendall's birthdays. So we planned on a splash party, in the front yard, on their actual birthday, August 31st.

This was my favorite part. Randy and I have been working on it for several weeks now, trying to get most of it ready before Calli's surgery a couple of weeks ago. We made it out of foam insulation board, and it was perfect for kids to take pictures behind!

 Cooper originally was saying that everyone should wear yellow to her school bus party, so Granny bought the girls bright yellow swimsuits. They were adorable!

We had lots of family drive all the way down for the party! Pops and Kiki, Great Granny and Aunt Auggie came down and stayed in a beach house all weekend, Granny and Papas came, and Gigi and Peeps brought Aunt Val and Dohe, Gracie, Evy and Oliver. Randy's two aunts also came, Kathy and Brenda, along with Brenda's husband Wayne, and his cousins Kaity, Keelie, Emily, Kyle and their three, Maelie, Lorelai and Laine. We had lots of family here and it was so fun!

Lots of sweet friends came, too, to help us celebrate! We are so thankful for the awesome community God has placed us in and we love all our friends so much! 

I loved the school bus cakes the girls had! Cooper was so very excited about these. We even had cupcakes with stop signs on them, which is her other very special thing!

 We sang Happy Birthday to the girls separately. Cooper was pretty shy, but Calli just sat and looked around at everyone, taking it all in. Sweet girl - we loved celebrating her first birthday with us!!

 

 

Cooper was pretty excited about opening presents this year. Calli even got into it a little bit!

 Our sweet friends, Amber and Garrett let us borrow their awesome water slide for the party! It was perfect for the age of the kids we had and they just loved it.  

When the party was over, Calli asked Granny for a little more cake. Of course!

 

 We love celebrating these girls and having parties! Happy school bus party, Cooper and Calli!!