Back to our Vacation

After Daphne's blessing, sadly we had to say good bye to Daddy since he had to go back home to work. Then we drove with my parents back to their house. We don't do many road trips since we live so far away from everyone so I was curious as to how the girls would do. The first 5 minutes was not a good sign. But they were obviously tired and both the big girls ended up crying themselves to sleep. Which was nice as they slept for a good chunk of time. We had planned to stop at a couple stores that I wanted to go to, but sleeping kids was more important to me!

We drove from Ogden to Las Vegas making many potty breaks and nursing breaks. Even though my sister Tricia and her family were on their way to Nebraska after Daphne's blessing, we stayed at their house that night. We ended up not getting much sleep because it was too exciting to play with cousin's toys even when they aren't even there! And then my sister Tara and her family got there as we were "trying" to go to sleep. More excitement!
The next day, we ALL were driving home. Tara and Jon to their house in Palm Desert and us to Ventura. We drove to State Line and road on some rides at Buffalo Bills. The kids LOVED the log ride! Lucy was so scared about it at first, but then LOVED it and talked about it for DAYS! Sadie and Allie road with Grandpa and thought it was so cool. Then we drove to Calico which is a ghost town that I remember going to as a kid. Note to self and all others interested: Do NOT go to Calico in the summer and in the afternoon! It was HELL...literally! I did not take any pictures (I think my Mom did but I will probably never see them; ahem Dad!) because I had to be in the shade with Daphne. I had her covered with a blanket but even still if we were not in the shade she would just cry! Just standing in the sun made you feel like you were getting an instant sun burn! It was crazy! Some sweet lady even gave me an umbrella to hold over Daphne. I do have to say, the people at Calico were all SO nice! Giving us things and letting us do extra etc. We walked through the old mining tunnels and even panned for gold! Sadie and Lucy both got some gold and were so excited about it! The kids got a souvenir and we got a post card for Daddy and we were out of there!

We made our to McDonalds and were so ready for a drink! The girls were excited to see Ronald sitting on the bench as we walked in. Look how hot they look! Red faces and everything. And of course Daphne is out!

We finally made it to Grandma and Grandpa's house and we were so excited! The weather was exactly what we hoped for! It was so nice to get away from our Texas heat! We got to go visit my Grandma Beebe and Aunt Joyce. It was great to see them and they loved seeing the girls! We hadn't been to Ventura for almost 2 years so they have grown a lot since then.

We got to go to the beach a lot! Which is what I wanted! I wanted a nice relaxing vacation! Most of the times when we go to Ventura we always have so much planned. This time we planned nothing! Me and the girls got to hang with Grandma and Grandpa and just enjoy each other! We walked to the park, went to the library that I used to go to as a kid, went to many favorite restaurants, and of course the beach!

The girls got to sleep together and they loved it! They have gotten in the habit of it and one usually ends up in the others bed during the night now that we are home. They are so cute! I love sleeping kids! They just look so peaceful and cute!

We did a lot of playing Barbies! Well, mostly following directions with Barbies! Sadie likes to tell us what to do and say as we are playing! One time Grandma and I got "too silly" and we got shot down quickly! Even though Grandma has never really played Barbies before (according to her word) she did great and the girls LOVED playing Barbies with her in her room!

Grandma and Daphne! Daphne got so spoiled with all the attention from everyone! It was so fun! We all enjoy her so much! I did a little photo shoot so we went down town to view the area before hand. The girls asked to put their feet in the fountain while I was looking around. I said yes, but not to get wet. Pretty soon, this is what I found! Yes, we were the white trash kids playing in the fountain! But it was worth it! They had so much fun!
Here are some of the pictures of my kids during the photo shoot. Lucy with her fingers in her mouth and playing with the seam of her shirt. She really has found comfort from those two things. She will come up to me and grab my shirt hem or the hem of my skirt. I have even seen her use Daphne's hem. So cute! She had her shirt off because she was hot (?I know?) and smiled perfectly, but when I put her shirt on, this is what I got.

We had so much fun in Ventura! It was great for me to be able to see friends and their kids too! There is more to come, but this was the first part of our trip when just our family was at Grandma and Grandpas. It was such a great time! The girls really enjoyed being able to spend so much time with them at their house! They love finding gold coins in the sand box every day and trading them in for a prize out of the treasure chest! They loved chasing their cat Taffy around from under the table to under the bed. :) It was a great time!

3 and 4 Months

Life has been busy and sadly, blogging has taken a back seat. But not for long! :) Before we left for our trip this summer Daphne turned 3 months old. Then we were gone for most of her 3 month life. :) We returned the day before she turned 4 months. At least I took a picture of her at 3 months before we left!
She is such a doll! So sweet and such a good baby. It always takes a little while for our babies to adjust but she has been such a good baby. She is getting on a good sleeping schedule and does well in the night. She is definitely the third child and the poor girl gets lugged around everywhere! She gets woken up from naps WAY too often and spends a lot of time in her carrier! But she does have 4 people in her family who absolutely adore her and give her LOTS of attention! Daphne loves her blankets and loves to cuddle them up to her face! It is so cute and so sweet! She loves to be swaddled and knows its time to have a good sleep when she actually gets swaddled and laid down!
Daphne is a dream! She has the best chunky-monkey thighs and the most kissable cheeks! She loves to hold her hands together in front of her chest and suck away at her binky so intensely! She did absolutely amazing on our trip and on the airplane rides. She gets lots of attention from on-lookers. She went on so many adventures on our trip and was such a great baby! There were many ALL DAY events that she quietly attended! She did so well and made it easier for Mommy to handle 3 little kids for so long without Daddy to help. She really enjoyed LOTS of time with Grandpa Stewie. They loved to cuddle! She even got upset when I came to get her from Grandpa!
She is starting to reach for and hold onto toys. Which is always so cute. She will stare at her hands just trying to figure them out! Her sleeping patterns got a little messed up while on our trip. I don't know if it was the fact that she was a little sick or being in a different place or needing solids. Or possibly all of the above! But we got them back to normal after about a week of being home.
She is growing up so fast! I just want to pause time so I can enjoy her a little more at this stage. I just love it! She is absolutely cuddly and I ADORE that! She is a little snuggle bug and loves to be held but is content when she is not. She is just so precious and sweet! We love her so much!

Could you imagine!!

How perfect bike rides would be with this!?! So stinking cute! I have seen them on a couple peoples blogs and SO want one! Riding bikes to school would be a breeze! :)

We did it!!

We dropped Sadie off at school this morning and she is there as we speak! Our first baby, already in school!!! Here she is all ready for her first day of Kindergarten! She did so great! She fit the part and was such a big girl! She has been known to get emotional lately so I was a little worried. But I talked to her before and told her how she is a big kid going to school with all the other big kids...(so no tears)! She was great! She didn't even ask me to be the first to pick her up! She loved saying goodbye to each of us individually: Mommy, Daddy, Lucy and Daphne. She was proud of herself for being the big girl and staying! And we are SO proud of her too! Last night she was nervous and had a hard time going to sleep. She first wanted Daddy to cuddle with her for a little bit (which isn't unusual) but then wanted me to read her some books a little later. Then she wanted to sleep with Lucy (who was already asleep) so she went in and cuddled with Lucy. Then she was crying because she heard a noise - a book was making a little rattle sound on the book shelf from the AC being on. Finally she fell asleep. This morning came too quickly!

We are excited that she gets to go to a new school that is right in our neighborhood. Normally we will ride bikes but today we drove since we ALL went.

She was so cute and posed by this display. I remember when we first went to register her she got so excited about this display! :)

Her Teacher Ms. Bridgeman! But only for a few more weeks and then she will be Mrs. Little since she is getting married! Sadie is excited about that and thinks "Little" is funny. "Like Stuart Little at Grandma's house!" I have heard nothing but great things about her teacher so I am really excited!
Look at that big girl! She got to pick a cubby for her back pack. (She picked out this back pack which is a messenger bag. I was a little concerned about it with riding to school and everything, but she insisted! Stubborn like her Mommy! :) But even just walking from the car to school she was already a little frustrated with it! So we might be getting a different back pack!)She found her name tag - which she will decorate later her teacher said - and put it on. She picked a picture to color and found a seat next to a cute little red headed girl! But one seat away because of nerves. :) We said our happy good byes and we were off!
They had donuts in the cafeteria for Moms and Dads. We had a quick donut and a lesson for Lucy about kids with disabilities (she got scared by a little boy in a wheel chair and was crying!) but once she understood that he was the same on the inside and had a Mommy and Daddy too, she was good to go. So we made it to this long awaited day! I didn't even cry! I choked back a few tears as we were walking up to the school but that is it! I was a big girl too! We will keep you posted on how she liked her first day at school! We love you Sadie and we already miss you!

Triplets?

Today I was taking some pictures of Daphne since I haven't done much of that lately. Boy is it hard when you have two "big helpers!" I finally had to send them out to play! :) After that, Daphne didn't last much longer. Come to think of it, maybe they were helping! After I cuddled Daphne down, I was looking through the pictures on my camera and thought they looked exactly like pictures I had taken of Lucy. Basically I did the same thing, just a different blanket for the background. So I wanted to look at them side by side. My goodness! They look so much a like!

So then I wanted to see Sadie at that age. (take into consideration that I have improved on my photo skills) Boy do they look alike too!

So here they are all together. Do you see why I have a hard time when people ask who Daphne looks more like!?! Crazy!!

Party Like a Rock Star!!

So WAY back on June 27th we had an eventful day! First of all Sadie turned 5!

I can't believe how big she is getting! She is my big helper and is always willing to help out! She is a great big sister and always keeps tabs on her younger siblings! She is so thoughtful and so good with them.

Sadie's Favorites at Five:

Color - Red

Food - Fruit, Chips & Cheese (Queso)

Toys - Barbies, iPod

Things to do - Ride Bikes, Read Books, Dance

Movie - Princess Protection Program, Barbie and the Diamond Castle, Another Cinderella Story

Book - Bob Books, Pinkalicious

She LOVES accessories. Just the other day we were reading Fancy Nancy where she brings out fancy accessories for her family to wear and Sadie asked what accessories were. I started describing things like hats, jewelry, scarves, purses etc. and realized that was everything that she loves! She loves to accesorize! She always has at least a few bracelets, necklaces, and rings. She loves hats and scarfs and fills every purse in the house with necessities! She is so funny because she is kind of sporty/tom-boyish in the way she dresses (and is very particular about what she wears) but then she is so girlie with her accessories. It is funny and oh so cute!

Sadie's birthday was a busy day. We woke up early and had birthday pancakes - tradition. Then had to hurry and get hair and make-up done on Sadie and Lucy for their recital! It was a process as usual but we got everyone ready and we made it to the recital! Only forgetting our tickets to get in! Luckily we know everyone at the studio so we got more tickets. :)

Lucy was up first. She and her friend Averee are in the same class and have so much fun together. This year their routine was to Bippity Boppity Boo. It was so cute and Lucy loved yelling the "boo" part. They started off on the floor and spun around.

"Put'em together and what have you got?"

"Bippity Boppity Boo!"

A little blurry but she flashed a cute little smile!She did so well. It was so cute to see her up there being so little and all! Good job Lucy!

Next up was Sadie! She finally got to do a tap routine! They do a combined tap and ballet class and every year has done a ballet routine for the recital. So she was excited to do tap. She was so funny up there. At first she had this giddy smile going, like she is getting old enough now to realize what this is all about and that a lot of people are out in that darkness watching her. It was cute. Here is her little embarrassed smile! :)

I love the tongue sticking out as she is concentrating!

Here's the tongue again. This was a tricky move. Jump up and click your feet together. Great job girls!They had so much fun and did a great job. They always love doing their recital and talk about it for so long after wanting to do it again!

After the recital we had to hurry home, have some quick lunch and finish the preperations for Sadie's party. We did most of it the day before...which was a disaster because everything was right in their face for so long, it was torture to have to wait! :)

Since life has been crazy with having a baby and then the dance photo shoot, I gave in and let Sadie have a Hannah Montana party. I always thought with that I could just do a rock star party and through in a little Hannah, but for the ease of it all, I did a full blown, tacky Hannah Montana party. Even down to the cheesy invitations!!! I swore I would NEVER do that! I guess there are worse things! :)

They started off dancing around on the "stage" while everyone was arriving. The stage was our formal dining. Then the formal living is right across from it that we set up a bunch of chairs and stuff for the to watch and be the audience.

Then we decorated some leather "rock star" cuffs and each girl got a stripe or two of pink or blue coloring in the hair. They LOVED that! Then we played pass the microphone and when the music stopped, whoever had the inflatable mic got to dance and put on a performance. Being the birthday girl, Sadie had to be first and boy did she love the audience.

Here is her audience: Lucy, Evka, Lexi, Cassandra, Kenzie, Reese, Brooklynn, Janae.

Sadie was being SO supportive of her friends. Shouting out praises and ideas of moves they could do. It was so cute!Lucy was LOVING the attention and had no reservations. I think having this party after their recital was perfect! I love this sassy look!

A friend of mine has the kids get the presents they brought and hold it until it is their turn to bring it up. It helps with crowd control up by the birthday girl. This way you can actually see the birthday girl as she opens presents, instead of the back of kids heads! As Sadie opened her presents, she would call on each person to come and bring up their present. She would stop and tell them to raise their hands! Too funny.
She lucked out and got a LOT of cool stuff!She has been begging for a Hannah Montana wig for SO long, so we finally got her one! But she was so embarrassed about it! She didn't even put it on long enough for me to take a picture.
For a rock star party I had to get the candles the spark! She got a little scared by the first spark! But then she liked it! It was cool!
They breezed through the pinata and then wanted to go through their goody bags. They were so cute looking through them. It was fun for me to see the kids enjoying the stuff. Usually we hand them out on their way out the door so I don't get to see their excitement.
Notice the pretty makeup! What pretty rock stars!
Evka, Sadie, & Lexi
Cassandra, Janae, & Brooklynn
They were so funny! They got little cell phones with lip gloss in them and they were all talking on their cell phones to each other! So cute!
This was their beginning pose for a dance! So funny!
This party was SO low key on my part...but the kids had a blast and really enjoyed it. I let them run the show for the most part and they LOVED it! Especially Sadie, and that is what matters most! Sadie, we love you and are so proud of you!!! These past 5 years have been the best in our lives!