Backing It Up

In case you missed it...Halloween was two months ago.  I am going to try to get better at this blogging thing because I love being able to look back on the bigger kids when they were little - and I have become a massive slacker lately.  But I suppose Instagram and Facebook are easier places to share life events now!

Now that Finley is in preschool, she finally gets to be a part of the school programs.  It rained for her first Pumpkin Patch Parade, making it more of a Pumpkin Patch in Pre-K.  But she practiced her songs and rocked her "Witch's Brew."

We went to hang out with Doc McStuffins in her class party for a little bit.  She loves a party!

As always, Reese has her own Halloween style.  Orange and black sparkles everywhere!

Hudson's Pre-K class is full of Pumpkin Patch Parade pros.  My person favorite was the "one little, two little, three little witches, flying on their brooms and jumping over ditches," complete with Hudson's really great little leaps.  He was smooth!

We had two Disney Junior "stars" and two Star Wars characters for Halloween.  Hudson was a great Miles from Tomorrowland.  Once his birthday came the next week, he was able to complete the costume with a blast board and a comquest.  He was VERY excited!

Reese's softball team played their final game on Halloween, so they dressed up in costumes. She was a softball playing vampire, but couldn't keep the teeth in. These girls were undefeated all season!  Reesie hit her stride at the plate and found that she really enjoys catching. She can't wait to get back on the field! 

We were able to Trick or Treat with Colin and Piper this year because he had a late baseball game nearby.  These six had a lot of fun running from house to house - even though Finley doesn't look impressed!

And to ease the pain of Halloween being over, we left on our 2015 Disney Vacation the next morning!

(Back to) School for the Smalls

I said (back to) because Finley Quinn had her first day of school and Hudson had his third first day!  I go back and forth... I can't believe that she is in school twice a week, but I also really can't believe how LONG I've had someone home with me all of the time!

She has been making the drive to school since she was only one week old, so she was ready to be a preschooler.  There was no trepidation on her part when she went in to the school building.  And she basically ran from me and into her teacher's arms.  She loves her Ms. Sherry...although she calls "my fiend, Sherri."

Hudson is off to Pre-K this year.  He will be FIVE next month (absolutely crazy!), so he didn't meet the cut off for Kindergarten this year.  He is having LOTS of fun at school five days a week this year, though!  He's been in the same class with a lot of his friends since he was almost 3 - going to school is a big play date for him - with a lot of fun learning thrown in!  I love watching the friendships he's forming now.  Reese has THREE other kids from her Pre-K class in her First Grade class this year!

This is what happened when I tried to get a picture of them together on the front steps.

It was a little better when I let them get a break from the direct sunlight on the porch!

Walking into school with Daddy!

Brian told me that I have crazy eyes in this picture!  Ha!  I totally do!  It was my first Target trip ALONE in I don't even know how long!  The van was EMPTY!

Brian and I picked the kids up from school and took them to our traditional Back to School lunch.  Hudson loves a cheeseburger.

And little Miss Finley is a fan of chicken.

She was having a snack at the counter later that day and I was telling her that she didn't have school the next day.  She shot me this mean face!  She loves school, and asks to go every day!

Back to School for the Talls

We (finally!) started back to school on September 8th.  Our school system got out a week before the other local districts, and we wait until after Labor Day to go back.  So it made for a long summer!

Our typical mornings involve me waking up between 6:15 and 6:30, and getting the older two out the door by 7:25.  Brian takes them to school most mornings, so that makes things a little easier!

We heard wonderful things about Wyatt's teacher last year and over the summer, so we were over the moon excited when we got his teacher assignment.  To make things even better, his teacher assigns numbers to students and Wyatt got number 2.  He was very excited after Open House.

Reesie's 1st grade teacher also taught Wyatt.  We're very excited to be back in her class!

They had a good year at the same school! They'll be back together when they're in 3rd grade and 5th grade.

So far, so good!  They are both loving school right now!

August Little Things

Catching up on August activies...because it's my favorite thing to do in October obviously!

Finley really started to love the pool this summer.  "'Wimming" is one of her favorite things to do!

These two were so cute huddled up together at the end of swim lessons each night.  

Her favorite part of lessons is always the jumps!  

Wyatt gets nervous about new situations. We decided that he would acclimate best to his new school this year by taking a tour over the summer (our zone has one school for K-2 and another for 3-5.  I happen to think that it's genius to keep the 10 year olds separated from the 5 year olds!).  He was pretty anxious, but while the Principal talked to us we realized that she knew Wyatt's best buddy's mom, that she has three boys who love baseball, and that she's heard about Wyatt from another friend's grandmother who teaches at the school (and she was also a special friend to Wyatt last year in second grade).  He left feeling much better about the upcoming school year!

It was a week of getting prepared for school, because this girl had an eye appointment.  She has been complaining about feeling like her eyes get crossed when she reads, so we went to have her baby blues checked out.  And we left with a pink pair of glasses!

Finley was terrified of dogs a year ago.  Now she would rather be friends with dogs than people.  I'm sure no one else out there feels the same way.  Ha!

We had a fun time meeting friends for snowballs!  Here's Hudson and his buddy Fletcher.

And ALL of the children!

I can't believe that these three are First Graders now!  Reese and Emma ended up in a class with two more friends from their Pre-K class, and poor Griff ended up in a class alone.  I know he's already made great friends - such a sweet kid!

We went to my mom and dad's for a little birthday party for Katie.  I took Finley right out of bed after her nap before we went over.  And then I got there and realized she was burning up!  She was running a fever of 105, but we were finally able to get it down late that night.

Clearly feeling better the next day after sneaking her sister's Nerf gun.

Our house is always well protected with the Captain here.  

Didi and Pop Pop got Reesie her first American Girl for her birthday.  We drove over the day it came so that Reese could meet her mini-me - complete with pink glasses.  Reesie named her Taylor Noelle.

Sometimes Finley fake sleeps in the car so that I'll carry her inside!  Ha!

We signed Wyatt up for a zoo camp the week of Reese's birthday.  Brian was off on the first day of camp and we ran about a million errands after we dropped Wyatt off that morning (buying birthday presents for Reese - ha!), so we decided to go to the zoo and hang out until he was done for the day.  Doesn't FQB look thrilled?

Can you tell that these two missed their brother while he was gone all day?  They fight like cats and dogs (the older two, not the littlest), but they sure miss each other when they're apart.

Who loves the Yankees, baby dolls, and Star Wars?  This girl!

We got a date night at the Darius Rucker concert, an it was great from start to finish.  I love when he throws in some Hootie, too!

Had to get a picture of this girl singing in the back seat!  She takes her music very seriously!

Travel Soccer

Brian and I officially lost our minds and let Wyatt try out for a travel soccer team in June.  I was hesitant, but all of his soccer buddies were moving on, and he would be left without his "core group" if he played rec.  After talking it over with Wyatt, talking it over with Brian, and talking it over with his coach, we decided to let him play with his friends.  

We have heard a lot of nightmare stories about coaches who force their players to specialize at an early age, and fortunately, we have NOT come across that yet (and that's between both travel baseball and travel soccer). His soccer coach and his old baseball coach especially encouraged Wyatt to just be athletic, and his soccer coach is super understanding when he does have to miss something. Even though this mom is not a fan of super busy schedules, I know that Wyatt is happy playing soccer and baseball for now, so we'll ride it out as long as we can!

He had his first (and so far only) tournament about a month ago.  We've had to deal with a lot of rain recently!  They had a tough loss in their first game.  BUT! Wyatt and the boys that he has played with for a few years totally needed that loss.  They hadn't lost a soccer game in two years! Their egos may have been over inflated.

They were able to finish the first half of  their second game before the rain came.

Wyatt spent most of his time on Defense.  I think his coach knows that Wyatt hates to lose, and tries to channel that passion towards stopping the other team!

But even while he was playing Defense he managed to assist the only goal of the game!

And in case anyone wonders what my other kids do while we're at all of these activities...Hudson gets himself trapped in the net.  Typical weekend.  Ha!

Open House for the Smalls

It seemed like summer went on forever around here (thanks to a late Labor Day), so I was pretty happy when Open House was back on my agenda!  

Hudson's teacher actually ended up in Alaska during the last week of break, so we had gone to his "official" meet the teacher the week before, but he went with us to Finley's too.  They both have "repeat teachers."  Hudson has Ms. Cathy for Pre-K just like Reesie did, and Finley has Ms. Sherri, just like Hudson!

She was so ready for her chance to go to school!

Now that Hudson is in his third year of Preschool, he thinks he's big stuff.  He told Finley he didn't really need to go to Open House because he's been going to school for years.

I can't believe that this is their only year of school together and Hudson's final year of preschool. They've both been making the drop offs and pick ups here since the week after they came home from the hospital.  I still remember Finley screaming during the entire car ride for the first three weeks when Wyatt and Reese were still there.

I can't seem to find a picture of Reese and Wyatt, but here are Hudson and Reesie!  She was going into Pre-K like H, and he was on his way to three year old class like FQB!

And here are the Smalls walking into the school with Daddy!

We did our traditional Post-Open House Skinny Dip date with our Prechoolers.  They are going to have a great year!