School Daze

  

The dreaded back to school happened this September... dreaded because I much prefer my kids with me.  Weird to some but when your a working mom, time with your kids is priceless.  Plus, we don't need a schedule, I don't need to pack a lunch and snacks everyday, and no homework!  It really is a lot of work for the parents when kids are in school am I right?!  But Rhone thrives in school and Lachlyn now is too!  It's pretty amazing to see their excitement each morning.  Because we moved this spring, Rhone had started 1st grade at his new school.  I was a complete wreck while he was Mr. cool.  He wasn't nervous, he had gotten over being away from his old friends and after frequent visits to his new school over the summer to play at the play ground he was actually really excited.  I envy his confidence.  I gave him a goal the first day to meet 1 friend and he came out that day with a couple!  Granted he didn't know their names, but he is so friendly and kind that making friends comes easy for him.  

Another huge thing that happened the morning of his 1st day, was his 1st wiggly tooth!  He was so excited but also very nervous because he was concerned about eating or loosing the tooth at school.  Little did we know it took 2 weeks for the sucker to fall out.  

Lachlyn also started at a new preschool this year in Pre-K.  She goes 2 days a week and she absolutely loves it!  Last year she was in a preschool daycare so she is pretty used to the routine and going every day I work, but this school is a little different.  It is bilingual Montessori school so were hoping she comes out knowing a little more Spanish than me (which is pretty easy to do:).   This school also picks Rhone up after his school gets out so at the end of the day, they get to see each other which they say is their favorite part.  

I have to say, this whole school business is stressful for me.  Not the kids or KC, just me... I wish I could home school and keep them in a bubble with me, but they are free bird kids and they love being on their own and thriving in new environments.   Does anyone else learn from their kids as well?  They continually teach me.  Looking through the eyes of a child can really make you realize that life is an adventure, its easy, its fun, and isn't' that exactly what God asks us to do with our faith.

Lachlyn's Party

So this past Sunday we had a full day of watching Lachlyn's ballet performance and then having her a garden birthday party! The weather turned out fantastic and although a couple of her besties were sick, she had a blast and the part was a success!  One of my favorite things is to celebrate my kids birthdays at home.  Having friends over, barbecuing, crafts, lots of treats, and happy tired kids is what makes it so wonderful.  I am obsessed with this little girl and she just gets better year after year.

Happy Birthday my little Lachlyn!  Crazy to think next year you'll be 5!

Lachlyn turns 4 years old today!

Happy 4^th Birthday Lachlyn Charley!

Lachlyn the love I feel is indescribable and I thank God each day that he entrusted me to be your mama.  Your gentle free spirit combined and your strong will makes you a brave and adventurous girl.  You are beyond your age and you take on everything your brother asks of you.   She loves playing “family” and doing anything art related.  Her favorite foods are pizza and waffles.  She is recently turned into a super girly girl who loves talking super heroes.  She also has been having conversations with herself all day long which cracks me up daily.  She won’t let me cook alone and you are obsessed with your daddy.  

We Love you Lachlyn.  Can't wait to see how you grow this next year with becoming a big sister and starting pre-school.

DIY Sandbox

 

One of Lachlyn's most favorite activities is playing with sand. So for her birthday we decided to get her a sandbox.  I went online and started looking to buy one.  I knew that we needed some kind of cover on top for those sunny days.  I started looking into this one and this one.   But I just couldn't get myself to pay over $100 for the box that really I didn't like all that much.  So that's when I pitched the idea to my husband.  Of course he said yes, because well he secretly LOVES making anything indestructible and especially for his girl Lach.  We decided to put it on wheels and add a strong rope so that we would be able to move it around the yard.  This by far was the best decision about this whole sandbox! Not only will be able to move it around the yard to ensure we could mow the lawn underneath, but we can also can move it around our yard so that we can have shade or sun when we need it. We also agreed that a strong lid would be the best for those rainy days and to keep out the critters. 

I took Lachlyn to the paint store and she immediately said she wanted to paint it blue.  So blue it was.  Because it will be outside I knew I needed a really good sealant and outdoor paint.  I ended going with my trusty Kilz because well I love it.  So I painted the entire box and lid with the primer/sealant and then 2 coats of the blue.  I do have to say it took a couple days and was a lot of work!  At this point I was saying "why didn't I just buy a sandbox?" haha.  But anything for my daughter right?! I put Rhone to work and we got it done!  Bought a $3 shower curtain and staple gunned it to the bottom of the box.  Bought really good play sand and filled it up.  My husband added handles to the lid so that I could easily slid it back and forth. 

We literally finished the box the night before her birthday so although I had not finished the lid she was very happy she got a blue sandbox.  The next week, I took her back to the store to pick out the other fun colors for the lid.  I decided to make something fun and bright and so I started drawing out the pin wheel lines.

I placed the colors out in each part to make sure the pattern looked OK.

Originally I thought I could just tape off the lines and paint, but plywood is just not flat enough for the tape to stick. So I hand painted most of it.  It took a couple days but was very therapeutic for my soul.  It's definitely not perfect, and it took a lot more work than we originally cared to do, but end result I think is pretty sweet.  The kids are obsessed with it, and it's a one of a kind.

Her purple party

When I asked Lachlyn over and over for the past 2 months about what kind of birthday party she wanted, with out hesitation she said a purple ribbon and "Let it Go" birthday party.  At first I had grand ideas about making everything and creating a purple wonderland filled with glitter and snow themed ideas in June, but then life happened.  The past couple weeks, I haven't been feeling all that great so the party kind of got put on the bottom of the list.  So with the week leading up, we decided to go low key this year.  I didn't make ANY of the decor and I bought actual streamers!  We got a store bought cake and pizza. It was a first for me... but you know what, she LOVED it!  Because really she doesn't care at all about if I spent hours in preparation, she loved having it Frozen themed, and she got her purple "ribbons". 

To help celebrate her day, her Granny and Popop came into town from AZ and we invited her best friends over.  We gave her the sandbox we built and they played all afternoon in the spirinklers, bubbles, sand, and with "Let it Go" playing on repeat.  To top it off, my mother in law and I took her to get her first pedicure and let me tell you, it was soo much fun.  She sat perfectly still for 30 mins and already is asking to go back. 

I still can't believe my baby is 3 years old and I am so excited to see her grow this year.  Going from toddler to Pre-k is one of my most favorite seasons.  My heart is so full and it just keeps getting better! 

// Next up... DIY sandbox //