Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

I thought that the 2nd time would be easier... but so far it's proving to be just as hard... maybe even harder. My Gracie-girl will be getting on the bus with Isaac tomorrow morning and heading to her 1st day of Kindergarten.

How did this little baby in my arms:

Grow up so quickly to become a big sister herself:

and love her big brother unconditionally:

How did the days go by so quickly to arrive at this moment where I'm sending her out on her own? I know she's ready, even though she cries and say she will miss me. I will miss her. She's my little buddy... always by my side whether in the kitchen, going to the grocery store, or to a doctor appointment. Wherever I go, she is there. Tomorrow she goes where I won't be able to be with her. This makes both of us sad... though I hide my tears, hers flow freely. My independent, outgoing little girl knows this is a big change, a big step in her life and she is scared. So, I gently encourage her and show her how much fun this is going to be and tell her how quickly the days will go by. She will be fine and will blossom and grow. And I can't wait to see what this year will bring for her. My baby girl... my little love... my Gracie-girl.

A Surprise Get-A-Way (for the kids)

We traveled a lot this summer, which I hope to catch up on in the coming days or weeks. Unfortunately, our last week of vacation didn't end up quite as we expected. We ended up having to turn around half way and cut our trip short. That happened just over a week ago. The kids were very disappointed, but were so good about it. On our way home, Francis and I talked about taking the kids just for an overnight stay at a local hotel...just to spend time together (and swim!). It wouldn't make up for what we lost the week before, but we hoped it would bring them a little bit of happiness. We didn't tell them what we were doing... secretly packing the car... and just told them we had to run a few errands. After going to the bank, we drove to the hotel. They were so excited and surprised. It was better then we could have expected. The room was simply gorgeous:

Isaac slept on the fold out couch bed:

Gracie had a queen bed to herself:

and Ruthie slept in her pack and play:

We swam as soon as we checked in, which was so much fun. We had the pool to ourselves. We went out to supper and then came back to hang out in the room and tuck a very tired Ruthie into bed. In the morning we ate a very yummy breakfast at the hotel and quickly changed back into our swimsuits for a swim before checking out.

It was a short time away... but just what the 5 of us needed before the summer ended. School starts on Tuesday!!!

The Easiest Way is to Jump Back in with Both Feet!

Wow...I've been on a major blogging hiatus. I'm not sure why it's been so hard for me to get on here and blog...but the break has been kind of nice. Hopefully I'll go back and fill in some of the highlights of the past 9 months or so.

We are heading into another season of change for our family in the next weeks and months. After a wonderful summer together as a family, Isaac and Gracie will be starting school next week. I can't believe that Isaac will be in 2nd grade and my baby girl, Gracie, will be headed to Kindergarten. I'll post more on that next week :) I am looking forward to the time I'll have alone with my Ruthie. This will be the first time that I'll have time with Ruthie alone. Even when Gracie was in preschool last year, she went in the afternoon while Ruthie was napping. I can't wait to see what fun things Ruth and I will find to fill our days.

(Isaac, Grace, and Ruth)

Beyond the big ones starting school next week, we are also looking forward to the arrival of BG4! Our newest addition will arrive around Thanksgiving. We are all excited to meet the new baby and find out if we will have a little brother or sister joining us. It has been a long and interesting pregnancy...one we will be glad to see the end of... but not anytime soon :)

(BG4)

So, that's the quick update on our family. I do plan to try and fill in more of what we've seen and done and experienced the last months. If anyone is still popping in say hi! :)

Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees

Yesterday we worked on a fun project, ice cream cone Christmas trees. I saw the idea on another website...but as usual, put my own spin on it. They are a nice alternative to building gingerbread houses. It's a very similar idea with decorating with candy, but not as difficult, especially for younger kids. I think they turned out really cute and Isaac and Grace had a great time working on them.

The set up: we had the cones, green frosting, and then a bunch of decorations (mini m&m's, sprinkles, red licorice lace, starburst star, marshmallow snowman, mini non-pareils, chocolate presents).

The were very excited to get started:

Ruthie enjoyed eating a green cone... this would have been a little too messy for her to try... but she had fun watching!

Hard at work:

Isaac's final project:

Mmm...

Gracie's finished product:

Yummy!

This is definitely a project I want to do with them again next year. It was a lot of fun and not a lot of work. :)

1st Snowman

We finally have enough snow (and good, packing snow) so the kids could make a snowman. With daddy's help they made a pretty nice one :)

Visit with Santa

We took the kids to visit Santa at the mall today. They were all so good and quickly climbed onto his lap. They each took turns telling him what they wanted. It is so fun to see Christmas through the eyes of our little ones.

Christmas Tree Decorating

We finally got to decorate our Christmas tree today. This is my favorite time of year and decorating the tree and house is at the top of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season. I love pulling out all the special decorations and taking our time unwrapping each ornament. Isaac, Gracie, and Ruthie all had a lot of fun putting ornaments on the tree. The finished product is always beautiful!