The NEST is lighter....

 

Kirra has joined the ranks of school attenders. 

And she loves it as we knew she would.  She tells us how she pulls out her classmates chairs if she sees them walking towards their desk - warm fuzzy!  She has a quiet sweetness that I've grown to recognize and adore.  She loves her teacher and all of her new friends. 

I miss her being home.  But I guess it's time.  :( 

Reef, Kaia and I are getting into a new rhythm.  It's quiet and calm, relaxing and easy... well almost. 
I actually kind of like these new days.  Stacking blocks and learning about letters and numbers. 
It's been a while since I've been with itty bitty's.  And they are so cute, especially together. 

Two is easy, I forgot. 

Here's proof that I've let my big girls leave the nest - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL...

 

 

Mekena loves to walk Kirra to her class every day to make sure she unloads
her back pack and gets settled. 

  

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And a look back to Mekena's first day of kindergarten in 2009...

 

So it begins...

I got a little taste of being a parent this week. 

Granted I've parented for 2,740 days already (yes that's really the amount of days, who's counting), but this was real parenting I had to do.  I had to say NO to something my two older girls really wanted to do and something I would have loved them to do.  Their cheerleading teams were having a team party.  The challenge, the party was from 7:30pm to 11:00pm.  Rand and I talked about it and neither of us were comfortable with them being there so late and because of a prior commitment neither of us could go and be wall flowers.  I hoped the girls would just somehow forget about the party and never bring it up, ya right! 

I overheard them talking about how much fun the party was going to be and decided I had to break the news... I said a little something like this:

"Girls, I know you are very excited about your team party.  Unfortunately, dad and I talked about it and we've decided it's best you not go.  We don't feel it's safe and we feel that it's a little late for girls your age." 

Suprisingly there was not any grumbling or pretty pleeeeeease's that I would have expected to follow.  Later that same night while we were laying down for bed I asked them how they felt about not being able to go to the party, Mekena said "Mom I understand, thank you for wanting to keep us safe".  And then Kirra followed with "at first I wanted to cry and then I realized it was ok".  REALLY???  Thanking me for not letting them go to the party... wasn't quite what I expected.  How thankful I was that they understood.
I'm thinking this may not be so easy once we approach teenage years, but I'll take the ease for now and be hopeful!  I feel with all of my heart that my job is to nurture and stay in tune to what Rand and I feel is right and wrong for our children, it's tough out there and I'd rather them miss out on some of the "fun" than for them to be in a bad situation where we don't get a second chance to make the right choice.  I probably won't always be the cool mom, but that's ok.

la, la, la, la, la, la... sing a happy song...

Hope you're havin' a smurfin' great day!  Four cute kids and I went to see Smurfs at the movie theater.  It's fun to go see movies with my kids that I saw when I was itty bitty.  {I refuse to allow this type of experience make me feel old.} 

Mekena wanted to hear all about my smurf memories...
Here's a few Smurf memories circa 1980 by Tiffani Packer:
Memory #1: I really thought that somewhere in a magical forest little blue people really did exist and wondered if maybe just maybe I would find this magical forest some day.
Memory #2: I LOVED smurf berry crunch cereal and remember feeding it to squirrels when camping.
Memory #3: I thought Smurfette was beautiful and thought it would be cool to look like her.  {I really didn't like my freckles when I was little, guess I figured blue skin must be better.}

This is one cartoon I never thought would make a come back but believe it or not here it is cashin' in on box office dinero.  Keep your eyes out for Smurf Berry Crunch!  You know I'll be buying a box... and maybe even introducing it to all of our squirrel friends living on our property.

Smurf out!

GREEN pox

Found a funny memory today... about two years ago I came into Reef's room to find he had a terrible case of green pox.  Have your kids ever had this before? 

I couldn't figure out where the green marker could have come from.  I know I hadn't put him down for his nap with a green marker.  Had he secretly hid it for his planned scare of the greenies?  Hmm...

Well wait, back to the photo right above, do you see what I see, above Reef's head... could that be a shadow?  Is that possibly the little green guy that sneaks in while your children are sleeping to make his mark?

I think we have a suspect.

Confirmed!! Guilty!

And things haven't changed a bit from this day.  Well maybe a little, Reef isn't green anymore.  But it's a guarantee that cute little goblin' standing behind Reef is behind quite a bit of the mischief around here.  And that same little look, she's still got it!  Oh the many laughs that she's created around our home, couldn't imagine our days without her funny ways. 

First Steps

It happened... she walked.  There we were - myself, Kirra (pulled a no-show in kindergarten today), Reef , Kaia and a client who sweetly accepted my need to bring the troops along.  Trying to be as professional as a mom with three kids locked in a room can be, I can't help but notice that out of the corner of my eye I see the take off... step 1, step 2, step 3 right into Kirra's arms.  Woo-hoo!  First steps are exciting.  This day officially makes me a mom of four walking children.     

Take it slow Kaia... I'm in no hurry to see you get big.  :)

Y.O.G.U.R.T.

I'm super thankful I can be thought of as the coolest mom ever

 for taking my kids to get yogurt whenever they ask and secretly feed my addiction at the same time. 

No selfish motives here, nope, never. 

I think she wants more,
oh dear, we'll have to go back again tomorrow!

Sweet Kaia

Happy 1st Birthday to the caboose of our family (August 19th). 

You have brought the sun to our shine, the butter to our bread, the dot to our i's... indeed we have enjoyed your wonderfully sweet spirit in our home.  You have been such a content baby, so peaceful and snuggly.  I love to nestle in and just wrap all around you, enveloping you into me.  

I often reflect upon the day you were born... a miracle is the only way to describe that early morning.  The experience more and more amazing to me as time passes.  The fact that your life was saved by your father in the first few seconds of your coming to this world is a continual reminder that God's power and will is stronger than ours.  You must have a divine mission here sweet Kaia.  I look forward to your years ahead to witness all that your individual path will bring.  Thank you for choosing me as your mom, I'm honored every day!

Labor Day

As Kirra and I snuggled in bed tonight, she asked me, "What is Labor Day"... I thought about it for a minute... "I actually don't know"... All I could think about was labor, like child labor.  It couldn't possibly be a day to celebrate labor.  And if it was, why have I not been thrown a major Labor day party.  Heck it should be better than my birthday: four kids x 9 months = 36 months of labor preparation, then the actual labor - we're not even goin' there right now, and then labor recovery which includes losing all the weight gained preparing for labor.  RAND... are you reading this??  Monday is Labor day, have you purchased all my presents?  Have you made dinner reservations?  Get to it... you only have a few more days!!

It was late when she asked me the question... and it's even later as I type this blog entry.  So know that you are on a random ride with me... I'll carry on -  

I figured I better get a smart answer for Kirra by morning.  So I got smartened by good 'ol Wikipedia to find way too much history talk and then finally the cliff notes.  The cliff notes contained the simple answer, well there were three simple answers:

#1. A symbolic end of summer.
#2. The last day when you can fashionably wear white and be socially accepted by the fashion police.  And if you wear white after this day, you could get a ticket.  {I wear white all year long, but I am a little rebellious like that.}
#3. Marks the beginning of the NFL and college football season.

Who knew? 

Hmmm, which answer should I give her in the morning?  I'm feelin' real tempted to go with my original LABOR day thought.  Sounds to me like the Packer kids are throwing their mom a Labor Day party.  {Figure I'll never be able to talk Rand into this idea, but the kids...yep they'll go for it!!}  Stay tuned for details!  I'm getting excited and I'm thinkin' I'll make me a massage appointment for first thing Monday morning!

Happy almost Labor Day to meeeee... Happy almost Labor Day to meee...