All things March

Flying a kite at the park with Tyler's school friend, Mackenzie.








Spring break fun with our old pre-school friends, Madelynn, Joshua, John, and Blake.


Kinley was being a turkey (surprise, surprise) and wanted a picture by herself!


Children's museum with Jackson, Ethan (and not pictured, Allison).




Tyler and his school friends~










Kinley and her "big girls" from Tyler's class

Kinley & Co. (Dance)

I took a bunch of pictures of Kinley's dance friends so that we could create an ad for their upcoming dance recital program. This is seriously one cute bunch of girls!!

Kinley, Ambrie, Mackenzie, Neala & Anika~
















Here's the ad another mom put together!

T-ball

A new season of t-ball is here! I really didn't think that Tyler was going to do it again, but he was pretty persistent so we signed up last minute. Because of that, we didn't get on the fabulous team we had before and are pretty disappointed about that. On the positive side, we are only a couple of games in and Tyler has shown such an improvement since last Fall! And now that all of the kids have a better understanding of the game, it makes it pretty fun to watch! Go Red Sox! Go #5!







Tyler & Caleb (his friend from class)


Tyler, Caleb & Gavin

Happy 3rd Birthday, Kinley

Here we are... celebrating number THREE (or "flee" as you say). This is that in between moment of toddler-hood and preschool-hood and I am clinging to toddler days while you announce every day that you're a big girl. I'm sure that I will always want time to stand still just a little longer, no matter how old you are.

Wanting to be a big girl has come with a few perks for me. You are much more capable and independent now. You like to dress yourself and despite our battles over you changing your outfit 5 times a day, this really can be helpful when we're trying to get out the door. You put on your own shoes, brush your hair, brush your teeth, blow your nose, etc. You are definitely a girlie-girl and have a very strong opinion about your wardrobe these days. You love wearing dresses, skirts, anything pink or sparkly, tiaras, jewelry and you're still obsessed with putting on Chapstick or make-up. You really enjoy having your toes painted and we just took you to get your toes done for the first time by someone at a salon for your birthday. That was fun. You loved it and I'm excited to have a pedicure buddy! You like to look at yourself in the mirror and will usually say "I look pretty!" While we were out to lunch with friends recently, the waiter said that you were going to look gorgeous after he saw you putting on Chapstick and you replied, "I'm already gorgeous!" You had us all laughing! You are gorgeous, inside and out, and I pray that you are always this confident about yourself. As girlie as you are, you are still not scared to get dirty, wrestle with the boys or play with bugs. You like lizards, June bugs, mayflies and we recently found out that you're not afraid of snakes. Yikes! You are fearless and brave. I love that you can keep up with the boys and still have such a girlie side at the same time.

You love singing songs and your current favorite (along with every other little girl in the world) is "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen. It's precious to watch you sing a line and then smile and cover your mouth with your little hands because you get shy about us watching you. You can't help but dance anytime you hear music. No matter where, no matter who is watching. I love that you can be so carefree! You are practicing for your first dance recital and I am so excited about this. You are excited about your dance costume, of course!! You love costumes and dressing up in your princess costumes at home is one of your favorite things to do. You love anything to do with princesses or baby dolls and like watching Cinderella, Little Mermaid and Paw Patrol.

You can be super dramatic when you're upset. You turn on the crocodile tears in a second and start mumbling nonsense that we can't understand at all. It's hard not to laugh because it really is entertaining to watch these performances sometimes. You are very stubborn and like doing things "all by myself." This list of "I do it" is way too long to list, but just as an example of what we have to deal with all the time... you have to hold the door open at Tyler's school for at least 15 people every morning and afternoon. If I even touch the door, you close it and start the process all over. I used to get frustrated, but now it's a good excuse for me to chat with another mom for a few seconds while people praise how sweet and helpful you are. You definitely eat that up! Speaking of bubba's school, you have become little Miss Popular up there. So many of the kids know you and will practically line up to give you hugs. You call the kinder girls your "big girls" and can't wait until you go to school with them.

And while we're talking about being a big girl, a BIG change is about to happen! You are very close to becoming a big sister! You are looking forward to this so much and I'm excited that you will get to experience the special bond between sisters that I hear so much about. You are already so protective and loving towards her and she's not even here yet! Our duo is about to become a trio and I think it's going to be fun!

Despite all of these big girl qualities, I still know that you are little. I mean, you're only three! You still look for me anytime you are hurt or scared. You want me to carry you. You still sleep next to me in my bed and like for me to "nuggle" you. You're not potty trained and still drink from a sippy cup. You're unsure about the dark. You still need me... and I'm happy about that! I hope you need me for a long time!

We've had a fun year, full of a lot of change, and we have an exciting year ahead of us! I can't wait! When I told you that I loved you the other day, you replied back with, "I love us!" It was awesome!!! You are my little sidekick and I love us, too!! You have no idea how much! Happy third birthday, baby girl!

Love, Mommy





THREE!

Kinley's 3rd birthday

We just celebrated Kinley's third birthday. Number THREE!! I don't think a lot has changed since her 2 1/2 year update. We have left the "terrible two" phase behind and hopefully, we're not entering the "terrible three" phase. The tantrums that she has been throwing lately make me wonder, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! I don't have any pediatrician stats for her right now. She doesn't have a scheduled appointment because they will only see us during lunch time (which is when she naps so I can work) because of our delayed shot schedule and their policies against that. It stinks, but we're in the process of looking for a new pedi because I don't want them to have to make special accommodations for us and we need someone more understanding of our thoughts about the vaccines. I am really curious to see where she falls on the charts now. She seems to be growing so fast, getting taller and slimmer. I'm sad to see all of her baby chub slowly going away. Otherwise, Kinley is Kinley! :-)

Good morning, birthday girl!








Seriously. ;-)


Birthday donuts~




Kinley wanted to "go jump" for her birthday so we took the kids to Jump-o-lene.


Maniac!!


They did more sliding than jumping, but had a great time!










After jumping, we had a yummy dinner at Catfish Parlor and then took Kinley for a little pampering! She loves having her toenails painted! This was the first time she went to a nail salon to have it done!