Kindergarten, preschool, etc...

So it's been pretty darn exciting around here these days.  Considering I don't update this but once in a blue moon - we've been busy.  We took a trip to Wyoming that involved a lot of driving but everyone was a trooper.  No one got left on the side of the road so that's saying something.  Logan finished his first season of t-ball.  He did awesome!  Harper was a great cheerleader and Ainslee provided something to do for anyone who needed entertainment during lulls in the game.  Logan started kindergarten, Harper starts preschool tomorrow, the chickens are crazy...you get the idea.

Pretty impressive batting skills and we love the thumbs up at the end...

This is how Ainslee plays in the mud.  She is jabbering away and trying her hardest to keep up with the big kids.  She can say a few words but has learned that screaming at the top of her lungs to get her siblings to do what she wants works pretty good.  She loves going for 4-wheeler rides with Poppa.  My grandparents have a cat that Ainslee is bound and determined to make friends with no matter how many times that thing swats her.  

At the races - Topeka.  Logan loved it and always picked the guy in front to win.  We learned quickly that Harper was not going to pick the winner.  She picked the pace car twice...  

First day of school for Harper; third day for Logan (not that he was counting or anything!)  Logan did great his first day.  He was pretty excited about everything right down to the cups by the drinking fountain.  Yesterday, they went through tornado drills, fire drills, intruder alerts, PE, some dang video with a dancing gummy bear (I can now sing the song if you'd like) and sequencing.

And did I mention we had a bike rider?  Logan decided that Saturday he would take his training wheels off and ride a bike like a big kid.  Way to go!  Right now he's keeping to the grass (for the most part.)

Here's our family pic.  We stopped at Sheep Creek Canyon in Utah and Travis set up the self-timer for us.  It was a beautiful afternoon and I love how the picture turned out.  What a handsome bunch we are...

Wrapping up

Swinging at the Knoche's

We are wrapping up the school year, finishing dance and gearing up for chickens! Harper had her big dance recital last weekend. After a frustrating 2 1/2 hour rehearsal, the recital turned out wonderful. Harper did so well on stage. She loved the costume and the attention. Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma and Grandpa and Dad and Logan and Ainslee and Mom all came to watch!

Fancy costume

Chasing butterflies

Hitching a ride

Logan has a program tonight at the high school. He has memorized his lines and he has his own rehearsal this morning. His preschool celebrates their "graduation" from preschool. It's awfully cute even if he doesn't really get it. As long as we celebrate how great he is, it's worth it. I'll try to get pictures up after the big event.

The scoop on the coop: Travis and his dad have worked really hard on the chicks' permanent home. The chickies are about half-feathered and quickly becoming chickens. We've got them outside a few times and the kids just love 'em. The chicks scurry around and try out their ever-growing wings. They're a lot of fun to watch.

Working on the posts (with lots of help)

Logan supervising

Ready for the floor - support test by Logan

Almost ready for chickens!

Is warm weather ever going to get here? Logan said that Spring is on the way because there are lots more birds in the trees and they're getting ready to build nests.  And there are lots of daffodils blooming.  I'll take his word for it.  We've been outside as much as possible but we are ready for more!

Logan is signed up for t-ball and of course, is completely prepared.  He's got his ball & glove and has practiced a few times.  He's not too bad for a beginner but my gosh, trying to explain anything to him...  Well, if you know Logan at all, you know that you really have one chance to teach him anything and that he's pretty much made his mind up about it beforehand anyways, so good luck! He's just very matter-of-fact about it.  He got mad at Grandpa Cliff for getting him dirty and throwing the ball where he had to chase it.  After getting in trouble for throwing a big fit about the whole deal, he can now fully express how prepared he is to get dirty if need be.  He's your guy.  As his mom, I'm a little worried about how the coaching will go.  I feel sorry for the coach, but at the same time, I'm fiercely protective over my kid.  And this is t-ball...

Harper on the other hand, is ready to cheer him on.  When she gets bigger, she wants to play baseball with her cousin Peyton (never mind the 8 year age difference; they can be on the same team.)  When she gets bigger is the start to a lot of her ideas.  She is just wallowing in the threes.  It's amazing how she can be sweetie pie Harper and with one harsh word she is transformed into a 13-year old snot and then collapses into a puddle of tears and devastation.  My goodness...what are we in for?

Miss Ainslee is moving and grooving her way in circles around everybody.  She is really trying to talk - well, she talks, but she's trying to copy what we're all saying.  She talks on the phone a lot complaining, I'm sure, about the raw deal she gets at our house.  The big kids won't let her destroy their games, mom won't let her dig through the kitchen cabinets or play in the dog water, and that darn cat just runs away any time she tries to love on it.

Travis and I have been working on coming up with a chicken coop design.  Yep.  Chickens.  I mean, why not?  We've got loads of spare time...we've got to keep things moving around here.  Our chicks will be here the end of April.  Logan has named his Chicky Chick; Harper likes Henny; Ainslee didn't really say what she had in mind; Travis is going for something (this is a wild guess) that relates to Wyoming; and me...I'm thinking of assigning them numbers.  There's only 5 on their way.  Travis has spent a lot of time researching & brainstorming.  I've looked at the internet a few times and am going for the "wing it" approach...  We'll keep you posted.

Here's a Little Bit of Trouble for you:

Happy 1st Birthday!

We celebrated Ainslee's birthday this past weekend.  She was thrilled with the candle & cupcake.  She tried her best to blow it out, but needed some help.  We had family over and of course, they spoiled her rotten...again.  Our kids (and their parents) are lucky to have our family close and involved.  It enriches their lives.  And gives us a great support system.

Logan is staying busy with school.  He is rehearsing for his St. Patrick's Day play (March 16th at 3pm if anyone wants to attend.)  He has one line and has explained to me that he has to sniff around and then say...(you'll have to wait) and then he and other boys fight.  But not really because it's acting so they just pretend, says Logan.

Logan & Harper looking innocent

Harper is busy at dance class because they have a big show coming up in May (May 7th in Lawrence for interested parties.)  They are dancing to a song from Jungle Book.  The costumes are a new thing for me.  On one hand I think good grief, she's 3 and will stand still for 70% of the  show.  On the other hand, she looks awfully cute and has a great time.  We videotaped her teacher so she can practice her dance at home.  She's also been watching clips of Swan Lake.  She tries to copy the moves, but dances with her eyes close (as, apparently, all dancers do) and is a bit wobbly.  But beautiful.

Ainslee trying out her snowsuit for the last time

Miss Ainslee is cruising around, climbing up and trying her best to run.  She loves wandering around the house picking things up - toys, clothes, animals...  She is really babbling and trying to talk.  Right now she can say ni-ni, mama, a version of dada, bup - which is long for up, more and bye.  She loves to participate in family conversations.  She has days where all she wants is up with me, but she's trying to play with the big kids.  Logan likes to chase her and Harper likes to squeeze her.  Harper thanks me a lot for having Ainslee borned because she is the cutest baby in the world.  The girls are sleeping through (mostly) the night - FINALLY! They share a room and it's taken a long while to get them in the same rhythm.  Logan is the sleeping champ.  He goes to bed and you don't hear anything from him until 7 or 7:30 the next morning. It's encouraging because he was our worst sleeper. There's hope for Harper yet.

Logan & Grandpa Cliff made a tunnel

We have survived the second round of colds. Ainslee took the brunt and ended up on amoxicillin for an ear infection. The first 2 days of the medicine were torture, but she's learned to just buck up. Harper's back to her old self - we got to go to dance class this morning. Her class is working on their big dance number for the May show. She did a great job in December so she should pretty much be professional by spring. Logan got rave reviews from his teachers...again. He absolutely excels at school and is very excited for kindergarten next year. He's counting to 39, learning all kinds of shapes, zips like a pro, and is doing great with his writing. He's decided when he grows up he will either be an engineer, astronaut, guard or Viking.

Travis and I have started working out at the gym. He's my personal trainer and does a great job. We've been lifting weights together. I like that portion of the workout because you do a lot of standing around, resting. Don't get me wrong, I lift weights, but there's a lot of downtime. If I'm to lose this baby belly of mine, I should probably get moving. The gym offers a childcare so the kids get to come with us and burn off energy of their own. So far, it's been awesome.

We've been staying pretty close to home - will winter ever leave?! We've got big ideas when the warmer weather get here. Harper and Grandpa have been making plans for the garden. Harper has 2 requests: strawberries and tomatoes. When she gets to thinking, she'll add broccoli and carrots and cauliflower. Logan wants to grow nice juicy tomatoes and pretty little trees that have pretty leaves that never fall off and an upside-down tomato plant and some carrots. Keep in mind, Logan doesn't eat tomatoes and he doesn't like carrots from the garden. He's a big talker. I think Ainslee will be a lot of help this summer. Last season she could crawl around and get dirty. Logan helped plant and hoe (he used his great-great-great grandpa's hoe.) Harper helped plant but she tended to cluster her seeds. Both Logan and Harper helped pick. But the vast majority of the work was performed by our neighbor, Grandpa Knoche. He does the prep work and maintenance and everything in-between. This year we should be out there with him a lot more. It could go either way; we'll be help with the workload or add to it.

The whining is calling me back to the kids...

Afternoon improvement

Our afternoon definitely improved our day. It was a beautiful winter day out there and we took advantage of it. I called my dad for reinforcements and had a blast. We tromped around in the snow, built a snowman pile and then body-slammed it, threw snowballs and did some sledding. My dad had sent Logan down a few times and on one trip, Logan got a little air. Dad and I looked at each other and said, "Let's build a ramp." Perfect for a 5 year old, right? We took it easy and Logan loved it. He wanted to go high enough in the air to make it down to the willow tree. Not quite...

The girls got in on the action, just a more toned down version.

We also cleaned up around our bird feeders and refilled their water. We spend a lot of time watching the busy, busy birds. Logan's favorite is the Downy Woodpecker; Harper's is the Northern Cardinal; I'll guess and say that Ainslee loves the Juncos - they're always in big numbers and move around a lot; Trav's is the bald eagle but they don't frequent the feeder; my favorite is the Tufted Titmouse - although they've been scarce this season.

If winter days were always like this, I'd be more upset to see the snow melt. But around here, these upper 30 degree days filled with sunshine and little wind are kind of rare. As it is, I'm longing for spring (but enjoying days like these.)

I had to post this picture again.  It is just too funny.  

It has been kind of slow start to the week.  Yesterday, the girls and I got out and enjoyed the sunshine and no wind.  I pulled them around the place on the saucer.  Ainslee grinned the whole time and Harper did such a good job of holding her baby sister.  On the second time around, she loudly declared that her arms were tired, so we called it.  She still had enough energy to climb the show mountain outside our porch, though.  Ainslee laid in the snow and swished her hands through it but it is too cold for the baby! Logan missed out because he was being studious at school.  They are learning to tie their shoes and he's awfully excited.  "First you cross, go under, make a loop and keep a long tail out.  Then take the other one, take it around and pull tight through." - in case you needed a reminder.

It is definitely a full pot of coffee kind of morning.  Ainslee has 4 teeth (2 up, 2 down) and is super clingy.  It makes it hard to move around freely when you've got 20 pounds hanging on your pant leg.  She is just so busy.  Up and down and up and down.  Her latest thing is to pick things up and carry them around.  Anything - clothes, stuffed animals, remotes, phones...  She's also starting to talk.  She says mama, dada, ni ni (night night) and her own version of bye bye.  My grandma & grandpa taught her button and it sort of rolls off her tongue.

This is about all the blogging I've got in me today.  We had a pretty rough night of sleep.  Between Harper & Ainslee, I'm doing good to get in 4 hours...if that...and never in a row...