100th day of school &Catholic Schools Week

As of Monday, Peyton has been in kindergarten for 100 days!!  Time flies when you're having fun!!  The kids were suppose to make a project with 100 things.  Peyton chose to string 100 fruit loops to make a necklace.  She made 10 piles of 10 and went to town stringing.  I got pictures of the work in progress, but forgot to take a picture of the final project.  OOPS!!  We didn't have any string/yarn so we improvised with some suture that daddy had in the closet.  Hey, whatever works and I'm sure nobody knew!
It was also Catholic Schools Week so there were some fun things going on this week.  Open house was on Tuesday so Maddie and I got to go into Peyton and Jack's classrooms and see what their "typical" day at school looks like.  And then today Maddie and I went to all school mass and then Jack, Maddie and I went to "bring a special guest to lunch day."  Peyton was a little (just a little) less than impressed that her special guest was going to be Mommy and her siblings.  There ended up being quite a few parents so I think she was ok with it in the end.

stinging away

getting a little further....

had to get serious with the "scissor holder things" and all

almost done
(and then mom dropped the ball and forgot to get a shot of the final project)

Mommy and Peyton at lunch

Jack and Ella visit big sisters, Peyton and Maggie at lunch

Peyton crowns Maddie

Peyton LOVES to make crafts, draw, etc.  Lately, she's been into making crowns.  Everyone in the house has one, made with love from Peyton.  Here is Maddie's....

getting crowned

not too sure if she likes it

still not sure....

now she's smiling and the girls are having a party

Peyton sure does love this little girl

And, no, I'm not sure why Peyton has no clothes on.  Not sure at all!  A couple days after these pictures, Peyton was a little upset when she found Maddie's crown had been slobbered on.  Maddie would rather crinkle and chomp on her crown than wear it.  So sorry, Peyton.

A LOOOOONG three weeks....

What a ride the last three weeks has been.  As stated below.....the kids have been SICK!  This momma has had it!  I told Mike the other day, I felt as sleep deprived as I do when I have a newborn baby in the house......maybe even WORSE!  Seriously!

Maybe this picture can put it into perspective.  This is how bad I looked.....yes, that bad, I know.  And, YES, I even went to Peyton's basketabll game looking like that!!!!

I feel ok putting this horrid picture of myself on here, because most people that read this are moms, and "get it".....or "been there, done that"


We DID get a full night sleep last night!!!  HORRAY!!  Exactly why this post is happening today....I feel human and feel like I can accomplish more than just getting teeth brushed today!

Happy Wednesday!

Second degree???

I'm beginning to think I should have stayed in school a bit longer and got a second degree. Perhaps a degree in nursing would help this momma. Lets see..... In the last three weeks Peyton had the puking GI thing TWICE and she's had one of her famous migraines. Jack had the puking GI thing and now has something else. He's now got a HIGH fever, was hallucinating about cracks on the walls last night and puked this morning. Not sure if the puke this morning was because of the high fever or if we are gonna go down that path again. Ugh!!! Also in the last three weeks Maddie sprouted two teeth and got 4 shots. I cannot wait to get a good nights sleep soon!!!
Here's my poor little guy today.....

Branson 2013

Last year we went to Branson with the Meyer's.  It was a nice relief to the winter "cabin fever."  We decided to go again this year.  Peyton was SO SO excited, and Jack told us he didn't want to go because it was "too far."  The kid HATES long car rides.  Once we got there I think he was very glad that we drug him in the car.  We stopped once on the way there so that I could feed Maddie.  It was a 60 degree, January day....so we stopped at a park in Springfield.  The kids and Mike got out and played and Maddie and I stayed in the car so she could eat.  She changed her diaper and we were on our way. Everyone did very well in the car.

Once we got there we got unpacked and headed to a pizza joint for dinner.  After dinner we headed back and the kids went swimming for an hour or two.  Then everyone went to bed and the Meyers got there after we went to bed.  Peyton and Jack slept good, Maddie, however, was AWFUL!!  This was her first time in a pack-n-play, and if I have anything to do with it, it will be her LAST!!!  We were REALLY considering a Disney trip this spring, but I think Maddie might have sealed the deal on that one.  I'm pretty sure I made at least 15 trips over to the pack-n-play that night.  It was one of those nights that every time I looked at the clock I just wanted it to be morning already!!  I called her "thumper."  She would just pick her legs up and SLAM them down....OVER and OVER again, ALL. NIGHT. LONG!!!!

The next morning we got up, played some games in our room, ate breakfast, and played with the Meyers until the pool opened at 10:00.  The kids were very anxious....making it until 10:00 was torture!!  But once 10:00 hit they were off....and didn't stop until noon to eat lunch and then straight back at it until 5:00 to go eat dinner.  Jack's favorite thing was the lazy (or not so lazy) river and Peyton's favorite thing was probably the tube slide.  This was the scariest slide they have and it hurt her last year.  It flipped her off her tube last year, making her hit her head.  When she came up she was confused and where she was and couldn't fine her footing so the life guard had to go in after her.  This year she remembered that and was scared of it until she got sick of watching the boys do it.  Once she committed to trying it again, this was her favorite thing.

We ate dinner at Golden Corral...and lets just say that the kids enjoyed the chocolate fondue for dessert.  We then decided to pack everything and everyone up and head home that night at bed time, in hopes that we would have a quiet car ride home and "thumper" could sleep in her own bed instead of the pack-n-play.  It was the right decision for a couple reasons.  One, because everyone DID sleep, so it was a quiet ride home (well, other than Jack crying because his feet kept falling asleep), and two, because Peyton started puking at 2:00 in the morning.  YUCK!!!  Poor girl, had the pukes the week before this and then it came again.

It was a great trip, the kids had a blast, Maddie went swimming for the first time,.....I think we will try for it again next year!

it's not a true  "hotel stay" without jumping
on the beds as soon as you get there

happy to be out of the car

just getting started

good as gold, just watching all the action
she was so good all weekend!

YAHOO!

Having fun on the big, yellow slide!

think he likes it???

getting ready for some dive stick action

playing some Star Wars, killing time to make it until 10:00 am

uuuhhhh.....is it 10:00 yet?!?!?
looks like Colin and Aaron are READY!

one step closer.....getting the water guns greased up

Jack in the lazy river

Austin and his friends trying to find some chicks.....not such
luck, so they settled for leaving the water park and heading for the strip....ha!

Bailey, Colin, and Peyton floating away in the river

Jack and his tube

Miss Thumper was tired from thumping all night long!

Maddie's first swim

splashing and checking it out

she liked it!

just hanging out...me and my dad and my swim diaper
next time, mom. don't you think you can put me in a swim suite?!?!

still checking it all out

a daddy and three happy kids

just clowning around

Poor Peyton

This poor girl can't catch a break! She's had the stomach, puking thing twice in the last two weeks and then today she came home with one of her famous migraines. She gets these every so often, mike thinks they are triggered from dehydration. They WIPE her out!! The only way to get them to go away is Advil and a nap. Here's what she currently looks like on my couch..... Poor thing!! I hate it!

Jack and Will

Jack's best bud from school is Will. Today he came home with a picture. He told me it was from Will and it was of the two of them playing in a sprinkler. I texted it to Will's mom, I knew she'd get a kick out if it. She texted back with a picture that Jack drew for Will as well. Jack told me it was a picture of them going for a walk. LOVE IT!!

Peyton's HALF birthday....

Since Peyton's birthday falls in the summer, the school allows her to "celebrate" her half birthday.  Peyton has been looking forward to this for a LOOOOOONG time.  She was consumed with talking about it, so we are glad it is finally here and we can move on in our daily conversations with her.

At school, she:

• got to hear her name come across the intercom with the morning announcements
• got to go to the office for her "treats"  (a picture of Saint Peter, a pencil, and some candy)
• got to dress out of uniform (she chose a dress, of course!)
• got to have her mom come to school and read a special book and do a special craft with her class
• got to bring some pictures and artifacts for the "Star of the Week" bulliten board (she chose a picture of her and Jack and disney world, a picture of her water skiing, a picture of her at the beach, and a picture of her, Jack, and Maddie)  She claims all her friends liked the water skiing one the best.  She also took her softball and soccer trophies.  

I think it was a success.  I think she felt special and was very excited!!!

Here is a picture of her arriving at school on her big day!

Sink bath....

Now that Maddie can sit up it can give us options at bath time.  Mike has always liked giving the kids a bath in the sink, so he was more than excited to give Maddie her bath tonight in the SINK!  Personally, I think it's a bigger mess, but eh....oh well.
Here she is.....such a big girl.

Jack and Maddie share a moment

Jack and Peyton still LOVE Maddie and cannot get enough of her.  However, she is starting to not want them to hold her as much.  She'd rather be standing in her excersaucer and have them talk to her.  She no longer wants to be a baby, she wants to be a big girl and interact.  The other day tho, she did let Jack hold her and they shared a little moment.  Jack LOVED it and made sure to tell Peyton that he got to hold Maddie once we picked her up from school.