Brayden ...

I was trying to think of a catchy subject line, but really - when it comes to Brayden ... Brayden is all that is needed!

This boy continues to be PURE, 100% BOY! He can be the most loving little guy one minute and literally the next he is a crazy boy! He definitely keeps our life interesting. :)

A couple things about Brayden right now ...
- He LOVES to say the prayer. And we are not just talking 'thank you for our food and family'. He thanks anybody and everybody and then he repeats it. If we are out eating and it is his turn to say prayer, we usually end up getting looks because he keeps going and going and going. A lot of times we have to say AMEN for him because he is just so thankful!
- Cousin Koby can do NO wrong! He thinks the world of Koby. I pray that Koby continues to be a great role model for him.
- Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and John Cena are his favorite
- He LOVES to wear suits. He wears them to daycare, wears them on Saturday afternoons to run errands and will even wear them for a visit to Cushing. He loves being handsome.
- Probably my favorite thing he is doing right now is talking about his underarm hair. I have no idea where this came from but he is convinced he has hair under his arms. If you don't believe him, just ask and he will show you. His '1 hair' is white so you have to look close. Ha!

Here are some pictures over the past several months.

Enjoy Adventures with Brayden ...

We miss Ms. Nikki! 

Love all these boys! 

Handsome boy!

Boy oh boy!

Our Family is Growing!

Welcome Lolli! 

Brian promised Abs that as soon as she could read her "Oh, Cats!" book and two additional books that he would let her get a real-live cat. Well, she mastered her book relatively quickly (mastered = memorized)! 

We took her to a local shelter to pick out a kitten. It was pretty cute - we let her go in a room with about 6 'older' kittens and told her to pick one. Her eyes just lit up and she had the biggest grin! 

Lolli is technically a boy, but in our house he is a she. I took her to the vet last week - you should try explaining that medically she is a he but personally he is a she. Geez! 

Surprisingly enough Lolli and Coal get along pretty good. I love it at night because the two of them cuddle ... too cute! 

Oh ... and speaking of Coal, that darn dog got sprayed by a skunk at 2:30 AM on Father's Day. So, I got to clean him up since it was Brian's day. Seriously - I think Brian, Coal and the skunk all worked this out in advance. Ha!

Here is to adventures with Lolli ... 

PreK Recap

We could not have asked for a better PreK year for Abby! It was so rewarding to watch her learn new things and meet new friends. Of course she had the most AMAZING teacher, Mrs. Schell! 

A few things I remember shocked me about PreK ...

- Within the first week, Mrs. Schell had 22 kids walking QUIETLY in a straight line to the cafeteria!

- All 22 kids know to eat their protein first, followed by their veggie, fruit and lastly their dessert. 

- During parties, kids always ate their veggies and fruit first ... most time their cupcakes and candy went untouched!

- The emphasis put on reading - Abby had to read or be read to 20 minutes a day ... and parents had to sign off on it (nothing like accountability).

- The projects/homework assigned and the ability for the kids to complete the assignments. They did several projects about themselves, created an alphabet book and did a presentation on an animal ... just to name a few. :) 

At the end of PreK, Abs can ...

- Count to 15 in Spanish

- Count by 5's to 100

- Count by 2's to 20

- Accomplished numerous site words (she loved doing 'spelling' tests)

- Reads beginner books

- Writes first & last name

- Say/write phone number

Here is to adventures in PreK ... 

First Day - August 2013

Last Day - May 2014

Love, love, LOVE Mrs. Schell! 

Mrs. Behdad was great too! 

We're Still Here!

So, I was oh so kindly reminded today that it is impossible to keep up with my kiddos when I don't update the blog. Oh yes, I was also reminded that my last update was on the pumpkin patch. WHAT?!?!?

First, we are all doing great! The kiddos are enjoying their summer break and getting involved with a few camps. This week is swim camp and you may just wonder if they are part fish. Ha!

We put together a list of fun things to do this summer. We did our first fun activity last weekend - we enjoyed a splash pad! As you can see, the kiddos had a really good time.

I'll try to post some of the things I missed since the pumpkin patch and try to stay more updated on what is going on.

Here is to summer fun adventures!