No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher's Dirty Looks

Last week was KP's final week of preschool. Of course they chose Wednesday to celebrate all the summer birthdays...the same Wednesday that I was in Orlando for a business trip. Boo! BUT Auntie Jen to the rescue, thank goodness! KP felt like a birthday princess with her Auntie there and her purple crown to show off!

Friday was the class picnic and both Ryan and I were able to make that one. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a great time on the play equipment, fishing for sea life, getting tattoos, eating and just being kids.

So now I leave you with one a song that will run endlessly through your head....School's Out for Summer (a little Alice Cooper, anyone?)! Bring on the sun and fun!

Shark Attack!

Mid-May Kaitlyn and I had the great fun of going on her preschool field trip to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Although we spend a lot of time there this trip was special because all her preschool friends were there as well. Nothing like 12 three and four-year-olds chasing each other from exhibit to exhibit. I'm sure the animals thought the kids were really the ones on display.

Random Cuteness

Loved these pictures so just had to share. Although that dog looks real, that's Oreo her stuffed puppy dog. He was her favorite for all of 5 days. Then Rani/Rocky took over the top spot!

Mom's Tea

Kaitlyn's preschool hosted a Mom's Tea to celebrate the upcoming Mother's Day (yes, I'm a little late with this post). I think my favorite part was the invitation. Check it out below...she's getting so great at writing her own name!

All us Moms got to sit down and be served by the kiddos. It was great fun to see how proud they were to be doing something special for us.

And I got to go home with a flower, a fantastic placemat she made, and KP bee thumbprints! Now that's two thumbs up in my book!

The Perfect Card

So I HAD to share the Mom's Day card that Kaitlyn picked out just for me...all by herself. For those of you who know her well, the Dog card is not surprise at all. She asks me daily when she can get a real dog. I keep buying her stuffed animal dogs in hopes that she one day forgets that she wants a real one. So far all I've gotten out of that idea is a lot of money invested in stuffed animals and a pretend dog pound filled to the brink (Oreo, Charley, Rani/Rocky depending on the day, Doggy {yes, original}, Brownie, and a couple others that I can't remember and/or pronounce the names). I did draw the line at Fred Meyer the other day when she wanted to go down the pet aisle and buy them all dog toys, leashes, and bowls. And yet, none of the stuffed animals have swayed her from her laser focus on getting a real dog. It's a battle of willpower and I must say, I can be really stubborn but I think she's going to win this one.

Anyways, back to the card. I absolutely loved it...and it's so true! Check it out below for a laugh. :)

Green thumb?

Usually Kaitlyn is sporting a red or blue thumb caused from the drippings of her nightly Popsicle. But now we're hoping her green thumb comes through. She spent a Sunday morning planting her garden with Papa Dirt. She was extremely excited! For the first couple of days, she must have asked at least 100 times if anything was growing yet. Teaching a 3-year old patience isn't an easy thing! The good news is that we are now seeing things coming up.

And how stinkin' cute is the 'Kaitlyn's Garden' sign that my Dad made her?! Big thanks to Papa Dirt!

Where's the Moving Truck?

The end of April brought a lovely retreat to San Diego for our family. I sooo love Southern CA and upon returning home I so badly wanted to put up a 'For Sale' sign and rent a moving truck. Maybe some day. I really do believe I was meant to be a Southern CA girl. In the meantime, I'll just have to enjoy the great memories we had from our extended weekend!

So Stinkin' Cool

Check out the video below to see what happened at our house this week!

Kaitlyn started riding a big girl bike all by herself! The most amazing thing to me is she went from her balance bike straight to the pedal bike...no training wheels needed. Kaitlyn was so excited and proud. I'm not sure who was grinning bigger, KP or me.

The Talk

Yes, last week I had a deer-in-the-headlights moment. Kaitlyn and I were happily chatting along when all the sudden she says, 'Mommy, I want a sister.' Had I not been so caught off guard I would've simply asked, 'Really, why?' Instead though I got the fight or flight feeling along with an intense feeling that I must nip this in the bud! Thus, I take the approach that I think will resonate most with a three-year old.

Approach #1: Well, Kaitlyn if I had another baby that would mean I'd have to share my time with both you and the baby and I'd sure miss all the special time we have together.

She looks at me and quickly says, that's not a problem. Daddy could take care of the baby and you could take care of me. Oh boy. Okay, onto the second approach that I think will surely get her off this topic.

Approach #2: Well, the thing is Kaitlyn we don't get to choose whether the baby would be a boy or girl so you could end up with a brother instead.

Again, she looks at me and quickly says, 'That's okay, we can have one of each.' Oy! Talk about digging a deeper hole. I have a feeling my bargaining chip here (a new kitty or doggy) is going to come into play sooner than I'd like.

Hi, my name is Brandi and I'm an addict

Yes, I really cannot help myself when it comes to swimsuits and Kaitlyn. I'm absolutely and completely defenseless against these cute, little itty-bitty suits and more often than not I find myself reaching for my wallet and leaving with a new suit for KP.  Here are a couple of her new ones (although the Easter bunny is responsible for her purple one!). Needless to say, I haven't limited my purchases to two. It's simply that I only have pictures of two. I reserve the right to remain silent about how many have been purchased and how many more will be purchased in the future.

Flashback...Part 2

April weather was really awful and rainy to begin with but then we ended up with some nice days/weekends. I didn't want to miss out on posting some of our outdoor fun which included bike rides, parks, and zoo trips to just name a few things. Enjoy!

Flashback...Part 1

As usual I've missed a few events along the way. But who says you can't go back in time! So here we go, all the way back to February 16th and Ryan's birthday.

The actual birthday was spent with cake and ice cream (a MUST with a three-year old). We celebrated later with pool and bowling at ACME bowl. It was Kaitlyn's first time playing pool and bowling. (You have to check out her bowling shoes below. Soooo cute! They were the smallest size they had.) The Mosers and the Krauses joined us and we all had a blast. No night would be complete without a special treat so off to Cold Stone Creamery we all went.

Happy (very belated) Birthday, Ryan! Wanna know the really cool thing about your birthday? It's always before mine which means you'll always be older (boo for you) but at least you can say you're married to a young chick (yipee for you!).