Good-Bye, August!

August was highlighted by some big events.  We had the St. Jude Run, the girls' Peter Pan, Jr. play, and the start of school.  But we also tried to make sure we checked off the last of our summer bucket list items and fit in some fun family time as well.

We enjoyed a few last trips to the State Farm pool.

With cousins

and more cousins.

We fit in a few last playdates and sleepovers.

The "cast" of an original play about princesses and witches with friends Riley and Hadley.

American Girl doll time after a cousin sleep over.

We found a few final opportunities to enjoy summer festivals and fun.

We happened upon the Kid's Day at IGA for balloon animals, bouncy house, face painting, goodie bag fun.

The girls enjoyed Community Bash with cousins and then got to have another fun cousin sleepover.

We checked off a few final summer bucket list activities.

Like Daddy day at Wildlife Prairie Park while Mommy was at work.

A special date with my oldest to have lunch and see a movie.

And going to see the Peoria cast of Peter Pan, Jr. perform so the girls could take the opportunity to see the play that they were going to be in...and see some friends on stage.

We've had lots of fun watching (and coaching) Briggs as he starts his first season of Pee Wee soccer.

Seriously, how cute is this little soccer player??

Briggs got to go to his first ever "friend" birthday party for his little friend Dava.

It was a princess tea party, but Briggs didn't mind hanging out with all those princesses.

He got to enjoy time with some of his closest friends from pre-school.

And Briggs and I have enjoyed some special time with family and friends doing fun activities while the girls have been back in school.

We took advantage of the free days in August to enjoy Tanners Orchard with Aunt Melissa and Lucy.

Playing, shopping, trying ALL the free samples, and eating lunch together was a special day for the littlest kiddos while their bigs were off at school.

Briggs and I also enjoyed a special day out with our neighbors and friends, Miss Vickie and Mr. Dick.

We had lunch at Steak and Shake followed by an afternoon at the Wheels of Time Museum in Peoria.

We spent over 2 hours at the museum looking at old cars, trains, fire engines, and other cool antiques.  Briggs loved it, but these model trains were probably his favorite.

It's been a great August.  It's been a great summer.  Now it's time to cruise on in to September.  We're ready to say good-bye to our summer fun and welcome the fall festivities.

Ready for School?

Briggs will be starting 4 year old pre-school after Labor Day.  He still only recognizes a handful of his capital letters (S, X, Z, O, B), so with the girls starting school I am trying to work more diligently on letter recognition with Briggs when we are home together. We've done several different games with all the letters, but that has been a little overwhelming for Briggs.  I decided that we should focus on just a few letters at a time instead.  Yesterday we started with A, B, and C and did several different activities working on recognizing and writing those letters.  While I was making dinner, I asked Staley if she wanted to work with Briggs on his letters.  I told her that we were working on A, B, and C.  Briggs interjected, "I don't want to do A, B, and C right now.  I want to do C, D, and 11."

And that, my friends, is why this is probably an important exercise.

Sassy Pants

Briggs has generally been my super sweet, cuddly, mild-mannered, loving little boy.  And although that boy is still around, he has been trying out a new set of behaviors that I find much less endearing.  Is it cute when my 4 year old stomps his foot and sassily informs me of the things that he will and will not be doing?  Nope!  Do I love it when he makes demands and then gets really upset when those demands are not met?  Not really.  Is it adorable when he gets mad and then makes threats about spitting or punching or kicking?  Not so much.  Is it even more fun when he actually attempts to do those things?  Definitely not!  Do I love it when my loving little boy says things in the heat of his anger like "I don't like you" or "you're mean" or "I'm never going to talk to you again"?  I do not.  And are his tantrums and fits when he gets consequences for these behaviors heart warming and sweet?  Not in the slightest.  I'm not sure why these behaviors are making a strong showing lately, but this is one childhood phase that I'm hoping to extinguish quickly.

The other day Briggs was not having a good day.  There was a lot of sassiness and defiance.  A lot of poor listening.  A lot of unkindness shown towards his sisters.  And in response, a lot of consequences for poor behavior.  Towards the end of the day, the kids were playing together while I was making dinner.  I overheard Staley and Adelie role playing with Briggs a variety of different scenarios.  Like "When Mom asks you to clean up your toys, what should you do?"  Or "If you want to play with something that Adelie is playing with, what could you say?"  Briggs seemed to be a very willing participant in this activity.  When I asked the girls what they were doing, they told me, "We are giving Briggs good boy lessons."  Then Staley showed me the list of "good boy rules" she had made, including things like "be kind", "do as your told", "take turns", and "use kind words."

It seems like a good place to start.

I know that childhood phases come and go.  I know that emotional regulation will continue to improve as Briggs grows and matures.  I understand that boundaries will be tested and that behavior modification is a continuous work in progress.  I know that, even without lessons, Briggs is a good boy with a sweet heart.  And I know that we will work through these behaviors and come out better on the other side.

I just hope it is really soon!

Planning Ahead

This morning Staley asked, "If you marry someone, does that mean you have to kiss them?"  I wasn't sure how to answer that question, so I asked why she was wondering.  She replied, "Well, I want to get married but I do not want to kiss anyone.  That's gross!"

I'm totally fine with that, but we'll see if her future husband agrees.

First Day of School

 Yesterday was the first day of school for the girls.  Although we've had a fabulous summer and weren't ready for it the end, the girls were still excited about heading back to school for a new year with new teachers and friends.

Third grade and first grade, here we come!!

Adelie was SO excited about her teacher, Miss Malcom.  Miss Malcom is new this year, although she was a student teacher and long-term sub at the school last year.  We had heard that she was young and bubbly and fun, so it seemed like a good fit for Adelie.  And at meet the teacher night, Adelie found out that Miss Malcom loves Disney, that her whole classroom is decorated with Disney characters, and that Ariel is Miss Malcom's favorite princess!!  And then Miss Malcom took the time to sit together with Adelie on the couch in her room and read a book with her.  After meet the teacher night, Adelie declared, "I think Miss Malcom might be my new favorite teacher!"  High praise since Adelie LOVED Mrs. Doty and Mrs. Ferguson.

Adelie and Miss Malcom

Miss Malcom did not disappoint.  Adelie had a great first day with her, although did mention that she didn't really learn anything yet.  Although Adelie's closest friend isn't in her class, she still has a handful of friends in her class this year and seems excited about her classroom, her class, and especially her teacher.

Adelie scrapped her first day of school dress she initially picked out so that she could wear a Disney shirt (and her Ariel watch) for Miss Malcom on the first day of school.

Staley's excitement about her return to school was a little dampened when she found out that most of her close friends all ended up together in one class (with Staley's preferred teacher) while Staley ended up in a different class.  Luckily Staley kept a good attitude, got excited about her teacher (who we've heard really good things about), and stayed positive about the kids who are in her class.

Staley and Mrs. Hitchins

Staley also had a great first day of school.  She loved her teacher, sat by one of the new girls in her class at lunch, and still spent time with some of her close friends at recess.  She is most excited about how much she is planning to learn this year since she will get to have science and social studies every day this year.  I love how much this girl enjoys learning!!

Staley chose her first day of school outfit specifically because it was her first day of school outfit last year AND her last day of school outfit last year.  I guess consistency is key.

The girls are off to a good start.  Looking forward to another great year of school!!

Peter Pan, Jr.

While the first week-end of August was spent running (and recovering) from St. Jude, this past week-end was spent enjoying the girls' performances of Peter Pan, Jr.

Staley and Adelie both declared this their favorite show yet.  They both had their biggest parts yet.  They both got to wear wigs for at least part of the show.  (Adelie had a long black wig when she was a mermaid.  I almost didn't recognize her.)  And Staley had a mic for the whole show.  All firsts for my girls...and apparently all super exciting!

Both girls were cast in the role they most wanted.  Staley played Michael Darling.  This was such a big role!  She appeared in almost every scene with over 30 lines to memorize, as well as several small solos within songs.  She had everything memorized within the first week of getting her part, and then worked on perfecting her English accent.  She did great!!  Adelie had two roles--as Vidia (a fairy) and Aquata (a mermaid).  What could be better than a mermaid and a fairy for Adelie??  This was her first speaking role and she memorized her 3 lines and delivered them loudly and confidently.  She was by far the smallest of the mermaids and fairies and looked SO CUTE flitting around with her big kid friends.

As always, the girls had lots of support from family and friends during the show. 

Mrs. Doty (both girls' Kindergarten teacher) and her daughter were there.

A friend of mine from work came with her son, as well as a friend of Zach's from work that I didn't get a picture of.

The girls love when their cousins and aunts come.

So it was extra special that two sets of cousins and aunts made it to the performance.  Two of Zach's aunts came too, although I also missed a picture with them.

There were also neighbors.

We live in a great neighborhood with some of the best neighbors who love our kids.

And, of course, there was support from grandparents as well.

The kids are blessed with grandparents who are so present in their lives.

The girls also invited their baby-sitter, Miss Olivia, who brought them flowers.  So sweet!!

Two of Staley's good friends joined us for the play.

And Adelie invited her friend Jaci as well.

Stage Kids has not only been great for the girls in terms of acting and singing and dancing and confidence, but it has also brought some close friends into their lives.

Riley has become one of Adelie's closest friends because of Stage Kids.  It's even better that she only lives a few blocks away from us.

And Anna and Mady have also become some of my girls favorite Stage Kids friends.

Despite age differences, my girls consider many of the older kids in the cast their friends as well.

I love the friendships that the girls have established just as much as the opportunities that Stage Kids provides.

Their teachers/directors are so wonderful and the girls both love performing for them.  My favorite part of watching the shows is seeing how much fun the girls are having on stage and how evident it is that they are enjoying themselves.

I love Stage Kids and this was another wonderful show with my wonderful girls!!

St. Jude Run

We kicked off August with another successful Eureka to Peoria St. Jude Run.  Zach and I ran a cumulative 61.4 miles that day while (with the extreme generosity of our family and friends) raising $21, 300.  The Eureka group grew in both numbers (81 runners) and money raised ($148, 300), contributing to the over 5 million dollars raised by all the St. Jude runs.  What an incredible day for an incredible cause!

I'm so proud of my husband for the tireless effort he puts into organizing and planning this event all year round.

I am so grateful for the many volunteers and supporters who help out along the way.

I'm so blessed to spend the day with such an amazing group of people who are all passionate about this cause.

I'm so lucky to be able to use the gift of running to raise money and raise awareness.

It was so fun to have two of my work friends join me for the run this year.

It was such an amazing reminder of why we run to be joined on the run by Travis (a St. Jude survivor) and Parker (who is a current St. Jude patient).

The day can be emotional and exhausting and long...but so much fun!

And I love how it is a full family affair!!

It's so overwhelming to see the amount of support come flooding out of such a small town.

It's so rewarding to stand together with friends with sore legs and full hearts.

And how much better to see your friends grow to love the event as much as you do.

From start to finish, it's such an incredible and inspiring day.

Can't wait until next year!!