Primary

This is our ginormous primary.  This picture has about 85% of the children.

The fact that the tiny nursery kids sat for the picture was so much fun.  They had no idea what was going on and it just melted my heart when they came outside holding onto their rope with their leaders.

We have our primary program coming up very soon, and I think it is going to be awesome.

Choir

Kadie had her very first Choir performance in the very first choir she has belonged to.

It was at a family owned pizza restaurant in Danville.

We ate pizza, listened to cute kids sing, and Crew and I walked around the block about 20 times.

Uncle Cade and Aunt Morgan came and even brought flowers for Kadie! 

All Crew wanted to do was look for "spidermans" all over.  

Great job singing Kadie!

2nd Tooth LOST

Laney lost her second tooth!  Two bottom front teeth missing now. :)

She also does not know the whereabouts of said tooth again.  Just like when she lost her first tooth...she was eating an apple, and then it was gone!  This time we know that she swallowed the tooth with the apple bite.

Luckily the tooth fairy still came!

Good job tooth fairy...way to be paying attention.

School! And some other stuff...

School has started here in San Ramon.  I am now the proud mother of a big {tiny} 3rd grader and a kindergartner!  It is weird.

Kadie got an awesome teacher.  We are so excited.  She gives the kids hugs every morning.  She started out as a social worker, a profession that pulls at my heart strings a bit.  She discovered that she loved teaching through that.  Her name is Mrs. Smart...how much better can that get?  Kadie is loving school and has already completed a class presentation and learned 4 cursive letters.  She loves 3rd grade.  She is also doing so great at piano.  She has already started composing her own little songs.  I think she truly has a talent, and she loves it.  We found her "thing".  Yay!

Laney has another awesome teacher for Kindergarten.  She didn't get Kadie's old Kindergarten teacher, and we were sad about that because we loved Mrs. Young.  Laney's teacher is Mrs. Mochizuki...she is Australian born, and has lived all over the world.  She seems very structured {good for Laney}, organized and fun.  Laney is having over-sensory issues with the ginormous class size.  24 kids...could become 26 through the year.  So sad.  When Kadie was in Kindergarten she was so lucky to be in a looped class of 10 Kindergartners and 10 first graders.  It was so cool to have so much time with the teacher.  Her teacher truly knew her.  I am hoping among the chaos of a larger class that Laney will be fine.  But one full week of her having anxiety attacks is getting me worried.  Every night she cries and says "There are just so many kids!"  In the morning she does the same.  It took me 30 minutes to get her to go into class on Tuesday.  We made a star chart, and for every day that she goes into class and is brave {and doesn't come back out of class looking for me and Crew} she gets a star.  5 stars gets her an ice cream cone at the ice cream store, or a prize from the dollar section at Target.  I love bribery...hopefully it works...and really it is actually just an incentive because she gets the reward after she goes to class.  I feel good about the star chart. :)

Crew is having WAY too much fun bossing me around with no one else here.  He started this new conversation thing where he starts out with "So...mom..." and waits for me to say "What Crew"...then he talks in French or something that sounds like French...although I can usually make out "Buzz, Woody, Cars, Daddy, Kadie, Laney..."  He is a cutie.  He is constantly asking for kisses, hugs, and saying "I Yuv You _____!"  He says everything like it has an exclamation point at the end.  He is so enthusiastic.

Josh is back to a busy schedule...I mean wait...He is just the same.  Busy.  But we came up with a plan where Sunday nights we choose one night that looks a little less busy in his schedule for him to come home and have dinner with me and the kids.  It worked this week!  Hoping we can keep it up.  It is so nice for the kids to see their Dad during the week.  He got awesome reviews this last year, I am so proud of him.  Senior Manager here we come!

I am busy with projects of course.  Just finished wedding invitations for my cousin.  I also painted and redid Crew's room and Laney's.  On to Kadie's room {painting}, the primary program, Waldron Family Cookbook, and Children's swap!  Bring it on September!

Leisa :)

All Grown Up

Usually that title would entail a cute story about one of my kids, but this time I am noticing how grown-up I am.  The main thing I think is different about being 30 years old is that I truly feel like an adult.  Maybe people will take me more seriously, which is something I never feel like I get since I am 5 feet tall and got married at 19.  Now I can proudly say, I am THIRTY.  I am starting to love the number...

That being said, my actual birthday was a little depressing.  I guess I sort of felt like fireworks should have gone off or I could have been given a balloon bouquet or something.  A few people called or texted, and two sweet friends brought over some flowers.  I of course felt the Facebook Love.  Josh stayed home to work - and I actually told him next year to take the whole day off or go to work.  It is hard to keep 3 kids quiet when he gets on the phone.  I think I cried like 3 times just being stressed out and feeling like a loser.  Crying actually made me feel more pathetic too since I was now a grown-up but acting like a 2 year old.  I even got mad at Josh for being so busy with work.  So, Josh went to Dublin and picked up my favorite Thai food.  My Mom, Dad, brothers, sister and her hubby came over and brought me a new rug, Pride and Prejudice and some sexy heels!  I was feeling much better then.  That night I fell asleep pooped from all of the laughter. We had a good time.

Josh had a date night planned and babysitter booked for the following night.  It was just going to be the two of us.  We showed up at the restaurant and went to our table only to find a table full of friends that had known about my birthday dinner for weeks!  Josh was so sly, I had no idea.  It was one of the best group dates I have ever been on!

To make things even better, when I woke up the next morning Josh told me I had to get up and get ready.  When I asked why he said, "You are going on a shopping spree" and handed me an envelope full of money.  It was another fun surprise, and I spent every cent.  I still feel guilty thinking about it, but it was definitely a guilty pleasure. :)  Thanks babe for a great birthday and for taking the mean stares and crying fits without spoiling the surprise!  I love you.

Here's to being 30 and grown up!

Thirty

About an hour and half until the big 3-0 for me.

I am really excited to be in my thirties, but sad to say bye bye to my twenties. :(
It has been a good decade for me...a wild ride I must say.  Josh was there through my entire twenties, and Kadie was there for 9 years of it.  Weird!  College, working, starting a family, supporting a career...I never thought I would have all of that going on for my entire twenties...maybe the thirties will provide me with a little bit of a slower pace.

Ya, probably not...

Cheers to being thirty flirty and thriving!!!

XOXO

Kadie the third grader

Kadie just turned 9 years old last Sunday.  I can't believe it has been  almost a decade since she was born!

She hardly asked for anything this year, but did mention a few things she might like.  We decided it would be a great idea to get her a camera.  Turns out it was a FANTASTIC idea.  She had learned how to take pictures, and turn them into a slide show with music and everything in the first 30 minutes.

My favorite things about Kadie the 9 year old:

She loves to read and alternates between 4-5 books at the same time.

She LOVES to sing and play the piano.  She has been taking piano for about 7 months now and it is totally her "thing".  I can tell music will be a big part of her life.

Kadie wants to babysit already.  I left her in charge while I took dinner over to our neighbor who was moving and she planned crafts and a movie for the 15 minutes I was gone.

She has started drawing from memory and/or life.  Her imagination is amazing.

She wants to be a mother, a teacher, a photography, a painter, a "craft-er", and anything else that requires her to use her creativity.  The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.

I am so blessed to have her in my life.  She is always watching out for me, and I know we will be great friends when she grows up. :)

Love you Kadie!  Happy Birthday!