Birthday Busyness!! 9 and 7

My babies have turned NINE and SEVEN!!


WOW.  Seriously, stop growing. Mmmkay?

Olivia and Landon's birthday are just a day apart. I had her at noon Feb 5th and Landon 1 a.m. Feb 6th!  How's that for timing...so they could have their own "day". :)


So Olivia's "party" is this coming Sunday.  We are taking the girls in her class to dinner for some food and fun.  There will be many pics so I will share next week.  BUT, on her actual birthday we took her to lunch and then wandered over to the mall where we "wandered" into Claire's and told her she would get her ears pierced!  She's been asking for about 2 years, and we felt now was the perfect time. 

NO PICS MOM! 

She did perfect!  Not scared a bit!  And she's been diligently taking care of them 3x/day every day since.  :)

You let this one loose in a store where 60% of it is on his level, and well.......

Pretty girl, inside and out!

Landon opted out of a big birthday and asked for a nice mountain bike.  So that was easy!

I also took him lunch at school and got to hang out with ALL my kiddos!  So fun!

But a couple of weeks ago, the Dairy Queen by our house had a sale and the entire store was 50% off.  Robert went by that night to get some and they had some freshly made cakes and he was able to get their names put on them!  So 2 cakes for the price of one!  I'll take it!

We enjoyed some of that cake on his birthday night.

Lighting his own candles.  As far as those candles....4 plus 3 little ones = 7.  :)

Singing Happy Birthday!

Robert keeping Rhodes from blowing out the candles...again. 

Happy Birthday Olivia and Landon!  We LOVE you and are SO proud of you!!!

My Three Schoolkids

Finally, the first day of school rolled around.  The kids were up early very excited.  Everyone ate breakfast, got dressed and loaded up backpacks....can't wait to see all our friends!!!

Rhodes even got in on the action!  Wait...where's Lillian??

Oh yeah....there she is. 

She was thrilled until we made her put on her shoes and back pack.  Then total meltdown. 

My big 1st grader!!!

Lillian had stopped crying at this point.  But still wouldn't smile. 

Wait, a few more tears.

Better now that you got all thoses tears out?


Oh. NOPE.  But doesn't she still look so stinkin' cute in her uniform?  It's the smallest they made and I still had to alter it. 

Oh wait...Lillian?  You want to sit on Daddy's lap?  Is that a smile I see???

Switch.Flipped.  Typical Lillian style. 

We had a few more tears when we got to school, but after I accompanied her to her classroom and "laid down the law" (j/k) she was ok.  I kinda snuck out while she was distracted by school supplies!

When I picked her up, she said she wanted to go back.  But we'll see what she says Friday morning. 


I've had a couple of people ask me how I'm doing, did I cry, etc.  No.  I cried with Olivia and Landon but I don't know why I didn't cry with Lillian.  She's been with me almost every single day for the past 4 years and it's time I gently nudge her out of the nest a little bit.  I know almost everyone at the school and they know her.  And I am confidant they will take the best care of her!!!  Can't wait to see her blossom!!

My Little WakeBoarders

Before we headed to the lake last Friday, Robert calls me and tells me he found a youth wake board on clearance.  And he bought it.  The kids were excited and talked a big game.  But I thought for sure they'd back out once we were on the lake.  BUT NO!!!   Landon hopped right in FIRST (which is huge) and gave it 100% effort!!  I don't think I can emphasize how big a deal this is.  This is the child that would not even get in the water 2 summers ago at the lake.  Maybe even last summer.  He's the child that we had to FORCE on the tube because we knew he would like it.  Then we couldn't get him off.

Anyway, I was a super proud mama!  Even though he couldn't stay up very long, he definitely could get up very easily.  He's SIX years old for crying out loud.  Do you know many 6 year olds that try and wake board???  It was so stinkin' cute watching them back there.  I really enjoy pulling Robert and the kids behind the boat. 

I'm sure by the time he's 8 he'll be giving me a heart attack trying tricks back there. 

Robert would stay in the water with him for some runs.  But he actually had his best run when he started out by himself. 

Olivia popped right up as well.  She's been skiing for a couple summers, so she has a little more experience behind the boat and knowing how to balance.

Saturday evening, our neighbor came over with his super cool wake boarding boat.  He was SO nice to pull Olivia and Landon.

Olivia was very good at taking instruction.

So cute out there!

By the end of the weekend, she was learning how to move around a little bit back there.  You pull the handle toward your hips to move.  She even got a little wild and did it one handed for a bit!!!

Here is Olivia in her best run that we caught on tape.  Then a little commentary from one of our friends.  :-)

I Have Some BRAVE Kiddos

It was yet another lake weekend last weekend.  It's just too darn hot not to be somewhere close to or in water.  We started the day with Donuts.  We get a 50% discount because Robert does their accounting.  LOVE the perks of some of his jobs!!

There was also a good bit of work done that weekend.  And it involved 4-wheelers, MACK trucks, and fork lifts.  Pretty much heaven on earth for the kids.

But then on Sunday, we decided to make the trek to Chimney Rock.  The kids jumped off of a small (if you call 10+ feet small) rock at the end of last year and have been DYING to go back again.  So Olivia and Landon jumped off the little rock a few times.

Lillian and Robert bobbed in the water.  But then she convinced him to take her up!!  What!?!?  She won't even tube!

So there they went!  I didn't know how this would turn out!

So while they were having a pep talk (she's in the neon yellow life jacket and Robert in the red), Olivia and Landon ventured across the rock to another place to jump.  Again, shocking the ever living daylights out of their mom.  Wasn't it just the beginning of last summer Landon wouldn't even get IN the water OR tube??

And there he goes leading the way.

Meanwhile, Lillian took the plunge!

Look at her go!  I was SOOOO proud of her.  I don't know many other 3 year olds that would attempt that!

Then there was Olivia and Landon on the second place to jump.

They're old pros now.... ;-)

Then Olivia took it even further (with apparent approval from her father, because I was clearly not asked - I probably would have said no) to go up even FURTHER!!!

Let's see if you can get an idea....

We're talking like 20 feet or so!  She had to ask one of the little boys (who wouldn't go) to move so she could go!  HAHA!  So proud of Olivia!  She made one little squeak as she went down but didn't hesitate at all!

Priceless face:

It kinda scares me.  If they are doing these 'scary' things at 3, 6, and 8, what will they be doing when their 14, 16, and 18????

YIKES!