One excited little kindergartner and 3rd grader!

Yesterday, I had one excited little kindergartener and 3rd grader! Mary Kathryn has been talking about starting school all summer and was so excited about the first day she was practically bubbling over with it! She has had her new bookbag hanging on her closet door since she got it and has been trying it on for anybody and everybody who will look. Hailey, who loves school, was all about getting all of her supplies organized and packed perfectly in her bookbag. She is definitely one that likes things done "just so" and most of the time it is better to let her organize things herself. She was up and dressed 30 minutes before the alarm clock ever went off! Mary Kathryn is not a morning person, but as soon as she woke up good, she was practically running circles around the house. It is very hard to put a neat ponytail in a child who is jumping up and down! And wonder of all wonders, we were on time to school with minimal rushing around! I found that since I was already up at 6am feeding the baby, it was not nearly as hard to get up and get things done on time. Usually I will hit the snooze button and get up at the very last minute causing me to rush around the house on school mornings. Who would have thought that having a newborn would actually help me to get places on time!

Here are some pictures of the girls before going to school. Even Bella got in on the action!

When we got to the school (of course, it was a madhouse!)we first took Hailey to her class. She went on in without a problem and was excited to find her seat and get started. We then took Mary Kathryn to her classroom. She is a lot more shy than Hailey and was a little more apprehensive since it was her very first day at school. We are so thankful that she has gotten Mrs. Phillips, who seems to be great with the children and helped to make Mary Kathryn feel right at home.


Below is a picture of Mary Kathryn with her kindergarten teacher.


And here is a picture of Mary Kathryn finally getting started on her first day of "Big Girl School"!!

Once we left Mary Kathryn happily coloring we snuck back over to get a picture of Hailey in class on her first day. Hailey caught me taking a picture and was obviously not too happy about it. Oh no.... Have I turned in to THAT embarassing mom!:)

But I got my way and here is the picture of Hailey starting her first day as a 3rd grader! (She'll appreciate these pictures one day!)



I am so happy everything went smoothly on the girls first day and we were able to adjust to running on a schedule with the baby. Yet another step towards normalcy!!!:)

A quick trip to the beach and a few new milestones!

This past week we decided to take a last minute day trip to the beach before the girls start school next week. We have been promising Hailey and Mary Kathryn that we would take them before the end of the summer and I am very glad that Bella is a good car rider and we were able to keep that promise. The girls were able to spend several hours on the beach swimming and playing in the sand. Hailey's favorite thing to do at the beach is build sand castles and that is exactly what she did. Mary Kathryn on the other hand wanted little to do with that, but had a blast playing in the ocean. The sound of the ocean lulled Bella to sleep and she was quite content for most of the time we were out there. We all had a good time at the beach, but a day trip with a 1 month old can be very exhausting and Michael and I were both very glad to be home!

Bella has also had quite a few new milestones this week. I forgot how quickly babies grow and change at this age and it seems there is always something new to share. We have started to lay her on her play mat for "tummy time". Suprisingly, she loves to lie on her stomach and she is able to lift her head well. We all love to lie on the floor and watch her during her "tummy time". She is so cute bobbing her head around!

Most importantly, Bella has started to knowingly smile at us this week. She has always seemed to recognize our voices and turn towards them but it is so great to pick her up or talk to her and have her give us a great big smile! Unfortunatley, I have not been quick enough to get a picture of her smiling yet, but I am sure I will be following her with a camera all week until I get one! She also seems to notice and watch the colors on the tv now. This morning I sat her in her bouncy seat in front of the tv. A few moments later I heard her making a strange sound and turned around to check on her. She was watching Mickey Mouse playhouse with a huge smile on her face and making a cackling sound. I would swear she was laughing! It was the cutest thing to see. Of course, I ran to get the camera and she wouldn't do it again, but I did get a couple of pictures of her engrossed in watching Mickey Mouse clubhouse.

I can not believe summer vacation is coming to an end and with it comes running the girls from school to dance, soccer and cheerleading. With three little girls, I do not forsee all of the many activities slowing down anytime soon! We have been wondering how all of the running around will be with a little baby in tow and I guess we will soon find out! I am so happy that September is almost here and hope that cooler weather soon follows!

Just look how big little miss Bella is getting!!!

The First of many Firsts......

Over the past week there have been many milestones hit in our household. Sunday, we all made it to church for the 11am service which was Bella's very first! We attempted to make it the previous Sunday but I soon realized I needed a lot more preparation time then I had allowed for. This week I was determined we would get there and next week we hope to make it in time for Sunday school. I have been so ready to get back into our regular routine and really feel one step closer now! Bella did great during the service and I was very happy that she slept peacefully and didn't cry or fuss at all. Another milestone reached this week was that Bella lost her umbilical cord and was able to take her first bath, which she LOVED! In the picture we took of her she looks a little startled but she became very calm once she was settled into the warm water.

She really is a good baby and with the exception of what I call her "fussy time of day" around 5:30pm, she is very easy to take care of . I have been trying to get her to take a passy during her fussy time, but have discovered that she seems to prefer her thumb. This is a cute picture we took of her with her passy.

We have been giving Bella a bottle of breastmilk once a day in preparation of when I go back to work. This is a picture of Michael feeding Bella her first bottle......
( I think its so cute how she always covers her eyes. She is NOT a fan of lights!)


Mary Kathryn is becoming a big girl in her own right. She began sleeping in her own bedroom this past week. She had always slept in her own bed until we moved into our current house over a year ago and she became scared to sleep in an unfamiliar room. She began sleeping with Hailey and never stopped. Recently we decided that there was way too much giggling and playing after bedtime and that it was time for Mary Kathryn to sleep in her "big girl bed". Thankfully, she made the change without a fight but insisted on a small light left on in her room at night. We agreed and she is now officially in her own room!





Hailey has been loving having Bella around now. I believe she would hold her all day if I let her! Her biggest adjustment has been being at home much more. Hailey is a very social child and loves to be on the go. Luckily, we have had plenty of visitors and we have been taking her out and about as much as possible. Still, she is ready for the hustle and bustle of school to start back! I, on the otherhand, don't know if I'm ready for all that running around yet!




Its amazing how quickly time has been flying since I delivered 3 weeks ago. I happily graduated from my maternity clothes about a week ago, though it will be a while before I can fit into anything from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. But.......What a small price to pay for such a wonderful blessing!!!:)

Who does Bella look more like......Hailey or Mary Kathryn?

Since Bella has been born I have had many people ask me if she looks more like Hailey or Mary Kathryn as a baby. Personally, I can see similarities to both but think that she doesn't really favor one more than the other. I started looking through baby pictures to compare and found that they were all very different looking babies. As Hailey and Mary Kathryn have gotten older they have similarities but look very different overall. Bella definitely looks different then either Hailey or Mary Kathryn as a baby and it should be interesting to see if she continues on that path as she grows. The pictures below are of each child taken within the first month of life . Here see what you think!....
Top picture: Hailey
Middle picture: Bella
Bottom picture: Mary Kathryn