Back to School...Gramoo's School, That Is...

Easton's last day of school was a Thursday...and the very next day was Gramoo's Field Day. Easton and Gramoo had Field Day on the same day last year so we couldn't make it to hers. But this year we were there bright and early! It was Autumn's first and the kids made their entrance in style:


Everyone gets such a kick out of the mini cart following Gramoo's around:


However, it doesn't always go terribly fast and has difficulties on hills, so Easton and Dalton had a system, Easton would hop out and push and Dalton would attempt to steer:


And that's where the pictures end.

Unfortunately, there was a golf cart mishap. While we had the kids in the big golf cart with us making the rounds, my mom went to get off the cart to bring something to one of the stations. She'd had Easton on her lap and was carefully setting him on the ground first and then went to get off herself...however, her foot was still on the gas so the cart kept going while Easton--and Gramoo's foot--stayed behind. Easton was totally and completely fine. However, thanks to my mom's (successful) attempt to protect Easton, Gramoo herself was injured. Both her knees and one ankle. She tore her MCL in one knee!

I took over driving while she sat in the passenger seat "R.I.C.E."ing and directing as needed. Eventually some school office people caught wind of the incident and insisted on some workman's comp paperwork so she ended up forced to do that in the nurses office and the music teacher and I finished up Field Day the best we could before Lauren and her boyfriend drove Moo to the workman's comp doctor. So, I didn't take any more pictures. You understand. :)

My mom does an amazing and unique themed Field Day every year for the whole school at once. Other schools (like the two Easton has been in) break it up by grades and do the same thing every year. My mom's have always been so great and the parents, teachers, and students love them--she gets a bazillion parents and former students coming back to volunteer at the event. It is impressive. Other schools have to beg and still don't get enough helpers. Because of all the time she puts into planning, her Field Days kind of run themselves on the day of. So really all I did to "finish up" is drive around and ask the volunteers and students to bring all the equipment back up to the building when they were done and maybe put a few of the heavier things in the back of my golf cart while the boys ran around and picked up trash like stray water bottles and pieces of balloon from her water balloon sling shot station.

What a situation, eh? The things we put ourselves through to protect little ones. Remember when I broke my foot (but kept Dalton unharmed) as we fell down the stairs a few summers ago? Or I remember when I was carrying 3 year old Lauren out of church and slipped on some ice. Lauren was entirely unscathed but I did a number on my 15 year old back. And now poor Moo...

But she's being a trooper. The following week she treated us to her school's annual carnival. That's always a good time.








Dalton kicked some major behind at the games. I guess it was mostly luck but it was consistent. And Easton was never once jealous or unhappy about his brother out-performing him (Little Kristin sure would have been).

Check him out:


And look how happy he is to get a better prize:


Easton started this fishing game first and was doing really well, was very focused, had some good techniques but it was just tricky:


Dalton walked right up and hooked a frog unconventionally but he still "caught" one while Easton kept trying on the other side.


Dalton also won the cake walk we did. I think there were at least 20 people playing. We play every year and never win. This year, Diddles took away a bowl of brownies. And shared!

We even let Autumn do a few games this year:


It was a fun time. Gramoo and Lauren's boyfriend (and I) were there, even if there are no pictures of us. Actually you can see Rob's legs and part of Gramoo in some of them. :) I'll blame the lack of many pictures on my sore underarms. Lauren (who is nearly done with esthetician school) waxed them for me before we went to the carnival. Yowsa! Actually it wasn't as bad as I'd feared and they really weren't sore but I need an excuse.

And with that dose of TMI I shall leave you for today...

Toodles!

Beginning to Look a Lot Like Summer!

We've had a few days of water play in the backyard recently. We did an ol' favorite...turning on the sprinklers under the trampoline and jumping in them:


And got out the Mount Tiki Soki Easton's been playing in since he was younger than Autumn:












Yeah, that got him a little wet:


But they went for it again:




Easton spent much of his time running away from the water he so desperately wanted to play in:


And my bathing beauty preferred the safety of the trampoline:




But when the boys broke out the new hurricane sprinkler thingie Dalton got for his birthday...


...she found one stream from it made her very own little wading puddle on the sandbox lid:




We always like to have a popsicle on hot afternoons:






Look at all my monkeys!


The boys love that Autumn does that kind of stuff with them now...see:


We also got out the Nemo four square mat on another afternoon. Autumn didn't want to put on her suit and of course that was the day she wanted to get sprayed:




It really hasn't been that warm most afternoons so the kids don't last long but I'm sure before long we'll be complaining about the heat and we'll have these fun things to cool us off!

My Boisterous Boys

The last post obviously featured Miss Autumn...but my boys are full of fun times too!

They switched costumes the other day for a laugh:


And each boy got a new shirt...Dalton's is "a Brobee shirt" (from Yo Gabba Gabba if you don't currently watch Nick Jr.):


I found a Sonic one for Easton. He's a fan lately. And he's also better at posing for me:






I had been looking forward to summer with the boys not having school. I think what I'm now looking forward to is for their summer activities to start...which is soon!

They are literally climbing the walls:




This summer they're both doing soccer and swimming again. And I think we're trying to do some sort of "creative" class for each boy too but we may be running out of time to get Dalton enrolled. Easton will be doing piano/keyboards. Dalton is pushing for art. Plus I'd like to get Autumn in some swimming or something as well but I can't do it with the two older ones around so we'll have to shoot for weekends or evenings.

We'll be busy for sure starting tonight!!! Summer is going to fly by! :(

And one more thing before I go...Easton (and Dalton) are sensitive to yucky messes. Easton hates banana and will literally gag if Autumn's got it all over her face. Or a mushed bean near her nostril. Or a giant mess in general:


So that he could stay at the table with us, he came up with this clever solution so he wouldn't have to look at her unappetizing face:




And how had I never suspected he was gifted? ;)

My Goofy Girl

Trying to take a picture of her in her cute ensemble:


Then she started being a goof:






Playing a little nigh-nigh:


She's telling me "Qiet"...she says it without the "u" sound:


Then, "Morning!!!"

That's one of her faves.

Love that girl! She's so spunky and fun. I love that she's got her own personality and stands up for her little self. Unfortunately that means she's bitten her brothers a few times when they won't listen if she tells them, "No! No! 'Top it!!!" It's hard because I want her to be able to stand up for herself and fight back (if she needs to) when she's a young woman, but of course, the biting her brothers isn't okay. Neither boy was a biter. Makes me glad she's not in day care. :)

What else about my little spunk?

She's a "chino" theif...moved the little stool and climbed up to get the Frappacino I set on top. "Sip! Sip!" she shouts. Even at passerby in Target with Starbucks cups.




And we'll finish up with a few more of her little hair-dos:

Do you see how crooked it looks? She's got a giant goose egg on the bottom right part of her head, I can see it easily because I know it's there but I'm thinking it'd be obvious to anyone.

You can see her head bump in this one too, poor thing:

But I'm really liking my Topsy "Lil Kelli" pigtails into those twists. The boys would not leave her hair alone, they liked feeling the twists, I think.

Oh, how'd she get the goose egg? Easton was trying to help carry her inside from the backyard and the stair back there is a little high for him to lift the extra weight easily so they both fell, she on the back of her noggin.
:( Easton felt just awful. She didn't cry all that much but I got really worried about her because she was being a little funky and she suddenly got really really pale. Even Jason noticed the whiteness, which is saying something. But she was and is okay. 'Cept for her crooked hair-dos for a few days...but she doesn't mind!

Excuse the large water spill on her front. The girl is a rascal if I haven't gotten that point across before.

Oh, here's a 'do where you can't see the bonk on her conk anymore:

Isn't it getting so long and curly? I love when we have a little time in the morning to do her hair while she watches MMCH. I plop her down and see which direction her hair takes me. It all still seems to start with a "Little Kelli". Told you I do her hair like that a lot!

Double French braids! I didn't think I'd be able to do this for awhile, both because of the time it'd take and because of her hair length but I did it!

Not bad for our first time, but I'm sure I'll get better with practice. And her 'do's will likely hold up a bit better when she doesn't nap on them. Between the bed and the car seat, her hair doesn't usually stand much of a chance.

This is the same French braids post-nap...obviously just the front view, though:


They did so-so...but, my gosh, I think she still looks so super cute. Jason's always marveling at his sweet girl...we're so glad she's ours!