Off to drum lessons....

What a square.  No, a square would be boring.  What a quadrilateral.

Enough to make me get out of bed in the morning...

Mornings with Charlie Girl...

Beautiful

I can't get enough of this girl.  Millie is absolutely precious.  The comments that come out of her mouth are priceless.  Her thought process is ridiculously manipulative.  Her silly laugh brightens my day.  Her sweet eyes turn to crescent moons when she smiles; her whole face lights up.  And I love that.

 Millie's proverbial wheels are always spinning.  Her little brain is complex.  While playing with baby dolls, I can ask her a question about school and she rattles off the answer like it's no biggie.  Just this morning, sitting at the breakfast table and I asked Georgia where her backpack was and Millie pipes up "it's upstairs in her room."  She can almost always locate my keys (which I misplace often).

I don't get enough time for one on one time with Millie right now.  Especially not now that Charlie doesn't sleep.  I look forward to the days when we can have special time.  I make my first cup of coffee in the morning (or Trevor delivers it to me in bed if I'm lucky), and Millie makes my second.  Bless her heart, she can make it from start to finish.  Truvia, Coffeemate and all.  I was watching Gwyneth Paltrow on Ellen last week and she was talking about her dad's advice.

Cooking with her father taught her many lessons in life, metaphorically and practically. As a mother, she follows his example, especially in the area of trust. Her father believed children respond positively to being trusted with things they don't expect you to trust them with.

"When they are trusted and complete something successfully, not only is their self-esteem buoyed but so is the connection between parent and child." Thus, she says, she cooks with them and gives them responsibilities beyond what they might expect.

More here.  

It really hit home with me.  So true.  Make that coffee, Mil, make that coffee!  And pour that wine.....

Sleepless in Spokane

Charlie and I have our morning ritual down.  Wake up, make coffee and breakfast, look for Mr. Squirrel out the kitchen window, look for puppies out the front window, wake the kids up, etc etc.  She has definitely changed from a stationary, content little baby to a mobile, in-to-everything, content baby.  She never cries (when I have her!), she falls asleep in her car seat without a peep, she climbs up the stairs when I turn my back, she goes with the flow, and makes everyone smile with her scrunched nose grin.  She's perfect.  Almost.

She doesn't sleep!

Today she "slept in" until 6:45, and had a 10 minute nap in the car until I had to get the kids from school.  10 minutes.  That's all.  We went to preschool with Murphy (and Millie got to attend again), had a little going away party for Murph's teacher, went to the store, the post office, home to get Georgia's party details ironed out, met up with a great friend, picked up the Ms plus Andrew from school, got Murphy's hair cut, ate lunch at The San Francisco Bread Company, played at home, picked up Georgia from sign language, went to Murphy's t ball practice, played at the park, played out back, ate dinner, and Charlie is boobying to sleep now (8:00) and the other three are in the tub/shower.  What a day.  I guess there was no time for her to sleep.  Too much that she may miss out on.

Tomorrow, Trevor is going to be out in Moses Lake for the grand opening of his new store, so I will be flying solo with my duckings all day.  And that includes t ball pictures and a t ball game.  Trevor will be picking up my parents at the airport (on his way back through town), and Murphy has a birthday party that evening.

And Sunday is church and Georgia's seventh birthday (and party)!  Come Monday, they we are going to be exhausted.  And I have Zumba and tennis and swimming for all three and......

OK....one day at a time.....

For now, let's just hope Charlie decides to sleep all night.

Mother's Day +

I feel very thankful this Mother's Day.

My mom and I have a relationship that has never been stronger.  I love that.

It's not just that I have four sets of eyes that look up at me every single day that makes me so thankful.  It's that I have the honor of taking a part in making these four amazing keiki into the best little people they can be.  I have the privilege of waking up and to nonstop entertainment; to smiles and hugs and laughter.  I get to take the kids to their schools, and watch them progress in the activities they love: swim, dance, drums, violin.  I am able to see these amazing kids grow in every aspect of their lives.  From Charlie crawling to the bathroom when I tell her it's time to take a tubbies, to Millie writing her name, to Murphy "kicking butt" in Spanish class (even as the youngest kid!), to Georgia being a "model student."  From Charlie's face lighting up when she sees her siblings when they first wake up in the morning, to Millie coming up behind me saying "you're the bestest mommy I've ever had," to Murphy staying up until ten at night sitting on the basement stairs talking to me while I paint trim (then asking if he could help me with laundry), to Georgia going out of her way to help Millie during their buddy's birthday party.  I love the people that my kids are.  I love the people that my kids are becoming.  I couldn't ask for more.  Maybe a fifth.  Haha.

I am SO thankful.

But mostly, I am happy to share my special day with another "special" person.  Happy Birthday to Trevor Lincoln Kettrick.  I won't get you anything if you don't get me anything!

Can I live here please.

Classic Mil

"There's a heavy truck! You can put your wallet over there and it won't get squashed!" - too many Alluma wallet infomercials viewed?!

The Marmots were Marching

checking out the balloons (that Di probably let go)

She IS my kid...high fives all around EXCEPT to that scary guy in costume!

I love that bouncing ponytail!

James and Millie with their first place ribbons.  HOW CUTE ARE THEY!?

Another fun year of Marmot March with the Wilsons!  The kids had a blast.  Mil ran almost the entire mile or so.  Charlie chilled in the stroller with Trevor, Murph ran up ahead with a friend from preschool, and Georgia and Maddie took off way up ahead with the big kids.  Di was ahead of me trying to keep up with Murphy (or at least not lose sight of him :).

Could these pictures be any cuter?!

Dear Trevor,

Consider this your two year warning.  Two years from now we will celebrate our ten year anniversary.  How lovely it would be to slip this bad boy on my finger.  Isn't it gorgeous!?  I do believe I deserve it.
Love, Kelly

As of last week, she is in motion...

...and my party is over. I can't take a shower anymore without her all up in my business. Gone are the days of putting a pile of toys in front of her for entertainment. She is mostly likely standing holding on to the wall when I'm finished showering, or standing up holding on to the toilet. Nasty. That is why I pay my children well as "babysitters."

Water babies

I love her expressions here...

Apparently the eye patch is an integral part of We Will Rock You...

I love Fridays

Such buddies.  Murphy "babysat" so I could bring laundry upstairs.  When I came downstairs again he said "I dumped out all of her toys so she could play.  Then she was standing up and I put her back down on her bum."

I'm obsessed with this boy.

I take the day off of working out on Fridays.  That means taking Georgia and Murphy to school, coming back home to clean up, hang out, and Millie gets to watch some shows.  And after we pick up Murphy and have lunch, Charlie takes a nap, and Millie and Murphy hang out and watch some shows and play.  No pressure.  Just hanging out.  Kids being kids.

I'm sitting on my bed next to Charlie sleeping, with three baskets of laundry ready for me to put away, a load in the wash and a load in the dryer, dishes to unload, and an upstairs to vacuum.  However, it's rainy/showy out, chilly, and I have absolutely no motivation to do a thing.  I suppose I will let myself sit here and do  nothing but catch up on DVRed shows.