Whoa Garden Whoa

Remember when we were hoping that these pumpkin plants would actually produce pumpkins?

And then we got a little freaked out that the plants were out of control?

Well, now they're really out of control and we have pumpkins! One is already bigger than a basketball and the second isn't far behind. Yes, it's way too early for pumpkins...I have no idea what we're going to do with them! And the plant has outgrown its bed and is almost to our back porch!

In true Smallie fashion, our tomatoes are blooming way late...we have about twenty-five pretty little greens ones already :)
Cate loves hanging out with Buddy. Tonight she was trying to get him to jump through her swim ring!
Anyone else sick of the 101 degree weather? Bring on fall!!

Tic-Tac-Toe With Sharpie Marker = FUN!

Note: no child was hurt in the taking of this photo. Said child is crying because her daddy yelled at her...for probably the first time ever.

Boogie

Tonight we Boogied For Babies for Nurses for Newborns at the Casa Loma Ballroom. The theme was the Roaring 20's and thanks to Aunt Meme, Cate had the perfect dress to wear :) She was very excited to finally get to wear her costume and high-heeled shoes out of the house!

PHOTO BOOTH!!!!!

Tearin' up the dance floor! Shake it girl!!!

Too much fun! Baby Cate was sound asleep before we even pulled out of the parking lot!

LOVED IT....NOT SO MUCH

That's the text I would have gotten from Cate after her first day of preschool if she had a phone and could text :)

Cate's first day of preschool was an orientation where parents stayed the entire class time. The kids went into another classroom, but they knew we were there. That's why it was smooth sailing on day number one :)

Cate and Reid (Reid loved school and asked his mom to leave so he could stay by himself! And let's be honest, after finally getting all three boys in school, Candi was more than happy to leave!)

Cate loved the first day so much that we were the very last people to leave when it was over.

But out in the parking lot I asked if she was ready for the next day and she said "I'm not going to school anymore" Uh oh.

However, on day #2, she was up and ready to go bright and early. She walked into class fine but once she realized I was leaving, those baby blue eyes filled with tears and she wanted to go home. Thankfully, Miss Teresa was there to help and kept Cate's attention long enough for me to sneak out. She said that when she did realize I had gone, she cried, but they were able to entertain her enough to get through the 2.5 hours. Cate was very happy to see me at the end of the hallway at 11:15! First thing she said when we walked out of the building was "I am not going back to school ever again!" And, she hasn't. I know, I know..."she'll be fine". I've heard this a zillion times from a zillion different people, but "fine" isn't good enough and I'm not dragging a screaming child to preschool...because I don't have to. It's not like I have to drop her off at school so I can go to work..we enrolled her for the social aspect and because we love the school. So, our plan is to ease her into it...we'll try again tomorrow and then on Friday. And if she's not ready, then she's not ready and we'll try again next year.

LOVED IT....

LOVED IT. That was the text Carter sent me moments after the bell rang ending his first day of highschool. With those two little words, I was able to let go of the breath I've been holding since his last day of 8th grade (or maybe his first day of preschool). Last Monday, I joined him for Freshman Orientation. Fifteen minutes into the meeting, the 9th graders were dismissed with upperclass leaders and given the grand tour of their "home" for the next four years. My stomach sank as Carter joined the other 500 kids and left me to sit with all of the parents wondering where time has gone. Weren't we just walking these kids into their first day of kindergarten?? Thankfully Carter's core group of friends have in fact all been together since kindergarten and this is a journey I'm grateful to be taking with such an amazing group of moms. Speaking of amazing moms....(ha!)

humoring me with a picture before orientation

To be honest, I haven't been handling this highschool thing very well. Me...the least emotional person ever...has cried more tears in the last few weeks than probably the last few years combined. Pitiful, really...I've become a real wimp :( But my four years of highschool were some of the best years of my life and I just want the same for him. I was so happy when he walked through the door that first afternoon and started talking a mile a minute about how awesome his day was. *sigh of relief*

Carter made the highschool soccer team and starting Wednesday, I'll be parked in the bleachers, wearing my red and black, and cheering for #5!!! For their first official practice two weeks ago, the boys practiced at midnight...it was a fundraiser to kick off the season. I was burying my head in the sand and decided to forgo the practice and stay home with Cate :) Scott took the camera and from the above picture, you can see how well that went! Aunt Kathy took plenty of pics and videos and my parents gave me the play by play the following day so I think I have a pretty good idea of how it went...LOTS of running (Carter was in the yellow).

So, for now, I'm going to dry my tears, put a smile on my face, and hope the next four years go extremely slow! Here's to a very successful freshman year....GOOD LUCK CARTER!!!

Dancing Queen

Tonight was Cate's very first dance class. (Yes, it was also the first day of school, but I'll get around to that another day!). So, a few months ago, Adriane and I decided we were going to put Cate and Gabby and Gracie in dance class together. But, life happens, and we just now got around to signing them up. We chose The Little Gym because it offers an hour long class and breaks it up into 15 minutes of tap, 15 minutes of ballet, and 30 minutes of gymnastics. The session is like 22 weeks long (!) and there is no end-of-the-year recital...something I was trying to avoid. I really wanted a place that was laid back and didn't concentrate on routines, etc. Of course, anytime I spoke of dance class, Cate wanted nothing to do with it. I found this great deal online for a tutu, leotard, and tights for $12.99..holla! I figured a new outfit would be just enough to bribe her into the gym! MauMau bought her tap and ballet shoes for Christmas so we were set. This morning she woke up and immediately started whining about dance class...it was the perfect time to break out the new outfit. Yay for Cate's love of clothes, it worked!! By the time class started, she was super excited :)

Her tap shoes were missing strings, so I improvised with Disney Princess ribbon :)
She was very unsure at first...a few tears were shed, but she sucked it up and joined in the fun
I was so proud of Cate's behavior tonight...she listened and followed directions perfectly. After the class, the teachers commented to me and Scott about how great Cate did and how much they appreciated her listening skills. (and let's be honest, this wasn't a sure thing going into it!)


At one point, they turned on the radio for "free dance" time. All of the girls were jumping around and dancing, but Cate parked herself right in front of the mirror and did her one and only move...turn and leg kick :) She loved the mirrors!





I love this picture! She was so eager to learn :)

High-five for learning first position!


I love this picture too...admiring herself in the mirror again :)

Uh-oh...double trouble is back in action! Cate and Grace had a great time in the gymnastics room and Gabby joined in the fun too. The girls have missed each other!

Such good listeners!



The lighting in the rooms was no good for my camera...I may need to tell them about it so I can get some better pictures!
Cutest dismount ever!

Grace is still a wild woman!
Next week they're learning "Ta-Da's" and how to bow. Cate is VERY excited about this!!

I'm so glad we signed her up and that she really loved it. Finally, after years of watching her brothers get to have all the fun, it's her turn! On the way home, she made a list of everyone she expects to come to her next classes to watch her :) With 21 weeks left, we may be able to fit everyone in! Gabby and Grace were very shy during the dancing part but really got into it during the gymnastics and I'm hoping Adriane keeps them in the class...the girls will have a blast!! Oh and if you're wondering what Scott thought about sitting through his first dance class...well, let me quote him "Cate you did so great and followed directions really well. But Debbie (I knew what was coming because he never says my name) if she acted like those other two girls in class, I'd have yanked her out and beat her butt, then I'd smack you too. Where were their mothers?? They were out of control and disrupting everyone. Cate, if they ever push you, you give it right back to them". Soooo, I will now be video taping the future sessions and showing it to him when I get home! Even a calm dance class can turn into a freak show for the Smallie's!!!