Baseball Opening Day 2015: The Cardinals

Preston's opening day for baseball fell on the same day as Phia's dance conventions so Daddy and I did split duty(we have a feeling this is going to happen a lot more).  We send each other pictures and facetime from each event so it's pretty much like we're there no matter which one we're at but still Mama was VERY sad to miss Preston's big day! Preston marched in the parade holding his team banner, ate snow cones, engaged in bounce house fun, and ate hot dogs.  After, Daddy and Preston headed to Islands and then to the batting cages...phew what a fun and fun day.  Preston said it was "the best day EVER" to Dada.  They had a blast together!! Thankfully Nana watched the other 2 as opening day started at the crack of dawn and the littles were still asleep.  

24/7 Dance Convention and Competition

What a long and exciting day! We being rookies have no idea what to expect at these things.  Thankfully we have 2 other mom's who are in the same boat as us so we all stick together and tap into the veterans for guidance as we need it(and we need it a LOT!!!).  Phia got her precious Dream Duffel just in time for her 2nd competition of the season and we had 2 days to bling out the patches. One of our dance mom friends helped us during ballet class.  Blinging the patches involved ribbons, E6000, rhinestones, and lastly FIRE!! Mama is not only learning the new language of dance but putting my very little creative juices to work!! Our day started off with 3 hours of classes taught by amazing, seasoned teachers.  They had 4 separate teachers(jazz, tap, ballet, and hip-hop) and learned 4 dances in 3 hours.  They were whisked off to the stage to open the competition portion of the day! Our girls were considered "side-kicks" because of their age so they have a very abbreviated version of classes.  The rest of the studio were taking classes all weekend!! After they opened the show we headed to another ballroom to get dressed in full make-up/hair for their "Rockin' Robin" dance.  They went on at 6pm so they had plenty of time to warm up and practice and holy moly they were so good!!! They won a gold!! So so so amazing.  The awards ceremony was so loud(and LATE...9:15pm awards started)  that when our girls came off stage they had NO idea they'd won! Phia said "we didn't win anything Mama".  One girl from each team is supposed to grab the medals and no one heard so they thought they didn't get one! Ahhhh their faces were so so precious when we told them what they won!  We got home at almost 11pm....mama was EXHAUSTED but it was so worth it.  Phia is not only having a blast but she's learning discipline, team work, and building new friendships along the way.

Valentine's Day and Father/Daughter Dance!

 Valentine's Day is a fun day around our house.  Mama made 100 "bear hugs" this year which consisted of teddy grahams and a few gummy bears.  We figure the kids get enough candy hearts so we like to do something different.  We made enough for all their classrooms plus Phia's dance team and Presto's baseball team...sign.  So much fun but those sucker took a long time.  Thankfully the kids are big enough to help mama...wohoooooo!!!  Mama was able to spend the morning with Bentley at his class party where we made fondue! It was a delightful mess and the kids loved it all.  All the kids completely scored in the candy department! On actual Valentines day we made yummy cinnamon rolls in the morning(luxury in our house) and then all headed to Preston's baseball practice.  In the evening we made heart shaped pizza(Phia's idea).  Pretty much the best way to spend Valentine's...with all of our loves:)  The Father/Daughter dance was the following weekend and it's always a very special day for Dada and Phia.  This year was especially precious since it's her final dance at St. Peter.  We cannot believe they've been to 4 dances together.  Two weeks later Phia presented Daddy with the sweetest note when he walked in the door from work(out of the blue so clearly it was still on her mind)...it said "The Father Daughter Dance was kind of emotional" in her best "kid friendly" writing! Sophia loves writing notes...we find them all over the house.  Mama found a note one morning that said "I love you...butt(with 2 t's) do you love me?".  Love it!

The kids lately...

 Oh so much is going on it's impossible to keep up.  Our weekends are jam packed with activities from the moment we wake up and we're loving each moment.  Olivia's vocabulary is through the roof.  She can finally say all of her siblings names...like this: "B" for Bentley, "Westo" for Presto, and "Fi Fi" for Phia.  Preston's name stumped her for the longest time.  She can sing the alphabet, loves Frozen and requests it by saying "Elsa"! She sings "Let it Go" at the top of her lungs.  She loves playing ring around the rosey with her siblings.  Loves snacks(duh just like her siblings) and loves all the attention she gets from her brothers and sissy.  Sophia is pretty much the best big sister on the planet(Olivia you hit the jackpot!).  Sophia tells us that when Olivia wakes up in the middle of the night she gives her dolls and listens to her sing to the dolls and talk to them.  Phia said it's too cute so she never tells her to go back to sleep.  Phia loves taking care of her baby sister and is so loving and patient with her.  Bentley is thriving at school.  He retains everything and listens to all rules, follows directions, and gets lots of rewards because of it(can you say teacher's pet??).  Presto is learning that if he follows the teacher's rules he gets LOTS of positive attention from mommy and daddy so this past month he's turned into a stellar student! Preston has taken interest in coloring and we've seen his skill level improve tremendously in the last month(literally out of nowhere he completely colors in the lines...good job buddy!). Preston is very into books so we spend Thursday afternoons at the library and he completely loses himself in the books(love it!).  This past Thursday we all got library cards and oopsie the first book we brought home Olivia colored in. Thankfully she colored with chalk...she must've known:) We have amazing, bright, and thoughtful children.  We even hear Olivia say "you okay?"and "don't cry..."  to her siblings. Sure, there are normal sibling squabbles...normal stuff but the great stuff is truly great! This week at dance I watched Sophia help a lady with a baby pick up snacks the baby dropped on the floor and minutes later I watched Preston hand his ipad(his pride and joy) over to this same baby who was curious what he was playing.  These are the moments I realize not only are we doing something right but our children are so caring of others.  I've also realized that cultivating caring children is not easy. It's difficult (and somewhat against nature)to teach that while others may not be kind, we still need to to show love and respect.  I'm so proud to be their mommy and each day they teach me so much!