Ninja moves

Peyton and Charlie are always trying out their ninja moves on each other and it cracks me up (as long as no one gets hurt which inevitably happens!).  It reminds me of when Brandon used to practice WWE moves on me when we were kids!  I love the friendship that these two have and hope it continues to grow!

Last Day of School 2017

Yesterday was the last day of school for Peyton and Charlie.  We now officially have a Kindergartener - which I can't believe!  Peyton and Charlie both had a great year at St. John. Peyton has been a little emotional the past few weeks when talking about the last day of school.  She will start at a new school next year and will miss her teachers and friends.  I fully expected her to be in tears when I picked her up yesterday but she was happy and excited!  She told her teacher that she cried on the last day of school last year and she wasn't going to do it this year!  She had a moment after we walked out of school but it was short lived.  I have a lot of mixed emotions about her starting kindergarten next year.  While I know she will do great and I'm excited to see how she will grow, it's a little bittersweet to have our first child starting grade school.  It's the beginning of a new chapter for our family and I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it!

Peyton took her camera to school so she could take pictures of all her friends.

First day vs. last day (bottom left).  Peyton chose to wear the same dress!

Last week Peyton's teacher had an award ceremony for the class.  Peyton was given the award for "Encouraging Friend".  We are so proud of the kind girl that she is!

I loved these silhouettes of all the kids that were graduating! 

Peyton's Dance Recital

Peyton did a great job at her dance recital yesterday.  She's still very serious on stage but I think she enjoys it!  She really enjoyed having her family there to support her and going to dinner with everyone afterwards!

Rain, Rain

Ice storm 2017

We stayed in most of the weekend due to the ice storm. The kids needed to burn some energy so we set up an obstacle course in the basement. The kids enjoyed it and Jason and I even did a run which was quite a sight.

Pancakes and Pajamas

Preschool Christmas Program

Last night Peyton and Charlie had their school Christmas Program.  It was too cute!  It was so fun watching them perform and we are so proud of how well they did!

A few pre-show pictures

I honestly didn't have high expectations for Charlie but he shocked me with how great he did!! He was so stinkin cute!

Peyton loves to sing with a lot of passion!  She was so excited to be on stage!

Peyton: 5 years

I can't believe we have a 5 year old!  It seems impossible.  5 seems like such a big milestone.  On the verge of being a big kid.  Starting Kindergarten in the fall.  Gaining independence.  While Peyton is excited for these things, I'm not sure I'm ready!

We had a lot of fun celebrating our 5 year old last week!

Birthday donuts and presents in the morning

A special treat and gifts at Lainie and Grandpa's

A trip to the mall (her favorite place!) to see Santa, ride the carousel and have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.

At 5 Peyton:

• Loves school.  She loves to learn and socialize with her friends.  Her teacher described her as a quiet leader.
• Has her first crush.  We don't use that term with her but it's pretty obvious she is smitten with a little boy in her class.  She talks about him constantly and gets the biggest grin on her face!
• Loves arts and crafts.  She enjoys drawing, coloring, painting and crafting.
• Loves to sing.  She is always making up songs about her day. 
• Is still a pretty picky eater
• Is a great big sister. 
• Enjoys riding her bike, swimming and dancing
• Asks a lot of questions.  She is very thoughtful and inquisitive.  Last night out of nowhere she asked me where the holes for her earrings were.  She didn't know that they weren't something you are born with.
• Can be very witty
• Continues to amaze us with how bright, thoughtful, kind and wonderful she is.  She shines bright and I think the future holds big things for her!