Kayla is 7!

Can't even believe it! 

7 years. 

Our answered prayer. Our first miracle baby. 

Prepping for Kayla's 7th birthday

It's that time! I always start birthday party prep several weeks in advance, now since we live overseas and shopping is very limited...it starts earlier because we have to order. 

We chose her theme to be my little pony. I ordered her party decor today and none of it she knows about! I'm more excited than her at this point I think. 

I have these pony masks ordered for Kayla and Carly and a batman one for Caden. Can't leave the brother out.

Also felt pieces for hair clips.

Ordered mlp ribbon to make party favors and to go with the pony felts.

We will be doing water balloons too! 

Got her the bean boozled game to play with her friends.

Got a pony table cover and party scene and a huge banner.

Mom ordered a pony shirt to match the daughters!

Kayla has a tiara ordered as well.

Pony cupcake toppers!

Party stuff is all done! Next payday I'll get her cake mix, candies, juice boxes, chips and they payday of her burgers, hot dogs, buns! 

Can't wait. But then again, can wait. 7. Already as sassy, bossy, smart, and independent as a pre teen. 

Kayla's last day of 1st grade

June 11th was Kayla's last day of first grade. June 9th her class had a fashion show. She did great walking quickly down the 'runway.' It was fun. There was cake and juice for the kids afterwards. 

Kayla wore a handmade Cat in the hat skirt we got from our neighbor. 

June 10th was wear your pajamas and bring a stuffed animal to school day. 

And her last day of school she chose a fancy dress. 

And now we have a second grader. 

Kayla's a brownie

Kayla joined Girl Scouts after we moved here and was a daisy only a few short weeks. You become a brownie as you enter 2nd grade. So her bridging ceremony was Friday where she became a brownie. It was a good time making the girls feel special. Dinner and cupcakes started the ceremony. 

She's not a shy girl but put her in front of large groups of people and she's a different kid!

Korean folk village field trip

Last week Kayla had a class field trip to the local Korean folk village. I couldn't join her because siblings were not allowed and I don't have a car here to follow the bus on my own. Dada was not able to get off work. We plan to make a trip there for a family day eventually. Looks like she had fun. I gave her 4 won just in case and she came home with a ceramic bird whistle. 

Tomorrow is a big day!

I'll most likly be blogging from my phone for a while. Our computer is disconnected. Ready to be packed up TOMORROW and shipped off to Korea shortly after! Packers come tomorrow and tomorrow is a big day. This is the point in a military PCS move that is difficult. Seeing strangers come into your home and touch all your things, put them in boxes, load them into big wood crates in a truck, and then drive off with all your belongings. This is our 6th pcs move but it never gets easier. It just gets easier to have the patience to deal with the 'hurry up and wait' mentality the military forces you to delveop over the years. 

This is the point in where your home becomes an empty shell of a house. When you have to explain over and over to your kids why strangers are invading your home and taking their stuff. It's when home starts to no longer feel or resemble your home that you have made. 

For us, this is the FIRST time a base has felt so much like home to us. All our other assignments it was just a temporary home in our hearts but here in Las Vegas...it is HOME. We feel a belonging here. We love it here. We have a 'family' here that we love and have known for all our 12 year marriage. Leaving this place is going to be gut wrenching. I'm emotionally attached to this place. We walked in the dirt lot we built our home on here. We touched the bare beams of this house. We had baby number 3 in the house. Baby number 1 and 2 are so comfortable here. Kayla loves it. Caden was too little to remember anything before here and Carly only knows this.

But, we are a fun, adventurous, positive, traveling family! For some reason, some higher power has decided for us that this not the end. I have always said I feel like we aren't done yet. We are too young. We have too many military years left to make this our final stop. The kids have the chance to see, learn and grow so much at these ages. We love seeing the world. Experiencing other cultures. This will be fun and this will be worth it. We do know where 'home' is for us and in the end of this stage of life, we know where we can go and be happy if all other options fail. 

Living out of suitcases begins now until mid May. 50 days estimated for our household goods to arrive in Korea.

The kid's big comfy couch is gone. Not worth putting into storage and we will not have room in our next place. We are going from 3,125 sq feet to approx 1,900.

Caden's wall stickers and decor is down. No more football room here.

Carly's room is all undecorated. No more princess cupcake and Minnie Mouse. It now holds all our items we will keep in suitcases and use until we leave and either toss in trash, donate or mail to Korea. 

It also holds all our items that are express shipment. Which should arrive to Korea in April sometime. This is a small amount of pounds of items that are needed quickly and will be sent on plane vs boat like our other stuff. Clothes, bedding, kitchen, lamps, computer, toys, etc.

And we are assuming the house is sold. We never heard anything back from buyers about our counter to the appraisal. Whoot whoot! 

Now, we just have to wait for passports to come in, ship a car, sell a car, get plane ticketsans book a hotel for a few nights before we leave since buyers want in the house 30 March. 

Through all of this I have had 2 sick kids. Carly first. Kayla 2nd. Yesterday she was sent home from school with a 102 fever and I was told she may not return until she's been clear 24 hours if a fever. My guess is she will return on Friday. Her last day of school here will be march 27th. We got her teacher a scentsy warmer and a bar to go with it and she made Easter treat bags for her class to pass out. She will be sad to say goodbye but she's a go getter, and she will adjust to the change well. 

I'm exhausted. Between the 2 kids kids (hope Casen doesn't develop the fever sisters had) and prepping the house, I haven't had any time or energy to spare to run or workout and that is what I can't stand! 

Catching up on October 2013

Whew. Life has been crazy. Trying to catch up on the blog while getting more and more behind.

If you know me in person, you already know we are moving. If you know me though blog reading only...Yes, we are moving. Back in August while we were at our daughters 1st grade meet your teacher conference, an email comes through to my husband saying "Congratulations on your new assignment." We didn't apply or expect for a new assignment so our hearts were definitely racing. We rushed out of there and rushed home for him to check his government email and we were notified of a new assignment to Osan Air Force Base, South Korea. SHOCK. Utter shock. It took months for this shock to wear off. We built this house expecting to stay put for a long time. Oh the military life. Thank goodness we are extremely spontaneous and adventurous people.

So, before any more details are spilled on this move....this and last week has been filled with paper work and driving all over town. Between the cat's 2 appointments to get his health certificate (which will have within 10 days of arriving to Osan) plus dental paperwork for myself and kids and school clearances for 2 kids....which need to be re-done because the papers that printed out were old forms. Yay. Fun.

Anyways, trying to get caught up here...I now need to catch up on October 2013!
It was a pretty uneventful month.
 

Carly has he first Halloween experience. 

She also turned 7 months old. 

Mama continued on her weight loss journey, with about 20 lbs left to go in this photo. 

Healthy baby.

More Halloween fun!

First adventures with hay.

Carly was taking off in the walker like a pro! She started walking in it at only 5 months old. 

Kayla was doing and progressing fantastic in Kindergarten.

We discovered having picnics in the living room at Mama's fav place to get taco salads, and free kids meals. 

Kayla's first day of preschool

Yesterday was Kayla's first day of preschool. She has an afternoon class that is from 1-4. I prefer morning but morning slots were all filled at the time we registered. Kayla is usually tired and a few days a week takes a nap around 1 so I was a little concerned about this time frame.

She had been bugging me all morning to go to school. To take up some time I took her outside for some pictures at our front door.

At 12:30 we leave the house.

 And we arrive at 12:45. 

We go in and there is a table lined up with various things for the parents. Fill out sheets for sign out, write your child's name on a name tag, drop off and pick up instructions, tips for easing separation anxiety, a preschool curriculum list, a sheet with all the classroom areas listed, and supplies for a Letter Link name tag along with an Order of Events for the first day sheet. 

Parents were welcome to stay in class for the first 30 minutes to explore all the class room areas with their child. This was fun. I went around with Kayla and pointed out the different areas, blocks, house, art, science, library, music and movement. She can Caden went straight for the house area and that is where they stayed for all 30 minutes.

When they teacher let us all know that there were 5 minutes left I started getting Kayla ready. Explaining to her for the 100th time I'm sure, that I would have to go and while she was in school I would be next door at the library and then at Target and that when I was done I would come get here. She didn't seem to care.

I was the 2nd to last parent to leave and when I gave her a hug and kiss goodbye she still didn't seem to care! I walked out and she didn't have a care in the world. I got to the main doors and felt like I wanted to cry but told myself just wait until you get to the car, just wait! Caden and I got to the car and by that point I was ok. I was ok knowing she was ok. 

While Kayla was in school, Caden and I went to the library and played and checked out books then headed over to Target for a snack of a large soft pretzel and a diet sunkist.We picked up Kayla a treat of airheads.

We got back to school and were 50 minutes early so we waited in the parking lot reading library books and snacking on candy. About 15 minutes to go I noticed other parents showing up so we went inside, walked around, sat on a bench and waited. As we were waiting we saw the kids walking 2 per hula hoop in a like from the gym to the classroom. As other kids saw their parents waiting for them some started crying. Not Kayla, she was as excited as can be. They went to class to clean up and kids were being released because they were crying. When it was Kayla's turn to come out she started crying BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE!

Yes. Seriously. I couldn't believe it. 

I was a new day for us. A new phase of life for us. Kayla in school. Caden enjoying the library for the first time and nearing the end of our first trimester in pregnancy.

I feel so grown up now.

I have since been over the contents of the curriculum and my concerns are still there. I'm afraid this wont be much of a challenge for Kayla. I'm not kidding when I say she is beyond preschool and kindergarten level. If all else fails though, at least she is developing social skills and independence. I really wanted her to have more of a learning challenge but this is only preschool so I guess those will come.