My not so little girl.

I can't believe how big Kailyn is getting. I was doing some end of the season shopping to buy clothes for next year. With how Kailyn is growing I was needing to get a 8-9T size. I don't know why but it is hard for me to believe that she is that big. For some reason, this is an age hurdle my mind is having a hard time wrapping its self around. Some other things that make her so big:

She is reading chapter books. Not just reading them but inhaling them. I swear I can't keep up with her. I check out a bunch thinking they will last her awhile but she comes to me a couple days later saying she is all done. Right now she loves the Magic Tree House series.

She did her hair all by herself. Can you believe she did this all by herself? She combed it and put the rubber band and clip in. I was impressed.

Here is her latest artwork.

A thing from school showing she got 100% on a reading proficiency test and is reading above grade level.

Ken got home today he was out of town for the last 3 days for interviews. Kailyn informed us, "Its ok Dad, I didn't miss you while you were gone cause I'm used to you being gone."

I Love! Love! Love! my new camera.

Did I mention I love my new camera? It was totally worth saving all of my birthday and Christmas money all those years and being without my husband for a few days. I just love the quality of picture I get. It is amazing the detail and color difference. So here are a few pictures from my new camera.

Here is the nutcracker that I practiced on the first night I got my camera. I seriously had over 100 pictures of it!

Chase playing with my lens cap.

What is with that tongue?

Jordan loves to look at books. She loves to go to the library and pick out stacks and stacks of books.

I can actually capture the cute freckles on Jordan's face.

Jordan was often my practice subject while Kailyn was at school and the boys were sleeping.

Had to put this picture in. There aren't many pictures of Ken. There aren't many of me for that matter, but that is because I am normally the one behind the camera.

Caden loves to wear this basket as a helmet.

I was trying to get pictures of Chase walking. Caden got right in the middle, posed and then came and excitedly asked if he could see a picture of himself.

Chase walking.

Chase discovered chocolate when someone left out their advent calendar. I think he liked it.

Ken was home one day when I had to teach preschool so he volunteered to watch Chase. Apparently, all Chase wanted was a nap. Here he is asleep, on the floor, in the middle of playing.

Chase's First Steps

Chase took his first steps! He was 10 1/2 months old when he did. We thought he would start walking earlier with how quickly he crawled and started pulling himself to a standing position. I am SO excited for him to start walking. Unlike a lot of parents I actually love when my kids start walking. I think kids are easier when they are walking (the exception would be church-walking babies are not happy to sit and play quietly, making for a long church day).

Here is some video of Chase taking some steps.

First Steps

Chase took his first steps last week.  He has taken longer to start walking than we expected.  Having crawled and stood up on his own fairly early, we thought he would walk fairly early too.  He was 10 1/2 months old when he took his first steps.  Unlike some parents I am SO excited for him to start walking.  I love when my kids start walking and move past the crawling stage, I find it much easier.

Ketchup

Ketchup is my kids favorite food (ok so ketchup is not actually a food).  This post is actually about catching up not ketchup.  Here is some of what we have been up to.

Went to Maumee for the Holiday Hustle and Parade

I ran the 'Holiday Hustle', a 5K.  It was a lot of fun.  I was really happy because I ran the whole way and actually got a pretty good time.  I was nervous for the race because I didn't get to train because of sick kids and unexpected trips.  We stayed after the race to watch the parade.  We ran into our friends the Phillips and Ericksens.

Chase loves to hold onto the sides of his car seat with both hands, so cute.

Jordan got a haircut.

I have loved it!  Not only is it cute on her, but it is so much easier to do in the morning.  No more crying as I try to comb out her hair.

Went to the Imagination Station.

The Imagination Station is a children's museum that recently reopened.

Ironically I think their favorite part was this ball thing just outside of the entrance.  There is pool balls that roll down different obstacle courses.

I got suckered...

into buying pizza.  This local pizza shop had all of the kids at Kailyn's school decorate pizza boxes.  Then they had a day where a percentage of all sales would go to the school and you got your pizza delivered in your child's decorated box.  I'm telling it was a good idea.  What kid doesn't want to see a pizza delivered in their pizza box?  I have never seen this pizza place so busy.  I figured for $6 I could do my part.

We hired our first babysitter.

Not bad considering our oldest is 6.  We normally just swap with friends but we were going to a party with friends so if we wanted to go we needed to hire a sitter.  We have actually used a sitter 2 other times-- once with a group of friends and the second was with family when the kids were already in bed.

All the sitter had to do was read the 3 oldest a story (Chase was already in bed asleep) and tuck them in.  Kailyn has this thing about having a bed time snack.  She tries all the time to get one, ever since she found out one of her friends gets one.  We normally don't eat anything after dinner.  Well, Kailyn told the sitter that on special occasions they get a snack before bed.  I guess the sitter gave them carrots and string cheese, at least it was a healthy snack.  Kailyn is such a silly girl, I don't know why she is so obsessed with getting a snack at night.

I got a new camera!

This is one of the reasons there has not been any updates for a little bit.  I have been having too much fun playing with my new camera to do a post.

Ken won a gift card from a conference he went to and gave it to me to spend however I wanted.  So I decided to take my birthday/Christmas money I have been saving and the gift card and use it to get a new camera.  I got some great advice from my cousin Brent on what kind to get and my friend Leisy found a great deal on Amazon.  Thanks for your help guys.

I love my camera!  I have been having so much fun playing with it.  I was so annoyed with our other camera because the pictures were not very good quality.  I have not actually downloaded any pictures yet, but they will be coming soon.  Oh, and if you are wondering I got the Nikon D3000.