Brooklyn's 1st Day of Preschool 2016

We decide that for 4/5 year old preschool, Brooke would go to the same one as her siblings which is in Barrington. Our hope is that there will be some kids who will also go to her elementary school.

Since we were at Disney, we missed her first day of school. I don't think she minded though ;)

She was very excited to go to school. The great thing is that one of the teacher's is the same that taught the triplets! She also took a 3 day art class over the summer and had the same teacher. 

Her first day was quite different than the triplets' and she just went in and said, "bye, Mom". I was the one who almost cried!

She had a wonderful first day and can't wait to go back!

Triplets' 8th Birthday Surprise!

Chris and I have been keeping a secret since April. We have been planning a huge Disney World trip for our family. The kids have never even been on a plane, so this was big!!! We decided to get a big box and fill it with Mickey balloons as well as a basket with tickets, Magic bands, and other various Disney stuff.

Here's what it looked like the night before:

Here's the basket inside the box:

The kids woke up super early and opened their presents from us and from Brooke. We kept telling the kids that they were getting something super big that fit into a giant box. Josh was guessing a giant grabber machine. We were afraid he would be disappointed ;)

Finally it was time to open the big box. I had the video camera ready. Let me tell you, it was anti-climatic. These kids had no idea what the balloons and stuff inside meant. Maybe because the sun wasn't even up yet and they barely slept. 

We finally explained that we were going to Disney World in a week and they would be flying on a plane for the first time. They were also excited that they were staying at a hotel for 6 nights!

We drove the kids to school because we had to deliver their treats to each classroom. We then told their teachers that they would be missing school because of our vacation. Their teachers were so excited for them!

Triplets' 1st Day of 2nd Grade

The kids all woke up around 6am, dressed and ready for their 1st day. This is such a difference from their preschool days when the teacher would literally have to tear the kids off of me because they didn't want to stay. I am so happy that they are comfortable and enjoy their school!!!

We took our traditional first day of school front door pics. Thankfully it was a beautiful, sunny day!

 Of course, we needed a pic of Brooke holding the sign. She does this every year ;)

It felt so strange to not have the big kids home. Brooke and I kept ourselves busy, but the day still went slowly. When the kids got back, they said the day flew by! They had a fantastic day and were looking forward to tomorrow!

Meeting the Triplets' Teachers

A couple of weeks ago kids' teachers were leaked on the school website and the frantic texting started. We found out that the kids had great teachers and friends in each class. Such a difference from last year when Josh didn't have too many friends in his class. 

Friday we went to meet their teachers. Josh's teacher is new (she worked at Grove years ago) and we heard only positive things about her. When we stepped into her classroom and waited to meet her, just hearing her interact with the other students brought a smile to my face. She is the warmest, friendliest lady ever! Just what he needs as his teacher last year wasn't very welcoming. 

Abby's teacher is just the right fit for her. This lucky girl has so many of her friends with her from her last year's class! I know that she will do great with her new teacher!

Jack's teacher seemed really nice, too. He knows most everyone in his class. He's been with one boy since kindergarten! This year there are many new kids in 2nd grade. 

The kids are so excited to start school on Monday! I don't know if I am ready to let them go yet. We had such a fun summer and it went by too quickly!

Conquering Our Fears

Our summer was filled with days spent at our local pool. The triplets are getting better and better at swimming, and they love that they are tall enough to ride on the two slides. Brooke is also improving her swimming skills!

Wouldn't you know that the last week of the pool being open, the triplets finally get the courage to try the diving board and drop slides! Abby and Jack were the first braves ones to try it and they absolutely LOVED it! It took Josh a day or two and then he was a pro as well.

The kids can't wait for the pool to open again so that they can go on the diving board and slides. We are so proud of them!!!

Raspberry Picking 2016

Since the summer was winding down, it was time for a visit to Farmer Mike's farm! Last year, we didn't go until school started and didn't have much time to spend picking. 

The kids look forward to our trip every year. Farmer Mike is the nicest guy and let's us eat all the raspberries we want ;)

He has many many plants and doesn't use chemicals. That means that there are lots of bees, bugs, spiders on the plants. Surprisingly, the kids don't mind at all. They are not like that at home!

He also let's the kids feed the sheep. Brooke was afraid to feed them because she thought they would bite her.

We then had to take some pics by his red barn. He always laughs that we actually want to take pics by the barn, but he always obliges!

This year, the kids got to play with his dog. Abby was beyond thrilled!! He also had 2 baby goats that were adorable!

And apparently we didn't pick enough berries because they were gone the next day! Even Abby ate some!

Blue Harbor Resort 2016- Part 2

Our 2nd day started a little cloudy and chilly. We headed to the beach and Anola and I were the ones who were freezing! Thankfully, we had a warm summer so the water wasn't ice cold like last year. The water was high up on the beach this year, which made for some awesome sand bars!

We headed back to the house to warm up. The kids were so excited to bring their Kindles and play on the network with other kids from the resort. Afterwards, we headed out for some ice cream.

We teased the kids and told them that we had to wait an hour after eating before they could swim...it didn't work! The kids had a blast playing basketball and going down the slides. The triplets even tried the wave rider. They are still too small and the rushing water knocked them around too much. But at least they tried!

We went to dinner at Chili's after we all got ready. Anola teasing me each year about dressing up and taking pics, but this year they were dressed up fancy as well ;)

This picture required no filter. So absolutely beautiful!

 Just love these colors. And yes, we were color coordinated.

The weather was gorgeous at night and the resort offers s'mores nightly. Such a great place for kids!!!

The next day we swam a bit more and then headed out. The kids were so sad to be leaving, and the countdown till next year is already on!!