Apple Picking!

Because I have an excess of sick days and the district will only let me use 15 of them maternity leave (long story, don't get me started) I've taken off a few Fridays lately.  I've been having my weekly baby appointments during Pre-Kindergarten and then I make it a point to hang with my big girl in the afternoon.  Last Friday, Steph and I took all the girls to Weston Red Barn Farm - "Wed Bawn Fawm" according to G - for some apple picking.  It was mighty hot for Big Momma Weaver, but we had a great time anyway!  Below are a few pictures of our afternoon of fun!

Baskets ready!

Big girls leading the way!

Little One trying to keep up...
notice that I'm behind her!

Checking over the apples for the perfect pick!

Found one!

Kia did too!

They told us the best way to tell what a good apple looks like is to taste one and see.
Gracie ate her whole apple while we picked!

Kia enjoyed her apple, too!

Little Natalie didn't do too bad on hers either!

We had a great time picking apples, despite the heat.  When G and I got home, we made cinnamon apples and cinnamon apple sauce.  It was delicious!  I look forward to another little lady to join our apple picking adventures next year... although it'll have to be on the weekend because Gracie will be in Kindergarten next year.  Ah!  That's okay... Daddy will be there to participate on a weekend adventure!    

Last of Our Summer Fun!

Because school starts so darn early around these parts, our summer has been over for a few weeks now.  But I never got around to posting a few pictures from our last few adventures and family fun!

Visiting Daddy at work made her Bucket List for this summer.  This is the outfit she chose for our trip to his office.  Momma loves her boots!  Notice the curly hair... all for Daddy!

Steph and I took the kids to the Storybook Exhibit at Crown Center on one of our last days home.  It was super fun and interactive!  I love the free exhibits that travel to Crown Center each year!  This one was definitely a hit with my little bookworm!

Gracie's summer dance recital was on a beautiful Saturday night!  The weather was perfect and the entertainment was wonderful, as well!  My tiny dancer loves music and movement!  This year Kia and Gracie were cheerleaders and orphans for their two numbers.  As always, they were adorable!

Watching the big girls dance... and joining them!

This is what happens when you let Daddy take her to get her face painted!

Two mornings after her dance recital, this is what her face looked like when she awoke!
Apparently my tiny dancer is allergic to black/brown face paint.
Can you see the remnants of her puppy face?
It only last for 2 days, but it was no fun!

First Day of Pre-Kindergarten

Monday was Gracie's first day of Pre-Kindergarten!  She's going 3 mornings per week this year... and I already miss her!  It's so amazing and a little sad how quickly the past year has gone.   But since there's no way to slow time down, we just keep enjoying all of her little milestones while we hold on tightly, trying to soak it all in.  She was ready to get back to school, but she's mostly like her Momma... she prefers summer time!  Seeing her teachers and her friends, along with doing art projects are her motivations for going back with a smile.  With the upcoming arrival of baby sister, Pre-Kindergarten kind of snuck up on me, but we made sure to get in a few of our back to school traditions.

Gracie got grumpy on her way to grab her backpack for a few more pictures.
I decided to embrace the moment and document it all!
That's her mad face, clearly!

Happy again!

And they're on their way!

So big!

One of my teaching partners has become a close friend of Gracie's... at least in Gracie's mind they're BFFs!  Miss Rachel's daughter Rylee goes to a babysitter who drops off kids at preschool, so seeing Rylee every day has become a highlight of going to school each day!

Rylee and the big girls!

Mrs. Greene and Gracie

Mrs. Greene and Kia

Enjoying some one-on-one time with Natalie while the girls are away!

And sweet Tysie!

After school I asked the girls the same questions I asked them last year.  Here are their responses one year later.  

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Gracie: A doctor and a nurse

Kia: A Teacher and doctor

What's your favorite food?

Gracie: Mac n' Cheese from Panera

Kia: Chicken Noodle Soup

Where do you like to go to have fun?

Gracie: Oceans of Fun

Kia: Schlitterbahn

What's your favorite song to sing?

Gracie: Fishin' in the Dark (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)

Kia: Bullfrogs and Butterflies

What's your favorite thing to play?

Gracie: Kia's the baby and I'm the mommy.

Kia: Babies

What's your favorite word to say?

Gracie: Little Sister!

Kia: Weenie (I died laughing at this response!)

What are you excited about?

Gracie: My little sister!

Kia: Fall

Their first week went very well and both girls are loving school!  Gracie's counting down the days till she's line leader and looking forward to learning how to read this year.  I'm not sure if she will meet her goal or not, but she's already on her way.  Check out the video below!  She's a smart girl and eager to read!

Big Sister Class

Last weekend it was finally time for big sister class!  Gracie has been waiting since April for August 15th to get here. North Kansas City Hospital offers a Sibling Class each month. It was an hour and a half of pure bliss for our baby-crazed big girl!  Here she is before we left the house. 

During the class the big siblings got to make and decorate a toy-safety tester. We've already tested many toys in our house to find out what Little Sissy can play with. They also read a book about how to help with the baby. Then it was time to learn how to properly hold a tiny one. Gracie was pretty much an expert at this by the time she was 3, so she rocked this part of class!  Nurse Dixie taught the kids about soft spots and other fragile areas to avoid poking and touching. When it was time to give the babies back, Gracie politely said that she'd hold onto her's for a bit longer. This kid!

Following snack, we headed upstairs to the maternity floor where we got a tour of the nursery and maternity rooms. We even saw a real baby boy, just one day old. We scouted out the 'amenities' and G was glad there's a DVD player in the room. She said, "That should keep me busy for a while."  So I guess she approved. We've already packed a few DVDs in case her sister isn't enough entertainment when she visits us in the hospital. 

As class came to a close, the kids earned a graduation certificate. It was pretty special for Gracie!  She is also excited to finish decorating her sister's first birthday card, which she will give to her on the day she is born. 

We decided to have a family date after Big Sister Class.  We headed to lunch in North Kansas City. While we waited for our table at First Watch, we walked down to La Monde Bakery and shared an apple cinnamon something. It was divine!  Starting with dessert is always a fun treat on a family date!  As we sat outside eating our pastry, Gracie commented that it didn't feel like we were in Kansas City. It felt more like vacation. We all agreed that we want to do that more often!  Once our bellies were full at First Watch, we finished our date at Babies R Us picking out a Baby Sister present from Gracie. She also tried to pick out her Big Sister present from the baby, but I told her that Sissy and Momma will take care of that together so it'll still be a surprise for Gracie. She is still hard core lobbying for the Baby Margaret doll from Daniel Tiger. We'll just have to wait and see if Little Sis decided that's what she wants to get her!

The whole day was so fun!  We're so excited to expand to a family of four, but these last few weeks as a family of three have been memorable and sweet, as well!  I sure do love my big girl!

Sisters Outfits!

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to make matching sisters outfits for the girls. I was thinking of making an easy skirt and shirt for each of them, but my opinionated four year old had other ideas. She wanted a dress. Not a skirt, Momma, a dress. So I found the easiest idea I could and got started working. 

Gracie's dress is just letters appliqued onto a shirt with a skirt sewn to it. I added the belt-tie to give it a finished look. She can wear it with leggings and a sweater as it gets chilly. I forgot to get a picture of her purple hair bow, but it has polka dots too!

Little Sis' is just the letters on a onesie, legwarmers, and a homemade headband. Super easy and cheap!

Here's the result!  I think they'll be so cute in them!  Gracie is hoping to wear them when they meet for the first time. So we will see if I can work that out?!

Fourth of July Fun!

I barely took any pictures at our annual Fourth of July BBQ this year!  But let me tell you, we had a blast!!  Water play for the kids and great food for the adults!  We're so thankful for all the family and friends that are able to celebrate with us every year!

Callum and Gracie... could pass for siblings, but they're cousins!

July Fun!

The month of July flew by so, so fast!  Because we crammed all of our travels into the month of June,  I thought July would be super laid back and relaxing.  Ummm... well that just didn't happen!  We were too busy having fun to relax.

We took Kia with us as we went to the zoo with our friends Ashley and Addison!  It was the perfect day, not too hot and not too cold.  The girls enjoyed acting like middle schoolers and hanging with each other.

Like last year, Grammy, Steph, Kia, Gracie, and I made it to Starlight for a girl's night!  We saw Cinderella this time, which was totally cool!  We all watched intently to try to figure out Cinderella's on-stage outfit changes.  It was well choreographed because it looked like magic!  In fact, Gracie said, "Mom!  I think that is real magic!"  

Matching necklaces and wands!

Gracie and I made good use of our time at home by getting some stuff ready for baby sister.  We washed toys (pictured below) and stocked her closet.  We still need to clean the big baby gear, but we're doing pretty good so far.  It's nice to have a big helper... seriously!  We washed all the plush toys we could and Gracie bent down to pick up all the toys and throw them into the washer.  Her little sister gets in my way when I try to bend down, so her help was awesome!  We washed the rest in the sink, with Gracie's Boba on!  She's a nut!

Vacation Bible School was in the middle of the month and I pretty much forgot to take pictures.  Gracie had a blast again this year and so did I.  It's always a fun week of music, crafts, and happy people!

"Angels bow before Him"
This is her favorite part of the song.

A few weeks after VBS was over, Gracie and I were riding in the car.  She says to me, "Momma.  Sometimes I like to pretend that my big toe is Jesus and my little toes are angels.  Then I try to have the angels bow to Jesus by bending my little toes, but keep my big toe straight.  Just like the song!"  

"Cool, Gracie!"  Seriously hilarious!

We finished out our Spotlight Club Coterie tickets by going to see A Year with Frog and Toad.  It was the best performance of the year according to all the adults, but Gracie liked Cat in the Hat better.  I just love taking her to see show at the Coterie... it reminds me of good times with the Cleary family when I was a kid.  Such a fun place!

Toad, Frog, and Gracie!

The birds even gave Gracie some feathers to take home!

Custard afterward... yum!

We took advantage of Daddy's day off and went to see a $2 movie, Rio 2.  Gracie found a unicorn to take her picture with on the way out.  

We also spent a few hours perusing Toys R Us finding too many ways to spend her Christmas gift card from Giermann.  She didn't choose the Sheriff Callie's cowgirl hat pictured below, but I kind of wish she had.  Super cute!  She selected ANOTHER baby doll and ANOTHER carrier for her baby doll.  We're beyond Duggar status over here at the Weaver house.  When she plays babies, which is all the time, she tells us that she has "Forty-one hundred kids".  Here are the rest of the details...

Gracie = Momma = Miss Rachel Aunt B Kreggard

Dada = Daddy = Joe Uncle Chad Kreggard

Family dog = Bentley Rescue Kreggard

Newborn baby = Rylee Annabell Kreggard

Momma = Grandma to the baby = Joe's mom (she believes we met at a wedding?!)

When you ask about the other 4,099 kids, she says all the babies are Rylee.  All the big girls are Annabelle.  And all the boys are Kyle.  Makes perfect sense.

I love every minute I get to spend with this lovely lady!  Our summer days have gone too quickly, but we've definitely had fun!