Now she is doing this...

The last 12 or so hours this is what Harper has done...

Asleep at 9. Not sure if this is her roof is on fire dance move or she is preparing for a stick-up, but she often sleeps like this.

Then, when I put her in bed with me, she sleeps like this...and it is nearly 8, the girl needs to wake-up, we need to get to school.

Even when I wake her up she is happy and greets me with a big grin!

It is almost 10 and we are growling, must be about nap time again.

I would like to say she is going to blow kisses, but instead a little thumb sucking is being done.

Then I ask her if she is sleepy and I get a sleepy grin.

Off to rock the baby--I am jealous of her sleep...I want someone to come rock me...

WHY

Why is it that when I add spaces between sentences or paragraphs it shows up until I hit the orange publish post box on here and then "poof" it is all gone. Looking for some blog-guidance if you have any as this is bugging me.

What a weekend!

Here is Harper having a special moment with the space alien-esque bunny.

And, here is Keith with a monster ball on his head. Long story. And, he asked me to take a picture for Danielle. I am still not sure why--but D, here this one is for you. You do have a birthday coming up soon and I could frame it for you...interested? Want a close up?



Davis with some very blue teeth.

Davis, Carson and Russ rocking out. I don't know what this move is called, but they did teach a new dance called the "penguin" shortly after these pics were taken. That dance was followed by the elephant and then Terri trying to explain the sprinkler and the cabbage patch to them. I think she got a few blank stares on that one.

Still getting their groove on.

And, the beat goes on.

When your kids fall asleep before you leave their room you know it was a good day....and really it has been like that all weekend around here!

Friday Davis was sitting in the pick up area at school when a little boy was "swinging" at him (Davis' words) so Davis punched him. UGH. Not what you want to hear on a Friday, so he lost his jump for joy for the week and he lost a fun Friday activity for making a poor choice in that situation--and now I must go locate our hands are not for hitting book so we can practice the good things that hands are for. The worst part about it is that it was with the boy that lives behind us and Keith and his father had a bet on who would get in trouble first. That is SO wrong! Praying that does not happen again...at least not anytime soon!

On Saturday Chuck and Jeni took the boys to the Zoo. It was a wonderful peaceful time at the Ratzlaff house that day---Keith worked outside, I cleaned the house and we were able to get a lot done in preparation for a BBQ we were having at our house on Sunday. We had close to 100 people come and it was lot of fun, so much so that I again failed to take pictures! However, I did get the dance party pics on the back deck that were taken when we were cleaning up - now that was funny! Terri teaching Davis to tell me that I was a buzz kill when I turned off the music might not be as funny if he tries that at school this week.

Carson goes to the Dentist!

Today has been a full day. The boys went to school this morning, I ran a few errands while Keith and Harper napped, then we got the boys and I went to a meeting at Davis' school at noon and then lunch and off we went--to four dental appointments and swim lessons at 4. Now we are home for dinner and Keith is off to a meeting at work. When the day began I was not so sure how we were going to pull all this off, but it went smoothly.

Well, all except for part of the dental experience. Davis had told Carson repeatedly about how he would be getting shots when he went to the dentist, no matter how much Keith and I assured him this was not true he believed Davis. Fortunately, he did great and got his teeth cleaned, polished and a fluoride treatment--awesome news since it took us more than a year to get Davis worked up to that much stuff! And, all but one of us left with a clean bill of dental health...and the one that has to go back for two fillings, is CARSON! He has a horrible diet (as you all are sick of reading about) and he likes to "brush himself" and does not like my help so much...but going forward I will be helping more. My first kid to have cavities is him -- not surprised. But, on an up note he will be the first to have them fixed with a laser, since they are so small and on the surface they can do this--no shots! Where was this technology when I was little?!

On other breaking dental news, Davis has two teeth about to go, not just one--and he has one six year molar coming in. How did I not know he got molars at 6 and 12? This was not in my parenting manual...I have so much to learn...

Harper is 21 Weeks Old Today!

This girl is changing so much, she has become a little rolling fool, of course getting to her back is not something she has mastered, but she is scruncing up her legs and slithering about...this is not a crawl by any means, but it is a step in the direction of the end of the "doorstop" phase. She chews on her hands constantly and is still a big drooler...also a sign of teeth to come, another phase I am not super excited about. Why can't she be my baby forever, my little baby that is!

Carson's first day of preschool!

Tuesday was Carson's first official day of preschool. We had done visitation last week to see his new room and today we had orientation and he attended his first full day. He seems right at home and there were no transition issues--from either of us. When he was small I could not bear to leave him but today he marched in like he owned the place and was right at home, and I left without a worry. That is a good thing, right?

Funny.

Davis was laying next to Harper and I said you two are so cute, she looks just like you. Davis said, "Yep, she got her looks from me; but, she got her hair from Drew".

Drew is one of Davis' friends and lives one street away from us. I think I need to tell his Mom about this interesting fact. I should also let Keith know that we had nothing to do with it either. Funny.

The Tooth. The TOOTH IS LOOSE!

Ironically we go to the dentist this week, but last time we went (six months ago) he said that Davis had four teeth that were a little loose and to expect them to go within the next six months or so. So far, nothing....and then this morning Davis got up and said, look it wiggles. And he was right, it is loose, really really loose actually. We might lose our first tooth this week. First kindergarten, then we stop wetting the bed and now a loose tooth. I don't know whether to celebrate or cry over here...

Date with a Mouse

As you can see Harper is not so sure about CEC. She was a bit leary of the mouse, good thing the big one did not come see her.....that might not have been pretty.

We went to CEC this weekend as a reward for Davis. While I am sure all of you are not interested in his potty habits, we had promised him that if he ever went a whole week without wetting the bed that we would take him to CEC. And, out of the blue it happened--this past week! We are thrilled! I had given up hope and assumed that when he was 18 it was no longer my problem. He had told me that when he started Kindergarten he would not do it anymore and I did not think it possible, but it is/was and I pray it continues!

Chuck and Jeni came along to celebrate too.

Play Gym!

This morning while Davis was at school I took Carson (and Harper) to Debbie Howard's for open play in the gym. Debbie Howard's is a gymnastics studio, but he really just wanted to run and jump into the pit of foam--and really, so did I. If I could get over thinking about the germs in there just think of the napping potential....

First Week!

Here is Davis showing me one of the things he made at school this week. It is a wheel that shows what he does on which days of the week. For example, an "A" day is Music and PE and a "B" day is Art and "C" day is Spanish/Music, and "D" is PE/Spanish and "E" is Computers/REAL. I don't have a clue what REAL is but the picture on the plate show books.....so something with reading I assume.

All I know is Davis is not the only one with a lot to learn about Kindergarten. This stuff is overwhelming. I have gotten so many papers this week that I need a secretary to keep track of what to do and when. We have homework, fundraisers, PTO meetings, and more. I need to remember to bring a teddy bear and snacks to school Tuesday. We have early release days so I have to remember to pick him up early on random Tuesdays. Then, we have voice mail to check every day...I don't even check voice mail on my own phones, can't they just text me? You all might just say a prayer that I don't forget too many things at the same time :-)

On an up note, Davis earned a Jump for Joy certificate today at school. They are sent home each week and they can be turned in when he earns five of them for a reward. He is very excited about this--and what a great thing for him since incentives really work to keep him focused. And, let's hope that he remains excited about these all year long!

Back to the teddy bear thing--I told Davis he had to pick one out to take to school and he went up and got one that was under his bed. I asked what his name was, he said Fuzzy Buzzy Bear. I said that was cute. He said it could also be Teddy, Growler or Spicy Jalapeno. He said that would be funny. Yes, I get Fuzzy and I get Teddy and of course Growler makes sense, but Spicy Jalapeno? Not so much.

I did ask Davis what his favorite thing he did each day was--a real shocker here, RECESS. So far, he is excelling at swinging and playing on new (to him) play equipment! I think the first week was a success.

Carson's in Preschool!

On Thursday Carson had meet the teacher time at preschool. Here is Carson and Daddy building a house, and a proud Carson with a finished project. Maybe he will be an architect. Carson liked circle time with his friends and this year his symbol is the "Dog". This was his symbol in discovery days too, but he didn't seem to recall that. School officially starts on Tuesday and he is READY. In fact, he thinks he is ready for Kindergarten...but not so fast little man!

Yesterday was a busy busy day around here. The boys started swim lessons up again and they are in new classes with new teachers and I think that went well. Carson of course is swimming well beyond the others in his class, I think he might need to be more challenged already. I sense a theme, the second child certainly grows up faster!

Harper is 20 Weeks Old!

Warning: This video is not riveting. Cute, because she is adorable...but why she freezes when I turn on the Camera I don't know. I must become more stealthy in my recording approach....

Day Three.

Well, let's just say that no one bounced out of bed around here this morning. It was a dark, rainy and sleepy day. One where if you did not have kids in school you got to enjoy sleeping in. I am jealous of you people. It was only last year that could have been me. Instead, I was up at 6 with Harper, the boys at 7 and out the door at 8. Poof. There goes sleeping in.


When I went to get the boys up this morning they said their eyes weren't ready yet. I guess that means they were not done sleeping. After much coaxing and bribery with chocolate chip waffles they got up, dressed, brushed and down for breakfast.

After I picked Davis up today from school I asked him if he had homework, and he said he did; however, he didn't need to do it now he was going to wait until he was 12. Hmm...should I tell him now that between age 5 and age 12 he will have more to do than this one page that he pastes pictures on about his family?

Then just a bit ago he had to use the restroom and in route he had to stop and tell me just HOW COOL his bathroom at school is because the doors have signs to tell you when someone is in there. He wondered if we could get those here at home too. Personally, I am not anticipating a heavy restroom rush or traffic jam in the bathrooms around here...but I will keep that tip tucked away in case that becomes an issue down the road.

He is a funny kid. I am a tired mom. When is my nap time again? Oh yeah, I lost that too...

*Edited to add the latest by Davis*

This afternoon Carson and Harper were napping. Since napping was not an option for me I asked Davis if he wanted to play a game with me and he said no, he needed to be alone and asked me to give him his privacy. His words. Seriously?!

Day Two!

Last night when I was tucking Davis in he told me he did not want to go back to Kindergarten. He was done. I don't know what that was all about since he said how much fun he had. And, this morning he bounced back out of bed and was ready to go again...so whatever that was must have passed. I will say that today, was harder than yesterday though. Leaving him at the curb was much harder than walking him in to his desk. He looked so big and grown up leaving me and telling these new teachers we don't really know who he was, what grade he was in and who his teacher was. It seems like just yesterday when he was born, I heard his first cry and I got to hold him for the first time. Ugh. I want to go back and do that again instead.

It was a very BIG DAY! Davis starts Kindergarten!

It was a big day in the Ratzlaff house today! It was Davis' first day of Kindergarten. After a week of me fretting about and crying a few too many times it was here--and we all survived, and Davis had the best day!

We took pictures in front of the house, that did not go as well as it has in past years...kind of got me worried about how the day was going to go. It was already pouring down rain after all. The boys wanted some pics with Harper, and why not--she is cute after all, and dressed in her back to school themed outfit with an apple on it!

Then we were off to school. We were told to get to school for drop off between 8:25 and 8:35, so we leave the house at 8:15 and get there and the place is PACKED. Note to new parents, the first day you might want to be a little early. We got pictures by the sign out front and then went into his new classroom. He sat down and started to work on a little project and then they read a story, The Kissing Hand. Very cute if you have not read it before it is about how you kiss your childs palm and then they can touch it to their cheek to have your love with them all day. After the story we exchanged palm kisses and hugs and we left. They did have a Boo Hoo, Woo Hoo party after that but Carson was being a nut so we left for that--glad we did since by the time we got where we were going next it was a downpour again. The rain lifted just enough to walk D into school--thank you God for that!

We did have to stop at Carson's preschool for little bit and C loved playing with the toys in his new room--I was worried about how he would transition to preschool and I think he is going to do just fine!

We went back to get Davis and his teacher brought him to the car. He was all grins in the car. We then took him to Steak & Shake for lunch--that was a hit! Then when we got home we told him he could do whatever he wanted today and he decided to watch TV--easy enough for us!

The day was a success. He is so happy. His teacher even called to see how we were doing, she said it was the easiest first day transition she has ever had--no tears or sadness in the room. That is great news too. Now.....maybe he can stay in Kindergarten forever!