1st day of school!!

Well, the boys had their first day of school today! Daylon is now officially a 3rd grader, Jace is a 1st grader, and Kelton started Kindergarten. How fun!! Blayden and I spent the day helping a good friend of mine (Claire) move into her appartment for the semester. I'm hoping to get away every once in awhile and be able to chill out at her place, just to study in peace and quiet!!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the morning! :-)

Jace (7), Daylon (9), Blayden (2), and Kelton (6)


Kelton was complaining about his backpack being too heavy. You know how heavy a towell and a lunch box can be....


All my boys going into the school


Jace getting all ready to go!


Kelton's big excited grin!


Daylon wouldn't let me get a picture of him in his room! LOL

And then there was one... (and I think he looks a lot like Matt in this picture too!!)

Kelton is SIX!!!

I can't believe that Kelton is 6! His birthday was actually on the 14th, we were just able to have his party yesterday. We had a swim party at Miramont Country club and it was super nice! (Well, other than the fact the kids only got to swim for about 35 minutes before it started thundering and we had to get out! That SUCKED!!)

I have pictures that I'll share in a minute, but I just have to reflect on the last 6 years of his life. He was born 6 weeks early, and was in the NICU for 9 days. For the first few days, it was 1 step forward and 2 steps back for him and he was dangerously sick. They had to induce labor though because my fluid levels were low and he wasn't thriving (he barely moved the last few weeks of my pregnancy which freaked me out constantly!) He had 3 shots of surfactant (sp?!) which is a shot to help baby's lungs develop, and usually they only have to give 1 or 2. 3 shots is NOT good (and the most they'll give at all is 4). So he was pretty bad off. He had a tube down his throat breathing for him, which was just horrible.

After the first 7 days though he started to pull out of it, and by the time he was 9 days old he was well enough for us to take home. He was really an easy baby for the most part, but a horrible toddler and is still very argumentative!! BUT, he is one of the sweetest boys in the world and is always wanting to give us hugs, etc. He won't let either Matt nor I leave the house without giving us at least 2 hugs. He loves to cuddle and just hang out next to us too.

He's starting Kindergarten tomorrow which I am SOO excited about, and so is he! He's thrilled to finally be a "big boy!" and go to Pebble Creek like his older brothers. We met his teacher the other night and I think she's going to be the perfect match for him- sweet and soft spoken, but also strict enough where he can't get away with doing things he's not supposed to do! ;-) I'll take lots of pictures and post those tomorrow too.

Since school is starting, I should have more time to blog (at least that's the plan!) so hopefully I'll keep better track of all of this now. My school starts next Monday (the 31st) and I'm really ready for that too. Oh! And Matt passed all of his captains license stuff, so as long as his application goes through alright, he will officially be "Captain Matt!" ;-) Anyway, here are a few pictures from Kelton's birthday party!!

Swimming!


Blayden


They all went to school together last year- Haley, Kelton (in back), Abigail, and Aiden


Cookie cake (Kelton loves monkeys!) Yummy!!


Waiting for some cake...


Daylon and his friend Brenen


Opening presents


The parents getting to talk some too... ;-)

Pictures

Blayden


Daylon


Jace


Kelton


Videos of Blayden singing- the first 3 videos that were just uploaded.
http://www.dropshots.com/SunshineFunKel

Updates- yes, we are here!!

So, it's not like I have been busy. In fact, I have been the opposite of busy the last few weeks. I've been too relaxed and lazy- I haven't done ANYTHING!! (Except read and the few other little things I've had to do!)

The boys are doing good.

Daylon started this season of Pop Warner football. He's on the Pee Wee team this year, which has a max weight limit of 106. You ask why I even mention that?? Because Daylon, my NINE year old, is already 107 on a good day. He's 4'8" (I'm 5'3" so he already comes up to my chin), and is SOLID. He's got a little tummy on him but he's already lost a lot of that after 1 week of football practice and running for 2 hours every night. We've had to cut him back on food (although honestly, he hasn't been eating a lot of bad stuff this summer anyway), trying to get him down to around 100. Because they weigh them every time before every game (with pads on), if he doesn't get down to the right weight then he can't play on this team- he would be moved up to the next level with kids who are 12+. Not gonna happen!

Daylon's been pretty upset the last few days. We found out last week that Daylon's good friend from school and flag football was killed in an accident. He was in Ohio visiting family and was riding a bike. He went in front of a truck. Apparently, he was on life support for a few days before they declared him brain dead and took him off the life support (after deciding to donate his organs- which I am so impressed with, I can't even say). Dalton's funeral was on Sunday up in Ohio, and so I have been in a serious funk since then. I can't imagine loosing a child and I have had two good friends who have lost theirs (and another friend who had a stillborn). All within the last four years. You are just not supposed to bury your child. That's not the way it is supposed to go. And it just sucks. I'm pretty sure that Dalton's family will be coming back to College Station soon, as they have triplet boys who are 6 and are supposed to start Kindergarten this year. I'm sure I'll see Jeri (Dalton's mom) around the school. What do you say?! "I'm sorry" is just stupid, and it seems like it's something that she's going to get tired of hearing. My heart just hurts for her, her husband, and the triplets. Daylon is doing better with it all, but I think that once school starts and he sees that Dalton really isn't there, it's going to be hard.

Jace is doing good, he's just Jace. He's soooo dingy! LOL He's been enjoying not having to do anything except watch TV. He had school the last 2 weeks as a "Jump Start" to the school year and he thought that was cool. He loves school and I think he's really looking forward to starting 1st grade. I'm in the process of trying to figure out what sport to put him in, and he changes his mind about it on a daily basis. Soccer? Flag football? Tennis? Golf? Karate? He's thought about them all and then he changes his mind about it. Good grief! This kid is going to drive me crazy!!

Kelton is good, just looking forward to his birthday on Friday. I can't believe that he'll be 6!! I think I'm going to get him an iPod Touch so he'll stop taking Jace's. :-) He's starting Kindergarten this year and is SOOOO excited about it. I can't wait to have 3 of them at school either!! We're having Kelton's birthday party not this weekend but next weekend and he's really excited about that! :-)

Blayden is good too. He's just a typical 2 year old with 2 year old tantrums. I try to ignore him but he's got 3 older brothers that, when he starts to scream, they run to him and give him what he wants. He is SPOILED ROTTEN! I've moved him into a toddler bed. A friend of mine's husband made a frog bed for their son years ago, so I'm borrowing it for BB. I moved BB out of Kelton's room, and moved Jace back in since they were both going to be going to school. So BB is in his own room right now and is back to the frog stuff. I love it!! (And he thinks it's cool. He tells me that his bed is "awesome!")

Matt has been SUPER busy. He is working on getting his Captain's license (as in a boat Captain) and so has been in Houston the last 2 weekends (Friday-Sunday) taking a course and learning stuff. He's got a LOT of stuff to learn and is actually home today studying and trying to figure out plotting and navigation stuff. Apparently this stuff is not easy! He has one more weekend of it before he's done and I'm more than ready!!

The business has been going well, but I think it's starting to slow down a lot. It's still super hot outside, but I guess people figure that they aren't going to be able to enjoy a pool long enough before the school grind starts, so they aren't going to buy one.

As I said, I've been able to be LAZY! Too lazy, honestly! I've been reading a lot, which I love, but I really need to move around and be more active. I've got to loose this weight!! I've considered buying a treadmill, but I'm afriad I wouldn't use it either. Uggg....

School starts for the boys in less than 2 weeks (on the 24th), and I start that next Monday, the 31st. I'm ready for both their school and my school. I'm ready to get out of the house and use my brain for something other than Facebook or reading pointless books! (Although I just finished "The Time Travelers Wife" and it was pretty good!) :-) Blayden doesn't start Mother's Day Out until September 10 though, so Susie (my nanny), and I, and probably my mom are going to have to figure our schedule out until then. Fun stuff.

I think that's about it for us right now. I'll post a few pictures and a link of Blayden singing a few songs in a new post in a few minutes. Gonna try to help Matt work on his navigation stuff. Yuck!! :-) Hope everyone else is doing well!!!

I Am

I am stealing this from Marie... ;-)

"I AM"

I am: ready to go buy new couches and am trying to decide how to talk Matt into doing so.

I think: I have too many kids and they want too much from me. I just like to CHILL OUT and they want to GO.

I know: that it's my fault I have too many kids. ;-)

I want: someone to come pick all the weeds out of my flowerbeds. They are bad. I mean REALLY REALLY bad. I bet our neighbors are tired of trying to look through the weeds to see our house.

I have: an amazing husband. He is wonderful MOST of the time. ;-)

I wish: Blayden would grow out of the 2-year old tantrum thing TODAY. He seriously throws himself on the floor screaming and crying. He's the only one of the boys to do that. Yuck.

I hate: people who are skinny and don't have to work at it at ALL. Skinny people suck.

I miss: having quiet time in my house where it is actually quiet.

I fear: big thunderstorms. I like watching them and listening to them, but I don't like the really big ones being right over us. Especially with a threat of tornados. But, ya know, it's been so long since we've even had RAIN, I could deal with being scared of a big thunderstorm, just to get some rain out of it.

I feel: tired and yucky. I've been doing house work and paying bills all day and haven't gotten to the shower yet. Yeah, I know. Gross.

I hear: the TV on some kid show. And Kelton saying "here's your snack, BB." Kelton is AWESOME with BB and is so sweet sometimes it makes me cry!

I smell: beef jerkey. I had a piece earlier for my snack and the smell is still on my fingers.

I crave: carbs. Thats it, just any kind of carb. I'm doing low carb right now and I just want a piece of bread! (Sushi also sounds REALLY REALLY yummy!!)

I search: for good books. It's my summer break and I plan on spending it reading anything and everything I can that's good. Any suggestions?!?

I wonder: how much longer it's going to be in the 100's. It's hot.

I understand: how people can get addicted to Facebook. "Hi, my name is Kelli, and I'm addicted to Facebook...."

I regret: not taking more pictures and videos. (I'm going to keep Marie's answer for this one... I'm trying to take more but I need to do better at this!!)

I ache: in my back.

I care: for my family and friends, even if I don't say it all of the time.

I always: wash clothes on Mondays and Thursdays, and wash sheets on Fridays. It works for me and that way I'm not doing clothes every day of the week.

I am not: eating carbs. Which sucks.

I believe: that one day I'll either loose all this weight or just go crazy and end up eating every carb in sight.

I dance: NEVER!! I'm not a good dancer and never have been. Although I would like to learn how to do actual dances! :-)

I sing: in the car. It drives my kids crazy, (but I think secretly they love it).

I cry: easily. I almost always cry watching "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" as well as any other show that's emotional. I am avoiding going to see "My Sister's Keeper" because I know I'll cry.

I worry: that Matt will stop selling pools. And then what would we do?!?!

I don't always: tell the truth. :-) (But really, who does?!?! LOL)

I fight: almost every day with BB to change his diaper. I need to potty train him, I just don't feel like it.

I write: not very often. I'm spending too much time reading right now.

I listen: to music a lot. I love putting on my iPod and tuning everything out. You can sometimes find me at HEB shopping with my headphones in my ears, enjoying not having my kids with me.

I never: thought I'd be married with four boys and going to school. If I saw a woman who was like me a few years ago, I would think she was crazy. I am crazy.

I need: to loose a LOT of weight. And then I need a vacation to make it all really worth it. I also need to learn how to run. I think that would help me with need #1.

I am happy about: My life. My friends, my family, my husband, my kids, and me. I'm doing okay. Despite being crazy.

So who are YOU and what do YOU do?

So much to do....

Well, Matt and I have decided to take the boys to Galveston for Father's Day Weekend. So we'll leave tomorrow after my class and after Matt gets home (it'll be late though because he has "pool school"- which is where he goes to his customers house and shows them how to use all of their equipment, chemicals, etc.) I just feel like I have tons of stuff that I need to get done before we can leave tomorrow, so, to help myself I thought I would just make a list while I was up here at the library waiting for my class to start (at 2:00). :-)

~ wash clothes
~ pack (this includes: packing for me, Matt, Daylon, Jace, Kelton, & BB; packing up the fishing gear and tackle boxes, etc; packing up the beach toys, chairs, towells, etc; packing up food and drinks(I'm hoping to stay in a house- waiting on the owner to get back to me on it) and THEN somehow getting all of that into my car, which has the smallest storage space in the back. I have to lay down one of the seats back there, and then whoever is back there has to climb over the 2nd row of seats to get to their seat. Ugg!!
~ do books and pay bills
~ pick up the house, then LEAVE the house so I can get it cleaned (and be gone for an hour or so, of which time would be better spent doing something on this list!)
~ make sure the dogs are good for the weekend
~ and a million other little things in between!!

I've missed my boot camp AGAIN this morning because I was so tired!! I woke up briefly, and Matt even woke up and nudged me to ask if I was going. Ugg! I just wanted to sleep!! I seriously could have slept until 10:00 and been good- maybe even longer. I hate when I get like that, especially after having paid for this boot camp. I NEED to go to it, there's just something wrong with me and I really like to sleep!!

And... I just realised that the time I've spent in here has gone much faster than I thought, and I am now late for my class that starts in 2 minutes (and it's a good 7 minutes away). I think I'm going to skip. Don't know what I'm going to do instead, but I don't feel like doing logic and I don't want to go. I need a break!!

Pictures

I know, I should be doing homework... but I wanted to post these while I had a break! LOL (All of these were taken from my phone, so they're not the best quality).

Daylon at Texas A&M's football camp with some of his buddies (he's on the far right)


The boys all on Matt's back (it's not very flattering to Matt, but it's a cute picture!)


Blayden after playing on the slip-in-slide in the front yard:


Matt and Daylon after shark fishing:


Me and Matt at a Dave Matthews Band concert about a month ago: