Grandfriend's Day at Oakhill Academy

It was a really exciting day at school for Brant. Nana and Apa' met us at 8:30 and got to spend the whole morning at school with him. They had a speaker come in and speak to just the grandparents and then Brant got to give them a tour of the school campus and all of the places he visits daily, as well as, the site for the new T. Boone Pickens science wing. They were also able to spend some time in his classroom and look over some of the things he has been working on. His teacher shared with them that Brant has a real knack for math and seems to enjoy math and science the most of all his subjects. We were so happy that they had the chance to see how special Oakhill is to our family and what a great place it is for Brant to attend school. Brant was so proud and excited to show them around. We love you, Nana and Apa'!

Valentine's Day At School

Valentine's Day this year was pretty low key. This was Brant's first year at Oakhill, so of course he had to wear his uniform and did not wear any V-day clothes. They did have a We Love Our Parent's Party, which was fun and the kid's performed a couple of songs for us and exchanged valentines with their friends. The girl's school has suggested that the parent's not attend the holiday parties for the younger kids because it creates that seperation anxiety atmosphere and the kids really don't enjoy the party. They did exchange valentines and I caught a few pictures before school and when I came in to pick them up. Everyone was pretty excited with all of their loot.

We love My Gym!

The girls started a My Gym class in January and they are just loving it. Climbing, jumping, throwing, falling, running is right up their alley. Cate is doing so well at the "circle time" and just follows along with the teacher surprisingly well with little assistance. Claire has struggled a bit more with restraining herself and staying in circle time, but after some stern talking she has really improved. Of course, now we have a major ham alert with them wanting to twirl and "Ta Da" in the middle of the circle. I honestly don't know where they get it. (wink)

Having a twin sister (and older brother) means never having to play alone . . .

And for the most part this is great. The kids always have someone to play with and it is adorable to see them interacting. They love to chase each other around and it melts my heart to hear them say, "Come on, sissy". However, you can see by a few of the expressions that it can lead to some fighting and disagreements about exactly how they are going to do something. As bad as it probably sounds . . . this is actually comical itself sometimes. See the diva, the drama and the negotiation is pretty funny. They definitely keep us entertained and we love it.

Brant's REAL Birthday

We had Brant's party a couple of weeks before his actual birthday, so on February 10th we had a small celebration at home. Brant got to wear his favorite Batman pajamas and we all ate pizza and birthday cake. You might notice the girls dresses are off for the pizza . . . those tomato sauce stains are hard to get out so we just try not to go there. Then Brant opened his presents from the family. He was very excited to get a new V-tech and some games to go with it.

Brant Turns 6! Happy Birthday!

Yummy birthday cupcakes . . .

Brant, Jared and Collin with their super hero faces. Mommy with Reese and Cate! I could put pictures in of Uncle Andy, Daddy, Nana, etc. All of the adults were so great and playful.

Aunt Ali is fun! Here she is with Claire and Collin.

Brant running to do that one again!

I can hardly believe that my baby boy is turning 6. He has grown so much that I have a hard time remembering those baby days. We had his birthday party this year at Pump It Up and had a wonderful face painter. All of the kids loved jumping around and all of the adult relatives were pressed into climbing and sliding with the kids. Then everybody was ready to get their faces decorated. She did a great job and Brant didn't want to wash off his Batman before bedtime. We found out the hard way that facepaint is not pillow-friendly.

Rascals at Play . . .

It gets so crazy sometimes having 3 kids running around, but they do make me laugh with all their craziness and the stuff they get into. You can see how well the girls (or Brant for that matter) cooperate with my picture taking. Some day I'll be able to show them that I tried even if they don't look at the camera. Also, having a twin sister definitely leads to learning to share early . . . or at least how to have a really good temper tantrum. I didn't think we needed 3 of these Cozy Coupe cars, but the girls have a constant battle going over who is going to get to drive the pink/purple one.

Outside Time this Winter

There were some nice days this winter and we try to take advantage of those. The kids love to go to the park and run around on the green belt in the neighborhood. Not one of them likes to wear a coat or hat so that is a struggle. I keep thinking when they get cold they will want to put them on, but so far it doesn't seem to be working.

January Means Playing in the House (Mostly)

After bathtime the kids are so cuddly and snuggly in their PJs and wet hair. Claire has her Daisy Duck that she brought home from Disney World and she really loves it. Also, everyone loves sitting with Dad when he gets home from work.

January Means Fun in the House (Mostly)

We spent most of the month of January playing in the house. Brant likes to enlist Cate and Claire in his idea of fun. Cate is usually the most cooperative wearing the Storm Trooper helmet or chasing Brant with a light saber. I love this picture of her with her princess crown, "baby" (pink monkey) and holding the light saber. Captures what it means to be a little sister with an older brother perfectly. Claire will also play along with building rocket ships out of legos and then flying them through the house. They like to run in a loop chasing each other through the dining room, kitchen, breakfast area, family room, entry hall, formal living room and then back to through the dining room (making rocket noises). I worry a little bit about falls or running into furniture, but they seem to enjoy it. Claire likes to color the most and will ask for the crayons. Brant and Cate have not don't seem to enjoy coloring as much but they give it a go once in awhile.