cayden reads.

We made our first summer trip to the library yesterday. On Tuesday and Thursdays, they do a storytime at 11am for the kids. It seemed like a brilliant idea to combine a book trip with a storytime trip. And it was. I was a little anxious that Cayden might be on the old side to enjoy the stories, but I was wrong. There were actually kids older than him there, so all was well. They got to listen to a story, jump and dance around like crazy people to some music and go on a little picnic adventure. All three seemed to enjoy it, and Tatum sat in her stroller so very quietly watching all the big kids. High-five to storytime!

After the story was over, we went hunting for books. It took Cayden about five seconds to find the Diary of a Wimpy Kid section and he quickly picked out two of them. Since they're chapter books, I tried to encourage him to just get one and pick up something a little easier. I wasn't sure how quickly he'd be able to get through them, and I wanted to make sure he had time to read them before returning. But... more on that in a few.

Sawyer found one of his favorites – I Spy – and grabbed it off the shelf. This was the first year we actually got to pick up real reading books for Sawyer (so exciting!) and he picked two out without much effort.

Graham dug through a box of board books and grabbed a Lion King book and one about a Grumpy Santa. Y'all. I double-checked to make sure he wanted a Christmas book. He looked at me like I was an idiot. (So much laughter.)

We made our way to the counter, filled out a little paperwork, and voila! The big boys now have their very own library cards. They couldn't wait to tell their daddy all about it when he got home from work. Such proud little guys.

But... back to Cayden. Less than 24 hours after we got home from the library, the first chapter book has been devoured. A total of 219 pages down. I'm so keeping up with his page count this summer; I think he'll be surprised at the end of the summer about how much he's read. At this rate? We'll go through the entire library before the end of summer!

summer-o-fun, 2017.

Last summer I was pregnant. So pregnant. And it was hot. So hot. I did a lot of sitting on the couch in the air conditioning. Which means the boys did a lot of sitting on the couch in the air conditioning. I really did feel terrible about it. But I didn't have the energy to feel that terrible, ya dig?

I did, however, promise to give them the best summer ever this year. And we're going to do our best to make that happen! Lots of fun things planned. We're also members of a pool this year, so that alone should help a ton. Although four kids, eight and under, by myself in a giant vat of water IS a little intimidating. Swim lessons are also on our list of things to do, ha!

Anyway, whenever the kids are at home – whether it's the summer, Christmas break, spring break, etc. – there are always so many questions. Most of them revolve around food (boys, y'all) and if we're going somewhere. After I saw Allison post a photo of her summer rules on Instagram it got my brain going. I wasn't really looking forward to fielding a million questions about having a snack (or lunch) by 8:30 every morning. So I whipped up this little Summer-O-Fun poster for our kids to refer to.

There's a section for everything I thought they might need answers to. Since half of our kids can read now (!!!), they can look up the answer for themselves. Graham can't read yet, but his brothers love telling him what to do, so it's really a win-win situation for everyone.

First, I included a morning section. I wanted them to know what I expected of them every morning. On the flip-side? It's also keeping me accountable. If I expect them to wake up, make up their beds and get dressed in the morning, it only makes sense that I need to do these things too. (As of this morning, they have completed everything on their morning list. Me? I'm mostly there... still need to brush those teeth!)

A food section was a no-brainer for our house. I am not even exaggerating when I say that Graham starts asking for lunch as soon as breakfast is over. We now have set snack times, with set snack items. The boys love watching the clock for when it's time to eat. I guess it's like a game for them? Whatever makes it fun. For them. And me.

Media. Whew, media is a tricky thing with kids. Ours can watch hours of TV before I'm even really aware of it happening. We have a set of questions that have to be asked, and if they can answer yes to them, then they can have media time. We've also set up a no media day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm really trying to push some creative play their way; we'll see how we hold up.

Rest time/quiet time is a must around here. Graham and Tatum most definitely need naps still. And if I'm being honest, Sawyer probably still needs an afternoon nap most days (the ill is strong in that one if he's tired). The older boys have to have an hour of quiet time, and at least half of that time must be spent reading. The good thing? They should still be smart come fall, right?

Summer isn't all about rules though. On Wednesdays, I've designated that adventure day – a day to do something special each week that we won't do any other day of the week. They're already looking forward to a summer flick at the local theatre tomorrow. (I'm just crossing my fingers that I can get Tatum to maybe nap through part of it? It could get interesting.)

The b-o-r-e-d section? Just a few ideas of how they could spend their time. Hopefully it'll help!

And because I love y'all, I'm including a link to download your very own blank Summer-O-Fun poster! Fill it in however works best for you. If you'd like for me to customize one for you, I'm sure we could work something out for a minimal fee – just shoot me an email. Oh, and later on this week, I'm going to give y'all links to some of my very favorite summery-fun fonts. You could totally use them to do your own poster.

Happy summering, friends!

last day of school, 2017.

These posts are always one of my favorites of the year. I mean, I love birthday posts of the boys just like the next person, but watching our kids grow throughout the school year is just so fun. We officially have a first and third grader in the house, btw. I mean, what?

This year? I had the boys wear the same outfit from first day of school for the last day of school. I saw someone do this last year and I loved the idea of seeing how the clothes fit differently at the end of the year. I was not disappointed!

Sawyer rocked his first year of grade school. Kindergarten and Sawyer were a perfect fit. And he had the most amazing teacher; I'm already plotting on how to secure her for Graham and Tatum in a few years. Final report card shows that we have one smart kiddo on our hands. We couldn't be more proud of how much he's learned and what an excellent reader he's become. (Mom brag for a minute? He finished the year on a reading level I. Requirements for kinder are a C/D!)

Cayden's second grade year (and last at our elementary school!) went entirely too fast. He learned cursive this year which was a total surprise to me. I didn't even know cursive was still taught, let alone in second grade! He's doing math problems that I know I didn't start until at least third, if not fourth, grade. (Does it seem like kids these days are way smarter than we were? I'm thinking yes.) Also, I don't really want to talk about the difference in Cayden's first and last days... he went into second grade still looking like a child. And came out looking like a young man. Big people teeth seem to do that I guess. Please stop.

And while I didn't document Graham's first day of 2K this year (I know; I'm the worst), it still seemed like a good idea to include him in these photos since he was in the beginning of the year photos and I like watching him grow too. He did awesome in school for the half-year he was there. We still have a little work to do with our colors. And well, 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, isn't quite right (but start him at 15 and he'll count correctly to 20), so we have some work to do there too...

But, we aren't going to work on school stuff all summer, promise! We have the pool, the zoo, bowling, trips to Target, etc. to hit up to have some fun. Not to mention all the board games and our awesome swing set in the back yard. I'm sure come fall we'll all be ready for a return to a schedule. For now? We are anticipating an awesome and adventurous summer. Do you have any fun plans for the summer?

cayden: marvel tsum tsum party.

We have an eight year old. Eight years. Eight years since we became parents. Which seems like yesterday and a world away all at the same time. Our Cayden is the sweetest kid around. But he's also pretty fierce when he's passionate about something. I love the way he loves others. And his little servant-heart keeps showing itself; I hope it'll continue to grow and he'll never feel embarrassed or ashamed of how well he loves and cares for others.

But enough of that mushy stuff! Cayden chose a Marvel Tsum Tsum theme for his party this year. And um, there's nothing out there for that. A regular Disney Tsum Tsum party? All the things available. So this mama had to get a little crafty and creative... which just so happens to be one of her favorite things!

Cayden also wanted his party to be a scavenger hunt. I was a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to pull something like that off, but it seems that I do ok! Good clues, the kids were running around and everyone seemed to have fun. So win!

A three layer cake was requested this year thanks to an episode of Carnival Eats that the boys had watched earlier in the year. We had a vanilla, strawberry and chocolate layered cake with blue icing at the birthday boy's request. I tried a new buttercream icing recipe; it wasn't as sweet as other recipes I've tried and it paired perfectly with the cake. I think everyone enjoyed it as there wasn't a slice left. At all. Signs of a good party, right?

Cayden received all sorts of wonderful gifts and it was so nice to celebrate the day with his favorite people. Eight years. Really?