Twins

Ali Grace is a little artist. Check out this picture of us:

Notice anything?

No, not that Ali has three legs. No, not that my eyeballs are X's (although,I hope that's not a bad sign).

She gave the ladies boobs.

Stop lookin' at 'em!

 I know, they're big. Maybe they're shoulders. But I'd prefer sizable twins to sizable shoulders. So, we'll go with that.

Big Kid

Chloe is the sweetest little thing. She has waited patiently for her chance to do "big kid" things. Standing by while Ali and Caden went to school and made their own friends was hard for her. But now her time has come! With absolute glee she started preschool last week. Sure, it was a little scary for her to walk into the classroom alone, but she did it without a tear!

 Her first week went well. She is positively giddy when I pick her up. It is a big deal for her to have her own classmates, teacher, and schoolwork. She is so proud of herself, and so am I :)

Wordless Wednesday

Yardwork and Such

Whew. I tell ya what, I hate me some yardwork. Our flowers and bush-things look like sh awful. I didn't get enough water to them last month.

Lazy, Katie? Mmmm ... sometimes. But, I'll blame this on the drought.

Anyway, something got into me today. I donned my four year old, gently used yard gloves, searched mere minutes for the clippers and got to it. Kinda. You see, I have an embarrassing secret. I'm kind of a princess. So, the great outdoors are not really my thing.

Sweat? But ... ummm, I already showered.

Sunshine? This isn't the pool though ...

Bugs? Ick. No thanks.

I realize it's unattractive. My apologies. I also realize that we are talking about minor yardwork, not a week-long camping expedition. But hey, that's why I said this was an "embarrassing secret."

Anyway, I overcame. Breaking through the  princess mold wasn't easy, but the yard looks great better. And, ya know what? I got sweaty, but I can shower again tomorrow tonight. My tan got a much needed pick-me-up and mostly I just saw grasshoppers that were copulating. Make love, not war my little, green friends.

Where I got my disregard for yardwork is a mystery. My parents thoroughly enjoy caring for their many flowers and bush-things. They even have a garden. Somehow, they managed to keep everything greeny-green and looking good despite the drought. I suspect that my dad enjoys watering the lawn and garden with the hose, and that my mom just can't get enough of trimming her roses. The hard work is no compromise for them. So, when they were awarded with "Yard of the Month" they were thrilled.

Of course, I am totally joking.

They really did get "Yard of the Month", but come on, my dad enjoys tinkering with the sprinkler system and allowing the lawn care service to mow. My mom enjoys the yard dude, Jose, manicuring the landscaping. So, on this slow family news day I could not resist the urge to poke a little fun at them.

I do, however, have to say so I don't get in trouble that my dad does care for the garden and mow the back yard. And, my mom does water her flowers and bush-things. And, just to cover myself completely I'm sure they do many, many other things to make the yard amazing that I am simply forgetting to mention or unaware of. I assure you.

Love you M&D.

Kock Family Olympics

We were feeling the Olympic spirit last week, so we went with it. Caden and I set up events in the backyard. Ryan and I served as officials. We lit the Olympic tiki torch. Trashy, I know.

It was fun. Until the opening ceremonies were over. What we failed to realize was our kids are OUR KIDS. Competitiveness runs through their veins. We might as well have held a cage match.



Basketball Toss



Everyone cried at some point. Even Ryan. Just kidding. Not Ryan. Or me. Or Bode. So, I guess just half of us.

Caden passing Chloe in the long race. Chloe yelling at him.

I did, however, witness some impressive strategy. At the start of the short race, Ali's first move was to shove Caden into the swing set. While I felt for Caden, I silently bursted with pride.

Target engaged, locked and hit. Or something like that.

Caden won anyway though, much to Ali and Chloe's dismay. So, they screamed and cried. Our neighbors must think we have serious problems.

Ali quit the long race as soon as Caden took the lead. She went inside and slammed the door. Chloe cried halfway through, but finished strong. Internally I cried, too.

Caden got disqualified from the frisbee toss because he threw it out of bounds about 19 times and we were sick of running after the damn thing. Ryan was upset with Caden because he had a bad attitude after he go DQ'ed. But honestly, Ryan had a BA, too. Whattayado?

There were some highlights. They all had fun long jumping into the sandbox. And, my personal favorite was the floor routine. Even though Caden refused to participate.

Long jump!

Not a great pic, but Caden took his long jumping very seriously.

Floor routine

Hilarious



When it was time to wrap it up we weren't sure who to give the gold. I only had one "medal" which was a huge mistake. So, we gave it to Bode since he just played nice while everyone else participated. And then all hell broke loose. The whining and crying that ensued was relentless.

Bode with his "gold medal".

It was upsetting because the intention was to have a fun night with the kids. Well, no good deed goes unpunished my friend. In four years our country's greatest athletes will be in Rio. However, my little athletes will have their butts parked on the couch because Kock Family Olympics WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN! :)



$#*! Ali Grace Says

"Your bones can't move if you're not alive. Hmmm ... I never knew I knew that."

~

Me:  Ali, do you want Fruit Loops?

Ali:  No, I want the new cereal that keeps you full and focused with whole grain fibers."

School!

It's an exciting week at the Kock house! Caden started third grade and Ali started optional-ish Kindergarten! They were both pretty excited. Ali was a touch nervous, but that's expected. She'll go all day, every day.

Tear.

Gee, if it weren't for Bo and Chloe being so dang noisy,  it would be quiet.

Chloe will start preschool next week. I told her she needs to just stay home with Mom because I will miss her too much. She declined, but will allow me to pick her up when preschool lets out. 

Sooo, I guess I'll just sit at home and cling to Bode.

Wordless Wednesday

Bode the Ham

Five Year Old

All anyone heard from Ali Grace prior to her birthday last week was, "I am almost five!"

Now she is five. And, she already started with the "I'm almost six!"

Can't she just slow down and be five for a while? She's growing up too fast for me!

We had a small party with grandparents to celebrate. I went a little crazy with party decorations. In an attempt to justify this I decided I overcompensated because of Caden. You see, Caden doesn't like party decor. Not even ballons. I know. Who doesn't like balloons? He went from age 7 to 45 overnight. Just like his father. Apparently, if my festive needs aren't met they spill over. Or maybe I just spend too much time on Pinterest. Hmmm...

We are learning so much about me today! But lets not delve too deep. Moving on ...

Seriously! Get a life and stop Pinteresting, Katie!

Ali helped out by making Pin the Tail on the Donkey! Isn't her deformed, two-legged donkey cute?



Bode and Deb

 

Come on, Ali! Don't you know I'm a Grandma's boy?

Per usual, Ali kept everyone entertained  :)

Oh, and Tinkerbelle, Cinderella, and Rapunzel are all but distant memories. She transitioned to tweeny-bopper superstars on her cake. Yikes!!

Happy Birthday to my baby girl. I love you, Ali Grace!

Wordless Wednesday