It feels so good to be SIX!

Miss Kynzley Mae is (finally! - because she's been waiting her whole life to be six) a big six year old! She was so pumped for her birthday this year. I'm not sure if it was the events leading up to the day, the fact that she got to celebrate in her Kindergarten class or it was an early release day on her birthday and she got to spend it at the Children's Museum. Either way, she was excited!!

As I mentioned, it was an early release day at school on Kynzley's actual birthday. We were both excited because it meant that we had extra time to fit something fun in for her special day. She chose to go to the Children's Museum and then get a treat at Cherry Berry. She had a couple of her friends come with to help celebrate! 

The girls had fun running around the museum and playing with all the exhibits. It was fun for me to sit back and watch them interact and hear some of the silly things they would say. After getting pooped at the museum we headed to Cherry Berry for some great frozen yogurt. Francis mentioned to me today, "you spent *#^%* at Cherry Berry?" Haha, yup! Those girls fully enjoyed filling their cups full of fun flavors of frozen yogurt, chocolates and sweet sweet candies!!! It was a great afternoon!

The past six years have gone so fast, too fast. Kynzley is becoming such a big girl - it's crazy! Now that she is in Kindergarten she seems to be growing and maturing at warp speed. She is such a blessing!!! It's amazing to think of where we started - in the hospital hoping that we would both survive - to now. She's a crazy smart girl that has a heart of gold. She cares for everyone and everything!

We recently had teacher conferences and could not have left more proud! She's an amazing reader and writer with an act for math as well! She treats all her friends with respect and is a great helper to the teacher. Kynzley has been blessed with a great teacher and a great group of classmates!! 

Fun Kynzley Facts:

- Loves bright colors

- Hates matching socks

- When it comes to clothes, the more outrageous the better

- She has lost two teeth - bottom

- She is currently on swim team

- Is constantly writing. We have  many homemade books around the house.

- Loves to sleep! Occasionally still asks to have a rest time (aka nap)

- Since having her tonsils and adenoids removed she no longer snores!

- She was the first for the cousins to have stitches. She will forever have a lovely scar on her chin

- She wants to be a vet when she grows up

- When playing house or any other sort of make believe she always chooses to be an animal. More often than not a dog

- LOVES to wrestle 

- Has always HATED pizza ...UNTIL she had her tonsils removed. Now she even requests it

- Loves to draw

- HATES confrontation!! Even with her brother! She gives in super easy to Benton just so he doesn't get upset with her. 

- Is SUPER POKEY 

- Very kind and generous 

- Is constantly asking when she gets to go to the doctor and dentist - she just loves those places!

- Gags every time we make her eat corn 

Good Morning Birthday Girl!!!

Her favorite breakfast awaits! Bakery!

All ready to head to school on her birthday!

Giana, Lily and Kynzley ready to run loose at the Children's Museum

And they're off!

Giana, Kynzley and Lily

Cherry Berry time!!

A popular gift this year was Little Live Pets - thanks to her wonderful friends, Kynzley has her zoo started :-)

We have a six year old!!

For her birthday I was going to whip up a couple of cupcakes to have after dinner. A day before her birthday she told me that we were going to have pizza for dinner followed by cake and then gifts. By cake I thought cupcakes would be alright. She kept telling me over and over again "cake" we were going to have cake! But in my mind I knew cupcakes would work just fine when the time came to eat them. I got a call Tuesday morning from Francis telling me I better make a cake because she was NOT having cupcakes. So on Wednesday morning I put this little beauty together hoping it would pass! It did :)

In Kynzley's class there are a couple students with peanut allergies. Kynzley takes this very seriously!!! Instead of taking a birthday treat she decided to take a normal snack that everyone could enjoy with silly straws as an added bonus :) She had high anxiety over her special birthday treat for some time. We bounced ideas back and forth but she always felt that someone would be left out. When I shared this idea - turning silly straws into balloons - she was all for it!! This bucket was a bouquet of colorful silly straw balloons that each student got to enjoy with their milk!

Swim practice

   

A Little Girls Dream

It finally came true! Kynzley's dream of having her very own American Girl doll has come true! She is one excited little girl and hasn't put her doll down since she picked her out :)

Kynzley decided to go to the American Girl store in Chicago this year instead of having a big birthday party with friends. This has been an option for the last couple of years, but as her birthday always got closer she would opt for the party. This year she was SET on going to Chicago and getting her very own doll! We left daddy and Benton behind and stayed with Micki and Mckenna and made it a girls weekend!! We missed the boys, but had a great time!

We headed to the store bright and early Saturday morning. Kynzley had her heart set on a particular doll, but because mommy was trying to plan ahead ($$$, Ü), we knew that she may not be able to get her. She really wanted the doll Saige - she's a horseback riding artist. Two of Kynzley's most favorite things in the world! While looking her up to make sure she would be there, I could never find her. Come to find out, she's retired - followed by two of the others Kynzley wanted. She was a great sport about it and ran through her options again. In the end she chose Julie Albright!!! She is totally a Kynzley doll!! A hippie basketball player. Julie loves animals, bright color, sports and not overly into frilly things. Could she be more of Kynzley's twin?! I feel she looks a lot of like Kynz too! After the doll was chosen, it was time to accessorize (and spend lots of money!)! I can see how people get wrapped up in these things.

It melted my heart to see Kynzley so excited and to get something she has wanted for so long and has been so patient to get. She told me a trillion times that it was the best day of her life, that she was soooo excited and that she loved me - over and over again!

My travel buddy!! 

The girls ready to go! McKenna brought her Grace AG doll to join us for the day!

City girls

They were ready!

Posing with the new American Girl - Lea

Kynzley is standing in front of Saige, the doll she had as her first pick.

And we have a winner!! Julie Albright!

McKenna in front of her doll that is also retired

Kynzley and Julie - a perfect pair!

The girls chose to get their doll's ears pierced - a new feature offered

As soon as we got back to the house it was doll time! McKenna has so many American girl accessories, it made the experience even better!!!

We also fit in a movie! Zootopia!

Kynzley laid matching clothes out Sunday night so Monday they would look perfect together!

It was a perfect weekend, that I think both of us will remember for a long time!!

A little fun update:

A couple weekends ago Kynzley took another trip to urgent care. This time for her arm. She was pretending to be a puppy (so typical) and fetch a ball. Her right arm gave out and she rolled on it. She screamed in pain and when we tried to get her to move it she wasn't having any of it. We waited out the afternoon to see if she would start using it, but whenever she tried to move it she would cry in pain. We finally took her in and after xrays they determined she dislocated her tendon. They attempted to put it back in but neither the doctor and Francis heard it pop and the doctor didn't feel it move either. Francis and I did a lot of work with her over the rest of the weekend getting her ROM back and trying to manipulate the tendon to move back into place. Eventually we must have gotten it because slowly she started moving it again and by the end of the following week she was fully recovered! What's next Kynzley?! :-)

Spring is HERE!!!! I snapped this photo at 9:30am, we stayed outside until it was lunch time at noon and by the end of the day the snow was completely gone!!!

So far this year his favorite thing to do outside is color with chalk! Even when we get out of the car he runs, grabs a piece of chalk, makes a couple scribbles, looks for encouraging words, and then comes inside!

Kynzley had her first choir concert. She argued with me to pick her own outfit out for it. She won (I'm learning to let go!). Looking at this outfit (bright, colorful and fun) you can see why she chose the hippie American Girl doll ;-)

Before we headed to Chicago, Benton and I enjoyed a beautiful afternoon holding hands walking around the block looking for birdies

Pure chaos - all. the. time!

While we were gone doing girl things, Benton, Grandpa and Francis became famous! They guys took Benton to the train show in town. Benton is in LOVE with choo choo's, as you can see by the picture, and my grandpa worked for the railroad for many years. 

Merry February-mas

Yup, you read that right! We had our last family Christmas celebration....at the end of February! Our Christmas up north this year was scheduled to be held in January, but because of Kynzley's surgery and her taking the full two weeks to fully recovery, Christmas got rescheduled and late February was when we were all available. Tom and Amanda made it fully feel like Christmas, though! Christmas tree and all :)

We also got the honors of meeting the new member to this crazy bunch, Miss Lucy!! She's a perfect addition and sooner than later will be running around wild with the rest of them :) Kynzley and Benton always have a blast catching up with their cousins and it's fun to see the relationships they all have. Even though we are MILES apart they always pick up right where they left off and don't skip a beat! The house is always filled with giggles, of course cries and so many feet running around!

(sadly, all photos are from my phone. My camera no longer takes (my standard) pictures)

I made Miss Lucy (goosey!) her own apparel

Kynzley lost her second tooth while we were up north

Kynzley & Lucy

2016

Kynzley, Benton & Lucy

2016

Hello world! I'm Lucy Francine and I'm ready to rule the world (and defend myself as the youngest against all the craziness the others bring!)

Auntie Ria enjoys sleeping baby snuggles 

The three oldest

Owen, Eva and Kynz

Who decorates for the Easter Bunny when you can decorate for Santa year round?!

This year, for grandmas gift, the kids worked together and made her bird houses. Each family beautifully decorated a bird house. They all worked well together, no fights, it was awesome!

Nora - she has special powers! She can hold fire :)

Kynzley (5), Eva (6) and Nora (5)

Owen (7) and Benton (20mo) 

These two are becoming so close - it's awesome! They were buddies all weekend!!

Uncle Francis taught this one a cool new trick ;) -- Becca

What can be better than playing with your big cuz...oh being tapped in the behind by your other cousin!

Owen, Benton, Nora, Eva, Kynzley, Halle, Harmon, Becca and Baby Lucy

Grandpa and Grandma and the 'babies'