Not so little, little girl

I haven't written in so long... after returning from Hawaii we jumped right back into our busy routine. Kylee seems to have the most going on in her life right now- so I'm going take some time to blog about my biggest little girl. She goes to school full days now, and even takes the bus home after school.
It's a whole 45 second bus ride because we live so close to school- but she loves it because she feels independent. She has definitely started to spread her wings a lot sooner than I ever imagined. I get filled with so much emotion watching her morph into this person that I'm absolutely proud of, yet a teeny bit scared of as she acts way too old for her short 5 years of life. She's a great friend to her classmates, teammates, and cousins, loves to participate in all activities, and has quite the social life coming from two parents who are... how shall I say this... homebodies. Wes and I learned in Hawaii that we are not cool- we kinda already knew that- but we've moved into the "not cool parents" category in our daughters eyes. She even flat out refused a shopping and ice cream trip with her mom and dad and bro and sister because she didn't want to possibly miss out on a second of potential pool time with the cousins. The conversation went like this,
Mom:"Kylee, we are leaving Hawaii tomorrow, if you want to buy souvenuirs with all the money you saved for Hawaii, you have to come with us now."
Kylee: "No thanks."
M: "No, thanks? So you don't want anything to remember this trip by? Your cousins have already bought all their treats, and they will have great things to remind them of this wonderful place. And now it's you and Owen's turn. You really don't want to go SHOPPING?"
K: "Nope."
M: "Ky, we'll be able to hang by the pool when we get back, just like we do every afternoon. You aren't missing out on anything."
K: "I still don't want to go."
Dad: "Were getting ice cream while were out."
K: "I don't want to go with you guys."
M & D: "Wow. Unbelievable."

Luckily, we are still in charge, and threw her in the car with us- but still, are we THAT awful that ice cream isn't even fun with us anymore? Lately, she has really been into her basketball- which, one might think, is great! But, while she does like basketball, she LOVES the fact that we are meeting with friends at night to play. We catch her checking out what everyone is wearing and all that when she should be going for the ball... so Owen and I stand up and cheer for her and occassionally yell "Kylee, get your head in the game!" She gets soooo embarassed by us and shoots us this awful "stop that" face. I can't believe we are so uncool.

I know it was bound to happen eventually, we might as well start getting used to it! I know I've totally got my work cut out for me with TWO potential drama queens in the house... but the good still outweighs the bad. When I am in Kylee's classroom, I am so proud of her. She is learning so much, and is really a great student. I feel great knowing she is out there in the world and she is being helpful and obedient in the classroom . And, yes, she is SO into fashion and music and dancing all hip-hop style when she gets home, but it's what makes her happy and it's all in good fun. She's got a sweet heart, and it's hilarious as she gets her basketball gear on and says, with a fierce game face, "who are we fighting tonight?"
FIERCE GAME-ON FACE
And once we are there watching the game, Wes always says it looks as if they are in a field of daisy's the way she skips up and down the court rather than aggressively battling up and back.
KYLEE'S ACTUAL SMILEY GAME-ON FACE
It's so cute and funny to watch!

As I've said before, she's also a wonderful sister. Wes and I watched from the top bleachers as she and Owen hung out on their own amongst their cool peers at the gym last night. All the school age girls loved Owen , they lifted him up and babied him when he fell down. Kylee gave him the biggest hugs and showed all the grown ups nearby Owen's owies. It was too cute! And at home, Kylee is amazing with Madison. She not only volunteers to change diapers, but feels it's her job to keep that baby happy. Madi constantly smiles and giggles at Kylee's goofiness, and coos the sweetest little sounds to big sis. I can tell these girls are gonna have some great sisterly talks in the future!


Kylee is growing up, I'm accepting it slowly, and am especially teary-eyed as I write that she already has her first loose tooth! I remember when she got her first teeth not so many years ago... and it's hard to believe she's on her way to those cute, tooth-less, grade school pictures very, very soon!

Ahhhhhhh...

Hawaii. It is a magical place. Good people, beautiful land... the islands really take you away from all the worries that everyday life may bring. It was a great trip, we have tons of stories and memories to share. But after a long trip back... a redeye flight with lay overs in LA (at 4am) and San Francisco (at 10 am)- we are glad to be home safe and excited to have a good night's sleep tonight in our own beds. For now, enjoy the slide show. I did my best to edit, I cut from 580 photos down to 150... so watch it when you have some time.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

As usual... the days seem to just fly by and I can't find the time to post pics of our daily adventures. Between the B-day parties... (the kids have gone to 5 and turned down I don't know how many so far this month...)school, practice, playdates... and now PACKING FOR OUR TRIP TO HAWAII on Tuesday... I figured I had to clean off my camera and write a quick update before you all get bombarded with Hawaii photos upon our return. Yep- that's right, we are taking our first big family trip with the whole gang- and it's not just our little family of five. Wes' parents have been planning this trip for a year, they are taking their kids and grandkids on the trip of a lifetime to enjoy some of their favorite Hawaiian locations. I 've always known I've lucked out when it comes to in-laws, Wes' parents are amazing- but this trip really goes above and beyond. They truly just want to experience Hawaii with their Grandkids, so they're really doing everything in their power to get us all over there. They are the most giving people I know.
We'll spend 4 days in Oahu, then a week in Kauai. It's going to be an amazing trip- the kids are counting down and can't wait to get their bathing suits on and hit the beach! There are 13 of us traveling together- 6 of whom are under the age of 7- so hopefully we'll have really friendly nieghbors on the plane who don't mind A LOT of childhood enthusiasm :) Stay tuned for updates, I'll try to post while we're gone. Until then- here are some pics from the past week at home...


Madison is our super baby- she is so amazingly wonderful, that I have a hard time answering people when they say "are you done having kids now?" I think that we are pretty sure we're done, and I am just soaking up Madi's sweet baby days as much as I can in case she's our last. She is growing quickly and will be 3 months on the 31st! She is holding her head up so well, loves playtime with Daddy- and will give any friendly face the BIGGEST smiles. She's so close to giggling... we can't wait to hear the sweet laughter from one more child in our crazy household!

Last weekend, my mom and dad came up for a visit. They loved seeing how much Madison has changed sinced the holidays... she's so interactive... not to mention chubby with those cute baby rolls!

We had a great time just hanging out and playing. My dad was my coach in all of my elementary school sports, so he and my mom were very excited to catch some of Kylee's Basketball games this weekend. Plus, they were able to practice together in the backyard, since our weather has been so sunny these days.

Kylee is No. 1! She's having a blast on her K-2nd grade team and is getting more and more comfortable with the sport everytime she plays!

She's the point guard and loves bringing the ball down court- then getting rid of it ASAP.

Go Timberwolves

Kylee's got the best fans! Both sets of Grandma's and Grandpa's enjoy watching the VERY entertaining little ones shoot hoops!

First Week Back

Winter break is over and the kids are back in the school routine. It's been back to early bedtimes and busy mornings, and I kinda miss the carefree days with the kids over break. But it's nice to have a little alone time with Madison in the mornings again, cause she is going through some super adorable stages, and I don't want to miss a second of it! The kids are happy to be reunited with classmates they didn't get to see over break, and these busy days have them so wiped out by the end of the day. Bedtimes have been a breeze! Especially since Kylee started her basketball season, and practice goes til 7:45 pm twice a week. It's awesome, though, she's on a K-2nd grade team, and since practice is so late, Wes is usually done with work and can help coach. She loves having her daddy out there with her, and is picking up on some of the b-ball basics. So far, her biggest accomplishment that she'll tell anyone about is "I got hit in the face twice- and I didn't even cry." If she never touches a basketball this season, and only gains a bit of sports toughness- I will be a happy mom! Here some pics of her first practice:


A 5th grade team helps the "Timberpups" stretch


Kylee doing layups


Kylee and her buddy Hannah

We made it through the Holidays

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The holidays, like the rest of 2008, seemed to fly by at warp speed. We were so busy, both on the road and at home, I haven't had much time to sit down and post anything. And now, I feel like I should be getting on my treadmill since the baby is sleeping and the kids are playing nicely- but I figure if I don't post now, I'll never get around to documenting little Madi's first Christmas. (See that... I'm an expert excercise procrastinator!)

Ever since 2004, we have always made sure that our children wake up in their own beds on Christmas morning. This year was tricky, because Christmas fell on a Thursday, and my cousin was getting married in Napa on Sunday, the 21st. We decided to take off a few extra days of work, and left Sunday morning at 8, for our first road trip with a new baby in our bunch. It was amazing! We made it 3 straight hours to Vacaville with no stops- no potty breaks, the kids just snacked and watched movies with limited fluid intake. In Vacaville, Dad grabbed lunch and pottied the kids while I nursed and changed Madison. We got back on the road within 30 min and made it to Napa in time to get showered and changed for the 2 pm wedding. It was super smooth, we felt like traveling pros! The wedding was at my Uncle's house, and was such a nice setting for a family wedding. It was very quaint, and full of love, but also filled with lots of Franco family excitement and drama. The next morning we traveled with my brother Dave to Oakland, where we got ready for Christmas at my parents. My mom and dad were in Germany visiting my brother John and his family, and their flight had been delayed an extra day. So, we decorated their tree and did a little grocery shopping to make their arrival a little bit easier. They were very jet lagged that night, but got settled and unpacked a bit while we make an enchilada dinner. Wes and my brothers went snowboarding at Sugar Bowl on Tuesday, while my parents and I went running and our usual coffee shop visit. That evening we enjoyed christmas caroling and partying at our annual block party at the neighbors house. Christmas Eve morning I went running with my parents and Dave, and came back and we made a huge breakfast. The kids opened Franco family gifts, and we enjoyed treats from Germany. That evening we went back to Napa for our Christmas Eve tradition, and Wes and I loaded up on coffee, got the kids in their PJs, and made the 4 1/2 hour drive back home to Weaverville. We had such a great time with all my side of the family, and my old nieghbors- and everyone just loved meeting Madison and playing with Kylee and Owen. It was hard to leave, but the kids were excited to get home and in their beds before Santa came. They stayed up most of the drive, which is actually a big help, because Kylee is Madison's personal assistant in the car. She is the official "binky replacer, spit-up wiper, and funny-face maker." Madison just lights up and smiles at the kids these days! All three kids fell asleep about 45 minutes from home- just as we were getting into some pretty snowy conditions. We made it home in good time anyway, and Madison woke up to help us with our Santa duties once we arrived. We were in bed by 2, and up with excited kids by 6- but it was all worth it.

Christmas Day- my first official White Christmas! It snowed all day long, but nothing accumulated to much to knock out power or ruin any of our holiday plans. Wes' parents joined us to watch the kids open their gifts and for a nice biscuits 'n gravy breakfast. We spent the rest of the morning opening toys, cleaning up, unpacking a bit, then got ready and headed to Wes' parents house for a family dinner. It was such a wonderful day, very relaxing and so beautiful with the snow fall as a constant backdrop.

This past week was spent with lots of playdates, since the kids are still off school. We've had someone over almost everyday, and have been having fun with all the new toys. New Years Eve we opted to stay home, it's so much easier to stay at our place with the kids- especially a newborn, so we had our friends, the Bradford's- who have 3 kids, too!- over to celebrate the New Year. The kids had SO much fun, and we couldn't believe that none of them even acted tired until well past midnight. Ringing in the new year surrounded by good friends and excited children seemed to really signify this year and where we are in our life right now.

New Years Day we packed up all the Christmas decorations and are now officially done with the holidays. It was so much fun, and completely exhausting, but as always- so wonderful to be able to spend so much quality time with both of our families. We are truly blessed!

Let the Holidays Begin!

Winter Break is officially here- the kids are out of school and we are moving full speed ahead into our Christmas activities. The parties at school, with friends, and family have been so fun- and now we are getting set for our holidays in the Bay Area with my family and old friends on the block. We leave first thing in the morning for Napa, after one night there, will be in Oakland for a few days, then back to Napa for Christmas Eve and home to Weaverville late Christmas Eve night. I should totally be packing right now, but I decided to clear my camera and make room for are next set of Christmas 2008 memories. Here's what we did the past few days:

Owen's Preschool visited the Grandma's and Grandpa's at the Convalescent Hospital to sing their Christmas Carols. Grandma Linda joined us for this fun field trip!


Kylee's kindergarten class performed their Rudolph songs dressed in their cute reindeer costumes. They sang a bunch of songs with the 1st, and 2nd graders, too.


Santa came to Owen's Christmas Party, and Owen told him he is 3 years old and wants a Giraffe for Christmas.


Owen and his buddies love the cookies and punch.


Grandma Linda and Grandpa Paul's Christmas party. All the cousins in front of their stockings.


Grandma and Grandpa with all their grandkids


Uncle Adam feeding Madison


Our kids in their new jammies from Grandma


The cousins in their new jammies!

First Snowy Weekend!

Weekend's like this one make me just love where we live SOOOOO much! We woke up to our first dusting of snow Saturday morning, it was just enough to get the kids excited at the possibility of throwing snowballs at each other. Kylee had ballet, so they had to wait on the snowball wars... but no one seemed to mind because Grandma was bringing the cousins in to check out Kylee's class' little choreographed dance to the Nutcracker ballet. She danced really well, but my camera died two seconds into the show- so I don't have much video to show for it. It didn't snow any more Saturday, but Sunday it snowed all day long. Wes went out to chop wood, so I bundled the kids up in their gear, and sent them out to play. Madi and I had the important job of keeping the fire going inside. It was awesome! The kids would come in freezing every now and then, and I'd warm them by the fire and give them hot cocoa. We didn't get enough snow to bring the sled out on our sled hill, but they are saying we'll get 3-6 more inches today. We had about 4 inches when we woke up this morning, and the kids wanted to go play. We had to get to school- which went really smoothly considering we had friends over late last night, and we woke up a bit late, had to dress in extra layers and dig out the car- but everyone was a bit late today, so it was no big deal! Hopefully we'll be able to do some sledding after I pick the kids up.
Here's some pix...