Happy Birthday to Caeden!!!

In all the excitement of Kai's first day of school, one of the most EXCITING parts of the day got all turned up in the mix--CAEDEN'S BIRTHDAY!!!!  My Noodle turned 9 years old on August 18, and she was SOOOO excited.   Monday night I was on the phone at 9pm with her teacher (sorry, Mrs. Briggs)  trying to establish a good time for me to bring cupcakes and goodie bags to her school.  I was able to get her the FLYEST High School Musical Locker cupcakes (big ups to Publix for taking the 9pm order and having it ready at 8am!), and her daddy went and got the goods for the goodie bags!!!  It all pulled together, and the little girl had a fantastic birthday.  What made it even better was that Tuesday was picture day at school, and she was able to wear her own clothes to school--instead of a uniform--ON her birthday!!!  After school, we went home where she was greeted by her birthday present--a trampoline!!!  She couldn't run outside fast enough to jump on it (yes, in her pretty skirt).

The Birthday Girl with her High School Musical pull apart cupcakes/cake at school.

Caeden's High School Musical Pull Apart Cake.

Caeden and Mrs. Briggs, her fourth grade teacher.

This is Caeden's "board" birthday card.

Caeden and Mommie on her Birthay at School.

I loved this poster in Caeden's classroom.

Noodle's cake was FINGER LICKING GOOD!!!!

Caeden helping Kai get on her (Caeden's) birthday present.  She has been jumping like a jumping bean since her birthday!!

Caeden LOVED her birthday present!  Kai wasn't/isn't so sure about it!!!

After the trampoline jumping extravaganza, we headed to Caeden's favorite restaurant--Olive Garden.  Of course the staff came and sang "Happy Birthday" to her, and she was OVER THE MOON.  Unfortunately she won't be able to have a traditional birthday party, because she's going to be in soccer tournaments beginning this weekend until November!!!!! 

Nonetheless, she had a GREAT birthday, and I'm so happy for her.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOODLE!!!  LOVE YOU!!!!

School Daze!!!!

I've been told about a hundred times in the past year that my youngest baby, Kai, is way to smart to not be in school.  Last August I tried to put her in school, but the closer and closer it got to the first day I just couldn't do it.  This year I decided I was doing her a severe injustice by keeping her home with me.  While we try to teach her stuff during the day, none of us is "trained" to teach 2 1/2 year olds, and therefore we KNOW there are things we are missing!  The decision to enroll her in a three day, half day program was EXCRUCIATING, and taking her to school was no less painful.

We are now on day three of the school year, and both Kai and I have cried EVERY day when I drop her off.  I do good to wait until I'm out of the classroom, but I just can't seem to hold it together.  I feel like the WORST mother, ever, for leaving her while she's crying, but I know I have to leave to give her the opportunity to bond with and get to trust her teachers (who, by the way, have been AMAZING).  Ms. Leann took pictures of Kai yesterday once I had left, and she was smiling and laughing in all of the shots, so I at least have that little bit of comfort.  Check out the wee one on the first day of school....and pray that it gets better for us!!!

Here's the big girl in her classroom.  Yes, I know her teeshirt was too big, but it was the shirt they wanted EVERYONE to wear. I wouldn't send her to school raggedy!!!

Here she is about to walk into the school.  Notice the look of indecison on her face.  Doesn't she look like a big girl, though???

Before we left home to head to the school.
Oh, happiness!  She was just making her way down the stairs to get ready for her first day!
Still coming down the stairs....Oh, what the day did hold!

She did make it through the day, and when I went to pick her up she said she was going back.  Hopefully things will make a turn for the better, and SOON!!!!  Meanwhile, I felt like the worst mom, EVER, because Kai's first day of school just happened fall on Caeden's birthday....  Never fear, I pulled it together to perform my "Mommie" duties by taking cupcakes and goodie bags to the school.  Wanna hear about it??  Stay tuned!!!

We're still here...

It's been a while, I know, I know.  Summer is supposed to be a time for relaxing, but we have had quite the busy, busy, busy summer!!!!  Caeden has been attending camps every week this summer, and Kai has been, well, Kai.  Kai is talking ALL the time, and speaking clearer than some adults I know.  Some of her recent favorite things to say are, "Yesterday.... (as in "yesterday I bumped my head")"...this is never used right, though, because she'll say something was done yesterday that was actually done, oh, four weeks ago.  Yeah, she has that everlasting memory like her big sister, too!!!  It's amazing!!!  Caeden is walking around here with this phenomenal tan, and I'm so jealous!!! When she tans, she gets darker, but it's more of a coppery, golden color.  LOVES it.

P and I have been travelling on and off all summer.  Now we're about to go on the family vacation to the Bahamas. Caeden looks forward to that EVERY year, so I'm sure she'll love it!!!

In a nutshell, that's what we've been up to.  Mimi's job is still pushing on, and sometimes PISSING her off. One week they'll give her 25 hours and then the next she'll have all of about 2!!!!  It's crazy.  She's happy, though, and that's very important.  She and her neighbors put together a block party this past Saturday, and I went.  It was a really, really good time!!!!  

Life with and for the Two Priceless Princesses has been really good.  I find myself being more and more grateful for them every day.  My family is very blessed to have each other, and I love being able to share it with you guys.  I promise I'll do better about posting on here.  Talk to you soon.

There are some universal truths in the Price household:

1)  The children are not allowed to take a bath with the husband anymore, because they have realized there is a difference between girl parts and boy parts.

2)  If you fall down, hurt yourself, or find yourself in any other perilous situation (except the URGENCY of needing a bug killed, let outside, or otherwise disposed of) you call the Mommie.

3)  If the husband runs bath water, there will be a 2 hour window between the bath and the final phase of "readiness" to leave the house.

4)  The husband is responsible for ALL cleaning of cars--whether he does it or has someone to come and do it for him.

5)  The wife cooks. Period. No questions.  Unless there is an argument going on in which the husband will make "noodles."

Now, those are the basics.  There are some others, but I'm still too taken aback by today's activities to go into that.  

Today Mr. Price did IT.  He got on the GRILL.  Yes.  Understand:  he cooked breakfast for the girls on my birthday, and I was uber impressed at that.  We have had a very event filled weekend, so we weren't even doing the whole "Memorial Day cookout" thing, but I woke up this morning with a hankering for some baked beans.  That's all I wanted.  So I had the bright idea of making baked beans, pasta salad, and turkey dogs and turkey burgers on our range top grill.  Everything went fine, until I went to turn the grill on.  There was the familiar "click, click, click" indicating a fire was SUPPOSED to be coming....but never a fire.  I told Peerless I was having a problem with the stove and he tinkered, and tinkered, and tinkered...and still didn't get it lit. 

At this point, I began prepping for regular old stove top burgers and dogs.  I mean, if we couldn't get it started, we just couldn't get it going.  Peerless, however, decided that we WERE having grilled food--one way or the other.  He went outside to our gas grill, cleaned it off, and said HE was going to cook the meat.  Ok.  Please refer back to the universal truth section. Please.  I HATE grilling.  I know how, but I ABHOR it.  With that in mind, the husband set his sights on our impromptu cookout, and....Well, look at the pictures!

The husband with oven mitts on, tending to the turkey dogs and turkey burgers...He has a serious fear of being burned by cooking fire...Please, don't ask.

Oh, I don't really think you can tell this man he is NOT the Grillmaster at this point.  The baby even looked on in amazement and said, "Daddy makin' my hot dog!?!?!?!?!"  Pretty much the sentiment of the entire crew.

Still at it.  Have you noticed, at all, the determination and seriousness of this man's face??? He was in a pretty somber mood all day, so he was all geared up to complete his serious job!!!

Meanwhile, the kids kept on their dressup clothes outside in the icky weather.  

These are their "silly faces."  You have to love it!

Here's Kai's OTHER silly face.
Mmmmmm.  The oldest girl's is the same.  Note:  this dressup is the SAME outfit she wore in Friday's recital.  She hasn't been separated from the shorts part of it since.  Can you say RIPE????

Peerless got so full of himself he felt he could sit back and chill while "his meat was on the grill."  Hilarious.

9 Little Girls.

So, as you guys know we spent last Friday night hosting a slumber party for 9 little girls.  It was the "unofficial" sleepover for our basketball team, and Caeden also invited a little girl from her class.  We had a really good time, no one cried (well, one little girl got hit in the eye by another accidentally, and she shed some tears, and one other little girl had her mom come and pick her up at like 11:30...., but other that that it WAS uneventful).  I thought I'd post a few pictures so you could see what a good time the girls had.  I'm really glad they had a chance to have the sleepover (although Saturday Peerless and I were in the bed EARLY).  Enjoy the pics!!!

Here's a shot of the girls all in the pool playing.  Pool time was NOWHERE in my well thought out agenda, but this is what they wanted to do, sooooo.....

Golf cart rides around the neighborhood was also not a part of the agenda, but somehow the Husband got suckered into "Driving Ms. Daisies" around on joy rides.  Now, I WARNED said Ms. Daisies that Mr. Price drove fast, but they didn't listen.  As I mentioned before: no one broke any bones, so that was all good.

The 9 having a blast!

Emma Grace, Kaleigh Hughes (I really think she's a Price), and Jettie Jones (who FINALLY talked to us!!!) waiting for Ms. Stephanie to bring a few bathing suits back.  When you don't know there will be swimming, you don't tell parents to bring bathing suits, and then you make due.  Thank GOD Stephanie and Richie live in our neighborhood and have two daughters. Between their swimming suits and Caeden's we made it.

Caeden and Maja.  Maja's originally from Germany and she has the CUTEST accent.

Kaleigh Hughes...BALLIN'!

The morning after.  These crazy girls were waiting on the golf cart for Peerless to come and drive them around AGAIN.  Gluttons for punishment.

Successful!

Just a quick note to say the sleepover was a success.  The girls all seemed to have had a really good time, and I'll post pictures from the night soon!!!

FUN STUFF!!!

My Noodle is SOOOO excited with her life right now!!!  We are having eight little girls over to spend the night tomorrow (seriously), and she is OVER THE MOON.  We had thought about doing this sleepover for quite some time,  and we were going to shoot for this weekend or next.  Next weekend was NOT going to work, and when heartbreak hit her this weekend AND things fell into place for tomorrow we knew the Big Guy was looking out for us.  I doubt you'll hear from me this weekend, but I will definitely let you know how it goes.