Prepping Season....

This time of year is always FULL blast and our lives feel like it is going a million miles per hour. Spring brings us warm weather which we all know this So Cal girl loves but when you live in Arkansas aka Tornado Alley you are ALWAYS on your toes and prepping for storm season. 

Not only to we prepare and freshen up the kids "survival" skills this time of year but we are also FULL swing into party planning. Today marks just a little over a week before the first birthday party of the 2016 takes place and the planning is no different this year than any other. 

We have hit Pinterest aka my LIFE saver hard for this year birthday themes 

(you can find them here) 

but I am also OVERLY EXCITED about them too. 

On the 12th we will be having my oldest daughters 14th birthday and she has gone with Horror Movie themed... we are talking food, decor and MORE! PLUS this year I am allowing here to gather a handful of friends to stay the night for a horror movie marathon! Can you hear the screams yet? 

(insert evil laugh here)

On TOP of all of this this week is Read Across America and the elementary school girls have this week JAM packed with fun days to participate with each day to show off and celebrate Dr. Suess!

Yesterday we got to wear many colors as they shared his book My Many Colored Days followed by today being crazy sock day of course in spirit for The Foot Book! 

Tomorrow is Cat in the Hat so naturally it's crazy hat day and Thursday is  Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! as the kids get to wear their school colors, but we are all stupid EXCITED for Friday's theme as they will be sharing I am NOT Going to Get Up Today!  and the kids get to dress up as their favorite Dr. Seuss Character and OF course Aaliyah and her bestie JUST HAVE to go as Thing 1 and Thing 2 and it fits them PERFECTLY! 

I started working on these things over the weekend and I just have to say if I was smaller I would TOTALLY be stealing these costumes!!! They are ADORBS if I do say so myself :)

 And because that is NOT ENOUGH this Thursday the Middle School and the Junior High kids are out of school that day for CAPS which is the day that they get to pick out their classes for the 2016-2017 school year....

UGH! 

Of course THIS morning is the morning that it HIT me like a TON of rocks that I will have a "HIGH SCHOOL" student next year....

#maniamfeelingold

But there of COURSE THERE IS MORE!

I am sadly having to get ready to go back into the work force and to make it SOOO much better it will be overnight yet again for at least 6 months. I will be shooting for a department manager's position which will take me to days and a pay increase so here's to hoping! 

Which means I have to swap my sleeping schedule... yet... again... 

Does your house have a crazy prepping season too or is it just me?!

Meet the Wolf Pack

One of my favorite things about the "new" place is because we

have such a close knit neighborhood... 

Though our wolf pack grows and shrinks on a regular basis the core of the wolf pack has stayed in tact since day one.

We are all very close and I LOVE IT!

Our hoe has always been the hang out for the kids and though this can sometimes be overwhelming I know in years to come I will look back at this as some of the best memories that the girls and I have as a family. 

So with out further ado....

Here they are (no special order) 

Tyson

(the one to the right)

Tyson is the oldest of the pack and I am grateful that he has the big brother status not only to his three younger sisters but to the rest of the pack as well. They all watch Tyson in awe and LOVE when he is spending time with them!

 Lanie (L) and Aaliyah (R)

These two...

They are besties and to say the least are VERY close! 

They do everything together and though these two get on each others nerves it only takes about 5 minutes before they are over it and back to being attached at the hip. 

Lanie is a little older than Aaliyah but they are in the same grade and inseparable.
I am blessed that Aaliyah has been able to have such a close friendship at such a young age. I feel these too will be friends for life and I am blessed to be like a second mother to her and her sisters. 

 Ashton (top), Summer (L), Thalia (M) and Kara (R)

These are our newest additions to the wolf pack. Ashton is with the middle school girls. then Summer and Kara are with the elementary girls and then there is our sweet Thaila who started her own "section" of the pack.
Though they haven't been here long they have come to fit in well and keeps things interesting and helps keeps our friend drama up :)
Not because our crew NEEDED the help :)

Raelyn:

Another daughter I have adopted in the mix.

Raelyn is the bestie to Alora and sister to Tyson, Lanie and Emmalee.

Raelyn is so much fun and reminds me a lot of my lifetime bestie Mia. 

Though her and Alora seem to be the core of drama these two have each others backs. 

They have been inseparable since last year and I am so honored to have her in Alora's life... now if the drama would come down about a 1000 notches this mamma wouldn't enjoy wine as much I am sure :) 

Alora

Alora has quickly earned my wild child title and since Middle School started I have been dumb founded by some of her stunts. 

I am thankful that I am so close to her best friends mom and we can work these things out together and aren't afraid to lecture them as a team. 

Alora and Raelyn are SOOOOO much like and my friendship with my bestie that I know these too are officially serving life together! 

Dakota:
Dakota and Tyson are the same age and though they get along and count each other as a friend they aren't super close.
Dakota kinda stand on her own and socializes when she is ready. She has always been my "keep to myself" girl but she does enjoy the company. She is a huge help with me keeping the pack in order and she usually plays mamma when needed.

Emmalee

Em is by far the youngest in the pack. She joined us last year on Alora's birthday as we all sat here at the house anxiously awaiting her arrival! 

We always joke about sharing Em's happiness because it is a rare day that this little shorty is in a mood. She is always happy, smiling and cheering us up when we need it most. 

Our favorite part... NO DRAMA, NO TALKING BACK and NOTHING BUT SMILES :) 

I am super excited to see where her personality will go when she gets older and how her role will be in the pack but what ever it may be we are good with waiting it out and enjoying this stage... 

We all know TOO well how FAST it goes! 

Do your kids have a lifetime group of friends? 

Our Valentines Weekend Recap PLUS Life Lately

It has been WAY TOOOOO LONG!

First I have to say that I am SO very sorry that I have been majorly MIA here...

I guess that I am NOT doing so hot with my blogging goals so far... does it at least count even a little bit that I DO think about blogging daily...even JUST a little?

Anyways...

As you can see life has been CRAY CRAY on my end... SO much has happened since I last left you with my hair-tastic post....

But lets start with a recap of our Valentines weekend recap shall we?

Friday night the elementary girls came through the door right after school all hyped up... of course because they had their bellies full of valentines candy and goodies from their annual valentines parties but also because this particular Friday meant Valentines Dance AND a the beginning of their three day weekend thanks to today being President's Day...

Friday afternoon I managed to cook dinner and get 4 VERY EXCITED and HYPED up girls ready for their BIG night of dancing...

Wonderful #epicfailrealization came later when it dawned on me I only got ONE out of FOUR of the girls' pictures after they were decked out...

WAY TO GO MOM!

Saturday was pretty laid back around here, we ran errands and went grocery shopping because we all  know how fun that can be...

Saturday night we lined up our kitchen table with Valentine goodies for our loves and on Sunday morning you would have thought it was Christmas in our house!

For our LOVES

From MY LOVE! 

 The rest of the day was filled with our wild child's drama and movies in between. 

So it was a typical day after the spoiling of gifts :)

Today all the kiddies are home and since it is wet and rainy out I plan on overhauling some rooms that are in desperate need of some deep cleaning with hopes the rain will let up long enough to get a photo sesh in for my sister and her babies...

As for where we have been?

Here is a quick recap... 

Prepare for pic over load!

Aaliyah had to have a tooth taken out on the fly... no more crowns for this princess! :)

We have been bargain shopping like mad over here :) 

We squeezed in a girls day!

 I am working on a new home decor project... which usually takes a day... has been a WEEK and counting :/

The hubby tried his FIRST ever cinnabon!

Of course I updated my chalkboard for Cupid's holiday!

 A friend of ours was murdered at the age of 20. He had just recently graduated from High School and had his WHOLE life in front of him... I have known Trevon since he was about 12 or 13 years old and he was like a son to me. My heart and mind has been very numb over the whole ordeal...

Trevon you will be missed dearly and never forgotten!

My prayers and thoughts are with his family and friends. 

I still HEART ipsy!

We are party prepping for Dakota's birthday next month!

A dear friend of Alora's is in the hospital. Today marks day 11...Prayers are with Aiden and his family

With a mild winter we have been able to get out and do some yard work as we work towards making our house our home!

There has BEEN SO much more happen here but I of course can't blog it all! 

What have you all been up too?

Operation Brace Face: Phase.... UMMM...

Yesterday we checked in on operation brace face...

I couldn't believe when they said she has been in braces for a whooping 34 month! 

I thought D was exaggerating when she said 3 years and well no she wasn't... jeesh! 

Last time we checked in I caught you all up on the phases that we have missed over time...

Before

 

 

 

After

 

Yesterday's appointment was seriously super quick and just checking in on how things were lining up. She has a few gaps in teeth that I am having a MAJOR fit over seeing that we are towards the end of all this and they are still there plus we have paid WAY to much money for results like this but they are reassuring me that they will all be gone VERY soon and these bad boys will be off before we know it! 

They chained her top brackets to do just that and I am SUPER excited she got to pick a color again! 

There for a while she was grounded from color choice due to lack of her brushing skills but we are in hopes that those days are behind us and she will get it together so these things can be off her face sooner rather than later... I mean we have already DOUBLED our treatment plan time and I am sure they are ready to get her finished as much as I am ready to see her mouth without the metal accessories. 

We are to go back in March to see where things are lining up and how the gaps are doing in this time of moving into place! I hope that the next appointment they one they schedule is for removal! 

Here's to crossing fingers, toes and maybe eyes!

Stay tuned!