Littlest Sister is Six

So...it happened!  The Littlest Sister turned Six today!  First my baby leaves me and runs off to Kindergarten, then she loses a front tooth, and now she goes and turns 6.  A mama can only handle so much in a few short weeks.

Lu's 6th birthday fell on a school day this year.  Pretty cool, since they said her name on the announcements!  Not, so cool that I only got a sweet snip-it of the birthday girl this morning.

She bounced downstairs ready for her birthday breakfast and sibling gifts.  Gotta love her bed head...but presents were a priority.

From there, we all doused her with birthday love...kisses and hugs galore and sent her on her way to big girl school.

I popped in at lunch time and nearly melted at those darling Kindergartners.  They are the cutest.  I served Birthday donuts and got one more birthday smooch to hold me over until bus time.

For her birthday dinner, Lucy was very torn.  She REALLY wanted Chef Reggie {from school} to come make her birthday dinner because, "he is just the best cook". {which cracks me up, because my other two wouldn't touch a school lunch if their life depended on it}  Lucy rebounded when she discovered Chef Reggie doesn't make house calls and asked for her other favorite.... Fried Calamari!

We dined at a festive local seafood restaurant.  The staff took very good care of the birthday girl!  Fried calamari on the house!

And a delish s'mores platter to celebrate the special day!

MMMM...I adore this littlest of mine.  If only she would stop growing up!

Saturday is party day...Tutti Frutti...time to celebrate our Cutie...again!

The Concert Circuit

Nothing like celebrating the first week of school with a weekend of concerts!  

The girls literally got off the bus Friday afternoon, ran home, changed clothes and we jumped in an Uber for a night of Taylor Swift!

How fun that I get to share my love of Taylor with my girls!  Swifties at their best!

We made sure to arrive downtown early to avoid the traffic.  We met our fellow Swifties for dinner and fun.  We were going to make a night of this!

After a long dinner of anticipation, we made the jaunt to the stadium.  I was so impressed with these girls stamina.

The girls were ready to rock, but little did they know, we had to get through two opening acts and wait to well past bed time for Taylor to come on stage.  Cokes, anyone?

Come on Taylor...we are waiting for you!

The wait was completely worth it...Taylor did not disappoint!  Her show {or at least what I saw of it} was AMAZING!

Little one danced her tail off through the first five songs and then had her ultra meltdown.  Can't say I wasn't waiting for it.  Between her sobs, I heard "Taylor hates her old songs" and "Taylor has on black lipstick".  She was a goner and there was no turning back.  When I checked in with Maggie, I got, "yeah, I'm ready to go, I'm cold".  WHAT?!?!? 

Oh well, we tried.  Both girls passed out in the Uber on the way home and I dreamed of the day that I would see an entire Taylor Swift concert.

But, I did get a little reprieve from my mourning Saturday night with the Dierks Bentley concert.  Adults only, this time.  So much fun and we made it through the entire show!  Woo hoo!

Now, I'm paying for too late nights in a row and praying my girls are caught up on sleep come Monday morning.

Back To School

Just like that, it's the First Day of School!  

They are perfect and happy.

I am a mess.

I know they are all ready.  And I know I did everything I could to prepare them.  But, man is this house quiet.  Thank God for puppies.

Counting down until the bus stop...

Meet & Greet

Ya'll it's my first and only year with three kids in the same school.  I'm on the verge of tears and doing back flips at the same time.  Before I loose my marbles, we better meet those teachers.

We never arrive empty handed to Meet and Greet.  Two of my three aren't exactly the most outgoing when it comes to meeting new folks, so it serves as a lovely ice breaker.  This year we opted for highlighters "Having you as My Teacher Will be The Highlight of My Year" and threw in a little gift card to Office Max.  I will never forget those days of dishing out my own money to supply a classroom.

First stop....Kindergarten!  Yes, I said it, my baby of all babies is going to KINDERGARTEN!  She is so ready and I'm trying my best to be.  Mrs. A is fun, vivacious, and a party...a perfect match for Lucy!

Next up...3rd Grade!  How is this sweet little thing in 3rd grade?!?!?  Maggie is in heaven with her tall blonde teacher.  Embarrassing to say, but that's just how it is with this girl.  Luckily, I know Mrs. D is an amazing teacher so score on both ends!

And our last stop...5th Grade!  Oh my, I've got one beginning Elementary School and one ending it.  Told you I was losing my marbles.  Jack is thrilled to be with Mrs. D.  She is all about academics and so is this guy.  Pretty perfect pairing...and they have the same glasses!

Everyone is happy as can be and me, well,  I'm going to spend the weekend hugging these students of mine just a little tighter.