2 Whole Months

I can't believe that 2 whole months have flown by without writing anything! I am sorry to all those who have been desperately waiting for an update from the King Family. We have been so busy with Lauren's 4th birthday, packing and moving into our new home, finishing up the school year, driving up to Buffalo for Kate and Ryan's wedding, driving to Baltimore and then home, trying to get the house cleaned up and everything in its own place and going to camp at our church this week.

Lauren's 4th birthday was lots of fun, but a lot quieter than we had thought. We were going to have a party at Monkey Joes, a jump place, but with her shoulder messed up, that was nixed. Instead we just had a special lunch at American Girl with her Mimi. Mimi gave her Ruthie, so she was so excited to get her and eat with her. Kaitlyn brought Julie, so it was a big party. Lauren also got a bike, so we were hoping that she would help jump-start Kaitlyn and they both would start riding all the time. It just is not working and neither one seems to want to ride at all. We are just going to have to force the issue soon.

We are all loving our house, but it is definitely a big house with lots of cleaning to be done all the time. Kaitlyn and Lauren loved their own bedrooms initially, but lately they are enjoying sleeping together in one or the other room. Currently, theirs has been a love/hate relationship since they seem to be together all the time. Lauren is copying Kaitlyn in everything, whether it is having the same favorite color or anything or sitting right next to her or on the same chair, so K is not handling that very well. Alexa just seems to disappear on me all the time. At first, she would go all over the house and then show her face when I called, but lately, she is just staying quiet until I find her, usually getting into things she shouldn't be, like the toilets, my toiletries, the girls' toothpaste and toothbrushes, etc. Then she just laughs the very best laugh you would ever want to hear, so how can you possibly be mad?! Alexa does love her 2 big sisters so much and is enjoying having them around more. Alexa is getting to be like Lauren more and more each day since she loves saying hi and bye to everyone and usually isn't afraid of most people.

It has also been great meeting all of our neighbors, who all seem great. There are lots of little kids, which is always nice. Olivia lives right next door and is 5 1/2, so perfect for playing with both girls. Alexa will also have some playmates once she gets a little older to play with other kids. We were also very lucky to have such great neighbors at our old house that they invited us back for a block party they were having. So the girls loved seeing and playing with all of their old friends.

Kaitlyn and Lauren loved and learned so much at school this year. It is amazing to think about how much they have grown, both with their height and maturity. Kaitlyn had her 1st year of standardized tests, and I was so proud that she scored almost perfect in everything. So much for thinking that she needed to be held back?! Kaitlyn will be switching elementary schools since we moved, but we were so happy to see that it has the same floor plan as her old school, so no worries about getting lost. We are not sure yet where Lauren is going to school yet next year. I am trying to get her into a GA Pre-K program, so it will be free and she will go 5 days a week, but I haven't heard from any just yet. One more year before Alexa starts school, so some days I will be so ready for the year to fly by, but I will also try to enjoy my last year before all 3 are in school.

Right after Kaitlyn's year-end party on Thursday, we started the drive up to Buffalo. They girls were pretty good as they must have gotten used to long drives. Kaitlyn and Lauren love watching movies and reading their books or playing with whatever toys I pack. Alexa goes through all of her toys very quickly, so we start right back through them again. She also loves to watch her Baby Einstein movie. We did stop at 1am to spend the night just south of Pittsburgh, so the girls were up for an hour with that, but at least we got some sleep before finishing the drive the next morning. So all in all, the drive went pretty well, except for the speeding ticket that Bill got in WV.

Kaitlyn was so excited to be a flower girl in Kate and Ryan's wedding, and she looked absolutely adorable and acted so grown up. Lauren knew that it was Kaitlyn's turn and she would be the flower girl in August for Alicia and Jon's wedding, but she was very jealous seeing Kaitlyn and Ellie playing together in their beautiful dresses and hairdos. Lauren even threw a fit until I let her ride the limo bus to the church. It will be interesting to see what happens at Alicia's wedding and how Kaitlyn will react?! The wedding was so much fun, and Kate looked beautiful! It is always nice to see and talk to so many family members, but the time just goes by so quickly!

We also had so much fun seeing Luke, Aidan and Sawyer! All of the kids played so well together, but we just wish they could be together more often! We also didn't get any great pictures because one of them was always moving around and wouldn't sit still. Hopefully in August...

Our last day in Buffalo was spent at Niagara Falls with Michelle. The girls loved seeing and getting wet from the falls again. Hopefully next time we can ride on Maid of the Mist, when Alexa is a little older. We ended up driving to Baltimore late that afternoon, so we could give Alicia and Jon their apartment back. We really appreciated them letting us stay there!

Baltimore was just a few days of relaxing after the long wedding weekend and drives. We did go to the Baltimore Aquarium with my mom, and the girls really enjoyed that. Alexa even went for the 1st time, but who knows how much she got out of it. I think she just enjoyed running free the whole time, except during the dolphin show, which was too long for her! The girls love Nana and Papa's house with all of their different toys and Berenstain Bears' books! They also love playing and running outside, but it rained alot, so we didn't get to do too much of that. Bill and I did get to go out to eat 1 night, so we could celebrate our 10 year anniversary! Such a long time, yet it has just flown by.

Lauren and Kaitlyn had their watch week at gymnastics the week that we got back from Baltimore, so that was great seeing the girls perform for all the parents. I didn't get to watch much of it since Alexa wouldn't sit very still for me, but Kaitlyn and Lauren loved it when I was able to watch them. They both have learned so much in the 9 months they have been doing gymnastics. I am not sure they will continue it in the fall, but we shall see what they each choose to do.




So now we are back in Alpharetta for the summer and trying to keep busy, which isn't too hard. We joined our neighborhood pool and tennis club, which we will enjoy immensely. There are 4 pools, an Olympic lap pool, a diving pool, a slide pool and a huge 0-entry kiddy pool with a mushroom and sprinklers. There are also sprinklers and bucket dumping, so lots to do. We finally got Kaitlyn to go down the slide, and now she doesn't want to leave it. Lauren is content to wear her vest and swim all over the kiddy pool meeting anyone and everyone. Alexa loves the sprinklers and just walking and playing with all the toys that are laying around. So it is tough keeping an eye on all 3, but hopefully it will get easier with swim lessons next week. I am also thinking about signing them up for a tennis camp later on in the summer, but we will see how busy we are and how much I need a break from them!

I am sure that I am forgetting lots of things right now, but I can't seem to think with all 3 girls interrupting me every minute. I hope to get on again soon since we have moved in and are settled, but Alexa's 2 hour naps just seem to fly by with so many other things getting done instead.