Yoko OhhhhhNoooooo!

Tonight in the tub (where all of our good convos start) Josie said "Mom do you know that Paul McCartney who sings Dad's favorite Christmas song, is the Paul from The Beatles?!"

After she threw out that tid-bit, I couldn't resist giving her a little more information on the band that she loves. I told Josie that Paul got married this year. I also told her that John was married to Yoko Ono. After they got married, Yoko wanted John all to herself, so he stopped playing and broke up the band. After this big revelation, Josie was in shock. "Yoko OhhhhhNoooo broke up The Beatles. If I was in the band I would just keep playing and not tell Yoko NooooNoooo!" She kept passionately rambling about the above and each time she'd say her name either "OhhhNooo or NoooNooo".

I agree with Josie. It's a big oh-no and no-no that The Beatles broke up.

Happy Holidays!

Look at our happy girl on Christmas night!

Showered at Grandshe's and ready for round 2 of Christmas for the day.

Playing with her Bat Cave.

This month has been a big month for Josie.

• She attended her first all girl birthday party AND it was also the first time we dropped her off and picked her up when it was done. Josie was adamant that she would go to the door by herself. Billy stood a little bit in the distance and let her walk up the stairs with the gift in hand... good thing I wasn't there. Pretty sure I would have cried!
• Josie also had a play date for the first time that I dropped her off. Oy!
• She decided that my birthday needed to have a home beauty spa day. While she may not be a girly girl herself, I was very impressed she was intuitive enough to know that is right up my alley!
• When she had a cold earlier this month, she told Billy "Dad...even though I am sick, it's a good thing I can still rap!" And followed it up with a little beat box.
• On the way to school she informed Lane, "I gotta tell you something Lane. Jaime is my boyfriend. But... are you gonna marry me or what?!"
• Josie was pumped (and so impressed) that Santa knew she preferred boy stuff...So when she got matching unders to her brothers in her stocking it was a huge hit. One of the first things she rattles off that she got from Santa is underwear.
• Josie continues to be an awesome older sister. She is constantly looking out for her brothers. And for the most part sharing her toys. She tends to have the attitude of "geez, if it means that much to you, you can have it". And then Josie picks up another toy to play...until someone wants that one too. What a trooper.

Ties and Thanksgiving

We had a fun time in Omaha on Thanksgiving break. We were fortunate to spend time with so many family members and friends.

Josie, Will, and Ben were beyond thrilled to see big cousin Maeve. All three just adore her to the point of Maeve being tackled in group hugs for most of the weekend.

Seeing her best friend Marlee was definitely a high light too. We had a pizza party with our friends and Josie was so pumped to spend time with her BFF. She even insisted on dressing up for Marlee. She wore her new white button down shirt. Josie wanted to wear her blue tie, but we couldn't find it. We all were searching the house and finally decided we needed to leave. Dad was kind enough to let Josie borrow one of his ties, but it just wasn't the same.

We have people in our lives that we may not see often, but they are always in our hearts. That's our Gramma Penny. It's like she knew we couldn't find Josie's special tie for the big holiday weekend. Because when we got home there was a package for Josie and her brothers. Gramma Penny knows Josie likes her ties and custom made (yes, MADE) her 2 ties and a tie for each of her brothers to match. A elegant red striped tie and classic green tie just for us! The ties were such a hit that each kid insisted on sleeping with their tie next to their bed. Josie spent a few moments after putting on the tie trying to catch the kisses that were in the package. Then she announced "we need to make Gramma Penny a dress!" Hmmmm.... maybe we'll just buy one :)

While back in Omaha, we spent time at Aunt Terri and Uncle Scott's house. They let us play Beatles Rock Band on their wii. Since we had so much fun we decided to let the kids play ours. Last night was a riot watching them in their ties rock out. See for your self!

My brothers Tito...

I'm not sure if there is much introduction needed for these videos...

Spiders and Spiderman

Josie has been studying spiders at school. We also took a spider class at the zoo. I think all this talk about spiders might have sparked her idea to be Spiderman for Halloween.

I knew she had learned a lot from the spider facts she would share with me. But listening to her tell my mom on the phone about the black widow and tarantula spiders I couldn't help but smirk.

"The Black window (yes she says window instead of widow) is a girl and she kills the boys. The tarantula has spikey hair that it sheds when it gets scared. The hair makes the insects and people itch so they leave it alone. Don't worry Grandshe, they don't live in Des Moines. I don't think they live in Omaha either. So you should be safe."

Good to know Jos. Good to know.

Soccer Super Star!

Josie is in her third week of soccer. She is having a blast. She loves talking to her coaches more than anything. Tonight she realized her pants had super cool pockets and wanted each of the coaches to see her pockets too!

When she pays attention she does pretty well. But sometimes it's more fun to just watch :)

So how do I know Josie is a soccer super star?! Well when they were doing warm up laps tonight a boy tripped and fell. Each kid ran pass him, but one. Josie stopped and asked him if he was O.K. Needless to say Billy and I were impressed. When we talked about it later she said it's what Lightning McQueen would do.

SP-IR-IT!

We got spirit these days, thanks to Josie's BFF Jessica.

Last week Josie got to go to cheer camp. She had a blast. She loved watching the big kids do stunts so much that she insisted Dad start rehearsing with her as soon as she got home. She sang the cheers all week, but couldn't remember all the actions. I haven't cheered since the Reagan administration (literally). So it's a good thing Josie's BFF was one of the cheerleaders. Jessica came over this week for a little one on one rehearsal.

The big football game was Friday. I dropped Josie off for group rehearsal at 5pm. She looked so tiny walking down the big gym steps by herself. I was totally willing to walk her down, but without hesitation she headed towards the group. I love Josie's self confidence at such a young age. She continues to make me such a proud mama.

After Josie's big performance we stayed to watch the game. All the kids had a ball and yelled "Go Bulldogs!" till their voices were horse.

September Happenings

First day of soccer practice.
Princess Marlee and Prince Josie
Wagon ride with Miss Quinn, brothers, and Josie.
Picking apples from the tree!
Corn pool at Apple Orchard
Large slide at Apple Orchard
First day of Pre-k and two year preschool for boys.
Pre-K orientation, testing out the bug goggles.
First day of Pre-K orientation!

We are having a fun filled month. For starters Josie started Pre-K at Seeds of Faith. She jumped right into the routine with both feet. Josie was ready for school to start.

We also kicked off the new year of music class. This year Josie is one of the bigger kids in her class. She has taken on the role of Ms. Deb's helper. She feels so special as her sidekick. There are people that you know will help shape your kids into the person they will become later in life. Ms. Deb plays that important role in Josie's life. Josie is often in awe when Ms. Deb is around her. I just love to watch her face when she takes it all in.

We had our first visit to the apple orchard. We bought a season pass so we plan to be there a few more times this fall. It's a really cool place. Beyond apples there are animals, tractor races, hayrack rides, jumbo slides, and so much more.

We've been lucky to have some play time with our friends. Miss Quinn hung out with us a few times this week. We also got to have a special 24 hour visit from Josie's best friend Marlee! Josie and Marlee are so funny together. Marlee wants to be a princess and Josie wants to be her prince. How lucky are they to have each other?! About as lucky as I am to have Riann as my friend... (note we don't play princess and prince, anymore).

Josie had her first soccer practice yesterday. She loved it so much she can't wait for next week to get here! She had fun dribbling the ball, warming up, and just running around with all the kids. The coaches are 3 young high school boys...which also made Josie's day.

Drum Roll please...

The moment you all have been waiting for... Josie quotes from our trip to North Carolina!

• "Dad, can you order me a beer please. If you order me a beer I'll finish all my dinner" - first night in Wilmington at South Beach restaurant.
• "Mom, I really like North Carolina! I don't even miss Roger anymore." - Roger is our large stuffed monkey that Josie pretends is her 3rd brother.
• "Dad, you never get to the push the buttons. Today you get to push all the buttons." - She proceeded to scold her brothers if they dared to push the elevator buttons.
• "I want to marry Lane. I think he'll be a good husband. We'll have babies before our wedding." - Billy shakes his head yes on the first sentence, yes to the second sentence, and a big NO shake on the final sentence.
• "Dad are you working for us?" - I told her Dad goes to work so we can do fun things. But it sort of came out like we are Billy's boss. Either way, Billy agreed.
• "When I'm 16 will my hat still fit?!"
• "That dog needs to wear a short sleeve shirt!" - referring to Wiese's dog James who was harry and hot on our hike.

Josie holding baby Addie!

Wiese and Josie...besties.
Horse drawn carriage was one of the kid's favorite part of our time in Wilmington.

Josie got to ride upfront with the conductor, she was pumped!

Wilmington Beach family fun!

This was in the mall in Greensboro...good thing our malls don't have a carousel. I'd spent a fortune each trip I am sure!

Omaha Baby!

We spent 5 great days in Omaha. I'm pretty sure our time spent with family and friends is on the top of Josie's summer fun list. She had such an amazing time, she's already asking when we get to go back!

We are blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

Brody and Josie put-puting.

Josie and Blake making funny faces at the zoo. Josie loved spending time with "Blaker".

Coulter...aka Josie's crush. Coulter is a trooper for putting up with 3 kids wanting to wrestle him!

Jumping in the pool with Dad and Uncle Jay! Josie swam (with a life jacket) all the way from one end of the pool to the other. Over and over and over.

Wearing Aunt Danielle's googles...hey good looking!

Summer visitors

Sun is in their faces, but we are all smiles! Josie, Maeve, Ben and Will.

Clubhouse fun!

Singing and dance party!

They slept in Josie's bed together. When they woke up all we could hear was giggling.

Ben, Mom, Will, Aunt Terri, and Josie

Drew and Josie. She loved seeing her big cousin. So sweet of Drew to come up!

Josie is having a fantastic summer. One of the best parts of summer is getting to have family visit.

Last Thursday Grandshe came for a visit. Josie and Grandshe are two peas in a pod. They love to snuggle and read books together. They love to act out movies together. When Grandshe comes, Josie's got one of her best friends here!

Friday night big cousin Maeve, Aunt Carrie, and Uncle Jay came to stay with us. The girls had so much fun catching up. They played in the backyard, had dance parties, and giggled non-stop. The great thing about the girls is that they instantly pick up where they left off the last time they saw each other. We love having them come visit. When Maeve left she had the cutest little tear roll down her cheek. Josie huffed and said "I'm really gonna miss my Maeve".

Sunday night Aunt Terri, and cousin Drew came to spend all day Monday with us. We went to the library, out to lunch, played with toys here and Aunt Terri made us a fantastic dinner! When they left Josie told Grandshe that Aunt Terri was Grandshe's Grand sister. We thought it was a great title.

From Thursday to Monday, that's a lot of visitors! We are so grateful to spend so much fun time with everyone. Josie is one lucky girl to have so many people spend time with her this past week!

knock knock...

After dinner tonight we made smoothies. The kids love to help dump in fruit and push the blender buttons. While we were all camped out on the kitchen floor, Josie asked us to tell jokes. After a while we found a knock knock joke that she could recite and the crowd went wild when they heard it. As you can tell in the video the boys wanted to say the joke too. Josie the comedian.

Officially Four...Babe, Bike, and Bed

Josie is officially four. And while I am willing to accept that she is four, I can't believe we had her four years ago. It feels like yesterday we brought home our beautiful little babe.

We did our usual birthday routine. Josie woke up to a room filled with balloons. She was so excited when she saw all the balloons she ran downstairs before waking us up (it was 5:45am!). In the living room she found her spiderman bike. When we realized she was already downstairs we raced down to see her already on her new bike. She said, "Look what Santa brought me!!!" To which we informed her it was from us.

Josie got to pick our breakfast spot before Dad went to work and the menu for dinner (pineapple brats and corn on the cob). Her final birthday present came yesterday... a big kid bed. She's been ready for it for awhile, but I wasn't.

I tell her all the time I don't want her to grow up, I just want her to be my baby forever. To which she always replies in the sweetest voice "Mom, I gotta get bigger, but I'll always be your baby."

What a weekend!

Josie and Xander- the professionals!

Josie on top of the world

Dad with his ladies.

Birthday cake!

Josie decked out as Peter Pan with Dad.

Peter Pan Josie and the REAL Peter Pan

Last weekend Josie was a flower girl in Kevin and Mindy's wedding. She did an amazing job. We were so proud of her. For those who know Josie, you know she isn't too into the girly scene right now. So we pretty much promised her everything from Peter Pan coming to her birthday party to getting to paint over the pink in her room if she smiled and wore the dress. Mindy even let us pick out different color dresses to go with the Hawaiian theme. So of course we picked Josie's favorite color...blue!

Josie earned every promise! She totally got into the girly zone. She loved spinning around in her dress. She was very well behaved and smiled on que. She walked down the aisle, fell asleep on Billy's lap during the ceremony, woke up at communion, and walked down the aisle again with a big smile on her face.

We rode Olley the trolley, took more pictures then danced the night away. Thank goodness for grandparents! Grandma, Grandpa, and Grandshe helped us getting all the kids in PJ's and took them home by 9pm so Billy and I could party hardy.

The very next day the celebration continued! Josie's Peter Pan birthday party was a big hit. Peter Pan himself came to the party! We had a sword making station. Peter Pan led the kids on a scavenger hunt that ended with them finding a treasurer (a Peter Pan book for every kid). Josie was on cloud 9. She had so much fun. Watching her tell Peter Pan stories, dance with her friends, and just be our Josie girl was fantastic.

Four more days till our Josie is really 4. Love you Josie.

A week with the Jos...

It's Tuesday and I've already got a running list of Josie sayings. Here goes...

• Sunday she informed me that she has been promoted to my chief of staff. When I asked where she learned that she said "you remember the Ariel book from the library we returned last week? Sebastian was the chief of staff!" (Duh mom).
• Yesterday after we left the zoo she said she couldn't decide if she wanted to be a zoo keeper or a super hero. I told her Superman is a news reporter and a super hero. I am a wife and a mom. To which she instantly said "Yeah! I'm a sister and a preschooler." You got it Jos. Ten minutes later I mentioned how her last day of school is Thursday. She told me, "Mom I don't have time to go to school anymore. Now that I am a super hero, zoo keeper, and news reporter!" (she was completely exasperated with me)
• Tonight when we were watching DWTS she said, "I'm a really, really good big sister because when I was little I practiced being a good big sister. So that's what I need to do to be a good dancer. I need to practice. It's a big responsibility but I can do it!"
• When the boys were crabby before bed, Josie belted out Joy to the World by Three Dog Night while pretending to snap her fingers. It sounded a lot like this...

Big Sister Josie

Just like any older sibling, Josie can loose her cool with her two little brothers. Sometimes I don't blame her. Whatever she is doing they want to do. Whatever she is wearing (especially Ben) her brothers want to wear. (note to self to find Cars Pajamas for brothers). Even the plate she eats off of is the preferred plate at dinner. It can be enough to make any almost 4 year old frustrated.

But for the most part, Josie does an amazing job sharing toys, books and...her lap. The latest and greatest thing the boys are wanting is lap space. Will and Ben are snuggle boys. They wake up and say snuggle. They get hurt we snuggle. Snuggling is our solution to just about everything.

This week the boys have moved from snuggling mom and dad to snuggling Josie. They back into her lap. It's pretty cute. It gets tricky though when both want to snuggle with big sister at the same time.

As you can see by the pictures, yesterday after nap Ben (in yellow) wanted to read a book with Josie. Will thought it was a great idea and tempted to back into her lap too. Her arms weren't long enough to hold the book around them both so she is squeezing the book close to her. Two boys in that close of proximity is bound to turn into a wrestling match. But check out their big sister... Yup, as they wrestle she just keeps reading. What a great kid!

Josie's drawing of Dad