This week has been a big week for Vangie Schmitt! She has started her "pre-kindergarten" class! This is a 3 week class at the elementary school to get her prepared for Kindergarten. She started on Monday and was SO CUTE!!! With her hot pink back-pack. 
I walk her to school at back every morning and she loves to walk with her backpack and won't let me carry it for her.


The first day I dropped her off Chris was worried that she would cry (Sophia cried everyday for TWO weeks when she started Kindergarten!!) I knew that Vangie wouldn't be like that. Despite the fact that she never attended a "pre-school" I have been talking with her for a long time about starting school- plus she has seen Joey and Sophia go to school and she was excited to finally go herself.

When I picked her up that first day (she goes everymorning from 8-11) She was SO HAPPY and excited to show me her "folder" and the work that she had done that day. She told me that she LOVES school. Yeah! I am so happy that she loves it so much. 

Also, Vangie has been invited to be in the Hawaiian Island Twisters HOT SHOTS class!

Chris came home from duty this morning and promptly cleaned the entire downstairs (emptied the dishwasher, cleaned up the clutter, took the trash out) See... there are positive things about being married to someone with OCD. Then he made the kids waffles with chocolate chips inside... their favorite.


Lucy has recently been introduced to Daddy's famous waffles...

Yesterday we had a lot of laundry to put away around here.

I do laundry pretty much everyday. There is ALWAYS a load either washing, drying or waiting to be folded. I have to admit my least favorite part is the folding. So, I trained my kids to do that part.Even Vangie- at 4 years old- folds her laundry and puts it away. I am training Lucy now... I am thinking by the time she is 2 years old she will have it down. Here is how Laundry gets folded at the Schmitt House- its a family affair.


Summer has been pretty fun so far. We haven't gone to the beach very much because that is just too much work with a 9 month old (although we have gone a couple times when Chris was home to help!) But the kids still have so much fun playing outside in front of our house. Yesterday I set up there little pool and they  played all day in the front yard and driveway.  Vangie and Sophia love each other so much. They don't know how lucky they are to have each other! Sister love is like no other love out there.


Joey is going to have his hands full keeping the boys away from his sisters. I tell him all the time how lucky they are to have him as a big brother.  I can already see Joey taking little Lucy to the Mall,  or driving her to school. I know that He will be her Hero when she gets older, because He already IS her hero now!


Yesterday I went to Costco with Vangie and she conned me into buying her Nutella- Nutella is pretty much cocoa and sugar... oh, with a couple hazelnuts thrown in there to make you think it  *could* be healthy. She LOVES the stuff. She eats it buy the spoonful (when I let her) Last night I wouldn't let her attack the Nutella until she ate some dinner first. If Vangie had her way she would eat only Peanut Butter and Jelly, Anything Chocolate or Ice Creamy, or Nutella. The girl gaggs when I make her eat a green been or peice of broccoli. Sigh.


Lucy LOVES the computer. She is always trying to get on here and update the website herself-


Today Chris has duty. I am taking the girls to gymnastics and then I promised them "something fun" this afternoon.... endless possibilities here in Hawaii!

Happy Birthday to Papa Perkins! His birthday was yesterday. We love you and miss you!


 

Lucy is eating everything that is not glued down. She LOVES to eat breakfast with Daddy. This morning Chris fed her some of his cinnamon roll- yum yum!


The kids are grounded from playing outside with their friends today because yesterday they had all their friends over playing in the garage and outside the garage. Chris came home from work and asked Joey to clean up his mess- this was around 6pm. The mess never got cleaned up... or Joey THOUGHT he cleaned it up good enough and it was not up to Chris standards. So, no playing in the garage today!  Hopefully NEXT time they are asked to clean up they will do a good job!

I almost cannot believe it to be true... but it has been happening the last 5 nights, so I think it's official...... LUCY SCHMITT IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!

I know, I know, I can hardly believe it. THIS is the SAME baby who was waking up 3 times a night from birth until last week!  I thought she would NEVER give up her love for midnight snack of boobie milk.

How did this happen? Actually the way it came about it kind of funny! The past  week I have been feeling under the weather.... so much so that I have been sleeping in the recliner downstairs because it has just been more comfortable for me.  Chris promised me that he would bring Lucy downstairs to me when she woke up in the middle of the night. So we put her to bed at around 9pm at night and then I would take my medicine... which makes me sleepy, so I would fall into a deep sleep. I woke up in the morning and realized that Lucy had not gotten up.... and this happened all week! So now I know she will not starve to death without eating all night. And I know she can do it. 
 
Lucy getting up so much in the past has been my own fault.... I have super-sonic "mommy" ears and every-time she made a whimper I would rush in to get her. Once Chris was responsible for her.... well, he doesn't even hear a blaring alarm clock so of course he doesn't hear her whimpers.... so she fell back asleep!!  And now I feel confident in not rushing in to get her... she is learning to soothe herself back to sleep. It is amazing. I have slept better this last week that I have in the past 10 MONTHS.

I have never seen a school supply list like the one's in Hawaii. Seriously. It is crazy. I know, I know, I complain about this every year. I can hardly believe it is that time of year again!!!! But really, what do I have to complain about- I sent Chris to the store... with all 4 kids..... to get all the school supplies. Bawhahahahahahah.  He came home with most of it. Of course there are always home hard to find items. I will track you down..... school supplies... you are mine!! (picture below is of our list.... highlighted, crossed out.... still not completed!!!!

We went bowling yesterday! Joey got a 46, Sophia got a 14- which is awesome considering it was her first time! I was super excited because I got 110! WOWZERS. I know, I know, I should really look into becoming a professional. Maybe when I have more time. 

I know, I know, It has been a WEEK since I posted! I have tried to post a couple times this week, but the website was acting up and not letting me up-load pictures. Very irritating. Thankfully this morning I was able to upload pictures from this week! 

We have had a fun week.The kids are throughly enjoying their summer vacation. Joey has had a couple friends sleep over- He is at a great age for this because they stay in his room and play DS games or Pokemon cards or they will play the Wii... so very low maintenance for me! Sophia also had her first sleep-over at her friend Lucie's house.... she  was SOOOOOOO exited. Lucie lives right across the street so I was okay with it- plus I love Lucie and her whole family. I am very particular when it comes to my kids spending the night places.... I just have a hard time relaxing and going to sleep myself if they are not all tucked in safely under my roof. I think I am going to have a a hard time once they become teenagers!  I have a lot of pictures of Lucy to post because she is growing so fast and is so darn cute these days. Here she is pushing her walker to her Daddy...


We have gone to the pool a few times... Joey and Sophia are both fishes and go down the big slides and off the diving board with no problems! I take the mini-playpen and stick Lucy in that so I  can watch the other kids and relax a little bit. If Lucy were NOT In a playpen she would speed-crawl to the pool and fall in.... she has no fear!  She has also started eating a lot more
food... she still loves her "boobie", but she also LOVES oatmeal, avocados, rice, and anything else she sees us eating, she will want some. I don't give her "baby food" I give her whatever WE are eating, just chopped up really small. Here she is in her High Chair eating her oatmeal. See how brown her eyes are? She is my Brown Eyed Girl.








Lucy is also getting closer to walking! She can stand up behind her walker and walk behind that with no problem. Last night she even started standing up on her own in the middle of the room and then sitting back down. She JUST turned 9 months old on the 10th of June..... so she will be an early walker!!! She is just such an awesome baby.... she has the BEST personality. She is always happy with a big smile on her face!

The other day Chris and I saw some little kids on TV holding up a sign with the year that they will graduate.... which seemed like a looonnnnggg time from now. Which got us thinking... what year will OUR kids graduate? It sure seems like a long time from now, although I know it probably wiwll go by in a FLASH!...................Joey Schmitt is voted "Ladies Man."






















  Sophia Schmitt- Most likely to RULE the
                    WORLD.





















    Vangie Schmitt- Class Clown!























Lucy Schmitt- Most kissable!

We went hiking on Monday- memorial day- to Mariners Ridge.... awesome, awesome hike. And harder than I remember. Maybe because I was carrying 15 pounds of chunky-monkey on my back!


See how much Lucy is having? She LOVES to hike.  The other kids had a blast too.



The last time we did this particular hike, I was 8 months pregnant with Lucy. Wow! 10 months ago- the kids have grown so much in 10 months.

The rest of the week pasted by in a flash. Today (Saturday) Chris has duty. I took the kids to gymnastics this morning- then we came home, ate lunch and went to the pool. - "Scott Pool"- it is on the Pearl Harbor base and has a HUGE twisty slide, two diving boards (one regular and one really high!) AND a play ground. The kids had fun doing all of that. I brought a little play-pen and stuck lucy in that so I could sit by her and relax with a book.  Now it is almost 7pm and I am exhausted! I think it is going to be an early night.