Effective today, he's called Lt Col Nance! 
Kimberlyn had the job of taking the old rank off... 
Larry screamed "ouch" just a moment before this shot... 
Tommy loved "his" flowers. 
I tried explaining that they were mine, and flowers are for girls...all that accomplished was a few laughs from behind us and a very vocally upset 3yr old. So he calls them his still!
May is almost over....let me recap it for you. A graduation, a funeral, last days of school for the kiddos, an ER visit, a pin on and a horse show.
I had planned to go home for my brother Rudy's MBA graduation...just days before I was to leave my Uncle James passed away. So, I left short notice a few days early. Went home for a funeral and a graduation... I'm flat out done going to FLA for sad occassions. I'm anxious for our trip home in a month. Disney, beach, friends and family...no emergencies or bad surprises PLEASE!
Rudy's graduation was great. Was super happy I was able to get down there. It was great seeing family and sharing his special day with him.
While home I met a long lost cousin...she's actually my dad's cousin's daughter. We recall family events from our childhood, but don't recall each other. It was a great time. Sad it was a funeral that brought us back together. Funny how that happens!
My brother Bill, his wife Jen, my Dad, my Aunt Judy (dad's sis) and myself 
Then Grandma Andersen came out to visit and catch Robby and Kimberlyn's last soccer games and Kaitlyn's horse show. It rained all weekend and everything ended up being canceled. That Friday night while I was running dinner to Kaitlyn at the barn (she was show prepping for the show that ended up being rained out) Larry called saying he was heading to the ER...um, what? NO, I'll be back in 5 min and take you. He was checking the jack stand under the van, and BOOM the van fell on his thumb. OUCH! No idea what went wrong, he was being careful, just a freak thing. He must have gone into shock as he said it didn't hurt until AFTER he jacked up the van to get his thumb OUT. At which time he saw his "guts" smushed out the side. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWIE- no pics folks. Thankfully a few stitches and a fracture is all he got- nothing compared to what COULD HAVE HAPPENED.
The kids are out of school now!!! Not even been a full week yet, feels like months....good thing...really. We stay busy and enjoy our days. I missed Kimberlyn's awards ceremony....she got this baseball figurine thing for winning the 1st grade (2 classes) essay contest. How darn cool is THAT! 
I saw Kaitlyn's ceremony, she got a few awards herself. Not sure if Robby had one or not....guessing not, never heard of one. Middle School is so ~ different.
In case you are wondering...we still have no control over this cute boy. 
Riding his trike (which is an outside toy) in my kitchen...
Napping in his biggest sister's bed, which YES, it is a HIGH LOFT bed.... 
and being absolutely adorable eating lunch with his big bro! 
So later this month we had a pin-on ceremony...more to come on this later...
Grandpa Nance came out for the pin-on and caught a horseshow too.
It was the first "home" show of the season. Home, meaning at the farm she trains at each week. Kaitlyn and her pony Romeo did amazing. They both have come so far and are doing well together.
Waiting...check out these BOWS! 
She did an in hand class called Model Hunter, it basically judges the pony....for a first try they did well. Her pony wasn't standing square though! Oops
More waiting...show day has MUCH waiting, just a normal part of the day. 
In between jump rounds....our babysitter and her riding mentor on her left. Her riding instructor on her right. Cute! 
Over a jump... 
Ribbons from her flat classes....at this time she had no idea how she placed in her jump rounds. She placed 6th in the flat class judging the pony at the walk/trot/canter....silly pony got scared (or not) and bolted. She's a new rider now (she has made significant improvement in riding lessons this past winter) and beat his tush and continued on in the class. Stayed onboard the whole time. Next flat class she placed 1st. It was judging the rider. Both rider and pony did a nice job. 
So Kaitlyn was beat, it was HOT and had been a long day. Again, typical show day scenario...she was back in the barn untacking, and preparing to strip out of her show clothes and cool ou ther pony when a barn friend, Emily came in and totally caught us all off guard handing Kaitlyn her Short-Stirrup CHAMPION ribbon!!! This was Kaitlyn's first time to ride in a division that gets Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons. We obviously missed the announcement. She had gotten a 1st and two 2nd place ribbons for her jump rounds....along with division champion. Made for quite a special day for this girl! 
So here I'll do an entire month of April update since it's now May. May already, goodness where did the days go?? The kids have less than a month of school left and I am so ready, I'm certain they are too.
Tommy is thriving in his new preschool class. He was fussy just one morning since starting. Not sure what his deal was, thinking he just didn't feel good. It sure beats the fussing every morning. He loves going to school now and actually tells us about his day too.
Robby and Kimberlyn have been playing soccer. They have two more weeks left. I've missed most games due to them being over Tommy's nap time or having to be horse mom with Kaitlyn. I went to their games yesterday. This season they play every Saturday at the same time. Their fields are near each other....thankfully as after I moved closer to Robby's field porr Kimberlyn got abused. First her finger got hit by the ball and then her face. It made her loose tooth bleed, but it's still not quite loose enough to come out. I suspect the Tooth Fairy will be coming soon.
Robby's a rockstar goalie. He found this talent last season. The soccer league through church has just two boys teams for his level. So every week they play the same team. Larry was told by a parent on the other team that at their practices they are working on ways to get around Robby in the goal! 
Kaitlyn had her first show of the season. It was at the National Equestrian Center in Lake St. Louis, MO (just outside St. Louis)~ it is a HUGE indoor facility. I was nervous... When Kaitlyn gets nervous (which happens for any show) her pony tends to feed off of it. In a bad way ;) She was amazing....she held it together and rode without nerves. She did what I always tell her to do, just ride and have fun! She rode around that show ring with the biggest smile ever!! She had FUN.
Romeo was "hot" or fiesty at first on Friday evening. By Saturday morning (show time) he was a sweet, mellow thing. The joke is he's just a "SHOW" boy and likes the big lights...he really just did everything that was asked and it was great experience for Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn showed in the crossrail (18" high jumps) division. She had a warm up jump round, two jump rounds and a flat class (walk, trot and canter- no jumps). In her warm up round she placed 2nd. Her next round she lost a stirrup, she couldn't get it and just rode the course like a champ. I was so proud. She looked so good we thought she got her stirrup back...she didn't place in that class as in the judge's eyes the lost stirrup is bad :) Next jump class she placed 3rd. For the flat class she placed 6th, this was out of 11 and she knew why she placed lower- always a nice thing. She has never gotten a 6th place ribbon and was THRILLED to add a green ribbon to her collection!
Her number was 444 and she thought it was the COOLEST number ever!!
Isn't this smile HUGE?!?!?!
Jumping like a pro missing one stirrup :)
the ribbons!!!
GONE FISHING....
Tommy had asked to go fishing one day. And I explained that Daddy would have to take hime, he asked to go fishing every time he woke up....morning, naptime...everytime. Then it went to every other day or so....finally Dad took them fishing. He claimed they had the worst time ever. Kaitlyn lost her boot, it filled with water, notice her purple sock. The kids kept getting the lines snapped and hung up on stuff...seems Robby was the photographer of the chaos. I got a good chuckle... I wonder if now a few weeks later it's a better memory for Larry. I'll have to ask him.....
Tommy on his first field trip. To the bowling alley! His first bus ride and all...we had a fun time!
Kaitlyn with her napping show boy....one morning while she was sick with a stomach bug. 
What a great fun filled day. My brother Robb couldn't make it but his family did and we missed him.
here is a sign Kaitlyn posted last weekend....I think the rules were followed nicely.
Jess and Lil' Robby got in yesterday and instead of coloring Easter eggs, the vote won to go roast marshmallows over a fire out back. It was a nice time. Made for a very fun, busy Easter day for us. We woke to the kiddos around 7am, this is almost like sleeping in ;) Tommy stayed up way too late and wasn't interested in what or what not the Easter Bunny brought. He woke up shortly. The kids got worried, that Easter Bunny hid eggs outside this year. The kids searched our house pretty intensely prior to venturing outside.
We colored eggs, played outside and then had a marvelous "dinner" for lunch. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed every last bit of daylight again today!
The Easter Bunny CAME!!!
The Egg Hunt
All the kids after the egg hunt. Kaitlyn, bless her heart was in a funk ;) She thought all the pics I captured earlier should have been enough. Silly girl. Kaitlyn 10, Kimberlyn 6 1/2, Lil' Robby 5 1/2, Tommy 3 and Robby 12.
Coloring Easter Eggs
Kaitlyn and her shadow....both no fear. I do believe Aunt Jess had all the fear they needed, so much so she clipped Romeo's head out of the picture!
Romeo cute as ever wearing Kimberlyn's bunny ears!
Tommy's new sleeping arrangements....
Tommy has insisted for quite some time now (like weeks) to sleep on his "carpet" ~tonight mom and dad laid down the law and made him sleep in his bed or on a his nap pad from his old school. Naturally he has two old nap pads. One is like a sleeping bag with built in pillow, the other is the plastic lined "pad"- yes, Tommy wanted the nasty plastic lined one. So another unexpected battle. We finally got him to sleep on the plastic lined "pad" inside the sleeping bag style nap pad. Why won't he just opt for his BED...................
Tommy's first ever Easter Egg Hunt! Last week at his school he had an egg hunt and caught on to it rather fast. He really enjoyed it.
Sitting in class waiting to go outside.
Not quite sure he can even see....
Very happy to have found TWO eggs on top of that steering wheel.
How exhausting....
Tommy and Mommy.
Tommy's new class and teachers. He loves it. It's a blended class of 3, 4 and 5 year old kids. 
PS No news is BAD news when it comes to potty training. NOTHING, nada to report. Someday.....
