Birthday Weekend....

Today is my birthday!! The kids organized and threw a surprise birthday party for me. So fun! They made the guest list, planned the volcano & hawaii beach cake, blew up balloons and just generally rocked it out! It was so fun being celebrated by my kiddos! Yesterday in preparation for the big day we worked in the yard. Bryan and I were in the back and when we came around front this is what we saw. Thats right- a party for all of our neighbors. They are all so glad they live near us! Hallie in the princess dress, Noah in the muscle shirt, Mills in the hot pants and dancing for everyone. I was filming from inside so the music is hard to hear - I knew if I showed my face the good moves would end. Especially watch Mills at the 1:10 min mark...Classic. ENJOY!

And another...I LOVE MY KIDS! this is really normal everyday life...what a gift!

If this is PRESCHOOL...What we will do for COLLEGE?

So last Monday was registration for Protestant Preschool and Kindergarten. All of the Hancocks have gone there. Starting as sweet 2 1/2 year olds - all the way to kindergarten. We LOVE It! What a fun group of teachers and families. Back in the day when Noah was there, we just showed up on registration morning - maybe a little early - and signed up. As the years have gone by things have been getting a little more competitive. Last year, I arrived at 6:00am for 8:00 registration and the daggone line of parents in lawn chairs wrapped in blankets drinking coffee was HUGE. I barely got in....and I froze.

SO this coming year Hallie will be the last Hancock needing a spot at the ol preschool (so SAD). However, we want her to be in the 4 day a week, 4 year old class. There is only one class with 10 students. The director is on our YL committee. She told me that there were lots of kids wanting to be in that class - that if I wanted Hallie in there I should come early. I was hoping she had pulled me aside to tell me she would save me the trouble and go ahead and sign Hallie up. I mean the good we do for the community and all. No such luck. The moms were already chatting about how they were gonna get to the school at 4:00AM to stand in line. What? Was I gonna have to get up at 3:30?? I was dreading it.

Enter Bryan - he heard us talking and volunteered to get in line. i LOVE this man! So Sunday night he decides that he would rather set up a tent by the front door at 11:30pm, rent a redbox movie to watch on the laptop, roll out the thermarest and downcomforter and just sleep out there. Way better than getting up at 3:30. I mean he can get a good nights sleep - wake up at 7:45, step out of the tent and sign my girl up for school. I thought that would be hilarious.

Everything went according to plan... kinda - at 12:00am another dad rolled up with a plastic adirondack chair to wait out the night. Not a big deal. They chat. They decide to call it a night and hit the tent and , well, chair. But at 3:30 AM a group of moms rolls in - they notice the tent and instead of giving bryan some room, plant their chairs right up next to it. Some might have even shaken it and said, "Hey - person in the tent - don't try to sleep in there...etc, etc". Then they chatted for 4 hours straight. no lie. poor bryan. he sat in his tent silently letting them believe he was asleep. i think he dozed some - but good night's sleep it was not.

The crowd did clap when he came out of the tent in the morning AND, naturally, we were #1 in line. Wonder what I will have to do next year???

check the tent posted up by the door!!! (7:30AM)

Victory is sweet! I mean preschool is sweet!!