I'm back!!!

Gosh, it's been a while since I have posted!! I'm not sure what happened....just been busy, busy, busy!! I will try harder to keep the blog updated!! Here's a quick update on the last 5 months.

*Caden turned one on June 8th!! I can't believe how fast the past year has gone by! We had a frog themed birthday party for him and had a wonderful time celebrating with great friends and family.
*Mia had her first dance recital and did great! There is just something about watching ten 2 year olds in tutu's that is just too darn cute!!
*Colton earned his yellow belt in Kung Fu in July. He was so excited! He also attended his first Kung Fu tournament in August and placed 2nd in sparring and 1st in short forms. He had a great time! The best part for him was when he got to meet the Grandmaster, who signed his Kung Fu top and took his picture with him.
*The kids and I made 2 trips up to Grandpa's and spent our days lounging in his pool! Fun, fun, fun!!

Okay, well that was a real quick update. We had a fun summer and now we are busy with fall activities and homeschooling. There's never a dull or quiet moment at our house!! I'll get some pictures posted tonight!!

Who said all girls were girly??

Just a quick funny story....
This morning after breakfast, Mia was sitting at the table playing with a Cinderella castle that she got for her birthday. It came with cute mini figures for Cinderella, the Prince, fairy godmother, stepsisters, and mice. She had quite a dialog going when I walked over to the table to have a peak. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the castle was under attack by none other than a lego clone trooper holding a "big fire" (which is basically a lego built laser gun). And sadly, when all was said and done, I think the clone trooper won the battle.

Strawberries, Zucchini and Squash....Oh My!!

Well, after three years of talking about it, one year of "planning" it, and one month of working on it, we are so excited to say that our little garden is finally up and running!! Kyle spent a lot of time getting it all ready and it looks great. We planted strawberries, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, onions, peppers, eggplant and garlic. We even have a small section that is our herb garden (basil, mint, parsley and sage). Kyle also built a small section for the kids to plant whatever they want. Of course, they have to take care of it, too. Colton still hasn't decided what he wants to plant there. I have a feeling that we are going to be over-run with zucchini and squash (Kyle kind of forgot to read the instructions on how far apart to plant them). So, if you are ever in the Leander area and need some home grown veggies, feel free to stop on by and visit the Koepp Farmers Market!!!

Yellow Stripe Belt

Colton earned his yellow stripe belt last week at Kung Fu. He was so proud of himself and so are we. He practices his "moves" everyday. This is a picture of him and his friend, Duncan, who is also taking Kung Fu and earned his yellow stripe belt, too. Two proud boys!! After seeing this picture, I realized that I clearly need some practice tieing Colton's belt!!

Three Years Ago.....

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Today is Mia's birthday! I can hardly believe she is 3 years old!! Time sure does fly by. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital...our little 7 lb. 15 oz. bundle of joy! Now she is our spunky and sassy little girl...all 29 pounds of her! She is stubborn (like her mom), very independent, and can hold her own in just about any crowd. She is the *princess* of the house and we just love her to pieces.

Happy Birthday, Mia!!

We celebrated Mia's birthday last weekend. She wanted a *ladybug* party so we decorated in black and red and I made her a ladybug cake. We had 1500 live ladybugs that we set free out in our garden at the end of the party. We all had a wonderful time and enjoyed celebrating with our family and friends.

Dentist!!

Colton and Mia had dentist appointments today. This was Mia's first trip to the dentist and she did great! She sat in the big chair, opened her mouth real big and let them brush her teeth. All but one of her baby teeth are in and they look super healthy! Colton did great, too. Yay! No cavities! They are both so excited about their new toothbrushes! On the way home, Colton asked me if I still go to the dentist. Hmmm....I guess I need to be a good example and get over my dentist-phobia!!

Bike Riding!!

Yesterday was a big day for Colton. After we got home from Kung Fu last night, we decided to stay outside and play. The kids were riding their scooters and bikes. Well, out of the blue, Colton convinced himself that he was the only 7 year old in the world who still had training wheels on his bicycle (I just love the logic of a 7 year old). So, he insisted that I take them off. Kyle got home from work just as I was taking off the training wheels and was so excited to help Colton learn to ride his bike. Colton was all geared up....helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards (I'm not overprotective, am I?!). I couldn't believe how well he did!! Kyle held on to the back of the bike for less than a minute before letting go. Colton only fell twice and both times he got right back up and tried again. It didn't take long before he was riding up and down the driveway...over and over again!! We are so proud of him. Kyle got his bike out and they went up and down the street together. We even hooked up our bike trailer to Kyle's bike and he pulled Caden and Mia around, too. They both loved it. Caden had the biggest smile on his face the whole time. Tonights plan....our first family bike ride!!

Wildflower Center

Yesterday we went with some friends to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The flowers were beautiful and the kids had a great time. Colton and Avery brought their nature journals and were very busy documenting as many flowers as they could. Mia and Rhys enjoyed running around together and Mia did great at resisting the urge to pick every flower she saw! The babies (Caden and Griffin) did remarkably well in their strollers. After we walked around the gardens, we went to the "Kid's House", where they got to do some neat wildflower arts and crafts. It was a fun *field trip* and Colton is already asking me when we can go back.

Happy Birthday to Kyle!!

Kyle's birthday was last Friday, March 31st...the big 34!!! Gosh, he's getting old!! We went out to eat with some friends and had a wonderful time. Colton was so excited for Kyle to open his present from him...a Chronicles of Narnia Stratego game. I know they are going to have lots of fun playing that!! I got Kyle a really nice ipod and boy was he surprised!! He loves it and takes it with him everywhere. The kids love it, too, and we've already had a few spats over it (between the kids, of course). He had a great birthday!

Kung Fu!!

Colton has been taking Kung Fu for a few months and had his first Tip test last week. He was tested on 10 sparring techniques and he got them all!! He received 5 stars (which we have to sew on his belt) and is so proud of himself. He was so nervous before the test and now he can hardly wait for the next one! Now that he has 5 stars, he should be getting his yellow stripe belt soon. He is so excited about that!!

Finally....A Tooth!!

Yay!! After months of endless drooling and weeks of very long nights, Caden has finally gotten his first tooth! We are so excited and are hoping that is the reason he has been waking up 6 or 7 times a night and nursing nonstop......well, we can dream, can't we??!! (I'm sure the real reason is....SPOILED!!)

Mushy Mom Moment

At Colton's request, I took him to eat at Chili's. Kyle and Mia were doing yard work together, so it was just me and my two boys. We had a great time and Caden did surprisingly well. As I was buckling Caden in his carseat to go home, I tickled him and asked "How'd you get to be so cute?" I clearly wasn't expecting an answer, but Colton spoke up from the back seat and said "It's because he came out of the belly of a cute mom." It sure is nice to know that even when you are feeling tired and frumpy, your kids still think you are the greatest!! Thanks, Colton. I needed that!!!

Soccer Game!!

Colton had a soccer game this weekend and did great!! He scored 3 goals and was so excited. We were very impressed with his team. They have all been working so hard at practice and you could definitely tell. They worked together as a team, dribbling and passing, and it was an awesome game. The final score....16 to 2. Go Shooters!!!

Strawberry Pickin'

Every year we make at least three trips to Marble Falls to go to the Sweet Berry Farms. In the fall, they have a big pumpkin patch and in the spring/summer, they have strawberry and blackberry picking. Well, it's that time again!!! Kyle took Colton and Mia strawberry pickin' and they had a wonderful time. I stayed home with Caden (Kyle thought I could use a quiet afternoon and some rest....as if that was going to happen with an active, teething baby around!!) They had such a great time (dad is always SO much fun!) and even stopped off at a creek/watering hole that they love to go to on the way home. The big weigh in....11 pounds of strawberries!!!

Biggie Man!!

I can hardly believe Caden is 9 months old already! He is nearly 22 pounds and his vocabulary consists of ma-ma, da-da, and ba-ba. He seems to crawl faster and faster every day and has been pulling up on anything he can get his hands on. He still has no teeth and despite his little interest in baby food, he is definitely a healthy boy! When Caden was just a month old, Kyle used to joke about how we went to Wendy's and got Caden "biggie-sized". Well, he has certainly proven us right and the nickname has stuck with him. He is our "biggie man" and we love him to pieces!!

Princess "Bootie"

While at Disneyland, Mia fell in love with Belle, one of the few Princesses we were able to get her picture taken with. Kyle insisted that we couldn't leave Disneyland without getting Mia some Princess dress up clothes and of course, she chose Belle's beautiful yellow gown. Grandpa insisted that she also had to have the matching shoes, purse, gloves, wand, and tiara. When we got home, she got all dressed up like a Princess. We told her that the Princess' name was Belle. Colton disagreed with us and told her that her name was Princess Beauty (from Beauty and the Beast). Mia believed Colton (of course, 7 year old boys definitely know more than their parents) but couldn't quite say it correctly. So, from now on, she is none other than "Princess Bootie".

California Vacation

We went on our first big family vacation and had a wonderful time in sunny California!! Grandpa came with us and survived 7 nights and 8 days, as well as 2 flights, with us and our three kiddos! The highlight of our trip was Legoland. Colton was in heaven! It was amazing to see all the things that were created out of legos. Colton's favorite was the lego Darth Vader and Mia's favorite was the lego Dora and Boots. We had such a terrific time and left with a much greater love for legos (if that's even possible)!!

We also spent several days at Disneyland. The kids had a great time there, too. Mia loved seeing all the Princesses and Colton loved all the rides. Caden was such a great baby the whole time. I carried him in the sling most of the time and he took great naps in the stroller.

Some things we learned on our trip:

• Even with sunscreen, babies can get sunburned!
• Colton is our little thrill seeker...loves those roller coasters!
• Mia is *Miss Mia* no matter where we go...sassy, sassy, sassy!
• If you go to Disneyland with a single rental car key in your pant pocket and ride lots of rides, it WILL get lost (Kyle will never live this down!!).
• Croup follows us wherever we go (Our trip ended with Caden in the ER in Anaheim - we flew back to Austin 3 breathing treatments and 1 steroid shot later!!).
• We never want to fly with 8 suitcases, 5 carry on's, 2 car seats, and 1 stroller again!!! We have got to learn to condense!!

All in all, we had a wonderful vacation and are already thinking about where we'll go next year!