Our holiday season got off to a good start with a wonderful Thanksgiving. We enjoyed good food, fellowship with family, and were able to put up our own Christmas decorations here at home while the weather was almost warm outside! We deemed the weekend a success.
As we were driving down the highway towards our Thanksgiving celebration, I had a moment of real sadness. It seems that on most notable occasions, moments like this hit me. It's the moment where I realize, all over again, that many people that have played an instrumental role in my life and in my holiday celebrations...my Mom, my Grandma, my Grandpa...are no longer here. It's tough. Then, the pit in my stomach grows a bit deeper as I realize that we'll never truly get to spend the holidays as an ENTIRE family...because our Caden isn't with us. This year, I tried to console myself by picturing my baby up in heaven with my family members who are there. I could really see Caden in the midst of so many loving faces and arms. But down here, our minivan seems a little emptier than it should be.
Caden would have been two and a half this Christmas. At that stage where he would just be grasping the excitement of unwrapping a present...and would then be more preoccupied with playing with the paper than what was in the gift bag. He would have worn footie pajamas on Christmas Eve, and would probably have a bulky diaper butt as he ran from room to room with excitement. His little red hair might have stuck up slightly on Christmas morning. I picture Connor helping him put together whatever Santa left under the tree and the two of them laying on the family room floor playing together. There is not one day that we don't wish he was here with us. Not one.
As you, who are faithful readers of this blog, know, my heart goes out to those for whom the holidays aren't filled with happiness. Those who are hurting because they are celebrating the holidays without someone that they love...either for the first time or the twentieth. There are families who have experienced miscarriages and are spending the holidays trying to accept the reality of a dream ending. There are families who have been diagnosed with terminally ill babies, who grapple with the fact that this Christmas will be the only one they get to spend with their soon-to-be angel. There are families trying to establish a new normal without a parent, grandparent, cousin, aunt, uncle, or close friend. I ask that you join me in prayer for those people and families who so desperately need to feel the comfort and peace that only Jesus can bring them.
As for me, I am overwhelmed by the blessings that abound in my world. Good health, a warm home, food in the pantry, and a loving family. Friends that most people search a lifetime for, and a husband that I still can't believe chose me. The pitter patter of feet in my house, a 16 month old vocabulary to listen to, a 6 year old that will change the world and make it a better place, an 8 year old with a heart of gold and an inquistive mind, and yes, even the dog, who despite his own neurotic tendencies, is a part of the family, too.
Most importantly, I am blessed to have a Savior who loves me...even when I struggle and ask, for the millionth time, why I can't spend Christmas with my baby. A Savior who, despite all the tears and heartache, has given me more than a girl could ever ask for.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Keeping the Tooth Fairy in Business
Kylee came to my side of the bed early one recent Saturday morning with an urgent report....her tooth was hurting. Being the morning person that I am, I mumbled something about getting a drink and then seeing if it felt better. She disappeared for approximately 2 seconds and was back at my bedside again.
"Mom! My tooth fell OUT!" She stood next to me. And then, being Kylee, she followed that with "I tried to carry it in here but I dropped it!". She has her Daddy's grace. I love it.
I took a moment and then rolled over and poked Brandon (who would remain asleep in the presence of a brass band). "Honey, our baby lost her tooth!". I later realized that maybe those weren't the best words as my husband woke up and tried to understand why in the heck Hadley would have lost a tooth.
As I said those words, I realized that I was in no way, shape, or form prepared for this. With Connor, the tooth had dangled precariously for days as we eagerly anticipated his first visit from the tooth fairy. I hadn't thought it through with Kylee. Our second child is at the stage of life where her baby teeth will fall out. Whoa.
I crawled out of bed and thankfully, was able to find the tooth right next to our bed. I invited Kylee to crawl into bed and cuddle with us for awhile, which she did, quite happily. It was great.
That night, Kylee placed her tooth under her pillow. The tooth fairy came and went.
Mission accomplished.
Just one week later, Kylee came home from school reporting that her other bottom front tooth was hurting. I looked at it and it was hanging by a thread.
I will tell you that even though I'm a nurse, there are some things that totally gross me out. Toenails and teeth fall into that category. The neighbor girls we walk home from the bus stop with told us in great detail what the best way to pull out a tooth is. My stomach turned, but I could tell that Kylee's mouth really was hurting, so I took the plunge and asked her if I could pull it out. It must have really been hurting, because she said yes. I was sweating at the prospect of yanking on a tooth. Two twists later (I followed the neighbor girls' instructions), I had the tooth out of Kylee's mouth. I felt quite triumphant and she was happy.
About two hours after pulling her tooth, Kylee was at work in the bathroom, furiously scrubbing the tooth with her toothbrush. As I saw her, I thought "it isn't going to be long until she loses that tooth down the drain". Sure enough, a second later, she yelled "Mom! My tooth is LOST in my toothbrush!". I inspected the toothbrush. No tooth. I recovered the tooth on the bathroom rug. Whew.
I asked her why she was scrubbing her tooth. She replied that the neighbor girl had told her that if she brushed the tooth, the tooth fairy would leave her $20 instead of just $1. I quickly squashed that dream by suggesting to her that it was better to leave a dirty tooth than to risk washing a clean tooth down the drain in the process of brushing it.
It's always an adventure.
All Kylee wants for Christmas is her two front teeth. :)
And an American Girl doll.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Happy Haunting
And now, coming to your screen...pictures of the Carlson goblins...Halloween 2010:
Connor chose to dress up as Snake Eyes from GI Joe. When he selected his costume (not at ALL influenced by the fact that it came with a sword and a set of two little daggers, I am sure), I suggested that maybe people wouldn't know who Snake Eyes was, both he and my husband looked at me like I had sprouted two heads right there in the aisle at Target. Silly me.
Kylee wanted to be Padme Amidala from Star Wars. I was a bit surprised when she chose this over a pink, glittery costume...but the minute she laid eyes on it, she knew exactly what she wanted (not unusual for our girl). I suspect the reason she chose this was because she knew it would be exciting for her Daddy, a huge Star Wars fan.
Hadley gave our Winnie the Pooh costume one last Halloween romp. Connor wore this same costume on his 2nd Halloween:
Photo opportunities with all of our kids looking decent are hard to come by (mostly due to the wandering tendencies of the littlest one). This is the best pic of the three of them that we captured:
It has become a Halloween tradition to trick or treat with our friends the Chases and the Blakemores. Here are Connor and Kylee and the Chase kiddos gathered up ready to go trick-or-treating around the Liberty Square:
Hadley was quite a riot this Halloween. She was insistent that she be let out of the stroller to join in the fun with the older kids. It didn't take her long to figure out that if she brought her bucket up to people, they would throw candy in it. It took her just one time of seeing candy land in her pumpkin to make this magical connection. She was off like a shot after that:
As I post, we anticipate the celebration of Thanksgiving this week. Enjoy your holiday...we are thankful for your love, support, and friendship!
Connor chose to dress up as Snake Eyes from GI Joe. When he selected his costume (not at ALL influenced by the fact that it came with a sword and a set of two little daggers, I am sure), I suggested that maybe people wouldn't know who Snake Eyes was, both he and my husband looked at me like I had sprouted two heads right there in the aisle at Target. Silly me.
Kylee wanted to be Padme Amidala from Star Wars. I was a bit surprised when she chose this over a pink, glittery costume...but the minute she laid eyes on it, she knew exactly what she wanted (not unusual for our girl). I suspect the reason she chose this was because she knew it would be exciting for her Daddy, a huge Star Wars fan.
It has become a Halloween tradition to trick or treat with our friends the Chases and the Blakemores. Here are Connor and Kylee and the Chase kiddos gathered up ready to go trick-or-treating around the Liberty Square:
Hadley was quite a riot this Halloween. She was insistent that she be let out of the stroller to join in the fun with the older kids. It didn't take her long to figure out that if she brought her bucket up to people, they would throw candy in it. It took her just one time of seeing candy land in her pumpkin to make this magical connection. She was off like a shot after that:
As I post, we anticipate the celebration of Thanksgiving this week. Enjoy your holiday...we are thankful for your love, support, and friendship!
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Apparently, I Have No Schema
...Cross-posted at BJC's Blog...
First, let's explore what 'schema' actually means:
Now, let's roll back a few days. Kylee wasn't in a particularly supper-friendly mood. We let her get up from the table with the understanding that when she got hungry later, she had to come back and eat some more of her main course before she can have anything else (including dessert). That sort of agreement is never a problem when it is made, but later, well, it doesn't usually go so well.
Anyway, the bargain was struck and she left the table. Sure enough, an hour or so later, Kylee told me that she was hungry. The conversation went something like this:
"Dad, I'm huuuuuungry!"
"Okay, go grab your plate from the fridge and help yourself."
She busied herself with a nibble or two.
"I ate my dinner. Can I have something else now?"
"How many bites did you eat?"
She thought for a second, adding up the nibbles. "Two."
"Eat a couple more bites -- BIG bites -- and then you can get something else."
"But you said I only needed to eat two bites!"
"No, I never said how many bites you needed to eat. I just said you'd have to have more of your supper before eating something else."
Now the volume ratcheted up. "But Daaaaaaad, you said I only had to eat two bites!"
"I don't recall every saying that."
"Yes, you diiiiiid!"
"No, I did not. I just said you had to eat more of your supper. I never said how many bites you had to eat."
Then she dropped the bomb. "Daaaaaaad, you don't have any schema!"
It was at this point that I impressed even myself. If you know Kylee, you know that she hates it when people laugh at her (unless she's telling a joke, which is a topic for a whole different blog post). I mean really, really hates it. Even if it's a genuine amused/approving chuckle, she feels embarrassed and scolds the offending chuckler in no uncertain terms about how IT'S NOT FUNNY, and usually storms off in a huff to underscore just how UNFUNNY it is.
So, there I was, arguing with her about how many bites of supper she needed to finish, and she whips out this new word, schema. Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't even crack a smile...
"What?"
"You don't have any schema!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You said two bites, you don't have any schema!"
...don't smile...not even a little bit...keep face studiously neutral...
"Kylee, I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by schema. Can you explain it to me?"
***SIGH*** "It means you don't remember what you already said."
Ah-hah! I hadn't forgotten what I had said earlier, of course, but that's irrelevant. We finally resolved the issue and went on with the evening, but it made for a good story to Mommy later that night. A day or two after that, Lindsey overheard Kylee accusing Connor of not having any schema, either, because he apparently didn't remember the *ahem* rules of the game they were playing (which she was making up on the fly, I'm sure). Lindsey commented that it was really no surprise that it was all the males of the family who didn't have any schema. I couldn't really argue.
Anyway, Kylee's teacher, Miss Mac, would be proud to know that at least one of her pupils has firmly grasped the concept of schema, and is applying it regularly to daily life.
Also, if I ever forget anything from now on, my excuse will be that it's not my fault, I simply don't have any schema.
The world would be so much more dull if it wasn't for six year old girls.
First, let's explore what 'schema' actually means:
–noun, plural sche·ma·taOr, in Kindergarten terms, it's your ability to understand or remember something.
[skee-muh-tuh or, sometimes, skee-mah-tuh, ski-] sche·mas.
1. a diagram, plan, or scheme.
2. an underlying organizational pattern or structure; conceptual framework.
3. (in Kantian epistemology) a concept, similar to a universal but limited to phenomenal knowledge, by which an object of knowledge or an idea of pure reason may be apprehended.
Now, let's roll back a few days. Kylee wasn't in a particularly supper-friendly mood. We let her get up from the table with the understanding that when she got hungry later, she had to come back and eat some more of her main course before she can have anything else (including dessert). That sort of agreement is never a problem when it is made, but later, well, it doesn't usually go so well.
Anyway, the bargain was struck and she left the table. Sure enough, an hour or so later, Kylee told me that she was hungry. The conversation went something like this:
"Dad, I'm huuuuuungry!"
"Okay, go grab your plate from the fridge and help yourself."
She busied herself with a nibble or two.
"I ate my dinner. Can I have something else now?"
"How many bites did you eat?"
She thought for a second, adding up the nibbles. "Two."
"Eat a couple more bites -- BIG bites -- and then you can get something else."
"But you said I only needed to eat two bites!"
"No, I never said how many bites you needed to eat. I just said you'd have to have more of your supper before eating something else."
Now the volume ratcheted up. "But Daaaaaaad, you said I only had to eat two bites!"
"I don't recall every saying that."
"Yes, you diiiiiid!"
"No, I did not. I just said you had to eat more of your supper. I never said how many bites you had to eat."
Then she dropped the bomb. "Daaaaaaad, you don't have any schema!"
It was at this point that I impressed even myself. If you know Kylee, you know that she hates it when people laugh at her (unless she's telling a joke, which is a topic for a whole different blog post). I mean really, really hates it. Even if it's a genuine amused/approving chuckle, she feels embarrassed and scolds the offending chuckler in no uncertain terms about how IT'S NOT FUNNY, and usually storms off in a huff to underscore just how UNFUNNY it is.
So, there I was, arguing with her about how many bites of supper she needed to finish, and she whips out this new word, schema. Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't even crack a smile...
"What?"
"You don't have any schema!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You said two bites, you don't have any schema!"
...don't smile...not even a little bit...keep face studiously neutral...
"Kylee, I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by schema. Can you explain it to me?"
***SIGH*** "It means you don't remember what you already said."
Ah-hah! I hadn't forgotten what I had said earlier, of course, but that's irrelevant. We finally resolved the issue and went on with the evening, but it made for a good story to Mommy later that night. A day or two after that, Lindsey overheard Kylee accusing Connor of not having any schema, either, because he apparently didn't remember the *ahem* rules of the game they were playing (which she was making up on the fly, I'm sure). Lindsey commented that it was really no surprise that it was all the males of the family who didn't have any schema. I couldn't really argue.
Anyway, Kylee's teacher, Miss Mac, would be proud to know that at least one of her pupils has firmly grasped the concept of schema, and is applying it regularly to daily life.
Also, if I ever forget anything from now on, my excuse will be that it's not my fault, I simply don't have any schema.
The world would be so much more dull if it wasn't for six year old girls.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Fall Festivities
The kids had a great time getting ready for Halloween. They were chanting at me the minute we flipped the calendar to October about getting the Halloween decorations up. I love their enthusiasm for the seasons.
The fun continued with Fall Parties for Connor and Kylee at school. The kids get to bring their costumes to school (Connor was Snake Eyes from GI Joe and Kylee was Padme Amidala from Star Wars) and participate in a costume parade followed by fun activities in their classrooms. This was the first year that I had to split my time between two classrooms, so it was a crazy 20 minutes, but I was able to spend some time with both kids during their parties.
We also got to carve and decorate pumpkins as a family. The kids had fun digging out all the "gooey stuff":
The fun continued with Fall Parties for Connor and Kylee at school. The kids get to bring their costumes to school (Connor was Snake Eyes from GI Joe and Kylee was Padme Amidala from Star Wars) and participate in a costume parade followed by fun activities in their classrooms. This was the first year that I had to split my time between two classrooms, so it was a crazy 20 minutes, but I was able to spend some time with both kids during their parties.
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| At the craft station |
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| Sorting through the loot! |
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| Our two school kids in the hallway |
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| Playing "fill the bucket with candy corn" |
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| Friends! |
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| We love Miss Mac! |
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| Hadley LOVES puppies....and Kit Kats, as you can tell by the chocolate on her face. |
It Isn't Fall Without Football
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When signing up for the first time, you go potluck in terms of a team. Boys are assigned to teams based on their age and grade in school. We struck GOLD when we landed on the Green Bay Packers, coached by two Dads who worked throughout the season to teach the team basics of the sport. Coach Jason had even created playbooks for each player and taught the boys how to follow plays throughout the game. With practices on Thursday evenings and games each Saturday throughout September and October, we all really enjoyed cheering our favorite player on from the sidelines.
Connor did very well. He quickly emerged as one of the faster players on the team and scored several touchdowns throughout the season. Each week, players were given the opportunity to try a different position on the field on both offense and defense. He was eventually placed at wide receiver and cornerback. The team learned some valuable lessons and while the overall record had more losses than wins, the season ended with a sound victory. We are already looking forward to next season!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
I Hope That's Not Toxic....
So, the title of this blog comes about because this phrase is in my thoughts MULTIPLE times a day as I am at home with our now almost 15 month old, Hadley.
I had forgotten how, when you have a baby this age (and yes, folks, she IS still a baby), you have to calculate the satisfaction of actually completing some sort of task (folding laundry, loading the dishwasher, checking e-mail, taking a shower) versus the destruction that you will be responsible for picking up as the little one in your life entertains herself while you are completing the aforementioned task.
Hadley learns more about her world by tasting it. Most everything she touches goes directly into her mouth...not to be swallowed, but to be licked as she tastes it and tries to decide if it's actually worth eating. The good news: I don't worry much about her choking. The bad news: As she investigates the world around her, I fear that she will ingest something that she shouldn't.
Take this morning, for example...as I was in the shower, Hadley sorted through our bathroom cabinets. She has a special affinity for Brandon's cologne bottle. At one point, I gazed out through the shower door to see her sucking on the cologne spray nozzle. She then moved on to my hairspray bottle. I caught her before she could remove the top off of that. While I was getting dressed after my shower, she dumped an entire bin of my toiletries on the floor, whined because she wanted some lotion...so we applied some lotion together, I quickly picked up the toiletries, and we were off and running. As we were going downstairs, I noted that she had hauled out a few of her favorite playthings from Kylee's room...so I picked those up and then saw that she had also spread her board books from her own room here, there, and everywhere...so those got picked up, too. All the price for taking a shower.
In the meantime, Hadley had made it downstairs. She dumped out a baggie of Play-Dough supplies, got into the tupperware cabinet...I caught her just before she dove into the cabinet with the cleaning supplies in it. It is not uncommon for me, at some point in our daily routine, to catch her licking a dog toy. It's life as we know it.
I realized, as I was handing our daughter a Twix candy bar from the Halloween bowl at 10:00 am just to busy her long enough for me to check my e-mail, that I feel like a member of a movie crew....the one who is responsible for resetting the stage 200 times a day so that the shoot can continue on. Then, I also envisioned myself receiving the "mother of the year" award for feeding my little one chocolate before noon.
I had forgotten that in this stage of childhood, it truly is a MAJOR accomplishment to keep a child safe and focused on the non-toxic items in the house. Is it a good thing that I determine how I do things using the question "Is what she's licking going to hurt her, or if it's not toxic and I let her keep licking it, will it occupy her for long enough that I can fold this load of laundry?"
I had forgotten how, when you have a baby this age (and yes, folks, she IS still a baby), you have to calculate the satisfaction of actually completing some sort of task (folding laundry, loading the dishwasher, checking e-mail, taking a shower) versus the destruction that you will be responsible for picking up as the little one in your life entertains herself while you are completing the aforementioned task.
Hadley learns more about her world by tasting it. Most everything she touches goes directly into her mouth...not to be swallowed, but to be licked as she tastes it and tries to decide if it's actually worth eating. The good news: I don't worry much about her choking. The bad news: As she investigates the world around her, I fear that she will ingest something that she shouldn't.
Take this morning, for example...as I was in the shower, Hadley sorted through our bathroom cabinets. She has a special affinity for Brandon's cologne bottle. At one point, I gazed out through the shower door to see her sucking on the cologne spray nozzle. She then moved on to my hairspray bottle. I caught her before she could remove the top off of that. While I was getting dressed after my shower, she dumped an entire bin of my toiletries on the floor, whined because she wanted some lotion...so we applied some lotion together, I quickly picked up the toiletries, and we were off and running. As we were going downstairs, I noted that she had hauled out a few of her favorite playthings from Kylee's room...so I picked those up and then saw that she had also spread her board books from her own room here, there, and everywhere...so those got picked up, too. All the price for taking a shower.
In the meantime, Hadley had made it downstairs. She dumped out a baggie of Play-Dough supplies, got into the tupperware cabinet...I caught her just before she dove into the cabinet with the cleaning supplies in it. It is not uncommon for me, at some point in our daily routine, to catch her licking a dog toy. It's life as we know it.
I realized, as I was handing our daughter a Twix candy bar from the Halloween bowl at 10:00 am just to busy her long enough for me to check my e-mail, that I feel like a member of a movie crew....the one who is responsible for resetting the stage 200 times a day so that the shoot can continue on. Then, I also envisioned myself receiving the "mother of the year" award for feeding my little one chocolate before noon.
I had forgotten that in this stage of childhood, it truly is a MAJOR accomplishment to keep a child safe and focused on the non-toxic items in the house. Is it a good thing that I determine how I do things using the question "Is what she's licking going to hurt her, or if it's not toxic and I let her keep licking it, will it occupy her for long enough that I can fold this load of laundry?"
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Happy Birthday, Kylee J!
On September 9th, we celebrated our oldest daughter's 6th birthday. Kylee was blessed to have multiple celebrations with friends and family. She ate it up! Just like with most everything else she does, Kylee embraced her birthday with gusto, enjoying every moment of being surrounded by those she loves.
Grandma Carlson came for an early birthday celebration and brought with her birthday treasures from she and Grandpa Carlson. Grandpa and Grandma gave Kylee a fuzzy robe with her name on it and a very cool magic set, which both she and Connor have enjoyed performing "tricks". Grandma also treated us to a special birthday dinner at Red Robin. Kylee was very adamant that she did NOT want anyone to sing Happy Birthday to her under ANY circumstance. We forgot to pass this memo along to the waitstaff at Red Robin, who not only sang to her, but rigged up a special balloon headpiece for Kylee that they had her wear while they sang. We all watched, waiting for the meltdown, but Kylee persevered. Maybe the prospect of the hot fudge Sunday with lots of whipped cream was worth the humiliation.
Part of our family birthday ritual is allowing the birthday kid (or adult) to pick wherever they would like to eat on their birthday. Kylee chose blueberry muffins for her birthday breakfast and Taco Bell for her birthday dinner. As a part of this celebration, Kylee opened a Nintendo DS and a couple games from Daddy, Mommy, Connor, and Hadley.
Kylee also got to celebrate with other family and friends. Grandpa and Grandma Lori, Aunt Sarah, and Great Grandpa and Granny McKinney came for a party. Great Grandpa and Granny were here all the way from California! Aunt Sarah gave Kylee a ladybug pillow pet, which was number one on Kylee's birthday list. We must confess that we do not miss her frequent pre-birthday reminders about the pillow pet being the ultimate gift: "Mom and Dad, you know I REALLY want a ladybug pillow pet, right?" Thanks, Aunt Sarah!
Along with our biological family, we also got to celebrate with the group of kids that our kids have grown up playing with. Hailey, Claire, Spencer, Georgia, and Lizzy, along with their parents, have been adopted into our family circle. It isn't a birthday without them and we are so grateful that they have been on hand to celebrate ALL our kids' milestones throughout the years.
We ended the birthday madness with a trip to Build-A-Bear workshop, where Kylee celebrated with her friends from preschool. All the girls got to pick out a stuffed animal and go through the process of stuffing and accessorizing their new friend. We ended with birthday cake and some playtime at Zona Rosa. It was a blast!
It was so much fun to celebrate with Kylee. She brings so much color to our world each and every day. Her passion for life, friends, and laughter is a true inspiration to us. The way that she views the world is unique and insightful and the unabashed joy that she does everything with is such a blessing. Her persistence, intelligence, and zest for life is something that we are so grateful for. We love you, Miss J!
Grandma Carlson came for an early birthday celebration and brought with her birthday treasures from she and Grandpa Carlson. Grandpa and Grandma gave Kylee a fuzzy robe with her name on it and a very cool magic set, which both she and Connor have enjoyed performing "tricks". Grandma also treated us to a special birthday dinner at Red Robin. Kylee was very adamant that she did NOT want anyone to sing Happy Birthday to her under ANY circumstance. We forgot to pass this memo along to the waitstaff at Red Robin, who not only sang to her, but rigged up a special balloon headpiece for Kylee that they had her wear while they sang. We all watched, waiting for the meltdown, but Kylee persevered. Maybe the prospect of the hot fudge Sunday with lots of whipped cream was worth the humiliation.
Part of our family birthday ritual is allowing the birthday kid (or adult) to pick wherever they would like to eat on their birthday. Kylee chose blueberry muffins for her birthday breakfast and Taco Bell for her birthday dinner. As a part of this celebration, Kylee opened a Nintendo DS and a couple games from Daddy, Mommy, Connor, and Hadley.
Kylee also got to celebrate with other family and friends. Grandpa and Grandma Lori, Aunt Sarah, and Great Grandpa and Granny McKinney came for a party. Great Grandpa and Granny were here all the way from California! Aunt Sarah gave Kylee a ladybug pillow pet, which was number one on Kylee's birthday list. We must confess that we do not miss her frequent pre-birthday reminders about the pillow pet being the ultimate gift: "Mom and Dad, you know I REALLY want a ladybug pillow pet, right?" Thanks, Aunt Sarah!
We ended the birthday madness with a trip to Build-A-Bear workshop, where Kylee celebrated with her friends from preschool. All the girls got to pick out a stuffed animal and go through the process of stuffing and accessorizing their new friend. We ended with birthday cake and some playtime at Zona Rosa. It was a blast!
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| The girls with their special creations |
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| The "silly pose" in the play area. |
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| Make a Wish! |
Monday, September 13, 2010
First Day of School
I am running a bit behind with the blogging lately...one might think that with the two older kids back in school I would have more time to do these sorts of things...but at the same time the older two went back to school, our littlest one started walking (as you may have seen in our earlier post), and therefore, time to sit at the computer and blog has all but disappeared in an effort to keep Hadley from ingesting things like dishwasher soap packets (a treasure she discovered last week under the kitchen sink).
It is hard to believe that the first day of school was almost a month ago. Connor and Kylee have both had a great start to their school year. Both were excited about who they got for their teacher (Connor got Ms. Groff and Kylee has Ms. McPherson). There are familiar faces in both of their classes, which helped ease the transition. Both kids were ready to start back to school after a summer filled with adventure.
Here are both the kids in the beloved "first day of school pictures on the porch" poses. Connor wasn't interested in a new outfit for school ("I don't really care, Mom"), and Kylee chose a cute little outfit from the Gymboree outlet. However, the main event of this ensemble are her shoes. After months of watching commercials, we purchased a pair of Sketchers Twinkle Toes shoes. These are the holy grail of tennis shoes if you are a girl between the ages of 5 and 10.
From the porch, our first day of school ritual has come to include frantically jumping into the van (we never leave quite when we plan to) and racing to Alexander Doniphan. Connor didn't need us to to walk him into his classroom (that would have been totally uncool), so we snagged a picture of him outside his classroom with his teacher, Ms. Groff (We have now entered the realm of our child's teacher being younger than we are. Now I know how parents of my college students at William Jewell feel when they see how young I am!). We walked Kylee into her classroom and watched her put her things in her cubby. She was a pro with the routine after being in Miss Mac's class for summer school.
The walk back out to the van is always quiet. We move through the halls of the school and Brandon watches me closely, trying to discern if it's better to offer comforting words or just leave me alone as I struggle to hold the tears back. This year, I found that my emotions stemmed not from sadness, but from feeling so blessed to have three great kids who are healthy and eager to learn. Getting to spend time with them over the summer allowed us to create some wonderful memories together that I will hold onto as the years fly by. Reflecting on these memories warmed my heart as the doors to the school closed behind us.
And, of course, God gave us this little angel, too:
Brandon's going to need a wheelbarrow to haul me out when it's Hadley's turn at Alexander Doniphan...
It is hard to believe that the first day of school was almost a month ago. Connor and Kylee have both had a great start to their school year. Both were excited about who they got for their teacher (Connor got Ms. Groff and Kylee has Ms. McPherson). There are familiar faces in both of their classes, which helped ease the transition. Both kids were ready to start back to school after a summer filled with adventure.
Here are both the kids in the beloved "first day of school pictures on the porch" poses. Connor wasn't interested in a new outfit for school ("I don't really care, Mom"), and Kylee chose a cute little outfit from the Gymboree outlet. However, the main event of this ensemble are her shoes. After months of watching commercials, we purchased a pair of Sketchers Twinkle Toes shoes. These are the holy grail of tennis shoes if you are a girl between the ages of 5 and 10.
From the porch, our first day of school ritual has come to include frantically jumping into the van (we never leave quite when we plan to) and racing to Alexander Doniphan. Connor didn't need us to to walk him into his classroom (that would have been totally uncool), so we snagged a picture of him outside his classroom with his teacher, Ms. Groff (We have now entered the realm of our child's teacher being younger than we are. Now I know how parents of my college students at William Jewell feel when they see how young I am!). We walked Kylee into her classroom and watched her put her things in her cubby. She was a pro with the routine after being in Miss Mac's class for summer school.
The walk back out to the van is always quiet. We move through the halls of the school and Brandon watches me closely, trying to discern if it's better to offer comforting words or just leave me alone as I struggle to hold the tears back. This year, I found that my emotions stemmed not from sadness, but from feeling so blessed to have three great kids who are healthy and eager to learn. Getting to spend time with them over the summer allowed us to create some wonderful memories together that I will hold onto as the years fly by. Reflecting on these memories warmed my heart as the doors to the school closed behind us.
And, of course, God gave us this little angel, too:
Brandon's going to need a wheelbarrow to haul me out when it's Hadley's turn at Alexander Doniphan...
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Goodbye, Summer....
We left off with a post in honor of Miss Hadley's 12 MONTH birthday celebration (Side note: I have semi-jokingly made a rule here in our house that we will be counting Hadley's age in months for as long as we are capable of doing the math....saying we have a 1 YEAR old makes it sound like our baby is growing up way too fast!). I wanted to share some pics of Hadley's special celebration, of which she actually had two. We felt so blessed by all those who joined us in wishing Hadley a very happy birthday.
I love this picture of Hadley with her cake. This expression on her face is very characteristic of her when she is evaluating a situation (as in, why in the heck are all these people singing to me?). She's serious, a bit hesitant, and happy all at the same time.
Hadley is pretty matter of fact in her approach to things. She wasn't at all hesitant to dive into eating her cake, but also didn't make a huge mess. She was somewhat methodical in tearing it apart. Too cute!
Opening presents with Daddy. I imagine in this picture she's thinking something like "Can I eat that paper?"
Hadley's birthday gift from us is a telling commentary on being the third baby in the house. There isn't a blessed thing that this child needs...almost all of what she has are hand-me-downs and suit her basic needs just fine. So, when we looked at what we should give her for her birthday, the few ideas we had were impractical. Thus, the pink wingback chair from Target. I felt guilty about this purchase until we saw how much she LOVED it. It's ridiculous...and totally adorable.
The big kids love the chair, too. :) Connor and Kylee were so excited to help their sister celebrate.
Shortly after Hadley's birthday celebrations, we took off for a two night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge. This was our second journey to the lodge, and the kids enjoyed it a lot more this time around (with our kids the second time generally goes much smoother than the first). It was part of our effort to soak up what was left summer.
Connor and Kylee had bunk beds in the "Wolf Den". They thought it was pretty cool.
Kylee and Connor both tried going down slides by themselves for the first time and they had a BLAST. It was great to watch them!
Hadley soaking up the sun.
A few days before school started, we took the kids to Kaleidoscope down at Crown Center, where they got to complete various art projects. The art sessions are sponsored by Hallmark and are FREE!
It has been a great summer, and although we are sorry to see it go, it feels good to anticipate a new school year. With both the older two at Doniphan, Hadley and I will be holding down the fort here at home. My, how the years fly by!
I love this picture of Hadley with her cake. This expression on her face is very characteristic of her when she is evaluating a situation (as in, why in the heck are all these people singing to me?). She's serious, a bit hesitant, and happy all at the same time.
Hadley is pretty matter of fact in her approach to things. She wasn't at all hesitant to dive into eating her cake, but also didn't make a huge mess. She was somewhat methodical in tearing it apart. Too cute!
Opening presents with Daddy. I imagine in this picture she's thinking something like "Can I eat that paper?"
Hadley's birthday gift from us is a telling commentary on being the third baby in the house. There isn't a blessed thing that this child needs...almost all of what she has are hand-me-downs and suit her basic needs just fine. So, when we looked at what we should give her for her birthday, the few ideas we had were impractical. Thus, the pink wingback chair from Target. I felt guilty about this purchase until we saw how much she LOVED it. It's ridiculous...and totally adorable.
The big kids love the chair, too. :) Connor and Kylee were so excited to help their sister celebrate.
Shortly after Hadley's birthday celebrations, we took off for a two night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge. This was our second journey to the lodge, and the kids enjoyed it a lot more this time around (with our kids the second time generally goes much smoother than the first). It was part of our effort to soak up what was left summer.
Connor and Kylee had bunk beds in the "Wolf Den". They thought it was pretty cool.
Kylee and Connor both tried going down slides by themselves for the first time and they had a BLAST. It was great to watch them!
Hadley soaking up the sun.
A few days before school started, we took the kids to Kaleidoscope down at Crown Center, where they got to complete various art projects. The art sessions are sponsored by Hallmark and are FREE!
It has been a great summer, and although we are sorry to see it go, it feels good to anticipate a new school year. With both the older two at Doniphan, Hadley and I will be holding down the fort here at home. My, how the years fly by!
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