Both Erik and Carson are playing soccer this fall. This means we have had soccer 6 days a week since mid-August. Thankfully all the practice fields have playgrounds so the siblings haven't gotten too bored. Erik is playing on a travel soccer team. It's been a big adjustment. He was on U8 RecPlus last year. He was one of the older kids on the team, but the United States changed the age brackets for soccer this fall. So now he was bumped up to U10; and is one of the youngest on the team. Moving from RecPlus to travel is an adjustment; being bumped from U8 to U10 is also an adjustment (he is now one of the youngest on the team).
I was quite nervous about having him on a travel team as I knew he'd be a bit of an underdog (he is for sure). But, on the team there is a Darrin (Daron), Kevin, and Colin. All three of my brothers are represented and they all have unusual names! I find that quite amazing and felt like it was a sign he was on the right team.
It's been a tough season though. They've lost every game and Erik is an underdog, as expected. He's had a good attitude, seems to have fun, and has a nice coaching staff. We are almost done with the fall season. They will play together through June. We'll see if they have more success in the spring?
He's been doing an agility/speed class on Mondays with 5 of his teammates from last year. He loves this class! It's nice to do something other than formal soccer training, for sure!
Carson is on U6 soccer. I love U6 soccer! It so fun to watch them play 4v4. The kids who understand the game look like superstars. Since Carson has been watching soccer for as long he can remember, he has done very well. Almost no pressure and high reward (easy scoring) - very fun.
Lainey has been doing gymnastics this fall. She is superhero strong and can climb anything with ease and does lots and lots of unbroken pull-ups. It's fun to watch! She loves the bars more than any other skill and is quite good at them.
This winter I plan to transition the three of them to swimming - haven't decided if this will be lessons or on one of the local teams. Lainey did a two week trial with the "best" local swim team. She made the team but hated the cold pool - so now I'm not sure where I should have them swim.
My van has hit 71k miles -it gets lots of miles each week.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Lots of Visitors
This fall we've be blessed to have many visitors. We also took a quick trip to Philadelphia.
Our visitors started with my Mom. She came in just at the right time because I ended up catching a stomach bug (from work colleagues). I was able to lay in bed for 24 hours which allowed me to recover and kept the foursome safe from my germs. Phew!
Two weeks later, Victor's brother Mike and his boys came for a weekend. The live in Philadelphia. His boys are 5 and almost 7. So they fit in with my clan quite well. It was so nice to see the cousins together - it had been too long. It rained a lot of that weekend so soccer was rained out. We did get outside and visited AnnMarie Gardens for their "cardboard festival."
The following weekend we drove to Philadelphia. My mother-in-law met us there. We were supposed to go to Diggerland, but once again it was raining. Instead of a fun amusement park, we spent time at the Franklin Institute and the Please Touch museum. We saw Mike and boys again - it's been at least 2 years since Sandy had all of her grandkids in the same room.
Sandy came to our house later the week- through the weekend. She spent lots of time at soccer and took us out to dinner. She went back to Phili for a few days, then joined us again for a few nights. She watched all four kids for me while I was at work (they had a day off of school) and tried to teach them how to make her special chicken.
We have a couple weeks off and then my parents will be back out here! Ha!
Our visitors started with my Mom. She came in just at the right time because I ended up catching a stomach bug (from work colleagues). I was able to lay in bed for 24 hours which allowed me to recover and kept the foursome safe from my germs. Phew!
Two weeks later, Victor's brother Mike and his boys came for a weekend. The live in Philadelphia. His boys are 5 and almost 7. So they fit in with my clan quite well. It was so nice to see the cousins together - it had been too long. It rained a lot of that weekend so soccer was rained out. We did get outside and visited AnnMarie Gardens for their "cardboard festival."
The following weekend we drove to Philadelphia. My mother-in-law met us there. We were supposed to go to Diggerland, but once again it was raining. Instead of a fun amusement park, we spent time at the Franklin Institute and the Please Touch museum. We saw Mike and boys again - it's been at least 2 years since Sandy had all of her grandkids in the same room.
Sandy came to our house later the week- through the weekend. She spent lots of time at soccer and took us out to dinner. She went back to Phili for a few days, then joined us again for a few nights. She watched all four kids for me while I was at work (they had a day off of school) and tried to teach them how to make her special chicken.
We have a couple weeks off and then my parents will be back out here! Ha!
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Lainey at 7 (overdue!)
Sweet, sweet Lainey!
Lainey is such a dear girl.
She is truly a big blessing to me!
She is a wonderful helper, kind, self motivated, honest, and responsible.
I'm really so thankful for her. She's grown and matured a lot this year.
She had a wonderful first grade teacher last year and really enjoys school.
She reads well and over the summer has discovered the joy of chapter books!
She loves babies as much as I do and will fight me to hold any baby
we get a chance to spend time with!
She has many baby dolls and really loves them.
I bought her a weighted, lifelike doll for her birthday (6 lbs).
She carries her everywhere.
She takes a baby doll to every soccer session she dragged to (there are MANY)
and often brings her back carrier or a carseat for her dolls.
I love seeing her be a little girl.
She's such a sweet, mature helper but still a little girl.
I'm glad to see her sense of pretend mature and develop.
She started piano lessons this year and is a natural.
She LOVES piano and never once have I had to remind her to practice.
She hates playing soccer (ha!) and sticks to climate controlled, non-running sports.
She loves both swimming and gymnastics.
She participated on our local swim team this summer and does about 1 hour
of gymnastics a week, most of the year.
She is 49.5 inches tall and 53 pounds
She is STRONG and muscular!
She loves watching my crossfit classes and has a huge
desire to be as strong as possible.
I must say, I'm quite proud to have my dear daughter watching me
lift weights and fight for a healthy body.
She is much stronger than I am and can whip out pull-ups and
do a legless rope climb with very little effort. :)
Lainey is a true blessing to me!
I am very thankful for her and hope she always knows how deeply she is loved!
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Grandparent Camp
This is the first summer I haven't been back to Wisconsin since moving out east 9 years ago. I really enjoy going home in the summer, but this year, our trip to KS/NE took place of that. Mom and Dad pitched the idea of having Erik and Lainey come out on their own. This meant they had to fly on their own! Luckily, they love to fly and that idea didn't phase them at all.
They had a great week with Mom and Dad. Here are a few photos from their week of fishing, go-carting, painting, swimming, baking, etc. They had a wonderful time and weren't homesick at all!
The little boys and I had a nice time at home too. It was fun to let Carson 'be in charge" for a little bit. He is a homebody, so didn't want to anything too big. He is just happy to stay home and play (my sweet boy!). We went bowling, went out to eat, went to the pool, played at a local beach.
It was a great week for all of us, I'm thankful for my kids loving grandparents! (Grandma Sandy too!)
They had a great week with Mom and Dad. Here are a few photos from their week of fishing, go-carting, painting, swimming, baking, etc. They had a wonderful time and weren't homesick at all!
The little boys and I had a nice time at home too. It was fun to let Carson 'be in charge" for a little bit. He is a homebody, so didn't want to anything too big. He is just happy to stay home and play (my sweet boy!). We went bowling, went out to eat, went to the pool, played at a local beach.
It was a great week for all of us, I'm thankful for my kids loving grandparents! (Grandma Sandy too!)
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Kansas/Nebraska
The kids and I spent 8 days traveling. It was definitely work but the kids did really well!
We flew into Nebraska to spent a couple of days with my dad's family. Three of my aunts and uncles, a number of cousins, and my almost-92 year old grandpa live in Nebraska still. It was really nice to see everyone! I haven't had all four kids to KS/NE ever so it was a much needed trip! In Nebraska we ate lots of yummy food, explored the Lincoln Zoo, Lainey went rock climbing, and I fit in a soggy 7 mile run.
The entire trip was inspired by my Grandma Baker's 90th birthday. So after a couple days in Nebraska we headed to Kansas City. We spent 4 full days in Kansas. Lots of time with family and food.
The last full day the kids and I went to downtown Kansas City and explored there. We went to Kaleidescope (Hallmark's kid place), ate at Fritz's (train delivers your food), met up with Aunt Barbara and head to the aquarium, then walked over to union station and explored the train display and a science museum (fun!).
Our flight home had a pit stop in Tennessee. I am a very experienced flyer but phew was that ride bumpy. There was a huge thunder and lightening storm over Kansas City the morning we flew out. I thought our flight would be delayed. It wasn't. Instead it was rerouted south. So so bumpy. Poor Kyle yelled and hollered until he fell asleep. Haha! Erik and Lainey will be doing a solo flight soon - so they were sitting across the aisle. I'm happy to say they handled it like champs. Carson hated the turbulence as much as Kyle and I did but he just sat quietly while squeezing my hand to pieces. :)
I'm thankful for my family! So blessed to have two living and healthy grandparents in their 90s! And thankful to be able to spend some time with them this summer!
We flew into Nebraska to spent a couple of days with my dad's family. Three of my aunts and uncles, a number of cousins, and my almost-92 year old grandpa live in Nebraska still. It was really nice to see everyone! I haven't had all four kids to KS/NE ever so it was a much needed trip! In Nebraska we ate lots of yummy food, explored the Lincoln Zoo, Lainey went rock climbing, and I fit in a soggy 7 mile run.
The entire trip was inspired by my Grandma Baker's 90th birthday. So after a couple days in Nebraska we headed to Kansas City. We spent 4 full days in Kansas. Lots of time with family and food.
The last full day the kids and I went to downtown Kansas City and explored there. We went to Kaleidescope (Hallmark's kid place), ate at Fritz's (train delivers your food), met up with Aunt Barbara and head to the aquarium, then walked over to union station and explored the train display and a science museum (fun!).
Our flight home had a pit stop in Tennessee. I am a very experienced flyer but phew was that ride bumpy. There was a huge thunder and lightening storm over Kansas City the morning we flew out. I thought our flight would be delayed. It wasn't. Instead it was rerouted south. So so bumpy. Poor Kyle yelled and hollered until he fell asleep. Haha! Erik and Lainey will be doing a solo flight soon - so they were sitting across the aisle. I'm happy to say they handled it like champs. Carson hated the turbulence as much as Kyle and I did but he just sat quietly while squeezing my hand to pieces. :)
I'm thankful for my family! So blessed to have two living and healthy grandparents in their 90s! And thankful to be able to spend some time with them this summer!
Grandpa Williams
Grandma Baker
Lainey and Reid
My kids and my cousin Jill youngest two kids -
playing at Janet and Dennis' house and
exploring the zoo
Travel day
Grandpa Williams and four of many greatgrandkis
Trains in Kansas
Lainey rock wall climbing with Alexa
She made it to the top of a 42 foot wall twice
Meeting up with my friend Diana from high school -
she lives in OH, I live in MD, we are from WI and met up inKS
Grandma's party
Sparklers at Barbara's on the 4th of July
Grandma and her greatgrandbabies (minus Jake)
It was quite the party!
All of my cousins, siblings (including Feifei), Aunts and Uncles were there
Plus most of my Grandma's nieces and nephews came!
Can't hardly imagine what her 100th birthday party will be like. :)
she lives in OH, I live in MD, we are from WI and met up inKS
It was quite the party!
All of my cousins, siblings (including Feifei), Aunts and Uncles were there
Plus most of my Grandma's nieces and nephews came!
Can't hardly imagine what her 100th birthday party will be like. :)
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Veil of Grief
Veil: (1) piece of fine material worn by women to conceal the face (noun)
(2) to cover, envelop, surround with as though with a veil (verb)
I think it's safe to say, that grief has clung close to me during the past 4-5 years. Losing Daron was a bit of a soul crushing experience. He died just over two years ago, but was sick for 2.5 years prior to that, and grief was chasing me that whole time. It was just hard. Plain and simple.
Then as soon as Daron passed, my husband started immediately acting out, ultimately leaving the kids and I over a year ago. Grief again. Losing a spouse to sin, somehow doesn't seem to compare to the grief losing a young brother to cancer, but it is still hard. Pressing through that grief requires a different skill set. I was okay, better than I expected, but I was barely through the deep grief of losing Daron and immediately required to pull it together so I could help my kids through their own grief. Hard. Plain and simple.
I don't think it's possible to live on this earth and escape grief. It touches us all. And it's always hard. But it doesn't last forever. Thank you Lord!
One thing that really suffered after losing Daron and Victor was my running. I just simply couldn't run. I don't know exactly why, but I couldn't. When I would try to run it felt like my feet were made of cement and my heart would physically hurt.
During the past 2-3 months, I've been able to run again!! Today, I conquered a 5 mile run in hot, steamy weather. I'm not fast, but I can do it again. This leaves me feeling thankful and triumphant. It feels like the veil of grief has finally stepped aside for a bit and I am free again.
Thank you Lord for carrying me through this valley. Thank you Lord for the friends, neighbors, teachers, childcare providers, pastor, church, and family who have helped my through these challenging years.
I am so very thankful for my life, even the hard parts. Gods love has been poured out on us in tangible ways. I hope to live a life that brings glory to God and that he will use me to walk along others and bring hope and joy into others during periods of grief (like so many who did that for me). And pray that I won't lose sight of His goodness during future trials and walks with grief.
(2) to cover, envelop, surround with as though with a veil (verb)
I think it's safe to say, that grief has clung close to me during the past 4-5 years. Losing Daron was a bit of a soul crushing experience. He died just over two years ago, but was sick for 2.5 years prior to that, and grief was chasing me that whole time. It was just hard. Plain and simple.
Then as soon as Daron passed, my husband started immediately acting out, ultimately leaving the kids and I over a year ago. Grief again. Losing a spouse to sin, somehow doesn't seem to compare to the grief losing a young brother to cancer, but it is still hard. Pressing through that grief requires a different skill set. I was okay, better than I expected, but I was barely through the deep grief of losing Daron and immediately required to pull it together so I could help my kids through their own grief. Hard. Plain and simple.
I don't think it's possible to live on this earth and escape grief. It touches us all. And it's always hard. But it doesn't last forever. Thank you Lord!
One thing that really suffered after losing Daron and Victor was my running. I just simply couldn't run. I don't know exactly why, but I couldn't. When I would try to run it felt like my feet were made of cement and my heart would physically hurt.
During the past 2-3 months, I've been able to run again!! Today, I conquered a 5 mile run in hot, steamy weather. I'm not fast, but I can do it again. This leaves me feeling thankful and triumphant. It feels like the veil of grief has finally stepped aside for a bit and I am free again.
Thank you Lord for carrying me through this valley. Thank you Lord for the friends, neighbors, teachers, childcare providers, pastor, church, and family who have helped my through these challenging years.
I am so very thankful for my life, even the hard parts. Gods love has been poured out on us in tangible ways. I hope to live a life that brings glory to God and that he will use me to walk along others and bring hope and joy into others during periods of grief (like so many who did that for me). And pray that I won't lose sight of His goodness during future trials and walks with grief.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Erik's sense of humor
Erik is my quiet kid.
But he loves a good joke and handles sarcasm really well.
Yesterday, he cracked me up with his quiet humor.
He had a soccer game, at a local field we don't play at often.
It's in a small "town" called Hollywood.
On our way there, Erik asked casually, " Mom, am I on travel soccer?"
He has try outs for this coming up.
I said, "No, why? Your try-outs are later this week."
He responds, " Well, then why do I have to travel so far for my soccer game. You said it was in Hollywood (referencing Hollywood, CA)."
Hahaha! Good one buddy.
A few minutes later, as we pulled into the soccer field, he reads the sign that says, " Hollywood Soccer Complex."
Instead of reading the word complex as a noun; he read/ennunciated it as an adjective. He did this as a joke and said, "Yep. Guess this place really is complex."
Silly guy! Love it when his sense of humor surfaces.
But he loves a good joke and handles sarcasm really well.
Yesterday, he cracked me up with his quiet humor.
He had a soccer game, at a local field we don't play at often.
It's in a small "town" called Hollywood.
On our way there, Erik asked casually, " Mom, am I on travel soccer?"
He has try outs for this coming up.
I said, "No, why? Your try-outs are later this week."
He responds, " Well, then why do I have to travel so far for my soccer game. You said it was in Hollywood (referencing Hollywood, CA)."
Hahaha! Good one buddy.
A few minutes later, as we pulled into the soccer field, he reads the sign that says, " Hollywood Soccer Complex."
Instead of reading the word complex as a noun; he read/ennunciated it as an adjective. He did this as a joke and said, "Yep. Guess this place really is complex."
Silly guy! Love it when his sense of humor surfaces.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Recurrent Strep
So strep throat seems to have found our house and decided it likes us. So annoying and hits at very inconvenient times!
Our first round was in late December. Two days before flying to WI. Lainey tested positive; Kyle and I both developed symptoms and were treated.
Second round was in March. Same week that Lainey was hit with a golf club, breaking her maxilla. All three boys had it - but I didn't take anyone in until we were five days into the ordeal because only Carson developed super high fevers. Lainey was also on antibiotics due to the fracture.
Third round - Memorial Day weekend -starting 24 hours after Erik breaks off half his tooth. Lainey and Kyle have tested positive. Carson seems fine so far. Erik is also on Amoxicillin due to his tooth injury. I swear I have it, but my rapid test was negative (and done under the table) so no antibiotics for me, yet.
I hope this is it! If it strike again, I might ask that we all get a Rocephin shot and hopefully get rid of it for good?! New experience for us.
Never boring. That's for sure!
Our first round was in late December. Two days before flying to WI. Lainey tested positive; Kyle and I both developed symptoms and were treated.
Second round was in March. Same week that Lainey was hit with a golf club, breaking her maxilla. All three boys had it - but I didn't take anyone in until we were five days into the ordeal because only Carson developed super high fevers. Lainey was also on antibiotics due to the fracture.
Third round - Memorial Day weekend -starting 24 hours after Erik breaks off half his tooth. Lainey and Kyle have tested positive. Carson seems fine so far. Erik is also on Amoxicillin due to his tooth injury. I swear I have it, but my rapid test was negative (and done under the table) so no antibiotics for me, yet.
I hope this is it! If it strike again, I might ask that we all get a Rocephin shot and hopefully get rid of it for good?! New experience for us.
Never boring. That's for sure!
Friday, May 27, 2016
Daily Snapshots
5th kid
Broken tooth
Temporary crown, after braving 2.5 hours in the dentist chair
Scout feeling left out
Sick baby
Silly boy
Erik was top dog (student of the month)
All three kids have been selected once this year - Yay!
A well loved dog
Good friends, despite the size difference
Hard being two
Rock wall at school
40 years/One Year
5/26/2016
This marks one year since I realized Victor had decided to continue the affair, supposedly stopped in early March of 2015. This marks the day my marriage ended. One year ago, I was devastated, scared, embarrassed, and angry. We'd been in counseling for 8 months. I'd worked SO hard at trying to be the best wife possible. V had made steps that indicated to both me and our counselor that he was invested too. But 5/26/15 he stopped pretending. He admitted to a lunch date with his girlfriend that day; immediately after he had met with our counselor individually for accountability. It was a day I had spent cleaning up piles of vomit, only one day after being sick myself. Not a great day.
But here I am, one year later. Still standing! And standing tall, with my head held high, when not on my knees praying! The kids and I have formed a tight bond. It wasn't an easy transition (poor, poor Erik really struggled) but with hard work, counseling, help from friends and family when needed, and prayer we made it!
It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I am confident that the kids and I are all much happier than we were a year ago. Peace has been restored to our home that had been gone for years.
I didn't realize until Victor forced an ending to our marriage how stressful our house had been. It was stressful! Partially due to four small babies and losing my brother; but really exacerbated by a struggling marriage/super unhappy spouse/Dad.
Is this were I wanted to be 15 months ago? No way. Do I think our marriage could have survived and thrived?! Absolutely. But that wasn't possible when only one person was invested.
Are the kids and I happy, healthy, and very blessed?! Absolutely.
I come away from this year, feeling so grateful for the many, many blessing in my life! I am a happy, healthy, have a great job, and four of the best kids on the planet. So little to complain about over here!
I do anticipate some bumps during the next 1-2 years as presumably our separation will lead to divorce. Please pray for continued PEACE, that my kids will stay safe, and God's direction/presence will be obvious during that transition. Thank you!
5/29/2016
This marks 40 years that my parents have been married! 40 years!! Now that's an accomplishment. Was their marriage an easy one? No way! But they are both hard working, honest, kind, and stubborn people - who stuck it out through the best and worst of days. Forty years has required a lot of work and compromise, but doing so has left them with a peaceful, fulfilling relationship - friends still after forty years.
I am so proud and thankful!
Good job Mom and Dad.
This marks one year since I realized Victor had decided to continue the affair, supposedly stopped in early March of 2015. This marks the day my marriage ended. One year ago, I was devastated, scared, embarrassed, and angry. We'd been in counseling for 8 months. I'd worked SO hard at trying to be the best wife possible. V had made steps that indicated to both me and our counselor that he was invested too. But 5/26/15 he stopped pretending. He admitted to a lunch date with his girlfriend that day; immediately after he had met with our counselor individually for accountability. It was a day I had spent cleaning up piles of vomit, only one day after being sick myself. Not a great day.
But here I am, one year later. Still standing! And standing tall, with my head held high, when not on my knees praying! The kids and I have formed a tight bond. It wasn't an easy transition (poor, poor Erik really struggled) but with hard work, counseling, help from friends and family when needed, and prayer we made it!
It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I am confident that the kids and I are all much happier than we were a year ago. Peace has been restored to our home that had been gone for years.
I didn't realize until Victor forced an ending to our marriage how stressful our house had been. It was stressful! Partially due to four small babies and losing my brother; but really exacerbated by a struggling marriage/super unhappy spouse/Dad.
Is this were I wanted to be 15 months ago? No way. Do I think our marriage could have survived and thrived?! Absolutely. But that wasn't possible when only one person was invested.
Are the kids and I happy, healthy, and very blessed?! Absolutely.
I come away from this year, feeling so grateful for the many, many blessing in my life! I am a happy, healthy, have a great job, and four of the best kids on the planet. So little to complain about over here!
I do anticipate some bumps during the next 1-2 years as presumably our separation will lead to divorce. Please pray for continued PEACE, that my kids will stay safe, and God's direction/presence will be obvious during that transition. Thank you!
5/29/2016
This marks 40 years that my parents have been married! 40 years!! Now that's an accomplishment. Was their marriage an easy one? No way! But they are both hard working, honest, kind, and stubborn people - who stuck it out through the best and worst of days. Forty years has required a lot of work and compromise, but doing so has left them with a peaceful, fulfilling relationship - friends still after forty years.
I am so proud and thankful!
Good job Mom and Dad.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Notable Quotes - Erik and Lainey
Victor took the kids over night for the second time since he left almost a year ago. On my way to drop them off with him yesterday afternoon, I reminded them that they would be spending the night with him and I would see them tomorrow.
Erik immediately responded, " Wow Mom! That will be a great opportunity for you to clean."
Haha! I chuckled a bit to myself.
Before I could respond Lainey pipes up from the back seat, " Wow, the house will be so quiet Mom!"
I said, "Yes, it will be quiet. I will miss you guys!"
She followed up with, "But at least when you clean the house will stay clean for a day. "
Hahahaha! Oh my sweet kids!
They had a nice time. I did clean, grocery shop, and mow but I also went out for dinner and drinks with friends last night and slept in this morning. I did miss them very much and was so thankful to hear their happy shrieks as they ran to greet me this evening.
Phew! 24 hours without my kiddos is long enough, for sure!
Erik immediately responded, " Wow Mom! That will be a great opportunity for you to clean."
Haha! I chuckled a bit to myself.
Before I could respond Lainey pipes up from the back seat, " Wow, the house will be so quiet Mom!"
I said, "Yes, it will be quiet. I will miss you guys!"
She followed up with, "But at least when you clean the house will stay clean for a day. "
Hahahaha! Oh my sweet kids!
They had a nice time. I did clean, grocery shop, and mow but I also went out for dinner and drinks with friends last night and slept in this morning. I did miss them very much and was so thankful to hear their happy shrieks as they ran to greet me this evening.
Phew! 24 hours without my kiddos is long enough, for sure!
34 - Daron's Cake
My dear brother Daron, would be 34 today if he were still here.
Oh how I miss that brother of mine!
Copycatting my Aunt Janet, I have decided to make a cake on/around his birthday each year and give it to someone who has been important in our lives or needs a boost.
The kids and I were a bit of a scrappy team at the beginning of the school year. I am so thankful that all three kids have had wonderful teachers this year!!! They have been such a blessing to our family!
Erik was especially struggling last summer. He seemed affected the most by Victor leaving plus he had a really not-nice teacher for the first three quarters of 1st grade (which left him hating school).
I can't really express how thankful I am for the teacher's they have this year. Erik once again enjoys school. Not once have I heard him complain about a day at school this year. I am SO thankful for that!!!
Since all the teachers have been wonderful, I decided to share this tradition with all of them.
Carson's teachers were - Mrs. Santos and Mrs. Leget (full time aide in the pre-k class).
Lainey has Mrs. Gruber (the same first grade teacher that Erik was switched into for the last quarter of his first grade year. She is wonderful.)
Erik has Mrs. Augustin.
Daron's favorite cake is a poppyseed cake with caramel frosting and a custard "filling." This is quite a time consuming process! I really wasn't impressed with my results this year (might need to make it more than once a year), but I decided the results weren't really that important.
Below is a photo of Erik, Lainey, and Carson with their wonderful teachers. (Don't be fooled by Erik's scowl. He likes his teacher a lot; he doesn't like photos.)
Mrs. Santos has taught all three of them in pre-k! (The 2nd one, on the left.)
She has taught all three of my kids to read!
Oh how I miss that brother of mine!
Copycatting my Aunt Janet, I have decided to make a cake on/around his birthday each year and give it to someone who has been important in our lives or needs a boost.
The kids and I were a bit of a scrappy team at the beginning of the school year. I am so thankful that all three kids have had wonderful teachers this year!!! They have been such a blessing to our family!
Erik was especially struggling last summer. He seemed affected the most by Victor leaving plus he had a really not-nice teacher for the first three quarters of 1st grade (which left him hating school).
I can't really express how thankful I am for the teacher's they have this year. Erik once again enjoys school. Not once have I heard him complain about a day at school this year. I am SO thankful for that!!!
Since all the teachers have been wonderful, I decided to share this tradition with all of them.
Carson's teachers were - Mrs. Santos and Mrs. Leget (full time aide in the pre-k class).
Lainey has Mrs. Gruber (the same first grade teacher that Erik was switched into for the last quarter of his first grade year. She is wonderful.)
Erik has Mrs. Augustin.
Daron's favorite cake is a poppyseed cake with caramel frosting and a custard "filling." This is quite a time consuming process! I really wasn't impressed with my results this year (might need to make it more than once a year), but I decided the results weren't really that important.
Below is a photo of Erik, Lainey, and Carson with their wonderful teachers. (Don't be fooled by Erik's scowl. He likes his teacher a lot; he doesn't like photos.)
She has taught all three of my kids to read!
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
1 month
My kids get out of school one month from today.
That means this is my last month that I will have Carson home in the afternoon. I love spending time with that little guy. While Kyle sleeps we are able to play card games, soccer, puzzles, read books, etc. I don't spend the whole nap time with Carson because exercising, cooking, laundry, and cleaning need to get done too; but I always make a point to spend 20-30 minutes of quality time with him.
I can't believe next fall I will be sending him off to school all day too.
I think he will be ready but I'm not.
He is a my sweet, tender little kid.
He also loves to be home and doesn't like crowds at all.
I am both nervous and sad about sending him off to kindergarten.
If he gets a kind, organized teacher it will be great!
If he gets a loud, disorganized teacher who likes to yell (there are some in the kindergarten) he will hate it.
I remember feeling super nervous sending Erik to kindergarten. (But not so sad as he was almost 6 and had three younger siblings at home.)
I felt okay sending Lainey to kindergarten. She is a confident student and loves school. Even though she was a young five, she was ready.
So hard to believe, that my crazy toddler/baby days are over!
I LOVE the phase my kids are in now and hope it doesn't go by so quickly.
HEre's to the last month!
Let each day I get to be home with my buddy be a good one!
That means this is my last month that I will have Carson home in the afternoon. I love spending time with that little guy. While Kyle sleeps we are able to play card games, soccer, puzzles, read books, etc. I don't spend the whole nap time with Carson because exercising, cooking, laundry, and cleaning need to get done too; but I always make a point to spend 20-30 minutes of quality time with him.
I can't believe next fall I will be sending him off to school all day too.
I think he will be ready but I'm not.
He is a my sweet, tender little kid.
He also loves to be home and doesn't like crowds at all.
I am both nervous and sad about sending him off to kindergarten.
If he gets a kind, organized teacher it will be great!
If he gets a loud, disorganized teacher who likes to yell (there are some in the kindergarten) he will hate it.
I remember feeling super nervous sending Erik to kindergarten. (But not so sad as he was almost 6 and had three younger siblings at home.)
I felt okay sending Lainey to kindergarten. She is a confident student and loves school. Even though she was a young five, she was ready.
So hard to believe, that my crazy toddler/baby days are over!
I LOVE the phase my kids are in now and hope it doesn't go by so quickly.
HEre's to the last month!
Let each day I get to be home with my buddy be a good one!
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Kyle at 2.5 years old!
Oh Kyle is my spitfire!
He is such a hilarious kid.
He is either in a great mood or an awful mood.
Thankfully, the good moods are starting to outweigh the bad moods (60/40).
He is a joker and thinks "potty language" is hilarious.
He loves people and is very extroverted.
He goes to a daycare 3-4 mornings a month and does well.
He tends to play with a 4 year old named Macy. One day when I went to pick him up, they were pretending to be married. Last week they were cooking soup and pizza. Ha!
Kyle has a very amazing imagination.
Most of his pretend play involves fighting something. He LOVES swords.
Kyle loves passionately!
He is the biggest momma's boy I've ever met and would like to be carried all day long. Still.
He loves Lainey and Scout almost as much as he loves me. Ha! (Thankfully Scout is the most tolerant puppy ever and puts up with his passionate affection.)
Kyle has some anxiety too.
Generally it's being left behind and sleeping alone.
I battled with him over staying in his bed at night for about 6 months.
I've never, ever had a kid sleep in my bed and have been quite opposed to it.
BUT you learn something new with each kid.
Unlike my other kids, who tolerated being "trapped" in their rooms at night after being transitioned out of their cribs, this created utter panic for Kyle. But, without his door being locked, he would be in and out of his bed all night long. I tried everything - including switching his room - so he now shares with Carson. Nothing worked. So finally, after talking to my friend Julie White who is also a single mom, I caved. So for the past month or so, if he wakes at night (probably does 5 nights a week), and it's after I am in bed, I just let him climb in and snuggle with me.
It's really helped his overall demeanor I think. He sleeps later in the mornings and is definitely more secure feeling at night. I think he has been more pleasant during the day as well.
Kyle is a fun loves, spirited little boy.
He loves people, has a clear idea of what is right vs wrong, and doesn't want to be left out of anything!
He makes me smile and never lets me forget how deeply I am loved! :)
He is a riot and I am very thankful he is mine!
He is such a hilarious kid.
He is either in a great mood or an awful mood.
Thankfully, the good moods are starting to outweigh the bad moods (60/40).
He is a joker and thinks "potty language" is hilarious.
He loves people and is very extroverted.
He goes to a daycare 3-4 mornings a month and does well.
He tends to play with a 4 year old named Macy. One day when I went to pick him up, they were pretending to be married. Last week they were cooking soup and pizza. Ha!
Kyle has a very amazing imagination.
Most of his pretend play involves fighting something. He LOVES swords.
Kyle loves passionately!
He is the biggest momma's boy I've ever met and would like to be carried all day long. Still.
He loves Lainey and Scout almost as much as he loves me. Ha! (Thankfully Scout is the most tolerant puppy ever and puts up with his passionate affection.)
Kyle has some anxiety too.
Generally it's being left behind and sleeping alone.
I battled with him over staying in his bed at night for about 6 months.
I've never, ever had a kid sleep in my bed and have been quite opposed to it.
BUT you learn something new with each kid.
Unlike my other kids, who tolerated being "trapped" in their rooms at night after being transitioned out of their cribs, this created utter panic for Kyle. But, without his door being locked, he would be in and out of his bed all night long. I tried everything - including switching his room - so he now shares with Carson. Nothing worked. So finally, after talking to my friend Julie White who is also a single mom, I caved. So for the past month or so, if he wakes at night (probably does 5 nights a week), and it's after I am in bed, I just let him climb in and snuggle with me.
It's really helped his overall demeanor I think. He sleeps later in the mornings and is definitely more secure feeling at night. I think he has been more pleasant during the day as well.
Kyle is a fun loves, spirited little boy.
He loves people, has a clear idea of what is right vs wrong, and doesn't want to be left out of anything!
He makes me smile and never lets me forget how deeply I am loved! :)
He is a riot and I am very thankful he is mine!
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