Future Fireman

This morning we headed out to Green Valley to see auntie Cari and Uncle Brian. Jackson walked right in and made himself at home. He asked if he found see the guy upstairs which we all chuckled when we realized he was asking for Zippy the hamster who lives upstairs in Jack's room.

He had so much fun playing and we had fun catching up and marveling at the fact that this was the same little boy who was in speech. We ended our fun morning with a little dress up in Uncle Brian's gear. Jackson had a blast and we captured some sweet photos of him. 

100

Happy 100th Day of School! Being a former kindergarten and 1st grade teacher I knew what a big deal this was. The kids woke up early with such excitement and surprise 100 shirts made by mommy.  They could not wait to get to school to show off their projects.  

Emmeline made a sparkly heart with 100 glued on jewels and Caden used 100 Legos to make the  number 100. 

They came out of class at the end of the day with cute hats, treats, and some super fun homework! They could not stop telling me what a great day it was. They were super disappointed that they won't get to 200 days of kindergarten, but were excited to hear that after 180 they are on summer break. 

Pj's and bears

I have been super lucky the past two days with school outfits. Thursday Jack had pj day at school and Friday the Twins had pj day at theirs. It made for a super easy morning. The kids giggled all the way to school and were so excited to show Ms. Mildred the crossing guard their jams and bear.

Caden checked with his teacher about bringing another friend to school. This week Caden brought home Sparky from Awanas and he was able to hang out in kindergarten. 

I survived

Tonight I survived my second wrestling practice. It wasn't as bad as the first, but my nose may never be the same and I'm convinced I'm going to have ring worm after sitting on the mats. Enduring the smell was all worth it to see this cutie in his singlet and doing his drills. 

Chores

As much as I hate that they are growing up so fast, it is pretty cute to see them being so responsible. The kids are so excited to help clean. I will take it while I can. I won't mention how many Legos I heard being sucked up, but it's a good lesson I suppose. 

Brightest Eyes

Today was PJ day at preschool and this boy thought it was the coolest thing to go to school in his jams. 

The kids enjoyed some yummy pancakes for snack. Between making the pancakes I peeked out to see Jackson sitting with Madison. Madison's mommy mentioned to me that Madison has a little crush on Jackson and talks about him all the time. I also learned Miss Madison is the one who gave Jackson the nickname Jackie. I was trying to figure out where that came from. 

After snack the kids paraded around with their stuffed animals and then sat so patiently to hear what award their pet won. 

Little Miss Kitty is the proud recipient of the Brightest Eyes Award. Jackson was so proud. After class he showed off his drawing of kitty and his name. He is getting so good we just have to work on remembering the letter k. 

Two Wheels

It's official we have two kids riding their bikes on two wheels. They were resistant at first, but they hopped on and tried. They did super and picked it up quickly. Emmeline can now start by herself and Caden is a little speed demon. Now we just need to work on the important skill of turning while riding.  It's kind of sad that it's one less thing that they need us for, but we are so proud of them! 

The Joys of Having a Big Sister

I walked into a bathroom full of giggles and this.

I love how sweet they are together. Jackson adores his big sister and drives her crazy. They had so much fun doing nails. Jackson enjoyed it so much he asked for his toe nails as well. 

Don't you love his bright pink nails? Moments like these melt my heart. I can't wait to remind them of this when they are older. 

Amazed

 Every 3 months we hold our breath as my Dad goes in for his next scan. Today his doctor came in all smiles and amazed. She can not get over how well he is doing. They gave him 2-3 years just about 2 1/2 years ago. Today we are singing praises that he is feeling so well and that there is no growth in the tumor. While we wish it was shrinking we are so thrilled with the current results.

All Slicked Up

It may have taken some bribery with a lollipop and the promise of a ring pop, but this boy sat for a hair cut without having to be held down. The lady could not get over how well he did. We had only a few tears at the very end when she used the clippers around his ears. It went so well that they may let us go when other kids are there. I seriously could not believe this was my kid. I left without being a sweaty mess from holding him down.

Moving In

The kids are so excited for moving day. The inside is done minus a few chalkboards, cork board, and the lights. The kids are having a blast. I love looking out the window to see them playing.

Resolutions

Our memory jar is switched over and ready to be filled this year. It was fun to go back and read through the year. There some heartbreaking moments in 2014 and a lot of highlights. In our 2015 jar I decided to add our resolutions so I can look at them over the years. I hit the kids in on making a resolution? I decided to keep it simple and we came up with the same one for all 3 of them. Their resolution is to not eat McDonalds for a year. This one will be pretty easy thanks to some brainwashing from mommy. If you ask them they will tell you McDonalds gives them diarrhea. Sorry aRonald McDonald! I am wanting to add to cut red food dye from their diet. It won't be a big change except fruit snacks and m&m's. I found Motts makes fruit snakes using fruit and vegetable dyes. I don't know that cutting the dye out will make a big difference, but it might be interesting. 

My resolution this year is going to be tough. I am going to work on being truly present wherever I am and with whatever I'm doing. I'm hoping this will help with my sleep. I'm really going to focus on saying no and not taking on every project and trying to do it all. I throw so much on my plate that I feel like I'm not fully present when I'm doing something. In the back of my head I'm thinking of my next task and   project. I put it out here so you all can remind me and keep me accountable. Happy 2015!

It's a....

GIRL!!! We were so excited to have dinner Sunday night with J, Cory, Mere, and Jeff to hear the big news. We were off the radar in the snow when they found out so we thought it would be fun to have a fun reveal together the next day. We couldn't wait until dinner was over and did the big announcement before we ate. With how sick Aunt Cory was, I was predicting girl. Emmeline is over the moon and is telling everyone she is getting a baby sister which then leads to eyebrows and looks my way. We can't wait to meet Baby Girl S in June! She is already loved by so many!

NYE 2015

I love Christmas, but I look forward to NYE and this year I was even more excited! The DeTars once again hosted an AMAZING dinner and the kids all hung out just down the road at the Schroeders' house. I'm not sure whose idea it was, but it was brilliant. I'm not sure the 3 babysitters really thought it was great, but we were some happy parents for a few hours. The adults dined a great meal and sipped on sone great drinks and wine. We ended the evening with dessert bar and some fun games. We rang in the new year on east coast time and that was just fine with all of us and our little early risers. I love hanging out with these girls and their husbands. We really should try to do this more than I can a year.