Happy birthday baby girl!

Kiley,

I always like to say better late than never... it's not that I forgot about your birthday letter, it's just that well, life happens and before you know it, it's August! But I've been thinking about it and hope you always know how much we love you and think about you constantly.

Two months ago, you turned the big 0-5. Wow. I simply cannot believe where the time has gone.

I love to watch you learn and grow each and every day. You are such a bright spot in our day. Whenever I suggest we do something, you are so eager to learn more about it, ask questions, and give it a try. You still love to be with us and that is something I've been trying to cherish each and every day... because I know there will come a time, probably in the not so distant future, that you will rather be with your friends. But for now, I'm going to soak you up.

One of my favorite moments with you is in the mornings each day. I'll be getting ready for work in our bathroom, and I can always tell when you're coming... the door handle turns ever so slightly as you try to hold onto all of your things while entering. You trudge in with your two blankets in hand and usually your giant stuffed dog Popcorn or your little pink stuffed kitty 'Earring'. You walk right past me, with your crazy hair and scrunched up face, and lay down in Scott's closet. You just lay there and watch me get ready, just content to be close to me. Some mothers might get annoyed that they have no private time, but honestly, I love to just be close to you too.

Another favorite moment of my day is when I pick you up from school. You sometimes just hear my voice or a friend mentions that I'm there and you immediately drop everything you're doing and run into my arms. It is the best feeling in the world.

Finally, I love to enjoy various adventures with you---going to Valley Fair, the movies, or a play... you have so much energy sometimes and excitement that you can hardly contain yourself. It's why we keep a healthy stock of bandaids on hand. When you get excited about something, you do this hop-jump-skip thing, like your body just can't control itself, and often times you get hurt. But it's super cute at the same time.

In just a few short weeks, you'll be off to kindergarten, and I know things will start to change. You're going to learn so much, get overwhelmed, make amazing new friends, and have a lot of new experiences. It makes me sad to think about how quickly you are growing up, but I'm so excited for you too. I can't wait to watch you thrive and see what you become.

Happy 5th birthday!
Mom

Are we there yet?

Ever since I decided I wanted kids, I longed to hear those words.

I have such wonderful memories taking family vacations, getting in the car and driving somewhere... whether it was our family reunion in Tennesse or a cabin up North. We would spend time in the car playing license plate tag or the ABC game, I Spy, or just listening and singing to music.

My how times have changed.

We headed out to California for an early Spring Break (#getmethehelloutofminnesotaitsfreakingcold) a couple weeks ago and one of the first things Jaxon asked me when I picked him up for school was, 'Mom, how many ipads did you bring?'.  He then did a mental count of how many hours it would take to get there and approximately when we'd be settled at the hotel so he could calculate how much time he'd have to play at the pool. Which I guess, I was pretty impressed with his math and ability to tell time, so I'll give him that.

It's interesting, I'm not sure when it happened, maybe it's just age and wisdom, but at some point we just totally lowered all expectations when it comes to trips like this. I mean, we booked our hotel two days before flying out, so that tells you either a) we are super disorganized or b) we are super fun people. I like to think it's the second one.

If you recall, from our previous experience with Disneyworld last year, I don't plan for much and whatever happens, happens. I mean, you can only plan so much when you're flying Spirit Airlines and there's a Measles outbreak a week before you go to Disneyland, right? You never know what is going to happen, so we figure always expect the worst and you'll be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't happen.

And we were.

We made it through the airport security and had some fun with the massage chair to kick off the trip. Really not sure how that blanket has survived this long...

The kids provided some positive thoughts and meditations as we landed. Really. No clue what that was about.

Spirit Airlines got an A+. I can't even complain about a single thing because a) the flight left on time, b) we got there early and c) my kids were pretty much complete angels (thank you to the TWO ipads, one leappad, countless snacks and Gatorade, and the very pleasant folks who put up with us around them).

Day at the Beach
On our first full day, after checking into our hotel complete with bunk beds for the kids, we headed to Denny's for some breakfast and then drove to the beach. We stopped to get a couple of towels because we figured we'd need them for after the kids swam in the ocean. Ha ha.

We went down to Crystal Cove, near Newport Beach. It's a state park on the beach with a cute little restaurant called the BeachComber. If you ever get a chance, go when it's a bit warmer, right at sunset, and have yourself a glass of pinot grigio on the deck..glorious. We did not do that.

We walked down to the beach- Kiley and I in sundresses, Scott and Jaxon in shorts and t-shirts. Everyone else-the other ten people- there were in winter parkas. It was about 65 degrees. We're from Minnesota. Clearly.

It was fun watching the kids skip rocks, chase seagulls, and look for the best seashell.

Then we drove up to Newport Beach and meandered through some shops and arcades, had some ice cream and ribs, and headed back to the hotel for a nap.
















Later that night we enjoyed some authentic Korean BBQ.
 

 














Disneyland and California Adventure
On Friday, we bought a parkhopper pass and went to CA Adventure and Disney. While there were quite a few rides closed, we were able to meet some of Kiley's favorite characters, play in the snow with Olaf, ride the Carousel, eat cotton candy and ice cream, and even managed to trick the kids into going on a roller coaster. So fun!

 

 

Sacramento
The second half of our trip was just as fun as the first. We had rented a car and ended up driving to Sacramento. As I was getting my coffee in the morning from my favorite barista, I prayed she was wrong when she said it would take us 8 hours to get there. You never know with LA traffic.

It took us 6. Thank goodness!

And while I did hear, Are we There Yet, several times, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The kids were so excited to get there and see Carol and Jeri and play with their dog, they didn't seem to mind driving that far.

And what a welcome! We got to see almost all of the Hoods in a short amount of time, with a big dinner on Saturday night and lots of laughs watching Kiley and Ella playing together. It was like being wrapped up in a big giant hug- you can always feel so much love in that family.

The drive back to LA brought just some minor drama. Kiley must have gotten a little carsick... she started eating some beef jerky and then just out of nowhere threw up all over herself. I'm not going to lie. It was disgusting and made me question my ability to eat beef jerky in the near future. And I like jerky.

So Scott pulls over and by the side of the road we strip her down to nothing to clean her with the $1 handwipes I bought in the Target travel section thinking they might come in handy. They did.
Meanwhile, Jaxon says he needs to go to the bathroom. Bad.

So he ended up peeing off the side of the ditch.



I thought for sure one of those California highway patrol drones was going to come take pictures and mail us a ticket for indecency or at the very least disrupting traffic. But alas, we got cleaned up and headed to the good ole In n Out Burger for some lunch. Kiley seemed just fine, or perhaps it was the deliciousness of her burger, but either way, she ate that burger like a champ.

We eventually made it back to our hotel (the one we had just booked the night before, because we are fun), and hit the gym and hot tub. We left for dinner with Peter and his girlfriend and mom just in time to catch a few minutes of the local high speed police chase on TV and hit some good old LA traffic.

There's so much more I'm sure I'm leaving out.

 Like the $180 Scott spent on beef jerky. Finding a leaf as big as Kiley's head at California Adventure and hiding it so nobody would steal it while we played in the snow with Olaf. The stuffed bears the kids won at the arcade that now live with us. The amazing drive from LA to Sacramento and Pyramid Lake. The kids making Whinnie jump through hoops. The Childrens' Museum and driving in the torrential downpour (or atmospheric plume as the Californians like to dramatically call their rainfall). And the beautiful evening run Scott and I had together after the rain.

Those are the memories I'll have with me. I hope I can say the same for my kids too. Because family vacations are about so much more than where you go, or what you see, how many characters or castles you can check off your list.

They're about the little things along the way. The special treats. The people you're with. The simple moments that you might not take the time to notice in your normal everyday busy life.

 Because honestly, you can only plan so much. Through all of the twists and turns in our travels and in our lives, it's not about getting there. It's about enjoying the moments, perhaps even learning a thing or two, along the way and being with the ones we love.

Are we there yet? Probably not.... but we sure are having fun.

Christmas memories

Well, Christmas has come and gone, but not without lots of fun memories...

This year, Kiley had her KinderCare Christmas show... this girl loves to dress up, so she was super excited to wear her new holiday dress, complete with sparling tights and sparkling shoes. Jaxon was pretty proud of her and very impressed that she actually sang, er screamed, the music to Rudolph and Feliz Navidad. Let's just say, we had no trouble hearing Kiley. She's definitely come out of her shell (to the point I'd like to sometimes put her back in it).

 
We even managed to get a family shot this time. Kiley really just wanted to get after the cookies she knew were in the other room.














 
 
We headed up to West Fargo the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with the Walkers. There were a lot of serious games played...

bazingas with Grandma...
 



jokes and pranks from Jaxon...

and more dressing up from Kiley... 'aren't I pretty'?

 
The kids even took some time to put on a play for us- 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' with Zoe reading the script from her iphone. My how times have changed. I remember just making stuff up!

Jaxon was the Grinch of course and really got into it...

 

 After our weekend in Fargo, it was a much quieter and mellow time at home. It was different, but good. I'll remember a lot about this Christmas. I'll remember the sadness of now having two grandmas no longer with us and how different and strange it makes the holidays. I'll remember waking up in the middle of the night, wondering if Scott or I had moved Fred the elf and how we snuck downstairs to move him so the kids wouldn't think he was lazy. I'll remember the questions that started to come about whether or not Santa is real.  I'll also remember so much joy...

 

 Jaxon decided he best be believin' if he was going to get any presents from the big guy, so the kids once again this year put out some reindeer food for the furry friends. Notice- they are barely wearing jackets and there is no snow on the ground. I'll also remember this as a very brown Christmas :(

Once the reindeer were taken care of and could find their way, it was time to write some letters. Jaxon took care of writing a note to Fred, while Kiley wrote one to Santa, complete with many hearts...

 

The notes were carefully decorated, and placed with a plate of treats- carrots for Rudolph of course and cookies and pretzel rods for Santa. we also left him some Cotton Candy flavored milk. Because, I'm sure he gets sick of the regular stuff.

 

Christmas Eve we had a nice dinner- crab legs for Scott and I and Mac N Cheese for the kids. Delish. Then it was time to rip into some presents. A season of shopping, wrapping, and agonizing over finding an equal number of gifts for each kid was over in about ten minutes. Maybe 7.

But there were plenty of smiles. I think the highlight was a lava lamp for Jaxon. He could not believe it. They kids have been trying to win a lava lamp at PINZ for six months and are always a few thousand tickets short. Good thing for us, you can just buy them at Menards for $6.

Christmas morning came pretty quickly... the kids were up around 7 and Jaxon didn't even bother to put on a shirt. As we walked downstairs, I had flashbacks of when I was a kid and the magic of the lights twinkling on the tree, stockings filled to the brim with goodies, and presents galore. Then I heard, 'Hmm. That's all Santa brought us?"...

 

Yes. Santa has scaled back over the years. Get used to it son.

 

I am pretty sure the PS4 he got, more than made up for it though. He was pretty darn excited. Until someone in North Korea decided to hack into Sony Playstation and we couldn't actually use it for a week...

And Kiley got her 7 Disney Princesses... which I now spend my time putting shoes and crowns on...

 

 

All in all, it was a fun holiday season this year. And Scott and I were just thankful that Fred, our elf, left with Santa so we don't have to see him for another year!

 

 

 

 

Birthday Wishes

Dear Jaxon,

Happy 7th Birthday ( a few days late) to my sweet baby boy who is no longer a baby. You have given us seven amazing years of laughter, fun, and interesting questions. You've grown into a mini-Scott, always negotiating and sharing interesting facts and thoughts-sometimes can't tell if you've made them up or if you're just repeating what you've heard at school, but you're always very convincing, with a simple, 'I just know mom'.

I love that even though you are growing up and being faced with big ideas and things you shouldn't know yet from older kids on the bus or in the neighborhood, that you still have so much innocence and child-like wonder inside of you.

You still believe in Santa, Fred (our elf) and the Tooth Fairy (who hasn't come for you yet, but will soon I'm sure), and all the magic of non-existent creatures... you were adamant that you grew a half a foot overnight when you went from being 6 to being 7... and you never hesitate to remind others that you're now 7 and know just a little bit more than you used to.

You even somehow convinced us that it would be a good idea to have a birthday party full of boys at the local laser tag and then bring everyone back to our house for a sleepover. You definitely got your dad's negotiating skills. While I was really happy and excited for you, this was definitely one of those 'what the hell was I thinking' moments.

And when you got sick the next day and had a 103 degree fever, couldn't eat, and just wanted to cuddle, I was a little okay with that. I knew you'd be fine. We'd been through this a thousand times before... while your dad and I were worried for you and wanted to take away your discomfort in the worst way, it was really nice to be needed. To know that you still need hugs and kisses. For you to crawl in bed in between us for comfort and security all night. That you just wanted mom and dad.

That felt okay, I'm not gonna lie.

Well, for all the joy and love you bring us every day, we wish you a happy birthday bud. We love you so much!
Mom and Dad

Summer part 2

Well, it took me awhile to get into my account tonight. It's like if you haven't been on blogger for six months they try to kick you out or something. It's not the first time I've sat down to write since July, it's just that other things seem to always come up or get in the way, either in my thoughts or in real life. So this weekend I made it a goal to finish a post. I know I won't catch up and do the last six months justice by any means, but wanted to share and capture these photos and hopefully I can keep up again. No promises.

This collage is from one of our last summer memories. We went to Cedar Lake Camp in Canada at the end of August. How to describe it... it sure brought back a lot of memories that's for sure. And reminded me that you can't necessarily recreate memories and moments of joy that you remember from the past. You really have to make new memories, set new expectations, and enjoy each new moment as something completely different. It's not fair to compare one year at Cedar, for example, to this year. They're each their own memories, with different circumstances, different things going on in life.

No, it didn't totally suck. But, it was a different experience this year. The kids were older, which we thought might be a good thing. But it also meant they felt a new kind of confidence, rarely afraid of anything, which terrifies the hell out of me as a mother. I almost prefer to have to hold their hand and be there all the time- I'm still getting used to letting Jaxon go across the street on his own to be with his friends without me. It's hard to let go...

It also meant Kiley was more mobile this year at Cedar. The last time we were there with her, she was just barely learning to walk. Which meant we could cage her in her pack and play and work on jewelry or relax a bit. Not so much this time. She got a bug bite the first night we were there and her eye was swollen shut for a few days. Then a couple more bites on her arm that had me ready to go to the nearest community clinic. Neither really stopped her. She floated from making her own jewelry designs to making glitter glue pictures to coloring and painting and giving out stamps and stickers to anyone who did a good job. Girl kept us busy.

All in all though, it was a good trip. Looking back on this year, I'll remember the homemade ice cream, sno cones, fishing with Scott and my dad in the evenings, watching Jaxon be the 'net guy', the scavenger hunt that Zoe put together, guessing jelly beans,  campfires with S'mores, and of course, watching Frozen and singing 'Let it Go'. I'll also remember the border crossing and barely getting Zoe into Canada without getting searched and our trip home when Jaxon barfed while I held a zip loc baggie for him and then tossed it into the pristine wilderness. Yeah, you just can't compare year to year... that is for sure.

What else has been keeping us so busy? Pretty much just these two kids- they make my world go around, they drive me crazy, and then they light up my day.

 

Kiley is now in dance and gymnastics and thinks she's just a little princess. (the way I treat her has nothing to do with that I'm sure!). It's pretty fun watching her these days. She's changed so much from just a year ago. She is really developing into her own person. And she honestly couldn't be any cuter. Which is a problem!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Jaxon started 1st grade and flag football this year. He could not stop talking about it all summer. Every day, even now, he wakes up and wants to watch ESPN NFL Morning show. He can tell you which teams certain players are on. He knows all their logos-if you say a city he could probably tell you the team that plays there. I love it and it yet it is scary all at the same time. I'd much rather he play a non-contact sport, but I'm hoping it's just a phase and he develops a love for golf or tennis before he has to start tackling!

 

 

 

More catching up later... hopefully before 2015!

 



Summer Fun

Yep. We've been having lots of fun this summer. From fishing to playing baseball and water gun fights, to standing up on bikes and lots of princess band-aids, it's been one fun summer so far. Here's to the second half and more adventures!