Four

Dear Kiley,
This post comes a bit late but know that it's just because every night I try to get the energy to write something, my thoughts overwhelm me and I can't get my fingers to actually move on the keyboard.

You are a blessing.
You also really try my patience most days.

Let's talk about the first one though.

You turned four this summer and I can hardly believe my six-pound, colicky, hairless baby is now nearly 30 pounds, full of life and curiosity and words and music. You're writing letters, making lists, and coloring every chance you get. Your name is written on nearly everything you come across, including my boot bench cushion. Your favorite movie is Frozen, you think ice cream qualifies as a meal, and you've found your niche with dance and gymnastics. You can make me laugh just as quickly as you can make me want to scream and pull my hair out.

And yet, most days, I cannot pull my eyes away from you. This little creature with the blond streaks in her hair, the squinty smile, and most adorable cheeks. You are a vision. I see a lot of me in you. Not just the good looks, but the way you act too. You are busy- always doing something, whether it is helping me clean, making a new art project, or chalking on the driveway. You have a creative streak as well.

I love watching you when you think you are alone and nobody is watching. The other day, you were in your coloring room and had all the sheets of paper lined up, each with a dot of glitter glue and sequin on it, each with random letters written (supposedly peoples' names). You just got down to business- 'it's project time mom'. Of course it is!

Last night at dance class, I marveled at how you've opened up these past few months. I feel like you used to be somewhat shy, mostly content to sit and watch Jaxon participate in things, always needing me by your side. You kept glancing to be sure I was there, flashing me that big beautiful smile, but then went right on twisting and moving to the music, waving your ribbon wand and almost hitting the girl next to you. Totally cute. Totally out of control. Totally you. You are coming into your own little person and it is so fun to watch.

Although I sometimes complain about the lack of privacy and the fact that I am never alone when you are around, I am also soaking it in- the times when you climb into my lap and give me hugs or just sit with me. The goofy looks and funny faces we make. The shopping trips to Target just to look around and see if there's something we might need. Chasing down the ice cream truck and going for bike rides.

 I know it isn't going to last forever and someday you'll be all teenage angsty and what not. But for now, I'll just give you warm hugs like Olaf and kiss your many owies with their Barbie band-aids. I love you baby girl. Here's to another great year!

--mom
**Photos to come...

Magic

A few weeks ago, we experienced a little bit of magic in our lives. We went to Disneyworld!

Most people save thousands of dollars for years. They pore over books and blogs and websites. They create spreadsheets and timelines (believe me- I saw people pulling them out of their well-packed backpacks). They obsess over making it the most perfect experience for their kids- setting up lunches with princesses, selecting their fast passes six months in advance and making sure they have a swath of character trading pins around their neck.

We did none of these things.

We blindly looked online one night in the middle of winter, when we just couldn't stand the bitter cold any longer. We found a flight deal we couldn't pass up, and before even checking our work schedules, we just booked it. I had to get out of Minnesota- or else!

About a week before we were supposed to go to Disney, when Scott finally got around to booking our hotel, I figured I should do a little research... I downloaded some apps and started looking on Pinterest. Oh. My. Goodness. People sure love them some Disney! I quickly reminded myself not to compare myself to others. We are not planners. We are spontaneous and whatever we do would be fun. 

And it was.

 

This was our first real family vacation. We've taken the kids places before but it's always been to visit someone or stay with someone. So I was both looking forward to and terrified of what our experience would be. We hadn't had Kiley on a plane since she was about 6 months old and a lap child. How would she behave in a confined space for three hours? We all know Kiley can't sit still for more than ten minutes. And while Jaxon is pretty good in front of a movie, he sometimes gets restless or over excited about stuff.

I had nothing to worry about. Our kids were near perfect angels. Some might disagree with me, but I thought they were amazing on the flight. They stayed busy, made up games, played on the iPad, ate snacks, and only kicked the people in front of them a few times.

We arrived on a Sunday to Orlando, got our car and headed to our hotel. We quickly found ourselves at the pool for some fun in the sun. After a couple hours of swimming we headed to play mini-golf and found ourselves at the Ponderosa for dinner (Scott's only request).

Magic Kingdom Day
Monday we got up and headed to Disneyworld. The whole day was pretty awesome. Here are some of my favorite moments:

This was on the ferry ride to Disney, our second time going there (after Epcot). It was still exciting though!

 

 

 

Riding the Speedway with Kiley driving! Look out!

 

Meeting the characters at Epcot- we saw Goofy, Mickey and Minnie.

 

Man, these guys tired quickly! It was HOT- 92 degrees and humid. I was not complaining though!

 

My other favorite moments included:  

• Starbucks- the line was long, but I mean, thank goodness for Starbucks!
• Renting a stroller- highly recommend this to anyone. The kids got tired of walking pretty quickly!
• Having our stroller stolen. Don't recommend this. Though Scott got some extra steps in to retrieve a new one.
• Peter Pan's Flight- wow. This was a hot commodity in the Fast Pass world. There seemed to be a lot of hype for this ride. I guess I see why- it was pretty cool and the kids loved it.
• Buzz Lightyear- Jaxon loved this ride. It was like a flying video game. We did it twice.
• The Riverboat Cruise- can't recall what movie this was from, but it was pretty funny. At one point I think Jaxon thought real aborigines were coming to get him!
• Watching the excitement and wonder in Kiley when she met the characters- Micky, Minnie, and Goofy.
• Going to Epcot and getting caught in the rain, then ducking into 'Japan' to get a bite to eat
• The ice cold beer in Japan. Oh man, I needed that!
• Listening to Jaxon shout out all the movie names and singing to Frozen's Let it Go during the fireworks show
• Being told I ruined Jaxon's life upon leaving the park at 11pm because I forgot to get him ice cream.
• The mental breakdowns that happened between 11pm and 11:10pm and the falling fast asleep in the car at 11:11pm.

It's no wonder this is known as the most magical place on earth. Even for Scott and I, as adults, it was so fun. We didn't have a plan and we probably didn't see half the park. We didn't check things off a list or get any princess autographs.

We did, however, make some amazing memories. I'll never forget standing there with my family in front of the castle (is that Cinderella's castle?) watching the fireworks show. Before they do the fireworks they have a music and movie type thing going across the castle- Jaxon kept calling out all the names of the movies and his excitement kept building and building. It was so fun to watch and to realize that we had seen so many of the movies together. I started tearing up, just seeing how magical and amazing of an experience it was for them.

 

The Beach Day
On Tuesday, we ended up sleeping in and then headed to the beach. We went to Cocoa Beach because it was close and everyone was kind of tired and crabby. Nobody wanted to go to the beach. The kids just wanted to stay at the hotel and go to the pool. Or go back to Disneyworld. But we eventually convinced them to sieze the day!

And they loved it.

It was the kids' first time at the ocean. Jaxon, of course, was like, 'whatever, I've seen pictures of the ocean before.'. But I'm pretty sure he loved it and it was fun for Scott to have some time to ride the waves with him.

Kiley immediately went to work digging, making sand castles, and collecting seashells. Ever the mother hen, she made sure everyone knew she was hard at work (and of course put us to work too!).

There were many moments on this trip that I just stopped and took it all in. What gifts we have. We have these beautiful, amazingly funny and smart children. They brighten up my day in so many ways. It was a blessing to be able to spend four days with them, along with my amazing husband. And although I love my getaways with just Scott and I,  I can't wait for our next family adventure! 

Get me to church on time.

Today we decided to go to church. It's been awhile ( we weren't sure we we're welcome after our last round). But I figured I have a lot of people to pray for these days, and I also am struggling with how to answer questions that seem to come up more and more... About God and Jesus and even Mary (who I really don't know much about!).

So I told the kids we were going to church- Kiley was really excited to go and sing songs and the prospect of donuts had her even more excited (until there were none).

Jaxon asked the important questions- "is God going to be there?"

Yes, of course, I said.

"Yes! I'm so excited! And Jesus? Will he be there too?"

And thus my need to have someone else explain things... I floundered around and figured out a way to tell him it was really just Gods spirit that would be there and that He is always around us.

He thought about it for a minute and then proposed this- " I bet when I'm sleeping at night, and I feel someone's hand on my hip and kissing me good night, that that must be God. What do you think mommy?"

Absolutely, Jaxon. Absolutely.

They can't wait to go back next week. Looks like we found a new Sunday morning routine...

Winter Break

Winter Break has been non-stop fun this year. Jaxon had a week and a half off of school and he didn't mind hanging it over Kiley's head every day... "Kiley only has two days off and I have twelve." He got to spend some time at Lifetime for their kids winter break days, hung out at home a little bit, and went to Grandma and Grandpa's house a couple days. I think his kindergarten teacher is in for a shock when the kids come back tomorrow- they are gonna be HYPED up!

 

We found some time to carry on some of our holiday traditions. We made gingerbread cookies one day. The kids were pretty excited to give them a fresh coat of frosting and sprinkles. And then eat them!

 

We also made a trip to Fargo to see the grandparents. It was a fast but fun weekend. We brought Zoe with us- she is becoming such a beautiful young girl- she's an actress, a singer, and a wonderful cousin- we were so lucky to have her with us! Kiley cried when we dropped her off.

 

We also got to visit with Grandma Barb at her new 'apartment'. She looked great and I think the kids brought her some smiles.

We went back to the house to play some games, comb Zoe's hair, and open presents! The kids had a blast- Jaxon got a couple new games, which is good because he is SO into games right now. But when I saw Twister, I was like, dude. You know who has to play the games with him, right?

 

Guess I need to get to yoga a bit more. That game is HARD!

We were home at our house for Christmas. . After dinner we had root beer floats and then the kids got to open some gifts from us. Having just started and completed shopping for the kids two days before Christmas, I was obviously not very organized. Kiley opened a gift intended for Jaxon and Santa brought a couple too many for Kiley. Which is super noticeable when your kids only get 2-3 gifts each. This year we really scaled back. Not because of the money necessarily, but more because they just don't need all these things! Trying for some simplicity parenting... it actually went over pretty well. There were a few 'that's all?' comments from Jaxon, but he seemed to get over it pretty quickly. I'm probably the one who had the hardest time with it. But it's way less stressful this way, less mess, and less money to spend!

 

Santa made a visit, complete with reindeer tracks and a big mess by the door. I'm guessing the four bags of 'reindeer dust' the kids spread outside really helped things. It was so fun watching the 'magic' of Christmas in our kids this year. Jaxon still gets into it and Kiley is just starting. She was listening for reindeer feet and jingle bells and Jaxon thinks the Polar Express is real. It's so much fun.

 All in all it was a great holiday. I laughed a lot for sure. And now, back to reality tomorrow. Esh.

Black Sheep

There is a black sheep in every family, right?

 

Ours was spotted by 'Brown Bear' in Jaxon's Kindergarten class music show last Friday...

 Probably one of the most comical performances I've seen in awhile.

 Our son being one of the primary reasons...

 Afterwards and into the next day, I heard from several parents that they enjoyed the entertainment value Jaxon provided.

 At least we know he isn't shy!

 What a fun day to see him in action with all his friends at school!

Next time though, I want to see a little more Jazz Hands out of you Jaxon!

Happy Birthday Jaxon!

Dear Jaxon,

Yesterday you woke up and said 'Mom, I think I might be bigger today, because now I'm six.'

Um yes, you definitely grew up overnight.

Happy Birthday to my big six-year old! I still remember when you were born.... coming home from the hospital six years ago was much like it was yesterday- a big snow storm, freezing cold temperatures, and everyone bundled up. I still remember pulling up to our house, your dad getting out to shovel us into the driveway, and me sitting with you in the backseat... completely TERRIFIED!

 

Flash forward to today.

You are the spitting image of your dad. You remind me so much of him in so many ways.

You like to talk-a lot. You are so personable and charming in your cute boyish way. You are kind and caring, but not without a slight temper. You love your steak and rice and could eat at Osaka Hibachi every day and be the happiest kid in the world. You also love the Raiders or whoever we're rooting for that day. You're into sports, but not obsessed with them- I think even you know you probably won't win a scholarship for basketball. You're short, but you really don't let it bother you. What you lack in size, you definitely make up in personality!

 
You have a big heart. The other night you climbed into bed with Kiley, covering her with your arms, and said it was because you didn't want her to get hurt if there was a fire. You have so much LOVE for your sister, it is amazing to watch.

And you are so funny. I love to watch you dance. Your facial expressions. Your attempts to be 'cool' and the 'big kid'. Your ability to be silly, sometimes girly, and not really care what other people think. I love that.

 
You are so smart too. You like to spell everything, read everything, and constantly ask me what 4+4, 8+8, 16+16, 32+32 is... and on and on up to a million and everything.

You're also very strategic. You sometimes make moves in games that I wouldn't normally make, but you have your own strategy and way of doing things. It's sometimes cheating though, and so we need to work on that. But most of the time, I think you actually know what's going on.

You love to have a good dance party, so that you get from your mama.
Crank it and shake it. Why not?

And you seriously make every day so much fun. Every day seems like an adventure with you and you're always up for something. I can only imagine the smiles on the faces of your teachers every day...

I so enjoyed my time with you on Monday- I love to take a day off for your birthday each year and just have quality time with you. When we were shopping and spending your money from grandma and grandpa, you just seemed so grown up. 'This is actually a really fun day mom. I'm having the best time with just you and me. Even if it's not the nicest day out, it's still just the best day.' You have no idea what those words mean to me. I cherish those days.

I have so many hopes and dreams for you. Thanks for filling my life full of happiness and joy.

Happy Birthday,
Mom

catching up a bit

So, time to catch up.
Let's do a quick recap of the past two months.

Perhaps I stopped writing because I was too exhausted mentally, emotionally, physically- the whole nine yards- after that first couple weeks of kindergarten. Man, is that an adjustment. For all of us.

I started flexing my time at work to help so we don't have to pay for before and after care. Secretly, it's just because I wanted to spend more time with my kids and less time at work. I somehow managed to package the best of both worlds into one amazing scenario- get Jaxon on the bus in the morning at 9, work from home or go to work at 9:30, be home in time to get Jaxon off the bus at 4.

It's been great, most days. Except those first couple weeks, but I seem to have blocked them out.

Here's a quick recap from my iphone.

Jaxon grew a mustache. He thought he would practice for MoVember.

 

I visited Jaxon for lunch at school. He is doing so well by the way. Did I mention he is reading? He read a book to us tonight and I think I helped with one or two words. I'm just amazed and dumbfounded at how quickly he is learning to read, do math, and so many other things. It is AMAZING.

Um, oh yeah, we bought and moved into a new house. It was a little dicey, and probably the most stressful closing we've been a part of, but so, so exciting to finally have a place of our own again. And what's even better is that it really is our own. I feel a sense of pride in knowing we built it, picked the selections, etc. Now, do I wish we'd have done some things differently? Sure. But it sure feels like home and I love what we've been able to do together.

 
Kiley really enjoys dressing up and choosing her own clothes these days. This is just what she wore to school on a typical Wednesday. I'm sure she paired it with her winter boots too, even though it was end of summer when I took this.

 We've also discovered that Kiley's favorite vegetable (this month) is edamame.

 And, this Halloween, we had a Beuticorn and a Race Car Driver visit us. Kiley, for weeks, was saying she wanted to be a Beauticorn. I'm not sure if she just couldn't say Unicorn or if she really made up her own word to be a Beautiful Unicorn. Either way, I loved it. And Jaxon decided to be a race car driver because he's just so fast.

 Okay, and this one is just because she is so darn cute. I bought her this vest and skinny jeans for family photos, which we had scheduled in October but the kids were both sick so we cancelled. But she is just my sweet little beauty and I captured this one day when she was watching me get ready. She loves to guess which makeup is going to be next and then use my brushes to put on her own.

 

And that's about it. Well, I'm sure there is so much more, but that will be for another day, hopefully not too far away!