Interview with A at 7 years old

Who is your favorite person in the whole world? Jesus!
What is your favorite color? turquoise
What's your favorite television show? Arthur
What's your favorite outfit? a rainbowy-flower dress that ties behind my neck
What sport do you like best? tennis
What song do you love? Trouble by Taylor Swift
What's your favorite cereal? Captain Crunch (even though we never have it...Mamma Sue does though!)
Who is your best friend? Skylar
What do you want to be when you grow up? a vet and a professional gymnastics person
What is your favorite book? Pinkalicious
What are you really good at? the splits, swimming and snuggling Mommy
Where do you wish you could go on vacation? Disneyland
What is your best memory? being in Oregon
What would you buy if you had $1000? a horsey, even though my mom and dad probably wouldn't let me
What vegetable do you hate the most? lettuce
If you could have a wish, what would it be? to have one million dollars
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? cookie dough & fudge brownie
Who is your biggest hero? my daddy
What do you like to do best with your friends? play on the playground with them
What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday? to ride my horse at Camp Kici Yapi again

She's only 6.

I have to remind myself of that sometimes. She is only 6. Sometimes she may seem like she's 6 going on 10 or even 16, but really, she's 6 going on 7.

Tonight we tried a sleepover. One of those milestones, really. You know, the, "You're such a big girl now!" kind of things. It was her first one with a friend. It was just the 2 of them. She went to the friend's house early evening and was ready to go. See?

Yes, pillow in hand, dolls ready to play, blankie, Friendly and Pinky all ready to snuggle. Everything was set. And then the phone rang. Just before 10:00. Sobbing on the other end. "Mommy...please come and pick me up! I just want to come home. I want you and Daddy to pick me up and then I can be with you and sleep!" Reasoning with a sobbing 6 year old on the other end of the phone, on a Friday no less, is impossible. Both J and I tried talking to her with no avail. Lori tried coaxing her back into bed for another 15 minutes and then another phone call-we were on our way to pick her up.

I kept going through the situation in my head. Did I do that when I was little? How old was I the first time I slept at a friend's house? What does Lydia think? What does Lori think? I didn't prep her enough. We never talked about what to do if you're scared. It didn't even cross my mind that she would react this way. Think about her personality: outgoing, loud, talkative, social, happy...all things that would direct a parent into thinking she would be fine at a friend's house. A good friend's house, no less. Lydia is someone who we practically spent the summer with at the pool. It seemed like a logical first sleepover.

But maybe she wasn't ready.

Maybe my 6 year old wasn't ready. My spunky, outgoing, fearless honey wasn't ready. J started taking a different angle...think about her and nightmares, movies, scary music, scary characters in books...and it makes a little bit of sense. I suppose there are those things that at night, when you are cozy in your own bed, they don't seem quite as bad. But if you're at someone else's house where you don't have a fan or a sound machine (oops), you hear all of the different noises in the house. You hear your friend breathing. You're not so sure about where you are anymore. Maybe that was it.

It's a tough position to be in as a parent. You want to be gentle so as to not scar your child for life. You want them to want to have sleepovers with friends. But on the other hand you also want them to understand how it feels on the other side; to be able to say, "I'm sorry it didn't work this time."To think about the other person and their family too.

But then again, she's only 6.

*sigh*

This certainly isn't the first parenting moment when I go crazy with scenarios. And it certainly won't be the last. All I know is I have a sleeping 6 year old girl who hasn't moved in her bed since I tucked her in, kissed and hugged her, said I love you, shut off the light and closed the door. I hope Lydia is doing the same right now.

And we'll definitely "try it again another time, (Mommy)." Love you sweet nugget.

First Grade Photos

I love watching the progression of school photos as the kids get older. Here are this year's photos, cute as always! (at least to this biased mommy)

I always analyze these photos, wondering if we need to do retakes. A sits up so straight in this one, but I can only imagine the photographer saying, "Ok, sit up straight!" And then there's C, big boy smile and missing teeth to boot. Man, when did they start growing up?! Stop already!!

6th Birthday...book style!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Birthday letters to my babies

If you were around last year, then you'll remember these. Albeit a bit late, here are the 6-year letters:

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Dear A,

You are 6 years old! I cannot believe how fast that happened. You are a loving, thoughtful little honey that keeps us on our toes. You are happy and spunky. You are funny and observant. You are our Nans. You continue to surprise us every day with things that you do, learn, and say. We can't wait to hear what will come next!

This year a lot of new things happened! We got to go to Disney World together as a family! That was a treat. You loved meeting the princesses and going on rides. Kindergarten started which was a huge plus in your world. You loved your teacher and everything about school-reading, writing and math. Coming home was a highlight because you shared your whole day with daddy on your walk home. You were able to ride your bike with only 2 wheels and even "graduated" to your big-girl bike! Wow! This year you started dancing with Just For Kix and loved it. You were always so sassy in your costume and loved putting make-up on for every show. You continued to do gymnastics, soccer, and swimming too. What a swimmer you are now! We love it! We traveled to Florida and you saw the ocean and went to the beach for the first time. You loved collecting shells and boogie boarding! I'm sure we'll go back again soon. Tennis was a new one for you this summer as was basketball this winter. I think you liked both of them equally, too! Day Camp was another new thing this summer. You came home exhausted every day, but loved EVERY minute of it. Whew!

You're always willing to try something new. That is something I admire about you. Now when it comes to food, that's a different story, but...I'll wait around! Your fear lies in the "kid fears:" the witches, the scary parts of a movie, the scary characters in a show. But when it comes to new things in life, you're right there: waterskiing, riding your "big" bike, picking up worms and bugs, combing goats at the zoo, dancing, making friends, doing the monkey bars; the list is endless!

You are still my favorite curly redhead around. You make me smile with your silly faces. You melt my heart with your love for Jesus. You continue to be the best sister your brother could ask for (even if he doesn't always think so). You make me and your daddy so proud to have you as our daughter. We love you so much and cannot wait to see what the next year brings!

Love, Mommy

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Dear C,

You are 6 years old! How did that happen? I know you are still my snuggler and that it is one of your favorite things to do with me. You are a confident, fearless little boy. You are sensitive and stubborn. You question lots of things, but still trust that we know best (most of the time). You surprise us daily with the things you say-funny and thoughtful. You are one smart Punkin!

This year was another year of firsts for you! You lost your first tooth! That happened on Daddy's birthday when we were eating pizza. Since then you have lost 4 teeth and you're pretty proud of it too. Our trip to Disney World was a highlight-especially seeing Lightning McQueen & Mater. Being a pirate was pretty cool too, wasn't it Ned Goodhawk? School brought about many friends for you. That is something we were so happy about. You have so many good friends from school and made really smart choices with those friends. We know you'll continue to be a great friend the older you get. School was a favorite of yours with all of the math and reading you did. It is amazing to see you reading through a chapter book already and to hear you counting by 9's (no joke!). You were not too far behind your sister in riding your bike. You learned about 3 days after she did last fall. We went to Florida this spring and you saw the ocean for the first time. Jumping the waves with Daddy was a favorite for you. You continued to love gymnastics, soccer, basketball and t-ball. A year really makes a difference in everything you do. We are amazed at how strong you are! We love watching you play sports, wondering if you will play "lefty" or "righty." Ambidextrous, that's for sure! This summer you tried tennis and day camp, loving them both. You even asked if you could do camp again!

The funniest thing about you lately are the things you say. I wish I had a recorder with me every where we've gone, because I can't even remember them all. My favorites have to do with growing up and when you have a wife. "When I grow up, I'm gonna play silly string with my wife." Funny, Buddy, that's what you are! You think movies are hilarious and are just like your daddy when it comes to remembering movie lines. You even try to say it just like they do and get frustrated with your sister when she says it wrong. You also say things that melt my heart. "I love you, Momma," just out of the blue. Those are my favorite things to hear.

I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us this year. If it's anything like last year when you were 5, we are going to have a blast! Thank you for continuing to be you, my big guy. You are a very patient brother and a loving son. You are our Do-Dos and we are so proud of every bit of your six-year-old self!

Love, Mommy

Sassy

Twinkle Toes

Today we had Twinkle Toes doing a show for us. Do you see her? 

 Now do you see her? In the middle with her oh-so-focused look on her face. She was dancing to Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight? She did great!

 There were many people to support our Twinkle Toes...

 Mamma Sue and Big Papa...even on Mamma's birthday!

 Mamma Jo and Papa Kevin...

 All of the Herll Girls!

 And of course, us!

 This little honey has so much spunk and life in her.

I love watching her shake, jump and leap. I love watching her smile, giggle and twirl. She is a girly girl and I love every little bit about it.

And deep down, her brother loves everything about her too. Even if he did seem as though he had been taken against his will to the dance show tonight. Sorry, buddy. It's only the beginning!

Tooth Number 7!

She lost her 7th tooth yesterday at school! Story goes that she was playing with it at recess and bent it back-that's all it took! Out it came and she got a little treasure box to go with it! The Tooth Fairy hooked her up with a one dollar bill-tied in a pink and white polka-dot bow. Now C has 5 more to go in order to catch up with A. Let's wiggle those teeth!

Waiting for the ice

 It was just another day at the beautiful lake frozen lake.

A perfect 80 degree day to sit by the lake and listen to the waves lap up on the shore ice cracking, trying to melt and make way for a place to fish and swim.

A perfect day to enjoy a juice box by the shore and watch the ducks swim around eagles fly around and land on the ice.

A perfect day to walk along the shore in-between the blooming flowers winter ridden remains of plants.

A perfect day to throw rocks in the water and watch the huge splash on the ice and try to break it apart.

A perfect day to be a sweet five year old; balancing, smiling, watching, throwing...waiting for the ice to melt. 

**The ice went off the lake the very next day!**

Inspired

Sometimes we need to be inspired to write. Right? Right. Today I was inspired by my husband. I read through his post on his blog where he usually writes about school and his classroom. But today was different because he wrote about our kids. Something I do (almost) every time I write. And I became inspired by his topic: READING! (thanks, honey!)

Setting the Scene:
Sitting on the couch, fireplace on, football game on in the background, cozy in jammies...
A says she wants to read some books. I told her I would but that she had to read a book to me first. This is a habit we're trying to get into each night. They have books from school that they bring home, and those change about once a week. We are trying to find other books they can read to us that are already in our house. And it's happening! They are able to pick books off the bookshelf and read them to us! Yes!!

Last night was the first night that it "officially" happened. We read for about 45 minutes where A would read a book then I would read a book and so on. The boys did the same thing! C's choices were Danny and the Dinosaur and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. A read Polar Bear, Polar Bear..., The Foot Book and 2 "baby" board books. She thought it was funny that she picked those. As I sat there listening to both of them read, I wondered when it happened. Did it just happen? Did it happen in November or December? How did it happen? When did they learn to read?! And at this level, too?!

Sometimes people look at us with that well-you're-a-teacher-so-you-know-how-to-teach-them-to-read look. Honestly people, we didn't "do" anything. Well, anything different from the average "parent in the know" about how reading to your child is important. We've been reading to our kids since they were babies. Since they were old enough to see the pictures. You know, you start out with those black and white picture/pattern books. The ones with nothing else because they can't see much else? Yup. We started with those and quickly moved into story books because why not? We haven't sat with our kids and made them do flash cards. We haven't drilled our kids until they've known their sight words. Nope.

I'll let you in on a little secret...I think it's been their teachers. Shhh...don't say anything! It was their Fun For 4's preschool teachers. This year it's their kindergarten teacher who meets with them in reading groups each week and sometimes twice a week. Those are the people who are fostering their love of reading. Yes, J and I do our share at home with encouraging reading, but we can only do so much. There is such a partnership between school and home and I am seeing the positive product here and now, in our own home. And I love every single minute of it.

I wonder what we'll be reading tonight...perhaps some Robert Munsch or Pinkalicious?

Shrimp

Conversation in the car tonight:
A: What's for dinner? Are we going to a restaurant?
Me: No, we're going home for dinner.
J: We're going to have popcorn shrimp and dino chicken for dinner."
***I know, it's a really glamorous, healthy dinner, but it's what there was for tonight. No judging!***
--silence--singing to Christmas songs--then...
A: What's shrimp made of?
Me: What do you mean?
A: I mean, is it made from lobster?
Me: No.
A: Is it made from real live shrimp?
Me: Like...
A: Like the animal shrimp.
Me: What do you want the answer to be?
A: No.
Me: Then, no.
and that was the end of the conversation. Gotta love it.

Kindergarten, here we come!

It's here. Are you ready? I'm not sure I am. School starts tomorrow and we will have...2 KINDERGARTENERS! I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow as I drop them off in the morning. I don't know how I'll feel when they get off the bus (or when I watch the video of them getting off the bus). I'm SO excited for A & C, though. I have no worries about how they'll do. Lunch will be fine. Recess will be great. Listening to stories is sure to be a favorite. I hope they make at least one new friend, too!

It is so hard to believe that we are here already. 5 years into this "parent thing," we are here! 2 kindergarteners are ready to go tomorrow here in our house. Is your house ready for school?

She's toothless!

Well, at least on the top. A lost another tooth this weekend! For those of you keeping track, that's tooth number 3, already! And we haven't started kindergarten yet (but we're close!).

We were at the cabin this weekend and I tried over and over to pull it out. She wasn't too thrilled with that, so I stopped. Then she was playing in her room and knocked her mouth on one of the steps of her bunk bed and out it came!

She was quite excited...but the tooth fairy didn't quite find her last night, so we're trying again tonight, at home. Hopefully she'll find us here!

A hot, but fun day

Sometimes days are busy. Busy. Busy. Busy. If you know me, though, you know that's how I like things. Very rarely do I sit still or like to spend an entire day at home. Just ask J. Or any of my friends or family. They'd say the same thing. I especially like to be busy when J is gone. Sometimes the kids need a little more activity when he's gone because there isn't the usual rough-housing that takes place. This weekend was no different.

We started the day off at a parade with Mamma and Papa. Thanks for coming! You know I love parades, and even the heat couldn't keep us away! We went from there to get some lunch and the headed to the kiddie carnival to do some rides with our friend Connor.

The kids did great and had a great time.

We even found time in our day to have a picnic, play at a park and enjoy fireworks at the end of the day!

Whew! Busy, that's what I like to be.

Albeit there is something to be said for a little down time (which we did get!). It was a great day all the way around!

One of those days (or two days)

Have you ever had one of those days with your kids? I mean the kind of day where you're not sure who got up on the wrong side of the bed-you or them? Yup. We had that kind of day. Today and yesterday. Not fun. Yesterday morning A said to J, "Daddy, this is not a good day." Even she knew it. The two kids were arguing about EVERYTHING. Who got to sit where. Who got their food first. Who got to go to the right on the sidewalk instead of the other way (where there was WAY more room). Who got to go on the "high" swing (that's only about 2 inches higher than the other). Who got to use the bowl of beads for a project. Who got to pick up the beads after they fell on the ground. You get it, right?

It seems our kids have hit that point in the summer where they need a bit more structure other than, "Go play!" The last two days they have wondered around the yard and the house like lost puppies. They hang over our shoulders, wondering what we are doing, even though we've told them 5 times. One would think that after having a birthday they would want to play with all of their new toys. They do want to, and have, don't get me wrong, but they last about 5 minutes with each new thing. I'm beginning to think we need to have just a few new things out. Maybe that would help the aimless wandering.

So to all you parents out there who can hardly wait for school to start again, I hear you! I hear you loud and clear! I was at that point and even said to J, "Ok, school can start for THEM. Not for us, just for them." I know this will pass and I'll be thankful (hopefully tomorrow) that we're home with the kids and get more time to spend with them. In fact just tonight I was feeling better about things. We took a family bike ride around the block and the kids were all smiles. No complaining, whining or negative things said. I know this will carry over to tomorrow...positive thinking makes a difference!

Happy Birthday, my babies!

Dear A,

Today you are 5 years old. You are still so much the same as you were the day you were born. Your red hair lives up to the spunky nature of your personality. Your blue eyes and fair skin continue to remind me of your daddy. Your smile and freckles tell so much about you and your silly, smiley way. 

This past year has been a very busy one for you. There were a few firsts along the way. You went to pre-K this year and made so many friends. You loved every part of school. You especially loved your teachers and wanted to do the right thing for all of them. At the cabin you went tubing for the first time and you went waterskiing too! We signed you up for soccer this year. Your favorite parts were the water breaks and the snack at the end of the game. You are trying to learn how to ride a two-wheel bike, and Daddy and I have no doubt you will learn by the end of the summer. You have already lost two teeth! The tooth fairy keeps leaving notes for you, which you love. 

We can't wait to see what the next year will bring. We know you'll continue to amaze us with all you will learn. We will have many more "grown-up" conversations with you, because you always chime in with things that surprise us. You are such a kind and caring sister-always looking out for C. We love you so much, Peanut. We are so proud to be your Mommy and Daddy. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Dear C,

Today you are 5 years old! My Buddy, who still likes to snuggle his mommy (sorry, I told your secret), is getting so big. Your sweet, mellow personality is very much the same...only getting crabby when you're hungry. Some things never change! Your big brown eyes still melt your mommy's heart. I have a feeling that will always be true.

This year was a big year for you! You tried soccer, basketball and t-ball for the first time. You especially loved the running in soccer and basketball but loved hitting and throwing in t-ball. We'll see how things end up in the coming years! At the cabin you went tubing for the first time-even before your sister! You tried waterskiing too. You still love riding your scooter (now a 2-wheeled one) outside. You also (still) love anything Cars related. That seems to have stuck with you! You went to pre-K this year and really surprised us. You were so meticulous in your work and wanted to please your teachers (who you absolutely adored). We are so proud of you and are excited for what school will bring for you. You are starting to read, too, which is also exciting! One of your very favorite things to do is rough-house with Daddy. I know this is just the beginning!

We can't believe our Big Guy is already 5 years old. We love every part of you inside and out. We are so proud to be your Mommy and Daddy. You are growing up to be a kind, caring brother and friend. We can't wait to see what will come next! Happy Birthday, Punkin!