1/31/11
Preschool
Reagan's preschool is amazing. I absolutely love the teachers, the program, the place, etc. Ran by 2 retired teachers, the things they teach the kids are so cool. By the first few weeks Reagan could spell colors (associated with songs of course), and knew more about Martin Luther King Jr than I did, functions of the human body, etc. She has started using words like "illustrated, prototype, relatives, measurements, etc". She is so insanely curious right now. It's all about how this came about or how do they make this. Most of the time I feel dumb so I make things up as I go along. There was a "how do you make glue", I replied "from horse feet" :O) She was horrified and asked Mike later on. He being the nicer, creative one said "sticky trees...if they run into a tree and stick to it, it's the sticky tree to make glue". She gets a fabulous home made lunch and has productive learning, not just a few hours of "entertaining". She is more than ready to start kindergarten.
So that leads me into what Kade does while she is away :O) Crawls into her room and tears it apart playing with everything. What she doesn't know won't hurt her right!
So that leads me into what Kade does while she is away :O) Crawls into her room and tears it apart playing with everything. What she doesn't know won't hurt her right!
1/25/11
Happy Family Days
Thus titled our mid-week family time we have. I put Reagan in preschool 3 days a week. She has Weds off, because this is a day that is slow at the store and Mike is able to have that day off...this is what we call our "Happy Family Days"! Now, it's not always as glamorous as it appears! Usually she is in trouble for doing something she isn't supposed to do and Kade is crying because he is tired...and this is usually prior to 10 a.m. :O)
But, if there is one thing we DON'T take advantage of, it's our time together as a family. Obviously, owning your own business is hard work, and you don't get to spend huge blocks of time with each other. Saturdays are spent at the store, and during the week we have 2 days where only one of us is home at night so the other can be at the store. There are many lessons we have learned throughout this whole process, things don't always happen "exactly" like you think or imagine or would like them too, stress "can" consume your life, it's not about "material" things but "heart" things, friends may not always be there, but being together as family really "IS" what "IT" is all about!!
Following are some "happy family day" moments.
Beautiful, sunny, snow covered day got us to the park around the corner. Kade wasn't too sure about being so clothed he couldn't move. Reagan was in heaven
Bowling on Weds not only is 1/2 price...but already dirt cheap! Makes it all the more better. This time we took the little neighbor girl Ashlee, who is 5. Very shy but the girls had fun...and even Kade got a little bowling in....is it sad that neither Mike or I broke 100....with bumpers :O)
Hopefully, like every other parent out there, Mike and I are so in love with our kids. Yes, Reagan may challenge us (but mostly it's because we forget she is 4 and think she should act like she's 12), and Kade may have a crying/fussy day (even though his smile lights up his entire face), but at the end of the day, when they are both asleep, and prior to going to bed, we always walk into both of their rooms, adjust blankets, stroke cheeks, and feel an extreme amount of gratitude that they are healthy, happy, amazingly wonderful kids. In the darkened rooms you feel the peace that envelopes a child while dreaming and we usually end up crawling into bed saying "How did we get so lucky".
But, if there is one thing we DON'T take advantage of, it's our time together as a family. Obviously, owning your own business is hard work, and you don't get to spend huge blocks of time with each other. Saturdays are spent at the store, and during the week we have 2 days where only one of us is home at night so the other can be at the store. There are many lessons we have learned throughout this whole process, things don't always happen "exactly" like you think or imagine or would like them too, stress "can" consume your life, it's not about "material" things but "heart" things, friends may not always be there, but being together as family really "IS" what "IT" is all about!!
Following are some "happy family day" moments.
Beautiful, sunny, snow covered day got us to the park around the corner. Kade wasn't too sure about being so clothed he couldn't move. Reagan was in heaven
Bowling on Weds not only is 1/2 price...but already dirt cheap! Makes it all the more better. This time we took the little neighbor girl Ashlee, who is 5. Very shy but the girls had fun...and even Kade got a little bowling in....is it sad that neither Mike or I broke 100....with bumpers :O)
Hopefully, like every other parent out there, Mike and I are so in love with our kids. Yes, Reagan may challenge us (but mostly it's because we forget she is 4 and think she should act like she's 12), and Kade may have a crying/fussy day (even though his smile lights up his entire face), but at the end of the day, when they are both asleep, and prior to going to bed, we always walk into both of their rooms, adjust blankets, stroke cheeks, and feel an extreme amount of gratitude that they are healthy, happy, amazingly wonderful kids. In the darkened rooms you feel the peace that envelopes a child while dreaming and we usually end up crawling into bed saying "How did we get so lucky".
1/4/11
Candycane Kid
Lovin him some candy canes! This kid would eat them all day long. Even in the tub :) But, don't be the one to take away this delightful treat or you will pay with a wicked look and a temper tantrum to boot. Don't let his beautiful blues and room-lighting smile fool ya!
A milestone
Finally Kade learned how to drink out of a straw...amazing that he hadn't learned to guzzle Nana's Diet Pepsi through the straw yet! Lovin a juice box.
1/2/11
We Survived 2010!
I'm pretty sure we all need shirts made up that say that exact phrase! WOW!!! What a year. Seriously DON'T want to repeat that again!!! We survived more than one LIFE ALTERING change in the year 2010. Birth of a baby, loss of jobs, gaining new jobs, (trying to) sale a home, buying another home-total nightmare, and moving...not to mention living apart for 1/2 the year. BUT.....we overcame all obstacles and here we are to tell the story!
So much to tell and so many pictures so if you have a few minutes you can enjoy!
Let's start with the move which was INSANE! Packing up a house by myself (mostly), cleaning, arranging for everything, moving day came and went and was just an absolute blur...mostly never knew where the camera was so I have no "pictures to tell the story"! It was definately a wintery day when it came time to leave. After almost 2 days of moving things, loading, unloading, and then unpacking, it was time to begin sorting out life. Thanks so much to my parents and sister Heather for taking the kids! HUGE HUGE help! There is no way you can unpack a house with a baby crawling all over and an overexcited 4 year old wanting to help.
The most important thing was first getting a Christmas tree up so Reagan could have some sense of "normalcy". She went several months with nothing at home because everything was packed, and well, because it was a hassle to tell you the truth! I was able to unpack a lot of stuff the days I didn't have the kids, got some Christmas decor up and the tree ready. Reagan was beyond excited to be in her new house with her PINKALICIOUS bedroom.
I should note that the day we arrived and unloaded the truck, our most kind neighbor Mike (yep, and his wife is Heidi and the girl across the street is Amber, and the other neighbor's name is Michelle....all my siblings name...weird or what!) came to help us unpack and soon, his 4 kids were over here playing with Reagan. She was in heaven!
The house is great although it's adjusting to layouts, storage, etc, and we have met a few neighbors. We are told there is a "brat pack" of girls on this street so we will be excited to meet the rest this summer....if it ever gets to be.....Reagan was invited to a birthday party the first week and we went to dinner with our neighbors on the right. Really fun family.
December itself was crazy as well. Mike was obviously very busy and committed to the store. We didn't see him much but we try to go to the store (more often than not) to see him. The kids are SO MUCH HAPPIER and absolutely adore him of course so it's been healing for them to be around him. The store did very well for the month and it's really fun to see all the "friends" and "usual" customers that know all about our family and situation already. Mike is definately likable and knows what he is doing and we thank the loyals who are supporting us.
The week of Christmas, Heidi came and stayed for a few days so I could help out at the store as well. The kids (and us of course) enjoyed her stay. She does not normally change poopy diapers so hats off to her for having to change NUMEROUS ones!
Christmas Eve and Christmas morning was just us 4. Different, quiet, but calm, peaceful, and happy. Reagan had fun making reindeer food and Mike had fun tramping around in the umpteen below weather making tracks and eating the food! After presents and breakfast, we decided to venture home for the day and it was fun to see everyone for a bit other than catching a yucky bug for the week.
New Year's was spent with the Owings whom Mike lived with all those months!! They have 2 little girls age 4 and 2 so they had a fun time playing with Reagan and we had a nice, relaxing dinner and visit.
So....here it is January already. It's crazy to think all those months that we spent apart and all the stress that we have underwent the past several months. Here's to a new year with less stress and hopefully lots of fun-filled family time.
I know I will grow to like it (maybe love it??) here. It's definately a huge difference. Of course we knew it was cold but it is insanely cold and had no idea. You honestly cannot or do not want to take a baby out in the weather. I am pretty sure it never got out of the low teens and was 5 or 6 degrees DURING THE DAY this past week and we were told that was mild weather!! Even when you bundle the kids up you still feel like they are freezing to death. Nobody on our street leaves their houses! There is not much to do in the way of entertaining the kids so we have spent many hours doing puzzles, drawing, reading, coloring, FINALLY got the TV going so yes, watching movies. Reagan will start preschool this week and she is very excited to be doing that. I can't decide if we will do 3 or 4 days but she will go 9-1 on those days. I am very excited about the place as they do lots of different things daily including learning musical things, drama/theatre, science, etc. Her teacher is a retired teacher probably in her 50's and seemed awesome. For now, I will help at the store a little on those days and hope to get lots of sewing, decorating, and scrapbooking done....that's a big "hope" as Kade is definately a boy on the GO!
So here's to hoping you had a wonderful holiday season. Through all of this, it has made us realize how special the gift of family is. How much we take for granted that we shouldn't and how very very lucky we are for such caring parents and siblings and friends. There are times the past several months that I am pretty sure without good friends, parents, and family in general, that I wouldn't have made it emotionally. Such a hard time but definately a learning experience in so many ways. We dearly miss our Utah friends and family and hope you know that you are always welcome in our home because you are always in our hearts. We look forward do seeing more Idaho family and friends as well! Enjoy the numerous pictures!
He's sweet...the first few weeks we didn't have a table so everyone ate...at the counter minus Kade..lovin him some sugar cookies
Yes it's the middle of winter and yes, the kids are naked! Getting ready to open Christmas jammies
New Jammies
Puts a new meaning to "bare back horse riding"! (and yes, that's the PINK room)
It's ok, laugh....this wasn't even as long as his hair was previously!!
Yes...naked again but it's blurred so you can only see how happy he is to have the phone enjoyin' the tree lights
Waiting for the kids
Trying to see Rudolph in the night sky
Reindeer food
Dreaming of sugar plums
And not happy at all for being rudely awoken
Trying to explain the footprints
Cute :)
This is Marvelous...then Roxy...now Agnes
And Kade loves her too!
This was from Kade...and probably her most favorite gift!
He was happy playing with the noisy toys...but really wanted nothing to do with opening them or the general idea....
And really just wanted to go back to bed
And now she can be a real rock star
So much to tell and so many pictures so if you have a few minutes you can enjoy!
Let's start with the move which was INSANE! Packing up a house by myself (mostly), cleaning, arranging for everything, moving day came and went and was just an absolute blur...mostly never knew where the camera was so I have no "pictures to tell the story"! It was definately a wintery day when it came time to leave. After almost 2 days of moving things, loading, unloading, and then unpacking, it was time to begin sorting out life. Thanks so much to my parents and sister Heather for taking the kids! HUGE HUGE help! There is no way you can unpack a house with a baby crawling all over and an overexcited 4 year old wanting to help.
The most important thing was first getting a Christmas tree up so Reagan could have some sense of "normalcy". She went several months with nothing at home because everything was packed, and well, because it was a hassle to tell you the truth! I was able to unpack a lot of stuff the days I didn't have the kids, got some Christmas decor up and the tree ready. Reagan was beyond excited to be in her new house with her PINKALICIOUS bedroom.
I should note that the day we arrived and unloaded the truck, our most kind neighbor Mike (yep, and his wife is Heidi and the girl across the street is Amber, and the other neighbor's name is Michelle....all my siblings name...weird or what!) came to help us unpack and soon, his 4 kids were over here playing with Reagan. She was in heaven!
The house is great although it's adjusting to layouts, storage, etc, and we have met a few neighbors. We are told there is a "brat pack" of girls on this street so we will be excited to meet the rest this summer....if it ever gets to be.....Reagan was invited to a birthday party the first week and we went to dinner with our neighbors on the right. Really fun family.
December itself was crazy as well. Mike was obviously very busy and committed to the store. We didn't see him much but we try to go to the store (more often than not) to see him. The kids are SO MUCH HAPPIER and absolutely adore him of course so it's been healing for them to be around him. The store did very well for the month and it's really fun to see all the "friends" and "usual" customers that know all about our family and situation already. Mike is definately likable and knows what he is doing and we thank the loyals who are supporting us.
The week of Christmas, Heidi came and stayed for a few days so I could help out at the store as well. The kids (and us of course) enjoyed her stay. She does not normally change poopy diapers so hats off to her for having to change NUMEROUS ones!
Christmas Eve and Christmas morning was just us 4. Different, quiet, but calm, peaceful, and happy. Reagan had fun making reindeer food and Mike had fun tramping around in the umpteen below weather making tracks and eating the food! After presents and breakfast, we decided to venture home for the day and it was fun to see everyone for a bit other than catching a yucky bug for the week.
New Year's was spent with the Owings whom Mike lived with all those months!! They have 2 little girls age 4 and 2 so they had a fun time playing with Reagan and we had a nice, relaxing dinner and visit.
So....here it is January already. It's crazy to think all those months that we spent apart and all the stress that we have underwent the past several months. Here's to a new year with less stress and hopefully lots of fun-filled family time.
I know I will grow to like it (maybe love it??) here. It's definately a huge difference. Of course we knew it was cold but it is insanely cold and had no idea. You honestly cannot or do not want to take a baby out in the weather. I am pretty sure it never got out of the low teens and was 5 or 6 degrees DURING THE DAY this past week and we were told that was mild weather!! Even when you bundle the kids up you still feel like they are freezing to death. Nobody on our street leaves their houses! There is not much to do in the way of entertaining the kids so we have spent many hours doing puzzles, drawing, reading, coloring, FINALLY got the TV going so yes, watching movies. Reagan will start preschool this week and she is very excited to be doing that. I can't decide if we will do 3 or 4 days but she will go 9-1 on those days. I am very excited about the place as they do lots of different things daily including learning musical things, drama/theatre, science, etc. Her teacher is a retired teacher probably in her 50's and seemed awesome. For now, I will help at the store a little on those days and hope to get lots of sewing, decorating, and scrapbooking done....that's a big "hope" as Kade is definately a boy on the GO!
So here's to hoping you had a wonderful holiday season. Through all of this, it has made us realize how special the gift of family is. How much we take for granted that we shouldn't and how very very lucky we are for such caring parents and siblings and friends. There are times the past several months that I am pretty sure without good friends, parents, and family in general, that I wouldn't have made it emotionally. Such a hard time but definately a learning experience in so many ways. We dearly miss our Utah friends and family and hope you know that you are always welcome in our home because you are always in our hearts. We look forward do seeing more Idaho family and friends as well! Enjoy the numerous pictures!
He's sweet...the first few weeks we didn't have a table so everyone ate...at the counter minus Kade..lovin him some sugar cookies
Yes it's the middle of winter and yes, the kids are naked! Getting ready to open Christmas jammies
New Jammies
Puts a new meaning to "bare back horse riding"! (and yes, that's the PINK room)
It's ok, laugh....this wasn't even as long as his hair was previously!!
Yes...naked again but it's blurred so you can only see how happy he is to have the phone enjoyin' the tree lights
Waiting for the kids
Trying to see Rudolph in the night sky
Reindeer food
Dreaming of sugar plums
And not happy at all for being rudely awoken
Trying to explain the footprints
Cute :)
This is Marvelous...then Roxy...now Agnes
And Kade loves her too!
This was from Kade...and probably her most favorite gift!
He was happy playing with the noisy toys...but really wanted nothing to do with opening them or the general idea....
And really just wanted to go back to bed
And now she can be a real rock star
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