Dear Alyssa #6

Dear Alyssa,

   Baby girl you are 6! I cannot believe you are that old! It seems like just yesterday you were a toddler. You are loving Kindergarten. Your teacher’s name is Mrs. Schuerer and you have a big class with 25 kids but you seem to be learning. Math seems to be your strongest subject right now but you are getting better every week with your reading. Right now you are reading on a level 3 but I think with a little more practice you will be moving up soon.

 You weigh about 50 lbs and are about 48 inches tall. Your favorite foods are anything breakfast, spaghetti, or fish sticks.  You are very independent and love to do everything for yourself. You get yourself dressed, buckle your carseat, and can even help make your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Last weekend you went upstairs to clean your room and when I came up you had made the bed, folded your blankets and arranged your stuffed animals. Then for two nights you wouldn’t sleep under your covers or with your blanket because you didn’t want to mess up your bed.

You love to laugh and have a smile on your face most of the time. You love your little brother to the moon and back and look forward to playing with him in the evening time. Your favorite game to play is a mixture of Rescue bot and Barbies.

On Saturday you are going to have your friend party and you can’t wait. We are doing a make-up/dress up party.  

Baby girl I can’t imagine my life without you. You make my life so much more interesting and fun! I love to talk to you and see your take and thoughts on the world.

I love you!

Love,

Mommy

Alyssa 6 year old Interview

What is your favorite color? Pink

 What is your favorite toy?  Barbies

What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries

What is your favorite tv show?  Frozen

 What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Spaghetti

 What is your favorite outfit? My dress that twirls like Anna’s

What is your favorite game? Frozen Trouble

 What is your favorite snack? White Cheese itz

 What is your favorite animal? Penguins

 What is your favorite song? Let it Go

 What is your favorite book? Junie B. Jones

 Who is your best friend? Lizzie and Madelyn

 What is your favorite cereal?  Frosted Mini Wheats

 What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Swing on the swings

 What is your favorite drink?  Orange Juice

 What is your favorite holiday?  Halloween and Christmas

 What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Just my Blanket

 What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Muffins

 What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  Spaghetti and salad and cake

 What do you want to be when you grow up?  I want to be an Artist and a D

4 year old Interview

What is your favorite color? Green

 What is your favorite toy?  My rescue Bots

What is your favorite fruit? Bananas and grapes

What is your favorite tv show?  Rescue Bots

 What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chicken nuggets

 What is your favorite outfit? Mustaches (a shirt he has)

What is your favorite game? Jake games

 What is your favorite snack? Animal crackers

 What is your favorite animal? Elephant

 What is your favorite song?  Oh no you never let go 

 What is your favorite book? Rescue Bot book

 Who is your best friend? Daniel

 What is your favorite cereal?  Frosted Mini Wheats

 What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Run

 What is your favorite drink?  Orange Juice

 What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas

 What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My Teddy

 What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Cereal and Strawberry Poptarts

 What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  Spaghetti and salad and cake

 What do you want to be when you grow up?  A worker just like Daddy

4 year old Colin

Before I can write about Alyssa and her 6th birthday I must write about Colin and his 4th.

Dear Colin,
   You are 4! You are so excited to be 4. For your birthday you wanted a big booster seat just like your sister. Now she had to wait until she was over 5 to get a booster seat but because you already weigh 46 lbs and are about 46 inches tall I agreed to a high back booster for you.  You love sitting in it and feel like such a big boy.
    You love to laugh and eat. You are usually willing to try anything once but your favorite food is corn dogs and cereal. If you get to pick those are the two things you always ask for.
    This past year has been better health wise for you. We did not have a single hospital stay from your 3rd birthday to your 4th birthday and only one unplanned hospital visit. You are on 3 maintenance medicines a day to help keep you healthy.  For now they seem to be working. Your immune system still isn't normal and it still takes you a really long time to get over any illness.
     You are a smart and caring little boy. If someone is hurt or sad you do everything in your power to make them happy. At times you come up to me and ask to snuggle. When you snuggle you curl your little body up as close as you can against mine and don't move.
   You enjoy music. You are always singing usually a song from church or the Christian radio station we often listen to. If there is a band or live music anywhere you will stop and watch. In church you sit the stillest while watching the trumpets and drums. If you aren't singing you are making car noises to move around. Your favorite show is Rescue Bots and you got all of them for your birthday and enjoy setting up scenes for them to act out usually with Alyssa's Barbies.
   You are finally able to sleep through the night again. You go to to bed about 8 and fall asleep usually by 8:30 and sleep until about 6:30 every morning. You still take an hour nap each day at daycare but we have stopped doing naps on the weekend.
    You are still swimming and are now able to swim the length of the pool by yourself. You are getting stronger at treading water. Your dives still need some work but you try hard.
    You also love to go places with me or Daddy. If we have an errand to run you will usually go with us. Just last night I needed to go to get my tires aired up, You went with me. As I was filling the tires you were bent down next to me asking me questions and doing your best to help me.

Baby boy I love you with all of my heart and you have made me a better person and mom. I enjoy watching you grow and look forward to what the next year holds for you.

Love,
Mommy

I'm alive

I haven't blogged since July 8. That is almost 7 months ago. I don't know why I stopped. I guess I felt I didn't have much to say. But as I try to remember fun things and milestones for the kids I always start with my blog.
So I would like to try to start updating it again.

There is much going on with the business, the kids and life yet none of it is huge or life changing. Just normal life.
One of the first new posts I will do is on Alyssa and her getting ready to turn 6! Look for that later this week.

4th of July Weekend

The 4th fell on a Friday this year which made for a nice three day weekend!
On Thursday night we met Chris parents for dinner and then went to the fireworks in Alton, who likes to do everything a night early.
  On Friday we got up and went to Grafton to do a hiking trail. We took the stroller because we wanted to do a longer hike. Well we got to the trail and realized that the stroller wouldn't work. So the we told the kids that they were going to have to walk but we would turn around when they got tired. With a little encouragement the kids walked 3.1 miles in an hour and a half. It was so nice to know that they could do it and it was a lot of fun.
   We then did somethings around the house and then headed to the park by our house for a festival. The kids did a bounce house, bounce slide, and cow train. Alyssa did a trampoline, and tattoos as well.
   After that we came home and ate some dinner, did the chocolate fountain and watched fireworks with friends from the back deck.
   The next morning both kids slept until 8 am. So we got up and went to the farmers market. We took the kids bikes with us and after the market we rode our bikes along the river trail. Once again Chris and I walked 3 miles while the kids rode their bikes.
   We came home and ate lunch then went swimming. We went to the community college pool so it wasn't crowded at all as you have to be enrolled to use it.  The kids loved swimming and it was nice not to worry about keeping track of them or spending a lot of money for two hours of time.
    After swimming we came home, ate dinner and then went out for ice cream.
   On Sunday the kids and I went outlet mall shopping with friends and Chris enjoyed some time for himself.
  It was a great weekend by all and just what we needed as a family.

Grandma in Town

For the last three weeks my mom has been in town. The first week she was here with us. The kids got up to go to daycare with me every morning but my mom picked them up after nap. They loved that. Each day the kids got one day with my mom with just them. She took Alyssa to get her nails done. The day with Colin I can't remember what they did but both kids really enjoyed their time one on one.
  Then my mom went down to my Grandpa's house for a week. During that week the kids had vacation bible school. Alyssa loved it and really got into it. Colin was on the very young side for it but did still seem to enjoy it he just didn't get as much out of it.
   That weekend we went to the lake. We had fun but it was raining all day Sunday so we left the lake early and met up with my mom and Grandpa in Kingdom City for lunch. My grandpa loves my kids. The whole lunch time he spent smiling at my kids and telling them how good looking they were.
   My mom came back to St. Louis the next day and this time she had the kids stay home with her in the morning and she brought them over a little later in the morning. On Tuesday they both skipped daycare and went to a movie, lunch and the children's museum with her. They thought that was awesome.
   On Tuesday night we found out Duane needed to have surgery to repair the retina on his eye. So I told my mom I would drive to Arizona with her as long as she helped with the plane ticket home.
   So Friday at 11:30 we left St. Louis. We arrived in Phoenix at 5:22 on Saturday. It was nice to have that time with my mom to talk and enjoy each others company.
   On Saturday night I went out with Michael and we also got together Sunday morning for breakfast. I drove a corvette and then got on a plane at noon on Sunday to get back home.
   So that is the fast version of the last three weeks.
   Now we are just getting back into a routine and enjoying the nice weather the last few days.