Last Day of Preschool

Their very last day of preschool has arrived.

Oddly their preschool didn't do any sort of processional or graduation, which I've always thought I'd be absolutely 100% okay with. But now that we are here, now that we are making this transition, it feels missing. I'm sure this is a bigger transition for the parents. The kids are ready for summer! Add to that, they are totally jazzed about starting Kindergarten. They are done with preschool and to them it is another day. To us, our babies are growing up and this is a major milestone.

Though, to celebrate the end of the preschool year the families were invited to attend a picnic. It was an opportunity for everyone to come together one last time. It was a good evening and fun was had by all. We hung out with the families of the girls' friends and as a bonus we found out that everyone invited to the girls' birthday party would be able to make it. They are going to have so much fun!

So ahead we move onto summer activities as we look forward to Kindergarten in the fall.

Soccer Over - For Now

Spring soccer season has come to an end. They played their final game last night, despite the pouring rain immediately prior to the start of the game and the sprinkles during the game. I'm glad we forged ahead and went to the game considering we make up 1/3 of the team!














Last night's game was also the game of the season that the girls' have been looking forward to. The Soccer Princesses (the girls' team) played The Red Hot's (my cousin's team). The sideline was filled with family members - 4 generations for our girls and 3 generations for my cousin. The 3 girls seemingly loved having everyone there for them. I know our girls were still talking about it this morning.

As usual - Spencer kept busy the entire game, going up and down the sidelines sharing in everyone's snacks. Thank goodness he had dinner before the game! Great Grandma had her orange slices (eww!), Great Uncle Mike & kids had Cool Ranch Doritos (that made him break out - definitely the ranch!), and Grandpa gave him his first piece of gum. Though Grandpa was convinced that Spencer knew what gum was since he was talking all about it. But no, it was his first piece (that we know about) and he did pretty well with it. I'm sure there were other things available since he didn't even attempt to run off during the game.

Their pizza party / awards night is next week. I think it will be fun! They are already looking forward to next season, and so are we!

More Birthday Planning

I feel like we've finally got our ducks in a row as we are heading into the birthday celebrations for Abby & Ellie's 5th birthday.

After changing their minds many times, they've settled on a Tinker Bell birthday. They would waver between many options - some the same and some different. We encouraged each of them to think of what they liked, and it was okay if it was different than what their sister had chosen. It was important to us that they knew that they could be individuals! In the end they ended up agreeing on a joint theme and they both seem thrilled! I am happy to say that we've made it through 4 non-character birthday's, not counting Spencer's. But they are excited about Tinker Bell, though they've never seen the movie, and I think she is pretty cool too.

We've decided to hold two celebrations for the girls. The first celebration begins the weekend prior to their birthday with a few preschool friends at our house. It will be nice for them to get together since school will be out for the summer. They each invited 2 preschool friends to celebrate with them. It was absolutely no surprise who Ellie chose! Everything is about Evan and Katie! Abby ended up choosing Reilly and Olivia, who are 2 of the triplets and so we included their brother Nolan from Ellie’s class. It will be an afternoon of fun for the kids. The girls' are excited about swimming, so I hope the weather helps us out with that one. If not, it certainly won’t be the first time we’ve emptied our hot water heater into the pool! The girls' have also chosen a pull-string piñata, a project for them to decorate their own bags to hold their piñata goodies, and we've got a project for them to make book marks if time permits. I'm personally excited about all the fun stuff we've added to our craft selection! Then of course we'll fill them up with cupcake goodness and maybe even some ice cream. We even plan on making our own Tinker Bell cupcakes – complete with fairy dust and Tinker Bell rings. If they want to just hang out and play, that is great too. They all get along great and I’m sure they will have so much fun!

I guess officially the second celebration will be on their actual birthday when we celebrate their special day with just us. This is a tradition we started from the beginning and it is a day that is very special to us.

The second party will be a couple weekends after their birthday where the family will come together to partake in the festivities. Ironically our family party is also on the same day the girls will be at their friend Katie’s birthday party. So they’ll celebrate their friend’s birthday during the day and come home to celebrate their own birthday party that evening. We'll continue the Tinker Bell theme and do some of the same activities as we have planned for the friend party. Though, hopefully no piñata – the whole clawing for the goodies gets to crazy. We've even discussed food options and again will keep it simple and yummy.

Invites are created - handed out to the friends and ordered for the family. It feels good!

New Activity

In and around the area we live there are several kids’ sports activities going on. We drive by the soccer fields (where the girls' have been playing) quite frequently, as well as the baseball fields where there seems to be games going on regularly.

Every time we drive by the soccer fields (pretty much every time we leave the house) Spencer points out the soccer fields. He then talks about boy or girls playing, and then always chants "Go Abby Go Ellie"!

Then if we drive by the baseball fields they all talk about baseball. In the past we've talked about stopping to watch a game, but never have. Finally we decided it was time. We were out running a few errands tonight, it was late, and we needed to get some supper. So I suggested picking up some food and taking it to the ballpark. The kids were in heaven! Spencer would have loved it if we would have let him into the dugout - all the equipment excited him greatly. He loved watching the older boys go back and forth between the field and the batting cages. During part of the game he stood next to the fence, near home plate, and cheered the boys on - "GO BOYS"!

Unfortunately our timing wasn't the most optimal as we caught the tail end of one game and the beginning of the next with huge downtime in between. Thankfully watching the teams warm up was entertainment enough!

But now we know when the games start and maybe we can make it a practice to go to more games.

The Boy - Month 24

Spencer Rylan,

You recently turned 2 years old, how in the world did that happen? The rational side of me knows exactly how it happened, obviously each month you age and adding the passing months together we end up with 24. But it still seems impossible that we've been blessed with your life for 2 years now. Each day you grace us with your energy, charm, silliness, and your laughter. Of course we have our challenging moments as well, but who doesn't?

In the past month, your language has again exploded. All those sentences that were getting jumbled up are now quite clear. It seemed that the individual words or putting 2 & 3 words together would come out clear. But you had more to say than that and you needed us to understand you. I'm happy to say that now we can!

You've also become quite demanding. You certainly know what you want and you don't hesitate in letting us know. No more cuddling in bed in the morning, no more watching a show together to get the day started off slowly. Now you insist that we "get up!" If we aren't following your requests fast enough, you don't hesitate to remove the covers, push us out of bed, and tell us to stand up. You are ready to get your day started and you need your audience. You are ready to go downstairs and do who knows what.

You've also started this thing (that you find hilarious) where you'll ask me to pick you up and then you tell me to go "this way" or "that way" while pointing so I know where this way or that way is. Somewhere around Easter time you discovered some yummy chocolate candy in one of the cupboards. These pieces were left of what didn't make it into your Easter basket, because we had put plenty into your basket. Everyday you direct me to that cupboard because you know you'll always find something good in there. One day there were a few left and I just let you have them all at once. I was hoping that this game would end once the candy was gone. For a few days we returned to that same spot. I had to explain that the ball candy was all gone - that you ate it and it went into your tummy. Then suddenly you found some new goodies. I've since asked Mommy to stop "hiding" things in that cupboard, but old habits seem to die hard. I don't know who were hiding things from, it certainly isn't you! You've got it all figured out!

You are a sports nut! So far there doesn't seem to be a sport you don't like. Basketball was your first love and continues to be a favorite. You love to "shoot hoops".

Baseball is another sport high on the list at the moment. It speaks volumes that you'll request to watch a baseball game over Dora. You love going to your sisters' soccer games. If you could you'd be out on the field playing with them. You talk about soccer every single time we drive by the fields, which is often. You have even shown intrest in golf! Obviously there are a lot of golf fans in this world, I just don't happen to be one of them.

I'm already excited about the upcoming football season. I'm hoping you'll want to watch Husker football games with us.

The Boy's 2nd Birthday Party

The Boy's Birthday celebrations have come to an end, though I think he is ready to continue celebrating. It was all about him and he thought it was pretty darn cool. He is all about the candles, balloons, and presents! He is so different than Abby & Ellie. He didn't seem to even notice what was IN the presents; he just wanted to open presents.

His 2nd Birthday party was this past weekend and I think everyone had a great time. It was a family birthday party and all in all we had 29 people in our house for the big celebration. These are the times that I wish we had a bigger house! But we manage. The party was to start at 4:00(ish), but Mr. Spencer had other plans. He took a marathon nap and slept until 4:45(ish)! He woke to a house full of people and adjusted incredibly well.

In conjunction with his 2nd birthday celebrations, we surprised my (maternal) Grandma by celebrating her 81st birthday - which is actually today. As per tradition, she made her German Chocolate cake to bring to the party. She's been making this cake for years and it is always a hit. It is fun to continue these traditions with my children and I know she enjoys carrying on the tradition. I figured Grandma needed candles to blow out for her birthday and boy was she surprised! Between Grandma and Spencer, they had the candles blown out in no time! I felt bad that she ended up making her own birthday cake, but between the two cakes we had plenty and I couldn't see buying more. Grandma was also surprised by the arrangement of roses and the balloon we had for her. I think it really brightened her day.















To supplement the special German Chocolate cake, we ordered a cupcake cake of Spencer's choosing. Without hesitation he selected the baseball glove and ball cupcake cake. We added numerous candles to that cake for Spencer to blow out. He loves to blow out candles and having just two candles or a number 2 didn't seem like enough. So yeah, I got a little crazy! I even lit them several times for him to blow out and he was in pure heaven. First we sang Happy Birthday to Grandma and then we sang for him. He then of course wanted to eat the ball, which covered a few cupcakes and was of course pure frosting. Thankfully he wasn't interested in actually eating much of the frosting.













After loading everyone up on sugar we gathered for Spencer to open his gifts. He was all about the "presents"! He had tissue paper and wrapping paper everywhere!

Shortly after presents we had dinner ready to go. As usual, we kept it super simple. As Grandma would say, we "slaved over the stove frying chicken all morning". And ya know, part of me thinks that she really truly believes that. We make no claims of such effort! The store does a fine job of making the chicken for us, thank you very much. We ordered 72 pieces of chicken, my mom made her famous (to my family) baked beans, Carie's mom made the fruit salad, we made the deviled eggs, and we bought the chips. Super simple, pull it out of the oven and fridge, and buffet line for 29 people setup in no time, with no hassle and no stress. Due to the weather headed our way we setup the big kids’ picnic style in the family room (downstairs) and started a movie. Spencer started out eating at the table but quickly caught onto the fact that all the other kids were going downstairs and that is where he needed to be. Sure enough, once all the kids got settled it began to rain outside. I was thankful that we executed the picnic in the basement option!

In and amongst all the activities folks were keeping an eye on the weather. We had some severe weather around our area that was headed straight for us. I'm thankful that everyone was able to make it home safely.

After dinner some folks headed out to try and avoid the storms that were coming. Other's stayed around and talked with one another. The kids got out some activities and had fun building things with PlayFoam before discovering the plethora of temporary tattoos we have. I got Cousin Alex setup to be the leader of this activity and they all had a blast with it. She helped all the little kids apply several tattoos to their bodies. Meanwhile the adults talked while being amused by the kid conversations going on around the kitchen table.

We had plans of taking a group photo of the kids in my immediate family (our kids + nieces) but unfortunately didn't remember this until they were ready to head home. I think the picture turned out great, I just wish we had taken it when it was lighter out.


















Front to back - left to right: Mykinze (7), Spencer (2), Alex (10), Haleigh (3), Abby (4) & Ellie (4). However, over the summer months each girl will celebrate a birthday. Abby & Ellie will turn 5 in June. Alex will turn 11 & Mykinze will turn 8 in July. Haleigh will turn 4 in August.

Kindergarten Roundup

Well, Kindergarten Roundup has come and gone. The much anticipated day went wonderfully. The girls' were so excited to go to Kindergarten and have fun, and that they did.

Our morning was pretty much routine as usual. Normally it would have been a preschool day, but instead we went to Kindergarten. The start time was only 15 minutes earlier than normal preschool start time. But we wanted to do our best to not rush and feel like we were running late, as usual.

I also took the day off work to try and make it a special day. Carie took the girls in the morning, got them checked in, snapped several photos, watched them connect with their friends, and got them where they needed to be to head down the hall for their first kindergarten experience.

We usually try and get some photos at home before heading out, but we didn't this time. As Carie was trying to take some pictures they'd meet up with another friend. So out of all the pictures we have of this morning, there isn't a single one with just the two of them. But that is okay, in fact that is wonderful. I think it is so cool that they already know a group of kids before school starts. Here are some photos of the girls' and a few of their buddies.













At the end of roundup we all returned to pick them up. The verdict was that they had an awesome time. I also learned from their teachers that they will likely be their teachers come fall, which was wonderful to hear. In the past the class roster hadn't been determined until just before the school session began.

The girls then told us about their morning and showed off their project. Then we went out for lunch! The kids chose where we were going and they all had a great lunch along with some great playtime. Much needed out of the house playtime given all the rain we've had. But then the drama set in. A couple of the kiddos were carried out of the restaurant and at least one more could have been if we had enough adult arms to do so. But we managed to get all buckled in, home, and settled into quiet activities without much difficulty. The quiet downtime was very beneficial to all!

The rest of the day they told anyone and everyone that would listen to them that they went to Kindergarten.

Why We Are "Still" Here

There have been numerous times that we've been faced with the question... "Why are you still there?" Meaning, why haven't we gotten out of Dodge already?

While I'm not politically savvy enough to know where Nebraska falls on the continuum of "the worst places to live"... a scale solely taking into account our family dynamics. I do suspect there are "worse" places for us to live along with a plethora of "better" places for us to live. Obviously if we were to move, we'd narrow our choices based on this ever changing scale along with utilizing our personal lifestyle preferences to make such a decision.

But experiences like tonight are strong reminders of why we are really still here.

After the girls' soccer game we loaded up and headed to Fremont where my Grandma was awaiting our arrival. Fremont is a nice little town about an hour away from us. This is a place that created many of my childhood memories. It is a place where many from my Dad's family routinely gather together throughout the summer months. It is a place where my kids now have an opportunity to spend time with their extended family and create the memories that I had a chance to create. It is a place where we have a time like no other. Grandpa & Grandma spend a great deal of time at the cabin and I know they greatly enjoy all the traffic that the summer months bring.

Earlier in the week Grandma (my paternal Grandmother) was on the phone requesting that we bring the kids out. Sure we are supposed to see them this coming Saturday at "the" soccer game (featuring Abby, Ellie & Lexy) and they are planning on coming to Spencer’s birthday party that afternoon. But she was anxious to show them all the new babies at the lake. Because the cabin is on a private lake, the traffic - especially during the week, is pretty low key. There are an incredible amount of deer, geese, turkeys, and a couple of ponies at the lake. I'm sure I’ve missed a few species and I'm absolutely certain Grandma & Grandpa could tell you exactly what is there, how many there are, and probably even how old they are. They, along with many other cabin owners, get great enjoyment out of all of these animals that have created their home on the lake.

So we make the trek to the lake for an evening of animal watching. It was a nice night for a drive, and we enjoy driving – if only the kids would enjoy it as much as we do. Thank goodness the sun is setting later! Grandma met us at the gate and then joined us in our van to toddle around the lake.













On a normal summer night she'd load up all the kids (every single kid around) in her car and just she and they would drive around in search of the animals. She'd have loaves upon loaves of "bird bread" that the kids would alternately eat and toss out for the birds. They would return to the cabin with slices of bread on top of the car. Somehow it is always a sign that they had fun. But the cabin isn't really open yet and it was just us there tonight so we all were treated to her animal adventure. We were treated to our kids having incredible fun with their Great Grandma. The smiles and laughter on all their faces was priceless.














After a good hour of exploring we stopped by the cabin to get jammies on, etc... Then we went back to the gate to make our trek back home. As we were locking the gate behind us, Grandma was headed down the road, back to the cabin, on the 3-wheeler.

It was at that precise moment as I watched Grandma hop on the 3-wheeler that it really hit me. The memories, oh the memories our kids are going to have. I mean, how many Great Grandmas’ would hop on a 3-wheeler to get home?

It is these experiences that keep us planted here.

It is vitally important to us that our children have the opportunity to create these memories with their family, a large extended family at that. We want them to be able to have lasting memories of their Grandparent’s and Great Grandparents. All 4 of their Grandparents and 3 of their Great Grandparents are still alive, thriving, and involved in our lives!

And yes... the photos of Ellie and Spencer are of them hanging out the sunroof of our van! They were looking for animals. I think at that moment they were looking for the turkeys in the trees. Have you ever seen a turkey fly? It is pretty cool!

Melodrama

I feel like we are hosting an incredibly long melodrama in our home. As a current audience member (let’s face it, I’m sure I have my own moments) I am constantly reminding myself that we need to stay grounded. Though there are moments that I find myself bursting out into laughter, followed by tears, and maybe even a few moments of pounding thy head.

And thus we are seeing the downside of everyone's birthdays falling so close together. I'm absolutely blown away by the intensity and the way it peaks around their birthdays. The birthday isn't just a date on a calendar, for these little one's there is so much more going on. It is incredible and awesome if not also draining.

This whole growing up thing is hard. I can only imagine it being harder, in different ways, as everyone continues to grow and age. We'll cross those bridges as we need to.

For now I'm thankful that cuddling is still acceptable and can get is through some of the most dramatic of times.