Fall Soccer

All 3 kids decided they wanted to play soccer this year. Jason and I got suckered into coaching! It's great except for the fact that our kids don't want to listen to us. So here, 1/2 of our team is our kids...so that's 1/2 the team that doesn't listen to us. Oh well...lesson learned.

They are all doing good. Seth loves soccer still and scored 3 goals in his first game. He is improving with each season that passes. Elaina really likes it, which surprises me. She's pretty good at it in her own little way. Grace seems to enjoy it, but is a little hard on herself. She gets very upset at herself is she can't do a drill just perfectly. She is also very dramatic about it, so that adds to the coaching issues.

All in all, I hope they just have fun! I think it's going to be an interesting season to say the least!!!

First Day of Kindergarten

(Sorry for the underlining...not sure how to remove it!)

The house was buzzing with excitement this morning as the kids climbed out of bed. They couldn't wait for their first day of school. They got dressed in their special outfits, ate breakfast and headed out the door for school.

I had to take some deep breathes to keep from crying on the walk there. We headed to room 16 and found our seats. I could feel the tears welling up inside as it was getting closer and closer for me to leave. Seth, Grace and Elaina did great. There were no tears from any of them, although Elaina did look a little forlorn sitting at her new seat, amongst her new friends. As I approached Grace to hug and kiss her goodbye, I almost lost it and all I could think was that I had 2 more kids to get through. I managed to hold back. Next think I know, I'm looking around and none of the other parents were crying. I started to wonder what was wrong with them!

The day was a success. I picked the kids up. They were very excited to tell me about their day. Grace got into a wrong line at lunch somehow. That scared her some, but she bounced back rather well. Elaina is sad that she didn't make any friends and thinks the day is too long. Seth is well...Seth. Easy going, laid back and seemed to really enjoy it, although didn't have much to say about it.

So, we shall see how it goes once this soaks in. I think we are in for a wild ride!!!

The Tooth Fairy is Coming Tonight

Dear Tooth Fairy,

My name is Grace and I am 5 years old. I just lost my first tooth. Please be generous and leave me a nice surprise tonight while I am sleeping. I promise I will try and sleep really hard so that I don't wake up and see you.

Love,

Grace

Birthday Fun

We took a tall ship cruise

Built some cool sandcastles

Danced the night away

were surprised with birthday presents

ate some yummy cupcakes

Better late than never!

The kids turned 5 this year! Unbelievable, right?!? The summer is flying by and kindergarten will be here before I know it. It is all so bittersweet. Here I have these wonderful, happy, incredibly healthy children...yet I'm still sad that they are growing up so quickly. If I could stop time for just a bit.

This year, we decided to take the kids on vacation for their birthday. We went to our favorite place, Traverse City. The beach, the ice cream, the cherries and the Blue Angels! That's what our trip was all about...oh yeah, and family time!

For the day of their birthday, they chose to go to the carnival at the cherry fest. I baked them cupcakes and brought some presents for them, then we took in a blues concert to end the night. It was a great vacation, one that won't be soon forgotten.

New Haircuts!

I know it's been a while since I've blogged. For that I apologize, but hey...life happens!

We went for haircuts today...well the girls did. Elaina has been trying to grow her hair long like Grace's for quite some time now. She was doing fine with it and it was actually pretty long. Then she decided a couple of weeks ago, that she wanted it short. She must have been sick of the tangles and ouchies when trying to brush it. Off we went to Great Clips today. I love her cut, but she looks all grown up now.

Grace had a cut too. She also wanted to go short, but I'm a bad mommy and just couldn't do it. I have this strange attachement to Grace's hair. It's so thick and luxurios. I did allow her go have a good 2-3 inches cut off. She's happy with it for now, but says she wants to go shorter next time. At least I have some time to prepare myself for that.

Seth didn't get a haircut, but insisted on having his picture taken. I've been cutting Seth's hair since Christmas. Jason wants me to give him a mo-hawk...I just can't do that either. He seems so young still. Who knows, I may give in there sometime too. I think Seth feels left out sometimes on haircut day, but he does enjoy getting one at home.

Girls Rule!

So, with Seth's room done, it was time to make a little girls dream room. They got their flower bedding from Grammie for Christmas. That made Grace very happy. Elaina wanted polka dots. So there you have it...flowers and polka dots. If you have never painted polka dots before...I don't recommend it! LOL!!! It took a lot of time and effort to get all those dots on the wall. I started with the idea of sponging them on...it did not work! So I spent many hours hand painting polka dots for my darling Elaina.

It turned out great though and the girls love their "girlie" room. We did replace the bunk beds and dresser with a new set, due to the bunks being very wobbly...this is the old set. I haven't taken pictures of the new set yet. It's very pretty though and much safer for my little princesses.

So, that's that. The kids are all in their new rooms and the redecorating is finally done! The move has worked out great and they are all very happy with the arrangement. Although Grace and Elaina do fight for the top bunk. For now, we are switching weekly, that seems to be working out ok.

It's Official...He's Growing Up!

Four years ago, it seemed impossible that this day would come. The time where my little boys feet would be touching the foot board of his toddler bed, which was once his crib. After all...this is the only bed he's known for years now. Of course with this growth, there comes the issue of not being able to fit 3 beds in one room. So for the first time in their lives, my little boy, is on his own. He has left the comfort of his room that is still decorated as a nursery and his bed with his homemade soccer ball blanket, into this brand new BIG bed and newly painted room that looks way too grown up for a boy that was really only born yesterday!

Seth really was looking forward to the time where he would be able to crawl into a nice warm bed and fall asleep with no pesky girls keeping him awake with all their bedtime antics. We've been talking about the move for months and he was so excited and would often refer to the big empty room as HIS room.

That first night, he was so excited to crawl into his new spacious bed and spread out all of his stuffed animals. He was nothing but smiles from ear to ear. About an hour after bedtime it hit him....he was alone. He became scared and lonely. My advice to him, was that I LOVE it when daddy is gone and I get my big bed all to myself! That seemed to make him feel better. I also let him know that he wasn't alone. Our dog, Lucia, is sharing his room with him. It's been smooth sailing ever since!

On the flip side, I was a little ashamed of myself that the previous night, I was so frustrated with the kids by the end of the day, that I couldn't wait to get them in bed. So now, a moment I will never get back...I didn't take the time to think about the fact that it was the last time all 3 of them would share a room. For that I will always be a little sad and hope that it will serve as a reminder for me in the future.

So for now...off to do the "girl" room!

Have I mentioned that Seth LOVES puppies! That's really an understatment. The kids took Zeus' passing very hard. Harder than I thought they would. They still talk about him everyday. They also ask for a puppy everyday. Their reasoning, of course, is that since we have 2 cats, we must have 2 dogs. Gotta love the way a four year old mind works.

Jason and I put off getting a puppy for a little while. We weren't really positive it was the best thing for us right now. But after careful consideration...we decided it was time.

After some research, I settled on a breed and found one that I was happy with. We decided to keep the kids in the dark on the whole thing. Of course they were heartbroken when we went to the petstore during an adoption day, unbeknownst to us, and left without a puppy.

So we went to the airport today to pick up our newest addition, Rascal. He's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The kids were a little confused, like they couldn't believe we actually keeping him, but once we got him home, they knew for sure that he is going to live with us for a long time.

Rascal was pretty traumatized at first, but quickly came around and really has taken to the kids. He loves to play with them and snuggle up on their laps. I know that he is going to fit into our family just fine!

The kids are all very proud of their new pup. Especially Seth! Most of the family has been over to visit him and they all tell the kids that they are going to take him home with them. The kids will hear no part of it! It will be fun to see how much they are going to love him as they grow up together.

Happy Belated New Year!!!!

So, I guess I've been a little lax in updating our blog. I can't believe how fast time is moving. The kids were born, I blinked and now they are almost 5 and will be starting kindergarten next school year.

We had a wonderful Christmas and a very fun New Years! I expect this year to be one of many big changes. Some of them fun and some of them bittersweet and a litte scary. Seth will finally be mofing to his new room. He is very excited to have his own space and a big boy bed. He was planning out the layout of his room today. It will be the first time they have been split up at night since Grace came home from the hospital a couple of days before Elaina and Seth. Also, our district announced the move to full day kindergarten next year. I'm sure the kids will do fine, but I'm really not ready for empty nest.

They are getting bigger day by day and there is no stopping it. I will just sit back, cry (bittersweet tears of joy) and enjoy the ride!

Here are some pictures from Christmas. Enjoy!