Hanukkah/Christmas

I am going to skip right from Thanksgiving to Hanukkah and Christmas even though I'm sure we did a TON of stuff in between, but I'll backtrack later if I need to and write about the things that are fresh on my mind because it seems as if I can't find a ton of spare time to sit down and write anymore.

Hanukkah and Christmas were actually very close together this year, so the kids had presents up the wazoo! We had three nights of Hanukkah before heading to Midland for Christmas.  For Hanukkah, we had a party at Gerry's house with my mom and the Pelig's (Gerry's daughter and family).  The kids got along great and we had my favorite meal...bagels and lox among other things, and of course the kids were spoiled rotten with presents.  The highlight was the huge Barbie playhouse which Jason swore at a number of times while putting it together, but in the end, it looked great and the kids love it!  Most of things I got for Sydney were Barbie's, but it's what she wanted and I didn't go crazy because I knew Christmas was right around the corner and not every kid gets to celebrate both holidays, so they are a little spoiled.  Lizzy was content with whatever we gave her; which consisted of a couple princess toys, a barbie, a barbie cell phone...nothing major!  Sydney, on the other hand, needs to be taught a lesson!  She can be very ungrateful at times and it makes me so upset.  If she should get a book or clothes, she's not happy and throws a fit.  So we had to have that whole conversation about how some people don't get anything and she should be lucky to get anything let alone celebrate two holidays.  So, the next opportunity I get, I am going to take her some where to volunteer or donate some of her things so she can see where they are going and how good it feels to do something nice for others.  I'm just not exactly sure where to go or what to do so that it has an impact, but when I figure it out, we are definitely going!

The kids could hardly wait to get to Midland for Christmas.  There were so many presents under the tree!  We had to huge meals; one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas day...I promise you we were not lacking in the food department.  I think I'm still full 3 days later, and as much as I love junk, it doesn't even sound good right now!  The only thing I don't like about Christmas is that Santa gets all of the credit...no fair!  So Jason and I had to stay up late wrapping presents and buying Sydney a fish (she just HAD to have a fish)...and we can't even tell her that we bought it!  But we all made out very well.  Jason bought me a new Mac Book Pro which I'm typing on as we speak, and I also got a Kindle Fire, new boots, cool dishes, a cupcake maker, jewelry, gift cards, money...I'm not complaining one bit!!  The kids got toys, toys, and more toys...too many to even list.  But Lizzy's absolute favorite (which I have to give credit to Jason for), were these miniature princess figurines.  He bought (or should I say Santa?) three different sets...Cinderella, Arielle, and then just a set of the typical princesses.  She has literally been playing with them all day, every day.  She lines them up everywhere and has the longest attention span.  She even puts them in her bed when we aren't looking...she is borderline obsessed!!  She is definitely one happy kid!

Sydney and Lizzy had so much fun playing with their cousins, that she didn't want to come home.  So when we left on Monday, we left Sydney there!  She just loves playing with the "big kids".  I'm not sure when she's coming home, but I'm sure we'll have to go get her eventually.  But for now, she's livin' the life, getting spoiled rotten (just what she needs).

It always feels like such a let down after the holidays are over.  I always have the whole week off of Christmas and then go back after New Year's and it's the LONGEST stretch of time without a holiday.  I'm so bad at just enjoying my days off, but I can't help thinking about going back to work...but I will try and enjoy these last few days, because I must admit, it feels pretty darn good to just sit and relax...even if I am just sitting in a hospital room watching my mom sleep (no worries, she's fine...just had her ovaries out and everything looks good).  (And on a side note...if I ever have to be admitted to the hospital...I would like to request Henry Ford West Bloomfield...I feel like I'm in a hotel and I even went shopping...who, other than me, takes their mom to the hospital and comes back with more than they came with?)

Anyway...here's to a happy and healthy new year!!  When's the next holiday....?

Thanksgiving

My mom just had a very large cyst removed and I was the chosen one to bring her in for her surgery, so I have a little time on my hands; I might as well give a little update!

For Thanksgiving this year, we ended up staying home and having it at our house.  I think it actually turned out quite nice.  This year Gail's son, Jeremy and his wife, Joy, decided to surprise Gail and come in for the holiday.  I think the last time I saw them was like 5 years ago.  I'm all about surprises too!  The whole time, I knew that Jeremy was bringing a kosher turkey, but since Gail insisted on coming over the day before to teach me how to brine a turkey, I had to get one too, or else it would ruin the surprise!  So, we ended up with two turkeys.  But hey, I'm not complaining...I love leftovers!  I know some people don't like leftovers, but anytime I can just grab something out of the fridge without cooking is a good day in my book!

Anyway, Gail was completely surprised and it was fun to hang out with everyone.  Joe, Polly, Jill, Brandon, and Tyler also came down which was very nice.  Sydney and Lizzy had a ball playing with everyone! Jeremy and Joy even bought them a gift, so they were all quick buddy's!

Overall, we had a great time.  I had just had a minor surgery to remove a small bump in my forehead so I was in a little pain and had a bunch of stitches, but it didn't stop me!!  That night I decided it would be a wise decision to head out to Toys R Us at 9:00pm for black Friday.  However...it wasn't so wise; I won't be doing that again...but I might change my mind next year!  The line was wrapped around the store and it took over an hour to even get in.  But by the time you're in, you kind of feel committed.  So, I gathered up a bunch of goods for the kids and lugged them around the store...they didn't have carts because of the large mass of people, so everyone got bags (unless you were one of the first one's in the store, but those crazies had to camp out all day, and that is something I'm just not willing to do!!)  Then it came time to check out!  The line was literally wrapped around the entire store.  Like I said, you already felt committed, so you felt compelled to wait in line.  I asked a sales associate how long, and she said about 45 minutes, so that wasn't bad...until 45 minutes passed and I had barely moved. Then I asked a different person and she said about 45 minutes to an hour.  I literally wanted to drop everything and leave.  But for some reason, I stayed!  I got home sometime between 12 and 1am, and I really don't think I got anything too great...with all the hype I thought I would come out with these great things...maybe next time I need a list and a plan (and someone to wait in line for me while I shop).  This is not a one person operation!!  The bottom line is, I made it out alive and if I ever decide to do that again, I should sit down and read this blog or else it's my own darn fault for torturing myself...the things I do for the kids!

My Shopping Buddy

Well, it's that time of year again...time to buy winter boots (blah)!  Have I ever told anyone how much I hate winter?  Anyway, I had a 30% off coupon at Kohls, so I took Sydney there after dance class.  I happened to be wearing my Uggs that day and the first boots she saw looked just like mine (but fake, aka fuggs), so of course, she wanted the same ones that I had.  I told her no way, no how, not happening because they are not winter boots to play out in the snow and she needs to have winter boots for recess at school.  So I dragged her to the proper section and of course she picked out the most fashionable boots she could find.  They had the nice Totes brand with the hard toe and warm lining...but no....they weren't "cute".  So I caved and spent $40 dollars on boots that probably won't last the winter, but hey....they're cute....and apparently that's all that matters!  So, we put them in the cart and she still was begging to buy these fuggs.  I told her if she wanted them that badly, she had to buy them herself.  And that's exactly what happened.  My lucky kids somehow managed to get money for Halloween (not from me though...candy is enough!), so she spent her Halloween money on these boots...that just sounds weird...Halloween money??  But she willingly forked over the $32 ( I only charged her $30, aren't I nice?) and we were headed on our way....to my section!  HELLO...did you really think I could go into the store and not look for myself?  I have a coupon!!!

So, we walked over to my section and Sydney started running and yelling at the top of her lungs..."JENNIFER LOPEZ".  Everyone was looking at us.  She said, "mommy, you HAVE to get these earrings"  She was so excited that she knew who Jennifer Lopez was.  She dropped them in my cart, but I wasn't going to get them.  Then there was a sale rack and I started pulling out a couple things, but Sydney kept putting things in my cart saying I had to try them on...what a little instigator!  So, we finally made it to the dressing room with way more than I anticipated and she sat there very patiently while I tried things on.  She kept telling me to take my time (she obviously didn't want to go home and go to bed) and she gave me some very honest opinions.  She would say, "eeeewwwww, but that in the NO pile", or "yes, yes, yes, you HAVE to get that."  I guess I have a little fashionista on my hands.  And in case you're wondering...I bought the earrings....they were so cute!

We finally left with way more than I expected, but hey...they gave us $20 Kohls cash.  Now I get to go back and buy more!!!  I think I'll take my shopping buddy....we had a good time!

Conferences

We have completed both of the girls' conferences!  It's always fun (or maybe not so fun) to sit down with the teachers to hear what they have to say about your kid!

Sydney's conferences went very smoothly just like they always do.  She is always a very good student.  She would never do anything to act up at school or cause her to get in trouble (it's a total different story at home).  But Mrs. McGorisk had nice things to say about her and she seems to be right on track with everything, so we are pleased.  Although she is frustrated with writing lower case letters, it is not officially taught until the end of November, so we are all good!!

This is the first time I've ever had a conference for Lizzy.  It wasn't quite the same as sitting in on one for Sydney....what a different kid she is.  She doesn't like to listen at circle time, she kind of stares off into space.  She doesn't like to share with others, she doesn't make a lot of different choices from day to day meaning that if given the opportunity, she will always do the same thing, so the teachers have to suggest that she try different things.  And both of her teachers said with an overwhelming, "YES", that Lizzy can sure defend herself.  None of this comes as a surprise at all. We just like to say that Lizzy has a strong personality.   But in my opinion, she has a fun personality and she is always saying something clever and making me laugh.  So, we have some work to do with Lizzy, but she is a very bright little girl and I'm not worried in the least bit...she's just a 3 year old acting just like a 3 year old!!  And Sydney is 5, acting like a teenager!!!

Halloween

Wow, Halloween used to be just one night.  But now, as the kids get older, it seems as if there are a million activities that actually lead up to the real Halloween.  I think I had to dress Sydney up like 4 or 5 times....crazy!!  She had a schoolwide halloween roller skating party at Bonaventure where she wore her Belle princess dress.  Then, the next day, she wore her Cinderella dress (the one she bought at Disney World because they were sold out of Belle, but obviously we eventually HAD to get her Belle too) to the Enchanted Hike at  her school.  Then, that weekend we had a party at Samantha and Addison's house (Addison is currently in Lizzy's class and Samantha was in Sydney's class last year, but they rock....so we keep in touch).  Sydney wore her Little Mermaid costume and Lizzy wore Strawberry Shortcake.  Fortunately Lizzy only had two Halloween events and she was Strawberry Shortcake for both, so we didn't have all of the costume changes!! Anyway,  It was a lot of fun to have all of the kids together.  They had a blast painting pumpkins and doing other crafts. Well, Lizzy had fun painting the pumpkins, but then she got antsy and decided to play with all of their toys...I wasn't surprised....she loves other people's toys!

And then finally....Halloween night (as if the kids needed MORE candy).  Lily came over to trick-or-treat with us and my mom passed out the candy.  The kids really don't understand the concept of "WALK" as they ran from house to house.  Fortunately, there were  no incidents this year.  Although, Sydney did make a comment which left me completely mortified.  We went to this one house and I didn't go right up to the door with the kids.  So, I was standing close to the street and yelled out to Sydney to make sure she said "thank you" becasue I didn't hear her say it.  And she yells out, "I can't, this house STINKS" (as she running away).  The people who live in this house happen to be Indian so what she was smelling was Indian food.  But, I told her that she can't say stuff like that (but couldn't really get in a huge lecture and she was running to the next house).  Her response was, "but it DID".  So, we'll have to have a bigger chat about how to keep some things inside sometimes.  Fortunately I don't know these people and it was dark outside so they won't remember us, but how embarrassing!!!  And one quick Lizzy story.  We went up to a house and Lizzy said, "trick or treat, I'm thirsty, can I have a drink?"  This was like two houses down from the one Sydney said smelled.  I was like, what the heck is wrong with my kids?  I told the nice lady that she didn't have to get her a drink, but she insisted and came back with a juice box!

Although we had a lot of fun this Halloween...I'm glad it's over!!  Next up....Thanksgiving....yum!  And on the menu....Halloween candy!  We have enough for an army including the 30 pack of full size candy bars that Jerry stopped by with for the kids!

Down on the Farm

Sydney's class went on a field trip to The Real Life Farm in Canton.  FINALLY, now that she's in kindergarten, parents don't have to chaperone.  They can if they want, but it's not mandatory that every child has a parent in attendance.  So, we signed Sydney up and figured she was good to go.  But my girly girl was a little hesitant about going to a farm.  Last year, our trip to the Bowers Farm was not successful at all, as Sydney stood there with her fingers over her nose the entire time...literally.


So, not only was she not excited to go on this trip, but she was even less excited about the fact that one of us wasn't going.  But alas, Grandpa Eliot came to the rescue.  Sydney begged and begged and finally got her way.  So, I had to call the teacher the day before the trip and make arrangements for my dad to go on the trip.  And what do you know...she LOVED the Real Life Farm.  From what I hear, it is pretty amazing.  They got to ride horses, which Sydney apparently loved (they must not have smelled).  They also had a fantastic playground and went on a hayride.  My dad even said that he had fun...despite the fact that I forgot to pack him a lunch...ooops.  The whole trip, he kept sending me text messages saying, "I'm losing strength, I need food.  Oh, but don't worry about me."  Obviously he was kidding, but yes, I did forget to pack him some food.

But all in all, Sydney had a wonderful time (and I got some pictures out of the deal...thanks Dad!).  Maybe next time she will be adventurous and attempt a field trip without one of us.  But then again, I guess I kind of like the fact that she still needs and wants to be with us.  It's only a matter of time before that changes...and from what I hear, it happens pretty quickly!

SCHOOL!!!!

So, both kids are in school this year, where has the time gone?  Sydney seems to be loving kindergarten!  Her favorite part is the bus, but I'm not quite sure that counts!  So, her second favorite part is gym.  Sometimes she comes home and says, "today wasn't very much fun at all", and the only reason she says that is because she has to go to art.  She's not a very big fan of art; perhaps she takes after me.  I can barely draw a stick figure, so maybe she should just aspire to be a little better than me and she'll be good!  But all in all, she is very happy.  She loves her teacher, since it's the one she really wanted.  They have small homework assignments which she is eager to do, so hopefully this will keep up!

As for Lizzy, we had a small hiccup along the way.  I had signed Lizzy up for a MWF class thinking it would be the same set up as Sydney's class last year at Alameda where the teacher had a MWF class and a completely separate T TH class.  So it was perfect, she would go all day MWF and I would leave work early on those days to pick her up and meet Sydney off of the bus and Sydney would go to Y Care on        T TH.  It was perfect until two weeks into the year, I realized that Lizzy and another kid were the ONLY one's going MWF and everyone else went every single day.  I realized this when the teacher kept planning big activities on Tuesday's and Thursday's and Lizzy was missing out and although I addressed my concern, nothing was changed.  There was no kid that only went on T TH, so there was no reason not to plan big events on MWF which would benefit everyone.  Also, a month into the school year and I didn't even know the teacher's email address...so that's not a good sign. But anyway, needless to say, I put Lizzy in a different class.

The class Lizzy is in now only meets on Tuesday's and Thursday's all day.  I figured since she just turned 3, that is enough!  Sydney only went for 2 1/2 hours two days per week when she was three, so I figured it would be a good fit.  The teacher is awesome and emails me pictures of Lizzy and responds almost immediately when you send an email.  Also, this class only had 8 kids, where the previous class had 17, so the teacher/student ratio is much smaller.  Even better, I had to change my work schedule to leave early on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday ( I kept Friday since I still have to get Sydney off of the bus).  This would mean I would work late on Mon. and Wed. and need someone to watch Sydney on those days.  But since our nextdoor neighbor doesn't work on those two days, she offered to get Sydney off of the bus on those days so that Sydney doesn't have to go to Y Care, and thus saving me $130 per month.  So, I think this was a good move....MAYBE.

The maybe comes into play because Lizzy is TOTALLY breaking my heart.  It's been two weeks and she still talks about her friends in the other class.  She keeps saying that her best friend is Claire and that her old teachers still love her and that she misses all of them.  She sees them on the playground which in a way makes things harder because she will NEVER forget about them.  I'm trying to think on the positive side in that, now she just has more friends, but you should hear her when she talks about them, it really brings a tear to my eye and makes me think that I made the wrong decision.  I know kids are resilient, so hopefully this will all work out in the end.  Afterall, I figured that the kids who are going every day this year will naturally go every day next year so they would be in a different class next year anyway.  And there is NO WAY that Lizzy is not going to get Mrs. Bruder next year (the best teacher EVER), so I already know she will be going MWF next year.

So...here's to a good year without anymore glitches!!!

Lizzy's Birthday (and mine too...)

September 9th is both mine and Lizzy's birthday.  But since I'm old now, we try to focus on Lizzy!!  It wasn't the most exciting day, but we made the most of it.

First, Lizzy had her pre-school orientation, so I took the day off of work to spend with Lizzy since the orientation was in the middle of the day anyway. She bolted immediately to the toys...of course!  She had fun, and they even sang happy birthday to her!  Then, we met my mom for lunch, but all of a sudden she had a terrible pain in her leg and could barely walk...so we ended up at Urgent Care....fun!  Turns out it was a pinched  nerve!  We were supposed to go shopping, but as you can imagine...that didn't happen.  So, we went home to catch Sydney off of the bus!

That night my Dad and Gail came over for dinner.  The kids were both tired and cranky by this point, so we just got a carry out and stayed in (but we did go out to Dairy Queen for dessert...somehow ice cream all of a sudden puts kids in a good mood).  I don't think I have any pictures, but my Dad and Gail got me Uggs for my birthday...it was completely unexpected, but they are sooooooooooo comfortable.  I've been missing out all of this time with my cheap knock-offs.  Jason did exceptionally well this year too.  He made me a mouse pad for work with the girl's picture on it.  I also got a really cute Detroit Tigers shirt and gift certificate to Victoria's Secret.  I really wanted new  underwear....too much information, I know, but it was time for an update.  I also got a cute pair of pj's from Pink (part of Victoria Secret), and I learned that I love that store...they have tons of MSU gear...I'll be visiting that store again in the near future!!  And due to the fact that I've been slacking on this here blog, I can't remember what we got Lizzy for her birthday...that's probably because it wasn't too exciting....oh wait, that's right....Jason bought her Finding Nemo.  So, Lizzy got a DVD and Sydney got a Nintendo DS...seems fair!  We'll make it up to Lizzy when she turns 5 and can appreciate the finer things.  But my Dad and Gail got Lizzy some super cute clothes from Gymboree for the school year.  The only time Lizzy doesn't wear hand me downs, is when someone else purchases the clothes...poor Lizzy...mommy is a cheapskate, hence the old knock-off boots I've been wearing!  But I was happy with the way the day turned out despite the little mishap at the beginning of the day!  But I'm glad she's okay, that's the most important.

Paaaaaartttttyyyyyy!

Just like last year, we combined the girl's birthday party since Sydney's is in August and Lizzy's is in September!  What this means for us is: one party, one set of goodie bags, one party fee, one food order, and most importantly....ONE set of thank you notes to be written (it's now been a month and I have not written them quite yet...it's not my favorite thing to do, but it needs to be done)!

This year the party was at Farmington Gymnastics.  All of the kids had a blast and I like that the party room is huge and that the gym is spacious; that way the party didn't seem like mass chaos.  There were two coaches and one coach took the younger kids and the other one took the older kids and it actually worked our perfectly!  So, another successful party in the books!  As we did last year, we gave out CD's as part of the party favors.  We have the kids sit down and tell us their favorite songs.  It always seems to be a big hit.  And although I put the kid's names next to the songs that they picked, it was very clear which songs were Sydney's and which one's were Lizzy's.  Sydney's songs were all Glee, Selena Gomez, etc. (all grown up).  I wonder what will end up on next year's list.  Every year, Sydney just seems SO much older, yet she's only in Kindergarten....well, at the time of the party she was not in Kindergarten yet...I'm still trying to catch up on this darn blog.  I knew I created a monster when I started.  But the kids will enjoy reading it when they are
older!





Anyway...great party...and now I have another year to figure out the next party!  Now I can sit back, relax, and be the guest at everyone else's parties (that way THEY have to write the thank you notes).

Sydney's Birthday

This year, Sydney turned the BIG 5!  Since we were  having the "kids" party over Labor Day weekend, we wanted to at least take her out!  We ended up going to Jeepers...because if I have to go to Chuckie Cheese ONE more time...

Anyway, the kids loved Jeepers.  That being said...I'm not so sure that I loved it, but it was a change, so I can't complain.  The part I didn't like was that Lizzy was too small to ride alone so Jason and I had to go with her and they had these crazy spinny, jerky rides that I wasn't a fan of going on over and over again!  The kids had a blast though, so that's all that counts!

Then, we headed over to Rain Forest Cafe for lunch!  Sydney thought it was a pretty cool atmosphere and I actually enjoyed it, but for some reason the whole concept freaked Lizzy out and she just couldn't wait to get out of there!  She had more fun in the little store area in the front of the restaurant playing with the toys and looking at the fish...I'm not surprised.  My Dad and Gail joined us for lunch and the staff at the restaurant came to the table to sing to Sydney....she was totally embarrassed, but that's the point!!



Finally....it was time to ship the kids off for the week!!!  Sydney was tired of going to daycare all Summer long so she asked Grandma Polly and Grandpa Joe if she could stay with them for a week.  And of course Lizzy wanted to go too...I wasn't going to put up a fight...a week off seemed quite nice and nice it was indeed!  Jason and I went to a Tiger's game, we went out for Sushi, and since I'm still a kid at heart, we went and played putt-putt, air hockey, and video games!  Even though we had to work all week, it seemed like a nice break from all of the action!!

July Fun

Oh my gosh, I'm SUCH a slacker!  I have no excuse for not writing more often!  Actually, I kind of do have an excuse, but it's not a good one and I probably shouldn't admit it, but what the heck!  The truth is, I love reality tv, and I've been watching WAY too much of it.  Right now, my current favorite is Big Brother.  Not only is it on 3 times per week, but it's on every single night on Showtime 2 from 12-3am where they show uncensored and live footage.  I don't stay up until 3 am, but I come home and watch it the next day.  That's A LOT of Big Brother...but I love it and I'm obsessed.  Okay, now that I'm done with my confessions...about the kids...

Let's see, at the end of July, we decided to take the kids somewhere for a mini get away.  We took them to Michigan Adventures and Grand Haven.  My favorite part was the water park at Michigan Adventures, probably because it was SO hot that day.  The kids enjoyed all of the rides, but I started to get a little woozy from the heat, so the water felt great and they had tons of wave pools and fun activities for the kids.  I'm a kid at heart, so I loved the water slides and just enjoyed watching the kids have fun!  My least favorite part (only because I looked like a fool), was the paddle boats.  It looked so easy when everyone else was doing it!  I thought once you went in, it would be on a track and you just paddle around the circle....WRONG!  I paddled right into the wall and couldn't figure out how to get it going in the right direction.  It was quite embarrassing with everyone in line just staring!  Somehow we eventually made it, but I will NOT be paddle boating in front of others ever again...at least not when you have to follow a course and can't just paddle aimlessly!
 
The beach at Grand Haven was so amazing!  It was crystal clear with no rocks or seaweed and it didn't even feel like we were in Michigan.  Sydney made a friend with a little girl and played with her the whole time.  Sydney is becoming much more outgoing these days and surprisingly, Lizzy is becoming a little more timid...but not too bad!  She's still a complete goofball and continues to make us laugh!  This is totally unrelated to anything else, but yesterday when I put her in her car seat, she says to me, "easy boy, easy boy".  She didn't want me to hurt her shoulders, it was just funny (it was to me, at least).  Anyway, it was an awesome mini vacation and the kids had a blast!
 
A couple weeks later, I took the kids and went with my dad and Gail to Traverse City for Mia's 5th birthday!  Jason decided to stay home...LOSER!  We ended up having a great time!  There was a street fair the night we got there and all of the cousins had fun running around and got to go on a cool fire truck ride!  The next day my Grandpa came for a visit!  For some reason, Lizzy is absolutely petrified of him and cries every time he looks at her and she refuses to be in the same room with him.  That night when we were eating dinner, everyone was in one room and Lizzy sat out in another room all by herself! Fortunately cousin Baille felt bad for her and went out with her.  It made taking a family photo very difficult, but we had to create this whole elaborate plan where Lizzy didn't know that he was sitting in a chair, and we had to bring Lizzy in at the last second to stand in the back!  It doesn't matter what we do or say, she is SO scared of him.  It's the only time that Lizzy ever just bursts out crying!  But all in all, we had an awesome time.  Every one got along great, and we got to meet Emily's new baby, Noa.  The only bad part of the trip was the drive home!  The kids would not sleep...like at all!  There was also a lot of traffic...not to mention that I went the wrong way (not really the wrong way, I just went a longer way), and the kids were so wrestless and we had to stop a million times for them to go to the bathroom!  But we made it!!

That's it for July...I know I fogot something...like July 4th, but we didn't do anything too exciting this year other let off some of our own fireworks in the front yard.  There were also a ton that we could see from our house, so it was actually quite nice.  But really, that's July in a nutshell.  Oh wait...crap...one more thing....our sixth anniversary was July 9th...we had a night out without the kids and went to the casino and out for dinner...and I should mention that I NEVER win.  I guess I'm not lucky!  Maybe one day I'll make it on to Big Brother and win there....

Lizzy's Big Girl Bed

Oh, the big girl bed...not too excited about it!  A while back we had converted Lizzy's crib to a toddler bed because we figured since we were potty training her, she should be able to get out of bed on her own.  Well, Jason went out of town for a week for work and I put an end to that pretty quickly and she was back in the crib.  The thing is...she was getting out like every minute and it was driving me absolutely insane.

Well now, Jason promised Lizzy that if she pooped on the potty, he would get her a big birl bed...not even a toddler bed.  And wouldn't you know it...she pooped on the potty and just like that, Jason converted her bed to a full size bed.  So now, it's not so easy to just put the crib back up...in fact, it's impossible.  And now, she really is driving me crazy.  She has been going to sleep between 10:30 and 11:00 pm every single night.  She comes out of her room constantly (Sydney never did this).  In fact, I don't think Sydney realized she could even get out of bed.  She would  holler for me every morning to come and get her...it was quite nice!  But Lizzy comes in and we try to be all "Super Nanny" and not talk to her, but she makes it so darn hard.  We try to just pick her up and put her in bed without saying a word until finally she falls asleep.  But, she when she comes in my room, she makes the cutest little faces and says the funniest things, that it's hard for me not to laugh and then she just thinks this whole bed time thing is a joke.  When she comes in my room (or downstairs), she starts singing me songs, like "rock-a-bye mommy" and I can't help but laugh.  Just last night she came out of her room with a suitcase and said she was going to Grandma Sharon's.  Basically, it's a new story every time she comes out of her room.
 
The bottom line is...although she's growing up and the bed is all cute and everything...I hate this no sleeping thing!  It takes away from my "me time" at night!  Oh, and let's not even talk about the morning when she comes out of her room at the crack of dawn.  This phase better end soon!  I'm thinking that room darkening shades might be a possible solution...I'll try anything!

Uncle Josh Comes to Town

Wow, we have been SO busy, but in a good way.  We have been constantly on the move and for the first time, I feel like I can sit down and actually document it.  I'm sure there have been plenty of other opportunities, but reality television gets in the way sometimes and rots some of my brain cells.

Anyway, my kids knew for a long time that Josh was coming mid-June and they couldn't wait.  Sydney asked me like everyday when he was coming until finally the day arrived.  I kept the kids out of daycare and my mom came over every morning for a week while Jason and I worked, so Josh could spend time with the kids.  They LOVED every single minute of it.
 
They went to Chuckie Cheese, the movies to see Mr. Poppers Penguins, Toys R Us, and probably other places that I can't even remember.  All I know is that these kids were spoiled rotten.  Lizzy has been walking around the house like a penguin now, but that's cool!  So, those were the daytime activities, but we can't forget about night! 

One night, Josh had plans to go out with friends and it just so happens that Jason's sister was in town, so we all went to the Tigers game with all of the cousins.  My kids don't exactly love the ballgame (well, Lizzy does) so it was just okay, but nice to see everyone and be all together.  The only thing was that it was hard to talk to everyone in that kind of setting, but fun nonetheless.  They had great fireworks that night, which kind of made up for the loss!
 
Over the weekend, Jason had to go to Midland for a basketball tournament, but we didn't let the fun stop...no way!!  My dad came over and we all took the kids to the Livonia Spree.  I had never been there before, but it was like the best carnival I have ever been to and will for sure be back!  Some guy sold us some vouchers for wrist bands and the kids were absolutely in heaven.  They went from ride to ride to ride without skipping a beat.  There were a ton of kids rides and no lines and they just had the time of their lives.  The smiles were permanantly planted on their faces the whole night.  Josh was pretty much the "yes" man the entire time he was there.  If anyone wanted anything, he was like, "suuuuurrrrrrrrreee, I'll go get it."  So my kids walked away with a couple goodies!  I thoroughly enjoyed watching my kids have fun.  Lizzy screamed "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" all the way through every ride, it was so cute and I'm so glad we went.
 
 
I honestly can't remember every little detail because it really flew by, but it was definitely action packed with a couple bbq's and another trip to Tiger Stadium for another ball game, and ANOTHER loss.  I'm beginning to think that Jason is bad luck, lol...it couldn't be me, right?  It was actually an awful game, so we let the kids ride the carousel and the ferris wheel.  I ended up going on the ferris wheel alone with the kids because we didn't have enough cash on hand for all of us, so Jason waited on the side.  They put us on the ride with this young couple who were about to have a baby and they got a kick out of Sydney and Lizzy.  They asked Lizzy what her name was and she said, "My name is girlfriend" (she still likes me to call her girlfriend buddy, so funny).  Then Lizzy sang them "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".  Everyone's favorite part is when she starts barking like a dog because she things that the songs says, "Roof roof roof for the Tigers".  It was a good time!

And finally, the week came to an end.  The kids were sad to see Josh go.  I mean, who wouldn't want to be spoiled for a week?  I'm sure we will eventually have to plan a trip out to see him.  I mean, Florida isn't exactly a bad place to visit.

Pre-School Graduation

Sydney is officially done with pre-school!  I'm very proud of Sydney and happy that she's moving on, but it's very bittersweet!  I'm so sad that she is leaving Mrs. Bruder, the best teacher ever.  I know it's only pre-school, but I know a good teacher when I see one.  Fortunately for us, we have had her for the past two years.  She was at Eagle where Sydney went when she was 3, but when Eagle closed, we followed her over to Alameda where she happened to be teaching 4 year olds...it worked out perfectly!  We are REALLY hoping Lizzy gets her when she turns 4!

Anyway, the ceremony was very cute.  The kids sang 4 songs in the gym and threw some confetti and then we headed back to the classroom for some cake where Mrs. Bruder gave each student a cd and a porfolio of all of their work, pictures, and projects throughout the year (an amazing gift)!  I now have two years worth of memories displayed nicely in a book...I'm very appreciative!  I don't know if this is normal, but that would be pretty darn cool if all of Sydney's teacher's do this in the future...or maybe I have the bar set very high, I'm not sure!

So...goodbye to pre-school and hello to Kindergarten...it's all happening so fast!

A Slacker's Re-Cap

Okay, once again, it's been like forever and a day since my last post, but that doesn't mean we haven't been doing anything!  Well...actually, in a way, we kind of haven't been doing anything because these darn kids (but I love em') keep getting sick!  I swear, every single time we have plans, one of them is sick!  It seems like ever since Christmas time...every other week it's something new!  I actually took Sydney to Jake's birthday with a fever because we were missing so much!  But anyway, within the last three weeks, Lizzy had diarrhea for 11 days, it was absolutely awful and she was miserable (she even threw up, but we won't talk about that).  Then the next week I get a call to pick up Sydney from day care because she had spots everywhere, so I took her right to the doctor to discover Scarlet Fever...lovely!  You can only guess what happened the next week.  Why yes, Lizzy caught it, but she only had Strep Throat.  I have never seen her more miserable...she cried non-stop becuase her throat hurt! And this week (yesterday), Lizzy woke up with a cough and fever!  Seriously...can we catch a break?  So far it's not looking like it...I'm home today with a low grade fever, but fortunatley it means I can catch up on this blog...here's a brief update on what's been going on in between illnesses...

Sydney's Dance Recital:  Sure, it was cute, but I'm glad it's over!  I always feel like I'm running here and there, so it will be a nice break this Summer.  We'll see if she takes another class...she's not so into ballet and only wants to be a cheerleader, so maybe we'll sign her up for a pom pon class??  She loves swimming, so maybe we'll just stick with that!

Kindergarten Round-Up:  I cannot believe that Sydney is heading off to Kindergarten next year.  She is getting SO old.  She acts way older than four years old...she doesn't even like cartoons anymore and loves watching Glee and listening to grown up music, it's so weird!  Her teachers even tell me she a new peer group...ALL BOYS!  Apparently they play Star Wars and she is Princess Lea (of course)!  Anyway, Sydney loved riding the school but and visiting the different class rooms.  She wasn't shy and jumped right into the activities so she is definitely ready.  When they were introducing the teachers, Sydney said in a really loud voice..."I want THAT one because she is the prettiest."  I was a little embarrassed, but the person next to me said, "I agree with her, she is the prettiest and I pick her for my son, too!"  Sydney has this thing for pretty girls and I always points them out to me and is really into hairstyles and clothes...I'm telling you...she is not a typical 4 1/2 year old....or maybe she is...what do I know?

Samantha's 5th Birthday Party:  Samantha is a girl in Sydney's class that we are totally going to miss.  It's hard when all of the kids break off into their "home" schools.  But Samantha is going to Walled Lake schools so we will have to stay in touch with them.  Her birthday was at Farmington Gymnastics and they were nice enough to let Lizzy come too, which was very fortunate because this was right up her alley.  Lizzy has been asking ever since when she can go to gymnastics (she says "nastics"), so I'm thinking we might sign her up for a quick Summer session becauase she NEVER gets to do anything!  Sydney had fun too, but Lizzy likes to move non-stop and that's exactly what she did!  We might have the girls' party there this year; all of the kids had a ton of fun!

Swimming at Grandpa's:  Although she doesn't take lessons, Lizzy's other love is swimming!  You can bribe her to do anything if you tell her that she'll get to go swimming.  We had a ton of fun, although Sydney forgot her goggles, so she wouldn't show us everything she has learned in her lessons.  But she had fun jumping in and just enjoying the water and nice weather.  Lizzy stayed close to the steps and liked jumping to me...it never got old for her!  We plan on doing a lot of swimming this Summer...well, as much as you can do with two working parents!  But apparently, only in swimming pools...every time we go near or drive past lake water, Lizzy says, "Oh, we don't swim in that yucky water, only in blue pools."

Lily's 4th Birthday: Shauna went all out this year with a cowboy and cowgirl theme and had farm animals and horse rides at the party.  When we got there, I thought my girlie girl Sydney was going to freak out.  She isn't the biggest animal lover and HATES smells.  She refused to ride the horse, but as the party went on, she opened up a little bit and went near the animals and ended up having fun.  Lizzy, on the other hand, LOVED the animals, especially the little bunnies.  She held the bunnies almost the whole party.  She was holding it like a baby and kept rocking it and saying, "oh, she's so cute."  She also walked around telling everyone to "hold it from the butt", which is what they told her before holding it.  We are NOT getting a bunny, but ever since the party, Lizzy wants to go to Lily's house to play with the animals...she doesn't quite get that they are gone now!

Memorial Day: We joined the Becker's at the Schwartz's house for leftovers.  The kids had a blast playing in the water and making mud pies.  Although it was "Africa Hot", as Jason says, everyone had so much fun and the kids got along great!  It was a casual, but perfect day!

Bower's Farm:  Have I mentioned that Sydney hates smells?  This was their last field trip of the year and Sydney did not like it at all.  She basically stood there holding her nose the entire time.  I didn't have high expectations for her, but I took off time from work to go with her (because I HAD to...I'm not really a farm person either), so I wanted to at least enjoy it.  But oh well, we survived!  Mrs. Bruder was even able to convince (or drag) Sydney in to milk the cow and feed the baby goats.  Sydney was proud of herself, but then gave me a look that pretty much said...okay, let's get the hell outta here!  I think we were the first to leave!

So, that's about it!  I'm sure there is way more, but these are the things that come to mind!  Maybe I'll do a little better at keeping this thing up to date...but I won't hold my breath!