"Spa" Day

Mother's Day was extra special this year because I got "pampered" at the spa! The kindergarten teachers were kind enough to host a spa day for all the special ladies in their students' lives. We got to visit 4 stations. The first was the nail salon where I got my nails heavily coated in an array of neon colored polishes. After that, we went to the jewelry making station where Caleb made me a lovely bracelet. We followed that with a trip to the craft room where he made me a beautiful flower picture. The morning ended with a chance to get a new hairstyle courtesy of Caleb using tons of clips and a bottle of hairspray! I am so thankful for the special memories that we got to make together and appreciate all the work that his teachers put into the fun morning! 

Florida 2014

What do you get when you survive one of the longest, snowiest, coldest winters that Chicago has had in decades? A family that was MORE THAN READY to head south for a week of Florida sunshine! We had a BLAST on our trip and I could spend days telling about how much fun was had, but I'll spare the details and share a few highlights:

The kids did GREAT in the car. On the way down, we left at 4pm and drove through the night. Thanks to the help of an additional driver (TiTi) and some handy dandy Benadryl for the kids, everything went well! After spending the last few hours of the drive in horrible rain, we made it safely there by about 7am. The trip home was better than we could've hoped for. We left at about 2:30am (after Tyler and I could squeeze in a few solid hours of sleep) and made it home by 5pm. The kids did an awesome job in the car and we made the most of our time together by creating bragging rights - we are now the family that has the largest portion of the Frozen soundtrack memorized!

The first few days were a bit chilly and damp, so we made the most of our time inside. The kids decorated eggs, played lots of games, read plenty of books, helped in the kitchen, and watched a few movies.

Easter was a fun and relaxing day. The kids had a blast with all of their treats and toys. They were quite excited about the fact that they had the freedom to eat candy pretty much all day!

The last part of the trip was spent soaking up the sun! We loved our time at the beach each morning. The kids loved splashing in the water - it took awhile for Joel to get the courage to go in, but once he did, he loved it! They also made the most of having a giant sandbox at their disposal.

We spent the afternoons at the pool, where the kids also had a great time. Caleb is a fish, just like last summer. Leah got brave enough to begin swimming without her floaties (yikes!). And Joel could probably spend all day just floating around, blowing bubbles, and squirting his "shooter gun"!

Overall, it was a MUCH needed and MUCH enjoyed trip. We all loved the family time and fun memories that were made. We're incredibly thankful for Grandpa and Grandma who keep this tradition going every year....you guys are the best!

Oh, and of course, there are no pictures to document the MOST memorable moment of the trip - beating Dad in our nightly game of Hearts. Yes, after a few nights of him winning, I finally took the trophy!

Preschool Easter Fun

 "Mommy, when I'm 4, I won't be afraid of the Easter bunny," said a sweet little Leah last year. Lie! She's now well into being 4 and is just terrified (still) of things in costumes. Thankfully, this year, I knew to plan ahead for this. I asked the teachers when the bunny would show up and made sure I was there about 5 minutes before that to help calm her down if she needed it. Though I was there 5 minutes early, I arrived to see the bunny outside in the parking lot and all the kids lined up inside along the windows waving and cheering as they watched him from afar. The only one not cheering was Leah - who was being carried outside by another mom that was helping with the party. Geez Louise! Once we finally calmed her down, she was willing to at least be put down to take a picture with her class, which is a big step in the right direction, because last year her teacher had to hold her in the picture! She did okay during the Easter egg hunt, but always kept an eye out for where the bunny was at in relation to her. Finally, they waved goodbye to him and went inside to enjoy their Easter brunch. She never quite relaxed until we left for home - pretty sure she thought, "he must be here somewhere"!

Sam the Peanut Man

Caleb had his Kindergarten musical the other night. It was a circus theme and each of the classes were responsible for singing a certain song in the show. We were "lucky" enough to get the joy of listening to "I am Sam, the Peanut Man" on repeat for at least two weeks prior to the big show. Needless to say, he had the song completely memorized and did a great job of hamming it up. Sadly, the folks who plan this gig don't do a very good job of remembering that the superstars are all about 4 feet tall and can't be seen very well when standing on a platform that is only about 1 foot off the ground! Nothing like being tortured as your child insists upon listening to a (very annoying) song on repeat for weeks, only to be so far away that you can't even see him when he finally performs it! Thankfully, Nana Pam saved the day and managed to sneak her way up to the front for some great pictures and even a sweet video! I guess we'll know for the next two that we better get there SUPER early (we thought 15 minutes early was good, but there was already a line 40 deep at the door)! 

Celebrating Caleb

Birthdays sure do get a lot more fun (and expensive) as kids get older! I can remember the days when we didn't even buy a present for our kids because they didn't even care! But, after watching Caleb grow up into the sweet boy he is, it's hard not to make a big deal about him!

His birthday started with waking up to a decorated kitchen and his choice of breakfast - Lucky Charms. He also could.not.wait to open his presents, so I let him open the gift we got him. We are looking forward to "growing" our butterfly in a couple months when the weather is nicer. After that, he was off to school for the morning, where he got to hand out his pencils and sharpeners (yes, schools are that boring that they can no longer give out ANYTHING edible to their friends). He got a bit of extra attention that day at school and also scored a great birthday crown that he didn't take off for the entire weekend, aside from while sleeping! After school, we headed to have lunch at the Creamery (and ice cream, or course). Then, we made a quick trip to TiTi's school to visit with her class. Caleb discovered that he is, at age six, just as big as half the kids in her THIRD GRADE class!

We had a low key afternoon - well, he did - I spent it frantically getting ready for family to come over that night and a friend party the next day (all while catching up from a week of Tyler being gone on a work trip to sunny Arizona). Anyhow, we enjoyed have family over for a fiesta. Caleb LOVES tacos, so that was his meal of choice. The best part of his night, was a surprise visit from our dear friend, Jonathan (the baseball player who lived with TiTi last summer). He flew in from New York to hang out for the weekend and the birthday boy was stoked to have him here!

The following morning, we hosted a bunch of kids for Caleb's first "friend" party. The kids all had a blast at the Pajama and Pancakes party. We had pillow case races, played hot pancake (think hot potato), decorated pillow cases, bobbed for donuts on a string, played breakfast bingo, and at LOTS of pancakes. The party was a hit, but definitively couldn't have been pulled off without all the help of extended family. Next year, maybe we'll win the lottery and be able to have a party off campus with a little less planning involved!

After a weekend filled with fun, Caleb spent the next few days on cloud nine lavishing in all the awesome new toys, lego sets, and craft things he got. We tried very hard to ration his toys and save some for later, but he just couldn't wait!

Dear Caleb,

It doesn't seem possible that you just turned six. We're pretty sure you turned two like, um, yesterday! These years are flying by and you are growing up right before our eyes. When we realized the other day that we're a third of the way through raising you into an "adult" we freaked out just a bit! So much of this first third of your life has shaped you into how you'll tackle these next two thirds of childhood. We can only hope that we've done a few things right, because now so much will be influenced by more than just us. You'll have classmates, teammates, teachers, and so many others that impact the choices you make.

Thankfully, we know that you have had a great foundation. You are an amazing six year old and we rarely have to worry about you. Just as when you were little, you make daily life pretty easy. You are a happy, outgoing child and still have such a sweet innocence about you. You've always been cautious and continue to have the tendency to strive for perfection, so as a result, you don't fail very often - which can certainly cause problems (like the fact that you are still horrible at losing gracefully)! You are kind and sensitive, and definitely spend more time crying than either of your younger siblings! As much as that drives us nuts, we know it is just because of how sweet you are and how deeply passionate you are about everything you do (both of which are admirable qualities). You love to play, but are also totally content to relax and watch TV. You also have an amazing imagination and we love your creativity. You could spend hours drawing, creating, coloring, and making up stories. Reading and writing have become two of your favorite things to do. We're amazed by how well you do both, and are thankful for the fact that you are a natural learner. As such, you've done great during your first year of school. You are eager to go and are almost always glowing with excitement when jumping off the bus to come home each day. In school, you are in your element...surrounded by friends for constant socialization, and engrossed in learning new things daily. You have tons of "best friends" and still seem to be content to play with kids of any age or gender. Though it is clear you have several secret admirers amongst your little girl friends, you remain clueless and we are happy about that!

When it comes to being a true best friend, there is really nobody you are closer with than your own two siblings. Though you fight incessantly with them, you are truly an amazing big brother. You display more patience than the average six year old and are insanely tolerant. There are definitely times, however, when you reach your limit with them and the chaos the ensues is challenging for us all. Being a first born, you have your mind set on things and want plans to go your way at all times (or maybe that's not a firstborn trait, but just a direct result of having two very stubborn and strong-willed parents)! You've begun to show your salesman skills by learning to negotiate with them in an effort to gain the most out of each situation. Somehow, the other day, after you all received a few sheets of stickers, you ended up with 3 sheets, Leah had 1, and everyone thought they came out winning! Unfortunately, as your sister and brother get older, they tend to go along with every plan you make less often than you'd like. There are lots of moments in which we contemplate shipping you all off to continents on separate ends of the earth because we're afraid that one more minute in the same hemisphere might result in the destruction of the entire universe! On the occasions where you do all play harmoniously, though, it is absolutely beautiful. The house becomes filled with laughter and joy and we watch as you guys turn your bedroom into a pirate ship or the basement into a campout or the family room into a school....and the list goes on and on. Or there are those moments when out of pure love, you selflessly choose your siblings over yourself - offering the last piece of dessert to them instead of yourself, giving them first choice with something because you know it's the kind thing to do, or simply being the first to offer a hug or an ice pack when someone is hurt.

Indeed, you are an amazing brother, friend, and son. We couldn't be more pleased with having you as the child that sets the standard for our other two. Sometimes we worry that you set the bar a little too high, but that's for us to deal with! We pray that with each passing year, you grow more and more into the person that God has created you to be. From what we can tell so far, He is going to use you in amazing ways. This past year, we've seen you grow so much closer to Him and the joy that this brings us cannot be explained in words. Your interest in the Bible, learning scripture, and understanding how to live like Christ seems so much greater than what we thought it would be at the age of six. As a result, we find our own faith growing right alongside your's...and that is simply awesome! Thank you for shining the light of Jesus in our home and all around the world you live in. May that light NEVER grow dim and as each year passes, we pray it only grows brighter!

Love,

Daddy and Mommy

Leah's First Field Trip

Poor second born.....she takes her first real field trip on a big school bus and it almost gets overlooked as being a milestone! Leah was over the top excited to ride on a bus like Caleb gets to do every single day! She and two of her friends sat and giggled the whole way there. We took a half hour drive to a children's museum, where she had a blast! I could've used a warning to pack a few Tylenol, but otherwise I survived! The museum was two floors of jam packed fun. And since Leah is notorious for being the child that tends to be like a tornado, ripping through things at record speeds, she had that whole place covered in the two hours we were there - wind tunnel, dress up, science center, climbing, running, jumping, etc. I was tired enough just following her around, so I'm not sure how she wasn't exhausted enough to fall asleep on the ride home. But then again, the bus ride was just as much a part of the field trip as the museum was!