Activities

After hibernating all winter, it felt soooo good to get out into the sunshine.  I feel like our neighborhood has come alive as well with people.  We were incredibly eager to  use our green thumb and plant a few days prior to Earth Day.  It was a fun afternoon to include the kids.  Siena is even sporting her gardening gloves.  We now have a peach tree and a dogwood tree, as well as some vegetables we hope to harvest in summer. 

 Siena got a big treat when her Prince Charming took her to a princess ball.  Siena dressed up as Belle and the two went dancing, waited for a carriage ride and enjoyed each other's company.  Kurt commented on how grown up Siena has become, but I think she just loves her Daddy.

 Siena has always had great balance but here she is using stilts in her Tumbleweeds class that many kids struggled with.  She has really excelled in this class. 

We had a fun filled Easter weekend with a trip to Lucky Ladd farm with an Easter egg hunt and a petting zoo.  Siena loved the colorful eggs and Carson loved the miniature pony.  He had to drag him away to see the other animals.   

We spent another special holiday with our extended family, the Hamricks.  Once upon a time, there was two couples who would get together for dinner while in college.  Ten years later, we still get together for dinner to celebrate the important things in life and our 6 children.  

And we had out of town guests with us this Easter; what a treat!  We did our best to show Aunt Cathy and Cousin Megan the sights of our wonderful Nashville including downtown, the Hermitage and the zoo.  I am sure they were tired on their return trip but we packed their trip full of memories.

And the kids were so sad to see them go.  But with the weather continuing to stay nice, I believe this is only the start to another exciting year of activities. 

Chaos

Our family is fairly normal like every other family you have met until...we leave our home.  Seriously, my kids are easy to control, listen to instructions and are fairly well-behaved.  I even hear "Yes ma'am" for the smallest things and 85% of my instructions are followed.  Until.....we are in (cue the scary music) PUBLIC!

From the sounds of it, this seems to be typical with other families, but nothing will make a parent doubt their skills and tactics than a test with other people watching.  Fortunately, we are a very social family and we get the opportunity to display these skills several times a week.  And that's when we look flustered, confused, bewildered and at the end of our rope when the kids run away, put gross objects in their mouths, stamp their feet, use that awful word "No" and refuse to play nicely.  Mind you, my oldest knows what she is doing, because she comes to me later to say, "Mommy, I am sorry," with the sweetest face.  So you are probably use to seeing our family like this:

But truly we have good children who are working continuously on their manner, respect for authority and their abundance of energy.  What about you?  Is our family normal or is this just something our children alone struggle with; the pressure to perform to the heightened expectations of the public eye?

In actuality, you will most likely find my little ones, doing something mundane and laid back when no one is around.  

This is the picture that no one ever sees because in public, my children are incredibly excited to be around people (Siena has yet to meet a stranger), do and climb on new things and learn from all the experiences around them.  Although they can leap over any object in a single bound, they are not Super Toddlers.  They are just learning how to channel their God given enthusiasm and zest for life. 

Winter Hibernation

What a cold and frosty winter we have had!  No snow to speak of here in Tennessee, but we have been housebound all the same with extremely low temperatures and few places to take two energy-filled kids.  We have filled our days with play dates and dinners with friends to break up the mundane of frigid mornings and early afternoon sunsets.

Siena has been enjoying her Rudolph, in case she hasn't told you.  Christmas has not ended for her so she can still be found singing Christmas carols and watching Christmas movies.  It just seems too harsh to tell these bright eyed little ones that it's only appropriate one month a year, especially when we want them to take the spirit of Christmas into the rest of the year.  

Siena can accurately identify all of her letters and has recently started writing her name.  She has been a big help in the kitchen during these colder months and has helped rolling out homemade noodles and with several meals. 

Carson has changed so much in just a few months.  He puts his hands behind his head like a big kid who is contemplating something.  He thoroughly enjoys playing hide-and-seek, although he does more giggling and giving away of hiding spots.  When he can't play with a group, he will play by himself to create a smile from anybody who will pay attention.  

 

It appears Carson will have excellent teeth, like his sister, with his current enthusiasm for teeth brushing.  He plays well by himself and he too enjoys puzzles and building blocks, just like Sissy.  I am sure he will become his own person one day but right now, he enjoys being Siena's shadow.  And they get along splendidly! 

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

I think every day with family is a wonderful time.  We have taken this season captive and squeezed in as much family fun as possible.  We have been the Griswolds this year, without the tacky sweaters or intrusive cousin Eddy.  We have incorporated many Christmas traditions that were age appropriate, including Christmas caroling in our neighborhood.  The kids loved it!!!  It was very similar to trick-or-treating; run to the house, ring the bell and shout out "Jesus Loves You."  And then we would sing!  We were out about an hour, just long enough to get cold and need some hot cocoa to warm us up afterwards and what a great way to spend the last night with our dear neighbors before they moved out.  

Christmas eve was the first time in 12 years we were not with my parents, so there was an adjustment for us.  With fewer people to open gifts, we had the kids to bed only a little bit off schedule. 

  But we were able to squeeze in "The Night Before Christmas" and putting out reindeer feed for Rudolph and cookies for the Big Man.  It must have worked because he came to visit us!!

Siena has been talking about a "bigger deer" for nearly two months and Santa heard her plea because he delivered.  Tears of joy filled her eyes when she saw him and hauled him off to her bedroom.  In her mind, Christmas was done because the best gift had come. So far, Rudolph continues to follow Siena EVERYWHERE and rides in the car with us.  He is a larger than life friend that makes our little girl grin. 

We stayed in our pjs as long as possible on Christmas morning playing with toys, drinking coffee and listening to Christmas music.  Carson was very thrilled to have things with four wheels and "borrow" anything his sister received.  What fun to see them interact!

The other present that Siena truly enjoyed was her doctor kit.  Everyone that possibly could got a physical from Dr. Siena.  I think everyone is healthy according to her records but she is on call if that ever changes. 

 We had a very festive and fun Christmas evening with Uncle Dave and Lashon and the Hamricks.  What a fun family tradition that was started when we were two young married couples with family in different states.  Together we now have 6 children who cherish time together both on Christmas and throughout the year.  

We have enjoyed a magnificent year full of firsts and agains.  Raising children doesn't call for many exciting stories to share with those we meet, but their little lives make up our own and bring us joy we never thought possible.  Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!!!  

'Tis The Season

While everyone is hustling and bustling this holiday season, our household has been peaceful and reflective.  We are purposeful doing less and experiencing more activities with joy and hope during the month of December.  That said, our decorations were a little late going up due to the late Thanksgiving and that's okay.  Put with some excellent and excited helpers, the tree was decorated in no time. 

Peppermint hot chocolate with whipped cream was a nice reward after a hard day of decorating and Christmas music.  

Siena is at the right age to help out with Christmas cookies.  The previous years have not been as fun filled for Mommy, but this year had more laughter and fewer tears.  The only draw back is with participation in food projects equals more interest in eating the cookies!!! 

 We typically have friends stopping by to play so this week we had a princess party with Tinkerbell and Cinderella.  Carson may not have had a dress of his own but he enjoyed the extra company and the accessories. 

 It has been colder and wetter than usual this Christmas season, but no snow that has stuck (we had a little ice last week).  So Kurt pulled out the sled and we had our Tennessee version of sledding, through the leaves.  The kids had fun yelling "Faster Daddy Faster!!" and Daddy got a work out.  

And what Christmas season would be complete without a trip to visit Santa Claus?  It went as expected;  Siena was so excited to see the big man in red and give her request for a "bigger deer" and Carson was just plain scared.  But rest assured that he was fine 30 seconds later when he got to play in the indoor playground.  We wish all of you a joyful and peaceful time leading up to the day of our Savior's birth.  We are so blessed to share this time with our precious children and pass down to them our traditions and stories that they will some day share with their families.  Merry Christmas to y'all!!  

Halloween Fun

There is a nip in the air when fall blows through Tennessee, even if it doesn't happen until the last week of October.  And so much is happening to remind us of the beauty of the season.  The leaves have just started to turn, the mums are in bloom and every where you go, you can smell firewood burning.

 We celebrated our church's annual Hoedown with our small group friends tailgating and enjoying the bouncy houses and puppet show.  We are so blessed to have amazing friends to share these special moments with and great kids to watch our little ones play with.   

 Someone stopped me this week and told me to enjoy Halloween while my kids were so little and boy did we!  We made carmel fondue for our apples after dinner (Messy but soooo good) before hitting the picturesque Main Street of Murfreesboro to go trick-or-treating in our new wagon.  As you can see, Cinderella and Tigger were eager to make the rounds.  Both were great sports and endured many trips up and down sidewalks to shout the common phrase...."SNACKS!!!"  Yup, Siena pulled that one out on her own. 

 And what good parent wouldn't let their kid's sample the candy BEFORE bed?!  They were just too cute to say no to and they did burn a lot of energy running from door to door.  

 But we didn't let the kids have all the fun.  We hosted our annual Halloween party but this year it was a murder mystery set in the 1930s in a ritzy hotel in Colorado.  Kurt played the victim very well and I was the 'hostess with the mostess.'  It's a lot of work but every year we have so much fun.

 Here's hoping your Halloween was just as sweet as ours.  

Happy Birthday Siena

We began the month of September with a birthday and we ended the month with a birthday.

We celebrated the official day at the zoo and by a God appointment, we shared the gorgeous day with our family from Tennessee, the Hamricks.  We saw the new kangaroo exhibit, enjoyed a picnic lunch and even rode on the carousel.  We stayed well into the afternoon so naps just had to wait until the next day.   Besides, we had a new bicycle to ride.  Siena upgrade to a 14" girlie bike, helmet included.  We have tried out the road ways in the subdivision.  Watch out world - she has conquered 4 wheels (no key included).  We took our first family bike ride this weekend and thanks to the Hydrick family, even Milo and Carson were pulled along in a bicycle cart.  The small things bring us so much joy. 

Another highlight to the week was to have Papa and Gama Gashaw in town to visit AND they brought Sebastian.  I really can't think of anything better in a child's eyes than to spend a few days with your cousin.  On second thought, maybe....

 ICE CREAM!!!

We ended birthday week with an ice cream party with awesome friends who didn't mind the sprinkling rain or scheduled activities.  Smiles and laughter were the product of a soccer ball, a wagon, a Power Wheels car and an abundance of sugar.  Princess Siena enjoyed her special day and was very proud to wear her tiara and ice cream dress (Courtesy of Jennifer Shannon).