Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from all of us!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that your bellies are all full of delicious food and you have many blessings to be thankful for. :)

Love,
Kimm, Rob, Emma and Arabel

long needed update

Rob and I went to Emma's conferences. She is a delight to have in class. :) Zero problems with behavior (which we figured, she is a pretty darn good kid.) She is incredibly kind and sensitive to other children's feelings. So, pretty much we are kicking ass at raising a good kid. Pat on the back for us!! Academically, she is making progress. Since this is her first school experience, she started behind other kids. She does demonstrate a major motivation to learn and master concepts, and she is making progress at a great rate. She could identify 20/26 letter sounds in mid October. As of earlier this week she is only getting confused with the letter "e" so I would definitely say that she is soaking everything up like a sponge. She has started VERY basic reading and writing so we are being blown away daily about how much she improves on a daily basis.

We are incredibly proud of how she is doing. Emma told me that her favorite part of the day is phonics. :) Hooray!

Arabel is still hysterical and talking more and more. She knows the entire alphabet and can count to at least 20. Emma is teaching her the letter sounds, so she is picking up on that as well. Her drawings are now looking like more than just lines and circles, so it fun to guess what she is making now.

Long awaited update

I apologize for being so behind on the blogging as of late. I haven't really had a ton of extra time or the drive lately. I am sure people are awaiting pictures as well. Pictures will have to wait until I find the card reader I bought for my laptop, it was purchased during the fire and has been "misplaced". My charger didn't make it, so a new camera may be on the horizon. :)

We LOVE our new place. It is big, with a huge yard, a garage, basement (storage!!!) and brand new carpeting and flooring. We are still settling in, but for the most part are back to a normal life. Rob and I have both struggled with a bit of anxiety, but we too are back on track. I recently have signed up to be a Pampered Chef consultant (in addition to my regular job bartending and managing the bar). I am excited about the new venture and am already loving all of my new kitchen gadgets. It has even inspired me to cook a bit more at home, which I am sure Rob is thrilled about!

Emma is almost officially a school kid. She starts kindy on Tuesday. It is hard to believe that in a few short days we will be watching as she starts her school journey. Her first day is more like an activity day, it will only last a couple hours and I will be with her the whole time. Her second day is a half day and her third day is when the year gets into the swing of things. She is in full day, and I can only imagine that she will be one tired girl at the end of the day. She is excited, but is a bit nervous. She is worried about not being able to read or tie her shoes well enough. We have explained to her that she will learn these things and it seems to have helped calm her fears. I have no doubt that she will have a million friends by the end of the first week and love every second of it. I was excited about the school supplies that I got to buy, I finally had a reason to get them!! I have a feeling that I may shed a tear on one of her first days of school, but can't wait to watch how much she grows and learns this year. One of my friends from high school is a teacher there and has already introduced himself to Em. It does help ease my anxiety a bit to know that she is in such good hands. Hard to believe that I am going to be taking my "baby" to school.

Arabel is hilarious. Her speech has exploded over the past few weeks and she is always good for a laugh. Her personality is much like Emma's (and mine), but has a nice dose of Rob's thrown in there. She is stubborn and opinionated, but laid back and very lovey. She does things on her own terms, but we knew that from the refusing to walk shinanigans. :) I am looking very forward to spending one on one time with her and watching her grow while Emma is at school. I know that she is really going to miss her sister though. I have a feeling that she will be a little lost for awhile before she gets the hang of Emma being gone. I am also looking forward to getting her potty trained. She is completely ready (we will see if she is willing to train though), and I am completely ready to say good bye to diapers. :) I hope that it isn't a year long struggle like it was with Emma. Something about those stubborn kids, I have no idea where they get it.

I hope everyone is doing well, and thanks for being patient. :)

newish...

I just recently uploaded some pictures to Flickr, check them out on the sidebar. They are slightly old (a couple weeks), but they will have to work for now. I have been majorly slacking in the photo department.

Emma is going to be going camping with my mom and Russ in a week. She is pumped, and I think that grammy and papa are pretty excited too. This will be her 3rd year going with them. I am relying on them to take pictures for me. Arabel may get to go next year. This year she will have a week of alone time. I am not sure how she will handle being away from Emma for that long. They really are best friends right now. I assume Arabel will enjoy herself but will miss her big sister.

Nothing new on Rob & I, we are just working like normal.

I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July. I will try and get some newer pictures up soon!

It's official

Emma is officially enrolled in school. We went last night to an open house at her elementary school. They immediately whisked the kids away to play on the playground. I was actually a little shocked that Em went with no hesitation. Parents were talked to, papers were handed out, then we met back up with the kids and had a scavenger hunt. We had to find all the important rooms in the school and get a sticker from each. We are all excited to have the process started. Now, all we do is wait for August to roll around to get her placement test done and await the posting of her teacher.

I am not going to lie, I was a little nervous about throwing her into a full day of school. She will actually get a couple "warm up" days. Her first day of school will be 1 1/2 hours long, and I will be with her the whole time. Day #2 is a half day and Day #3 starts her regular school day.

Score one for mom's intuition. Last night I had a nagging feeling that I needed to go and check on the girls. As I was walking back to their room Arabel coughed. I snatched her out of bed and though she felt hot. As I was getting some tylenol around to give her, she pukes. Less than one minute after I HAD to get up and get her out of bed. No mess was made, no bedding had to be changed, no clothes had to be washed (that is due to the fact that Arabel refuses to sleep in clothes). Something must have upset her stomach, but she was back to her normal self after she got sick. a couple of crackers and some water and she was as good as new.

now she can be a real princess

Nothing overly exciting has been happening on the home front, which explains the lack of updates. :)

We have booked our tickets and hotels for a trip out of town in April. My cousin is getting married in Minneapolis and I was not going to miss it. Rather than taking another road trip like we did in August, we decided not to drive. Don't get me wrong, I am all for road trips, but the idea of being in the car for like 30 hours in the span of a weekend wasn't all that appealing to me. We decided that we would take the train from East Lansing to Chicago. I figure that the girls will get a kick out of that, plus it is only a 4 hour ride. We are staying in Chicago that evening, which will allow us time to catch up with some family and enjoy some deep dish pizza. :) Rob hasn't ever been to the city, so it should be a fun mini trip. We will be flying out of Chicago to Minneapolis the next day. (Nothing like turning an 8 hour drive into 1 1/2 hours in the air.) We are doing the same thing in reverse on the way back (minus the overnight stay in Chicago). I think that it will be a fun weekend for everyone.

Emma can now be a real princess. At least that is what she told me. Last week she was lamenting over the fact that all the real princesses have their ears pierced. I told her if she wanted them done, then we would get them done. I have been trying to use getting her ears pierced as a reward for years (to no avail, obviously). She was finally ready. I called ahead and made sure that two people would be available to pierce simultaneously. (If not, Emma would have jumped out of the chair and only had one ear done.) She was ummm.... less than thrilled with everyone when she got them done. The type of cry that she let out was one of those that tugged on my heartstrings. How in the world could I let these girls torture my poor little baby like that? A tear may or may not have escaped from my eye. After an hour of sniffles and cuddling her doll, she was proudly showing off her new earrings. She picked an adorable little set of rhinestone pink (surprise!!) flowers. Here is a picture I took right after. :)
Please notice that she is smiling in this picture, so I guess I didn't torture her too badly.

Another big development... I have received information that KINDERGARTEN round up is in like a month. Yup, Emma will be heading off to school in a matter of months. Oy. When in the heck did this kid grow up?? In 5 weeks I will have details on her first year of school. I don't know that I am prepared for this.

I am going to start potty training Arabel shortly. I got a copy of a book that I am willing to try the method. It is called 3 day potty training. 3 DAYS!! If it works, you will probably be able to hear my screams of joy from where ever you are. A kid that is potty trained in 3 days and before the age of 2?? I may just keel over and die from sheer excitement of the idea. I will keep you updated on how it is working. In the meantime enjoy this adorable shot of Bells. (She was getting the feel for the potty.)




I also wanted to give a giant THANK YOU!!!! to my dear friend Kristin. She made these gorgeous headers for my blogs. Her talents are endless.

The giving of thanks 2009 edition

Here are some pictures from the holiday weekend.


Arabel adores this hat.


Thanksgiving Day




From my 10 year high school reunion

Lots o pics

I have been promising pictures, I am always keep my promises. :) Enjoy the onslaught.


Halloween:
Emma & Papa

Bells with her nuggets
Emma trick or treating all by herself. (I was banished to the sidewalk this year.)
Happily trick or treating
Kisses from sissy


Dinner at Zingerman's with my friends Doug, Pat & Savannah (the following pictures were all taken by Savannah):

smiles

pickle
kisses from Bells
Getting started at rolling the eyes early


Kisses from Em
Just an outfit shot
overwhelming choices
E with the 2 cupcakes Uncle Doug bought her.
Frosting on her nose
Happy kid
Bells with Savannah
Bells looking ADORABLE in her coat
Fashionista
Making a break for it
She is a little bit of an attitude.

some from today

E was being less than cooperative- weird.

I think that A is feeling back to her normal self. She was hamming it up for me today. She loves grilled cheese.

Look at her giant fro!!
She really likes the off the shoulder look. Even at 18 months she is fashion forward.

Be prepared for the onslaught of Halloween pictures. I am hoping that I can get some good ones.

I try my best to keep promises

My kids looked so freaking adorable when I got home from work today that I HAD to take some pictures. I only wish that Arabel would have been slightly more cooperative.

One addiction down

I just wanted to share that Arabel is officially bottle free. :) We have managed to finally find a sippy cup that she likes and will drink out of consistantly. I am going to say that I am happy we broke her bottle habit before she was 17 months. Which is pretty good considering she never used a pacifier, her bottle was a comfort item. The bottles are being packed up and put away. :)

Some more wedding pictures

These are ones that I stole from Bob and Tracy. :) Thanks guys. As you can see from the pictures Emma was clearly waiting for her boring parents to leave, so she could party it up.


This was taken right after the ceremony. I wish didn't have that goofy face in this picture. I think it is perfect otherwise. (From left to right: Caity, Blake, Jordan, me, Arabel, Tristan, Emma and Rob.) That is only half of the kids. :)
dancing with Caity and Kelly
Bri and Em
dancing with the bride
Bri, Tracy and Em
dancing with Tracy
I think she might have been getting a smidge tired. :)
Jordan, Lauren, Tristan and E