Elyse's First Day of Preschool

Elyse had her first day of preschool last week while we were staying at my mom's house. She has been so excited to start school. She has gone three times now and she gets in the car all smiles. I am sure it helps that she is very familiar with her classroom and her teachers since Reid was in the same program for two years in a row. She also has some kids in her class that had older siblings in Reid's class and even in Sydney's class. And also one from her class at church that she knows really well. I officially have my Tues. and Thurs. mornings to myself, well at least until greenhouse season starts. Here are some pictures from her first day!

Mrs. M

Mrs. Sandra

Dancin' to the music!

Praises!

Thank you all for your prayers for my grandma's surgery and continued recovery. She is doing so well. It has been a little more than a week since her surgery and she has made so much progress already. She came home (to my mom's house) on Monday. She has been able to get in and out of her chair and bathroom on her own. She still needs some assistance getting her leg in and out of her bed. So I have to get up a few times during the night to help her. I feel blessed that I am able to spend so much time with her. My grandma is an incredible woman and she has such determination. She is in her 80's and has a goal of getting back to her job at the produce market four weeks after hip replacement surgery. What an inspiration to the rest of us who are younger.

Prayers Please!

In case you have not heard! My grandma on my mom's side is having hip replacement surgery on Thursday! We would appreciate your prayers for a successful surgery and recovery! I will be taking care of her for a week and a half after she is released from the hospital.

First Day of School!

Well, the kids started school yesterday. So far, they have gotten through a day and a half of school and it sounds like everything has gone great so far! All of the kids have wonderful teachers. They all have excellent reputations!!!!

Today they rode the bus home for the first time. It is a long ride, but I think that they enjoyed it. Reid said that he did get pretty tired on the bus. I wouldn't be surprised if he fell asleep on the bus this week or next on the way home.

After my visit to the dentist this morning, I spent the rest of the day with Elyse. We went to get groceries and some odds and ends at Aldi and Walmart. Then we walked to the meet the kids at the bus stop. It was a beautiful day for a walk. We even laid in the grass and sang songs in front of the church while we waited. I loved spending such a wonderful day with my baby! Check out the pictures of Sydney and Reid on their first day! Elyse won't start until mid September.

Sydney's teacher, Mrs. H.

Reid's teacher, Mrs. C!

Second Trip to the Air Zoo!

We went back to the Air Zoo last week while it is still free! This time Tom was able to join us. The kids were so excited to return. They talked about it since we went with Karen and her family earlier this summer. Reid was still too scared to ride the balloon ride. He wanted to ride the little plane rides so bad. After it began, we realized that Elyse was "driving" the plane up and down. Reid did not want that and so he began crying and yelling at us that he wanted to get off. How do you reassure a 5 year old who is on a ride going in circles while you are standing on the sidelines. Tom and I did all we could do in the situation, keep repeating that the ride would end and he was ok and laugh when he couldn't see us. He will not be riding any rollercoasters anytime so0n. Sydney and Elyse ride the zero gravity ride. Reid did not want to get on at all. The girls had a great time and were squealing with delight!

Reid loves the space ship rides in the children's play area. These are not scarry because the just shake and light up. They do not leave the ground!

Sydney in the helicopter.

Astronaut Elyse

Reid in the Space craft again!Sydney's turn.

Building a space station!

Elyse took everything off the board and put them away. She was not interested in building a space station at all.

It is not easy to get them all to stand still, smile, and look at the camera at the same time. I think it is actually impossible!

This is Reid before the plane began going up and down. Notice he is still enjoying the ride. That did not last!

Elyse and Sydney take a turn together! Sitting in a space capsule from a rocket!Elyse gets a pilot's perspective inside a jet!

Sisters

I could not resist snapping these pictures. They look so peaceful and loving. These days this is very rare!!!! I am so glad that school is starting, because they have all been fighting so much lately. I think they need a break from each other!

Tales of Tattoos and Paint Jobs!

Last week, I had to run some errands and I left the kids home with Tom. When I returned home, Elyse came running into the room in her underwear and tank top. That actually is not the funny part. Tom asked, "What is all over you?" I looked up and noticed that she had drew all over herself with an ink pen, including her face! So that evening, I took my time and cleaned her all up because we had church the next morning. I thought that I should not send her to church tattooed with ink!
The next morning, Tom and I were able to sleep in for a little while. Usually, the kids watch some cartoons in the morning. However, I failed to realize that Sydney had gotten a bottle of bright pink nail polish in her party gift bag from the Birthday party she went to the day before! Needless to say, the kids decided to give Elyse a mani and a pedi! Yes her fingers and toes were covered in nail polish. I was convinced that I would find some large drops of polish all over the carpet and or furniture. However, I did not see anything until a few days later while I was vacuuming. There is one small spot on the carpet, barely noticable. So instead of ink tattoos she had a beautiful paint job to show off at church! That's what I get for thinking it is safe to get some extra ZZZZZZ's.

Tales of Tubes

Yeah, Elyse's tubes are in and all went well. She was such a trooper. She was able to pick a DVD and bring a toy to snuggle with. She picked Frosty, the Snowman (in July) and her little kitty. She watched the video 2. 25 times. They gave her the medication to relax her while she was watching the end the 2nd time through and when it kicked in she became super loopy. She would start giggling over nothing and could not stop. It was funny to watch her. She also began trying to reach for things and missing completely. Tom and I were crackin' up. She kept trying to sit up but could only lift her head an inch off the pillow. She began by slurring her words a little and quickly changed to completely incoherent.

After her procedure was over, we met her in the recovery room. When we walked in, I could her crying. She became the angry drunk!! She was inconsolable. She stopped momentarily to eat a popsicle and started back up as soon as she swallowed the last bite. The nurse gave her a second popsicle while she went through discharge info. The only thing that made her perk up was when we said she could get her clothes on so we could leave. On the way out, I was carrying her and she could barely hold her head up because she was still so out of it.

On the way home, we stopped at McDonalds for some breakfast. While we waited in line at the drive through, Elyse requested Chicken Nuggets and French Fries. As you know, they do not serve that in the morning, she started to lose it. Well, since she was so looped up and tired, we thought we would try to appease her and headed over to Wendy's for Chicken Nuggets and Fries. When we pulled in the driveway of Wendy's, she fell apart and absolutely went beyond reason. She wanted McDonalds and we could not even get through to her that if she wanted nuggets we would have to go to Wendy's. In the end, we caved and returned to McDonald's and ordered her eggs and pancakes. After looking at if for a while, she smiled and decided that was better than nuggets and fries!

Well, when we finally got her home, she really wanted us to stop carrying her. Tom put her down and she quickly figured out that she couldn't even hold herself up. I set up a "picnic area" on the floor so she would not fall out of a chair. So she started to reach for something in front of her and fell flat on her face and proceeded to giggle hysterically. It was so funny.

Sydney clarified Elyse's behavior in her own terms! "Oh so she is like the man in black in The Princess Bride?" We had just watched the movie yesterday!

July (So Far!)

Prayers Please!

On Monday, July 20, Elyse will be getting tubes in her ears. It is a minor procedure, but major for us. She will need to go under general anesthesia and I am pretty nervous about that part. I am not looking forward to Monday at all! Pray that she comes through ok and that God will wrap his arms around all of us while we are waiting for her to come out of surgery!

Anniversary

On July 6th, Tom and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary. I feel so blessed to have such an awesome husband. He is such a loving father. He makes me laugh daily. I can't imagine life without him. I am so proud of all his hard work. He has been going to school since Reid was born 5 years ago. He will graduate this coming spring with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. It has been a long journey, but will be totally worth it when he is doing a job that he enjoys. We have come a long way, baby, and have many years to come.
Our Wedding Day

July 6, 2001

This was taken on our honeymoon on the top to Pikes Peak in Colorado.

I LOVE YOU TOM!!!!!!

July 4th

We had a party at Grandma and Grandpa S' house to celebrate the 4th and Nikki's 30th birthday. Grandma had a pool and slip-n-slide set up for the kids. We also brought some games and the kid's ball gloves and bat and ball to play with. We hung out all day with extended family and friends. Kris provided some of Nikki's favorite foods and we all grazed on it all day long!!!!! Tom's sisters, Amy and Tammy, brought their children as well. We have not seen Tammy in so long and it was really nice to talk with her and see the kids. Our children met their cousins, Isabelle and Carlo, for the first time. It was a fun day.

Chicago Trip

While my sister was here, we took an overnight trip to Grandma's house and to Chicago. On Thursday morning, I took the kids with my sister and her boys and my mom to Indiana to visit with my mom's family. We all met at my Uncle Jack's house on the farm. There were lots of kids who came to play. It was beautiful weather and very relaxing. We were able to visit with my cousins that we do not see very often. Afterwards, we headed to a hotel near my grandmother's condo. My dad, Bill, and Tom, drove out together and came to the hotel. We all met grandma for dinner at her favorite restaurant. The kids all sat a table by themselves and suprisingly behaved very well. We finished off the day with a movie in our room for the kids to settle down. On Friday morning, we checked out and drove up to The Museum of Science and Industry, in Chicago. It was a fun filled day. The kids really liked all the cool hands on exhibits that they had. Our kids all came to the conclusion that the Idea Factory was their favorite exhibit. The museum has so much to do, we did not even get to everything. I guess we will just have to go back sometime. However, we will pack a lunch next time and leave it in the car! We payed more for lunch in the museum than we do for all of us to eat dinner (steak dinners for Tom and I). We knew it would be pricey, but that is highway robbery!
After we left, the kids all fell asleep in the car. So we did not stop for dinner until we got back into town. We ate dinner at Culvers and the kids enjoyed some sundaes after dinner.

June

Well, now that the greenhouses were finally finishing up we had time for some more fun.

We met Tom's sister, Amy, and her family at a Strong man contest. We watched that for a while and then took the kids to the nearby park to play. We don't get to see them very often so it was nice to catch up with Amy and Carl. Alice brought a friend with and they all searched for interesting rocks and stuff. Later on that day, we met Tom's family at a party for his Grandma S. We were celebrating her 80th birthday. We visited with his cousins and Aunt and Uncle who we have not seen it many years. The kids all had fun playing together.

The kids started gymnastics this month as well. All three are taking lessons on Thursday nights. They all love it. It is fun to watch them try new things and get better at things that they already do. They will continue through the end of August and then we will decide if they will sign up again.

At the end of the month, my sister, Karen, and her family came to visit. Tom and I picked them up from the airport. Sydney had a day at the beach with her teachers earlier that day and so we were already halfway to the airport. They have only been able to visit once a year, so we look forward to it every time. We stayed busy for the two weeks that they were here. We went to the beach, the Air Zoo, the park, shopping, the movies, and Chicago. The pictures in this slide show are from the visit ot the Air Zoo. It is free this summer, so we hope to go back with Tom.

May

In May, we had a few end of the school programs and trips to go to. Sydney had her first grade play. She played the role of the teacher in Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. She had a pretty big part and did a wonderful job. She remembered all of her lines and used good expression. She surprised a lot of people, because she can be so shy with people. They thought that she would be more nervous than she was. Tom and I were so proud of her.

Reid had his end of the year program. It was very cute. The kids sang some songs and shared some of their favorite stories and things they learned in preschool. Afterward, we saw some of their art hanging up and celebrated a wonderful year with a light lunch with all the preschool families.

Sydney in her teacher costume!

Reid, standing proudly in front of his artwork.

The Dairy Farm

Reid's very last field trip with his preschool class. We went to Maggie's Dairy Farm. We started out in the nursery, checking out the calves. We then were able to go into the room where the cows are milked. The milking station is like a giant lazy susan. The cows get on and are milked as they turn slowly around to the exit. Next, we went into the barn to see where the cows live. We saw an adult cow that was able to get out of the gate and it started walking towards all of us, so we quickly left the barn. We each were given a carton of milk to taste. At the end of our trip we went back to the nursery so we could feed the calves their milk.

April

April was busy, but mostly with working in the greenhouses. We did not have many other things going on outside of work and school. So I put in a few pictures that were taken during the month. I caught a few of our children spending time together without fighting. The next photos are of Easter morning. The dresses that the girls wore were made by mom. Then, I took more pictures in the greenhouse. Elyse learned how to plant on the line by the planting ladies, and we found her sleeping in the office on one of the chairs. My grandmother came out and helped clean up some baskets. She is 97 years old and misses her days working with the flowers. I think she really enjoyed herself.