Lesson learned.....

Today was an unexpected day of emotions for me.  I found out yesterday that Sydney was chosen as the STAR student of her kindergarten class for the month of September!  Which stands for:



 

Star Students

Try Harder,

Act Christ-like, and are

Rresponsible and Respectful.

 

I got an email yesterday explaining that Sydney was chosen and that the awards were to be given out during Wednesday's school mass. She apologised for the short notice and said she thought it was next Wednesday's mass.  First of all I panicked because our family is short a vehicle and I had to rely on my husband to pick Karsyn and I up and get us there...if we had any chance of making it.  So...it actually worked out!!  Patrick, Karsyn and I made it for mass and got to see her get her award.  Mrs. Titus (her teacher) explained in the email that it was a surprise for Sydney but if I wanted to prepare her and tell her I could....well.... I didn't and turns out I should have...  She had to stand in front of the church with the other STAR students while the principal handed out the awards and shook their hands.  (Yes I cried a bit)  She made it up there (after a bit) and looked fine and and the same time so small standing up there with the older kids. 

After mass Patrick and I decided to hang around and say hi to her and give her a hug.  I noticed that she looked worried and as she got closer to us I could tell she had been crying and then she started crying when she hugged me...Mrs. Titus said if we wanted to walk her back over to school we could and lunch would be in 5-6 minutes.  Ok, so we walked her back and she stopped crying and was fine...or so it seemed.  When I tried to leave she wouldn't let go of my arm and got upset again.  Thankfully, Mrs. Titus came over and she was ok with that and we were able to leave.  Talk about break my heart!! 

Sydney is one who needs to be prepared for things.  Every night (and I mean every SINGLE night) she asks what we are doing the next day and wants exact details.  So seeing us in church was a surprise, going up in front of church was a surprise and then having to say good bye to us was just a bit much for my little big girl.  Now I have to wait until she gets off the bus to snuggle her and talk to her about her big day.  Needless to say....I have learned my lesson.... 



Kindergarten

It's official....I have a kindergartner!  The first day of school went great!  Sent her on the bus (which Mom was dreading) and we both did OK (Mom teared up a bit but held it together) she walked her way across the road to the bus and didn't look back (did much better then Mom).  Its wasn't til later that the tears rolled for me.  To my surprise, it was an "aha" moment as to why I had been so emotional the weeks before the big day.  I thought it was obvious....my little girl is growing up and I'm a big baby....man was I wrong.  It hit me like a ton of bricks....I wish my Mom was here to see her and be there for me at this HUGE milestone....after that I was on the verge of tears all day.  Thankfully, at work that day it was a non-patient, cleaning day for me and I was alone.  Later that day I got a call from school saying there was some kind of mix up on her bus card and that she didn't get sent on the bus.  So of course I gladly picked her up and tried to pry as much info out of her as I could, but she was pretty quiet about it all.  She came home Wednesday with the best news Patrick and I could have asked for..."My friend Maya from daycare rides my bus!"  Maya joined our daycare this summer and turns out is our neighbor too.  She is in 3rd grade and a great friend to all the kids at daycare (according to our daycare).   Whew!!  What a relief!!  It is now the 6th day of school (Syd pointed that out to me this morning) and she LOVES it!  The only thing she complains about is being tired in the morning.  So we have adjusted bedtime a bit.    To sum it up....Mom survived the first week of kindergarten!!  =)

Summer in a Nut Shell

I figured I'd better sneak in a quick blog as the later half our summer is turning out to be busier than the earlier half....

I can't believe we've only camped once this summer so far.....Father's Day weekend!  So I ask myself what have we been up to that we've camped once??  Well to sum it up we had some visitors, we made a couple trips to WI, helped Rhonda and Troy settle in their new home.  Made our annual trip to the Pine Grove Zoo in Little Falls with Sarah and the boys and Susan and her boys.  Patrick and I with our Dad's made it to the Twins/Brewers game!  Fun, although we got rained on! We shampooed our basement carpets one weekend....I know a yucky job but love it once its done.  We had another trip to WI for my sister Robyn's surprise 30th birthday party!  Which she was thoroughly surprised!!  And yet ANOTHER trip to WI to spend the weekend at the Becker cabin in Cable, WI with Mike, Sarah and the boys.  We relaxed, went swimming and as usual ate way to much! 

                                            Our trip to the Pine Grove Zoo in Little Falls.

                                  The girls were brave enough to feed some animals this year!!
                                                       

                                              Best Buds~ Karsyn and Tyler!  Cute!!

                                              Checking out some bear cubs!!  Sooo cute!! 



I enrolled both the girls in swimming lessons this year.  Which they LOVE!  I opted to sign up Karsyn for a the class with a parent in the water, due to her timidness with water plus I didn't think she'd step foot in the water without me.  Karsyn was a little old for the class so it was hard for me to grasp the idea that I was paying this lady to play with splash balls and cups of water (things that I could have done) and do pretty much "baby" stuff.  I soon realized that it wasn't about that it was about getting her used to the idea of a teacher around and exposing her to that atmosphere.  so it ended up being worth it.  So we did 6 weeks of that and then her teacher and I decided that she is ready for the next class without a parent in the water.  YIKES!  I wasn't going to sign the girls up for another round of lessons this summer but decided to go ahead with another 6 weeks to keep her in the groove.  The first class was last night....although I had my doubts.....she did great!!  She went in with no problem!!  What a relief!  A bonus for the girls was that Patrick was able to come watch and the girls were delighted!  A bonus for me I didn't have to get in the water and was able to relax and watch both my girls form the sidelines and take some pictures  :)

                                                            Karsyn's went first!
                                                     

 Syd's turn!!! 

Over half our summer is over but there are many more memories to make!  I may not be on the frequent side of blogging but please don't tune out!!  I'll be back!!  ;)  

1st Camping Weekend!!

We had our first camping weekend of the summer last weekend.  The annual Father's Day get together for the Frericks side.  We head there Friday night and stay through Sunday.  It's a nice relaxing weekend.  Filled with the sound of kids giggling while they play and late nights by a huge campfire. We have a potluck style lunch on Saturday.  Then usually Sunday we have a breakfast before everyone heads for home.  

This year on Sunday my Dad, Patrick, Ron and I headed to the Twins/Brewers game at Target Field.  Yes, we got wet.....and cold....and a rain delay and 15 innings later was done.  Oh, and I can't forget the highly annoying drunk people that tried to steal our seats while we went for a hot dog!  Didn't get home til 10:30!!  CRAZY!!  Who would have thought that for a 1:10 game!!  Was worth staying to the end to see the WIN!!  

After the game my Dad came up and spent the night and the girls got to have some Grandpa Steve time!! So on Monday I think we played about 6 games of memory, Candy Land and Go Fish, then we headed outside and Grandpa gave Syd some lessons in batting.  If you know my Syd she isn't the most graceful child on the planet, but by the time they were done she was hitting that ball pretty darn good!  AND he was pitching to her even!!  Karsyn did an awesome job of being the "ball girl"  Was fun to watch them!  My Dad has told me once or twice "Thanks for those grand kids, they are a joy to me."  But really the joy is mine because its to amazing to watch him with my girls.  :) 

Preschool Graduation

Today was Sydney's last day of preschool, (aka) preschool graduation along with parent day.  Syd and I had been looking forward to this day for some time!  Like the previous parent days I try and make it special and we do something just Syd and I (today was a Cub Foods run, which she LOVED) followed by a lunch out (her choice).  She chose McDonald's......weird because she usually chooses Buffalo Wild Wings or Applebees.  

Since the previous parent days were so fun I hadn't thought about the emotions that would come with today.  As silly as this may sound...preschool graduation....really got to me today.  Hit me like a ton of bricks!  We weren't even in the door 5 minutes and the tears made an appearance.  Started with a letter Miss Laurie gave to us.  Reminding us to treasure this time with our kids at this age as her kids are 24 &18.  And that once our kids get into elementary school, things will never be quite the same again.....  Then Sydney picked a book to read (the name escapes me) and it was about all the "firsts" we have been through and will experience and then all the "lasts" that are to come.  All the way up to college and having a family of their own!  Really Syd??  Nice choice....I couldn't even finish reading it, we just talked about the pictures.  Then the slide show with some sappy music!  I'm lucky I had tissues in my pocket (not intended for today but glad I had them).  If this is how I react to preschool graduation what am I going to be like at the other milestones...not to mention  High School graduation???  Yikes!! 

So I will enjoy this summer to its fullest....enjoying my kids before fall comes and I have to send my KINDERGARTNER on the BUS!!!  OH MAN!!  That one is gonna be a dousey....

Mom's Day/Fishing!

This past weekend was Mother's Day/MN Fishing Opener.  We had Patrick's parents, his brother Mike and of course the "boys" (Kayden, Tyler & Tyson) at our house.  I love how excited my girls get when they know people are coming to our house.  There's always a countdown to the highly anticipated arrival of our guests, which Syd keeps track of in her head.  So early Saturday morning Patrick, Grandpa and Uncle Mike head out to the lake, while Grandma and I hung out with the kiddos.  THANK GOODNESS the weather was gorgeous!!!  As soon as the grass dried we headed outside where we spent most of the day.  We ate lunch on the deck and back down to the swing set it was.  Soon after that the fishermen were back and the kids ran to see the fish....one fish I mean....it was enough for the kiddos!  Better than nothing!!  :)  About mid afternoon Mike and the boys headed home and Patrick and Grandpa  headed out fishing again.  Sydney spent most of the evening showing Grandma her bike skills and Karsyn actually made progress on her big girl bike and went a few feet on it all on her own!  We grilled some brats for supper followed by a campfire and S'mores!!  Yummy!! 

Sunday Patrick and Grandpa did some more fishing and Grandma, the girls and I went to church.  Being we were running a bit behind and were almost the last to walk in we got to sit....yup....  Right. In. Front.  The very front of the church....which is not a good place to sit when you have a 3 year old that wouldn't sit still and is acting up.  We got Father's attention couple times...oops!!    Then it was lunch time and naptime....for everyone....except Syd!  We spent the remainder of the afternoon outisde enjoying the weather.  The fishermen skipped out on fishing even.....I was shocked!!  We ended the weekend with a fish fry and Grandpa and Grandma headed home.  What a great weekend! 

Road Trips

We made a trip to WI last weekend.  Friday, I had to work and being Patrick had a "light day" he stayed home and did paperwork and what not.  He brought me to work so he could have the truck home and get everything loaded and the girls picked up from daycare and be back to my work at 4.  It worked splendidly!  It was the first time in a LONG time that things went as planned and we left on time!  Once we were on the road the discussion of what to do for supper begins....not sure why we even waste time discussing it because it usually ends up being McDonald's.  Not my favorite but its quick and then I have happy kiddos for the moment, plus the happy meal toy is their highlight and is a distraction from the long ride.  

After supper is done, usually books are next. The girls each "read" a book...out loud and usually at the same time. Then they trade books and ask for new books. It's funny to listen to them "read". "Mom can you put on our songs" was the next request...also funny to listen to them sing together.  And last but certainly not least are the games.  Usually the last hour they get pretty antsy and then the Mobigo and Leapster come out, they trade games and trade again and again.  It ended up being a pretty nice ride down.  The surprising thing was that they didn't sleep at all, which was a change, they usually fall asleep even if it is 20 minutes.  We arrived at my Dad's at 9:00.  Had some time with Grandpa, Sami and Ady then it was off to bed! 

It's amazing to me that road trips are getting easier....I remember when I dreaded the long trips(as we have had some bad ones).  Never thought those words would come out of my mouth...but its great!  Now that I've said that, I'm sure our next one will be a disaster....   

New Computer??

I haven't blogged for almost a month and this is my 3rd blog today!  Our latest hurdle for this household is getting a new computer....as some of you may have noticed my blogs have been very picture less. The USB port doesn't work so I can't load pics onto the computer from my camera.  Nor can we back up our business files, so if our computer actually dies we are out of luck as far as retrieving that information.  Kinda sucks.  We've been around the table as far as getting a lap top or a desk top. We like the idea of the mobility of a lap top but my husband likes having a desk top for doing paperwork and such. We've also talked about keeping the desk top we have just for business (if our USB port is fixable) and getting a lap top for Internet and what not. And if you know my husband he takes forever to make up his mind.  Well for now I think we've agreed to look into seeing if our USB port is fixable or how much it will cost if it can be fixed.  I do not enjoy making decisions like this.  I just want someone to tell us what to do! 

7 years come and gone!!

Yesterday was mine and my husbands anniversary.  7 years!  Wow!  Can't believe its been 7 years!!  The only way I can tell its been that long is...well....it was just a regular day for us.  We got each other cards and I reminisced the day frequently as I was looking at snow on the ground and was glad it wasn't my actual wedding day!;)  (Although, it rained for our wedding.)  I had some people ask me if we were doing anything "special" for our anniversary.  We did nothing "special" besides spend time with the kids and had supper together at home.  Which is "special" in itself for us!  =)

Too Strict???

So those of you who know my girls I have some "girly" girls on my hands.  They love to dress up, play mommies/babies and of course paint nails!!!  We paint nails on a weekly or sometimes 2x a week basis.  So its pretty common around this household.  The other day at Syd's school I was chatting with a mom and she noticed that Karsyn had her nails painted and asked her if she painted her own nails (ummm NO she hasn't, she's only 3!!).  Then she went on to say how her daughter (who is going to be 5 next month) had a friend over and they painted their nails too.  And said that it was a funny story because her daughter started painting her nails, while the friend insisted she'd get in trouble doing it herself.  Turns out she lets her daughter paint her nails by herself ALL THE TIME as long as she's in the kitchen she can have at it!!  What?!?  Then she added that the friend dumped the bottle of remover all over and said she just laughed it off as no biggie!!!  Is this lady for real?!?  I usually paint the girls nails on a napkin, and they can't leave the table they are dry and checked by me.  So I thought....maybe I'm too strict....maybe I should let Syd branch out and have a go at it....  So since Karsyn is napping now I thought I'd let her try it....well....lets just say.....I don't think I'll make that a regular occurrence.  YIKES!!!

So....am I too strict???     

Family Time

This weekend we had a laid back "family time" weekend (as Sydney calls it when the four of us are together). 

Saturday morning I got up and tried to run 4 miles (ufda), while Patrick made breakfast.  Then we made a trip into town and got some groceries and made a Fleet Farm stop.  Got home in time for lunch.  The rest of the day we just hung out until supper, painting nails and playing in the garage. We grilled steaks and asparagus, followed by a camp fire and s'mores!  Yummy!  Was nice chatting with my hubby by the fire, listening to the girls play and giggle. 

This morning we had a lazy morning and made our way to church.  It's been a while since we'd been to church and was nice that my kids weren't the "noisy/loud ones" for once.  ;)   After church we headed home for lunch and Patrick took the girls to run an errand.  When they came back it was time for Karsyn's nap and I had planned to take Sydney to see The Lorax.  My plan was to have Karsyn napping so Syd and I could make a clean get away, but it didn't work out that way....  So as we headed out the door and I could hear Karsyn screaming "I wowax (lorax) too!"  Then I heard Patrick promise her a 4 wheeler ride and all was good!  It's nice to have some one on one time with Syd, and a movie date was just perfect.  The Lorax is our favorite Dr Seuss book and we had been anxiously waiting for a time to get to see it.  When we got home Karsyn had just woke up from her nap and we played outside the rest of the day.  Sydney tested out her skills on her new "big girl bike" she got for her birthday and did great!  She rode that thing for at least two hours (without training wheels) and she was wet with sweat when she was done.  Sydney then decided it was time to give her old bike to Karsyn so we put the training wheels on and let Karsyn give it at try....she isn't too sure about it but will sit on it and get off and push it to where she wants to go.  Patrick gave the girls 4 wheeler rides while I made supper, burgers and potatoes on the grill!  Then we headed back outside for some more bike riding and then it was bath time and bed!  What a great weekend!  Its been a while since the four of us have been home....on a weekend....with no plans! 

Where's the time gone....??

Holy cats!!! Its been over two months since my last blog!!  So I guess I'll try and recap whats all been going on here.  January and February were pretty busy for our household.  Patrick has been working most weekends and squeezes in a fishing get a way when he can.  One trip with his college buddies and a couple with his Dad, his brother Mike and his soon to be brother-in-law Troy. Which means the girls and I have a few weekends for some "girl time".   My sister, Sara, came and visited us one weekend and we made a trip to one of the local water parks.  Then one weekend we made a trip to St. Cloud and went to the Bounce Depot with "the boys", Kayden, Tyler and Tyson.  With the girls birthdays approaching we had to schedule a weekend to clean the garage.  Which is usually mostly Patrick's department but I like to be around to help keep him on track.  =)  We had the girls' birthday parties together this year on February 25th.  Which I am not a huge fan of but with their birthdays two weeks apart it only makes sense to do them together.  Just makes for a long day and is kind of overwhelming, at times, for me.  The menu for the party was once again TACOS!!  The girls' favorite!  Sydney turned 5 February 22nd and Karsyn will be 3 this Wednesday (March 7th)! 

~What Syd's up to these days.....

Sydney is pretty much teaching herself how to read.  She has her favorite books pretty much memorized and is looking at the words more closely and tries to match the words in her head to the words in the book.  Its fun to watch her. 

She, as usual, is still trying to boss her little sister around and be the "mom" when they play.  It cracks me up when I hear Karsyn yell "you not the mom of me!"  That's when I know Karsyn's had enough. 

Syd's also been getting more responsibilities around the house....she gets to bring the recycling to the bin in the garage.  She is a big help at supper, setting the table and grabbing things from the fridge as we need them. 

At bath time she's in charge of getting the bath "ready" which just means tuning the water on and plugging the drain.  She loves it!   

~What Karsyn's been up to.....

Karsyn LOVES to read books to her babies and to whomever will listen. 

She is VERY independent and wants to do everything herself.  Even redoing things I've done so she gets to do it herself!  Cute....but kind of annoying when we're in a time crunch.  =)

Karysn, as of the last couple weeks has been able to go potty with out the use of a step stool!! 

She is a bit of a Mama's girl and doesn't let Daddy do a whole lot of anything for her these days.  She's even been refusing to give him a hug and kiss at bedtime.  I am going to have a chat with her because I think Daddy's having a hard time with that and actually gets mad when I bring it up and talk about it......

2011

So 2011 has come and gone in what seems like a blink of an eye.  I'd say 2011 was a good year for our family.  My oldest started preschool.....my youngest is done with diapers and is in a toddler bed.    We are healthy (except for our battles with the flu here and there) and happy!!  Can't wait to see what 2012 will bring....wait I do know some things it will bring.  My, soon to be, 5 year old will start kindergarten and my, soon to be, 3 year old will know what its like to have mommy all to herself! :)  Those are the things I know for sure.... 

2011 was a big year for me, as I ran my first half marathon.  That's 13 miles folks!  Not being a runner at heart I am amazed I did it.  It wasn't easy and I pretty much willed my way through it, but I'm gearing up to do it again.  Going about it a bit differently this time.  I joined a gym and am on a program to help my body prepare for it as well as my mind. Will be starting my outside running soon. 

Oh and my blogging has been less than frequent to say the least.  So I'm hoping to find make more time to blog.  I really enjoy it and its so fun looking back on old ones! 

Happy 2012 everyone!!