T is for Tea Party

Cameron's school celebrated the letter T by having a Tea party and the kids were encouraged to wear fancy clothes. Cameron was all fancy from the waist up and still ready for sports from the waist down. He had a lovely time at the tea party and is quite a cultured little boy.

 

A Declaration

There are some stages of raising kids that you don't even notice changing and there are others that are much more obvious. This is an example of the latter.

March 14, 2018, Adelyn declared: I am never taking baths again, from now on I am only taking showers. Baths are for little kids. 

It's been over a week and she's stuck to her promise and doesn't hesitate to remind us every time we ask her to get ready for bathtime. "I DON'T TAKE BATHS ANYMORE, I ONLY TAKE SHOWERS!"

So we say good-bye (for now) to Addy's bath stage, it was a good run. What will be the next one to go?

An update: March 24th: We had a roller skate night for Addy's school and got home late and Addy declared she was too tired for a shower and wanted to take a bath. I guess her definition of "never taking baths again" is a little different than mine.

An Opinion

Adelyn's writing has really taken off this year and I am constantly amazed at the level at which she can write. Her class spent a lot of time talking about opinion papers and how to convince someone to believe your opinion. Each child got to write about anything of their choice for their opinion paper. Adelyn kept it a big secret and wouldn't even let Brian know what she was working on when he would come to volunteer in her class. 

When she brought her paper home, I really couldn't disagree with anything she wrote which I think is the sign of a very good writer.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Have you ever wanted a cute little pet to watch on rainy days?

In my opinion a fish would be the perfect family pet. Here's why:

One reason I think a fish would be the perfect pet is, fish are very quiet so it wouldn't distrub you all the time. Another reason I think a fish would be the best pet is, it will make me more responsible. A fish would make me responsible because I would need to clean its tank and feed it. 

Finally, a fish would be the best pet because, you wouldn't need to pay for everything. I would pay for food and more! 

I hope I have convinced you that a fish would be the perfect pet for many reasons. 

Love, 

Addy

Fun with G&G

It was a busy visit with Grandma and Grandpa. In addition to the zoo, lots of games were played, (Monopoly for 2+ hours!) books read, and Addy did some sewing and crafts with Grandma. Cameron showed off his baseball skills with Grandpa and all enjoyed some time at the beach and on a hike and even some time bowling!  As always it went by too quickly but we had a great time and can't wait to see them again. 

Happy Retirement Grandpa!

Grandma and Grandpa were just visiting and we got to help Grandpa ease into retirement life, or as we like to say, become a teenager again. It was another wonderful trip where we enjoyed some of the usual traditions (crab dinner) and took them to some new things (the zoo)

We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day and luckily their flight back wasn't canceled despite the snowy weather in the midwest. 

End of an Era

When I think back on the last 13 years of my life there have been a lot of incredible changes; getting married, having kids, moving to a new home to just name a few. Throughout all of these changes, there has been one constant (besides Brian). One thing that has been there for me through everything. Something that sometimes played a major role, like when we took Addy home for the first time, and sometimes in a less significant role, but nevertheless always constant. If it were up to me, this something would be around for a major future change as well, like when Addy learns to drive and gets her license. However, all good things must come to an end, and today is that day.

It was just over 13 years ago that I bought my first car (I didn't buy Mama Cass) and today I had to say good-bye. I don't particularly care about cars, but I honestly was thinking I would keep this car until Addy could drive and it would be her car. It is hard to believe how much our lives have changed from when we first got this car.  It saw me through every major change of the last decade. I know it's just a car and I know Brian, and especially the kids, are not at all sad to see it go. But, I am and I think she's earned this tribute.

We are now officially a family in the 'burbs. Brian now drives a minivan (he calls it a "man-van"), so I have his old car and so we say goodbye to the Mazda. Or "Mommy's stinky car" as Cameron calls it. She will be missed, even if it's only by me.

Ski Season

Yesterday Adelyn and Brian headed up for their 5th day of skiing together at the mountains this season. I am so impressed with the time and energy they've put into this ski season because it hasn't been easy. The drive is always a challenge and they've run into every possible scenario there is. On a good day it takes 1.5+ hours to get there, but they've had plenty of bad days too. Once the traffic was so backed up by 8:00 am that they just called it and turned around. Yesterday, they were on track to get there by 8:15 (meaning they left the house at 6:20 am) and then were stopped for 2 hours for avalanche control on the pass when they were only a few miles away from the slopes.
All of the hard work has paid off though and Addy is doing great! She's mastered the green slopes and even has done a few of the blue ones. The chairlifts are no big deal, she knows how to turn and she hardly falls at all after a full day of skiing!
I am so proud of the work this girl (and her daddy!) have put into this ski season.