A-Y-X-DOUBLE-U-S-A.... Is how Luke starts the ABC song these days. I think his little mind is full of songs with letters in them.
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We had a fun time at the lake this weekend. The weather was questionable going into the weekend, but it was beautiful on both Saturday and Sunday! It was on the cool side, but the kids still wanted to play in the water. John checked off all of the activities on his list: catching a fish, sailing, canoeing, swamp adventuring with Bob, and he used is Technical John skills to rig up an outdoor movie theatre – a first for Dyken Pond. From Alyssa: This was the first time at the lake as a toddler, and it’s a totally different experience than being a baby. I LOVED playing outside with my cousins and brothers. My favorite activities were throwing the beach balls around, fishing in the “aquarium” for salamanders, singing/snoozing/meowing in the hiking backpack, canoeing with Mom and Dad, and sitting in the tiny chair that is just my size! I tried to keep up with the big kids and did NOT want to take naps. Some of Alyssa’s latest words: OW! NO! Yeah Meow Woof From Luke: I still love to climb the ladder at the lake! It’s my favorite. I also loved catching salamanders with Preston, and I hiked the WHOLE way on our hike to the big rocks without needing to go on shoulders at all! I even climbed up to the top of the very big rock with help from Tia Deb. I didn’t want to take naps, either, but I did end up napping in grandma’s bed both days we were there. I just got so worn out from all of the activities, and from playing in the cold water. I went canoeing AND sailing on this trip! From Preston: My favorite things to do at the lake were catching salamanders and keeping them in the home made aquarium. I caught more salamanders than I could even count, but I had to keep releasing them back into the wild so that they could still live. We all did a treasure hunt after we found the treasure map, and I paddled my kayak almost all the way to nature center. I got a little tired so Uncle Ted tied the kayak to the canoe so I could take a rest and get towed. From Mommy: Last week Mom, Luke, Alyssa, and I went to Luke’s preschool picnic at the park. It was during school and work for Preston and John, so they couldn’t go. We had a lot of fun playing on the playground and hanging out with some of Luke’s new friends. At one point Alyssa climbed up on to a platform with 2 slides side-by-side, RACING slides. She scooted up to one of the slides and was about to go down. But then she looked over and saw the empty slide next to her! She scooted back and yelled “aaaahabaaada!,” calling for a brother to race her! No brother arrived, but a minute later another little toddler arrived and raced down the slide with her. Two days later we all went to Luke’s end of year preschool program at the little church where his new school is. Luke has only been going to this school for 6 weeks, but he kept up with all of the songs that the other kids had been practicing all year. I was so proud of him!! He loved standing up in front of everyone and had no fear or shyness. My little guy is growing up! He favorite songs of the night were “Up pop the flowers!” and “I’m Looking over a four leaf clover” and “Reindeer shake your fluffy tail.” He likes to shake is fluffy tail on that last one. After the program we went downstairs for snacks where Alyssa was everyone’s favorite little toddler to chase, and Luke loved the jello jigglers. The next day I went to the school district volunteer lunch, which was lovely. It was nice to see some of the other kindergarten moms again. The program featured the Elementary District Chorus of 5th graders, and they were really good! It made me thankful for the great district that we live in. It’s May, and I finally decided to make time to write again!
Preston has 23 days of Kindergarten left! We got a note home from school with an alphabet count down and I almost cried. Kindergarten has been an incredible year for Preston. His teacher is so wonderful, and I want to keep her forever. I can hardly wait until Luke goes to Kindergarten so we can have her all over again. Preston is starting to be able to read all sorts of things and is interested in sounding things out and using clues to figure out things like cereal boxes and signs. We love to watch him learn and grow! He’s very excited to go on a Field Trip to a natural conservancy on Monday to explore nature and “find some creatures.” Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa took both boys to the lake to open things up. It was a rainy, muddy weekend, but they didn’t even notice. They had their new rain boots and lots of changes of socks. Luke’s FAVORITE thing of the weekend was climbing the ladder to the loft. Our family rule is 3 years old to be able to climb, and boy was he ready. Grandma says he is over confident at climbing up and down. The other rule is that, as a 3 year old, you must have a grown up with you to climb up or down the ladder. He ever got to sleep up there with Preston and Debbie! Preston’s highlight of the trip was going to the nature center for a junior explorer program and finding 11 salamanders! There was one other little boys there, and they each got a mesh screen on a pole to skim the little pond. All of the creatures don’t stand a chance against a mesh screen! Preston also loved fishing and digging for worms, and Luke got to ride down the mountain with Grandpa to run some errands and chase trains. We are all excited to return to the lake on Memorial Day weekend to start the season! Luke is still working on potty training. This is the longest most drawn out process….. I don’t know if it was the change of scenery, or the change of grown-up, or what, but at the lake last weekend he pooped on the potty! It was so exciting!!!!!!! He’s been doing pretty well with it all this week. We are just slowly moving along – there is no turning back now. Lukey also has some pretty cute words as a 3 year old: Gabloon = Balloon Gorilla = Umbrella Gramote = Remote He’s still in a phase where he has to do everything himself, and he changes his mind almost constantly. Breakfast goes something like this: Preston: I want an English Muffin with Apricot Jelly and Grape Jelly Me: Ok! Luke, what do you want on your English Muffin Luke: UMMMMM…. Peanut Butter and Jelly Me: What kind of jelly, apricot or grape Luke: Apricot Me: Ok! (John makes English muffins and slathers them with requested spreads and as he finishes putting peanut butter on one muffin Luke begins to shriek and cry) Me: LUKE!! What’s the problem Luke: (Sobbing and almost unintelligible) I waaanntnned elllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Me: We gave you jelly! Apricot Jelly! Can you use your words? Luke: I wanted GRAPE JELLY! DATS PEANUT BUTTER Me: (Referring to conversation above) Pretty sure you requested Peanut butter and jelly. And then I got to eat the peanut butter half of the English muffin while we toasted another one to solve this problem that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. And the thing is, I could have predicted this happening. He always wants exactly what Preston wants in the end. But we literally cannot skip to the end, because then he would manage to have a double tantrum: first about us giving him grape jelly instead of peanut butter like he requested, and second because he actually really wants grape jelly. It’s exhausting. But the good news, so far, is that these particular meltdowns tend to not happen while Preston is in school. But Preston is done in 23 school days! Luke is very cute, though. He loves pretending to write his name, and he can recognize his written name, which I think is pretty cool! When Preston does homework he has to be doing “homework,” too. He LOVES Daniel Tiger, and I find myself singing Daniel Tiger jingles to him all day long: Stop! And listen to stay safe. – If you have to go potty, stop and go right away – There’s so much to explore when your outside. There are many! Alyssa is naughty…. But SOOOOOOO cute! She has taken off with her walking, and she is everywhere all at once. I remember this with the boys, but she just seems so much naughtier than them. She knows exactly what she is not allowed to do:
On Thursday night I had to take all 3 kids to a Germany meeting because John had a work dinner. Thankfully they were well behaved for most of the meeting. The boys did some projects out in the hall while Grandpa played defense, and Alyssa was in and out of my lap 42 times, but quietly so that was as much as I could ask for. Eventually she grew tired of using me as her jungle gym, so she toddled off down the hallway with Grandpa in tow. 15 minutes later as we were nearing the end of our agenda, she toddled back into the room, climbed into my lap, snuggled down into my arms, looked right at me and said loudly “NA NA.” Yes, Alyssa, it was time for night night! She certainly makes herself known! We went to the pediatrician on Wednesday for her 15 month checkup. She is 22lbs, 30 inches, and 50-60% for both. She even stood on the scale to get weighted. 15 months is a major record for that for my kids. Preston wouldn’t stand on the scale until he was 4!! She also got 2 shots, which she took like a champ. I think she was more mad about them than hurt. She is already showing her independence. She doesn’t want anyone to feed her or hold her hand, and she will wander off in whatever way pleases her without a care. She has a few words and silly sounds: Kitties say “HHHHHRRRRRRKKKKKK” (Like a cat hissing) Lemurs (her current favorite animal) howl – OOOOOO Birdies say “Ee ee” Na na – Night night or banana Ba ba – Bottle or blueberries MommEE – Mommy Hi Bye A La la - I think this is a version of “I love you” but realize that’s probably wishful thinking She also loves to give kisses and gets super jealous when Daddy gives Mommy kisses. She doesn’t like when Daddy touches Mommy’s nose either. It’s been a week since I left my full-time job to spend more time with the kids. The last few months at my job were trying and stressful, and I feel a million times better now. I’m still finding a routine, though, and the days seem to fly by. I don’t know how anything got accomplished before, but that’s what everyone told me this would be like. I’ve been trying to sort out all of our schedules and get things set up for the summer when school is out and it is going to be all 3 kids at home all day with me. We joined the Zoo and the pool, signed up for a few camps, and have plans to spend more time at the lake at the beach this summer. I’ve been sending a lot of time in the yard trying to get all of my baby plants to be happy and established. It feels like there is never ending work to do outside AND inside; it keeps me busy. Kiddo Updates: Luke went almost straight from full-time daycare into a preschool program in the morning. Last Friday was his last day at daycare. Monday we went to visit a little preschool up the road to see if it would be a good fit for him next year. While we were there he started playing with all of the toys, talking to the teacher, and generally blending right in. On a whim I asked if they would be willing to take him for the rest of the school year, they had plenty of room in his class. Even though he is the youngest he has been doing great this week! He went 3 days, 9 – noon, and has a fun time. Today they had an Easter Party and egg hunt, and every day they sing songs, do projects, work on writing, play with toys, and play out on the playground. I’m super excited because next month they will be hatching some chicken eggs in an incubator and raising the little chicks until they are ready to go back to the farm. Even Preston is jealous of that project! Luke is loving the tricycle this year, which makes solo walks more complicated. He still needs some assistance, and I need to take care of Alyssa. Thankfully he is usually willing to take the wagon to the bus stop to get Preston. Potty training goes in stops and starts. This week he has regressed a bit because of Preschool. I send him in a pull-up. Sometimes he goes potty and sometimes he forgets, and I don’t think that his teachers remind him like they did at daycare. We have 4 days together this weekend, so I will assess the situation and see if we can get back on track. He’s close, we just need to keep working at it! Alyssa is SO close to walking! She takes up to 7 or 8 steps now to get from one place to another, but isn’t confident enough to walk everywhere. She’s still pretty wobbly, too, so she has to work on her muscles! She is so proud of herself when she does take steps, though, and she always gets a big cheer out of everyone. Miss Miss has some territory issues, which are mostly adorable. It’s normal one-year-old stuff, but I think she is especially sensitive because of her big brothers. I took her with me to a birthday party for one of Preston’s friends at the indoor trampoline park. She was allowed to bounce along with all of the other kids, and she wanted to be right in on the action. The trampolines are 3-4foot squares all lined up in a grid to that kids can bounce from one square to the next. Alyssa found a blue square in the corner and loved to bounce on her bottom. She would yell at anyone who would enter her square! She did not want to share! She was sometimes ok with Preston because he would hold her hands and help her to bounce higher. When Preston would leave he square she would yell after him to come back (except in Alyssa gibberish that no one can yet understand). The first day we went to go pick up Luke from preschool I took the double stroller with Alyssa in it to the playground to get Luke. He climbed in on his side and buckled himself in, and Alyssa started to yell and swat at him, because she didn’t want to share her stroller! The preschool ladies thought it was so silly, but Luke was not amused. He didn’t do anything wrong, and Alyssa just had to deal with it. Whenever I run errands now I try to do it in the morning while Luke is at daycare because then I only have Alyssa. She is my little side kick and she makes tons of friends everywhere we go! She’s usually pretty cool and just chills out in the cart or the stroller. She’s also a little escape artists and manages to noodle her way out to most cart straps! Preston loves to be outside and loves to climb trees. He can get to the tippy top of our cherry tree outside, and has been attempting a few others around the lawn. He’s big enough this year that I’m ok with letting him play outside on his own, and he knows not to leave the yard without telling me. A few nights ago I was making dinner and watching all 3 kids out the back window playing in the sandbox for a few minutes. He is working on riding a two wheeler bike, and is super excited to be taking the bus home every day now. I’m enjoy walking to the bus stop with the little ones to get him, too! Last weekend we did an Easter Egg hunt at Mema Lockers house. Alyssa liked to throw the eggs, Luke liked to pick up the ones at his level, and Preston loved to find the crazy ones in the tree and all over the place. We will probably dye Easter Eggs tomorrow and then head to Gigi and Grandpa’s house for the weekend! John is busy working on re-doing our master closet before totally tearing up our bedroom: new pant, flooring, lighting, electrical, etc. I’ve become accustomed to living in a construction zone at times, and it has been a long time since John has had a project like this – he was overdue. I’ll share pictures when it is all done! Here are some pictures and videos! Happy Birthday LUKE! You are 3!  From Luke: I told Mom that I wanted a Lion birthday, so she made a lion cake. Then I told her I wanted a TRAIN cake. This is what us three-year-olds are REALLY good at: changing our minds. So my amazing Mommy obliged and made me a train cake, too. I had a super fun birthday party at home with lots of friends and family. And then on my real birthday we had a little party at home. And then on Monday I had cupcakes with my friends at school. Somehow we always end up with 3 birthdays. My three year stats: 35lbs 8oz 3 foot 1 inch Loves: Trains Superheroes Legos Daniel Tiger Dinosaurs Cute mispronunciations: Pupcakes (Cupcakes) Gabloons (Balloons) Negit (Nedick – although someone fixed this one in the last week) Broccolisaurus (Brachiosaurus) I’m working on potty training and doing pretty well. I stay dry all day at school! I like wearing underpants. Mom says I put them on backwards, but Mickey and Thomas should definitely go in the front, not the back, duh. I also want to do everything ALL BY MYSELF, and my siblings both know how to push my buttons and make me scream. But that’s what 3 year olds do! I loving going to gymnastics and I just graduated to the big class where I can go without Mommy! I also graduated to the pre-school class at school, at least for most of the day! I want to do everything that Preston does, including homework, reading words, doing projects, climbing into his big boy bed, and I can’t wait to climb the ladder at Dyken Pond this summer! Preston and I went to the doctor last week for our check-ups. We were fighting over who was going to need a shot, and guess what… No one needed a shot! Yippee! I wanted to do everything that Preston did, and I was such a good boy for the doctor and the nurse. I stood on the scale for 5 minutes waiting for them to record my weight. I also stood on the green feet on the floor to do my vision test – I knew ALL of my shapes except for the plus sign. That one was tricky. Then at the end Preston had to bow over so the doctor could check his back. I was too little to get my back checked, but I told Mommy that I wanted to bow like Preston. So the doctor checked my back anyway. Preston and I are super healthy and growing big and strong! From Mommy: March has been a chilly month. We got over a foot of snow last week that is still hanging around. I am SO looking forward to spring and spending more time outside. Hopefully April won’t disappoint, although it does tend to be rainy and cold. I’m looking forward to spending all of my time with the kids as I finish up my time at work. Perhaps I’ll blog more often! I have a lot of plans for my time at home. I’ve said before the Luke’s birthday feels like spring is right around the corner for me. But this year it seems to be taking longer to feel that way. I think the snowstorm really stalled things. From Alyssa: I am 13.5 months old and officially a busy toddler! Mommy and Daddy think that I am naughty in the most adorable way. I certainly know what I’m not supposed to do (climb the stairs, rummage through the cabinet under the sink, bother Luke, hit, pull glasses off of people’s faces, throw food, scream, touch outlets, climb in the tub fully clothed, I could go on), but that doesn’t keep me from doing these things ALL DAY LONG. I don’t have many words yet, but Mommy is teaching me some sign language like “more” and “all done” so that I don’t have to scream all the time at meals. I am SO close to being able to walk. I can stand up independently and without holding on to anything for a long time, and sometimes when I’m crusing across the furniture it looks like I could just take off across the room, but I always fall on my bum on the first step off from the furniture. Mom has seen me take a tiny little step twice now, but can’t really count it as walking. I love to show off my walking skills with my walker, though, where I can cut corners with ease and chase Jack just about everywhere. Speaking of Jack, he’s my favorite. I love him. He doesn’t really love me, but he tolerates me for like a second. I love stealing everyone else’s food, and some of my favorite foods include: blueberries, strawberries, yogurt, bananas, grapes, noodles, carrots, and beans. I’m not a big fan of meet like chicken, I only have 6 teeth, so it’s hard to chew. I love shoes! I try to put on my own shoes all the time! I don’t like having them on once they are on, but it’s fun to try to put them on. I got my first haircut over the weekend. My hair is getting pretty long, and it was falling in my face all the time, so now I have some cute bangs! From Preston: I like playing my tablet and Jurassic World on my computer. I also really like gymnastics, and will hopefully start t-ball in April, although Mom is a little hesitant based on the busy schedule. In my Kindergarten class we have been following a webcam of a Bald Eagle family in their nest. So far 2 babies have hatched and there is one more to go. I update Mom everyday on the status of the eagles! Mom also signed me up for Zoo Camp this summer, and I am SOOOOOOO excited to go. I ask her everyday how long it is until zoo camp. It’s a long time. Mom needs to make me a calendar so we can check off all of the days. I’m getting much better at all of my sight words in school, but what I really love to learn about is Math and numbers, and I want to be a scientist when I grow up! We have a lot of pictures to share. Preston sang in Mardi Gras at church a few weeks ago, and we have some pictures from Luke’s third birthday and Alyssa’s haircut! Preston and Luke also went on a train museum adventure with Grandpa, so we can share some pictures from that special day.  Happy first birthday to our little Miss Miss Liss Biss!! We celebrated with a red velvet cupcake the night before and she will have her party on Saturday. She's a little lovely who is so even tempered. She has us ALL wrapped around her finger, maybe except for Luke, who doesn't always tolerate her toddler toy snatching. We went to the pediatrician this morning. She is 19lbs and 29inches. Still a little bip in the 40th percentile. Alyssa’s First Word Liss has a few proto-words and sounds and she LOVES to make noises and imitate her brothers. We’ve been waiting somewhat patiently for her first real word, and got a silly taste of her personally this morning. Although it might not count as a real word, it was clear and intentional! As I was changing her diaper this morning Preston brought over her favorite stuffed snowman. She gave it a hug, looked right at me, said “UH OH!” loudly and clearly, and then threw the snowman overboard. Then she giggled hysterically along with both of her brothers, and did it again. “Mama” and “Dada” can’t beat out “Uh-oh.” Here’s an adorable picture of the little pip – sometimes she comes home from daycare with ponies and it’s probably the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.  Preston’s Groundhog Day Wish Yesterday Preston did a Groundhog Day project and practice page at school. He was asked to write about his wish for Groundhog Day, and his answer melted my heart. He writes: I hope the groundhog does not see his shadow because I want spring so that I can save animals and plant my gingko tree. My sweet boy loves animals and nature! Santa brought him a gingko tree planting kit, and it’s been sitting on our mantle waiting for spring. I knew it was there, but I thought Preston had forgotten about it. I was going to bring it out with him in a month or two. He totally remembers it, and he is waiting patiently for spring!! He also explained that he is worried about the animals because it’s so cold outside, and he wants them to be safe and warm in springtime. Last night as I was putting the boys to bed Preston suddenly announced “OH, Mommy, I need my Red Bulls!” My first thought was how the heck does this child know about Red Bull, who’s been giving him caffeine, that’s the LAST thing he ever needs... ever. And so I asked him what he was talking about. He explained that tomorrow is sports day at school and that he wants to wear his soccer shirt. His team was the Red Bulls! So that explains that, and we pulled out his old soccer shirt from the fall. Reading Time Preston has some practice reading pages from school, and so the last few nights I’ve been incorporating them into our bedtime reading routine. I’ll read 2 books, and then Preston reads his pages. At first I told him he only had to read 2 pages, but he insists on reading ALL of them, every night. There are probably 15 pages; I haven’t counted. The pages are a mixture of sight words, words to sound out, and pictures with words underneath. Preston does a great job of reading the pages, uses the right inflection on question sentences, and loves to practice. Luke, who always reads stories with us, too, gets in on the reading pages as well! He chants along, knows exactly where we are on the page, and SHOUTS when we get to the picture words: I like the PUPPY! I see a TURTLE! My favorite is when we get to the picture of a ruler and he insists that it is a comb. Preston and I let him get away with it.   After a rough week at work a tired Mommy tucks her 3 children into their beds, provides milk and snuggles and kisses, and finally retires to her own cuddly nest to wind down with a show on TV. As her head hits the pillow and her finger hits play a call comes from the other room followed by another.
“MOMMY….. I need to go potty!” “MOMMY….. I need to go potty, too!” One boy can take care of the situation all by himself. The other one cannot. Since Daddy has already holed himself down in the man cave for the evening, Mommy has no choice but to extract herself from her cozy abode and help the small child go potty. She assists in the removal of his clothes, and after the worlds’ tiniest tinkle, reapplies the overnight diaper and jammies before sending both boys agreeably back to their beds with extra kisses. She once again settles back into her bed; her program may commence. Approximately 4 minutes later she hears a muffled call once again coming from afar. She must pause the TV and strain her ears over the ridiculous sound of the audio drum test coming from the man cave in order to hear a tiny voice calling “MOMMY….. I DIDN’T FLUSH.” She knew this was going to happen. As soon as she sent the toddler back to his bed, she realized her error in not reminding him to flush. But he went back to his bed so sweetly, and who really needs to flush the worlds’ tiniest tinkle? We can conserve water. But he remembered, and once remembered the task MUST be completed. It’s in the potty training best practices. So Mommy must once again leave her cocoon in order to help the tiny child solve his problem. With one more kiss and a warning of no more stalling she sends him back to his bed. There have been no more interruptions during the writing of this post. Does she dare to push play? Today Preston turned 6! Wow, how time flies! This past year has been another fun adventure for him! He got a baby sister, graduated Pre-k, started Kindergarten, and broke his leg! It has been the year of the prehistoric landscapes and scary dinosaurs. He was a volcano for Halloween and wanted a volcano birthday cake. Scary dragons and dinosaurs are his favorites these days. He also made a HUGE transition from loving all things YELLOW to red and black as his new favorite colors. His birthday weekend was full of celebrations. We managed to pull off a seamless swimming party for 15 kindergarteners and a little brother. We had a good mix of old daycare friends and new friends from school, and everyone seemed to have a great time. It’s amazing how easy a party can be when there isn’t any set up or clean-up! He also has 2 wiggly teeth! From Preston: The Friday before my birthday Mom surprised me and my whole class by being the Mystery Reader at school! It was so special to have Mommy come visit my class. She got to sit in the special reading chair, and I got to sit right next to her the whole time. She read “We Are in a Book” by Mo Willems, which is a super silly book. And then we donated the book to the classroom library so we can read it as a class again sometime. When the book was over I got to call on all of my friends to tell us which part of the book they liked the best. They all loved the part where the pig says “BANANA.” You should read the book so that you can find that silly part, too! When Mommy was all done I go to walk her back to the office to say goodbye. It was a really special day. Preston’s Birthday Quiz: What’s your favorite color: Red and Black What do you want to be when you grow up: A scientist If you could have any animal in the world as a pet, what would it be: A blue jay If you could make any discovery, what would you discover: Dinosaur Bones What does Mommy do at work: work in your office – and sing What does Daddy do at work: Eat lunch Who is your best friend: Patrick and Quentin What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend: play at home, go to the fish hatchery, the pet store, and Dorney Park What’s your favorite song on Grandpa’s playlist: The pirate song (the muppet professional pirate song)   From Luke:
Now that Preston planned and executed his whole party it’s time for me to plan MY party. I want to have my party at school with pretzels, chips, cheese balls, and… pretzels. And I want a scary LION cake… RAHHHH! It’s almost MY birthday. I will be 3! I have so much fun at school, and I love to play with puzzles and brio and Thomas trains. I am having a hard time coping with the speedy mobility of my baby sister. She always wants to play with the same toys as me, and I don’t really like that. I want to have my own space. I love to help Mommy in the kitchen, and do whatever my big brother is doing. Preston and I both do gymnastics on Saturday. I’m in a class with Daddy and Preston is in the big boy class! Preston needs to get stronger so that he can do more of the equipment, so Mommy and Daddy to exercises with us every day. We all stretch together and then we each take a turn picking out an exercise to do. I always pick “run in place” because it’s my favorite. Preston likes to make up his own moves using the hand weights or rolling around on the ground, and Mommy and Daddy pick normal things like planking and squats. Sometimes Alyssa joins in, but she usually just crawls all over us while we are trying to do our exercises. 10 minutes a day of healthy family time is a great way to get stronger! From Alyssa: I didn’t get to go to Preston’s swimming party, because Mommy decided she didn’t want an extra little person to keep track of. Grandma and I stayed home and had a fun time together. I got to play in the basement with our other full set of toys that I normally don’t get to explore. Then I took a little snooze while snuggling with Grandma. Sometimes it’s nice to have my own space without my brothers around. But they sure are fun! I still don’t have any recognizable words, and I don’t have any interest in walking, but I am awesome a eating big girl food, using my sippy cup, scooting around and crawling, and I can pull myself up to standing (but I cry because I can’t get back down again. I started napping on a cot at school this week, and I sleep through the night EVERY night, which is pretty amazing for Mommy and Daddy. I LOVE bathtime, the kitty, playing so-big and peek-a-boo, making kissy noises, and Daddy! Sometimes if I’m fussy at bedtime Daddy will take me down to the basement to “Nora” me: he plays Nora Jones albums until I fall asleep – I can’t resist it. Mommy’s go to soothing song for me is Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.” Acoustic ballads get me SO sleepy. Our year 2016 as a family has been a pretty good one by most accounts. We sadly lost our beloved Maynard Krug early in the year. I’ve been thinking about him quite a bit this holiday season as I’ve been reflecting on the year. His passing is perhaps the saddest thing that happened to us personally this year; I want to celebrate his life. He had a sparkle in his eyes always. He loved us, his grandchildren, and wanted only the best for us. I wish I had recognized that earlier, I had so much more to learn from him and appreciate in him. We got Alyssa just 2 weeks before we lost Poppop. She is the joyful little person who makes our family complete and has made this past year one of the best. All 3 of the kids are incredible little people with their own strengths. I am so proud of them. Alyssa is still a very sweet baby who sleeps less than she used to, but is so lovable and easy going. She is nearly 11 months old, independent, mobile, chatty, learning new sounds and movements every day, and very interested in her big brothers. Luke is 2 and a half going on 6. He’s incredibly bright, kind, good natured, a lover of art and music, and a tiny engineer. He thinks he can do everything that Preston can do, and is often successful. Preston is thriving and having a fantastic time in Kindergarten. He’s a very social kid, a leader, usually a good influence, and quick learner. He’s still master negotiator, and he comes up with some really unique ideas and solutions to problems. 2016 has been good for us as a family. It’s the year that marks the end of an era for us, so to speak. We are moving away from the baby-phase and watching our little family grow up. John and I are very much looking forward to the next few years when we can do more fun trips as a family and gain a little more independence. When I started this blog, nearly 6 years ago, it was a way for me to remember all of the little things, to share Preston with family and friends, and to keep track of milestones. It was simpler back then to write. Preston was a tiny baby and didn’t have a voice so I could write one for him. Now he is almost 6, certainly has his own voice, and deserves a bit of privacy. I still want to share what’s going on in our lives, but I’m working on finding a new voice. I’ve become a bit wiser which the arrival of each child. 3 isn’t a lot of children by many standards, but it’s enough to know that comparisons between children are absolutely useless and that each child will achieve his or her own greatness at his or her own pace. I feel like when I write about each child I want to make comparisons to the others and it’s literally like comparing apples, airplanes, and alligators. So in 2017 I will evolve. Sweet DecemberMy favorite part of Christmas is the magic. It’s so fun to have a Kindergartener who is so full of wonder at Christmas. It’s mysterious for him, and he has so many questions and ideas. He soaks it up and wants to participate in all of the festivities and continue the traditions. He wants his little brother and sister to experience it with him. John took Preston to a little shop at school and they bought little presents for everyone. He was so excited to give them to everyone. I often dread Christmas with all of the traveling, driving, packing, repacking, not really sleeping, fretting about all the little details. Somehow we made it through this year with fewer moments of frustration. We have many photos to share! Mom made the little dress for Alyssa. Santa Train with GrandpaChristmas Tree and Santa on a FiretruckChristmas!Luke is a very kind and even-tempered child. He’s going through a “Let ME do it” phase, but is fairly patient with himself so it’s not painful or frustrating for me to just let him do everything. He takes his clothes off and puts new ones on. He cleans up toys without a fuss, takes naps without argument, is a pretty good listener, and just a sweet boy. John and I took the kids to New York City yesterday. We met Mom, Dad, Debbie, Mema and Poppop Locker, and Mema Krug to go see the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall thanks to Mem and Poppop who got everyone the tickets. It was challenging with such a big group, and it was raining in NYC. But we did it without a hitch, and we were impressed with ourselves at the end of the day! Luke loved the Rockettes show. I’m always hesitant to take him to shows, mostly because of his age. I was sure he would make it through the first half hour before completely losing interest and getting wiggly. From the moment the show started he was on the edge of his seat. He watched intently, clapped when everyone else clapped and kept his focus on the stage. Then the show slowed down for a few minutes for a costume change about 45 minutes in. Luke sat back in his seat to relax and dozed off…. In the last 15 minutes he woke up again, went right back to the edge of his seat, and watched the rest of the show. He absolutely loved it. He said his favorite part was Santa, the reindeer, and the snowflakes. I was so proud of him. This was also Alyssa’s first trip to NYC. She spent most of the day in front pack with me, and she was also really well behaved. She didn’t want to be cooped up the whole time, so she got passed around on the train, during the show, and at lunch. She nursed on the train and at the Rockettes show (I’m really adding to my repertoire of exotic nursing locations). Preston has been to NYC before and was really a pretty good kid for this trip. He had some attitude at lunch, but ended up eating most of the salmon that he ordered so it wasn’t a complete lunch bust. We rode on the train 4 times: there and back and twice on the subway. We managed to go to the M&M store, see the show, and have lunch all together, and got home around 6pm. Not bad for a cold rainy day in NYC. Adventures with 3 little kids are doable!! 2017 is a big mystery right now, but holds a lot of potential. It’s was right before Preston’s first birthday that I started Cherry Lane Designs, and a little after Luke’s first birthday I got pregnant with Alyssa. I want to do a bit more with Cherry Lane, and re-evaluate my work situation. As a family we want to stay balanced, declutter, and spend more time outside. John and I are looking forward to a trip to Germany in July, and I’d like to maybe pick up my graduate work again. Happy New Year! |
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