Kindergarten Polar Express

Lane's kindergarten holiday party is this coming Friday. We were able to finish everything the Sunday prior to the party.  It's nice to have an engaged child    

Her party will center around Polar Express.  We printed book marks that say "I believe in you."   We stapled mini candy canes to the back of the book mark. (found here: http://cathedralkindergarten.blogspot.com/)  

 

We made little snowman building kits to give to her classmates. The kits contain three marshmallows, pretzel sticks, and chocolate chips.   We added a topper that says, "do you wanna build a snowman?" (found here: http://prettyprovidence.com/treat-bag-toppers-do-you-wanna-build-a-snowman/)    I also found snowman baggies to use for the kits. 

Lane made a card for her teacher and we added a gift card to her teacher's favorite family restaurant.  I'm thrilled to have one out of three kids holiday class parties in order.   Two to go and we are done with the school stuff! 

Easter 2014

It's been weeks since Easter.  The Easter bunny didn't bring much candy and was generous with some small toys instead. The kids were happy. 

I've decided that we aren't really Easter people though. After the five minute egg hunt, the kids didn't ask much about Easter, the religious significance or social.  The little candy they received is still sitting in their buckets. 

They liked dying the boiled eggs but they were angry that they each only had four eggs dye.  

Alex was very specific in how he dyed his eggs and wanted each egg to have a name written on it.  Gabriel wanted to put the eggs in different colors while Lane was happy with pink eggs. 

Valentine's Day 2014

Happy Valentine's Day! 

I assembled bubbles for the boys to give to their classmates. They still aren't interested in helping me but maybe that will happen with time. Or maybe not. Lane, on the other hand, was excited about the Valentines I made for the classes. She asked if she could make some for her friends as well. 

I printed more tags from this site: http://www.trishabdesigns.com/2012/02/class-valentines-bubbles.html , drove 40 minutes to the nearest Target to get more bubbles (we checked two other stores but couldn't find any bubbles), and we cut, wrote names, and added ribbon. Lane enjoyed handing her Valentines to her friends at the school and at the dance studio. 

I bought chocolate for everyone in our home and a small gift for Andrew. Every year Andrew tells me that I do not need to buy anything for him and I know he means it. However, we have been together for 22 Valentines days in a row and I haven't missed one yet. I wonder if he will say the same things next year? At least I know what to expect from my sweetheart.
Lane and I helped the PTO at the school in morning and then met some friends for lunch. It was such an easy, sweet holiday for us.

It is 2014!

It is 2014, I am 40 years old, I've been married for almost 18 years, I have a fish and two dogs, and I share all of this with three children. Ive lived in six states. Ive traveled to 9 countries and the majority of the continental United States. Whoa! Did I mention that it is 2014?!!

We had a quiet New Years at home with the kids. We celebrated with fireworks and sparklers.  I was quite impressed when all three children ran around the yard with their sparklers. 

Since Andrew has off work for New Years Day, we took the kids to Gatorland.  Alex has asked to go since kindergarten when Gabriel went in first grade. 

The kids had fun feeding the budgies, watching the alligators, and walking around Gatorland. We were also able to go on a little train ride which is still a hit with all three children. 

Winter Break: Week One.

We have had a busy, fun, and productive week at Mai house. The boys are off school until January 6, giving us lots of time together but not enough time to set up a routine. The lack of routine makes it quite an interesting time together. 

Last Friday evening, we went to the Winter Festival, part two, here in our community. The snow machine was broken a couple weeks ago so they held a second event.  We went to the town square and saw a sledding hill with snow at the bottom. 

We waited in line and watched other  children laughing as they held on tight to a plastic tube and flew down the hill, some catching air. My kids eyes were wide.  The kids made it to the top and only two of them decided to go on a tube, together. Down came Lane and Alex while Gabriel walked back down the ladder.   They loved it! 

Saturday was HOT.  It was late December and getting to the high 80s. I dropped Andrew and the kiddos off at the beach while I finished some shopping. 

Prior to our drive to the beach, we noticed the snow was still on the ground. It wasn't roped off so we jumped out of the car and threw a couple ice balls at each other.  This promoted Alex to ask for snow in all of Harmony for Christmas. (We weren't able to accommodate Gabriel's wish for a small "real" Toyota either.) 

After the beach we bought dinner and went to a free movie night in our community. We watched Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. It was neat to watch the same classics that Andrew and I saw as children.

Lane convinced everyone to wear Packer gear Sunday for a hopeful win. It didn't work but I like the photo of her in her Packer outfit  

Sunday was also a Mommy-son day when I took Alex to see the Nutcracker for the first time.  We got dressed up; Alex sported a tie and belt. 

It was delightful! 

Alex thought that it was a little too long but he liked it.  At first he was concerned because he wasn't sure how he would walk to the stage from his balcony seat. I had to explain that he wasn't there to perform but to watch.  He critiqued the performers throughout the performance and let me know how well he could do if he was on stage. I have no doubt that he could rock that stage with more training. 

We stayed at home Monday. It wasn't our original plan but after a busy weekend, the kids seemed to need it. 

Lane has asked to go camping for over a year. Andrew had big ideas for camping with the kids for the first time but I was worried about the lack of bathrooms, pantry items, and overall comforts of home. 

We compromised on sleeping in the tent in the back yard. The tent was set up in the back yard, for the first time since we had children. Surprisingly, the tent is in great shape still! 

We went on a hayride through our community with some friends and saw the beautiful lights. We stopped and sang songs a couple times and now that my children can sing, it wasn't too humiliating. It was actually nice to hear their sweet voices belt out "Rudolph."
Everyone stayed in the tent until 7 am! Another shocking moment!  This allowed elves to get the majority of the wrapping done for Christmas. Perhaps this should become an annual tradition.

We spent Christmas Eve with our good friends, the Peplers.  We met when we attended adoption class in early 2004. There were four of us then but we met again as 11. They currently live in North Carolina and we were so happy they included us in their busy scheduled vacation. 

We met at downtown Disney and had lunch at the T-Rex.  After racing cars at the Lego store, we took a boat ride to one of the resorts. The kids climbed on a playground and played at an arcade. We also stumbled upon free lemonade and cookies.

It was a perfect afternoon together but six hours didn't seem like enough time together after years apart. 

Oh Christmas!! All of the kids were delighted with their gifts and their happiness made our day complete. 

Santa was unable to bring an escalator or a town full of snow for Alex or a Toyota for Gabriel but several other wishes were fulfilled.  The joy in our home could run the world.  It was amazing. 

Merry Christmas from Mai home to yours... May you have a blessed holiday season. 

I hope Mai kids will continue wearing coordinating Christmas jammies for many more years. 

Later in the day, we went to Celebration, our former town, to enjoy a Thai dinner. The kids decided that we should travel to Thailand since we will all eat their delicious food. If anyone is giving away tickets to Thailand, please let me know. 

We watched the snow fall and danced to the music before driving back home. 

Thursday, Mai kids and I straightened and organized our neglected home. They spent hours enjoying their new toys while I continued to clean and they had long lost interest in helping me. 

It's Friday again and we are beginning week two of Winter Break and with it will come New Years. This past year has flown by for me. It has brought new leaps in development for the kids as well intense challenges that showed me I have more strength and patience than I thought possible. It brought loss and renewed hope.  

Happy New Year everyone. 

Christmas 2012

I failed to write about our Christmas.  Since I wrote about our Christmas in July ornaments, I thought it would be a good time to look back at our holiday. It won't be long before the holidays approach again and three children will be a year older. 

Lane still loves her babies. She has been known to carry around triplets because she can't chose just one baby. Here she is in her new Snow White costume with a baby who had to be strapped in with her.  She wanted the baby to be safe on the way to our meal in Cocoa Beach. 

The kids made cards for their teachers. They made trees with green thumbprints.  I added a gift card to the card and a little snowman ornament that said "best teacher".  We also added glitter to look like shiny lights. 

The kids helped make reindeer nose treats for their classmates. 

We also assembled snowman soup to hand out to teachers and staff. It consisted of hot cocoa, marshmallows, chocolate, and a candy cane. I found free printables online. 

Here is the stash ready to go to the two schools 

Alex had a pajama day at school. I love how happy he is about the change in clothing 

Then there was our tree. It isn't anything fancy but I liked it a lot. I also like that we continue to get an ornament for every year we are married and they are placed on our tree by our children. 

The weather is perfect here for the playground during winter break. It was even a little warm this year. We will see what the holidays bring us in a mere five months.  

Happy 4th, 2013

Andrew came home from his work trip to Washington DC last night.  The kids woke up wild because they were so happy he was home. 

We had a laid back day that included shopping and lunch out. There are a ton of great sales on kids clothing at stores I love - Janie and Jack, Kids R Us, and Gymboree. I had a Gymboree gift card from turning in our used clothes to thredup so it was all "free".   Crazy 8 has tshirts and shorts for under $4. I can barely find that at a consignment store and it was new.  

Lane had an especially fun time picking at lotion and body gel at Bath and Body Works.  She said that they smelled so pretty.  The cashier was smitten and shared fragrances with her just to hear her response.  

We had lunch at IKEA where the kids are for free.  You can't beat free! 

By the time we got home, Lane was asleep and Gabriel was too tired to go to the 9:15 pm fireworks.  Alex rarely disappoints us as a night owl though.  Andrew and Alex went to the fireworks amd had a great time. 

Happy Fourth of July! 

Easter 2013

Gabriel was still half asleep when he walked down the stairs. Andrew and I looked at each other, wondering what in the world he was doing. Then he ran up and told us that the Easter Bunny came to our house!! There is a first for everything and that was a fun first to witness! He immediately woke up his sister and brother so they could get their baskets.
The baskets had a little candy and some small toys in them. The Easter Bunny doesn't believe in huge gifts for Easter and lots of candy has been thrown out the window. Alex wasn't thrilled with the small assortment of items and told us that the Easter Bunny isn't as fun as Santa. He is such a vocal and honest child.

We dyed eggs on Easter day. The kids didn't remember doing them in the past and were shocked by the word, "dye" again. They didn't want to kill any innocent eggs. I was able to show off the mystery of the white crayon written on an egg. The kids loved seeing their names appear in the dye. Later, Alex stated that it was a fun holiday after all.

Lane sported her new purple bunny ears when we went to the dog park.
Andrew made a nice meal and had to leave for the airport by 1:30 so it was an easy, quiet holiday for us. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.

Our Valentines Boxes

The boys teachers asked for Valentines boxes this year. I haven't made one with the boys in a couple years so I wanted to make some fun ones this year. When Gabriel was in PreK, I made a Valentine's box with a dog on it and he wanted that again this year. I went on an internet hunt and found the template. On the same site, was a bear template. It was perfect for Alex's class of bears this year.
I felt like the Little Red Hen baking bread. The boys thought the boxes were great ideas but didn't want to help. Lane was interested until she realized the bozes weren't for her. I transformed red dollar store paper boxes into delightful dog and bear Valentines boxes complete with their names.




The dog template can be found here: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mdogbox.htm
The bear template is available here: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/mbearbox.htm

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving was just the five of us this year. Andrew and I haven't had a holiday alone for a long time. It took a few days for us to decide what to do - go to a restaurant? Make a meal a home? Go on a mini vacation? Forego tradition altogether since Alex is the only one who enjoys turkey?
We chose to make a traditional meal at home. Well, mostly traditional since we limit dairy and eat no gluten at home. Andrew doesn't want the kids to feel like they are missing out on a tradition but I was fine with crab legs and a trip to Disney.
Since Lane and Gabriel were awake at 5:10, it was easy to make everything by 1 pm. I gave the kids paper Thanksgiving place mats while we finished the last food items. Their excitement over this little dollar item was precious.
Later in the afternoon we went to the dog park. We threw a ball for Brody and Alex worked on his football throw with Andrews. Overall, it was an easy and relaxed holiday.

St Cloud Veterans Day Parade

We attended the Veteran's Day parade in St Cloud, FL this morning. We were adorned in red, white, and blue for the occasion. It was a nice parade that included treats for the kids, which thrilled them to no end.
There were numerous veterans in the parade, including WWII vets. Two floats with the sons ad daughters of the confederate were in the parade as well. I'm positive we didn't see that up north. Their floats were really neat with correct era costumes.
Alex was interested in the bands and ROTC groups. Lane was especially sensitive to the sirens and didn't appreciate the noise at all.
In the end, Alex declared it "the best day ever!"

Holiday crafts part 4: 2011

The kids helped me make gifts for their teachers and other school staff. We had a lot of fun putting the snowman candy bars together.

The boys picked out the buttons and patterns for their snowmen. Unfortunately, they both decided it was necessary to touch the hot glue gun. Gabriel hardly winced but Alex complained for about an hour. I'm not exaggerating.
We also made avocado cucumber soap together. I think it turned out cute. I hope they appreciate the effort that went into it

I had fun with packaging this year. I bought everything on clearance last year and I think it makes a difference. The gift cards looked more presentable in little packages.

I made cookies for the teacher cookie exchange this year. It's a real treat to have homemade cookies at our house. I had to eat the broken ones - who could resist chewy brownie cookies? Yum!

Holiday crafts part 3

There is a boy named Max who is in the hospital fighting leukemia. His holiday wish is to receive one million cards. The school is collecting cards from the students to mail to Max to make his holiday brighter. Lane, Alex, and Gabriel created cards to add to Max's collection. I hope he likes the cards because the kids worked hard on them and we talked a lot about Max while they made their cards. We all hope he isn't in the hospital very long