My Dearest Big Kids,

I can’t believe how much you’ve both grown! Isaiah, you just turned 6 and Lilianna, you are 3.5.

My little Rooster, you’re doing so well in kindergarten. You are at the top of your class in reading. You’re reading books at a 2nd grade level! You love school and you have lots of friends! Even one little girlfriend that you sometimes hold hands with (Victoria)!  We recently pulled you out of school for a week for a family vacation. Upon your return, the whole class was so happy to see you, they all wanted to give you a hug! We’ve never been invited to so many birthday parties in our lives! The boys you play with most are Anton and Bison. They are sweet boys, just like you! You love it when I volunteer in class- you are so happy that I am there and I’m so happy that you want me there! What a blessing that you enjoy school so much. You were student of the month in January. We are so proud of you! You’re learning Spanish every Wednesday after school. You’re the youngest one in the class. You told me once that all the girls say that you are “so cute”. Hmm, maybe that’s why you like it so much! You’re still doing karate every week. You really take it seriously. You listen and try really hard each and every class. I’ve never seen you goof off. Your form is so awesome, your Sensei has commended you, saying that your form and stance is even better than the older kids’. I say this often but, I love the age you are RIGHT NOW! I feel like this truly one of the last of the most innocent years of your life. You are learning so much so fast! I love that you get so excited about the little things. You still believe in leprechauns (amongst other things), and you see that the world is full of good. You still love Buddy, robots, snakes, bugs and now VIDEO GAMES. Typical boy! You are also a dog lover! You’re so good to Oscar. You talk to him and pet him EVERY morning when you wake up! You take such good care of him, even though he’s old and stinky. You truly love him, and when we leave on a vacation you talk about him and worry about him every day. Your heart is pure gold, and we are amazed by you! You are the best big brother a girl could EVER ask for. You adore your little sister. You can’t wait to see her- you play with her, read books to her, and always look out for her- even among your peers, you stay by her side. This makes my heart so happy! Strangers have come up to me in stores and have told me how wonderful it is to see to siblings like each other so much! I hope and pray it stays this way forever!

Little Lala, Lili, Peetie Pie, Honey Bunch… we have so many funny names for you because you are very funny. You make us laugh all the time. You tell stories that you make up as you go and come up with new songs daily. You love preschool and can’t wait to go. We go to a parent participation school, so I get to be there with you a few times a month. You talk about your teacher Ms. Jodi all the time. Your favorite thing about school is snack time. Ms. Jodi says you’re the best eater in the whole class (always the last to leave the table)! You may be a chef one day because you are always putting strange things together and eating them… like ham and blueberries, or raisins and cheese. You’re still doing gymnastics weekly and getting braver and braver! Doing forward rolls and crazy jumps and ladder climbs all by yourself! You’ve got lots of friends, but Tyler is your boyfriend and you say that one day you’re going to marry him. He does gymnastics on the same day and you two are always getting in trouble together. Mabel is your other best friend. You hang out at the park with her almost every day (while we are waiting to pick up the “Bubbas” from Kindergarten). She’s smaller than you so she gets all your outgrown clothes. Whenever something gets too small for you, you say, “We better give this to Mabel”. Whenever we go to Joann Fabric Store, you say, “I miss Mabel.” Because we often see her there with her mom (hoarding fabric, like me). You’ve been a tomboy most these years with fits of girly-ness coming through. I think the girly-ness is starting to take over though. We just went to your first “all girls-princess-dress-up-tea-party”. It was a birthday party for your preschool friend, Auden. You wore jewelry and your high heel play shoes. You had pink milk from fine china, got your nails painted and your makeup done (a little bit of blush and lip gloss). Everything was pink (naturally your favorite color) and flowery and fancy. You LOVED IT! I can’t believe you are getting so big! You talk about being a “GROWM- UP” all the time. You say that one day you’ll “have big BOOPS just like Mimi” (which is your nickname for me)! You have recently asked me to start wearing earrings. I told you about piercing and how it hurts and you said you still want to do it! We’ll have to ask your Daddy! You love your brother the MOST. Once you told me that you loved him more than you loved me and Daddy. It made me sad but so happy at the same time! He’s your very best friend. Daddy and I adore you and can’t believe how stinkin’ cute you are.

You both love going to church. You’re learning so much about the Bible and about doing the right thing. You both come out every Sunday talking about the stories from the Bible that they teach you in your class. Your Bible stories and books are your most favorite books at home. It is a dream come true for me since I grew up Athiest and struggled to find faith as an adult. I hope and pray that you know God and feel His grace all your lives, and never feel that hole in your heart that I did for all those years.

I want to slow you both down so badly. You are growing up right before my eyes and it’s happening too fast! I cherish everyday with you and thank God that I am able to be a stay at home mom to you.

God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!

I love you,
Mama

Click play for a short video of our ride on the Ferris Wheel in DCA. We recently went to Disney to use our “Give a Day, Get a Day” vouchers. It was a magical time! The kids are both at such great ages! Isaiah was really in to pin trading and they both were so enthralled with all the characters. Lil was simply star struck when she saw Minnie Mouse! Isaiah still loves Pluto and Mickey. They loved getting the character’s autographs! We went to Goofy’s kitchen for a character breakfast and it was so much fun! The characters come right up to your table to say hi, give autographs and take pictures! Isaiah lost his first tooth there while chewing on a gummy worm. He was so proud of his new smile! The first night there we stayed to watch Fantasmic. It had been years since I’ve seen it and I forgot how magnificent it is! Isaiah couldn’t believe his eyes! He kept asking, “Is this real or is this my imagination?” Lil got scared a few times, but was so happy to see the princesses and Tinkerbell! She loves Ariel the most! The next night we saw World of Color. I didn’t think it could compare to Fantasmic but I was wrong. It was so amazing. The show took my breath away and I actually teared up a few times! We can’t wait to go back!

Our baby girl turned 3 at the end of June. She requested a Princess Peach (from Super Mario Bros) party. We had to make all the decorations and party hats so it was a lot of work!  Dave and I stayed up late at night drawing, painting and cutting out decorations. Lots of work, but lots of fun! Lily kisses her Princess Peach poster that now hangs on her door- she just loves her!  We had a very small party- family and a few friends. We played pin the crown on princess peach, smash the yoshi egg, and had a yoshi egg hunt in the yard. Everyone had a great time with the “mario mustaches”.  The amazing cake was made by Grandma, and it was of wedding size proportion! Lucky girl. I loved making her mushroom dress! We are so blessed to celebrate another wonderful year of Lil’s life!
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Our big boy graduated from Pre-K at El Camino Preschool on Friday! Yes, I cried… several times. I can’t believe Isaiah is going to kindergarten. He looked so big in his cap and gown. We will surely miss his wonderful teacher Ms. Debbie and all his friends. We will miss this amazing school with the best teachers, a great director (Ms. Heike Burton), and plenty of room to roam. Ms. Debbie has the patience of a saint and has such a special way with kids. They adore her and look up to her. She never needs to raise her voice. She’s calm cool and collected at all times, yet, she gets down and silly with them! She has a love for children, learning, and art that is so inspiring. Isaiah spent his days here learning, imagining and making friends… catching bugs, watching caterpillars turn into butterflies, being a super hero, astronaut, dinosaur, listening to stories, singing, dancing, climbing trees, scraping knees, and dreaming up adventures. He came home with an armful of crafts, holes in the knees of his jeans and plenty of dirt in his shoes every day. That’s what I call fun! It took at least 10 minutes to leave when it was pick up time because Isaiah always wanted to get every last second of being there… playing on the play structures, the boat, the playhouses, the kitchen, the stages, the telephone booth, the cars and tricyles on the road… this school has endless avenues for kids to role play. He would climb the tree outside almost every time while his sister would pick flowers in the field out front. He couldn’t wait to go to school each day! Thank you El Camino Preschool for a priceless experience that we will never forget!
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Wow, have I neglected you. But it’s not just you, I’ve neglected Facebook and pretty much all things internet. It’s been crazy you see… I keep saying when I get a chance, when things slow down…I’ll post birthday pictures, or pictures from Sedona, etc, etc. That never really happened because things haven’t SLOWED DOWN! So yes, I’ve posted pictures in this post, but I’m going to make my readers (or my one reader- you know who you are), read my rant before we get to them. We’ve been so busy doing karate, gymnastics, mommy and me, preschool, playdates, birthday parties and laundry.  We are living a blessed life! So I’m not complaining. Well, okay sometimes I’m complaining but not now. And now, here we are. Summer is FAST approaching. My first baby is about to graduate preschool and will be a KINDERGARTENER. My second baby is going to start preschool this fall!

My babies aren’t babies anymore. Diapers and sippy cups feel like they are a lifetime ago. They are kids. And they are the best kids. EVER. The best thing about these two is that they are truly the best of friends. They play from sun-up to sun-down with the most electrified imaginations! They make up scenarios and pretend they are everything from babies to animals to monsters to robots. They miss each other when they are not together. Lilianna can’t wait to pick Bubba up from school and Isaiah can’t wait until it’s time for Lily to get up from her nap.

Isaiah is a yellow belt in karate and has learned so much! He is working on pinans now and it’s so cool! He got a HUGE dragon patch from earning his yellow belt and is very proud of it! He says he wants to go all the way and try and earn his black belt one day.

Lilianna just started taking gymnastics and is quite good at it! She loves jumping on the trampoline most! Her balance has improved immensely from when she started just a few weeks ago. She can climb up and down the rock wall all by herself! Mommy and me is over and she asks me almost EVERYDAY when I will find a new school for her to attend!  These kids sure love school! She will be attending Kruger House in the Fall and Isaiah will be attending Coastal Academy.

In addition to gymnastics for Lily and karate for Isaiah, the kids will be taking swimming lessons this summer, and so will Mommy! No far travels for us this summer, but we will be staying at the Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort again, so we’ll be swimming, fishing, riding bikes, and roasting marshmallows on the beach. Hopefully this summer, we’ll get some camping in there and maybe some water parks here and there. 

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I leave you with some pictures I meant to post throughout the year and even some from last year. They are in NO particular order!!! Make sure your kids see the zebra pic and remind them to always brush their teeth. Some are from our Sedona/Arizona trip from November -Grand Canyon, Out of Africa Wild Animal Park – coolest wild animal park EVER (we got to feed all kinds of animals, hold ostrich eggs and witness feeding time for the carnivores- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), Rainbow Trout fishing farm where Isaiah and Lily caught HUGE FISH and ate them up (after we cooked them of course), and Scottsdale Railroad park. A handful are from Easter..A few of Isaiah’s creepy crawly birthday party.. A group shot of the Flower Fields in Carlsbad… A few are just some random shots I took at home. And there you have it. A hodgpodge of what’s been going on.

Happy almost summer everyone! Hopefully we’ll be able to see all our loved ones this summer. Come and visit us at the beach! This is your open invitation. 

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Isaiah has been in karate for a few months now and he’s just loving it! It is a WONDERFUL “sport” that takes discipline and lots of hard work!

He goes to United Studios of Self Defense (USSD) in Oceanside. What an amazing Dojo! Master Terrell is a 5th degree black belt and has been studying karate for 25 years! All the senseis at USSD are passionate about karate and really love the kids! The lessons they teach are not simply about self defense, or kicking and punching. They teach the importance of self control, discipline, perserverence and character. Not only that, the kids have SO much fun! Isaiah takes private lessons once a week and group classes a few times a week.

Isaiah is one of the youngest kids in class and he’s doing very well. We’re so proud of our little guy for earning his yellow belt on Saturday! KIAI!

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I sure miss him. It’s crazy to think he was with me for 16 years. I remember that first day I saw them. Two tiny puppies that didn’t look like daschunds at all, until they started to grow longer and longer. Mayer was a sweet little puppy with the most wrinkly worried face… he was a very loving dog. He made me smile every day and gave me something to look forward to when times were rough. He knew me when I was a kid myself until I got married and had kids of my own. He lived everywhere with me, moved from county to county with me and LOVED me every day of my life. He never got mad at me and was always happy to see me. He was the leader of the pack, full of kisses, always chasing weasels, digging holes and squeezing through places he shouldn’t have been. My mischievous little dog was always getting dirty, most of the time he looked dusty brown instead of black. But after a bath, he was black as night (until he got older and had with a distinguished touch of gray)! He loved all people and kids and liked to show affection and cuddle up. He was very curious and could often be found standing on his hind legs to investigate or beg for food. He was our champion racer who placed fourth in the 2003 Weinernationals and got him and his brother a picture in the paper (twice). His ears would flop in the wind when he ran like he could actually take flight. He was my little shivery boy, shaking when he got scared and excited. I always knew when he was guilty because of the look on his face. He wore his emotions on his paw, and was just such a loving little guy. His tongue was always flapping, ready to lick! He was the most loyal dog with an amazing memory; once he loved you, he remembered you even if he hadn’t seen you in years. He was short in height, long in length and big in heart. He loved his brother Oscar most of all. I will miss him every day and so will Oscar. Rest in peace little buddy. Thank you for 16 wonderful years. You made my world brighter by just being in it. We’re taking good care of your brother, until the day he comes to be with you again. We love you.

May the joys of the season be with you now and through the coming year!
Happy Birthday Jesus!

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We had a very busy and very fun October! Here is a gallery of pictures from the Harvest Party, our annual trip to Bates Nut Farm and carving pumpkins.  I was a peacock (if you can’t tell) but I didn’t wear the costume long because Lily said I was scary! Daddy was Nemo and he was quite popular with all the little kids who ran after him yelling, “NEMO!”. Isaiah was a great white shark! I actually got his “costume” this summer- it was a beach towel. Lily was a ladybug AND a fairy princess. Bates Nut farm was pretty deserted by the time we went. We didn’t have a chance to go until Halloween day! The pony rides and petting zoo was cleared out and there were very little pumpkins left! That’s what we get for waiting until the last minute! We still had a great time picking out our pumpkins, having a picnic and trying out the giant slide!

Today was pajama dress up day at Isaiah’s school (in lieu of costumes) so we went to school to take some pictures. A sweet little girl named Julia was extremely affectionate with Isaiah; and Lily kept shaking her head at her. Every time Julia gave Isaiah a hug, Lily would go up to her and say, “That’s MY budder.” So cute, Isaiah is her very best friend and she was sad the whole way home, saying quietly to herself, “that’s my budder…”

More pictures of Halloween 2009 to come.

Isaiah’s pajama parade Isaiah and Lily are the two skeletons on the left (Lily’s mask is backwards).