Celebration

Today, I celebrate you. I celebrate not only your first day in the first grade, but I want to celebrate where you've come from. How far you've come...it's truly amazing. You make me proud. I look at you and can't believe that your this big already. I celebrate your accomplishments.
Kylee 1 day old...

Kylee 1 week old...

Kylee 1 year old...

Kylee 2 years old....

Kylee 3 years old...

Kylee 4 years old...

Kylee 5 years old....

Kylee 6 years old...1st day of 1st grade...

I love you Bubaloo....

Thinking about miracles...

Today, I was leaving my house in my car when I passed my neighbor Francine driving past in her car...and we waved. This normally wouldn't have been any great shocker to me, except it was the first time I had seen her drive since she woke up. She suffered a major stroke NY eve after she went to sleep. She was discovered the next day when she hadn't woken up and it was 9am. Francine is originally from France...the injury was so severe, they had to transfer to the only hospital in the area that could handle a head injury like that and advised her husband to "call relatives from France in case they wanted to be here before it was too late". They said IF she ever woke up, she would most likely be a vegetable. She developed fevers and infections and set backs. She did wake, though. When she woke, and finally did talk, she only spoke French (ironically, the specialist she had had that saved her life was also French). She came home and had slurring, frozen shoulder, we cheered for her when she managed to slowly make her way up the stairs, we watched her struggle for the words in English to holding a conversation with hardly any problems...and today, i saw her drive...on her own...just 8 months after suffering an almost life-ending injury.
I also follow another blog called nienie dialogues. Stephanie Nielsen was in a plane crash 1 year ago that left her with burns over 80% of her body...and in a medically induced coma for 4 months. She was able to go home at Christmas but has endured so much painful therapy and trying to relate to her "old" self in her "new" body. She has down days...but she is so positive. The fact that she lived is a miracle...but she isn't just surviving...she is LIVING...and doing it better than some of us ever will....

So my thoughts on miracles is this...they do happen. Not all the time, but they do happen. I feel privalaged that just in since January, I have been able to witness two of those miracles.

Clearly because its just too good not to blog...

Kylee had a playdate with a couple of friends today. So, the moms and I were sitting around talking about the upcoming school year and school supplies for the girls (an astronomical list that I'm not sure where they get from...but that's another blog!)

Anways, we were talking about the backpacks we had gotten when one of the girls, Kerri, said her husband had ordered the backpack and they hadn't gotten it, though (wondering if it had wheels because apparently they weren't allowed to have wheels...which Kylee's does...but we're using it anyways!) Anywho, it was all mixed in with the usual mom stuff...and talk about how our husbands like the house (or don't like the house) and cooking...just general stuff.

Hour and a half passes after they leave...and my phone rings...

Kerri: "guess what"
Me; "what"
Kerri: "we got the backpack delivered today that he ordered...I don't know what he was thinking"
Me: Why?"
Kerri: "He ordered a black packpack with her name in grey lettering...what was he thinking...really? For a girl"
Me: "well, clearly it must have been on sale"
Kerri: "I don't understand...black for a girl"
Me: "he's a guy...he probably went with what he thought was cool...and got it"
Kerri: "We have a ton of black backpacks here...if I knew he was going to do that, I would have taken one we already have and stitched her name on it"
Me: "Well, that's it then...he was looking for one that matched the ones you have...that's hers...with her name on it"
Kerri: "what is she supposed to do with a black backpack...it will get mixed in with all the boys"
Me:"Maybe that's a good thing...she can find hers...only girl's with the boys that are black...CLEARLY it was on sale. "
(meanwhile in the back, you can hear Juliet saying she didn't want a black backpack. )

Me: " Did you ask him about it?"
Kerri: "no...he's not home yet"

two more mins go by...then she says he's home. She tells me to hold on and she would ask him...but Juliet beats her to it and says she doesn't want a black backpack.

Kerri: (to him) "Really? Black? What were you thinking?"
Me: "well, don't sugar coat your thoughts or anything"

(this is what I hear from my end)

Kerri: "What other colors did they have on sale?"
"So you mean they also had red...her second favorite color?"

In which his answer is: I think this one is cool.

That is why mom's do back to school shopping....

Checking

To see if posting from my cell phone works.

The family vacation

So, my mom pointed out that I haven't updated my blog in awhile. I really had great intentions, but by the time I can sit down and type...I'm too tired to type! So, I have been trying to remember all the little things I need to type on here...so I'm sure I have forgotten most of them! LOL

So, we just came back from Lido Beach with the kids. For those (like myself) that are geographically challenged, that is right at Sarasota. It's one of my favorite vacations that we do every year. We stay at Lido Beach Resort. The kids love it because there is a pool and it's right on the beach. The hard part: Kade loves the beach...Kylee loves the pool! Oh the fighting that happens!

Kylee has gotten very good at swimming this year. I put her in swimming lessons for 2 weeks (20 mins a day) and the difference it made! She will swim under water now and doesn't freak out about her face getting wet. She was jumping off the side of the pool and could turn and go back to the wall. She would swim to me under the water with her face down. Kade...well, he liked the idea and I had to basically explain to him he would sink like an anchor. Swimming lessons for him coming soon! He's my little terror!
I hav realized that "relaxing, family vacation" is an oxymoron...especially when you have a 2 and 6 year old. I remember so many of my vacations growing up, though, and hope that something will stick with them..and they will remember these as fun.

**********conversations with the kids****************

Both kids are playing and loud...
Me: "Use your inside voices please"
Kade: "I don't have an inside voice"

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How you know your kids have been to hibachi one too many times....
At TGI Fridays...dh is taking the onions out of his burger and putting them on the side of the plate...

Kade: "Daddy...make a volcano!"

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Same TGI Fridays lunch.....Kylee gets sauce from her ribs on her dress...

Me: "don't worry about it bubba...we can put stuff on it when we get home"
Kylee: "thats right...we have oxyclean, huh mommy"
Me: "Yup"
Kylee: "With stain-fighting power"
Me "uh-huh"
Kylee: "not like those other chlorine bleaches that are only good on whites but not on darks, right mommy"?
Me: (thinking maybe she has watched too much television this summer...or she is vying for Billy Mays job) "um...right"

Car ride conversations...

Mommy (just picked Kade up from school) : I sure miss you when your not here.
Kade: "I'm here now"
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Daddy, mommy, Kylee and Kade on the way home from the mall...what do you do for 45 mins in the car? We decided to take turns singing.

First, Kade did the pledge of allegiance...
Kylee does the pledge of allegiance...
Kade does itsy bitsy spider...
Kylee does America the Beautiful...
Kade does ABC...
Kylee starts a song she says about fairies...mommy & daddy can't hear...

Mommy: "Kylee sing louder"
Kylee: Still singing inaudibly
Daddy: "Kylee sing louder"'
Kylee: "I'm trying to sing in my pretty voice!"
Mommy: but we can't hear....
Kylee: (sighing) Fine...but I'm not going to sing about fairies...I'm going to do a different one about...volcanoes"

*******5 mins go by with a song about volcanoes...she has to tell us when it's done.***

Mommy & Daddy" Good jo....(Kade breaks into Old McDonald)****

Kade: "Old Mc Donough had a farm, eieio...and on that farm he had a cat...eieio. With a meow meow here and meow meow here...everywhere everywhere old McDonaugh had a cat eieio"
(repeat with cow, dog and horse.)

Kylee..."now I'm going to sing a song about hurricanes"

My morning with Kade

Yesterday morning, Kade got up early...even for him. It was about 6:15 and we came downstairs and were hanging out...I had to run upstairs to get some extra pajamas. As I came back down, I hear "pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter....(pause).....Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter (in the opposited direction). As I round the corner, I see a string and a kite dragging on the floor.

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Kade playing with a long bead necklace hanging on the handle of the wine refrigerator...

"giddyup! Yee haw!!!!"

"mommy...I'm a cowboy!"

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He's getting big, isn't he?