Cheerleading!

Cheerleading sesson continues! In the last two weekends, we've competed in Richmond and Delaware. Not exactly right around the corner but too bad either! In Richmond, our girls took 3rd place - which increased our bid to Final Destinations (the US Nationals) so our cost for the trip will be less! And, the girls were totally excited, as it really was their best finish in really tough competition! They've been promised a pizza party and, I don't know about everyone else, but Sydney is counting the days until Ms. Gerry makes that happen!!! On Sunday, our girls took 1st in Delaware. Don't get too excited - we were the only people in the division! But, Sydney was thrilled as she got to go up with several other girls and get the trophy. She's waited all year to do this and it is BIG deal to her!

Many of you have asked about the "cheerleader hair" so I posted a photo of her in perm rod hair and a picture after. Yes, it takes me at least an hour to roll it! I'm getting quicker but you can only go so fast. And, yes, I have to roll it the night before, blow dry it super dry, and take it out just before we get to competition! And, yes, Sydney doesn't mind - well, not too much! I think some of the magic has worn off a bit. The sitting for an hour or more isn't exactly fun. Saturday competitions are the hardest because I have to roll her hair after Friday night practice so we're all exhausted by the it is over. But, she sleeps on it without a problem and likes the bouncy curls.

In curlers in the car on the way to Richmond!

After curlers at the competition!

Sydney posing at the Delaware competition.

I have yet to figure out how families manage to have several children in several activities. Most of the time, Kevin stays home with Kate and I take Syd to competition. Honestly, cheerleading competitions aren't that exciting for a 2 year old! But, we took her this weekend to Delaware, knowing it was a short competition so she wouldn't be there THAT long! She watches for a while but she can only last so long without wanting to run around, dance, chase her sister, have a snack, and generally cause trouble! She tries to be good; it just isn't easy! So, here she is not being the best spectator!

Katelyn not really enjoying cheerleading!

Yes, she still sucks her thumb. We're working on it!

I'll keep you posted as to how the rest of the season goes!

Happy Birthday, Sydney!

Sydney's 6th birthday has come and gone with all the excitement that birthdays usually involve at our house. We celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese this year - Sydney has always loved it there so we finally just caved in and had her party there! Honestly, we barely saw her the entire time. She just ran all over with her friends. But, she had a great time and that's what matters. Here are a few photos.

I still can't really believe that I have a 6 year old. I mean, can I seriously be that old??? Can she seriously be that old??? Where did the time go??? As I have said to many people, the days are so long sometimes. There are so many things to do that the I feel consumed by the list of tasks that must get done. Then, I realize that 6 years have gone by and can't even believe it. The days might be long but the years seem so short! So, if you'll all allow me to gush a bit about my girl, I'm going to tell you 6of things I love about my 6 year old.

1. She thinks of others! She considers other people's feelings, ask about other people, tries to take care of people. She's kind to people and always wants to do things to make others feel loved!

2. She's funny. She makes me laugh everyday with something she says, including calling her sister an "evil genius" today! Someone told me that she never laughed so much as she had since she'd had her children. Sydney and Katelyn bring such laughter into my life that I can't imagine what it was like before we had them! (Well, I do remember I slept more but I laughed less so I guess it balances out!)

3. She's creative. She's constantly making something, creating a project, dance move, show, something. While the mess makes me totally crazy, I love that she's likes to express herself in so many ways.

4. She's respectful of others! If there is anything Kevin is, it is respectful of other people. (I try but he's better!) When I see that in her, I know she's inherited one of his best qualities and that makes me happy and proud! Other adults notice that she's respectful of everyone - children and adults. She already knows that how you treat people matters and for that I am so grateful.

5. She does her best. There is no doubt she's smart. (For my teacher friends - she did great on DIBELS!) But, let's be honest here - she's no super star athlete. However, no matter what she does, she tries her very best. What more can a parent ask for?

6. She's a great big sister! Katelyn isn't exactly the easiest gal to get along with some days. (She's getting there but they don't call it the "terrible two's" for nothing!) And, even though I know Sydney feels like Katelyn wins sometimes by default because she's the baby, she always looks out for her. She celebrates her accomplishments (like going on the potty or riding her tricycle) as if they were her own. She is always willing to help her out, kiss her good night, make her a special surprise, whatever because she loves her little sister. Being an only child, I am totally amazed at that bond and I love Sydney loves Katelyn so much!

Well, I could truly go on and on but I'll stop gushing (and crying) right there! Happy 6th Birthday Sydney! I love you more every day!

Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve???

As I've already mentioned, our December was filled with sickness and Christmas Eve was no exception. When I got the email from Robyn on December 23rd saying she was having emergency dental surgery, it just seemed like it was time to surrender! So, I emailed Amy, we talked, and just decided it was better if we canceled the Christmas Eve celebration. We decided we would just celebrate together on New Year's Eve. Honestly, I can't imagine having gotten together on Christmas Eve - we just weren't in good shape. But, without our festivities, Christmas just wasn't Christmas. We've celebrated Christmas Eve together every year since 1989. One year we celebrated together a different day but it just wasn't the same so we went back to Christmas Eve. We started in 11th grade at Robyn's house. (Do you remember how icy it was one night coming out of Robyn's old house??? And it was crazy cold that year!) We started with us, our moms, and the younger sisters. We have added boyfriends who became our husbands (did they ever really have a choice about it?), and 6 girls between the three of us. When people ask me about my Christmas Eve plans, I absolutely love to tell them about our tradition and most can't believe I still keep in such close contact with my high school friends. I tell them that they aren't just my high school friends; they're family! Having no siblings and really very little family, I've always felt exceptionally blessed to have been able to create an extended family with such wonderful people! I hope they know how important they are in our lives!

So, our Christmas Eve celebrations were postponed until New Year's Eve. No making reindeer food like usual - we'll get back to doing that next year! This year, we made fondue instead! This has become a mini New Year's traditions - we make fondue and celebrate the new year at 8:00 pm. This year, we were a little late - I think we celebrated at about 8:30 pm but, since this was our Christmas Eve celebration, we had to exchange presents. In order to celebrate early, we set the clocks ahead so the older girls won't realize that it isn't midnight (At least they didn't until they got to the car and read the clock out there. Robyn - I told you she'd see it!) This year, it was far too cold to bang pots and pans outside. But, thanks to hats and noise makers, we had plenty of fun celebrating inside. While it wasn't Christmas Eve, it certainly was lots of fun!

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Eve and Day

So, we were at a bit of a loss on what to do on Christmas Eve. With our usual holiday plans canceled, Sydney having strep, and I managed to get the stomach virus, we weren't exactly in peak condition! We had thought we go to our favorite Japanese restaurant but even that seemed like too much effort! Instead, we made a trip to see the Lights on the Bay. It was beautiful and a perfect Christmas Eve trip. Katelyn was so excited to see the lights and Sydney always thinks it is a great event, since she gets to get out of her booster seat. When we finished, we were all hungry and there wasn't much open at 7 pm on Christmas Eve. So, we wound up eating dinner at Denny's. Not exactly a tradition we think we'll continue but Kevin and I both agreed that it we fun. And, it really isn't about where we ate as much as that we were together and that we had fun. The girls were a hit at Denny's!

We we got home, the girls quickly got their baths and put on their special Christmas pj's. Then, we set off to make our reindeer food. It consists of oatmeal, carrots, raisins, and colored sprinkles (so the reindeer can see it). Then, we sprinkled in on the lawn - thankfully, it was a warm evening! We went back inside to put out the cookies and milk for Santa. You'll notice Santa used Daddy's new Ravens glass that he received from a co-worker. We decided Santa could be a Ravens fan! Then, we hung our stockings, sang Christmas carols around the tree (that was Sydney's idea - does it get any more Norman Rockwell???), read our stories by the tree, and went off to bed so Santa could come. It took Sydney quite some time to fall asleep but she did drift off before Santa arrived.

On Christmas morning, the girls awoke to find Santa had delivered some wonderful things. You'll see in the picture that Sydney is playing with Pop and Swap Polly Pockets, which were definitely the thing she asked for most often. Katelyn got lots of fun things for her play kitchen and her baby dolls, which are her absolute favorite toys right now.

We visited with family on Christmas day. The picture below shows the girls and their cousins - Carter (our token male in the middle), Madison (top right) and Reagan (bottom right). The girls are always thrilled to spend the day with everyone. Being with family really is the best part of the day so we were thankful that everyone was well enough and had been on antibiotics long enough to be in the clear for the visit!

Christmas was wonderful this year. And, while we'd like to be healthier next year, we have so much to be grateful for that complaining about the minor stuff seems almost silly. Every Christmas reminds me how fortunate we are to have each other and that all I really want for Christmas is to be together again next year!

Merry Christmas to All!

Pre-Holiday Happenings (and Illnesses)

For those of you who have talked to me during the month of December, you already know that the girls have been excessively ill. For those of you who have, I'll fill you in! It began before we left for Disney World and continued until after Christmas. Let me see...Sydney had a brief bout with the stomach virus before we left. Both girls and Kevin coughed and sniffled their way through Disney. By the Thursday after our return, Katelyn had the stomach virus and bronchitis. Add to this that the pharmacy mislabeled her medication and Kevin accidentally gave her about 3xs the dose she should have received. She had blood work done that weekend, as she's always battled stomach issues and her doctor wants her to see a gastroenterologist. Then, she wound up with pink eye the following Tuesday. She saw her regular doctor on Tuesday and her opthamologist on Wednesday - began steroid drops that day. That afternoon, I dropped her off with Kevin's grandmother, went to a meeting at a school which is just around the corner from home, and before I could even start the meeting, Sydney's teacher was calling to tell me that she was complaining of a stomach ache and looked awful. So, after 36 hours of violent stomach pains, a trip to the doctor's, a trip to the lab for blood work, and a trip to the ER, we found out she also had a stomach virus that irritated her pre-existing stomach issues. Both girls labs came back with a few days - their antigleadin antibody levels were both abnormal so they will both see a gastroenterologist. They don't think it is serious - possibly an issue with digesting glutin but we'll have to see what the doctor says on Feb. 4th. Okay, after we got Sydney's stomach fixed, she started to complain her throat hurt. I just assumed she was getting a cold but then she ran a fever for 2 days. Back to the doctor's on Christmas Eve to find out she had strep! More antibiotics! Our Christmas Eve plans with Robyn and Amy (and company) were canceled due to illnesses but not even our illnesses! (Robyn had to have dental surgery on December 23rd.) Honestly, I was saw but relieved - we needed to just rest!!! And, just to finish off our illness story, Katelyn returned for her bronchitis follow-up only to find it back again. Another round of antibiotics! And, you won't even believe this, a different pharmacy mislabeled her medication with my name!!!

In spite of all this, we did actually manage to have some fun during the holiday season. Her are the photos of our gingerbread (or as Katelyn would say "binberhead") houses that we created at Aunt Robyn's house. This is a yearly tradition and honestly one of my favorite things to do, even though it is totally crazy! This year, Sydney created a castle and, of course, Molly helped her! Katelyn created her own house and, in keeping with Kate's style, it crashed down on itself. But, Aunt Robyn was able to fix it! When we took the houses home, I had to put them up on the countertop so Kate couldn't reach - she kept sneaking sprinkles off the plate below. Check out Sydney's super curly post-cheerleading hair! She just loves it!

We also baked cookies with Tutu. This is another yearly tradition but we had a change of location. This year, we baked cookies at our house instead of Tutu's since she's moved most of her things to her new home. We learned that, while Sydney still enjoys making cookies, she doesn't enjoy the decorating quite the way she did before. HOWEVER, Katelyn loves it! She would have thrown sprinkles everywhere!!! She will be ready to go next year when we make cookies in Myrtle Beach at Tutu's new house!!!

I know I'm late getting the holiday posts but they're coming. I don't just want to skip the holidays and, since there isn't anything going on for the next few weeks, I should be able to get caught up a bit. That is, if we can stay healthy!