On the Night Before Kindergarten

On the night before Kindergarten, their "first day of school" clothes are laid out with anxious anticipation. Their bookbags are neatly packed with school supplies. They thought about what they want for breakfast and how they want to style their hair. They've finally agreed to let mom drop them off instead of ride the bus. Their 8th grade buddies have been met, and the only thing on their mind as they've laid down for bed is their first day of school tomorrow. 

As it turns out, that's also the only thing on my mind too.

When I think about how long we prayed for a child, for someone to watch go through all of life's little  moments, it brings me back to those dark days and trying times. The times when I thought that maybe we would never be parents. But then Brayden and Ashley arrived. 

And now here we are, Kindergarten. I don't know why Kindergarten seems like such a bigger step than preschool. Maybe it's the full day. Maybe it's being at a school with older kids. Maybe it's knowing that after this year they will be reading, writing, understanding math, and doing all the things. 

It's such a big step of independence. A step that Brady and Ashley seem so ready for, and one that I'm trying to tell myself I'm ready for too. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm SO excited to see what they learn and how much they grow. But I'm anxious about if they will fit in, if they will fall behind, if they will be good friends, or if someone will be a bad friend to them. 

I know that no matter what happens, everything will be exactly what God has planned to lead them on the path He has laid out for them. And while I'm still struggling to fully let them go and figure that out, I'm at peace knowing they are right where they are meant to be. 

Have the best first day of Kindergarten, we can't wait to see what you accomplish this year, and every year after that. Kindergarten, be nice to my babies 💕

Allison: One Year

Well, it happened. I blinked and our sweet little newborn baby is now officially a big ONE year old. Shockingly I haven't cried about it- yet anyway. It has been a pure joy to watch Allison grow this past year, and we can't wait to see where the years ahead take her!

Allison is doing all the things this month. She is clapping, waving "hi" and "bye", getting into everything, and is able to stand on her own for a few seconds before she realizes what she's doing and sits down. She will cruise along the edge of a couch or chair, and she will walk behind something that she can push. 

She is saying "mom", "num num", and "nigh, nigh" for "night, night". She can sign "all done". I thought maaaaaaaaybe I heard her say "dada" the other day when she saw Eric, but I haven't heard it again so I can't say for sure. She likes to smack her lips if she sees you eating or drinking and wants some. She loves to shake her head "no", and will imitate almost any sound that you make. Last night she started putting her arms up (and standing up on her own) when you asked "How big is Allie?". 

Her favorite food is still green beans. She will always eat those first if they are on her plate. But she's not super picky, and will scoop up handfuls of food to eat off of her highchair tray. She is also a fan of after daycare snacks, and prefers crackers or veggie straws. 

Allison absolutely loves sitting on the couch with you, and will crawl to follow you around the house as you get things done. And once she finds you, she'll either sit and put her arms up and whine, or will stand up right next to you or on your leg, look up at you, whine, and reach for you until you pick her up. 

She likes singing along to things, especially at church. She still loves chewing on anything and everything. She is not a fan of having to wait to be picked up. She also doesn't like getting strapped into her carseat. She doesn't seem to mind being in there once she's strapped in, but she's given me some resistance lately. 

Allison weighs about 22.6 pounds and is about 28.5 inches long (though she was less than cooperative for this measurement so it could be a little off). She is in size 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She still takes two naps a day, goes down for bed around 7:30, and sleeps through the night- seriously- how did we get so lucky with our kids and sleeping?

She has 6 teeth- 4 on top and 2 on bottom. Since she's been eating so much more, we dropped her bottles down from six ounces to five, so she's only taking 25 ounces of milk a day now. And I somehow still have milk in the freezer, so she'll be able to drink breastmilk for another few weeks before she's fully transitioned to cow's milk. 

Allison is a perfect fit for our family. As Ashley put it, "she's so darn cute". She's loveable, cuddly, and the sweetest girl. We love her dearly and are so excited to have a front row ride to what comes ahead for her. Happy first birthday Allie cat!

Fair Week 2025

The kids have always loved coming to the fair. I mean what beats petting all the animals, eating a fair corn dog, drinking a shake-up, and sweating your booty off? But in all honesty, it's always a fun time and a wonderful memory for our summer. This year we made even more sweet memories together at the fair!

Ashley decided this year that she wanted to do the little miss pageant. I had taken her to a princess tea party put on by the fair queens this spring and she told me how much fun it was. When I brought up that she could do something similar this summer at the fair she was all about it. 

She ended up rocking the stage the night of the pageant! I was so proud of how brave she was and how well she handled herself up there. 

When the asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said "a queen", which she told me is because it's even better than a princess. I've also heard her say she wants to be a firefighter, a police man, and a teacher- this girl has a bright future ahead of her. 

When she walked off the stage that night she told me how fun it was and that she wanted to do it again, so watch out for her on the stage next year too!

She was so excited to see some of her biggest fans in the stands, and felt the love of those who were cheering her on at home. 

A few days later we were back, but this time to enjoy all the other things we love about the fair- animals, food, and fun. Our first stop is always a walk through the animal barn where we like to find our favorite pigs, cows, and goats among the bunch.

This year we let the kids get armbands for the carnival and they had an absolute blast! I think we got our money's worth with the number of times they went on the swings, the cars, and through the jungle obstacle course. They tried the dragon rollercoaster one time, and I'll just say that that one time was enough for them ha!

We left the fair tired, sweaty, and full of memories to last us until next year!