Since I wrote the last post which apparently didn’t post..

— Elle started 2nd grade and Callum stays at daycare for preschool. This was our smoothest transition yet! It helps that the kids stay in the same sleep/wake cycle all year being full-time daycare kids. They enjoyed having some time together this summer because about 1/2 of Elle’s daily field trips included Callum’s class.

— we no longer have a thumb sucker! It has been YEARS of short trials off/on until about one month ago when I impulsively painted the most foul/bitter solution on their thumb. We had tried it before and this kid gagged repeatedly when they tried it. This time, I fibbed and said it lasted 2 days (it’s really only 12 hours but I didn’t want to chance them realizing it had worn off at the end of the day before I repainted) and then we covered the thumb in bandaids so there were no half-awake mistakes. We are now more than a month out and no longer need any bandaids! I think we finally did it!

— this weekend was the first family wedding in years, and therefore, the only that Callum remembers. Elle scrolled through dresses online and picked a pink, ruffled option with a slit. It was the slit she was excited for. We bought new strappy high heels too. The day before the wedding, she was brave enough to let me pierce her ears! We went up to my office Saturday afternoon and rewarded her with a Starbucks Frappachino (she thinks Starbucks is super cool because all of the older kids/daycare staff/teachers talk about it but I’m not sure she’s ever finished any of the drinks we’ve ordered!) She was super excited to surprise our family at the wedding! The kids were really interested in all of the details of the day and especially loved the dance floor!

— we ended the summer swim season with 2 kids that go underwater. Callum will even do the water slide without a catch at the end (wearing a life vest). Elle was totally not impressed at her physican-mom choosing life green for their vests!

— their favorite toys this summer are the Bronco “Jeep” to ride in the backyard and building with Duplo blocks. They work together to build large buildings, often hospitals, and the protect their buildings as long as they can from Mom (sometimes they live assembled for weeks before I break them down). Elle will tinker with her creations every night if she has time.

I’m hoping to get back to this on a regular basis but it hasn’t been easy the last few months. We’ve been working hard to only include the “best” activities/demands in our schedules but it still feels like we could use an extra hour or two each day. Our next big adventure is a cruise to Alaska in a few weeks so the kids were starting to pack tonight and selecting which rubber ducks they are bringing to hide!

xo,

Krista

Boy... 2025 has not been my blogging year! I haven't intentionally neglected this awesome way to journal about this stage of life (and awesome way to give you all a glimpse into it!) but it's getting trickier to find the minutes to document each week.

Since we last chatted..

-- T had a work trip to Orlando that the kids and I tagged along for. We went a day early, used a "free night" hotel certificate to stay at the Conrad in Orlando which sits on the Evermore Lagoon - what a cool place! The Lagoon is acres of clear water with sandy beaches with activities, hammocks, and food stands scattered around. The kids LOVED the sandy beach but we also split our time with their pool. We had a fantastic meal to celebrate their birthday at one of their onsite restaurants and the following morning I had a facial at the spa for "Mother's Day". After the spa, we headed over to Sea World and had a blast. The kids loved the rides and the shows equally. It was HOT but we found shade and brought a double stroller with cold water. Callum's day was ruined when we ended the night with the Orca show. He picked out seats.. the last row of the soak zone halfway up the stadium.. but the show ended with one orca tail flopping to cause a tidal way to the far end of the stadium.. then the center.. and then at us! It was all giggles until we were soaked. Cal's tears weren't visible on his dripping wet clothes. T was the only one with a fast enough reaction to hold up the family back pack and dodge some of the cold water. Cal cried for a few minutes about the "big fish that got him wet!!" so we ran through the splash pad area at their Sesame Street section in our clothes to milk every last minute until park closing. We then hotel jumped over to the hotel with T's conference and the kids and I enjoyed plenty of pool time and a few other adventures. We spent one day at Legoland (we got right on/off our first rollercoaster 3 times in a row - so the rule all day was we rode everything 3 times!) and I had to pull the kids away from the minute world section kicking and screaming. We spent another day at the Crayola Experience which is an area at the mall where the kids get to name/make their own crayon, melt crayons into art, take pictures of themselves to turn into coloring sheets, and they had a decent indoor playground. We caught T for dinner most nights including Chickfila in the room after we were right behind a major accident on the busiest nearby highway that tripled our commute home. Elle was super bummed that we were "only on an airplane" on her actual birthday but we otherwise had a blast!

-- Elle finished first grade and is now back at the same daycare at Callum for the summer. Callum is potty trained as of 2 weeks ago - so he will move up to a new preschool class tomorrow and start joining her for some of the field trips. He's afraid he may "fall out of the bus" but he is otherwise okay with the change. There have been a lot of interesting conversations like "Mom, how do I know if it's just a toot or if it's poop with the toot?" I'm sure we had these same conversations with Elle but the memories have left my brain :)

-- this summer we have been to our local pool many times. Elle jumped off the diving board (with a life preserver) for the first time yesterday.. and then jumped another 10 or 15 times. We've been ordering burgers by the pool and grabbing ice cream bars after we showed in the locker room. Callum spends time everyday driving around our yard in his new ride-on vehicle. We upgrade the power from the Little Tike "Barbie Jeep" so it's faster and holds a decent charge. Sometimes the kids will ride in it together and take the back hill pretending their on a rollar coaster with hands up and "wheeees" to match.

-- T and I are both still steady with work. He is between youth summer camps so there are routine Zoom meetings and work has more catchup when he is in the office. We're adjusting to a new normal with Great Grandma at assisted living. Today is "Sundaes on Sunday" so we will be headed there shortly to spend some time with her. The kids are VERY comfortable running around the courtyard and exploring the fountain while the adults sit in the shade. Elle is invested in the hallway decorations and has strong opinions on how we should help her update her shelves for 4th of July.

I probably had a hundred more memories I could jot down but the minutes are short. I'll send with a quick photo dump of a few of these events and hope to get back into the weekly routine!

xo,

Krista

Sea World, Orlando

Evermore Lagoon, Orlando

Sea World Aquarium

Legoland, Orlando

How we themepark at this stage of life - off to ride a rollarcoaster!

The world's slowest but most enthusiastic eater!

Elle's birthday dessert request - Disney Springs after Bowling!

Building their Lego Set they picked out with birthday $$$

A glimpse of what our travel looks like <3

Father's Day Golfing

The kids have their own clubs now too!

Cal's typical photograph this summer

The famous "jeep"

Dance recital time!

End-of-year gymnastics show

A normal night in our neighborhood

 

Things I want to remember from the last few months…

— first, that I repeatedly chose to be present over keeping up with routines like this blog… but I know I’ll enjoy these memories in the future!

— the picture above, this winter season with way less illness than when they were toddlers but still moments like the photo when we’re “doing at church at home” because we are germy. The kids LOVED imitating the adults at pchurch and especially liked to be the ones conducting the music. Cal brought over a silver cup that has his birth stats engraved and pretended to sip from it throughout the lesson. Cal has also been especially sweet with prayers, in particular at mealtime which I think is modeled better at preschool than at home. “Please bless us to get healthy soon” was on repeat for a while.

— speaking of injuries, Cal is very quick to blame anyone but himself for any mistakes. He slid on the wood floor bailing from dinner and immediately exclaimed “why did you make this floor so slippery! I am NOT going to live here any longer! I want a new house!”  He also ran into our Blackstone and for the rest of the night yelled “why did you put the grill there?!!” He was embarrassed for his “friends” to see the bruise so he wore a huge, multicolor bandaid over it instead.

— Cal can be especially sweet too. He now consistently says “I love you too mama” when I gush over him. 

— Cal’s most recent character obsession is Spidey which is a new (tamer) Spiderman cartoon. He is often very concerned “I never want to get webbed up Mom!”. His favorite character is Spin and he now owns a costume T-shirt. He wore it multiple days in a row and “wants to wear it and show the real Spider-Man!”

— Elle still can laugh and spray food out of her mouth due to all 4 front teeth missing, but they are starting to grow in. She asks for her corn on the cob to be “stripped” and her dramatic expressions can be particularly funny with the missing teeth.

— Elle had a dance performance and loved wearing makeup and her costume. She is slowly overcoming some of her shyness and stage fright. She is really enjoying dance and gymnastics. She is also having a lot of fun at daycare and often gives us and eye roll and tells us to get Cal first so she has a few more minutes with her friends.

— Elle has been working hard at her spelling words and often masters them all by the test. She enjoys math the best and can be found writing a list of equations on scratch paper all over the house.

— Elle got to spend a few days of her spring break home alone with Gigi and Pap pap. She’s a great older sister but this was a real treat to get all of their attention. They golfed, ate at Pizza Ranch, played in the arcade, got ice cream and  kicked a soccer ball at the field house. Elle can’t stop talking about it.

xo,

Krista

 

Things I won't forget this week..

-- kids giggling and dashing around the house. Often with the 3yo wearing a neon headband around his forehead doing anything to keep up with his "sissy".

-- the excitement the kids had exploring the Devaney Center in Lincoln after Husker Wrestling, Cal was glued to the duel but neither kid liking the volume of the cheers. Also, how we buy all the same flavor Gatorade so no one is envious of another flavor.. but then Dad is quickly unsure which one is his and doesn't dare swap spit with the snotty kids so he's out of a drink.

-- Callum's little tear in his eye as he left his first big-kid Sunday school class. But he walked right in, sat in his chair during the music time, and was proud to tell Dad (who was visiting another area to help with training) how well he did!

-- Callum rationalizing that "it's not fair" that Daddy gets to buy a new car and trying to understand money. He was given 2 x $1 bills - so can he get "two things?" His little brain is often processing how things aren't "fair". Can't tell if having only 1 sibling makes this harder or easier? 

-- Elle working hard to learn her spelling words and being in awe as she reads from the Bible or bedtime books that are brand new to her. It's fun to watch her brain continue to expand!

-- buy 15 of the school fundraiser cards from Elle so we could make her dream come true of riding in the  limo. But don't worry - she's doing extra chores to help earn the prize.

xo,

Krista