One hundred...

Yes, it is Emily's score from last week's spelling test, but it also represents something else around our house these days... Ethan is on a "hundred" kick that Nick started with him a couple of days ago. Ethan will come up to you to give you a kiss, but then proceed to give you as many as he can with the biggest smile on his face. Usually he gets to about 30 and by then he and the kissee are both laughing too hard for any more. It is so cute and he loves to tackle us and catch us off guard! We love it!

Happy 7th Anniversary to Virgil and Barb!

(No, they're not "For Sale"... we'll keep them!)

Happy 1st Anniversary to Christian and Karla!

Happy Monday!
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Our Kid of Character...

There's a bit of a story to this one, and I think it's worth telling to get the "full circle" story... Earlier this year Em took a karate class offered through the after school academy. We thought it would be a great idea for her to learn some self defense skills and also to learn some of the discipline associated with karate. Although we weren't impressed with the class in a whole, there were some things that we liked about it. We really liked that the instructor opened and closed every class with the definitions of "discipline" and "respect". We believe that along with being kind, our children should have respect for others, and themselves, above all... without respect it seems that many other character traits aren't given the proper basis for development. Even as adults we, (all of us I'm sure, but this is a personal biggie for me) have relationships where we aren't given the respect that we deserve. When somebody has no respect for you, they believe that they can treat you in any way they see fit... we are trying to instill in our kids that we need to be loving to others, regardless of the way they treat us. We want Emily to know that even though others may not always respect us, we should show them the respect we would like to be given. None of us are perfect and we all disrespect others at some point, and unfortunately we will continue to do so. I, personally, had a difficult time with this one until I realized that the only person that was getting "hurt" by my actions was me, and that I could, if nothing else, control my own actions. I've heard The Serenity Prayer countless times, but one day it just clicked with me and it changed my heart, and it has been a huge blessing to me. Ok, ok... back to the story... fast forward to March, six months after Emily finishes karate... I'm going through Emily's backpack Monday and there is a folded paper that says "To the Parents of Emily Kahler". Now some parents may think "uh-oh", and I'll admit that I did for just a second, then realized that if it was "bad" news, it would have been in a sealed envelope marked confidential and that I probably would have gotten a phone call. Not to mention, Em isn't that kind of kid. I opened the paper to read that Emily is being honored at an assembly for the "Kid of Character" recognition and that the character trait for the month is... you guessed it, RESPECT! I know that we are all proud of our children, but I was especially proud of Em for this one. We know that Emily is kind and fair, even when we're not there to remind her, we don't worry about those traits in her. Now we know that even when nobody is watching, and when she isn't being prompted, that she shows respect to others. She knows that this is important, in any situation, to any person and we are so proud of her for this! I know to some people it's just a piece of paper that most kids get in school, everybody getting one so that it's fair and equal and all... that's truly not the case, and to us it is so much more. To us, it's evidence that even though it may not always seem like it, our kids really do get it. They really do want to be the best that they can be, and they want to give their best to others. Such a sweetheart we have, and we are so proud of her!

We're going to celebrate with Cold Stone (she got a certificate along with her award, and honestly, doesn't it sound so good!?), and we are also painting the garage tonight! If you're in the mood to paint, give us a call, we won't turn down the help!!!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Happy, Happy Friday!
A

Egg Drop Success...

Emily had a project for school... package an egg (not hard-boiled or plastic) in a way that she thought would protect it from the drop off of the roof of the school building. She was given the task of brainstorming for packing material and packaging the egg, and she did a great job! Emily decided to use cotton, pillow stuffing, Easter grass and an egg carton. Emily was also very intent on making a parachute to put on her package! She used enough packing tape that it took me about 5 minutes to open the package after it was dropped off of the roof!

The Egg Drop was at 10am yesterday and it was so much fun to watch! The principal was up on the roof and would hold up the package, call out the kids name and... drop! All drops were accompanied by "Ooh, aaah, wow... I hope it survived!" coming from the mouths of several first graders! After everybody's egg was dropped, the kids grabbed their packages and opened them to see if the egg "survived". I think all Moms were prepared for some tears, but the ones that had broken eggs typically exclaimed "Cool, it's everywhere".

Emily's egg, we are happy to report, survived the drop! She was so excited and did not want to throw the egg away. She even grabbed it out of the garbage after throwing it away when I wasn't looking! Finally, I told her to throw it in the garbage as hard as she could to see if it broke... that worked, of course!

She was so excited when Nick explained to her that she was doing her first science project! It was neat to see her experience every part of the process and to have a sense of accomplishment that her egg didn't break! Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Wednesday!
A

World Tour...

Emily was on Spring Break last week and she had a blast! She had, what Nick dubbed as the "Grandparent World Tour"... spending the night with almost every grandparent! She also had "playdates" and one of our friends was over for a night. I used to watch Alex as a little munchkin and Em adores her! They had so much fun and were making Easter cookies in the picture.

The other picture is a day at the park with friends Zack and Abbie. She had such an awesome time and I had to drag her out of their door at 9pm to come home. If we hadn't had such a busy day the next, I'm sure I never would have won the sleepover battle! It was the perfect week for her and we all had so much fun!

Nick and Em are now preparing an egg for the "Egg Drop" at school. They have it packaged and ready for the principal to drop off of the school roof. She's had so much fun packaging that I don't think she even cares if the egg "survives".

Happy Monday!
A

Happy Easter!

We hope that you have enjoyed your Easter, celebrating with family and friends!
We have had a wonderful weekend, celebrating and remembering our blessings. Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and a love greater than we can fathom.
I will post some pictures later. We left our flash card in the computer and took the camera with us... not the best way to capture precious memories! Thankfully our family was more prepared!

Happy Easter!
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Changes

If you know me well enough, you will agree that I like change in some things. Take my kitchen, for example. The walls in my kitchen have been 4 different colors since we moved in here three years ago. The blog design wasn't really working out for me, so I changed it. I'm sure it won't be the last time.

Emily seems to have inherited my interest in change...

Emily: "Mom, can we change my room?"
Me: "I would love to, just as soon as we find just what we want."
Emily: "Good (with a look on her face that some of you may know well... kind of closed mouth smile, half squinting one eye), because the butterflies are a little... (thinking)... boring."

So today, while '"little miss bored with her room" is spending time with Grandma Barb, Ethan and I have a mission... new shoes for him, a visit to the kiddie hair salon, and room decor that is not so "boring".

Have a great day! I hope you're wearing green!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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Welcome Spring

This is the first rose in our backyard this year. I was outside with the kids today and there it was greeting us-I couldn't help but take a picture. It's been a cold winter for us here in AZ. I know most people would love the winter weather that we have, and I would love cooler summers that allow us to enjoy the roses in our backyard from our patio, not our windows. It's just a difference in location... we chose here and "cold" or really, really hot, we're happy.

I'm happy that it's spring. I love this time of year almost as much as fall, and I love to have my windows open. There's something about the breeze blowing through the house and the smell of a great candle-currently fresh orange! It puts a little spring in my step and makes me feel a little more energized... seriously!

If your neighborhood isn't welcoming spring yet, enjoy our rose... yours are coming... probably when we're experiencing 100*... not too long from now!

As for life without pacifiers... it was no big deal to Ethan. He's a superstar, I didn't give him enough credit. The first night he cried for seven minutes (Nick timed him, I was off playing bunco!), and he's been absolutely fine since! He caught his first fish last night with Papa Dana at our neighborhood lake! He was very afraid and wanted nothing to do with a 15 inch catfish!

Em is on spring break next week. She's got grandparent sleepovers lined up and is going to have a blast! I can't believe that 3/4 of first grade is behind us... wow!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Thursday!

A

Bargaining with a two year old...

Most days something small reminds me that my little ones are growing up... a phrase that Em will say, Ethan not sitting in his booster chair at the table, Em reading chapter books, etc. Today is one of those days that screams "He's not a baby anymore" at me. Ethan did something very brave today (and I'd like to say that Nick and I were brave also... we may be in for some sleepless nights!). Ethan "traded" his pacifiers for a big boy Spiderman bike! He decided that it was time for a "trade" and we took him to the store with a baggie of pacifiers and he handed them over, willingly! We are so proud of him, and he is too!

Maybe this tactic will work for other things... think he'll trade diapers for Spiderman underwear that easily!?

Please pray for an easy transition to bedtime with no "night-nights". Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday!
A

So long six, hello seven!

I can't believe that Emily is seven years old today! Time flies, and anyone that is a parent knows exactly what I mean! I am so blessed to be Emily's mom! She brings joy and light to our lives!
We have had such a great day celebrating her!
Happy Birthday Little Miss Mae, love you! xo

Happy Sunday!
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