Addie's 5 year old Stats

It's official- she's a pipsqueak, ultra-petite and just the cutest little peanut ever.

Granted, she had been sick for the weekend when we went to the Dr, but I don't think her results were too far off from normal- she's 1 active little girl! She swam like a fish this summer, and dropped all remaining baby pudge (if you could call it that), and now she dances all the time!

Weight- 32.8lbs (7th percentile)

Height- 39.25" (4th percentile)

We are very happy with her- she's just petite, which she will appreciate someday. But for now, it makes her angry if people call her that....

Ironically enough, Alden also stepped on the scales, because he wants to do everything Addie does- and get this- they weighed exactly, EXACTLY, the same amount!! Whomever in the family pool guessed that they would be the same by the time Addie was five, you are the winner!! He is also only 1" shorter! This explains why I get asked, every time we are out, at least once, "Are they twins?" I keep reminding Addie that she needs to be super nice to him since in the not-so-distant-future, he WILL be bigger than her!!

We love our little girl and are reminded that good things come in small packages!!

Drugs, Glorious Drugs!!

What a difference 24 hours and some good medication can make!

Flash back to Sunday night. Both kids had nasty, nasty colds- Alden oozing out his eyes and Addie's pouring out of her nose and down her throat. Both kids had super-super dry skin and Addie's had become a rather nasty rash on her hands. And the sore that Addie got from her glasses over 2 months ago, had still not healed. Lovely- just lovely!

By the time I got them from school on Monday, Addie was crying (ok, screaming) that her ear hurt, her hands had cracked and were bleeding, her nose sores were raging and Alden's eyes were a goopy mess.

Now before you nominate me for the Worst Mother Award, I will say in my defense that I had spoken with the nurse several times about these various ailments and she had encouraged me to try some home-remedies and to see if I could hold out until Monday when Addie had her 5 year check-up scheduled.

On Monday, I arrived at the Pediatrician with a list- I had actually written down all their ailments and gave it to the nurse when she wanted to know how they were doing. Turns out nurses and doctors like lists!

The prognosisi (is that prognosis in the plural?) for Addie was a raging ear infection (1st one she's had since 11 months old when she got tubes!), a skin infection on her nose and a severe case of inflamed eczema on her hands. Alden- his cold had settled in his eyes and had caused an infection there. In a nutshell, my kids were walking nasty-ness and we left the Ped with 4 prescriptions.

Flash forward to Tuesday afternoon- 24 hours after the kids had started their various meds- antibiotics for the ear infection, special creams for the nose and hands, and drops for the eyes- and my kids are back to their happy, perky, healthy selves! No more crying and ear pain, no more goopey eyes, no more cracked or rough skin!!

I am VERY thankful to live in an era where we have such wonderful, modern medicine! What a marvel that my super-sick kids can be healthy in such a short period of time! We will keep taking our meds so that these nasty germs don't come back!!

5 year Photo Session

Addie had her 5 year photo session today. It was crazy busy at the photo studio- we waited over an hour for our turn- she has a monster cold (I have a hunch it's actually a sinus infection) AND it was naptime- even with all that going against her she smiled SO prettily and did a great job- making MY job of choosing just 1 pose impossible.

I love this little girl!! Here she is in her matching outfit that her Nonnie and Poppy gave her for her birthday. Her little feet kicking out is what made me choose this one- it's so her personality!

And I couldn't pass this one up- her sweet smile together with her matching Rosie Kyla.

The Real Meaning of Christmas

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

In our house we like Santa. There is something special about how magical the jolly old man is and I won't lie, I like how he seems to get my kids to behave! But in our house, Al and I strive to keep Jesus the focus. After dinner, as a family, we read the Advent Bible readings. We put together, 1 day at a time, our Little People Nativity. We pray for our kids and talk all the time about how it's Jesus' birthday. Still, we wonder what, if anything, is sticking....

Well, the other day at Wal-Mart, I found out. The cashier asked the kids what they were looking forward to this Christmas and without missing a beat, they piped-up "It's Jesus birthday! We have Christmas 'cause Jesus was born! And that's why we give gifts- 'cause God gave us Jesus." It warmed my heart!! I love it when God lets you see a little of your child's heart growing!!

Gingerbread-a-Thon!

This weekend, we cranked out a bunch of yummy-ness involving gingerbread. The kids could not have been happier!!

First up- Gingerbread House! I found a great kit at our new favorite store 5 Below. The kids had a blast putting it together and then decorating it. They each had 1/2 to decorate- Each side was totally different and I love it!! Alden has been a bit heartbroken that it can't be eatten...

Next up- Gingerbread Men!! The kids helped me make the dough- that was crazy and thus, no pictures. While they napped, the dough cooled. Once they were up, we rolled out the dough, cut out some gingerbread men and then baked them. The kids were pretty convinced that the Gingerbread Men would jump off the pan and we would have to chase them.... Happily, that did not happen. After baths they got to choose their own "man" and tell me how they wanted it decorated. After that- they enjoyed eating them- and telling me that they (the men) were jumping around in their bellys!

He wanted his decorated like Daddy- hard to tell, but this one has short, spikey hair and glasses.

Cookies must have milk to wash them down!

And don't forget the silly faces!!

Hopefully this is only the beginning of the happy Christmas-Time memories!!

Santa- Bass Pro Style

The Bass Pro shop is right by Al's work. The kids love going there- they affectionately call it "The Dead Zoo." During the Christmas Season, they offer a free Santa and lots of fun activities for the kids. On Monday, after school, the kids and I met Al there and boy did we have fun!!

While waiting for Santa to arrive, the kids brushed up on their shooting skills.

Then they got down to business- writing and mailing letters to Santa. Addie asked for a toy Poodle and some gum. Alden asked for a shoot-gun.

Waiting in line they practiced their 4-wheeling skills. We thought that since it was Monday AND there was no free craft that night, that there really wouldn't be that many people there. We were wrong. By 5pm, when Santa arrived, people were being assigned 6pm to come and see him!

Taking turns driving the BIG 4-wheeler!!

Seeing Santa!! He was a great one- super sweet and he even asked them if they had been brushing their teeth and cleaning their rooms!!

We had a blast- and it will certainly be a tradition for our family!!

SNOW!!

The kids woke up to snow on the ground (it had started the night of Addie's birthday). They were thrilled to go out and play in the dusting before church!!

Ready to go!

LOVING IT!!

Running around like lunatics!!

Yes, you see the marks were she had licked the snow off- she thought it was hysterical!

With this much snow, this early, who knows how much more we will get... Now that I'm teaching, I'm hoping for a lot =-)