Feliz Mommy Dad

Christmas was so much fun this year.  Holidays, traditions, and everything that goes along with them are so exciting when seen through the eyes of your children.

We started off Christmas Eve morning with our little celebration as a family of four.  Luckily, Santa knew we were heading out of town, so he stopped by a day early.



Santa brought a bicycle and a woolly mammoth for Buddy and a scooter and a puppy for Punky.





Derek and I kept it simple again this year.  One day these kids are going to realize that we aren't going overboard and we will change, but for now, they seem happy getting the gifts they do get.  Punky didn't even officially make a Wish List this year- the only thing she would ask for is "anything a girl would like."  Huh?  I remember having a list a mile long as a kid.

I saw a little saying on Pinterest:  One thing they want; one thing they need; one thing to wear; one thing to read.  By following that, it really made shopping easy and kept my impulse shopping under control.  We gave Buddy the Lion King 1 1/2 DVD, a hooded towel, a sweater, and Where the Wild Things Are.  For Punky, we chose the Despicable Me DVD, a hooded towel, a dress, and Madeline.



After our (2nd annual) tradition of homemade caramel rolls, we packed up and headed to Grandma Trudi and Grandpa Scott's for two days.  We had church that night, followed by dinner and gifts at Great Grandma Margene and Great Grandpa Menno's.  Punky and Buddy filled up on the relish tray and buns.  I wonder if they will ever taste lutefisk?







They crashed hard that night and woke up Christmas morning to celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie, Ryan and Baby L.  Sadly, the roads were terrible for Uncle Sean and Hilary, so we didn't get to see them at all.





I've never seen a baby actually open a present, or even care about anything more than the paper.  But boy did Baby L know what to do with those boxes!  He loved playing with the boxes and ripping the paper!



We had fun opening presents and we all got a lot of great things. Grandma took a work trip to China this fall and brought us all a gift.  The grandkids got silk pajamas. Adorbs.



It was a really nice day spent in our pajamas, relaxing, playing with new toys, watching movies and just being together.

Thankful

Finally a chance to blog about our Thanksgiving weekend.  This year we headed to South Dakota for 4 days.  We left after work on Wednesday and didn't arrive to Grandma and Grandpa's until 11pm.

On Thursday morning, Punky and Buddy helped Grandma get ready for (27) guests. It was a good meal and good company with family we hadn't seen in a few years.



That night we took a swim in the "hot pool".



The next day we helped Grandma decorate for Christmas. They both enjoyed taking the nativity scene out of boxes and looking at each piece. Of course, Buddy was obsessed with the sheep, ox and goats. He tried to convince Grandma that he would "be careful with dis ox at my house." Eventually, Grandma promised to buy him a new ox at the store. When we went the next day, Buddy changed his mind and chose a grizzly bear. Does Buddy think there was a grizzly bear in Jesus's manager?

Punky is so excited for Christmas this year. She's been so antsy to decorate our house now- I hope we can find the time for her soon!



It was a little cold to enjoy the outdoors, but the kids did spend some time outside trying to catch Grandma and Grandpa's new cats!  They now have five actual farm cats that like to be petted and played with (the other four run at the sight of anyone).  The kitties are so sweet.  In fact, as we pulled up to the house on Wednesday night, one kitty even jumped right into the truck to check us out!  Buddy has definitely fell in love with one of the kittens, "Little Guy".  He's been constantly pretending to be a cat for the last two days and will only answer to "Little Guy".



We were so thankful to get to spend the long weekend with Grandpa and Grandma.  We can't wait until Christmas!

Baptism

Punky and Buddy's baby cousin L was baptised this weekend.  Derek and I were godparents, along with another one of his aunt and uncles.  Earlier in the week, Punky decided to draw a picture as a gift.  I was very impressed with her drawing and told her she did a great job.  She pointed out the baptismal water, Auntie's red hair, and other details that went into the picture.  Then I asked her "What is the decoration on Auntie and Ryan's shirt supposed to be?"  Punky replied matter-of-factly, "That's their intestines."

Tiny Dancer

Punky had her last dance class tonight.  She had a lot of fun and did a pretty good job following along with the choreography.  There seemed to always be a comment coming from her mouth, but nothing too distracting.  The kids performed three routines for their families (ballet, jazz and tap).  We also got to see warm-ups, stretches and the freeze dance (Punky's favorite part).

Ballet

Jazz

Tap

Funny kids

No pictures or big news to report about Girl's weekend although it was a very fun and productive weekend.  Punky and Buddy did a good job of following Grandma and I around at our stores (with promises of toy stores if they were good.)  Here are some cute things the kids said this weekend that I want to remember...

Buddy (after barging in on Grandma in the bathroom):  Grandma, are you doing a poopy or a potty? ...  Do you want privacy?

Punky (while playing with a Magic 8 ball in the toy section):  Will I ever see a unicorn?

Buddy (at the toy store):  I don't like dump trucks,  I only like animals!

Buddy:  I think Daddy would like a tuba for Christmas.

Mish Mash

I have been a bad blogger lately.  It feels like we've been super busy the last few weeks, but for some reason there is not much to report.  I suppose with working late on Mondays, dance on Tuesdays, gymnastics on Wednesdays, and working every other Saturday our free time is a little limited.  I have a few small things I wanted to jot down before I forgot them though, so here it goes:

Way back when we used to play outside, Buddy created a new way to play with all of his animal figures.  He drew chalk "cages" on the driveway and made "Como Zoo".  He really gets into his animals and loves playing with them.  In the house, he sorts them by continent or area (Africa, forest, farm, dino world, bug world, etc.).  He will sometimes make Como Zoo or Noah's Ark or an animal parade.  Buddy knows so much about animals.  The other day he told me to pretend to be a gazelle and he would be a cheetah.  Then he said he would chase me and eat me.  How does he know that stuff?!?



Buddy has been coming in to our room for the past few weeks saying he was scared. At first, it was 5 or 6 in the morning. We would just let him snuggle in for the last few hours and it wasn't a problem. Lately, though, he's been bringing a blanket and pillow around 1 or 2 a.m. and expecting to stay the whole night. We've had to put the smack down. After a hug and some reassuring, we can get him to stay in his bed. He's been up twice a night for the last few days but we haven't let him in our bed. Hopefully he'll get the picture soon.

We are getting excited for Girl's Weekend this weekend and then Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am sure the next few weeks are going to fly by!

Halloween Prep

You never know what to expect on Halloween night with the weather in Minnesota.  Snowpants and a winter coat over your Halloween costume is unfortunately more common than not.  Luckily, we have lots of chances to celebrate and dress up besides trick-or-treating on the 31st.

First off, let's start with the costumes!  I figured this was most likely the last year that I would be able to (a) get the kids to wear coordinating costumes and (b) have any influence over what they dressed as.  So, I decided to dress the kids as a flamenco dancer and a matador.  I told Punky that she was a Spanish princess, and she was happy with that.  Her costume was found online.  We showed her a youtube video of flamenco dancing so she knew what we were talking about.  Buddy was happy being a bullfighter too.  I couldn't find a premade costume, so I had to make his.  I am really happy with how it turned out!  I found a girls velour bolero jacket at a consignment shop and cut the fur collar off.  I also bought matching velour pants there and gold trimmings at the craft store.  Some hot glue, a cape and some pink socks (for luck!) and the outfit was complete.  

One of our favorites is our annual trip to a local grocery store's Boo Blast.  The kids get reusable grocery bags as they enter the store (I suppose these are really for us moms, but after 4 years I have quite the stock pile already).  There are trick-or-treat stations throughout the store with typically healthier options like carrot sticks, milk cartons, etc.  This year the kids also joined in on a hula-hoop contest and danced the hokey pokey!  We waited in line for animals.  Punky chose a dog on a leash and Buddy requested a (black) cougar.  The balloon lady looked at me with a "that isn't on the idea board" look and I told her just to make a dog, he wouldn't know the difference.  Anyway, Buddy's cougar didn't even make it home, he popped it in the car.  

With Punky's Bffs Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue

We carved pumpkins tonight with the kids.  Last year I bought a pumpkin carving kit on clearance after Halloween and oh my gosh it really changed our carving experience.  It was so much easier!  I might even carve another pumpkin after the kids are in bed some time this week.  I want to try out one of those tricky patterns.  When I asked Buddy what kind of face he wanted his pumpkin to have, this is the reply I got:

Silly!

Scary?

Maybe a squishy face?

Here's what we ended up with!

Hearing Loss

This week Punky had an audiology appointment to try out her new hearing aid. When she got her first hearing aid at 13 months old, we were told that her (ballet pink) hearing aid would probably last about 3 years. As she grew, she would need a bigger, more powerful hearing aid. Also, technologies change so frequently that no doubt there would be new features available. Insurance covers (part of) the cost every three years too, so we had been anticipating purchasing the new hearing aid for her. Punky was most excited because she wanted to get a purple hearing aid!

Derek was able to join me at the appointment which I was so thankful for... because Buddy was his usual crazy self. After Buddy continuously asked the audiologist for his own hearing aid (red! giraffe spots!) and was denied, he wouldn't settle down. I ended up taking him in the hallway to check out the fish tank, while Derek stayed behind to watch Punky's hearing test.

Now that Punky is 4 and a half, the hearing tests are a little more reliable. Her hearing was last tested at a little over 3 years old. Even at 3, the hearing tests were often questionable as she got tired or bored with the audiologist's "games". (Is she not hearing that beep or is she simply being 3?) This appointment, however, she raised her hand confidently each time she heard the beep and was able to repeat back words the audiologist said to her.

I am a little bit thankful that Buddy needed to be taken out of the room, because it is no fun seeing your little baby fail at a simple hearing test. Watching her sitting all by herself in the sound proof room and not reacting to the beeps (when we can clearly hear them) is heartbreaking. Poor Derek felt the pain of that portion of the day.

At about 9 months old, we learned during a sedated ABR (Auditory Brain-Stem Response Test) that Punky's hearing in her left ear had mild to moderate hearing loss. Her right ear was normal. At 3 years old, her hearing loss was considered moderate to severe. At the time, we weren't sure if that was due to her being 3 and not cooperating with tests, or something else. Well, this week Punky's hearing loss had progressed even more and is now considered profound. Basically, if she was standing next to a lawn mower, she could not hear anything in her left ear.  This means that a hearing aid will no longer help Punky hear better.



Derek and I of course are feeling very sad about the whole thing.  Yes, she is lucky that her hearing in her right ear is normal.  Yes, she is a smart girl and can read already.  Yes, she has no speech or learning problems.  And even though we know that there are plenty of other people with hearing loss who are successful and have overcome their obstacles, it does not mean that we can not be sad for the challenges she will face.

Learning that her hearing loss has deteriorated has reopened the wound that we initially felt when we first found out about her hearing loss.  I feel like we are in a state of mourning again.  She's our little girl and we do not want her to have to feel any hurt or pain or troubles that may come with this.

Before this appointment, I felt we were in a good place.  We were comfortable with her hearing loss and had analyzed, discussed and cried over all the possible scenarios of problems she might face.  We were working to help her advocate for herself.  It took a long time, but I felt like I was at peace with Punky's hearing loss and the problems she would face.

Now that Punky will not be wearing a hearing aid, I feel like there are a whole new set of problems that I need to analyze and find solutions for.  The hearing aid was a sign or reminder to teachers, parents, other children that Punky does indeed hasve hearing loss and might need extra help.  Without it, will people know that she has a hearing problem and might need extra accommodations?  She looks, talks, and acts like any other kid but why can't she hear what I am saying?

I have heard terrible stories from others about teachers that didn't believe the child had hearing loss and thought the child was just not paying close enough attention in the classroom.  I imagine Punky as a tiny kindergartener walking through the crowded noisy cafeteria and a friend shouts out "Hey Punky, come sit by us!"  But she doesn't hear and walks in the other direction.  Will her friends think she is bratty and doesn't want to sit by them?  When in reality she just didn't hear.

Unfortunately, these are all problems that I worry Punky will have to face.  I hope we are able to give her the confidence and right tools to help her overcome any problems she has.  It will take time, but I know one day I will be at peace with her hearing loss once again.  But, today, I am sad for my little girl.    

  

Fall Farm

One of our favorite fall traditions is going to the "farm" with Grandma and Grandpa. The "farm" has tons of fun things to do outdoors with kids- a petting zoo, mini golf, giant slide, corn box, giant maze, train rides, bouncy houses, pumpkin patch, and more. The weather report was questionable that morning, but we decided to go ahead with our plans and risk the weather because we were unsure of when we would be able to reschedule.  It turned out to be a generally beautiful day with sun peaking through the clouds at times.  And because of the bad weather reports, the farm was not at all busy!  This is our third year in a row going and although not much has changed, the kids have a blast!



Of course, our first stop was the animal barn. In years past, the baby goats were roaming through the barn and the farm yard, but this year everyone was locked in their pens. We bought ice cream cones filled with corn to feed to the goats and alpacas.









There were also small pens with kitties, puppies, bunnies and even fawns that the kids could enter.  They like the bunnies best, I think.  The puppies were too wild, the kitties scratched and the fawns were sleepy.

We did a pony ride and tried to find our way through the corn (lattice fence) maze.



This year was our first time trying out mini golf with the kids.  They had a great time and didn't do too bad.  There were 9 holes, and after each hole, Buddy ran back to the start because he had to choose a new color ball.  I think by the end we probably had 3 or 4 extra balls and a few extra clubs.  Luckily, we were the only ones on the course!

Buddy had quite the interesting swing.  He couldn't decide if he was left handed or right handed and which hand to put on top.  We couldn't tell if he was trying to golf, shoot pool, or play hockey!  His "swing" was all over the place (and everyone had to BACK UP!).

The highlight of the farm was the birdhouse. We purchased popsicle sticks dipped in bird seed for the birds to eat. At first, we were all a bit freaked out by the birds. Buddy wouldn't hold his stick and had to have Grandpa help him. Punky was fine as long as the birds didn't land on her hands or arms. Grandma and I squeeled when birds flew on our backs and in our hair- yikes! After awhile, we all got used to the friendly birds though and were amazed at their beautiful colors!









We took a few trips down the giant slide before Grandma and Grandpa had to leave. Then the kids checked out their favorite water pump/rubber ducky game. We headed indoors and jumped in the bouncy houses before going home.





It was a fun day at the farm spent with Grandma and Grandpa! Hopefully next year, baby cousin L will be able to join us!

Orchard

Fall is my favorite time of year and always goes so quickly.  Our social calendar is booking up quickly and before we know it it'll be too cold to be outside.  I had to work on Saturday and lucky for me the weather was kind of rainy anyway, so we made plans to go to the apple orchard on Sunday.  I wanted to go right away after lunch so that we would miss the crowds of people that would show up after the Vikings game.  Luckily, Derek sacrificed watching the (only?) game that Vikings actually one.  Unfortunately, everyone must've convinced their husbands to skip the game because the orchard was packed!

I always love taking photos at this orchard because there are so many cute vignettes set up around the grounds.  This year, however, I told myself that I was going to get one good photo and be done.  There was no need to wear the kids out with me taking pictures, there is plenty to do at the orchard!



This year we let the kids pick two activities to try.  They chose the pony ride and the jumping pillow.  They loved the pony rides.  Punky saddled right up into the horse like she was a pro, even knowing to put her left foot in the stirrup so she could swing her other foot over the horse and get on the saddle.  Buddy was sliding around on his saddle and was leaning pretty far to one side when he came around the bend.  He was holding on tight though!

Buddy and Chip

Punky and Dusty

The jumping pillow was basically a bounce house without sides.  They had a lot of fun jumping and being tossed around.  Buddy took quite a few nose dives on the mat but didn't care at all.  We could tell Punky was getting pretty tired (and thirsty) because she was crying and complaining that bigger kids were jumping near her and she was falling down.  Isn't falling down the fun part?

We ended up spending almost three hours at the orchard- checking out the animals, playing in the hay bales and other structures, and buying our apples.  Maybe one of these years we'll actually have time to pick our own apples!

Activities

We registered the kids for a couple of community ed classes again this fall.  Punky had taken the gymnastics class twice before, so we signed her up for Ballet, Tap and Jazz class.  And, well, because there aren't many options for the 2 and 3 year old set, Buddy is in gymnastics again.

Punky's BFFs had mentioned that they were going to try dance, so we decided to join them.  This park and rec class is a great way to find out if she really likes dance and wants to take classes at a real studio.  (I am not too keen on spending hundreds of dollars on costumes, wearing makeup, spending entire weekends at recitals for a 4 year old, etc.)  Tap shoes were required, but I was able to find a hardly used pair for $8 at Once Upon a Child.  We did "splurge" and buy a new leotard, tights, and ballet slippers.  Because it is cute.  Punky was very excited for dance to start, especially knowing that her BFFs were in the class with her.



The first class went well.  During the ballet portion, they learned the first two positions and a few other skills.  Buddy was a wild man that night and had to be taken out of the room multiple times, so I missed seeing the tap portion.  Parents aren't allowed to view any more of the classes, but I am hopeful that we'll get to see a bit of the last one.

Buddy is still too young to be in a separated class, so his gymnastics class is with parents again.  We were surprised that he was the only boy this time around.  I don't think he noticed at all.  He was one of the older kids and had taken the class before, and you could really see that he had improved a lot in strength and coordination.  Listening, and not running around like a crazy man, well, we're still working on that!

We'd like the kids to take swimming lessons this spring and maybe sign up Buddy for karate in a year. But, these two classes are on two different nights and it is exhausting keeping up with these activities. I am sure I'll look back on this post in a few years and laugh!

ABC

Finally! Punky's first day of preschool was this morning! For the past few weeks, I have been seeing friends and family post their first day of school pictures. We've been itching to get back into a routine and now that the weather seems to have changed, we are all so glad the day is finally here!

Punky was very excited to be heading back to school. I am sure it had something to do with the fact that I had signed her up to be special helper on the first day. This morning, she had no worries about missing friends that moved to kindergarten last year or that her favorite teacher is now doing the MWF class. She was ready to go! On the car ride to school, she told me "I think I'll be best friends with a girl this year". We'll see what the year brings!



It is hard to believe that next year at this time, we'll be sending Punky off on a yellow school bus to her first day of kindergarten!

New Auntie

This weekend Uncle Sean got married and the kids got a new Auntie named Hilary! Hilary has been a part of our family since Punky was a baby, so we were all very excited they made it official!

We headed to SD on Thursday morning and made it in time to take Buddy out to eat at the restaurant of his choosing. For his birthday, he wanted to go to the "Buffalo restaurant" (Buffalo Wild Wings). He's only been a few times before but he loved the corn dogs. This time he ordered mac and cheese.

After lunch, Daddy picked up his tuxedo and we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the night. We tried to play outside, but it rained just as we were heading out. We did get to see an amazing rainbow stretching the whole length of the horizon though. It was still pretty hazy, so I didn't get a great photo. But it was the first real rainbow Punky has seen, and she loved it!



On Friday morning, Grandma and I visited my Grandma in the nursing home before we headed to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. That day was Buddy's actual birthday, and Uncle Sean and Hilary surprised Buddy by singing "Happy Birthday" to him at the rehearsal dinner. He was trying to hide the smile on his face, but he didn't get shy and I think secretly loved the attention. They also gave him a present which definitely helped pass the time that weekend!

Daddy was the best man in the wedding and was pretty busy throughout the day. The ceremony was short and sweet, but was still so hard for Buddy to sit through. I guess always attending the nursery at church has it's down side. After Sean and Hilary exchanged rings, Buddy shouted out "All done!". Luckily, only a few people around us were snickering.

No More Photos, Mom!

Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Max were able to help us out quite a bit that day. They drove the kids to the reception, so that I was able to join the wedding party in the limo. After the reception, Grandma and Grandpa drove the kids back to their house and delivered them back to us the next morning. Therefore, we had a lot of fun and a lot of drinks!

Cousins

Great Grandma, Great Grandpa and all 4 of their Great Grandchildren

Of course, Punky and Buddy were most excited that day for the wedding reception and the dance. The chicken dance was high on their list, but they really both had so much fun running around and dancing with all the kids. One of the bridesmaids told me that she heard Punky go right up to a boy and ask him to dance. The little guy said NO and ran away. Well, I guess that didn't stop Punky, because we saw her hand in hand with another little boy. Buddy was not sure what to think of it. He came up to me with a concerned look on his face and said, "A boy is dancing wif my sister." He followed them around and made sure they were behaving! Oh what a good brother Buddy is going to be!

Chicken Dance

I love Buddy's smile- he is so glad that other boy is away from his sister!

It was a beautiful day and we all had so much fun. Welcome to the family Auntie Hilary!