Author's Tea

Lariska's Author's Tea was this morning.  What a wonderful event it was.  Lari had the privilege of speaking at the microphone - and she was the first one to speak.  She did a terrific job!  The kids sang some adorable songs about Kindergarten and then there was a video presentation of the year.  It brought tears to my eyes to see how much Lariska has grown in this last year.  She is not that itty-bitty little Kindergartner any more.  She is an almost-first grader.  I don't know where her K5 year went, but it sure happened fast.  I am struggling with the idea that I only get to do this awesome Kindergartner thing two more times.  Sigh.

After the formal programming the kids went to their parent's table and read their books to us.  Lariska's was fantastic.  I am so proud of her.  And, one of her teachers even came up to me afterward to say, "We are amazed at how many words Lari wrote for her story.  She has great writing stamina!"  And, it was true.  I got to read some of her friends books and they would have one, maybe two sentences per page.  Lari had three to five on each page!  She really likes to write and had a good time penning all about Teagan's Cinderella Birthday Party.  So cute!

 Kyrie got to skip out of class and attend the tea as well.

Lari's Kindergarten Class 2011-2012

Being silly is, of course, the best part of Kindergarten!

Mrs. Graf, the assistant, Mrs. Ziegler and Mrs. Gajafsky (job-share), and future Mrs. Kons

Four Month Stats

Boy, do I have some catching up to do on this blog... But, since I don't have the drive to do that this evening, I just wanted to add Hugo's Four Month Stats before they are forgotten. We had his appt. today and my how this child has grown. Remember that scrawny little kid who was having trouble gaining weight? He is now in the 75th percentile for his weight and 85th-95th for his height. (Why don't they just say 90th??? I don't know.)

Weight: 16 lbs. 3 oz.
Height: 26-1/4 inches

And, his head circumference continues on in the 50th percentile. Dr. Grunske was very happy with what a "healthy" boy he is, although eczema is still plaguing this poor child, despite my having given up milk products. Nonetheless, I always enjoy our visits to the pediatrician as Dr. Grunske knows just the right thing to say to make me feel good. She is a true gem - I almost wish I could visit more often!

Spirited Children

Lari dressed up today for Author's Tea.  Kyrie had on an adorably crazy outfit.  And Declan is just Declan...so it required pictures.

Parents Vs. Skyhawks

Kyrie's soccer team finished the season by playing a soccer game with parent participation.  Matt always looks forward to this game...I think Coach Angela does as well!

Whoops, One More

Okay, so I guess there was one more birthday present for Declan, unbeknownst to me.  Grandma Starr stopped by this morning to give Declan her gift - how spoiled can this child get?!  Declan was very excited and had fun playing with Grandma Starr for a bit!

Last, But Not Least

And today Declan had his last birthday celebration.  After waiting so long, this child now thinks that every day is his birthday and is constantly expecting to open presents.  Argh.  But, today was one more extension of his birthday, this time at Nana and Pop-Pop's house.  A few days ago Declan said something to me about how when it was his birthday everyone was going to say "Surprise!"  So, because I love this little boy so much and wanted him to have a memorable birthday and because I felt guilty about not throwing him a party, I organized everyone to hide from him and jump up when he came up the stairs to the deck.  I think he was surprised and got quite the grin on his face when he realized it was for him.  All of the cousins ran to hug him - it was so cute.  (Why can't I find these pictures???)  What a way to make a little boy feel special.  Last, but not least, Happy Birthday, Declan!

Lodge Birthday and Memorial Weekend

Declan was fortunate enough to get to celebrate his birthday again at the Lodge with his sisters, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Mark, Carrie, Will, Drew, and Nora (Hugo and I remained home).  He loved the truck cake that Grandma made for him and had a wonderful weekend playing with his cousins in the warm weather.  (I had to steal the following photos from Carrie's blog, Party of Five, due to my...words-that-should-not-be-printed-here computer and it's lack of ability to reach the internet in any truly proper form or timely fashion...it is actually amazing that his blog is getting updated at all.)

Going Out

After a fun weekend together, Hugo and I went to see Auntie Beth who was in town for the week.  I forgot my camera for the actual expedition (sigh), but somehow remembered to take a picture before we left.  Who knows how my brain works, but here's Hugo in his carseat before we head out the door.

Hugo and I

While Matt and the three eldest enjoyed a nice weekend at the Lodge, Hugo and I had some quality time together at home.  It was so nice to spend some uninterrupted one-on-one time with my baby...it might seem odd, but there hasn't been enough time to get to know this little guy.  I sure do like him a lot!  It was a peaceful weekend full of giggles and snuggles, plus some reading and tv watching while he slept.  I tried to take some photos of our weekend together.  Here was the result:

                          

Pudding and Pie

Roly Poly pudding and pie...

Hugo rolled from front to back! Three times tonight. What a good boy, he is.

Three Year Old Declan

Happy Birthday, my wild, active, fun-loving, rough and tumble little boy.  Three years old.  Ughhh...what an awful age!  :-) 

Declan has been just itching for his turn at having a birthday and since he is the last for the spring in a long line of siblings and cousins, he had quite some time to wait.  But, the day has finally come and Declan is now a big three year old.  A preschooler rather than a toddler.  Wow.  Since he did wait so long, but we aren't having a party for him I wanted to make it special.  I tried really hard to make him a Lego cake...and although it looked pretty okay, the raspberry filling I attempted to spice it up with kind of ruined the taste.  Bummer.

And, since this child is such a Lego Maniac, we got him a Lego organizer for his birthday.  I think he was more thrilled about the sweet box it came in, but as the woman who has to pick up all of these Legos, I am quite pleased with this gift.

Well, three is a tough age.  We will see what this year brings for Declan.  He has become such a good big brother.  I can only hope he will turn into a better little brother.  He likes to bait Lari and get into trouble with Kyrie, but most of the time he just keeps me shaking my head and smiling.  What can you do???  We love this little guy.  Happy Birthday, Big D.

Soccer Wednesday

Kyrie had a mid-week soccer game this week.  Pop-Pop was in attendance and took some great pictures...of more even than just soccer.  Thanks Pop-Pop!

Lunch with CAJJ

Big Baby

Look at how big this little boy is getting.