XMAS came and went!

I l ove Xmas time.  From Thanksgiving day on it's just the best little feeling in the world.  This Xmas season I will say flew by like no other.  I was kind of sad when Xmas day came because I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have.  I don't know if it was just Gabe's work and side jobs which left me being a single mom most of the time (oh wait that's me all the time) the whirlwind of birthdays and Bostyn's sudden party.  Then Bostyn got strep throat on the 22nd which made us miss Xmas with Gabe's mom that day which we crammed in on Xmas day with my parents and grandparents.  Then we had Xmas with Gabe's dad up Sundance in a Cabin they rented the 23rd.  Then Xmas eve was just me and the kids cause Gabe was finishing up work throughout the day.....then boom it was gone.  So so sad!  But Santa did come and Cruz was in bulldozer, skid steer, tractor, digger, front loader, garbage truck, and mack truck heaven.  He pretty much could run a whole construction site and do the clean up.  Bostyn got her Easy Bake oven, Gak, dolls, Leappad, dreamlite, razor scooter blah, blah, blah!  Kids are so spoiled these days.  And we are so fortunate to have the grandparents, aunts, uncles that we do who spoil them rotten as well.  But I LOVE Xmas and can't help myself cause I'm just always so lovey and happy so I just buy :) 

I was spoiled this Xmas too.  Gabe and I got an Ipad....I love it and so do the kids. My mom got my PolarFT4 watch.  I'm still learning it but so far I am hooked!! It has a chest strap you wear that helps the watch monitor your heart rate and calculate calories burned while lifting, running, swimming pretty much anything.  I notice it even pushes me harder to let go of the rails, or do a couple extra sets to get that calorie number to climb.












Well there you have it!  I'm already looking forward to another Xmas and hoping for it to be a little Merrier!!  But for now bring on SUMMER!
HAPPY 2013

He played dead.......

We went to see Santa down at the Riverwoods the night of Bostyn's birthday.  It went better than I thought it would.  I was shocked Cruz even sat on Santa's lap.  I was for sure planning on him freaking out and being so scared and wanting nothing to do with him.  Well he actually let me put him on his lap but then he died...... went limp, no movement, nothing.  Cruz wouldn't respond to Santa.  He just sat there like a slug.  Then Bostyn had her turn and whipped out those little fingers and started naming one thing for every finger, of course she did!  Every infomercial she saw the month of December made it on her list.  Then when I got home and looked better at her picture with Santa the look on his face was HILARIOUS!  (like is this kid done yet?!)  I love everything about this picture, one of my Faves!! 

Bostyn is 5

I was totally caught off guard when December hit us and realized I would be having a December birthday party.  UGH!!!  Ugh, for the parents of Bostyn's friends.  December is just CRAZY!  Especially for our family with birthdays.  The last thing I want to do to people is throw them a party invite 5 days before Xmas when I'm sure everyone is pretty much spent.....Literally!  If this happens again it's going to be a no gift giving party, that's what I want anyways.  It's just too much.  And when she is little like this she doesn't really understand with EVERYONES birthdays, then her birthday, then opening Xmas presents with two sets of in laws on different days and not even on Xmas and then it's Xmas and it's  really time to open Xmas presents.  See, it's even confusing trying to type it out to make sense to whoever reads blogs anymore.

Anyway, she did turn 5.  And a Classic Skating party is what we decided on.  We loved it, the host was great and took really good care of us.  I LOVED just being able to show up and everything  was ready to go.  It was tough though trying to keep track of all her little friends cause there is so much to do there.  But everyone just played how they wanted and left happy :)

She wanted to do Build-A-Bear for her gift from mom and dad.  We left with a rainbow striped teddy, sleeping beauty dress, purse and shoes.  I tried talking her into one of the cute dogs but I already knew it was going to the be colorful one. Then the worker got the whole store and customers to belt out a big happy birthday song just for her.   We stopped next door by the Disney store because I just have to look when I am there.  And she managed a crown, pin and the whole store sang happy birthday to her there too.  I'm sure she felt super special and I felt super embarrassed ;)  Her day was great and she has a cute little group of friends.

Sucking on a Pig

This is Cruz day in and day out.  Always looks like he has been sucking on a pig.  He is all boy.  Loves the dirt, rocks, mud, water, sand....pretty much anything he can load up in his digger tractors.  Lately he can't decide if he wants to be in his terrible 2's, let them pass us on by, or deciding if he wants to save them for later.  I'm hoping they are passing us by cause lately (as in 3-4 days) he has been a GEM.  But if he is not a gem he is a TURD!! 

 

LEarNiNG DyNAmIcS....round 2

We are in full force with our 2nd year of Pre-School.  I can't believe next year I will have a Kindergartner!!  If you know Bostyn, you must assume she LOVES school.  She loves the setting, the interaction with the kids, sitting in her desk and doing the paper work.  We have started the reading program which is the cutest thing ever when she is home sounding out the wwww oooo rrrrr dddd sssssssss, wwwww ooooo rrrr dddd sssss, ww oo rrdd sss, words, WORDS!!!!! It may take us a few minutes to read one word, but hey the girl is reading.  Awesome, I love it.  She always gets so bummed when I show up to pick her up.  At the end of class they sit on the floor and teacher reads them a book.  I have learned to try and be last to get there cause she stays for the whole story anyway if I am early.  She is already asking me about what you do at lunch time at the big school......oh dear!

EveryDay I'm Shuffling

JIVE 2012

This year Bostyns class danced to 'Party Rock Anthem' and they wore soldier costumes.  It was the cutest thing ever.  It was definitely a dance in the concert that stood out in your mind.  The crowd always seemed to perk up when they marched out there.  Like always when they start preparing in January for the concert you have your doubts that it will turn out.  But the girls nailed all 5 performances.  The dance was a quick one.  Lots of moving around to new spots and it had moves in it that I would struggle with.

(before)

(after)

EVERYDAY I'M SHUFFLIN'

Kids Can Swim

We have been swimming with Pam who owns 'Kids Can Swim' and her daughter Mindee.  They are AWESOME!!  Pam has been teaching for 26+ years, she taught Gabe when he was just a toddler too.  These swim lessons are hard core.  The kind where the kids need to learn to survive and know what to do if they happen to have an accident and fall in water. The lessons are pretty exhausting on the kids and are only 10 minutes long, 4 days a week. When I first got involved I thought really, 10 mins, Why?  Through swimming with Pam I have learned there is a serious condition called Hyponatremia or better known as "Water Intoxication."  In simple terms it means that either too much water has been taken into the body or not enough released, therefore, diluting the sodium content in the bloodstream. The victim may experience shiny skin, bluelips and nails, clammy skin, coolness, headache, confusion, seizures and coma. When children get fatigued, they can actually start drinking water. This is one of the reasons she teaches a maximum of 10 minutes. Plus we are all aware of the length of time kids spend on one activity to the next, due to their short attention spans. She wants your child to get out of the water at the peak of their learning ability. If taken past this they can actually lose some of their skills and practice them wrongdue to fatigue. I've found that they are usually physically and mentally ready to get out at the end of their ten minutes.

I wish I had more pics to share.  I have lots of video!

Bostyn is doing amazing. She is jumping off the diving board and then able to come to the surface and swim the length of the pool all on her own. Cruz loves Mindee and has come such a long way.  I started him at just 16-18 months and he cried the ENTIRE 10 minutes, every lesson, 4 days a week for 3 weeks straight. Cruz is now able to jump into the pool from the diving board/side of pool and come to the surface and float on his back.  He likes to go under water and retrieve rings from the stairs.  They have a great philosophy on their teaching style and why they do it.  Good head and body positioning is so important. When the head is down the feet will stay on top of the water, if they pop their head up to breathe or to see, their feet will sink and swimming will become a struggle. So rather than have them pop their head up to breathe they teach them to roll to their back, this is the safety skill. So the stroke consists of swimming floating swimming until they can get to the pool edge or a safer place. 

Now that Bostyn can somewhat swim and Cruz can float on his back without panicking and just float to safety or until he gets help my Summer is looking awesome.  I picture me pool side with a Diet Coke, magazines, sunglasses and soaking up the sun......hahahaha I wish!  I think I might have just signed up for the busiest Summer EVER!  I will probably be in the water more than out.  Since they both think they can swim and the diving board is now fair game, I think I'm in trouble!  Oh well, these lessons have been so awesome and probably one of the best things I will ever do for my kids.