~My Kindergarten Graduate~

Yesterday, Alivia's class celebrated their Kindergarten Graduation. All the kids were so excited to have their parents and grandparents come to their classroom. Their eyes light up as soon as they walk into the room. It was a bit chaotic at first, but Mr. Cozat has a way of calming them down. He is so wonderful and gentle with them, yet able to keep control. I know that Alivia sure enjoyed being in his class this year, but she is also very eager to start the first grade. She asked me after the party was over if she was going to go to the first grade tomorrow. I think she was a bit disappointed when I told her she'd have to wait till summer was over. I am not one of those mothers that doesn't want their kids to grow up, but it just doesn't feel like she should be done with Kindergarten already. It seems like she should still be 4 yrs old. The year went way to fast and I'm having a hard time catching up. I am so proud of her though and all that she accomplished this year at school. She is an avid reader and reads every chance she gets. I just hope that she will always enjoy reading as much as she does now.

The kids only have 2 more days left of school then summer vacation begins. We plan on doing a little camping and probably going to the park for picnics, but other than that we will probably be staying close to home. I'm just hoping that time will slow down a bit and that we will have lots of warm summer weather to enjoy!

{The Surprise Party}

{The Surprise Party}I am so excited! About 3 or 4 months ago I decided to throw a surprise party for Andy's 30th birthday which was in May. So, I set about making the plans. I rented the pavilion at the Coleman park, enlisted family and friends to help with the food, and sent out invitations. Of course I had to come up with some kind of scheme to ensure that Andy would show up at his own party unknowingly! Being that his niece, Ariana's birthday is in June, we decided to tell Andy that Haley was having her party at the Coleman park on May 31st because it was the only time close to her actual birthday that the whole family could get together. She even sent us a fake invitation for Ariana's party! It never even phased him. The day before the party I had to finish getting everything ready, and of course I couldn't have anything at home, so I had to drop it all off at his parents. Then in order to be able to leave home early enough to set up, I told him that I was going to the chiropractor, and then that I had to help Haley set up for Ariana's party. Joey offered to take Andy to Jay's in the morning to keep him occupied. I didn't want him showing up to early, or to late, for his party. Well, after all the planning, the scheming, and story telling, the surprise was a huge success! Even as he was walking up, and after we yelled surprise, he still didn't know what was going on! It wasn't until we started singing Happy Birthday to him, that he finally got it! He just kept saying to me that he couldn't believe I did that. I couldn't believe it either. It was soooooo hard not to say anything to him since we tell each other everything. And there were so many times that I almost accidentally spilled the beans! I am so glad that he didn't start asking questions. Most of his family and friends showed up and we had a great time. The weather was beautiful and the party couldn't have been any better. The look on his face was absolutely priceless!Thank you to everyone who helped make this party a huge success. I couldn't have pulled it off without you! We both will forever be grateful!

This post is coming a bit late, but I've been crazy busy...i really did intended to share about our Chicago trip as soon as we got home, but one thing led to another...you know how that goes. Anyway, last Sunday Teresa took us girls to Chicago for a few days. Haley, her girls, and Grandma Cameron also went. We took the train from Flint to Chicago. We had to get up really, really early (2 am) because our train was scheduled to leave at 6 am. So needless to say, we didn't get much sleep the night before since we were so excited. Luckily the kids were able to catch up on some sleep during our 6 hour train ride. They really enjoyed riding on the train.
It was so much nicer than a plane becuase they were able to move around and play a bit. It was also a lot less stressful than driving!When we arrived in Chicago it was around lunch time. Nobody was to overly hungry, so we decided to just go for desert at the Cheesecake Factory which wasn't to far from our hotel. Boy, oh boy, was that delicious...makes my mouth water just thinking about it! After that we just walked around and checked out the city a bit. I couldn't believe how busy the streets were and how many people there were walking around. It sure made me appreciate our quite little town! After a bit of shopping we decided to have some of Chicago's famous pizza at Giordano's. The kids really liked it...either that or they were just really hungry! Later in the evening we took a horse and carriage ride around the city and by Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful ride and went by way to fast. After that we decided to just turn in for the night. It had been a really long day and we all were very tired.
The next day was our big day. After breakfast we headed over to the American Girl Place. The girls were so excited about getting their new dolls. The AGP has 3 levels. On the bottom level all the character dolls are set up with all their furniture and clothing. There were also some life size scenes from each of the original character dolls time periods. The girls just walked around and looked at everything in amazement. The top level is where the Bitty Baby and the Just Like Me dolls are located. Of course Ariana got a Bitty Baby. She had so much fun playing with all the baby dolls and the bitty stroller. Our girls decided to each get a Just Like Me doll. And it's really amazing at just how similar the dolls are to the girls. Once they got their dolls picked out it was time to pick out some outfits for them. They each ended up with 5 outfits, including the one that came with the doll, and a pair of pj's. They had so much fun picking them all out. They also both got an outfit for them to wear that matches one of their dolls outfits. They really got spoiled. After we checked out, we headed back downstairs to watch the AG play. It was so cute. There were little girls that played the character of the dolls and told their stories. I think the girls really enjoyed watching that. We had front row seats. Once that was over we decided we weren't quite done shopping so we went back up stairs. The girls each got a bag that holds their dolls and their clothes and Teresa got another outfit for Ariana's doll. It was quite a day and I'd have to say they all made out like bandits!
On our last day we intended to go to do a little more shopping around the city, but the wind was terrible. When they say 'windy city' they are not kidding. It literally took our breaths away! So we just ended up hanging out at the hotel for the afternoon until it was time to go to the train station. Haley and I did go back to the AGP because she decided she needed to get one more thing for Ariana. And since we were there I grabbed a jacket for each of the girls' dolls...i didn't want them getting to cold in the wind! They were both very excited about that.
Our train departed around 3 pm Tuesday afternoon. We ended up eating dinner in the dining car. That was fun trying to eat without spilling anything as you are swaying side to side! The ride seemed to go pretty fast until we had to stop for a short while to wait for another train. Then the time seemed to drag on. By the time we got home it was 1:30 am. Although we were completely exhausted it was an amazing trip and I'm so glad that I was able to experience that with my girls.
I am having some technical difficulties with blogger at the moment...it won't load any pics, so here is the link to the pictures from our trip...enjoy!

www.chicagotrip2008.shutterfly.com

Okay, so it's been a little while since I last posted...my computer and I have been having a few issues, but we seem to be getting along fine...for the moment.

Here's the update:

Last Wednesday Alivia's class had a Mother's Day Tea. She brought home an invitation and proceeded to tell me that I was invited, but that no boys were allowed, so Sammy had to stay home. I explained to her that it really was okay for him to go and that he really liked seeing her at school. I don't think she was to happy about it, but she was excited enough that she was willing to let it go. We also invited Grandma Jill to go with us. I love going to these parties and seeing all the little kids...they are always so proud when their parents walk in. They have to sit in their chairs and wait for all the guests to arrive, and they try so hard to sit patiently, but by the time the party is ready to start they look like they have ants in their pants...LOL! Then they sing their songs, and say their poems. They are so proud of themselves for knowing all the words. Of course there are a few kids louder than some, a few more reserved, and a few who could really take over the show. It's so much fun and I hope that I can always remember my kids at this age.Yesterday was Mother's Day. My hubby made me breakfast and we all sat down together...something that doesnt always happen so easily on a weekend morning. Then we all went to church. After that we made our rounds to all the grand parents homes. They enjoy seeing the kids so much. It was a pretty relaxing day. I am so grateful that God gave me the privilege to be a mother to these children. I hope that they will see Jesus in me...I want to be the Godly mother that Pastor Shannon spoke of...of course, I have a lot to live up to, but it's worth the effort to know that some day my children will choose to live for Christ. I am also grateful that God blessed me with two loving mothers. One, I have known all my life, and she has taught me a lot about life, and has always been there for me through the good and the bad. She is my rock. The other, I haven't known as long, but by God's grace our lives crossed paths. She has also taught me a lot about life. She is a strong and wise woman and I look up to her. Again, these two woman give me a lot to live up to.

One more thing before I go...it's something that I was just introduced to (by my lovely SIL, Haley) and I am so excited about it. We all like to save money when we shop, right? Especially now days we have to pinch every penny. Well, I have started clipping coupons...that's right, and I'm not ashamed to say it...LOL! When I tell you what I have gotten for free...yes F-R-E-E, you are going to have to pick your jaw up off the ground. The Kroger store in Bay City doubles coupons up to $1...so $1 becomes $2. And when they have things on sale that cost $2 I can get them free! I have also gotten a lot of things for $0.50, such as laundry detergent. I have even gotten some pretty great deals at Wal-greens b/c of the way their sale is, their register rewards program, and coupons. I got the following for just over $11.00 at Wal-greens! All of it!!I am building a stock pile of toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, deorderant, and aleve; none of which I paid over 50 cents for...most of it was free. This is just from one trip and it was all free!In this picture the most I paid for anything was $1 for the pizza and the crunchers...the eggos were only 15 cents...no, you don't need to adjust your screen...there are no typo's here! The first time I went with Haley I came home with 12 boxes of cereal, and again, most were free and a few cost 50 cents. There are not always that good of deals, but when I check out and I see a $50 grocery bill go down to under $10 I get all giddy inside! The one day I almost cried b/c the relief of saving that much money was more than I could handle! So, I am proud to say that I am a COUPON CLIPPER! It takes a lot of work to figure out the best deals (luckily I have a great teacher), but I encourage anyone who wants to save money to give it some thought. I love telling Andy about all my good finds when he gets home...it's even better than yard sales!!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Happy First Day of May! I can't believe how fast April flew by. I thought for sure winter was never going to end and now I can barely keep up with the passing days.

Last weekend was great, but very busy. On Saturday Mom and Dad took Andy and I to Freeland for the city wide yard sales. We found some really good deals. Mom bought the girls a HUGE barbie house for $10 including some furniture and she got Sammy a "motorcycle". It's a little machine that has a screen on it so it looks like he is driving down the road. It twists and turns and makes ALL the noises! He was thrilled as you can imagine.Saturday night we celebrated Andy's Uncle Miles' 50th Birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise, but he figured it out before hand. It was still a lot of fun though. My parents kept the kids so we could stay out as long as we wanted, but we were home by midnight...yeah, party animals, I know!Miles and Mallory (Emily and Chad's little girl)
Janet, Miles and Mallory
On Sunday we went to Julie's house to celebrate Allie's 2nd birthday. I missed her first one because we were in Disney World so I was glad that we could be there this time. She is growing so fast. She looked so cute in her birthday dress. She got a lot of clothes for her birthday and unlike most 2 year olds, she was thrilled. She was even hugging them. I think Julie has a little diva on her hands!This weekend Andy will be in the UP. He is leaving tonight and will be home Sunday. So, that means I have the weekend to do whatever I want. I plan on doing a lot of scrapbooking. I have a lot of projects going on that I need to get done. I will miss Andy, but I'm glad that he gets to do something that he enjoys so much. He really deserves it for all he does for his family.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. Love ya all!

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give
you a spirit of untiy among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.
Romans 15:15

I am so sorry that it has been so long since I last posted...our computer is acting up again...anyway, last Saturday we went to the pancake breakfast and award program for Annabelle. She received an award for being an Absolutely Incredible Kid. Mrs. Filhart nominated her and said " Annabelle is an extremely kind and caring young lady. She has outstanding citizenship...she does her best in school every day!" We are so proud of her, but of course we don't need a piece of paper to tell us how incredible she is! I still don't think she understood why we were there, but I know she really felt special being able to spend the afternoon with just us.On Sunday we went to Mike and Teresa's for Easter. We had a wonderful day and to be honest I'm kind of glad we got to celebrate late because the weather was so beautiful. It was so much warmer than it was in march and it felt more like Easter. After dinner the kids had an easter egg hunt. The two older girls found all their eggs quickly of course, so they helped the younger two. Sammy did pretty good on his own, but I think Ariana was the smartest of them all...she just followed Annabelle around and took the eggs out of her basket when she wasn't looking! It's so much fun watching them all play together. Most of the day we just sat on the back porch in the warm spring air and enjoyed each others company.Here's the kids in their Easter outfits (before they got messy)Of course Grandma wanted a picture of all her grandkids in their Easter outfits but....Ariana had a different idea! It's so hard for her to stay in one spot for to long! It was so cute that she leaned on big cousin , Sammy, for comfort. They are best friends!And of course there is Adalyn who is always smiling. Her mommy says she does cry, but I'm not sure I believe her!This is Sammy with his loot. He had so much fun finding the eggs, but he had even more fun eating the CANDY!!!!!

I am so enjoying this warm weather, but I have a question....what is it about warm weather that makes me want to deep clean? In the winter, when it's blustery cold outside and I'm stuck inside, the dust piles up, but when it's absolutely beautiful outside I clean until I'm exhausted! I've waited 6 months for the sunshine so I could go outside, but then I spent the entire day yesterday cleaning. Something just does not seem right about that. But it does feel good to get some stuff done. I did get outside today though. This morning Sammy and I met Haley and the girls down by the Tridge and we went for a nice walk. We let the kids play at the park for a little bit too, which they thoroughly enjoyed. It felt really great to get some fresh air and exercise...although I'd have to say I got quite the workout yesterday also!
Tomorrow morning we are going to a pancake breakfast and award program for Annabelle. She was chosen as an Absolutely Incredible Kid by the teachers at school. She was nominated for displaying the characteristics of good citizenship, respect of self and others, trustworthiness, responsibility, caring and helpfulness. There was one child from each grade chosen to represent their grade. Her teacher, Mrs. Filhart, sent us a letter to tell us about it and said that Annabelle was an amazing student. We are so proud of her. I don't think she really understands what the big deal is, but she is really excited about getting pancakes!
On Sunday, we are celebrating Easter with Andy's family since we had to miss it the first time. It's also Haley's birthday. It should really be a nice day. I'm really looking forward to spending the day with them, not to mention the good food we'll have! I hope everyone has a great weekend and takes the chance to spend some time with your families.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34

Where did the sunshine go? Where is the warm weather? When I woke up this morning, I was reminded that we live in Michigan and that cold weather will prevail! That's right folks, it's snowing...again! Yesterday we had thunderstorms and possible tornadoes and today, snow! But, being the optimistic person I am, I'm just going to try to make the best of. The kids and I are going to cuddle up on the couch together and put in a good movie. Maybe we'll make some cookies or something. I hope everyone has a good day and take some time to enjoy your families, despite the gloomy weather. The following is the verse of the day and I found to it be perfectly fitting...

This is the day which the Lord hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24 KJV

Well, its official...spring has sprung! I know that it has technically been "spring" for a few weeks now, but after this weekend, it's officially confirmed...by me! The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Warm air and sunshine...what more could a person ask for? We made our first trip to the park, after we got ice cream,of course, and I even stopped at a few yard sales (the first of many, I'm sure.) After being cooped up in the house forever, I almost forgot how exhilarating fresh air could feel. I love it! This weekend was just a preview of all that spring and summer have to offer and I look forward to every minute of it. We all know how quickly it passes. I can't wait to start tending to my flowers and planting a vegetable garden. We are also planning on many more trips to the park...and ice cream! The kids really enjoyed the nice weather this weekend too. Despite the wind, they had a blast at the park...they hopped from one thing to the next like they had finally found their long lost friends. They were not to happy with me when I told them it was time to go... but then again, they never are.This weekend was just what I needed to refresh my soul. God is amazing...He always knows what I need and when I need it. I am so grateful for all the times He has brought me through the "stormy" weather, and blessed me with sunshine.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of the birds is come.
Song of Solomon 2:11-12 KJV

Andy had his final visit with the doctor yesterday at the Mayo Clinic and he got a great report! He has had asthma since he was 2 and we were concerned that it was getting worse and that there was possibly damage done to his heart from all the straining he had put on it from not being able to breath. But, praise God, it is not worse...actually its just different than it was before....its kind of hard to explain, but there are lots of different aspects to asthma, some of which even doctors don't understand yet. He now has an atypical asthma, which I guess means most ppl with asthma have more common symptoms than he does. The good news is its controllable with a few medications. He also had an echo-cardiogram done on his heart b/c he has a family history of severe heart conditions. Everything is perfect, his cholesterol, blood pressure, and everything were just where they should be.

The doctor was so wonderful and gave us lots of useful information to help us make our home a safe environment for Andy. He is extremely allergic to dust mites and grass which irritate his asthma. The doc said we need to make our room as dust mite free as possible, starting with our bed most importantly. 98% of the allergens come from our bed. When we lay in bed and move around the dust mites get scattered in the air and then while we are sleeping we are most susceptible to those allergens. So we need to start using these mattress covers that don't allow dust mites through and I have to wash all the bedding in hot water once a week. I will have to put more effort into keeping our home as dust free as possible, but it will be worth it to see my husband living better. We also have to try to keep as much of the outdoor environment outdoors as possible. Andy can not mow the lawn or be outside when anyone is b/c he is so allergic to grass...he can't even get it on his skin! And as you can imagine, he is really "bummed" that he is not allowed to mow the lawn anymore!

I just wanted to thank all you again for your thoughts and prayers through this journey. We had a few stressful and uncertain moments, but God was with us each step because of your prayers. We feel we are now prepared to start living better and healthier, not just for ourselves but for our children.