Our Sweet Kids

Holly is 8. She is a sprite, energetic, smart, sweet, and sensitive child. She is eager to please, loves to have fun with family and friends and is often, surprisingly loud. Sometimes she acts and thinks so much like me, that I'm scared for her future! She can be very indecisive and disorganized--traits I both possess and despise.

Some of her favorite things:

-Hannah Montana (What 8 year old girl isn't obsessed with her?!)

-Her daddy

-Dancing (she's on a little competition jazz team)

-Cousins (She is especially close to my brother's daughter Jamie who is one month older and attends the same school and who is on the same dance company)

-Bike riding

-Earrings (although she doesn't have her ears pierced, yet. Despite the pleas, Mom is not caving until she's 13)

-Macaroni and Cheese

-Blueberries

-Reading (Holly has always been a fantastic reader and in first grade was one of a select few who was asked to participate in an accelerated reading program. Sorry if you are gagging right now but as this is my only journal I'm hoping Holly might be interested in that tidbit).

Cory, our only boy, is 6. He, too, is very active and always on the go. Some parents wish their kids wouldn't watch so much TV. I sometimes wish my kids would watch more! I'm thinking my house would stay cleaner, I could get more things done, and I would enjoy a little more peace and quiet with couch potato kids. (Truthfully, I am very grateful they are so physical and creative. I can't stand the TV to be on). Cory is my most affectionate and forgiving of my kids. Whenever I get mad at him (I know, hard to believe!) he'll quickly run to me with a huge warm hug and tell me how sorry he is for his mistake. It truly melts my heart and makes me feel so sad I got mad at him in the first place. He is a happy, kind, smart and artistic boy who loves to be outside on his bike or in the dirt. He may be our only boy, but he is ALL boy!

Cory's faves include:

-Anything with sugar in it. The second he wakes up he wants a treat. He'll scour the entire house trying desperately (and usually unsuccessfully) to find some kind of candy or pop. He's the only one in our family (besides Dennis, of course) with fillings in his mouth. He already has two, which is putting me over the edge since I have never had any. -Playing with his cousin and best buddy Skyler. Skyler is my sister's 9 year old boy who lives next door and who is so sweet to my kids. We tell Cory that Skyler can be his brother since he doesn't have one. He is thrilled with this arrangement as he worships the boy. -Going to work with Dad. He also idolizes his dad and loves every minute he spends with him. Dennis is a good sport to let Cory come to work with him. Sometimes it's very challenging though when Den has customers and Cory is pulling on him to come help him with a computer game or to get him some candy. -Computer games. This past year has been our first experience with electronic games and we are finding it's going to be quite the challenge to carefully monitor what games and how often our kids can play. So far we let them play for limited amounts of time on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I am finding this to be even too much. We'll see how it goes. My cousin Lori only allows her kids to play games on Fridays. I'm also finding I am going to have to be hyper vigilant about what they play on the Internet. Several months ago I was on the phone and looked on the computer screen to see Cory playing a cartoon game called "Pete the Perv". Pete was getting quite the thrill watching a girl take a shower. It was horrifying! I couldn't believe my eyes or my innocent son's! I'm hoping the filter will block such vile content from now on. -Root beer (See #1 fave) -Play basketball and football with Skyler (See #2 fave) -Drawing and making things with paper or boxes (Lately he's had a fascination with Styrofoam--our basement is evidence!) -Brick Oven pizza -Vegetables! (All my kids are exceptional eaters. They have zero qualms with onions or tomatoes. They beg for and down asparagus, artichokes, Brussels Sprouts, spinach, beets, etc. This thrills me to no end!)

Lindsey is 4 year old girly diva who is passionate about anything to do with Disney Princesses--especially the Little Mermaid. She is very sensitive and can throw a serious tantrum if she doesn't get her way. She is the shyest of our kids. She entertains herself all day long while I'm doing errands around the house. She loves to help me cook and clean. She is a very sweet little girl who is the spitting image of me when I was her age.

Lindsey's faves:

--dancing and singing loudly around the house

--getting into mom's makeup and jewelry

--apples and pears

--Mom's "gentle" soup (lentil soup)

--high heeled shoes

--skirts

--lime yogurt

--rocking out to Hannah Montana

--reading books with Mama

--throwing her clothes and toys all over the house until every square inch of our floors is covered

--breath mints

This week Lindsey discovered she does not like shaving. She used her dad's razor on her face and ended up cutting her nose, lip and chin. Fortunately the cuts were minor, however the one one her nose will probably leave a little scar.

Each week Lindsey comes with Holly and me to Holly's piano lesson. She is quite good about sitting quietly reading or coloring. Last lesson she drew a picture of our family and as she was coloring our faces she asked me for a white crayon for the teeth. When we couldn't find a white crayon in the box she said whispered loudly, "That's okay. I'll draw rotten teeth" and pulled out a brown crayon.

My First Post

This is my first attempt at a blog and somehow I already lost my first post to Cyberspace. Let's try again. I've never been a good journal writer mostly because I hate to write by hand and even if I did nobody would ever be able to read it, myself included. Also, I tend to be very detailed and fear I would spend my whole life writing if I kept a handwritten journal. I am sick I haven't written more things about my children in the past so I have decided I am going to start, here and now, a little online record of our family. I also thought it might be a fun way for our dear family and friends who live far away from us to every now and again sneak a peak into our crazy lives. Once I become more proficient with posting pictures I will add more.