Happy 5th Birthday Brennan!

I'm late on this one, but better late than never.  B had her birthday on December 4th.  She took her healthy birthday treats to school the day of and opened one gift that evening.  We didn't do much on the actual day as Jeff couldn't even make it home to celebrate because of work.  I did decorate her door for her to find when she woke up the day of as I do every birthday for my girls.  We had a small party with cake and gifts later that weekend and braved the snowy slick roads Saturday to make a trip to the Fun Spot happen by request.  The fun spot is basically like a Chucky Cheese.

Brennan is pretty much meeting all my expectations for a 5 year old.  I'm trying hard to cherish her at this age because it seems like the last age of being little and innocent.  I love my kids getting older because it makes life much easier when they can take care of themselves and help out around the house.   However, I will miss being able to snuggle comfortably because of her size.  I will miss the funny innocent things she says.   I will miss having her pass out on my lap when we go to a show, and she just can't make it  through because it is too late. I will miss her wanting little kid things like stuffed animals, dolls, and dress up clothes.  I will miss little Bren.

Made this box look like a birthday cake...kind of.  To hold the birthday healthy treat eats.

Harry is always an active participant in all family activities.  Even watching B open her presents.

He never jumps up there, but his curiosity about B's new puppy game got the better of him.

Like I said, Harry and family activities go hand in hand.

I lost count how many blows it took her, it took awhile.

Healthy birthday butterfly eats!

Snow days

Thursday December 5th school was canceled for our first snow day.  It was a doozy.  Frozen rain and 10 inches of snow kept us out the next day.  Then we had the weekend and school was called off again on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Thursday we lucked out and got to go back.  It was short lived, because some more icy rain came in Friday and we missed Friday as well. Snow and ice on our hills is just too risky.  

My 1st grade concert has been rescheduled for the 4th time now.  I think this Monday it will finally be a go.  I'm so ready to get that puppy over with.  The kids are ready, we just need a decent day of weather to do it.  I'm not sure how many times I have it in me to sing Rudolph.  Then we have another 4 days of school and we are off for a 2 week Christmas vacation.  

I know all of our snow days built into the calendar are going to be used up at this point.  I'm a little worried they will start taking our Spring break if we have any more days off.  It's not even officially winter yet.  Gulp!  I've had this weird feeling since the beginning that this school year was going to see lots of snow.  So far I'm right.

BUT I'm not complaining really. I love, love, love snow days.  I'm still getting paid so money isn't an issue.  I will be making it up, so it's not like the school will suffer a loss in the end.  Even though I don't want to admit it, towards the end of all those days off, I knew I needed some sort of routine back again.  I have trouble getting motivated to do much of anything when I'm given freedom like that.  I only cleaned or cooked when I had too and I watched WAAAAYYYY too much TV.  Aw, but is was glorious.  Maybe it's pay back for all those days I had to run a daycare and didn't get much of a break.  There were never Christmas vacations, spring breaks, president days, summers off, snow days, etc. when you run a daycare.  So, I don't feel to bad about being a lazy bum on my snow days. I  deserve it. It's nice to have my life back ;)

So Monday is coming and we will be returning, finally.  I'm ready.  I'm relaxed, rested, and recharged.  Just what I need to be to pull off a rehearsal, assembly performance, and evening performance.  It'll be a long day, but I'm ready.  

The girls enjoyed their snow days only after the first two or three days of them passed.  It was as if they forgot how to get along and use their imaginations to play.  I think they got used to every minute of their day being planned out for them that they forgot how to be kids.  It took awhile for them to appreciate having no schedule and figure out how to pass the time with each other.  We watched a lot of movies together, made Christmas cookies, and played in the snow.  

Snow angel making

Snow wasn't slippery enough to sled.  Boo!

She got thirsty so she decided to eat it.

Tried snowballs and snowman making but it was just too dry of a snow

B's hat wouldn't stay on.

10 inches I'd say

Thanksgiving 2013

We got a snow day!  I think I may be one of many this year.  I have had a feeling that this is going to be a snowy school year.  So what better thing to do than catch up on blogging.

This year it was our turn to host Thanksgiving.  Last year  my sister did it.  Now that she is closer we may actually be able to make Thanksgiving a Koehn tradition again.  I'm not entirely sure, but I'm thinking Christmas may turn into the Bilberry side. So far, Jeff's little brother is committed to coming our way for Christmas.  Not sure about the inlaws yet.  They made it up last year.

Thanksgiving break for us started the Wednesday before.  My parents drove in Tuesday night after spending a couple nights in KC.  We were able to put up the tree with my mom.  Jeff went to a chamber of commerce lunch with my Dad, and we ended out day together hitting a great show called SIX here in Branson.  SIX is an amazing family of 6 men who do their entire show acapella. If you come down, you really ought to see them.  It is not the hill billy Branson shows you always think of when you think of Branson, which is why we are willing to go see them.

Thursday my sister drove in after lunch.  My mother, Jeff, and I took turns in the kitchen making traditional dishes for the big feast.  I was worried about having such a small kitchen and dining area and hosting, but I always worry about that.  Since we spread all the cooking out a little at a time throughout the day, it turned out to be perfect.  It's the way to go when you have limited space.

We spent the rest of the day visiting, playing a little wii, board games, and then watching a movie with the kids.  The kids were all low maintenance because they were off doing their own thing all thorughout the day. The cousins get along fabulously!

It was a blessed holiday!  Only wish I had been smart enough to take more pictures.

It shouldn't bother me, but it does

B's birthday is coming up.  If you are going to have a party, school policy is that you must invite the entire class.  I don't care to do that. You never know who will show or RSVP or not.  Plus, we don't live in our district area.  We would have to commute to our own party.  I'd much rather just provide a special treat for the entire class on her birthday and then do our own private party thing.

I asked the teacher what we could bring, thinking there may be allergies in her class. The response, only healthy snacks like fruit or cheese sticks and nothing homemade only store bought.  OK.  I can respect the fact that they are trying to keep things healthy. I'm the lady that invented sweet Saturday after all.  What bothers me, I mean really bothers me, is that on the same day I was told only healthy snacks, my daughter was fed a brownie by the school.  How is it OK for the school to feed my kid junk, but I can't bring a sweet treat for one special day of the year?

I wish this didn't bother me so.  Seriously, if they had never fed her that brownie, I'd be OK with it.  That stinking brownie thing has just got me going.  As much as I want to, I can't complain because I have to work with the lady in charge of making these decisions.  She is a wonderful lady that really cares about my kid and does a great job with her; just having trouble understanding her rational here.  It's best to keep my mouth shut and just follow suit.  So I guess this is going to be a weird birthday.  B and I will go shopping for fruit to help her class celebrate her birthday.  Fruit that they may eat on any given day in class so really it won't be that special.  I can see it now.  "Happy birthday to you.  Now to celebrate we have oranges! Enjoy everyone!"  Geese!  Thankful B doesn't care about it as much as I do.  The beauty of turning 5.  Even if it's oranges, it's fine with her.  Mama needs to learn from little B.

Halloween 2013

A little late, but better late than never.  3 of the 4 of us decided to do a Little Red Riding Hood theme although B kind of regretted not joining in on the family theme when it was too late to change.  It was fun.  I'd like to do another themed thing next year only getting the ENTIRE crew on board.  So glad the inlaws are making it a tradition to do this with us every year.  What a great memory for our children.  I love, love, love how my husband really gets into character.  When people would open their doors he would yell, "Happy hoooooooooooooowloween!"  What a goof!  Of course, no one understood who I was until they saw us together.  And just for your information, I was trying to act like a tired old lady in this picture, it was all in character.  Hope you all had a great halloween too!

Things

Things that have been swirling in my head lately:

-I think, I think....I finally got this working full time Mama thing down.  Seems like I posted this before?  There seems to be a nice balance of work, family, play, and even a little me time on occasion.  My house is often a disaster during certain times of the week (which I'm starting to accept), but it always gets a good cleaning on the weekends, and I am even making headway on keeping it picked up during the week.  The key is staying on top of things and getting your kiddos doing their fair share.  I also have come to accept that when school starts again next year after a long summer, I will be a mad mess in this department again.

-I have GOT to remember to start my days with prayer.  It makes such a huge difference in how my day goes, especially with the 5th and 6th graders.  I swear I hear God's voice speaking to me while I'm teaching those kiddos softly coaching me through how to deal with the challenging behaviors they throw my way, teaching me how to prevent them in the first place, or showing me when to get firm or when to just shower them with love. It's like when I speak to him it reminds me to listen to his spirit within me talking to me softly.  I love it!  It gives me confidence and assures me I've got this!

-My husband are the best team.  Really!  I can't imagine parenting without him.

-Willing yourself to not care what other people think is much harder than it sounds.  Trying to remember that my perception of what people think of me is way harsher than what other people probably really think and that same perception can quite often just be lies Satan tells me to bust my self confidence and self worth. Satan knows my parenting is a hot spot because it means so much to me to be a good mother.   Trying to remember that everyone else struggles with the same things I do.  The verses about not judging others when you have plank in your own eye and let him who is without sin cast the first stone keep coming to mind.  

-I love, love, love driving to work in the fall.  Breath taking.  I would miss the drive to work, if we moved closer.  I would also miss the privacy of living in a different town than I work.  Every time I stop at the Walmart where I work I see a student....every time.  I suppose it's inevitable when you teach 422 students in a tiny town.  I actually love it because they light up when they see me.  However, I can't help but think how I wouldn't love it if it were on the weekend when I'm no longer in teacher mode but sweat pants, Mama mode.

-I love, love, love the smell of fall air.  Sigh!

-I think starting our sweet Saturday tradition has been one of the best family traditions ever invented.  It has also been a useful tool to motivate my kids to make better choices and obey.  Heaven forbid they miss out on sweet Saturday because of some bad choices.  I'm telling you folks, it works!

-We are no longer attending church.  Yes, I said it.  There you have it.  I am doing bible stories, worship, and prayer times at home with my children on Sundays instead.  I have my reasons, but I don't need to get into here.  This is not how I intend to keep it, but for now this is working for us.  When God calls me to make a change, I will listen. I haven't gotten that prompting yet. 

-My cat makes coming home fun!

-My love for animals is being instilled in my children.  I love to have that same connection with them.  We love looking at funny animal pictures together or making our "Harry" voices.

-I am so glad I switched Brennan to her new preschool.  The staff loves her and seem to really appreciate her and her personality.  There's nothing like dropping your kid off and seeing the staff hug and kiss her and tell me funny stories from the day when I pick her up.  She also talks about the things she learns with excitement. 

-I don't think I'm going to have to worry about my kids falling into the wrong crowd.  I know it's still very early to know, but based on what I've seen so far, they seem to be more like I was in school. 

-I hate the new grading system schools are using these days.  Can we please go back to percentages were kids actually earn what they get? (had a big ol' rant on this, but I'll keep it to myself) 

-I am a lot better at waking up at 5:30 a.m. than I thought I would be.  I dreaded it all summer.  Earliest I ever had to consistently wake up for anything.  The key is, get 8 hours of sleep before you have to wake.  As long as I do that, it doesn't matter how early.  Imagine that!  Not rocket science.

-Waking up a full 1/2 and hour before the girls is CRUCIAL

-Giving the girls an entire hour before we have to head out is CRUCIAL and saves a TON of stress because it gives my dilly dallier plenty of time to get her morning routines done

-Finally decided to give myself permission to be OK with not having a ton of friends.  I have a handful of friends, just not the kind you want to call up and spill your guts too or run on a girls weekend with.  I used to let this bother me for years.  Pretty much my entire life.  Like not having a big group of girlfriends or even one best friend for that matter meant something was wrong with me.  You know folks, it's just who I am. My best friend is Jeff.  I am very fulfilled by him.  I'm not saying I depend on him for my social existence, but what little socialness I crave is met by him in just our normal day to day lives; my mother is also a great social element of my life even hundreds of miles away; love our saturday morning chats.  Also, as my kids get older, I get more and more joy hanging out with them.  I can see the beginning stages of our relationship changing into what it will become one day when they move out of the house.  And let's not forget the cat.  Call me the crazy cat lady, but I totally dig hanging out just him and I on occasion.  We actually have conversations, him and I.  He's a very vocal boy.  I cherish our morning snuggle, purring sessions.  He is always at the door the minute my alarm goes off to greet me and get his lovings.  If I procrastinate opening the door, I'm going to hear about it.

-I am soooooo close to having both my kids completely independant of needing me for basic physical care.  Just need to get Bren buttoning her own pants, tying shoes, zipping up her jacket, and washing her hair.  Seems like a lot now that I typed it all up.  Geese!

-I am my mother in some ways that drives me nuts.  I will never be the woman who enjoys buying birthday cards and mailing them to everyone.  I really hate it.  It is such a chore for me.  I do it, but it is out of obligation.  I am also a horrible host.  No one ever taught me, and I don't enjoy it all that much.  I totally forget to offer people drinks when they come in or offer to take their coats for them.  Jeff has had to teach  me a lot and thankfully he likes hosting and is pretty good at it. 

-I really like my laundry system.  It doesn' t seem like that much work anymore and I don't mind doing it.  Still wish they would find a cure for the missing sock syndrome.  That part of doing laundry drives me bananas.  I literally bought a miniature laundry basket for he sole purpose of putting socks in without mates in hopes one day they will magically appear.  I stew every time I do laundry about whether I should finally just throw out  the socks that have been in there forever but think just as soon as I do that, they will finally show.  Oh bugger!

-My girls are growing up and those funny things they say (that comes with age) aren't as frequent.  BUT I got two of them this week.  B said (on the toilet) "I got one to slide right out and I didn't even need gasoline."  She meant vaseline.  K asked me, "What do you have to do to be on the The Biggest Loser?"  I will miss the funny things a lot when they are gone.   Love it!

-I could go on and on.  If you made it this far, bravo.  Was in a rambling mood today.  Have a good week ya'll!





 

Something Cool

Want to hear something cool?  Jeff got to go be part of the crew last weekend that helped at the Chief's stadium to set the world record for the world's loudest stadium.  In case you didn't know, they did break the record by almost an entire decibel.  He's not entirely sure, but they might even include his name in Guinness book of world records along with a little of his sound experience.

How did he get this opportunity you may ask?  It just so happens the person in charge was someone he knew.  The man told him to come help out if he wanted to.  Jeff was all game, no pun intended.  What a way to kick off your first live NFL experience, eh? Lucky guy!