6 years old!

Dear Maxwell,

Today is your 6th birthday! Typically, you look forward to your birthdays so much and count down several weeks ahead of time! This year with Disney World coming just a few days before, you haven't been as obsessed with turning 6 as you have in the past.

You were made for kindergarten. You have a love for learning and I can tell that the wheels are turning non-stop. Just last night as I was tucking you in, you were asking me "what times what equals 10?" So I told you that 5 X 2= 10 and then I could tell that you were processing it for a minute and then the light came on...."any number times two is just that number plus the same number!" You then proceeded to rattle off a bunch of examples and had a huge grin on your face. It has been so fun watching you learn to read this year. Hopefully soon you will be reading to Mya and Ivy!

Speaking of Mya and Ivy....you are a great big brother (when you want to be:) You and Mya are the best of buds and the worst of enemies. You have taught Mya so much about sports and video games and it has really come in handy for you because now you have someone to play with! You better watch out though, because she's getting close to beating you in some of the games! You are still afraid to go downstairs by yourself, but as long as someone is with you, you can play for hours. You and Mya are still sharing a room and you're on the top bunk. In another couple of years we will move the girls together and you can have your own room again. You have been asking a lot lately if you can have the "jumping bed" (aka trundle bed) back! Blankie still sleeps with you at night along with a nalgene bottle of ice water and a few stuffed animals.

Your favorite food is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheeseburgers, sesame chicken and pudding. You are not a huge pizza eater, you do not eat sauce of any kind, and you despise all things spicy. You have a really big appetite. Sometimes after a meal, you'll ask for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It reminds me a lot of your uncle Brian. Grandma Pat used to get so mad when she had the kitchen all cleaned up and then she'd have to start making Brian another meal! It just makes me smile because I know it's only the beginning. You have lost 5 teeth and the two top teeth are really loose right now so it won't be long until that toothless grin will be here:) You weigh 45.2 pounds, are 44 inches tall and wear size 13.5 shoes, size 6 slim jeans, and size 5/6 shirts.

You need some work on your responsibility. I think you've lost 3 sweatshirts, 2 pairs of gloves, 1 lunch box, 1 hat and one neck/face warmer so far this year. I take partial blame for this because I usually just take care of things for you if you forget. Your teacher told me that you don't push your chair in very often, and you leave sweatshirts on the carpet quite often. Those same things happen at home so we're working on them. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree with this...I remember in 1st grade Sister Mary Brian hid my shoes from me for a whole day because I kept forgetting to put them on my chair when I left for the day! We also are working on you becoming a little bit less of a messy eater. No matter what we're having for dinner...part of it ends up on your shirt/pants every.single.day.

You have moved up to the second court in tennis so I am no longer your teacher. You're doing great and you love going to tennis. You played basketball this winter at the Y and it went pretty well. It was a little unorganized, but you had a smile on your face the entire time and even scored a basket on the last night! We were so proud of the fact that you were one of the only kids there who passed the ball to others. You are a really fast runner...I have a hard time catching you when we play tag. Balloon volleyball in the basement is a favorite of yours right now along with playing games and cards (war) and of course legos.

Your daddy loves to point out that you're a lot like me (ultra sensitive, know everyone's name, remember silly things, wicked backhand:) but you inherited a lot of your dad's good qualities (and looks:) as well. We love you so much and although we can't believe you're six years old already, we are excited to see what the future holds for you! Happy Birthday Lovie!

Love,
Mommy

March 3rd, 2007


March 3rd, 2008


March 3rd, 2009


March 3rd, 2010


March 3rd, 2011


March 3rd, 2012


March 3rd, 2013

Disney World 2013

We just got back from one of the best weeks of my life! We spent 5 days in Orlando and did everything "Disney" that we could possibly fit in! This sounds very cliche, but that place is seriously the "happiest place on earth." I'm going to do my best to recap the week without making it 4 pages long!

We flew out of Madison last Saturday and had a direct flight into Orlando. It was the first airplane ride for both Max and Mya. This would have been exciting enough! They did great on the flight and we even caught the Magic Kingdom fireworks as we flew into Orlando!



Sunday we woke up bright and early and headed out to Animal Kingdom. We had very specific plans for each day and although it makes for a lot of work in the planning stages, it was totally worth it. We went on the safari ride first and it was unbelievable. Every single animal was out and a rhino was only a few feet from our safari truck! After that, I took the kids on some kid rides while Chris did Everest. Later in the day Max decided he wanted to do Everest as well, but it was probably a mistake because it was the last roller coaster of the week for him! nothing like starting him off with the best! We saw two shows at Animal Kingdom (Finding Nemo and Lion King) and both were absolutely spectacular. We saw a few characters along the way too!



Sunday afternoon we left Animal Kingdom and headed to Epcot. We were only there a short time, but it was very memorable. We did a couple of kids things first. We rode a Nemo ride and then did Turtle Talk with Crush. It was one of the neatest things we did all week. Crush (the old turtle from Nemo) talked interactively with the kids and taught them how to "speak turtle". It was amazing and the kids loved it. After that we headed over to Norway for the princess dinner. We ate dinner with Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Snow White and Cinderella. At one point Chris was putting food in Mya's mouth because all she wanted to do was look around at the beautiful princesses. This was one of the most expensive meals we've ever eaten, but worth every penny. Mya was in heaven. After the princess dinner, we met up some some friends from Dubuque and rode a ride with them before heading back to our room. I don't think I have ever felt more exhausted than I did that night when I laid down in my bed!




Monday morning we got up and headed to Hollywood Studios. Chris and Mya headed right to Toy Story Mania (the feature ride at Hollywood Studios that has a wait time of over an hour most of the day) while Max and I went and signed him up for the Jedi Training Academy. Max got to go up on stage and battle with Darth Vader....it was a little scary for him, but one of the highlights of our entire trip. Also at HS, we got to see a couple of shows...Disney Junior Live on Stage and Beauty and the Beast. Both were so good. We ate lunch with Special Agent Oso, Jake (from the neverland pirates) and Handy Manny. We headed back to the resort for a couple hours of swimming and then went back at night for the Fantasmic show which we all loved.



We decided to save the best for last and went to the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday. The skies were not looking good, but we had our hearts set on making the most of it, and that we did. We stayed through rain and eventually the skies cleared and it was a beautiful late afternoon/evening. Because of our strategic plan, we got on every single ride we wanted to and most we did in the first 2 hours! We took advantage of the fast pass system and waited in line for 15 minutes at the most all day long. We did Winnie the Pooh, teacups, Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo, Little Mermaid, Buzz Lightyear, Race Cars, Aladdin's carpet ride, Jungle Cruise, Mickey's Philharmagic, Country Bear Jamboree, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Barnstormer, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. we met White Rabbit (from Alice in Wonderland), Aladdin and Jasmine, Rapunzel, Woody and Mickey at the Magic Kingdom.



Quick side story about the Big Thunder Mountain RR....Mya was dying to go on a roller coaster, but she was too short for most. I saw a couple of kids on this ride that looked about her size so Chris decided to give it a try. She (without us telling her) stood on her tippy toes at the entrance and they let her in! Once on the ride, Chris told her to put her arms up. She said, "the whole time?" and Chris said yes. So...she did! The little dare devil put her hands up on one of the biggest roller coasters at Disney World! We cannot wait to go back and do some of the other rides with her when she's over 40" tall!



One of our favorite parts of the day was the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it! Parade. The characters came down Main Street on floats and ended up getting off of their floats and dancing in the streets with the kids. It was at the perfect time because we were starting to fade and it gave us an extra burst of energy to get through the rest of the day! After the parade we headed into the castle to the Bibbity Boppity Boutique so Mya could get transformed into a princess and Max into a knight. It was another major highlight of the trip. The kids were in heaven and Chris and I were smiling ear to ear.





After the boutique, we watched the electrical parade and then the fireworks show from Main Street. This day was one of the best days of my life...seeing the magic through the kids' eyes brought tears to my eyes several times throughout the day. It was awesome. We can't wait to go back in a couple of years when Ivy is a little bigger!

We have a few people to thank for making this trip such a great one. Some good friends of ours in Decorah...the Mahers, have been to Disney several times and they let us use their Disney Points to stay at the resort and they upgraded us to a room with a full kitchen and washer/dryer (which we loved and took full advantage of). They also took the time to make our plan with us so that we could take full advantage of each park. Chris's brother Jeff stayed at our house with Chloe and my sister and parents took care of Ivy so we could enjoy this time with Max and Mya. We are so glad we took our kids when they were these ages...they may not remember every detail, but taking them at a time when they truly believe in the magic was worth every penny. We will for sure be repeat customers to this place!

Extended family pictures

Last November my parents arranged for some family pictures. I wanted to post them because I think they turned out great! My sister gets all the credit for the outfits. The last family picture we have, Mya and Olivia were 5 months old, so it was time for a new one! I wonder how many more people will be in the picture in 4 more years???!!?!



A high school friend of mine Auny Pole took the pictures. She takes pictures of my nieces a lot and does a great job!

Hawkeye/Gopher conflict

It's tough growing up with parents who are from two different states! Chris has been a gopher fan his whole life and I have been a Hawkeye. Being that we live in Iowa, Max sees a lot more "hawkeye" around him and all of his friends like the Hawks. I know things would be different if we lived in Minnesota, but I guess Chris is going to have to be okay with the fact that his boy likes the Hawkeyes better than the Gophers! Yesterday Chris, his brother Jeff and Max went to the basketball game in Iowa City. This is what they wore....



Max was pretty excited to come home and tell me that the Hawkeyes won the game! Chris said they had a lot of fun despite the loss, so that's the most important thing.

knives

These crazy allergies are not really something I hope to remember, but I wanted to write about our morning routine. The kids eat pretty much the same thing every morning. Max eats peanut butter and jelly toast, Mya eats a bagel with butter and Ivy eats either toast with jam or a bagel with butter. The tricky part these days is the use of knives! Depending on who wakes up first or wants to eat first, I can use 1-3 knives. Let me explain... If the order goes Ivy, Mya and then Max it's 1 knife. If it goes Mya, Ivy, Max, it's 2. If the order goes Max, Mya and then Ivy I have to use 3 knives! Soy butter for Ivy, regular butter for Mya and peanut butter for Max! Then I have to definitely use a different knife or spoon for the jam because I wouldn't want to get any peanut butter into the jam jar in case Mya ever wants something with jam! Crazy times....:) It would be hard to leave all three kids with someone who didn't understand these allergies because this is a lot to explain! Hopefully all of our careful label reading and utensil using will pay off and my girls will grow out of these allergies.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day to everyone we love! We hope you have a great day! Chris made pink blueberry muffins for breakfast this morning so that was fun and both kids are having a big Valentine party in their classrooms which they are so excited about. Max is giving each kid a hot wheel car (I'm "wheelie" into you) I asked him if he would like to give the girls in his class something different and he said no..Mya loves to play cars! I agreed, so even the girls are getting cars:) Mya spent hours on hers. She is giving everyone a baggie of pretzel goldfish with a note that says "I'm so glad you're in my 'school'!" I had to explain that one to her a few times:)



Enjoy a few pictures through the years!
2012

2011

2010

2009

notes

I love notes. I love leaving notes for people and getting the notes myself. In high school I was notorious for exchanging notes in the hallway between classes. I think I only got in "trouble" once when the teacher read my note out loud to the class. In fact, I still have a little container full of notes I saved from high school!

Chris leaves me notes in the morning every once in awhile before he goes to work, if he is out of town, I always find one on my pillow before I go to bed, and he'll leave them occasionally on the dash board in my van, which I love. However...of all the notes I've received in my lifetime...the best are the ones Max is writing these days. This one is written to Chris and I.



(Translation: Mom and Dad--I love you when you be there. I love you every day you be there every day. You always be there for me. When I want someone to play with me when I am hurt you always be there for me!)

Clearly he needs a little bit of work putting space between each word, but it's pretty darn good in my biased opinion. He even got the exclamation point right at the end:) Love that little guy.

4 and a half!

A few weeks ago Mya had her half birthday! They celebrated at school and she was pretty excited about not being 4 anymore...the big jump to 4 1/2 is pretty cool! She is still asking (almost daily) when she will be 5 though and with Max's birthday coming up, I'm sure the number of times will only go up. Here's a little update on what she has been up to.

We decided right before Christmas that we're going to send her to kindergarten next year. It was not an easy decision at all. All signs were pointing to her going. (except my gut...) I think I just really wanted her home one more year. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that she is definitely ready and keeping her back might actually be a bad thing. She goes to preschool 4 mornings a week and just recently she has been very mad on Friday mornings that she can't go to school. Plus another big thing was that there is really nothing in Dubuque for her to do next year that isn't something she has either done already, costs $500/month, or makes her take a nap while there. (she would kill me btw if I sent her somewhere that she had to take a nap. She hasn't napped regularly in a couple of years!) So....kindergarten it is! Thankfully we still have 6 months before she has to go.

She is really into playing with her dolls and her doll house lately. I laid out her babies (22 of them) the other day and asked her to pick a few that we could give away and the only one she picked was Chris's old cabbage patch from when he was little. Pretty much the only one we can't get rid of! Honestly she plays with almost all of them, so I guess I'll keep them around a little longer. (here she is watching her morning cartoons the other day holding her baby:)

She is becoming very independent...can bathe herself, wash her hair, get out of the tub and dressed in pj's, comb her hair and brush her teeth all by herself! (wish her big bro could do the same....:) I have totally resigned myself to the fact that she will probably never wear jeans. We don't really have fights anymore because I let her wear whatever she wants. I just took everything out of her drawers that I wouldn't want her to wear in public!

She is still a very good big sister and is constantly wanting to pick Ivy up, drag her around on a blanket, and go down the slide with her. She wants to get her out of her crib in the worst way, but isn't quite tall enough. She is becoming a good little tennis player and can hit a mean serve in our nightly family volleyball games in the basement. She is also way better than I care to admit at playing the Wii. I had no interest in video games growing up despite the fact that my brother asked me constantly to play with him. I'm glad it's something she and Max can do together...wish it wasn't a video game though! She is in swimming lessons right now and is starting at a new gymnastics place in March. We are working on her not getting us up at night, not twirling her hair, not putting her hair in her mouth and not tattling! That's Mya in a nut shell right now! Wish we could freeze time right.about.now.