Malmstrom Memories - malmstrommemories

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Ada playing in the sand at Virginia Beach, March 2010

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Cooper playing on a viking ship, Virginia Beach

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Ada in the sand

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Cooper and Grammy on the monkey bars

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People watching

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Watching the waves

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Making sandcastles

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Down the slide

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Going again!

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Showing off the his shovel!

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Ada preparing to climb the sandhill

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Cooper on the sandhill

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Back down the hill...

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The kids had so much fun, even though our trip was brief :(

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Soaking up some rays!

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A still moment...

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Trying to wrangle Ada for a picture, with out success.

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Cooper and Ada bouncing at Juleah Somer's 2nd birthday party

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Our silly boy!

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The birthday girl!

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Blowing bubbles was the highlight of the day!

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Ada playing in the bubbles

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On a mission...

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Juleah showing Ada the ropes!

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And now Taylor is showing Ada how to blow the perfect bubble

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Maggie and me- she doesn't even look pregnant!

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Juju picking out her cupcake!

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And Cooper picking his...

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Ada watching on...

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The happy family, including Grandpa!

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Juleah and her frosting goatee

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Opening presents

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Ada playing with Taylor

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Matt and Ada. She is a daddy's girl :)

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Cooper wrestling with Elmo

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He is SO big!

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Tammy and Michael watching on...

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Blowing more bubbles...by the time we left Ada was drenched in soap!

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Best friends :)

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Juleah's birthday bounce house present was a hit!

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Sweet Juju :)

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Wrestling with big brother!

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Sweet Taylor :)

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Ada was having so much fun!

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Our BIG girl- so cute! I am happy for the kids to wear their cute summer clothes!

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Pretty girl!

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Daddy and A

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Cooper, Easter 2010, learning how to hula hoop

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On the hunt for Easter eggs...

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Ada found one!

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And so did Cooper! :)

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Searching with Matt...

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Taylor was the birthday girl!

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Tammy and Juleah looking at their treasures.

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Taylor is on the hunt too!

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Juleah was like a fisherman- she would throw back what she didn't want :)

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The hunt was a success!

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The birthday girl, Taylor Ryan!

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Getting the kids ready for school.  It was pajama day!

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Always posing- she knows how to put her hands to her head and SMILE!

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Cooper and Matt at the Shrine Circus.

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Checking out the cotton candy.  Cooper had never seen it or tried it before the circus!

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Cotton Candy beard!

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Eating Breakfast- a quiet morning while big brother was still sleeping.

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Watching Noggin and waiting to go to school.  It was the Spring party (Easter) day!

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Ada playing with her moving ball.  When Matt picked her up later that afternoon, every item of clothing she had on was bagged seperately in plastic bags.  We were warned to open all bags with caution!

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With Matt at the hospital for the day, I decided to take the kids to the zoo.  I didn't realize that it was Bunnyville day, and what should have been an eight minute car ride turned into 40 minutes!  Once I was flagged into a parking spot, I still had to trek over Woodward Avenue (one of the busiest streets in the state!) and then wait in line to enter the zoo.  At that time I realized that Ada had lost a shoe somewhere in the madness!  Despite it all, we all had a great time! Love those bunny ears! :)

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Eating lunch with Cooper after the zoo, 4/11/2009.  He told me how much fun he had with me that day!  Talk about melting my heart!

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Getting up on all fours...but not quite crawling yet!

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Eating breakfast on Easter Morning.  She had her new musical seahorse in tow.

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Another beautiful day at the zoo.  Another great pose from Ada!

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Checking out the animals at Amphibiville. 

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Nesting Alligators.

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The aardvark pair.  They are hard to see; I always think they look like Afghan Hounds.

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Ada smiling in the Circle of Life exhibit.  Seals were swimming above our heads.

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Cooper and Matt in the Circle of Life exhibit.

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This is what "Say Cheese!" looks like when taken very literally!

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Touching the wall of ice before leaving Circle of Life.

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Ada working on her sitting- still using the Boppy for support.

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BEE MINE!  So happy!  Note that I also took pictures of Cooper the same day but they were all a blur; the boy didn't want to stand still and does NOT like to have his picture taken!

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Ada had her flu shot yesterday and today was "sensitive".  I called daycare to check on her and was advised that she was having a rough day.  I went to pick her up to take care of her and she is all smiles and laughs for mom... 

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Not looking sick or sad at all!

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Showing her toy lobster and sitting all by herself- it took only a few days to do so!

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Cooper hanging out in Ada's crib...one of the last times it was in one piece!

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Ada LOVES her big brother- she lights up anytime she sees him no matter what he is doing!

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Ada loving her Glow Worm.

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YUM!  Eating pasta primavera for lunch.

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Off to the library on a beautiful, COLD, sunny day!

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Ada and Jesse playing with lots of toys.

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Cooper's new pirate ship- it fires cannons, came with pirates and skeletons, a treasure chest, and the sails go up and down! 

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Ada playing with her shaker rattle.

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Happy happy girl!

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Cooper had to bring Gorilla Mountain into the mix also.  The figurines and pieces are interchangeable.

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Cooper stole Jesse's hat, and insisted on wearing it!  Here he is showing Jesse how to spin his top.

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Cooper does not like having his picture taken so he thought he could run away from me!

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Cooper showing Ada his sea turtle.  It is hard to wrangle the two for pictures.  Note that he LOVES wearing Ada's pink bracelet that came with her new purse.  I can't get it off of him!

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This is what happens when you ask a two and a half year old to hold his sister...

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Cooper's just doesn't want to smile at the camera.

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Ada, on the other hand, loves to pose and likes to hold her hands in her lap.

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Getting the kids ready to go to Gateway. 

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CHEESE!  We finally got Coop to smile! :)

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Matt and his sweet little mini-me's.  Look at all of that pale skin and reddish hair! They are all so CUTE!

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CHEESE again! 

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The only picture we could capture the children looking at the camera, sort of, before things went downhill.

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Cooper starting to freak out a bit...

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Moments before Cooper bolted, ran SUPER fast (according to him) and hid in Foot Locker.

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Christmas morning at our house, December 19, 2008.  It was a perfect white Christmas- nine inches of snow on the ground!

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Cooper opening up presents.  Note that his are wrapped in animal and pirate paper, per his request.

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Lots of puzzles!

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Ada and her new learning purse, courtesy of Cooper.  It came with a pink bracelet that we have to take off his arm before school in the morning or we would lose it!

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It's Gorilla Mountain!

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And the rescue boat...

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Aunt Kelly and the kiddos- Cooper, Stellan, and Ada.

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Cooper helping Ada open up her presents.

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Coop and his new "Aqua Man"

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Ada

Ada holding on to her tissue paper.

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Showing Papa his shark.

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Stocking time!

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Wearing the beautiful hat knitted by Aunt Amy.  The hat and mittens are perfect to wear on walks at daycare!

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Cooper and G-Gpa reading Diego!

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Getting Cooper dressed in his new K-State sweatshirt to go to the movies with Grampy and Grandma Neenee!

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Ada laughing and wearing her daddy's vintage stocking hat.

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Yeah!  New pajamas with fun feet!

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Christmas morning with Grammy and some new blocks!

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Cooper and more Gorilla Mountain gear!

We are finally getting used to our new home and new state.  Sorry I haven't been better about keeping pictures and journals updated.  Seriously, with all of the sickness that has been in and around 17 Wiltshire, it has taken a while to get up to speed!

 

I added Ada's birthday pictures- Coop's are on the camera and I will have to ask Matt where the camera cord is...but I will be sure to get them up as soon as possible.

 

Cooper is loving school.  Now if Matt and I can keep up the potty-training momentum that his preschool is providing we will be all set.  He loves to show us how he can go "standing up" and he loves to be a BIG BOY!

 

Ada is still our little peanut.  She started home day care three days a week yesterday.  She is going to the same home as Taylor Ryan, so it will be great fun for both girls.  We are so happy for her.

 

Matt is liking work, but somedays are LONG!  He is able to do a lot more procedures and will soon be able to read plain films with out having to be checked out by an attending physician!  Woo Hoo!  Bless his heart, he has scheduled "academic days" where he was told he can study, play golf, sleep in, whatever.  His first one was last Thursday and he forgot and ended up having to be on call in the reading room over lunch and didn't get home until 1 in the afternoon.  Next time I will be sure to remind him so we can have a day date! :)

 

We love being close to friends- it has truly made our transition so much easier.  Now if I can figure out how to get around here- nothing is laid out in a "grid pattern" like it was in Michigan.  Every street seems to intersect each other and they are all winding...as soon as I get it down we may be packing up again.

 

More updates to follow!  XO

Cooper has been keeping us on our toes! He is definitely showing his independence and Matt and I have been trying various techniques to get him to listen and communicate better.  I actually found a reward chart online last week and printed it off.  When Coop listens to us, says 'please and thank you', listens to his teacher and more he is rewarded with a sticker for his chart.  Just since we implemented this system, Cooper has been listening better and much more polite!  Hmm...but as I type I can hear him sneaking out of his room during nap time.  We will keep working....

 

Poor baby A!  A week after starting daycare, she came down with her first ear infection.  A week on antibiotics and we have our happy, sweet baby girl back.  She is getting so big- learning to sit for extended periods of time and holding her hands in her lap. 

 

Matt and I took advantage of Parents' Night Out at Gateway.  We took the kids back to school on Friday evening for three hours.  The kids all arrived in their pajamas, watched movies and ate snacks.  Cooper had so much fun!  Ada slept the whole time and I think was the easiest child to take care of that evening.  Matt and I went to Kona Grill and had such a good time. 

 

Matt and I have started really getting into house selling mode.  I spoke with our realtor this week and as soon as we are ready he can get our house listed within hours.  The biggest challenge now is the weather...with a foot of snow on the ground, people aren't looking at houses.  So if we list in February with snow on the ground and don't have a decent day until March, it will appear that something is wrong with the house because it will have been up for four to five weeks with out a buyer.  It is all about timing!!

 

The packing boxes have been ordered and Matt is investigating our best options to move to North Carolina.  Ada's room is in complete disarray as we are dealing with a crib recall.  She is now currently back in her pack-n-play until we can get her new crib.  We have been putting the kitchen in order and going through boxes in the basement.  I had forgotten how much beautiful crystal we had until we came across it in storage. We just haven't had a place to put it here!  It will be nice to be finally settled! 

 

Love to you all!

Allison

We made it through our first week at Gateway with both children!  It took a few days but by Wednesday Cooper would tell me each morning how excited he was to go to "Ms. Chris'" room.  Ms. Chris is his teacher and she loves to give Cooper lots of hugs and attention. 

 

Ada is also doing well- she has had a few emergency clothing changes, but from what we can tell, enjoying being around the new toys and kids.  She is also now eating three meals a day, including a full jar of vegetables every day at school.  Ada is starting to fill out and get her baby chub and more hair is coming in all the time.  I took her to the doctor for her six month check up on Monday and she now weighs 13 lbs, 8 oz.  This is back down to 10% weight but her length is 25% and the doctor says she is definitely still growing, but she is just petite!  I also had her get her first round of the flu shot- I thought especially since she was starting daycare this would be important.

 

Cooper's Christmas gift from Granpa and Gramma Jeannie did not make the trip back to Michigan.  It is a remote conrolled car that flips up the walls and keeps on going.  Everyone had lots of fun playing with it in their basement, especially Daddy (Granpa Mike) Mid-week a gift card arrived for Cooper to use on another car.  Cooper was really looking forward to getting another and it was to be a part of our weekend outing. 

 

Snow started falling Friday evening and a winter storm advisory was in effect until 7:00 pm the following evening.  I told Matt Saturday morning that if we were going to get out this weekend, we were going to GET OUT NOW!  By this point in time we had probably received five inches or so,  but we still bundled up the kiddos and braved the snow to get to Toys R Us and our weekly Target run.  (I swear we always run low on formula when it is freezing, raining or just plain nasty out!)

 

We were not able to get the remote control car, but Cooper found a cool pirate ship with his gift card.  The whole car ride home he kept saying "I'm so excited!!"  We were all looking forward to playing with the ship and all of the figurines.  I think Matt especially was having fun firing the cannons from the hull of the ship!

 

Cooper has learned to keep the small parts away from Ada, but he does allow her to play with (i.e.- gnaw on) the pirate figurines.  Ada is still a rolling machine and loves to sit on the floor with her toys.  She was sitting unassisted today for a few moments and you could see her using her core strength to keep herself upright.  She was so delighted with herself.

 

Our neighbors, Frank and Karen, both had work obligations this morning, so we had an opportunity to watch their newly turned one-year-old son Jesse for a few hours.  Matt jokingly said I could see what having three was like, but honestly it was a breeze.  Karen was filiming a segment for the local Fox morning show and we were all able to watch her on TV.  Very fun!

 

As for the house, I think we are going to tackle this beast one room at a time.  I am charging Matt with getting us the boxes and we are going to start putting things away and sealing them up, not to be opened until we arrive in North Carolina.  I still have high hopes we can get this home up in February- so cross your fingers for us.

 

As I write it is beginning to snow again...and we are looking forward to a week with highs in the low teens.  I am hoping you all stay warm this week.

 

Love to you,

Allison

Today was Ada's first day at Gateway.  What a preparation!  Five bottles and five jars of food, a cup of water and snack for Coop, two coats, two hats and four mittens, one set of boots and three back-up outfits later we were out the door! 

 

Cooper also moved up into the pre-school program.  He has always insisted he is a "big boy", but today, when I took him to the room that had four and five years old running around, I think he wished he was a little boy again.  His teachers are so wonderful- they took him under their wings, and had him help make ice cubes until he felt comfortable to run around with the older kids.  He also insists on wearing Ada's pink bracelet from her learning purse.  I let him keep it on today and reminded him that she is just down the hall if he gets scared.  That seemed to do the trick.

 

I then took Ada to her room.  I didn't want to hand her over but the teachers were so excited to finally see her out of her car seat that they were showering hugs and kisses on her as soon as she entered the room.  That made me feel a lot better, but I still got teary eyed as I leaned in to give her a hug and kiss and she put her arms out to me. 

 

We are blessed with such a beautiful family.  Hope you are all doing well and staying WARM!

 

Love to you- Allison

Yesterday Matt and I had the day off and had a wonderful day getting things done around the house, playing the Wii and doing some shopping.  We picked up Cooper after school and went to dinner.  Cooper had so much fun and ate all of his food.  We then came home and colored our new coloring books- one for each of us.

 

Cooper had spent the day in the "big kids" class and I swear that from just a few days in the new enviornment he is acting more mature, his vocabulary is increasing and he is becoming such a polite, FUN, little (make that BIG!) boy.  He has been sleeping in the past four days (thank you!) and now will get himself out of bed, open the door and come upstairs to wake us up!

 

Ada starts her first day at Gateway on Monday, January 5.  I am having some mixed feelings about her starting...these past six months have flown so fast and I will be sad to not have her around.  She has become a rolling machine and loves to play on ground with all of her new Christmas toys.

 

We plan on putting the house on the market as soon as possible.  We are now in our purging and clean up phase.  We have acquired so much STUFF in the past five years and are now trying to figure out what to do with it all.  We will keep you all posted on our progress.

 

XO- Allison

 

1/9/2009 7:54:19 PM - 002052754429
Great pix. We have some on our digital frame. Glad to hear aobut pre-school but seems like they are growing up. Lots of Love. Dad and Jeannie