Constant Beginnings

The weekend before school dismissed, we hit the playground for a picnic and playtime. The kids had a blast. Claire is our climber. She loves to go to the Rock Wall and climb. Now that Chris was trained with the ropes and harness, she can do it as much as she wants. The girl is definitely our child. I have no fear of heights and clearly, neither does she. 

Occasionally, I try to do fun things for the girls' classmates and friends. These are the end of the year gifts for their friends. I think they turned out really cute and they were super easy!

We went to dinner with our besties on Wednesday evening, leaving the girls at their house. While we were out, their dog, Peanut took a bite on Mya's face. Apparently, Mya was sitting on Peanut's pillow and I can only assume, bothering him. He most likely became annoyed and responded the only way he knew how. It just so happened they were eye level with each other. We cleaned it up, bandaged it and went home. As we drove home, I began to wonder if we should bring her into the ER. The bite wasn't that bad, but there was one spot that was a bit deeper than the rest. It was about the length of a fingernail. I wondered about the possibility of having that glued. I emailed my Mom and sister Lisa who supported the ER visit, so off Mya and I went. It was 8:30 pm. Mya hates doctors, etc. Not sure why. She has been pretty fortunate to have loving ones, but I suppose it is rather scary. Anyway, she cried. We made it to the ER, checked in, met with the triage nurses, sat in the waiti...

One of the best and most kind thing someone has ever done for us was the welcome basket we received when we arrived to Germany. Seriously. That sucker was jam packed full of survival necessities, snacks, a few activities for our kids, local newspapers and things that made our first few days of coping with jetlag and adjusting to life overseas so much easier. Sponsoring incoming airmen and their families is a big thing. Some are great at it and others are well, not so much. Chris and I happen to be pretty darn good (if I do say so myself). Our newest family arrived today, but the groundwork had been laid months before. Chris communicated via email, sharing details about work, some of our experiences and attempted to answer some of their questions. I pretty much took over shortly thereafter, offering my thoughts/suggestions about where to live, what to expect, etc. We put the icing on the welcome cake this weekend when we shopped 'til we dropped to ...

Claire and Mya finished their first semester of ballet at an actual ballet studio. Their previous experiences were both on-base, which are nothing like the "real deal." Being enrolled in a more focused studio had its pluses and minuses. They completed the season with a Disney Showcase, performing all songs from various Disney movies. It was very cute. The girls performed "Arpeggio" from Aristocats. The kicker is that they not only attended their one day per week class, but the week of the performance they practiced Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Friday's practice was a dress rehearsal which lasted from 3:00 until 6:00 with the actual performance at 7:00. I thought it was far too much for preschool children. Claire was pretty patient and focused, but Mya was ready to run after about 2 hours of sitting. I don't blame her. It was too much.  Watching the ballerinas perform while they wait their turn. Claire, Peyton (Mya's friend from presch...

I wanted to share a deal I just came across. Vistaprint is offering 140 labels for $5.00 and FREE shipping! They have over 300 designs to choose from and the labels are customizable. I have to label Mya's snacks/lunch each day, so I ordered labels with only her name on them. Super easy for her to put labels on all by herself! I also ordered a basic address label for our Christmas cards and an additional design with simply our last name on them. It seems with our kiddos and their activities, we are constantly writing their names on things. These labels are the perfect solution to maintain my sanity. The price and free shipping simply seal the deal! Here's the link so you too, can take advantage. http://vistaprint.tellapal.com/a/clk/51n3GG The deal ends Friday--June 14th!

Dearest Claire, Wow, 180 or so school days have passed and I am once again at this tear filled place as I drop you off for your LAST day of kindergarten. You have surpassed our expectations and conquered kindergarten. I think it is accurate to say that you have enjoyed each and every minute of this experience and truly look forward to resuming school in the fall. You started the year in Landstuhl with Ms. Lee. She was a wonderfully loving teacher who obviously knew what a gem you were. She started you on chapter books after having you in class for three days and opened my eyes to the success you would experience. I was sad that you had to leave her class as we transferred you to Ramstein, but looked forward to our ride together each morning. I anticipated seeing you walking in line with your friends, offering a quick hug or high five as we passed in the hallway and dropping into your classroom to enjoy the special activities. What a wonderful year it has been! Ms. Asher has been ...