Ok, well it has been a long long time since I have blogged. It is not because I haven’t wanted to or because I thought it was not worth while, but mostly just because our life has been what seems like controlled chaos for the last 24 months! It still feels that way, but I just keep thinking that I need to write some of these sweet things down that we are enjoying with our family right now. So, here goes…
This last year has been an incredibly busy and wild year for us. Zane started and completed 1st grade. He loved 1st grade and did really well. His teacher’s only complaint about him was that his handwriting was terribly messy! And that he would rush to get all his work done so he could do what he wanted! He has really gotten to be a great reader and is now reading chapter books. I have no idea what level he is reading at but he seems to be doing just fine in that. If you ask him though he would say math is his favorite subject! 
It was fun to hear about Zane’s friends throughout the year. Travis and I took Tate and the girls on Zane’s end of the year fieldtrip to the zoo in Sioux Falls. It was a treat for us to meet Zane’s friends and watch him play with his buddies. I am happy he has made some really nice friends in first grade. He is still a wonderful big brother to Tater and the girls and its so fun to have him home this summer. He is kind and thoughtful and really great with the girls. He and Tate have spent about 8 hrs a day outside since summer started. This was his 3rd year of swimming lessons and he passed with flying colors and when given the choice for another activity to do this summer, he decided to a basketball camp. He loved it and really worked hard to learn as much as he could during the camp. It was very fun to watch him improve! Zane’s latest kick is earning money. He has a list of things he “needs’ to buy! His latest venture to earn money is helping with laundry. He is consistent, thorough and on his game. He has been such a great helper and Travis and I have had a wonderful time just enjoying spending extra time with him this summer. Bike rides and trips to the swimming pool are some of his most favorite things this summer!
Tate is still our wild and crazy Tater. He is a monkey always climbing and jumping off things. His newest thing is to climb our six foot privacy fence to chat with our neighbors and wave at them. Sometimes its to apologize for throwing weeds, rocks and articles of clothing over the fence. But mostly its just to ‘chat’. He is such a sweet little man and I seriously cannot think of a day of his life that he hasn’t made me laugh. He is still full of hundreds of wonderful ideas. Well, they are wonderful to him…Travis and I would beg to differ. But, he keeps our household hopping and he is usually the one at the pool who finds his friends from preschool to swim and play with. He is social and friendly and people really are drawn to him. I love that about him. He has become the dog whisperer at our house. We still have Lady (she’s a Llewellin setter) and this past Christmas we got Leia (as in princess Leia of Star Wars) who is a pug-zu (1/2 pug, 1/2 shih-tzu). As far as Tate is concerned, that dog is HIS dog. She is often sitting on Tate’s lap as he is watching tv or during rest time she’ll lay in bed with him. He’s always got special plans for Leia. I hope she lives through all of his ‘fun’ ideas and experiments. Tonight he was making a pet jail our of blankets and pillows for her in his room. But ultimately he is really sweet with her and lets her and Lady outside with very few complaints, if ever. He loves animals and I dread the day that something happens to one of his pets. Anyways, Tate did a 3rd year of preschool this year. He did wonderful at preschool. His teachers stopped me one day after class and told me that they had to tell me a story. Of course, right away I thought maybe it was a problem story about Tate they had to share, but instead I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that they said during circle time (story/music/calendar time with the whole class) Tate stood up and said he HAD to tell everyone about Turtles because, “I know a lot about turtles”. And she said he went on and on explaining how you can the difference between turtles, what they are called, etc. And his teachers thought the best part was that all of his classmates turned their attention to him and just sat and listened to him the whole time he was talking!!! Aww..that was such a fun story for me to hear. They told me another story about him being sweet to a little guy in the class who was having a rough day on a different day. It warms my heart to hear such positive things about our little man at school. In June, Tate turned 6 and is more than ready for Kindergarten in August. I just hope his teacher is ready for him! lol!! He has grown a lot the last few years and is really mellowed out a lot. I loved having an extra year with him at home this year and have been enjoying the summer with him. I am not looking forward to sending him to Kindergarten in the fall, but I know he’s ready, so that makes it easier. Well, a little easier anyways!
The girls are growing up so much. 
Travis keeps making comments about how sad he is that they are getting so big. I guess there is a part of me that’s sad, but mostly I have been enjoying their new found independence (and mine too!) and all that comes with having toddlers vs. babies. If I had only had one baby for my last, I would probably be much more sad about the whole thing. But having two walking/independent toddlers is so much fun and it has allowed us to do so much more this spring and summer! With the girls growing and changing, their personalities have become so much more distinct which is so much fun.
Nadia is sweet and funny and wild and crazy. (She might have a little bit of Tate’s blood flowing through her veins!) She is so sweet. She loves me and Travis, but mostly me. Lol. I am kidding about that, but she would prefer that I do EVERYTHING for her if she could. When Travis says he’s putting her and Kinzey to bed, she cries. She can always be found near me. Kinzey and the boys will be playing outside or on the front porch and 99% of the time, Nadia will be wherever Travis and I are. I love that Travis says she reminds him of me. His actual definition of her is me on drugs! ha! Although she is a bit leary of strangers, she is in love with her family and familiar people. She talks a blue streak and is constantly talking to herself and singing. She LOVES to sing and can sing a couple dozen songs word for word by herself. She knows all her colors, can count to 15 or something and can recognize several letters. How she learned all that, I am not sure. But I am guessing its from Team Umizoomi, Dora, Sesame Street, Barney or some other of her ‘favorite’ shows. She still thinks she is older than Kinzey and sometimes acts like I don’t know what I am doing. Ha! My mom said several months ago something that was such a wonderful description of Nadia: She is so bossy and controlling, but somehow because she is so sweet about it, you don’t even realize how much she is bossing you around! That is soooo true. She definitely has a stong personality and yet is such a people person and is the happiest when we are all home together. She and Kinzey are becoming the best of friends, but can still set each other off in a split second. I am sure that will continue for a really long time!! Nadia is a very funny and whitty little girl and I can only imagine the stories that will follow as her personality continues to develop!!
Kinzey is such a funny and sweet little girl. Travis and I have enjoyed getting to know her personality better every day. She has such a great sense of humor and loves to laugh. She is ALL about her brothers and making sure she doesn’t miss out on ANY thing they get to do. Justice is very important to 2 yr old twins who are the babies of the family. That is something I have learned and learned well over the last year or so. Kinzey is talking so much now and loves to sing and play games. She is the reading queen and would read books all day every day if given the chance. She is her Daddy’s girl. Everything we do that Travis can’t do, her response, “Next time, Daddy will…… with me.” And her most famous line is, “I Daddy’s girl, Sissy your girl.” ha! To say she is her Daddy’s girl is an understatement. I often see her sitting in Travis’ recliner with him watching tv or reading books. All cozied in by her Daddy is probably her favorite place to be. It’s precious and sweet and warms my heart every time I hear her say something about Travis or watching her with him. She can say Nadia, but always calls Nadia, Sissy. It’s so sweet. One other thing that I love about Kinzey is that she LOVES her food!!! I can often hear her saying, Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm as she is eating. And she can eat! She keeps up with the boys in that for sure. One other really funny (usually) thing that she says is whenever she makes a mess or wets her pants, her immediate response is: Ohh its ok, Mommy. I not mean to! That statement is so precious and sweet, but sometimes it is enough to make me blow steam out of my ears like when its her 10th change of clothes for the day or the third roll of toilet paper that I find in the toilet for the day. But overall, she is just such a sweet and precious little girl who lights up our lives every single day!
As a family we have been keeping busy this summer. We got a pool membership and have used that every single sunny day that we could this summer. I have been enjoying not taking classes and enjoying my freedom with the kids. We have a few long weekends and short trips planned later this summer. Travis has been busy working and taking guitar lessons. We are both just trying to enjoy this fun time with our sweet children. I will update more about happenings in our lives. I am sad that I took such a long break from blogging, but am happy to be back on the bandwagon!
