Torn...

Turner captured it best the other day when she was told it was time for her to "move up" in gymnastics to the 5-6 year old class.

She was elated at first: "Mommy, I'm moving up!!!"

This was quickly followed by tears and..."Mommy, I'm sad. I love Miss Rose. I love my class. What if I can't do all the new stuff? What if I don't like my new teacher?"

I FEEL it today. I am so torn. Torn between joy and sadness. Torn between the comfort of the past and the hope of the future.

You see, I registered my firstborn baby girl for Kindergarten today. I never thought I'd get all mushy and sentimental about Kindergarten. But, alas, I AM!

And as cliche as it all is, it seems like a blink since she was in my arms for the first time. And now she's on the verge of entering public school and learning to read and ride the bus and spend more hours in her day AWAY from me than with me. Yikes.

I am excited for her. She is ready. She is prepared. And as for me, I plan to pray big prayers, sit back, encourage her, and watch her blossom into the amazing girl God has created her to be!

Watch out, PEEPLES ELEMENTARY!

Pick up Sticks!

I put the kiddos to work yesterday! It was ingenious (if I don't say so myself)! I had them help me collect all the sticks and branches from our beds, and after an hour, we had the yard cleaned up! Check out our pile!

Diversified!

You know what I love, love, love about my sweet little Parker?

He is just at home with a Barbie in his hand, as he is holding a Tonka truck! This kid has real promise, when it comes to being good husband/father material someday.

Turner had a couple girls from her class over the other day, and they were in the hall playing Barbies. I overheard one of the little girls tell Parker he could play, too. So...next thing I know, they are all in a circle, holding Barbies and singing about snow. And Parker...he was RIGHT there with them!

Then, after music class yesterday (see, I am working on a REAL Renaissance man!), there was a group of guys playing basketball in the rec department gym. Parker peeked in, and then would NOT leave. I kept urging him to go, and he said, "No, Mommy. Watch basketball." So, for 15 minutes, we stood watching the game, with Parker cheering the guys on. He was completely engaged. At the end, all the men (who had gotten a kick out of their sole spectator), gave him high fives. His day was MADE. ...Not to mention that his father is thrilled at the prospect of a sports junkie companion.

I love you, little man! :)

Ice Storm Fun

Ice Angel

Sledding!

We had a huge ice/snow storm in Atlanta this week! Daddy was sick (boo!), but the kids and I were able to have some fun, improvising with our wave board on the ice!

Disney!

Our Ferry to the Magic Kingdom

Mickey's Philharmagic!

Woody and Jessie!

Minnie's House

We decided – kind of last minute for us – to go to Disney after the new year! We had been dreaming about doing it for over a year, and we finally decided the time had come. The price and crowds were right, so we did it!

It was a fabulous family trip. We left on New Year’s Day and drove to Gainesville. It was really fun to take the kids to see the UF Stadium and let them sit on the alligator outside. Now when they watch “Go Gators,” they’ll know where it is!

We spent the night on Thomas’ Marriott points and then got up and drove the rest of the way to Orlando on Sunday. The kids had a blast playing “elevator” with our room’s sliding closet door and loved being in an “apartment,” as Turner called it.

Sunday was the nicest day! We did not have any plans to go to the parks until Monday, so we were able to swim at the hotel (Wilderness Lodge) and walk around Downtown Disney that afternoon and evening. We ate supper at the Rainforest Café, which was such a fun experience for us all!

Turner loved the resort games – the hotel was a big part of her fun! Parker loved everything. He kept saying, “Mama, where we goin’?” When I would answer with our next thing, he’d say, “OHHHH… Yay!”

Monday, we hit the Magic Kingdom. We had a boat that went from our hotel straight to the entrance of the park. It was both fun and convenient! We were there for the park opening, which is really neat and sets the tone for the day! Both kids LOVED it! The whole day was magical and fun, and we had planned out our “route” the night before, which really paid off…we barely waited in one line all day!

The super highlights for the kids were: Peter Pan (Turner), Thunder Mountain roller coaster (Turner went FOUR times!), Aladdin’s magical carpet, Dumbo (Parker’s all-time favorite! He kept saying, “Ride elephant???”), the railroad (Again, Parker LOVED this! He would explain to me every time the whistle blew and bell rang and what the “conductor” was doing!).

We were able to do all these things and more several times over Monday and Tuesday. We ate at the House of Blues on Monday night and went back to the park for the night parade. We had a great spot on Main Street, and the kids loved every minute of it! Turner got sneezed on by Sneezy (the dwarf), which she thought was pretty funny!

Tuesday, we started our morning on a few rides and then were scheduled to have breakfast at Cinderella’s castle with Cinderella and several other princesses! This was really cool. Turner dressed up for it, and Thomas and I got a kick out of the fact that she chose a “Princess and the Pauper” dress and a non-matching shawl from a snowflake dress she has. She thought she was beautiful (and she really was!) and that was all that mattered! Several of the princesses remarked that her dress was “unique!” It was just as unique as its wearer!

The breakfast was neat, and Ariel, Snow White, Belle and Sleeping Beauty came up to our table and met Turner and Parker and took pictures. We thought of a question to ask each princess, and we had fun with that! (We asked Belle if she was scared to dance with a beast, Ariel which she liked best: her legs or her fins, Snow White how it felt to sleep so long, etc.)

We spent the rest of Tuesday on the “Turner plan,” re-riding the things she and Parker liked best. Our whole family took a two hour nap Tuesday afternoon, so we could return to the park… and THEN hit the hot tub in the dark, PAST bedtime (a HUGE novelty!).

Wednesday morning, we checked out of the hotel and headed to Animal Kingdom. It was a good morning, but it was much more crowded. Other than a couple shows and the African safari, we were honestly underwhelmed.

All in all, it was a very fun, very magical and very memorable trip. I am so thankful we were able to go, and I will treasure our time there forever!

New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve was super fun this year, at our second annual celebration with the Kuehn family!

We had a blast with Thomas’ HUGE sparklers, sparkling grape juice, ice cream sundaes and a PJ party for the kids…and delicious Wisconsin steaks and champagne for the adults!

We close 2010 filled with gratitude for all of God’s amazing blessings, including a sweet family, great friends, good health, a wonderful job and lots of hope for the future! We look forward to seeing what God’s plans are for our family in the new year!

A Late Christmas Gift

We had a late Christmas gift this year, when Miss Erin called to say she was coming to visit the week after Christmas! We were so happy to see her and spend time with her. It didn’t take long for Parker to make her “his,” too! (The kid knows a good thing when he sees it!).

Aside from the return of Miss Erin’s awesome stories on Turner’s back, a charades marathon and a fun family movie night, we all went bowling for the first time (the kids’ first time, that is). Parker WON. And I brought up the rear. Boo! In spite of how bad I bowled, we all had a blast, and Parker loved carrying the ball and rolling it in his “special shoes.”