Yes, I realize...

It has been months since my last post. My bad. At least I now have a lot to talk about. Kailey started kindergarten and she loves it. She earned a character award in the first month and she's doing a great job reading. She also took Tae Kwon Do for awhile. On a sad note, she decided to take a break from gymnastics.

Jayden played basketball this fall and had a great time. He is our personality, constantly making us laugh. About a month ago, Jayden grabbed Kailey's old bike (with no training wheels) and walked it halfway down the driveway. Then he got on, coasted down the rest of the way, rode the bike down the street, turned around and rode it back. He then nonchalantly dumped the bike in the front yard and went to play with the girls next door. That was our experience with him riding for the first time without training wheels.

Kris and I are staying busy ourselves with work, kids, and everything else we sign up to do. We joined the local crossfit gym and I love it! Kris hasn't been to the gym yet because he has a torn labrium (hip). Bummer for him.

Jasper (the dog) is growing quickly. He is 10 months old and weighs over 75 pounds. He's a great dog and fits into the family very well. Other than trying to get too much attention at times, and the pine tree that he ate, he is no problem at all. Thanks for waiting and reading. Until next time...

I did it

again! I forgot I had a blog to write. Let me catch you up...
Spring has finally sprung in Nixa. We saw our fair share of rain and felt our fair share of cold weather in April and May, so the warm sun of the past few days is a welcome guest. The bad news first: a recent storm blew some shingles off our roof and we discovered (upon inspection by our insurace company) we need a whole new roof and new siding in the back. Ugh! The good news is we caught it before there was any damage to the structure or interior. In other construction news, Kris and a friend have been busy the past 2 days building a fence for the backyard. An added bonus will be my hammock posts. WhooHoo!

We've been busy with soccer, swimming, gymnastics, school, and work. We also managed to attend a rainy Springfield Cardinals game to honor the Marines before they deploy. The next day, Kris and Jayden drove the firetruck in the procession to send the local Marines off to California in preparation for deployment in the Middle East. On Mother's Day, we attended the Branson Air Show with the Schimans - it was a blast! We've done "bubbles before breakfast", birthday parties, Sucker Day parade (it's a fish and a Nixa holiday), cruise-ins, outdoor fun, and graduations.

Our most important graduation was tonight. Kailey graduated from preschool in a "Moving Up" ceremony. It was very nice - the kids sang 4 songs for us and each kid walked across the stage and accepted a certificate. Kailey's teachers are so sad she is leaving and made us promise we would bring her by to visit. xo

Here I go!

Supercross and a horse-drawn carriage ride...

Two days in a row of blogging - weehoo! At this rate, I'll have you caught up in no more than a month. xo

Almost two months

since I've written?! Yikes! Thanks to Ren for reminding me I took on this responsibility. Now I will catch you up on our lives since March 7: St. Patty's Day, Shrine Circus, Branson, spring break, St. Louis, Supercross, City Museum, St. Louis Zoo, Three Doors Down concert, finally some sun, Marine Corps family day, a growing puppy (30 pounds now), growing kids, a new KTM 50 cc, Tony Roi's Elvis Experience, The Haygoods, Cassandre Voice of an Angel, Springfield Cardinals babseball, tea party at the Titanic museum, "a day in K" kindergarten orientation, still no fence, swim lessons, gymnastics, soccer, 13.5 school days left. Whew! It's been a jam-packed-full-of-fun couple months. I'll spend the next few days posting some pictures to document our experiences. xo

Our week without Kris

is almost over. He is actually in town, but can't come home until tomorrow am. He spent the week at Ft. Chaffee playing with guns and grenades, and I spent the week chasing kids and dog.

Jasper is fitting into the family nicely. He knows to go potty outside with the occasional accident, and he knows what SIT means at least 50% of the time. The best news is he now sleeps for 7-8 hours at night...yahoo!

The flu is going around right now and it landed at the babysitter's house, so I stayed home most of the week with the kids. Aunt Brenda also stayed for 2 days to help out (she is a lifesaver) and we all enjoyed her visit.

The weather was beautiful this week!! I'm talking 60's, 70's, and sunny. What a relief from the winter blues. Kailey earned a ribbon in gymnastics this week for mastering her back walkover! We were very excited, but wish Kris could've been here to see it.

Jayden and Jasper are already asleep, Kailey's watching tv, and the rain is moving in, so I'm going to spring forward and go to bed. Night!

We broke down

and bought a dog! He's a 6-week old black lab and his name is Jasper Forrest Tate. For those of you who are muttering about my Twilight obsession...although that has something to do with it, Jasper is also the county in which Kris and I got married. All together now: "Awww."

Anyway, so far he's a pretty good dog and seems to be picking up the potty thing fairly quickly. The kids love him and it's hilarious to watch him chase them around the house. Heehee...they are exercising each other. I am so smart!

In other news, we have been so busy lately! Spring break is coming March 21 and I can't wait. We'll be spending the weekend in St. Louis: Supercross, Zoo, City Museum. FUN! Until next time (I promise it won't be a month)...

Yes, I totally forgot

about my blog. Oops. The holidays sped by like an Indy car, but it was great. We enjoyed a plethora of family time and activities. We did not have a 'White Christmas' (much to Kris's dismay and my relief), but we did have a few 60 degree+sunny days to enjoy outdoor activities. Kailey and Jayden went ice skating for the first time, as did Kris. Kailey hated it at first ("I so don't like this, Mom!"), but by the end of the day, she was speeding around the rink with me and asking if she could take lessons. Jayden wasn't a fan, but he was a good sport.

I went back to school on January 5 and Kailey started school on January 6. She is a peer tutor for a couple little girls who have down syndrome (and 3 boys) at the school. She loves it and her teacher says she is doing a great job. Jayden fluctuates between being sad and distraught that he can't go to school too; however, I think he's enjoying the alone time with dad for a few hours every morning. I'm definitely not ready to have both kids in school! Now that I remembered the blog, I will return soon. Until next time...