Happy Birthday Warpdown19

Happy Birthday to me! So yeah not how i though the day would go. I had hoped to have the day off of work, get my hair done, do a fun supper with my kids and cake with my mom and maybe some friends too. My weekend was suppose to be off to see Wicked with friends and hoped to see my family too.  Then Covid-19 showed up and that all went out the door. ....

5 reason to be grateful:
1) All the wonderful Birthday wishes I got today
2) All the texts and phone calls I got
3) friends who bring you ice cream so our kids can trade pokemon and see another human face
4) Being able to see go out to the drive-thru and my kids eating my choice of restaurant.
5) Tax refunds :)

So yeah i woke up and didn't feel the greatest. I couldn't sleep as fears over the COVID-19 virus reaching my house and what would we do. Also the cold, windy and damp weather is kicking up all of allergens, along with being in my house that we have been deep cleaning stiring up dust, dander and such, so the slightest  sniffle, stuffy nose or drainage sends me into a panic.  I also had some pretty scary dreams on top of that, so waking up to function wasn't great. The kids though weren't going to let me escape the day. They came running in with gifts before i even made it out of bed. I love that my family makes sure that I send end up with a gift for my birthday even though my kiddos are not old enough to have their own income or go shopping on their own. To be honest, I wasn't expecting anything since my kids haven't been allowed in a store in the last three weeks.
We got our day started because the kids still had meetings for schools and school work to do. I also wanted to make sure some stuff was clean. I called my mom and mentioned that i would like to go to Burger King for lunch and needed to go to the bank to deposit a check. I thought maybe she would like to come along and we could do cake afterwards.
So Mom did come over and we went to get some lunch and left poor Grady home alone for the first time.  Good think i have a camera in the house.. i got to watch him and he did pretty much ok.  He had one accident and that was it. Of course having Cole here, helps too. 
We did cake and then mom headed home and the kids got to work on some school work/rest.  We decided  to get out and do a walk to burn of some of that study energy with the puppies.  When we got back to the house after chores and such, it was time to do birthday burpees with some of the members of my crossfit gym. One of the coach's also had a birthday today, so it was fun to all get together from our living rooms via Zoom.   After that little work out, i was ready to try to do the 400 meter walking lunges.. so yea that is from my garage to my garbage cans and back.  That was a lot harder then i thought it would be. Thankfully on the end of my walk, a friend called to say they wanted to bring us ice cream and let the kids do some pokemon trading...but we would keep our distance to 6 feet apart.
So like good wisconsin people, we sat outside in my garage, in the cold 35 degree weather and ate ice cream and the kids traded.. True friendship there. <3 p=""> The kids and i ended the night with just being lazy..which was ok with me.

Max is 8!

So I've fallen behind on the blog, but i wanted to make sure this post got done because it's important as it's like my children's life story.

Max is 8! I'll admit that I struggle with this age, as this was the same age Bella was when Josh passed away. Doesn't seem possible for Max to be that old. Max is really growing these days, in legs and arms. He's up to a size 7/8 for pants and shirts.  You like your light brown hair to be longer and your eyes are still the same color as your dad's.

You have wrapped up 1st grade. It was a challenge and there was a lot of stressful days, but you persevered and  I'm so proud of you. You started 2nd grade and already i can see how you are flourishing. You love science and math along with gym class. You are so creative when it comes to solving problems though you still only like to use Green and Yellow when you have to be an artist.  You were elected to Student council and enjoyed the leadership role.  Your favorite books are Dogman and any graphic novels.

This summer you fell in love with Pokemon. You love to Pokemon Go, collect the cards, play with the toys and watch the tv show. I haven't seen you this in love with something since you discovered John Deere Tractors! It cool to watch you figure out how to play the game or what each character will become. You have found some new friends who enjoy Pokemon too, and spread the obsession with friends too. It's something that all generations seems to be entertained with and helps you to be social with people you might not normally. 

While you can be so loving, caring, funny and friendly ..you also can be stubborn and moody. You get an idea in your head and need to have it happen right away or else. There are moments I see me and. your dad combined in the many emotions of you, Max.  You are my challenge to say the least, but you are still my shadow and don't want to be away from me for very long. I know someday that will change but right now, it's ok.
This past year, you went to two camps, Camp Grey and Camp Kesum. You did struggle a bit with Camp Keseum this year, but said you wanted to go back this fall when I had to sign up.  I love seeing you have fun with new friends and do activities that you might not get a chance too. I have worried about you being able to go out on you own because you always were with me and daddy when you were little, but watching you at Camp makes me know you will be ok.

We went to Dallas for spring break, our first solo trip of three. You had a good time even though you weren't feeling well. Thankfully it was jsut to the Great Wolf Lodge, so you could relax and rest.  We also went up to the Dells for your 8th Birthday. You were so excited to get a cake and balloons!
We had your first friends party and it was a hit! You loved it and all the attention you got! McDonald's for the win!

Max You are such a fun and clever little guy. You have a lot of traits of your daddy in you and I love to see them come out in you. You want to be a farmer and love to get to farm whenever the chance. You even grew your own corn this year! I'm so excited to see what will come in year 8 for you!  I love you lots!!

Max is 7

Every year I'm amazed at how quickly time is going by. How is it that my little baby is now 7? Didn't I just write about his 6th birthday and now it's already passed his 7. 

Max is are about still around 50lbs depending on what you wear, eat and if you have been sick or not. You are now 49 inches tall, which is awesome because it means you can go on most rides at the water parks and amusement parks.  Your sandy blond hair is getting a little bit darker each year you grow older, but those eyes remain the same.  You manged to lose your first two teeth and have a pair of wiggly front teeth (note they came out at Christmas time). Mommy really wanted one last school picture with your baby teeth. 

Speaking of school, you finished Kindergarten and now a first grader. You are a smart cookie but rather only do the stuff you like. I see little habits of your dad in you when i see your school work or hear about you from your teachers.  You do like school, but not a fan of the missing playtime. You have come out of your shell a little bit more with the staff members, which has gotten you some fun things. You can read, spell, write and figure out most math topics.  You are a little lefty, but don't seem to mind much.  You have also been learning so much about our faith in school and then encourage us to do so at home. While you aren't a fan of Sunday church, you enjoy being able to participate in Mass at school, even having a speaking part. 

During your summer vacation you went off to Camp Kesum with your sister for a week. You did awesome! I'm so proud that you went and had so much fun. I missed you, as that's the first time you have been away from me for more then a day or two. You are willing to go back to camp so that's a positive.  I will admit that i was worried about you as you aren't a fan of new places or being without someone familiar, but you rocked it at camp. You made a bunch of new friends and slept in your own bed.  Because you are now 7 you are planning to go to Camp Grey with Bella next year too. 

You still love farming and construction. You love to build and create with wood, sticks or just about anything you can put a nail into. You even made your own cross for the barn one day too.  You don't care what you make, you just love using tools. We got some chances in the last year to spend some time farming and you were in heaven. Sometimes you even talk like a farmer. 

We did a lot of vacation in the last year of your life. We went down to Orlando for 5 days , Great Wolf in both the Dells and Bloomington MN along with a day trip to Chicago.  You love hotel life and ask often when we get to go away again. 

We have had some growing pains with learning that we can be responsible for ourselves and help out more. Cleaning is not your favorite thing unless it's the shower/tub or windows.  I will say that you are getting better and you have also gotten better at letting things go.  

Max, You are growing up so quickly and becoming such a fun boy. Now that you are older we are able to have more adventures and so more things. I love the ideas you come up for adventures or solving a problem. You aren't afraid to speak your mind, which it both a good thing and something we have to learn when you have bite your tongue. I'm so lucky that i get to witness your days at school and watch you blossom as you learn. I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. 

Happy 6th Birthday Max

My baby boy is 6 years old today. It seems hard to believe. How is time moving so quickly?


Max, you are 46.5 inches tall and about 45lbs. You are in size 5 clothes and size 13 shoes. Your hair seems to be in a shaggy blond state no matter how often we get it cut. The babyness has pretty much all left and now you are a long chicken legged little boy.

You told all of us for the last few weeks that you wanted snow for your birthday and you totally called it. I think it was really daddy's present to you.

In the last year a lot has happened for Max. We moved and he now has his own room again, John deere themed. He got to spend a lot of the summer either at school or with someone else as I was pretty busy this summer. Then he started kindergarten. He also got to go on his first ferry and trip to Michigan.   I want to say that he did this with no complaints but he's a bit more stuck in a routine like his mama. The transitions have been harder for him, but he's making it through and come so far since last year.

Max is still a picky eater. It's pretty much chocolate milk, chocolate chip cookies, yogurt, crackers, bread and peanut butter are the go tos. He has added applesauce in one form which makes this mama so happy! school lunches have been hard and a struggle but hopefully as time goes on we will figure out the best mix of foods for this little guy.  Oh i must not forget is cheese pizza lunchables. he would eat them every day if he could.

Max loves school and is doing amazing. He wants to read so badly so we are working on that. He loves the "special" classes and learning more about sports, art and music. His first report card was great. He enjoys recess both indoor and outside. he's also learning to be a good friend and gets along with his whole class. They are all so sweet together. He had a few friends outside of school, but most of his "best" friends are from his class.

Max still loves to play at home, but he loves it best when his first best friend, Bella, is with him. He plays trains, construction, farming and monster trucks. It's taken 6 years but he's finally into arts and crafts.  Experiments and imaginative play are big too. Being the well rounded kid he is, he also loves his time on his iPad where he has so many math and reading games. He actually begs to play them, which makes this mama happy.

Opposite of play is sleep. While Max sleeps great, it means he needs to be right next to me. He's still not a fan of being alone or the dark.  It's a goal to get him in his own bed more, but hey sometimes it's nice to have someone else in my bed.

Oh My Sweet Little Bee,
As you get older, I see a lot of your daddy in you. I think you might look more like me than him, you have so many of his same habits. Your daddy is laughing at me from heaven, when i have to deal with this habits. Your report card even said you only put forth neat work when you want too. This is how your daddy was.  I watch you put together and build things by random, never looking at the directions until you turn to me for help.  You love learning how things work and can remember so many part, machines, equipment names.  I love that i can watch you learn and interact at school. At Rake-a-thon, you worked so hard and make me so proud. Sometimes I still think you of as my little baby, but then I'm reminded of how grown up you really are.  I love that you love your daddy so much, and you make sure we all remember him too. He's totally with you each day and you make sure we all know it. You started to ride your bike without training wheels and have become a daredevil.  You are a smart and clever guy, who i know is going to go places.  I pray you keep your faith in the good and your hard work ethic in all that you do. Until another year my sweet boy.

Max is FIVE

So Somehow Max has turned 5! I have no idea where the time as gone. Max is around 40lbs and 40 inches . He's in 4t or 4 clothes and size 11 shoes. He's my little guy but that's just fine by us. He still has his sandy blond hair, but it's getting darker. His eyes are turning just a little bit, I secretly hope that they will match his daddy's at some point.

A lot has happened in the last year of Max's life. Daddy took a turn for the worse shortly after Max turned 4. So Josh was home a lot with Max and so they got a lot of one on one time in. Also it meant the winter holidays were extra fun!Then came the not so fun part. Max did as well as expected with everything. He's my little trooper.

Max has been sleeping either on the couch or with me for the last year it seems. Poor little guy is afraid to be alone. He was gifted a new tractor bed for his birthday, so hopefully that will make a big difference. Also Max is slowly phasing out naps. It's crazy to think of him old enough to be without a nap.

Max finished up 3k last May and started 4K in September. He loves school so much. He also is starting to figure out how to read. He has a lot of friends at school and is a good little student. The biggest news is Max was able to graduate out of speech. His speech is to the point now that he's normal for most kids his age. he has a few things he has to work on like slowing down, but he's doing such a great job. He's made such great progress. He goes to school 4 days a week for half the day. Some of his friends are Nolan, Ben, Leighton and Morgan.

Max is still a picky eater. He could live off chocolate milk. he loves yougurt, cheese, peanut butter sandwitchs, bread and butter, pancakes and chocolate . He also will eat chicken nuggets, mac and cheese , grilled cheese and popcorn randomly. no real reason for his pickiness , other than just being Max. :)

Max says he's going to be a construction worker, but he still loves his John Deere and all his farming things. He also is a fan of trains, and pretty much any big machine.  He still loves to watch his tractor movies, but also any cartoon with big machines. He love playing on his ipad, and pretty smart at a lot of the games he plays.

Max my sweet little guy, this year has been crazy, but you have made sure that i've kept a smile on my face. I know your daddy would be so proud of you and was proud of all you had done so far in your little life. You come up with some of the craziest ideas and use such big words. Your memory is excellent which often gets mommy in trouble. You have warmed up to a lot of people, but still wait to go to others. Watching our house be built, has really sparked your mind on how things get made. You even got the blue roof you and daddy talked about.  I'm very excited to see what the next year will bring and how much more you will grow! Love you to the moon and back my baby boy!

Happy 2nd Birthday Riya and Gideon!

Our sweet Godtwins turn two today. It's crazy to think that they are two already! I swore i was just hearing about them being born and photographing them. I"m bummed that i haven't gotten to do a lot of that lately, so i was thrilled to see them on their birthday and grab some pictures. 

Newborn Twins

One year old pictures

So not the twins, but my sweet baby girl.. she was all dressed up for Mass. She got to present the gifts this week. 

These two always make me work for my money.  I think i asked Riya to smile and she told me no. 

Big brother Ronin pushing his sister

Big brother Balin..sweetest little guy

Present fun.. Gid with Grandma

THis was at the end.. fighing over a toy.. which i think happens a lot. ;)

July Birthday celebration!

So as normal Bella has gotten a drawn out birthday celebration. I'm not sure how it always happens, but it does. I decided we would go lowkey this year. Last years big party was fun, but very overwhelming for all of us.  I'll almost admit i wasn't sure what emotions i would be feeling on their birthday.
Since the plan for sunday came down to the wire, i had nana and aunt Dar along with Grandpa and Grandma Judy come over on saturday.

Bella out bug catching before the family arrived

WE did cake and ice cream.. her request this year was an eagle or butterflies..so Nana did both

She got some great presents including picture frames for her new room and school supplies

Grandpa helped max put his Legos together. 

Then we ended up in Watertown for a bit before coming home.

Sunday was the big day. 

The kids slept in which was great. Then I made pancakes with sprinkle and bacon for breakfast.  Then they played for a bit until it was time for church. Church was a struggle with Max, but we made it through

.

We stopped at Josh's grave to say happy birthday to him, before heading home. We got home long enough to change and then loaded back up to head to little amerricka. There we met up with our buddies Ms Hannah, Ella and Madeline. 

After Little Amerrika, we came back to our place for supper, playing outside and fun. Auntie Tori, Reed and Abbie came over and we did cake , ice cream and presents. bella loves her gifts. She dove right into her new gel pens and coloring book.