A different post....

This post is for my little blessings.  When I was pregnant with Kyle I filled out his baby book and kept up with it after every appointment and every milestone.  With Kianna, I bought a baby book.  With Natalie, well, I guess this IS her baby book.  One of the pages that I never completed in Kyle's baby book was a letter for him.

With our lives taking a little different track this year, some guilt has filled my heart.  When I didn't receive a raise last year and John's iffy salary, we knew we needed to explore options for our family.  John has been telling me for a few years to head back to school, but the thought of studying sent chills up my spine and I couldn't find a program that didn't add a huge amount of debt to my student loans.  I'm afraid to even say that I will be finished paying my current (minus ASU loans) by the time I graduate.  Oh well!  Anyway, I found a program and decided to knock out the program as quickly as I can.  Therefore, this plan of leads to some guilty feelings.  You see, I don't read books to my kids, sing songs to them at bedtime, pray with them before bed, because I begin schoolwork at 8:30 and work for several hours.

So, as I was talking with my Mom the other day, she asked me why I care so much about my grades.  You see, (and I'm no longer ashamed of this) I wasn't the best student growing up.  I was a daydreamer, people watcher, and above anything else a social butterfly.  I never wanted to miss a day of school because I didn't want to miss being with my friends.  I give 100% credit to Holy Cross for instilling this in me-while some may feel like this is a hinderance, my Holy Cross friends are one of a kind and we were close-something public education lacks (another blog post, for another time).  Back to my point, when I went off to MoWest, I  started to really enjoy my classes and I loved my peer group. I still keep in touch with many of my student teaching friends.  It was finally at that point, I felt confident.  Then I went off to get my Masters and loved every minute of those classes as well.  I even had classes with 2 of my teachers from Holy Cross and that was weird, but fun!  It was in those classes at Webster I really began to take school seriously.  I wanted a 4.0 GPA in the worst way!  Well, I'm sad to say, I didn't receive the 4.0, I graduated with a 3.97.  I got an A- in one class.  Now, I'm sitting here at Arkansas State University in the top 15% of my cohort and feeling pretty good.  At this very moment, I'm sweating, because in my Ethical Leadership class, I may get an A-, which would blow my chance at a 4.0.  So, as I was working out today, I started thinking, You're 37, does your GPA matter?  Why are you so fixated on your GPA?  And more questions kept coming to mind......

I finally came to this conclusion.  As a teacher, I see dozens and dozens of kids who struggle.  With the development of social media, some of my former students are struggling as adults.  Because of my experiences, I don't want my little blessings to struggle like me and I want them to learn the "game" earlier than I did.  Am I trying to set an example for my kids?

Dear Kyle,
You are one-of-a-kind!  You are the sweetest little boy I know and I hope you always stay sweet.  You are going to have trials in life with school, friends, faith, but leaning on your faith will see you through.  When we sit in your parent-teacher conferences, it's obvious school comes easy to you.  As a teacher, you are the dream child to have in class.  As a parent, I want you to stay true to yourself and love learning with humbleness.  If the time ever comes that you struggle, I pray you are honest with yourself and ask for help.  You are capable of anything and will go far in this world.  You can be anything you want to be, but I hope you are a Child of God first!  I will love you always!  Mama

Dear Kianna,
You are such a special little girl.  When I found out you were a little girl, I was nervous.  But I quickly learned that you are very strong and independent. Two very important traits for girls to have.  I have loved watching you grow in Preschool this year and I love when you ask questions about numbers and letters.  Kianna, your dreams and faith will take you far in this big world.  I will support you in whatever God has planned for you.  Always follow God's plan for you and take time to grow in your faith.  I will always love you!  Mommy  P.S.  I just know you will make a great Mommy someday!

Dear Natalie,
I've only had 19 months to learn about you and your little personality.  I have a sneaky suspicion you are going to be a little social butterfly.  I love listening to you talk (babble) and I hope it never gets in the way of your dreams.  I love that you are persistent, and aren't afraid to try something new.  Your excitement and love for life is something most people lose as they get older.  Natalie, I hope your light is always shining for Jesus and you follow his plan that he designed for you.  I will always be your advocate and support your dreams.  I pray you always put God first in your life!  I love you!  Mommy

And going back to "playing the game", my Dad taught me at a very young age about playing the game, and so Dad, I'm "playing the game" and playing it well one last time in my life!

My firstborn....

It's so hard to believe that my Kyle is big enough to lose teeth.  He's now lost one of his front teeth (top) and looks super cute!  He's been begging me to pull it for weeks and it just wasn't ready.  He worked on wiggling it all day yesterday and he pulled it out!  The tooth fairy surprised him by putting a $1.00 under Kia and Nat's toothpaste.  We are secretly hoping he loses the other one before Christmas, so we can jam to the "All I Want for Christmas"....song!

It's the Holiday Season.....

Whoop-de-Whoop!!  We had a great Thanksgiving with family from both sides of the family!  Audrey and Brose arrived on Wednesday evening and had a full weekend of playing and conversation!  Thursday I helped my sister and mom prepare part of the meal until I cut myself on the carving knife.  All in all, we had a great Thanksgiving!

On Saturday morning, we woke up EARLY, earlier than I have to wake up for work!  It was all worth the smiles when we arrived at Zona Rosa and participated in several "princessy" activities.  Gracie and Kia got their nails painted and a tattoo put on their hand.  The girls wore princess headbands and ate a wonderful breakfast provided by Hereford House.  The Fairy Princess arrived and came to our table first.  Of course, Kia was a little shy, but Gracie got to sneak in a hug.  Then, the best part (according to Kia) was the ballerinas from Ibsen Dance Studio.  They taught the girls how to do some baal-la-lay.  I think Kia dreams about being a ballerina!

We ended our weekend by decorating for Christmas and my Bigs decided to get sick.  Kianna has actually fought a fever since Friday and now Kyle is running a fever!  However, we made some memories this weekend and that's what's important.

Oh, and I must add, that I am finished Christmas shopping!  It's a great feeling to be finished and to be able to enjoy the season!

A very dear friend...

After preschool we met a very special friend.  Giermann came bearing gifts for Kianna's birthday.  Unfortunately, she had

to head to work, so our visit was cut short.  We are looking forward to Christmas break when we can spend more time with her!  Thank you for being a wonderful friend, Giermann!!

Cold Weather

The weather is frightful and feels like the holiday season.  Natalie is sick with a cold and ear infection, so we've stuck by home the last few days. However, I did make it out for my weekly grocery shopping.  The girls asked if they could bake cookies.  I thought, why not?  So, they stood in the store and talked about which mix they wanted.  Yes, I cheated-I had all of John's lunches to make, a huge ethical paper to write and dishes to wash.  I didn't get a picture of their conversation because with 3 kids, I'm only armed with my debit card in the store to make my life easier.

Anyway, we came home and began our cookie making.  Yes, I do allow my children, including my bonus daughter to eat raw dough-you know you did the same thing as a kid and you're here reading my blog!  :)

I measured all the ingredients and they took turns pouring their ingredients in the bowl.  After the dough was baking, they enjoyed licking the bowl.  

I'd say we enjoyed our day of cookie making.  This makes me really excited

for the girls to open a special Christmas gift-you will have to wait until my Christmas post for the secret!  

Happy 4th Birthday....

Kianna Marie!  We had so much fun this weekend celebrating her birthday.  We started early on Saturday by wearing her "Birthday Princess" shirt.  My little princess requested a turkey sandwich and pickles.  With that request, that leaves us with BBQ.  Our family always went to Marty's BBQ and really haven't found a good BBQ restaurant north of the river.  We decided to try Smokin' Guns in North Kansas City.  It was everything, and more, and our family will definitely be back.  Gracie, Aunt Nerned and Grammy gave Kia her birthday gifts.  She was super excited to open up a Mega Block/Lego Hello Kitty building set.  I'm not sure who is more excited, Daddy or Kia?

After dinner, we went to Lemon Tree and enjoyed more food!  By the end of the night, the adults were stuffed and couldn't eat anymore.

On her actual birthday, we woke up early to open birthday presents from our little family.  Natalie bought her a spelling set, Kyle bought her a Littlest Pet, Biscuit (how fitting) and Mommy and Daddy bought her a Sophia The First tablet.  Then we went to Church and Sunday School and indulged in donuts after church with lunch.  We then went to Chuck E. Cheese to play and earn tickets with Grammy, Gracie and Aunt Nerned.  We spent a few hours and came home with junk, oh, I mean prizes!

We had a fun weekend and one we will never forget.  Kianna has been excited for her birthday and has been really sweet in the days leading up to her special day.  When we went shopping, she told me that she would love anything we bought for her.  Then, as always I have a hard time seeing my babies get bigger and she has reassured me that she will always be my baby no matter how old she is.  How can you not LOVE this little girl?

So, Kianna......

*Happy Birthday to our little princess!

*Happy Birthday to our little gymnast and wanna-be dancer!

*Happy Birthday to our girl who loves playing with her siblings, Gracie and preschool friends.

*Happy Birthday to our girl who loves to dress-up, play with babies and has one wild imagination!

*Happy Birthday to our girl who loves to try new foods (milk-free), but LOVES anything with sugar.

*Happy Birthday to our girl who has endured so much as such a young age and is completely healthy now!  PTL!

*Lastly, Happy Birthday to our girl who loves her family, but mostly who loves Jesus!

We love you so much and our prayer is that you always follow God and his plans for you!

Sneaking out to.....

LEMON TREE!

Before my sister and I got married, we would go on ice cream runs, and other runs, but I decided about 2 weeks ago that I was craving Lemon Tree.  I'd text my sister or Rachel to see if they wanted some Lemon Tree, but since the Royals were playing Octoball, I was denied!

Well, this afternoon, I was craving some Lemon Tree.  I promised the BIGS that we could head there after dinner.  On our Walmart run this afternoon, the nice checkout lady put some of my items in my sis' bag!  So, I had to head to her house real quick to pick up my items.  I decided to ask my sister if she wanted to go with us to LT tonight and she ALMOST denied me because she was doing homework.  But AHA-Gracie wanted to go!  She was begging to go!!  I'm sure it wasn't much of a fight-afterall, my sister does like her ice cream or frozen yogurt!

As we were eating our concoctions, everyone was going around the table saying what toppings they chose.  Gracie told Bubby that she put fruit on her yogurt along with some other goodies.  Bubby politely asked Gracie, "Why did you get healthy on your yogurt"?  It sure was funny-and honestly, I'm the same way-hence the fluffiness in my figure!  Between the Halloween candy and yogurt, we've had enough sugar for months!

As we were eating, I received a text from Rachel asking me if I wanted to head to Lemon Tree.  Next time, without kids, dear friend!  Although, I'm not sure if my sis would join us if she didn't have Gracie to prod her!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween and Reformation Day for those LCMS folks out there!  We went to the Willis' house for our annual Halloween Chili Dinner and Trick-or-Treating event.  As the kids are getting older, they are starting to take over the house and with all the candy, the house was even louder this year!  However, we all enjoyed ourselves and the kids crashed after bath tonight!

THANK YOU, Grandpa Ron and Grandma Debbie!!

Preschool Fall Party

The girls had their Fall Party at preschool yesterday.  I wasn't able to attend since Natalie had her Physical Therapy appointment and siblings aren't allowed to attend parties this year.  We arrived at school and were going to practice walking and just wait for Sissy and Gracie to be dismissed, but  Mrs. Greene saw us talking to another family and invited us in for the last 15 minutes of the party.  I was glad to be there for a tiny bit and watch the girls in their school element.  Here are a few pictures-they are just getting too big!

Happy 18 Months, Miss Natalie

Natalie is growing by leaps and bounds!  It's hard to believe 2 years ago she was around 13 weeks along in my tummy.  Oh, let's not forget how sick I was either!  We are so thankful God blessed us with her and her little personality is blossoming.  I love watching all my babies interact with each other and she definitely holds her own with them.

You might recall, Natalie began physical therapy in August.  I'm happy to report we graduated from PT yesterday and while we were sad to say, "buh-bye" to Miss Wendye, it will be nice to have our Thursday mornings to play together.  Natalie is walking, but they are a tiny bit concerned about her stance, and the pressure she puts on her toes.  We will check in with Dr. Bays and let her decide if braces are needed.

She is starting to really take off with her words.  She has several in her toolbox and like most 1 year olds, we are the only ones who understand, but she does like to talk-hmmmm-who does that remind you of?  She is definitely very animated when she talks.

We see the doctor in 2 weeks and I will update her stats at that time.  Miss Wendye at Children's Mercy seems to think she's super short, but we will see what Dr. Bays says at her 18-month visit.  In the meantime, here is a picture of my sweet pea.  (I know, rear facing until 2 years, but that law wasn't in effect with my BIGS and she no longer screams and cries when I put her in the car seat-I'm choosing my battles).

Pumpkin Patch and Carving 2014

Well, Fall is really upon us and we are enjoying every minute of this season.  It seems like our weekends are packed with activities, but how can you NOT enjoy the festivities of Fall and all the season has to offer.

Last weekend, we went on an adventure to Kearney, Missouri for our annual Pumpkin Patch excursion.  My sister and I wanted something a little different this year and decided to test out a new pumpkin patch. We were pleasantly surprised by Fun Farm and will definitely return next year.  Here are a few pictures from the day-it turned out to be a gorgeous day!!

The next day we ventured over to the Ranes' house for our annual pumpkin carving event.  I was a horrible mommy and didn't take any pictures.  I was too busy painting a BLUE pumpkin (GOOOO ROYALS) for Kianna and Natalie, along with chasing a cute 18-month old.  There is always next year.  It was definitely a super fun weekend!

Sleeping Beauty

Since Biscuit has arrived and Kianna wants Biscuit's kennel in her room, I've been making her nap in our room.  Well, let's be honest, on my days off a nap is required for all inhabitants in the Hurt Household.  Everyone must stay in their room and it has to be quiet.  Well, Miss Kianna likes to whisper, sing, bounce, go potty, swing her arms....are you tired yet?  Putting it politely, it drives me batty and leads me to be a bit cranky.  That's when I pull out the big guns-I bribed with candy.  Yep, you read that right-I bribed with candy.  You go to sleep, you get candy!  I did offer to snuggle with her and she quickly fell to sleep, once I said the word, "CANDY".  Here she is sound asleep in my arms.  These are the days that I just love the innocence and want time to stand still!

Oh, and by the way, I bribed my 3/4th graders to clean up the room.  I even said, the fastest student will get a treat.  And it happened.....a little 3rd grader called me out on it and said, "that's bribery"!  But guess what?  The room was spotless!

The Pumpkin Patch

Kianna's preschool class took at field trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  We originally we were supposed to head out last week, but it rained.  So, they were able to quickly reschedule it for this past Thursday.  It actually turned out to be a great day and wasn't too chilly.

This was the first field trip I've been able to attend.  As I've said before, it's difficult being a teacher with small kids who still go on field trips and have parties.  My mom was able to take the morning off so I could attend.  She and Natalie went to Zona Rosa and Panera and had a great time together.  It was fun seeing Kianna with her peers and how she interacts with them.  Let's not lie, it was nice to get some mommy adult time.  

As you can see, the sun was shining and the kids were having a great time!  It's still hard for me to believe this little blessing is almost 4 years old!  

Next weekend, we will go to another pumpkin patch with the entire family.  Let's pray for good weather, so we can find the "perfect" pumpkin!