Happy New Year! (almost)

New year's eve tradition in my house states that we sit around, play games, watch movies and stuff ourselves with unnecessary food. I am adding a twist on it this year...pajamas. All of this is to be done in our PJ's. The big girls are currently in the living room in their tent "camping" and waiting for Bret and I to get the Wii going. Maddison is ASLEEP! I doubt she will sleep all night from here but it's shocking that she is sleeping this early. So, to each of you whatever your traditions are have a safe, fun, happy new year. Here's to good things in 2009. May God bless you all and touch those who have faced hard times this past year. Praise Him in good times, seek him in bad times and thank Him at ALL times.

Merry Christmas

What a beautiful Christmas day. The sun is shinning brightly and the snow is shimmering. We are grateful for this day and all the Lord has given us through out the year. After being on the road the last couple days I am glad the roads are clearer today so Mom and Dad could join us this morning. After dropping Briana off last night the roads were a sheet of ice. The temperature has risen to a whopping 25 degrees for now with highs in the 40's expected over the next couple of days.

We opened gifts with Briana yesterday morning then headed over to the in-laws for our family Christmas. This morning we opened a few more gifts and are getting ready to sit down to a nice ham dinner.

Hope you are all enjoying your families and the beautiful magic of the season.

As promised...

Miss Beth was so nice to send me a few pictures from the Christmas party so here they are. Ella was decorating an ornament and in the bottom picture Maddie is really enjoying that sucker. Her mouth was green for a couple of hours after she ate it.

Holiday party

Today was the Christmas party at Ella's school. The kids were so excited, hopping and jumping all around. I would love to post some pictures of it but guess what? Yep, I forgot my camera. Another Mom and Miss Beth have promised to share their pictures with me. During the week Ella told us that she was working on something "secret" at school. We were teasing her and asking her if we could guess what it was. She kept saying, "NO! It's a SECRET." Well, we got our surprise today. A cute handmade ornament. I always love when she makes us things but this felt extra special because I wasn't involved this time. Something she did (almost) all on her own.

Christmas Musical

Today was Briana's turn to do her play at church. The kids do a good job memorizing so many songs and dance moves. Other kids have huge parts to memorize as well. This year Briana decided she'd rather take the background but all important singing parts. She gets so into it and does such a good job. You can tell who has their heart in it and who is going through the motions. She did a great job and we are so proud of her.

15 months of joy

Our little "angel" had her 15 month check up today. She is doing great. No issues as far as her heart or growth. She is 33" tall and 22.3 pounds. She is tall and lean. Her behavior on the other hand as far as strangers go is something else all together. She normally does pretty well with them but not today. The nurse came in and started to measure and weigh her and she lost it. She kept tearing the measuring tape off of her head, putting her little head down and crying. Then when the doctor came in things really got fun. She didn't even want to LOOK at him. I had to hold her hands down so he could look in her ears and mouth. He said he is going to start working out now for her 18 month appointment so he can keep up with her. Just goes to show how strong our little fighter still is. We are praising God for her continued health and enjoying her everyday. Not to mention at night when she has decided not to sleep. :)

Tree Farm

Ella had yet another field trip today to Peacock Road Tree Farm. http://www.peacockroadtreefarm.com/ It's really a cool little place. They have all kinda of fun things to do for kids of all ages. There is a petting zoo, train rides to the North Pole to visit Santa, and a gift shop. They even offer places to get married, a snack barn and of course they sell Christmas trees and swags. After checking out the website I see they even have a one room school house.

As soon as we got there the kids took off to meet the animals. The best part was they did a pig race for us. Ella got to go out and "sweep" the pigs to make sure the pigs kept running. These poor pigs were so cold they didn't want to race they just wanted to get back in their house. The farmer actually had to lure them out with marshmallows.

After the animals they got to jump on the train. It was a cute little ride out to meet Santa. We walked into a little cabin and there he was. Unfortunately a few of the kids wanted nothing to do With him. Mine being one of them. :) She asked me if she could just get a candy cane from him and leave.

Up next was the train ride back to the front of the farm where donuts and hot chocolate were waiting for us in the snack barn. After warming up for a few minutes we went off to the gift shop where the kids all made a swag for the classroom. They even got to hang an ornament on a mini swag to bring home.

Even though it was very cold it was a great day. We are looking forward to going back soon.

Christmas Play at church

Today was Ella's Christmas play at church. This year everyone had to wear their PJ's. I was a bit embarrassed to have to wear mine so I wore sweats and a t-shirt. The kids all looked adorable though. Ella had to memorize a speaking part. She did a GREAT job. She was the first child to say her part and she showed no fear at all. Maddie and the other babies had a part too but since they can't speak yet it was up to us Mom's to say their part.

Holy Snow!

It finally stopped snowing yesterday after 2 straight days. It started on Sunday afternoon just as we were leaving church. School was cancelled on Monday to the delight of everyone around. Bret and I took the girls out tonight. Ella had a blast making snow angels and we built two snowmen. Maddie did OK with the snow although she isn't very fond of it yet. We had a snowball fight and toward the end of that she was DONE with being outside. So, while we were out there I decided to measure the total snowfall. SEVEN inches. Amazing.

Feast!

Ella's classroom had a feast for Thanksgiving. The kids got to peel and chop veggies, cube cheese and other various "cooking" related things. Maddie and I hung out at the school the whole day. A lot of the kids just love Maddison and follow her all around. She likes the attention and enjoyed getting her hands on as many things as possible.

Impressions 5

Another day, another field trip. We went to Impressions 5 today in Lansing. It is a great hands on children's museum. http://impression5.org/index.php They have all kinds of neat exhibits. The kids went in a pretty much ran wild which was a dream come true for them I'm sure. One of the favorite things to do there is the "Bubble Room." Things can get a bit slippery in there but the kids even have the opportunity to be inside a giant bubble.

Mom got to go with us this time and it was so nice to have her there not just to help me with Maddison but so she could see Ella have so much fun.

Happy Halloween

Halloween was a blast. Mom and Dad picked up Briana and brought her down. We hung out and played most of the day then had dinner. After dinner wet set out for trick-or-treat. The girls got tons of candy. Grommet joined us this year for the first time and did great. I thought for sure she would bark at everyone in their costumes but she didn't. Briana's costume was a huge hit. Kids were yelling, "Hey Spongebob!" down the street to her. Several adults commented on how original it was. Ella made the cutest elephant I've ever seen. Maddie used Ella's old costume. She ate a sucker while we were going door to door. She and Bret were covered in stickiness.

Down on the farm party

At Ella's school they decided to have a down on the farm party instead of a Halloween party. The kids could dress as anything that you might see on a farm. There were a couple of horses, scarecrows, a cat and a few farmers. Ella borrowed clothes from her friend Trevor and went as a farmer. They played games and won different prizes like spider rings, pens, pencils and erasers. I did a craft table for the kids. I printed pictures of a squirrel. They each got to spread glue on it then smash up some shredded wheat cereal to make fur.

B's Halloween Costume

When we took the girls to Build-A-Bear for their birthdays I pre-ordered their animals so Ella could have the Hello Kitty. They came in a pretty big box. While we were at Mom and Dad's the kids were playing in it. Bret had a flash of brilliance when he decided to cut arm and eye holes in it. All of the sudden the light went on and I told Briana she could be Spongebob for Halloween. She was all excited. I just finished painting it this afternoon. I dyed a shirt and tights yellow for her to wear under it.

It's Pumpkin Time

We decorated pumpkins today. Ella was so excited to dig into the paint and do her own. I did a Panda for Briana and Maddison got one of her favorites, Wow Wow Wubzy.

Double Party!

Last weekend we had a joint party for Ella and Briana at our house. Bret's side of the family came as we had cake and ice cream the night before with Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa Young. The girls picked out a "Haunted" ice cream cake. They each got some really nice gifts. They got Outdoor Adventure from Grandma and Grandpa K. Aunt Rhonda went in on their animals from Build A Bear. Uncle Brian and Aunt Missy gave them gift cards that they've already spent. They each got a new game for their DS's. Uncle Tony and Aunt Mickey were able to come so Ella had Trevor to play with. Maddie also got to spend sometime with Lilly. Briana was really excited to get the bows I made her and picked her whole outfit out around the color of the bows.

Fire Safety

This week at school Ella learned about fire safety. The fire chief came to speak to the class then later let each kid spray the fire hose. They got to hear the sirens and horn. We have our special meeting place in case of fire, practiced stop, drop and roll and know that we need to stay low and crawl in case of smoke.

She's 4!

Look out world here she comes. Hard to believe but my little monster turned FOUR. She had a great birthday. I went to school with her the whole day. With about an hour left in the school day Daddy and Maddison came up and brought the cupcakes we made to share with her class. We decided on rainbow cupcakes. Found it on the web somewhere...mix plain colored batter with food coloring and spoon it in. The kids loved them. One girl said it was the best cupcake she ever ate. :) After school Mom and Dad came down for a visit. Ella picked pancakes for her birthday dinner then we had Hello Kitty cake. Ella was just SURE I could make the cake. I offered more than once to buy her one but she really wanted me to do it. With help from Dad to make the shape of Hello Kitty's head I think we had success. I used M&M's for her eyes and nose and licorice for her whiskers.

First Longies

I knitted my first pair of longies for my good friend's son. I can't wait to see them on him. For those of you who don't know what they are let me explain. They are a wool cover and pants for cloth diapers. All in one. You get the cuteness of little pants and the water-tightness of a diaper cover. Pretty smart isn't it?

An apple a day...

We are keeping busy and chugging along. Ella is doing great in school and has gone on her first filed trip to the apple orchard. It was a cold wet day to start off but once the sun decided to show it was beautiful. All week at school the teachers instilled in the kids that they should twist, twist pull when picking the apples. The kids each got a bag to fill. We are still enjoying the yummy apples.

Thankful

Today is one year to the day that Maddison had her open heart surgery. We couldn't be more thankful to the Lord for the way things turned out. He sure blessed us on the day she was born and again one month to the day when she had a successful operation. We just want to thank those of you that were there with us during that difficult time and for the prayers. It is obvious that they helped and we sure felt them during the stressful situation we faced. Big hugs from the Kloeckner house.

The last update from Maddison's cardiologist is that she is doing just perfect. She will not go back for one year and will not have any tests repeated until she is probably 4-5 years old. She said if a person didn't know Maddie's history and looked at her EKG they would never know she had a problem. Praise the Lord.

First day of Pre K

Ella did FANTASTIC today. She waltzed right in like she owned the place and had a great time. I made it to the car but not out of the parking lot before I started crying. I made it until 10:45 before I called to check on her. Miss Beth (her teacher) said she was doing wonderful and I didn't need to worry. When Bret and I went to pick her up after school she asked me if she, "HAD to leave." I am so thankful that she did so well and is enjoying it. It was quite an adjustment for Maddie and I. When we got home Mad's walked around the living room in circles like she was looking for Ella. After school we all went out to lunch and had a nap. Congratulations Jammer, you are a big girl now.

Where has the time gone?

Ella had her open house tonight at school. Tomorrow is her first official day. She seems to be pretty excited. She said she doesn't need us there at all. She got to play on the playground, play in the dress up corner, decorate a worn that will hang up tomorrow in the classroom and pretty much check out everything and anything she wanted. Here are a couple of pictures.

More bow holders

I made a few more bow holders and thought I should post them. They are fun to do.