Can You Feel The Magic?!!
I think with everything we had going on I wouldn't have been surprised if a "Partridge In A Pair Tree" appeared at the front door. What a MAGICAL month, and of course with Ainsley EVERYTHING is MAGICAL!
No pictures due to someone (Sydney) showing Tate what a "selfie" is = a broken camera.
Caleb had a 2nd grade NIGHT party. I showed him some smooth dancing moves so he could get the party started!
Ainsley had a kindergarten NIGHT trip on the POLAR EXPRESS. They had hot chocolate, read a book, crafts, and when they rang their bells Santa appeared! Very Very Cool!
Aubrey had a 3rd grade musical about space! It was so fun to watch. She knew every song and all the actions!
Tate learned to bowl and roller skate!
I took the kids to their school super hero skate night!
I have been spending more time at the school helping with testing in Kindergarten and 1st grade, doing cutting and laminating. Tate is my side kick!
Add in a couple of major doctor appointments and all was very crazy!
On December 14th, way passed bedtime Winston came through our door. The kids ran downstairs and they were in love. A part of the family instantly he is a 3 month English/Victory Bulldog. Unfortunately, they wouldn't hold it until Christmas Eve, he cried the entire first night which made all 4 of the kids cry all night. It was a super fun night! It took Andy and me a long time to agree on a dog. I lost on the indoor dog thing and now I find my self cleaning everything x10…making sure the house doesn't smell like dog and the kids don't spell like dog. It's exhausting but he is the only one who will watch Little Women and It's A Wonderful Life with me, he sits with me while I fold clothes, and he is always by my side when I do the dishes.
On December 16th life went upside with Tate's 3rd surgery. 100% hearing now, no more swollen tonsils, and a cranky STUBBORN determined 4 year old. After 3 days of not eating OR drinking OR taking his medicine (lots of throw up), the threat of him going back to the Hospital made him down that medicine so quickly, frown while he drank, and a slobber intake of some applesauce! From then on a slowly but shirley he started drinking "Uncle Nate's Muscle Juice and Uncle Nate's favorite medicine".
The Christmas Picture…next year I am going to video tape the events leading up to the pictures. Tate was up all night still sick so he had to have a superhero shirt on while begging him to at least put a suit shirt over top! Aubrey wanted to wear jeans, Ainsley wanted to wear her Converse, and poor winston was just trying to be compliant. This is take #8.
Drop off breakfast for the teachers and class parties drop of a "meat tray" at 2 classes, and play fun Christmas Bingo with Ainlsey's class! If Tate wan't still so sick I think he would have had a lot of fun but after I did the game with Ainlsey's class we had to leave.
Christmas Eve… a little ice and snow but the kids were excited. They helped with all the dinner…they picked out what they would like and then helped make it. We watched some fun Christmas Shows and made a stocking for Winston!
On Christmas Eve we watched Mr. Krouger's Christmas and opened pj's from their Clark Grandparents….ONE DIRECTION pj's. There was screaming and then "This is just so MAGICAL and AMAZING and WONDERFUL!"
Christmas Eve
Ainlsey 6, Caleb 8, Aubrey 9, Tate 4
5:30am, not so bad. 30 minutes earlier then normal….and they were excited!
Waking up to stockings full and presents under the tree.
Note: Winston pulls on the ribbon and when I asked Tate what he was doing with my ornament he said "I am just using it to play baseball mom" so the tree is looking a little scary and now I understand why my ornaments have vanished.
Santa brought winston a shirt!!! He kept backing up, maybe trying to back out of it but he does like it now!
Around noon Andy's parents drove up to spend time with us, exchange presents, and eat leftovers!
Winston's hiding spot and resting spot. The kids pretty much wipe him out. He did end up making a trip to the vet (something I just couldn't do) and ended up with an Upper Respiratory Infection plus glitter on his nose. Apparently being in a cozy warm room with a warm fireplace always on is not good for this puppy.
The day after Christmas Ainsley lost another tooth. Looking pretty bare on the top!
All I wanted for Christmas WAS my Two Front Teeth! With 3 missing teeth an apple is going to be pretty complicated to eat! She can tie her shoes now, and got bells put on from her teacher!
Christmas Newsletter
Our Yellow Brick Road
2013
The Griner Family
Our
Yellow Brick Road started out slow with an excellent routine and relaxing. The kids loved their sleepovers
at Grandma Griners house and we loved spending time at the lake. We took at trip to Utah for a week and the
kids got to meet all of their cousins and see almost all of their
grandparents. It has been a fun year
that ended in fast pace with a bunch of twists, but we have had a fun 2013!
Andy
(34) Enjoys his job as an Occupational Therapist, his patients, their families,
as well as his co-workers. He has been
there 5 years now! He has become quite
the song writer, writing both children and a little in the indie rock genre. As well as forming a band! The kids love
hearing him play! He is deacon’s corm
advisor and enjoys his involvement.
Aubrey
(9) Is very artistic, loves the color blue, and receives phone calls from boys
now. She loves to go to the pool and get
a tan or float around in the lazy river.
She loves to read, ride her bike, and loves to just run and run without
stopping. Independent, shy, and
beautiful. She loves going to church and
she loves to make good choices, if it isn’t choosing the right then she isn’t
involved. She loves school and you
couldn’t ask for a better big sister!
When Aubrey grows up she wants to be a teacher.
Caleb
(8) This has been his year. He has grown
so much (not physically, he is still a corky little dude) but he just gets
it. You name it, he can spell it. He loves math and science. He loves reading books about important
things, books that make him laugh, and books that make him question
everything! He loves to swim, explore,
and of course, catch every bug that ever existed in this part of Kansas! Over the summer he went to science camp,
ruined a new shirt but got first place in the volcano experiment! Most importantly this year Caleb chose to be
baptized. He is a wolf scout now, thinks
school is pretty cool, likes to tell weird jokes, and that darn 3DS is talked
about often. When he grows up he wants
to be a scientist.
Ainsley
(6) Loves, Loves, Loves, Everything! She
loves school, she loves homework, she loves her teachers, and she loves her
family. She doesn’t just like
anything. Everything is LOVE and
EXCITING and THE BEST DAY OF HER LIFE.
She is a swimmer, and her gym teacher said she has a future in track,
she is a pleaser. She loves dogs. She loves that she is a “Taylor Swift Fan”,
she loves to ride her bike, explore, ride the bus, and most importantly she
loves One Direction. While we still
haven’t figured out the start of her craze, she knows every song. She loves to sing. She loves to play with friends-anyone will do,
her siblings, and she love to help around the house. We love our Ainlsey she is our sunshine. When she grows up she wants to be an Artist!
Tate
(4) He is a GIANT with a heart a gold. My buddy, my heart. That might be why I just laugh a little when in
a very serious manner he tells people his full name is Delton Griner Tate,
dresses like a different super hero on the days that we are in public, and picks
the music we listen to (only music sung by a boy). He is a swimmer. They wouldn’t let me put him in a swim class
because his birthday missed the deadline, and wanted him to do a mommy and me
class instead, he showed them!!!! He
jumped right off that diving board without a life jacket!! He loves to ride his bike, explore the
fields, roller skate, and bowl!! He says
“Thanks” for everything, extremely grateful for everything, and gives the best
hugs. His year ended with his final
surgery and also regaining 100% hearing in his right ear! When Tate grows up he
wants to be a construction worker, the ones that are in the dirt during the
day!!
Winston
(indoor puppy) On December 14th
he came through our door and life has never been the same…English/Victorian Bulldog. The kids instantly fell in love…he was born
on September 24th. So we
(meaning I) get the pleasure of potty training and house training him. He loves the grass, music, the bottom of the
Christmas Tree and has become my movie buddy.
Named by Tate and Andy.
Sara (28) This year I
learned that my kids are ALWAYS hungry, the 4th of July is still my
favorite holiday, and life is better outside.
I learned that chiggers are the worst part of summer, games with my kids
are finally fun now, and Ainlsey is still unbeatable at memory card games, even
if I practice before she even sees the game!
I learned that even if my boys wake up and constantly walk around the
house with only one sock on they do not have a sensory problem they just don’t
really care, which explains why so many of their socks go missing! I have learned that through all of the doctors
appointments, specialists, waiting, researching, listening, long words, graphs,
and referrals that watching closely, asking questions, and never stopping leads
to solutions and understanding. I have
learned how magical GPS is, it knows where everything is, I never get lost, and
I am never late (almost never late)! I have learned and finally come to the conclusion
that we are Kansas lifers, RockChalk we are here to stay!
The Griner Family 2013
Andy, Sara
Aubrey, Caleb, Ainlsey,
Tate
Winston
