Sweet 6!

Ashlyn turned 6 on March 2nd! It was a day of snow and terrible tornados down south, but for us, we were celebrating. Grandma was able to come from Des Moines in spite of the snow, and Ashlyn had a fun day.

The next day, Saturday, we had her party with friends. We were able to take her to a new gymnastics place, so she had a blast playing on all the equipment with her friends.

Shown in the picture are: Amy & Erin Varga, Katelyn & Natalie Essington, Jordan & Jackson VanHorn, Lydia & Elise Hunter, Kelly Hoffman, Paig Safly and Ellie Isaacson.

So, it's time to give an update on our sweet girl, Ashlyn:

* She is still a bundle of energy. Still would prefer to run, jump, and climb rather than walk.

* However, she is also very good at concentrating on a project. She loves to build and assemble things like playgrounds and houses, and then she has her little figurines play on the set.

* Loves to create routines or concerts for us...complete with her get-up of leggings and leotards. The routine usually consists of some sort of twirling, hand-stands, and rolls off of the arm of the couch.

* She does very well in school. She catches on to concepts very quickly and loves to read!

* She continues to enjoy gymnastics and learns more all the time.

* She is doing very well in her piano lessons...however, she has a hard time sticking to the written music. She usually wants to make up her own ending, or add chords where they aren't written. The funny thing is, it usually sounds good, so it's hard for me to tell her she has to stick to the music! But, her teacher writes notes about it, so I guess I better make her stick to the boring ol' melody! :) She definitely sings her own tune, that girl. (Or you could say, plays her own notes.)

* She HATES jeans! Or, really anything that snaps whether it's pants, shorts, or skirts. So, you will usually find her in dresses or skirts and pants with elastic. And, she LOVES leggings! Wears them everyday, without fail. In fact, we go through them very quickly 'cause they get holes in the knees quite easily. I should have told all of her friends just to get her leggings for her birthday!

* Wants to be good at everything and compares herself to others. We had a volleyball clinic recently for grades 2nd-6th (Ashlyn's in Kindergarten). She cried almost every night afterward because she wasn't as good as the other girls. I tried to tell her that they are so much older than her and she is probably better than they were at her age, but it didn't quite sink in.

* She can be so sensitive toward others (not all the time, but she's definitely tender-hearted). She will usually give up whatever she's doing to go console Kendall and help her stop crying. And, she's very sensitive and hurt when I discipline her, so it's kinda tricky to make sure she receives a consequence without crushing her. A hard balance for me to find. I know she tries hard to please me, but it's not always obvious by how she's acting. Tricky one, that girl, but I love her.

Ashlyn is such a delight to us. God has blessed us with a talented girl who is full of spunk and joy.

We love you, Ashlyn!

Happy 6th Birthday!

Sweet Playtime

I love those moments when you find them playing so sweetly, and then you actually get a good picture of it! Doesn't always happen that way....

Kendall is really starting to pretend these days, and I love it. She's just so sweet and fun.

Basketball!

Jaclyn has given basketball a shot for the first time this year. She's played on a team of other 1st and 2nd graders at the Rec Center and has improved a lot! I'm not sure if it's something that she loves or not, but it's been a good experience for her. Up until yesterday, she had only made one basket the whole season, but yesterday she made 3! After she made the first one, she jumped up a down for joy. I caught the last of the celebration in the next picture (although kinda blurry), and it was a fun moment for her.

8 is Great!

Jaclyn turned 8 on Wednesday. She was very excited, of course, and we seemed to celebrate all week long. :) It was a fun time.


She had her party on Saturday. We had just a few girls over, and her best friend, Abigail, got to stay and spend the night. They all had a lot of fun and enjoyed being together.

So, let's see, what can I say about my sweet Jaclyn...

-She is definitely growing in maturity. There are times when she'll realize that I need help, and she'll go make peanut butter sandwiches for lunch or start cleaning up (sometimes). She's also very good at helping with Kendall when I'm trying to get something else accomplished.

-She is a good friend to almost everyone! She continues to be very outgoing and friendly, enjoying every minute with any friend.

-She enjoys doing school, which is a big blessing for me as her teacher! She loves to read, both on her own and with me. We are enjoying reading through the Little House on the Prairie series together. We cuddle up at night by the fireplace. :)

-She continues to take piano lessons and is doing very well. I enjoy seeing this talent develop in her.

-She is currently playing on a little basketball team at the rec center and we are starting volleyball for her as well.

-She's very imaginative and does well playing with her sisters and creating different scenarios for them to play in.

Yes, she is truly a blessing from God, and I love seeing her grow up.

We love you, Jaclyn.

Happy Birthday!

Time to Cut

Jaclyn has been asking for a very long time now if she can cut her hair really short. So, I told her she could grow it out and donate it to Locks of Love, and that's what she did. :) She needed 10 inches for them to be able to use it in wigs, so it's taken quite a while, but she finally made it. She was so excited and thrilled with the entire process. It was a fun time, and I'm glad that all that hair can be used for something special. Ashlyn's wasn't quite long enough to donate, but she wanted hers as short as Jaclyn's, and she loves it. It was fun for both of them.

Last week was picture week at Ashlyn's gymnastics class, so here are a few recent shots of her. She is doing really well and starting to work on some really cool things that are very fun for her.

There are times when I'm unsure if she should continue in it or not, but then I see her doing this, just for the fun of it! (Those are totally not my genes!)

December in Review

Well, I don't know about you, but December just flew by for us! So, I guess I'll just try to sum up the whole month in one post. This is always such a busy month for us between wrapping up high school volleyball, beginning club volleyball, piano recitals and concerts, and that little thing called Christmas! It is an enjoyable time of year, but I usually give a little sigh of relief when it's over. And, now that it's over, I have a little time to update my blog, so here we go...
We started off the month with a little ride aboard the Polar Express, courtesy of Aunt Jill. It was pretty fun for the girls (but quite cold with no heat!). You board this old steam engine and they simulate going to theNorth Pole. And then you arrive at the North Pole and you get to meet Santa, have hot chocolate and cookies, and make a little craft. It was cute, although did I mention cold? Mom was ready to leave the North Pole...


Jaclyn also had her Winter Recital this year and did very well. She played Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Morning Has Broken. Ashlyn has demonstrated ability to play also, so she was able to start piano lessons this December. She is doing very well, so she will get to be a part of the next recital!




This year we decided to stay at our house for Christmas morning, so we celebrated at home for the first time! Over the years, we'll see which activities "stick" and become traditions, but this year we tried out a cinnamon role Christmas tree. Kinda fun, I thought. :)

And then came the presents! We had a lot of building and activity gifts this year, which was great. So, the girls have been building and creating ever since.

Christmas afternoon, we packed up and went to Des Moines and then on to Kansas City on Monday. We had a wonderful time with both sets of families. We spent 5 days in K.C., so the girls got their fill of cousins...hopefully it'll last until Summer.

We always have a little "concert" in Kansas City for the cousins, so both of my girls got to play their songs this year. Ashlyn played Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Jaclyn played her songs, and then Kendall couldn't be left out, so she ran up to the piano and "played", but her song was accompanied by some pretty hilarious dance moves. She kinda stole the show.

Then more presents...

Jaclyn had a desire this year to learn to sew with a sewing machine, so my Mom was very kind to give her an introductory lesson. All the girls wanted to be involved, so they all got a chance to give it a try. They made a little cupcake blanket.

And last but not least was a trip to the new American Girl Store in Kansas City! Our gift to Katelyn was to get her doll's hair done at the salon, so she and Jaclyn got to go together and give their dolls a spa day. (I needed that for my Christmas present!)

It was a fun month. I hope that all of you had a blessed Christmas season too!

Merry Christmas!