An Interview with a FIVE Year Old

 

I interviewed Adalyn on her birthday about some of her favorite things.  I started "birthday interviews" with her last year and plan to use the same questions each year.  It is interesting to see how her interests and favorites change from year to year. 

 

Happy Fifth Birthday ADALYN GRACE!

1. What is your favorite color? purple and pink

2. What is your favorite toy?  My dolls, Saige and Lucy

3. What is your favorite fruit? strawberries and apples

4. What is your favorite TV show?  Wow Wow Wubzy

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? macaroni and cheese and hot dogs

6. What is your favorite outfit?  My sparkly peacock shirt with jeans

7. What is your favorite game? Busytown and Don't Wake Daddy

8. What is your favorite snack? Gogurt and Popsicles

9. What is your favorite animal?  Dolphins

10. What is your favorite song?  The songs that I make up and the "gymnastics song" (Home by Phillip Phillips)

11. What is your favorite book? Friends Lego Chapter Book

12. Who is your best friend?  Ella

13. What is your favorite cereal?  Cinnamon Toast Crunch

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my scooter

15. What is your favorite drink?  Chocolate Milk

16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?   Lucy and Saige

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes

19. If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?   Disneyland

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher and a mommy

A Fast and Furious February

I'm not quite sure where the month of February went, but I am glad that it has passed.  January and February aren't exactly my favorite months of the year because it is Derek's crazy busy work season where he works many late nights and goes into the office for at least one full day on the weekends.  It is a chaotic time for us and  This year it was extra challenging because I was pregnant with the boys.  Amongst the craziness we did manage to have some fun family nights and the kids and I filled our days with fun indoor projects and trips to our favorite places around town.  At the end of the month I was SO happy to turn the February page on the calender.

Here are few pictures from our crazy month:

All ready to watch the Super Bowl

Valentine fun in Addy's classroom

Checking out Addy's Valentines

Playing games at the party

Addy and her friend, Ella

Two of my Valentines and the treat Derek got for us....so much better than flowers, especially when you are VERY pregnant!

An intense game of Angry Birds

Look at that concentration!

Carter loves to dress up as Handy Manny and pretend to fix things around the house.

 

Being Silly

 

 

Carter's 30 month Well Check Appointment

Carter had his 30 month well check appointment on January 17.  Carter interacted a ton with the nurse and the doctor. During previous appointments he has been a bit standoffish and shy, but he was so chatty during this appointment that I'm not even sure I had to be there.  Carter answered all of their questions, even the ones that were directed at me.  When Doctor Boe asked me if he was potty trained Carter piped in and said, "yes, I go on the potty."  He also told the doctor that I had two baby boys in my belly.  Dr. Boe looked up from Carter's chart with his brows raised looking to me for confirmation and I let him know that Carter was correct and the Freihauts were keeping him in business.  Carter had a great appointment and was quite the character throughout the entire visit.  He measured 37.75 inches (85th percentile) and 35.5 lbs. (90th percentile).  Our little boy is growing like a weed!

Pierced Ears

Earlier this year Addy made the big decision to get her ears pierced on her fifth birthday.  When we found out about the babies, we decided that it may be best to get them pierces a bit earlier in the year, so that they are healed by the arrival of the babies.  So, on the last Saturday of January Addy and I headed to the mall to take the big step. Addy did a fantastic job and didn't flinch a bit as the two ladies pierced them both at the same time.  I held her hands and Saige (Addy's new doll) was along for support, of course!  She chose a pair of super cute pink daisy earrings and spent lots of time admiring them in every mirror we came across for the rest of the weekend.  We finished our girls' afternoon with lunch at Panera. 

The before shot

The after shot

Admiring her new accessories

Our Spunky girl!

She was very excited to show her new ears off to her Dad, who wasn't so sure about his little girl getting holes in her ears. Addy looks so grown up with her ear pierced.  I'm not so sure that I want my little girl to grow up; I guess I can't stop the inevitable, but I sure can try to slow it down just a little:)

An Early Birthday Present

January was a big month for Addy.  Since learning that we are having twins, we made of list of things that are priorities for us to get done before I am possibly put on bed rest or can't travel very far from home.  For a few months now Addy has been asking to go to the American Girl Store to get a "big girl doll" for her birthday. It really is a special experience for girls to go to the store and pick out their doll and eat with her in the cafe.  It wouldn't have been my preference as a soon to be five year old, but Addy is definitely more "girly" than I was (or am).  Derek and I decided that the American Girl experience would be the perfect way to celebrate her fifth birthday and we opted to take the trip in January so that I would be more comfortable going.  We headed to the store in St. Louis because it is much smaller and is connected to a suburban mall; as opposed to the much larger Chicago flag store that is located in downtown and would have required a lot more walking for me.

We arrived in St. Louis Friday evening and headed straight to the store in hopes that it would be less crowded Friday evening than on Saturday and Addy would have an easier time checking out the dolls and making her choice.  We were so glad to get there and find the store virtually empty.  Even though we had looked through the catalog and discussed Addy's options many times before arriving, she was totally in awe of all of the options when we arrived and it took some effort to focus her on the task at hand.  I have to admit that it was a bit overwhelming for her mom!  Everyone who knows me well knows that dolls (and girly things in general) really aren't my thing; so being immersed in so much of it all at once is a daunting task.  After making several rounds around the store looking at all the dolls and making a long list of accessories that she wanted, Addy decided on Saige who is the 2013 "Girl of the Year."  It was the doll she had originally picked out of the AG magazine the week before our trip, but once she was immersed in all of the doll craziness, it took a few trips around the store to come back to Saige as her selection.  We left the store on Friday night with a doll, an outfit and one happy little girl.

Addy and Carter posing with Saige in her balloon

Our Happy Little Shopper

That night we stayed in a great Drury Inn that was very close to the hotel and provided a bed for Addy's new doll that she was able to take home.  On Saturday morning we headed back to the doll store to get our name on the list for lunch (they don't accept advance reservations).  We took the 11:30 slot, shopped a bit on the connecting mall, and then went to eat lunch with Saige.  Carter was given the option to eat with his Dad at another restaurant on the mall, but was just as excited to eat with Saige as Addy was.  The cafe is very small and doesn't seat a lot of people at once.  Addy had the "tea party" option off the menu and loved her hot chocolate and petite sandwiches and desserts. Saige even had her own plate and tea cup.  It was a  very special meal that Addy loved and I am so glad we took the time to do with her.

Matching jammies!

Boy time with the tablet

Addy, Mommy and Saige enjoying lunch

Family pic

Even Saige had her own place setting!

We finished up our Saturday by heading to a few stores we don't have in Bloomington/Normal including a giant Babies R Us to purchase a few baby items that aren't available in the store in town.  After much encouragement from Derek, I finally bit the bullet and purchased the stroller I have had my eye on for the twins.  I loved the stroller when we rented it at Disney, so I succumbed to Derek's peer pressure and bought it.  I am very excited!

I am so glad that we went ahead and made the trip.  Addy loved picking out Saige and the doll hasn't left her side since we brought her home.  Never in my life did I ever imagine that I would watch YouTube videos on how to care for a doll's hair, but that is exactly what I was doing the night we bought her!  The things we do for our kiddos!   Although I'm not a big "doll person" and probably never will be, it was a great experience for our special little girl.  

 

Addy and her new friend

Hello 2013...Ready or Not, Here We Come!

We rang in 2013 quietly at home as a family.  After a visit to Indiana, spending a low key evening at home celebrating together was just what we needed.  We rented movies, had a fun dinner, had an ice cream sundae bar.  The kids loved making their own ice cream creations and ate every last bit of their sundaes.   We  let the kids stay up until the ball dropped at midnight eastern time.  We rang in the the new year by drinking sparkling grape juice out of real wine glasses, which the kids were SO excited about.  Then the kids  went to bed and we followed shortly after midnight central time. 

Ringing in the new year with ice cream is the best!

Addy and her sundae creation

 

Even the babies got in the spirit and sported party hats:)

We had a wonderful 2012 filled with lots of happiness, memorable moments, and big surprises.  As our family continue to grow older and grow in numbers, it seems as though each year gets more and more exciting and it more and more eventful.  2013 should prove to be the most exciting (and eventful) year yet.  So....Hello 2013...READY OR NOT HERE WE COME!!

Christmas 2012

We had a wonderful Christmas week celebrating together in Bloomington and then heading south to Indiana to celebrate with lots of family.

Addy and Carter posing before Addy's preschool Christmas program

Carter eating his "train snack" on our family Polar Express night

Before Jingle headed back to the North Pole for the last time, we sent a note with him to deliver to Santa asking him to visit us early on Christmas Eve morning since we were heading to Indiana on Christmas morning.  Thank goodness Santa agreed to make us one of his first stops!  The kids were elated to wake up to a living room of wrapped gifts on Christmas Eve morning.  Christmas just seems to get better and better every year as the kids get more and more excited.  After opening gifts from Santa and exchanging gifts with each other, we spent the morning and afternoon playing with toys before Church.  We headed to church in the early afternoon. Addy was very excited because on Christmas everyone attends the service because there isn't Kidsview (children's church).  Thank goodness our pastor makes the service super kid friendly with an abbreviated sermon and the praise band plays a ton of Christmas carols that the kids all sing along to.  Addy and Carter both belted out Rudolph with a ton of Christmas Spirit.

Derek showing off his #1 Dad medal that Addy purchased for him at her school's Christmas gift store.

Addy was so excited about her Friends Legos sets

Carter loved his flying Buzz!

Excited about Spiderman!

After church, it was back home to more playing and a dinner of finger foods.   As Derek and I were sitting on the floor putting toys together and playing games with Addy and Carter, we both agreed that this will be the calmest Christmas we will have for many years to come:)  It was a perfect way to celebrate Christmas with our family.

Ready for church!

We headed to my parent's house in Indiana on Christmas morning.  The kids occupied themselves on the drive playing with their news toys and there weren't many people on the roads, so we made great time.  We arrived around noon and had dinner with my parents and then waited for everyone to arrive for Christmas dinner and the gift exchange later that evening.  The kids had a great time hanging out with their Grandparents, Aunt, Uncle, and their significant others.  They were definitely worn out by the end of the evening! 

A snowstorm rolled through Southern Indiana the next day which kept Derek's brother and his family from coming down from Terre Haute to celebrate Christmas on Wednesday. We had planned on celebrating with them on Wednesday and then Derek and I were going to head to Louisville for a a few nights.  Since the weather wasn't as bad to the east, Derek and I decided to leave my parent's house earlier that afternoon.  Addy and Carter were very excited to be spending some time on their own with Grandma and Grandpa Schum and were basically pushing us out the door as we left. 

Siblings

Family picture...all 6 of us!!

Grandma and Grandpa

Derek and I had been discussing a getaway at Christmas for a while.  We had debated going to Las Vegas for a few days, but I was always a bit hesitant to book it.  It turns out that being "gun-shy" paid off for me for once, as my doctor wouldn't have approved me going because of the twins!  We had a great time on our trip.  We went to the movies, did lots of shopping (mostly for baby items:), and ate two nice dinners.  We stayed at the Dupont Mansion Bed and Breakfast, which is in the "Old Louisville" section of town and is a beautiful home.  The innkeeper was suer friendly and made awesome breakfast for us on both mornings.  It was a great mini-getaway and we are so glad we took got the opportunity to go since we probably won't get another chance until we're at least 40:)

Addy loved playing in the snao at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Carter was running a slight fever, so he stayed inside.

On Friday we headed home and joined my Mom's side of the family for Christmas at my Uncle Pat's house.  It's always so much fun seeing and catching up with everyone.  I feel like I talk a mile a minute for several hours when we get a chance to see extended family, because there is so much catching up to do.  I am so glad we got a chance to everyone that could make it.

On Saturday we packed up to head to Derek's mom's house in Evansville to visit with her before heading back to Illinois on Sunday.  My Uuncle Ed and Aunt Betty and all of their kids and grandchildren stopped my parents before we headed out.  It was so much fun seeing them and we did a lot of catching up in a short amount of time.  All of the kids played very well despite not having seen each other for a very long time.  It was a great was to end our Christmas trip to Ferdinand! 

Later that day we had Christmas dinner with Grandma Freihaut and made a trip to Orange Leaf for yogurt and headed to Target to check out their baby section.  While shopping we happened to find a crib on clearance that was similiar to our current crib, so we purchased it, took Grandma and the kids back to the house and went back with the seats down in the Acadia to pick it up.

I don't know how he did it, but Derek managed to get all of our luggage, gifts, kids, and the big crib box in the Acadia for the drive home.  The kids didn't have a whole lot of head clearance, but we all made it home safe and sound.  We had a wonderful Christmas full of lots of family time, play and great memories!