Creative Solution

Ella begged for puffy cheetos  at Meijer the other day and I gave in. Cheetos are usually reserved for a Mimi and Papa house treat. I hate them because they are so messy and gross and unhealthy and of course all the kids want to eat when we have them in the house. Apparently Niko also doesn't care for how messy they are either so he came up with a solution. He decided to use the wooden clothespin that we use as a chip clip as chopsticks :)  He was still pretty messy, but definitely enjoyed himself! :)

Lily: Kindergarten

Lily started Kindergarten this fall and is loving every second of it! She got her ears pierced right before school started and has beens sporting a fun short haircut. She is definitely a fashionista and has a very difficult time figuring out what to wear each day....if only she could change outfits once or twice during the school day like she does when she is home :) She has been eating some of the hot lunches and seems to enjoy the lunchtime part of being a big kid. She looks so little walking in each morning with her big backpack, but she has definitely grown up quite a bit already. It will be fun to see how much she grows and changes over this next year.

Lily's Favorites

* Clothes....especially her comfy after school C3PO shirt and her white sox hat

* Food: Popcorn, bagels and cream cheese, chicken nuggets, and honey mustard 

*Activities: Coloring, running, swimming, and playing with Niko and Ella

* TV: Spongebob

* Places: Emack and Bolios, Mcdonald's, Papa's pool and Discovery Museum

Niko, Niko Thomas, Neeks, Neekers, Spiderman, Bubba

Our little guy goes by many names in our household and we seem to add new ones to the list each day. Ella prefers brother or Niko Thomas and Lily seems to favor Bubs or Bubba. I accidentally started the bubba trend and it has stuck. Jeff and my dad are very against the bubba nickname as they are afraid it might stick for life. Either way, my little bubba is growing up way too fast. Thankfully, he still lets me rock him a little at night and will give me kisses. He is so easy going and definitely all boy. He LOVES spiderman and thinks he himself is spiderman as he shoots webs all day long and crawls around very low and seriously. He also loves sports, especially baseball. He could watch anything with a ball involved all day long, which makes his dad very happy. :) He also will play catch all day long as well...again a very happy daddy over here. 

Niko's Favorites

*Balls and Spiderman 

*Food: Everything

*TV: SPIDERMAN and the Lorax

*Activities: Playing/being Spiderman, catch, and throwing himself around on the couch ( yes, it makes me nervous and I hate when daddy lets this activity happen)

Ella : 4

My sweet baby girl turned 4 this month and is definitely no longer a baby. She is a total character and keeps us on our toes. She makes us laugh about 100 times a day and also can make me nuts too, but at the end of the day she loves to snuggle and is very sweet. You can never really be mad at such a genuinely sweet little girl. She may find it fun to cut the carpet with scissors or color her whole body in markers, but she also never lets you leave without a super tight hug and kiss.

Ella's Favorites

*Princesses....anything and everything related to Disney Princesses

*Food: Chips, Bacon, and Popcorn

*TV: She-ra

*Activities: Play with daddy, paint, and play with princesses

Hands Off Sister(s)

Niko received lots of wonderful gifts for his birthday that he enjoys very much and his sisters do too. They have all enjoyed playing star wars, trucks, and super heros, but there is one toy that is off limits...his stuffed mickey. Besides basketball, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is the only show on TV that really makes his day and holds his attention. From the moment he opened his Mickey he was in love. Mickey goes everywhere with him. The only place he doesn't go is to bed with him because they enjoy playing too much instead of sleeping. Poor Mickey needs a bath already since Niko likes to share his meals with mickey in the high chair with him. It is pretty cute thing to watch.

Star Wars Party~ Niko turns 1

Niko's sisters picked a star wars theme for his 1st birthday celebration. We enjoyed some fun treats and the best part was the X-wing fighter we got to ride up and down the street all afternoon. I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids. :)

Ella Kathryn: 3

Ella Kathryn : 3 almost 4 

Not sure even where to start when it comes to Ella. She started her second year of pre-school this past fall and goes 3 days a week ( some days willingly other days not so much). She always comes out with a smile and a funny story about her day. She is very sweet and cuddly, but busy and curious as well, which makes for a busy mommy keeping track of her. She has been caught drawing on walls, using the entire bottle of handsoap in the bathroom, and somehow got a foot wet in the toilet too( I should mention all these things happened in one day and maybe within 2 hours of each other). Everything she does is in some way funny. She and her sister have become pretty good buddies and enjoy playing together and sharing their room. She also has taken to swimming and wants to jump in as many times as possible.  In past month or so we have really seen her change into a big girl. While Lily gets Niko to laugh no one can make Lily laugh like Ella. We love hearing the two of them together laughing. She is getting a hang of doing her chores, being nice to her sister, and over all just being a super sweet and loving little girl. 

Lily Grace: 5

Lily Grace 5 years old

Lily has grown up so much this past year. In the fall she started her second year of pre-school and goes happily 4 days a week. She really enjoys learning and has had a lot of fun learning all her letters at school each week. She is very interested in learning to read so we have been working on that at home and she is loving The Magic Tree house series of books that we read before bed each night. She is a wonderful big sister and helper. She is always evoking belly laughs from her brother.  Her other favorite activity is swimming. In late August we started swim lessons and after getting over her initial fear of going under she quickly became our little fish. We are looking forward to the weather getting warmer so she can jump into Papa's pool. Having an uncle in the culinary industry has really sparked an interest in the girls to cook and bake. Along with this new interest, Lily has expanded her normally picky palate to include a few more items. I think being involved in the cooking process has led her to be a little more adventurous in what she samples.  Right now she is on a huge cheeseburger kick. She loves "burgers" of any kind and especially likes the mini kind or sliders. In her free time she enjoys playing barbies, star wars, and super heros with her sister and dad. We are looking forward to adding a few new activities to her schedule this summer including tennis and soccer. I can't believe she will be in Kindergarten in the fall!