Tyler is rockin' the 1st grade

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about what is important in life and asking God to give me patience to let life unfold how its suppose to. Sometimes this is easier said than done.
Working as a dairy freelancer is overwhelming wonderful, but its uncertainty in the amount of work (and amount of income) can be a bit nerve wracking, especially with this smart, budget conscious Jersey mama!
Well...today was one of those days that everything unfolded unexpectedly well. I received a few calls for future projects for the 2011 calendar year. Lets just say that it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulder.
But, perhaps the biggest reward today came when the school bell rang. Shortly after, my first-grader came home with a smile and shouted, "I was leveled for reading and I'm reading at level i."
Well level i was our (Tyler & I) goal to get at by the end of the school year. Here we are half way through it and he is there! Not that our work is done by any means, we will still hit the reading hard, but it just makes me burst into tears with overwhelming joy. My 6 year old who didn't talk until he was 2, barely saying just a few words and who worked so hard in speech for two years has always been determined, hard working and smart and well, this is victory is a small stepping stone for Tyler. It allows him continued confidence to love school and love reading.

And, although I'm so thankful for a few new projects to keep my mind out of trouble and help pay the bills...I'm most thankful for my job that lets me be home with my children...allowing me to do many things, include work on reading with my 1st grader, who now reads at 2nd grade level. Tyler--"You are rockin' the 1st grade" and I couldn't be prouder. I love you.

Tumble Bumble

Cassie has fully enjoyed taking tumbling classes for the last year and half at our local YMCA. She has progressed in her ability and confidence. Watching her try her best just makes me smile! A few snapshots from this proud mama follow.

Minnesota Family Vacation '11

Future farmers
The Lambchops & Jersey kids at Grand Harbor.




Our long, over-due family vacation finally came...and went too quickly for our liking. It kinda felt a bit funny to head north in the dead of winter to even colder temperatures and even more snow. Regardless, much fun was had by all thanks in large part to indoor water parks, legoland, shopping galore @ Mall of America and good friends that we met up with.
Of course there were cliches! Wouldn't seem right if there weren't any. I was down one day due to a stomach bug, but still managed to make it to the mall with baby Jake in tow, while Scott was super dad going on "all day ride bands" at Nickelodeon. The kids think he is the cooler dad for sure!
I have to say our kids traveled amazingly well on the six hour drive. A bigger vehicle that allows for separation of the two bigger kids was key, along with snacks and a dvd player. My mother reminds me how easy off we are compared to the 'old' days!
GPS mapped us the whole way there
Baby Jake was AWESOME! Although the poor lil' man sat in the car seat for too many hours for too many days in a row. The last 20 minutes on the car ride home he cried the whole way home. Needless to say it was great to be in our own beds...just in time to rest up to start back to our daily routines.

Christmas 2010: Lovin' it!

Christmas was full of blessings. Exhausting, of course! Funny how so much time and energy (and money) goes into the holiday and then its over in a blink of an eye. The Jersey kids enjoyed every minute up to it, which of course makes me feel young and alive. Cute tidbits of the day follow.
1. Tyler's heartbeat was a racin' on Christmas Eve. He was fast asleep, but so excited that his heartbeat was thumping away. Needless to say the excitement level was on nock 10 when he realized Santa came with presents for all.
2. Later that day, he began piling up some old toys that we could give to "those kids that didn't get anything." As, you can imagine, I bursted into tears.
3. Whoever invented zhu-zhu pets is a generous! The kids loved 'em. Santa loved the price tag and these lil' hamsters are scurrying all over our house! Not sure who is more entertained. The big kids, Jacob or the cat!
4. Santa was smart to bring the youngest member pampers or anything wrapped as the wrapping paper was Jacob's favorite thing to play with. And...two days later, Tyler & Cassie were making boats and cutting the boxes up for forts. The novelty of the "brand new toys' have started wearing off! HA!
5. While the kids have had their arguments over toys, they have played (surprisingly) good together.

We leave soon for our family vacation to Minnesota...and I'm not sure who is more excited. Needless to say a lil' getaway time is just what this family needs!

Jersey Lessons

Three Jersey kids by the tree.
How did I ever get so lucky?
My 6-year-old, Tyler James is asking for Pokemon, Bakugun and zhu zhu pets. Again, how did I ever get so lucky that his requests are so simple and thankfully, easy on the pocketbook.
The girl in the house is asking for Barbies and zhu zhu pets and would be content with pretty much whatever Santa puts under the tree. We will treasure this for sure; someday this will change. Probably too soon for my liking.
Baby Jake can't talk yet, however his older siblings requested he get a pack of pampers, wipes, bath toys and sippie-cups! Santa smiles at this requests!!
Perhaps the best Christmas gift to me was a note Tyler wrote in his first grade classroom.
If I were a gift, I'd be money, so I could give it to a child who does not have any.
This made me cry. There are days that I feel that I'm not doing my job as a mother. Its when the child talks back, rolls his/her eyes, argues with their siblings and the list could go on and on. We've had a few too many days like this, and then this simple letter that Tyler wrote made me open my eyes and realize, I'm raising good kids, who are learning the true meaning of Christmas...and of life! Generosity and kindness go far in life kiddos! Atta boy Tyler for picking up on some of life's greatest lessons.

Tyler's Christmas Program '10

Tyler had his Christmas program this morning and his father and me and baby Jacob were in attendance. I love Christmas music, but what is even sweeter is having your own child sing Christmas songs. Its pure sweetness. My husband smiled and kid me, "Whats wrong with you," when I teared up watching Tyler sing all his songs. I guess, they just grow up too quickly for my liking and I looked at baby Jake and thought, gosh soon it'll be him up there singing those songs. Makes me wanna hold my kids tight and generate a formula to slow down the aging process.

Jersey blessings

Yes, I have a lot to be thankful this year. God is great!
My heart swells up, more times than not, because of the beautiful blessings I have in my life. My Jersey family easily tops the list.
This year, my kids made Thankful crowns that they sported to tell why they are thankful. I wanted them to think about their blessings and share with others. They were thankful for many, but Tyler wrote down:
"I'm thankful for the whole wide world."
And, Cassie wrote:
"I'm thankful for my family."
Baby Jake smile and the big kids said, he was thankful for milk!