A little background before I get started.
Jase- If you have been following the blog you know Jase started Kindergarten this year. What a big fan of it he is. We decided to go with the year around program with him. Who knew going to kindergarten was such a big decision, BUT IT IS! Jeff and I went back and forth numerous times about where we would send the little guy. Between talking to the administration, parents and teachers in the district, we decided to go with Irving Elementary (the year around program). Jase absolutely loves school and looks forward to going everyday. In fact, on the weekends, he is almost disappointed that it is Saturday and he has to wait two whole days until he gets to go back. His teacher this year, Mrs. Huff, is absolutely amazing and we were fortunate enough to know her before he even started school because she graduated and was friends with Aunt Jessica. Being in year around isn't a whole lot different than traditional except they start earlier in the summer and they have breaks at times the traditional students don't. This year was a little different because they were doing construction on the school for a brand new playground and parking area so we started a little later than usual (not that we would know any different, being it was his first year).
Jase has gained so many friendships and we are so proud of the little guy. He has definitely found a certain "group" he "hangs" out with at school and I only know this because he tells me about the same kiddos he is with every single day. Jeff and myself were fortunate enough to go and visit Jase on an occasion where he was the "star of the week." We ate lunch with him and got to meet all of his friends. I would love to be that fly on the wall every single day and see what he does when we are not there. He has become especially close to his friend Elijah which I have gotten to know. Three days a week I have the privilege of taking him to school and picking him up. He is such a good kid that on Monday's I decided that I would have Elijah come to our house in the morning for breakfast and take him to school with the Jase and then he comes to our house after school for some play time as well. It has been great and we love having him around.
Jase is definitely growing up right before our eyes. He no longer likes the Disney Channel because he says it is too old for him and he calls people "dude" which his father and I hate, but it is better than what he could be calling others.
We signed Jase up for basketball which will start this winter. He really wanted to do wrestling, but Jeff and I decided to hold that off for a year. He has had a pretty eventful year with losing two teeth at a water park and one going up in his gums at school so we thought he could wait a year on losing any more!!
Tyce- Oh our little Tycer started Preschool this year. We thought he would NEVER get used to being on his own. He proved us wrong. At the beginning, every single morning, Tyce hated going into the preschool building. He is going to the same building that Jase went and has the same teachers Jase did so we knew he was in good hands, but every morning he would grab my (or Jeff's) leg and cry. The teachers would have to pull him off of our legs in order to get him in the classroom while we would just walk away. Once he was in there, of course he was fine.
I don't think we give our little Tycer enough credit because once he got used to the preschool class he literally blossomed. He loves everything about school, learning, singing, and meeting new friends. Maybe that was my mommy instinct on having a hard time letting go but he really showed Jeff, myself and even his grandparents that he is mister independent and he is able to accomplish so much by himself. The amazing things he brings home from school such as art work and writing just blows us away. The stuff he can remember from months before is pretty amazing. What a smart little man he is. Even at his conferences he blew us away with the amazing things they were saying. Tyce still has his best friend Reese which he sees on a regular basis. He just had his 4th birthday party and invited a few friends over for that (previous blog). Tyce also continues to enjoy going to the Y and playing with his friends there. He has also started going to a babysitter on Wednesdays and Fridays (the days I work at the salon). He loves all the kids there and looks forward to "Kristi days." Tyce still continues to keep up with Jase and in some ways we think he might just pass him! He is so fast and has that boy/mean/I'm going to beat you face. He is by far from mean but he has that aggressive, competitive look all the time. When we have friends over at our house they love to tease Tyce and he gets all serious like he is going to WIN at whatever they are doing. Even if it is just tickling or playing a fun game of "you better run, or I am going to get you." (I am sure all you mommy's out there can relate to this game.)
Tyce will start his first competitive sport this summer of soccer. We think he will be great considering he is the competitive type and he can pick up on things so fast. He also has had the privileged of watching his big brother through soccer so he has a head start already!
Hayden- On to our little miss. My what has happened to the past two years. Really. I can't believe my little girl is going to be TWO this year. All I can say is what a difference a little girl is from the boys. Although she has her moments, she is so calm compared to the boys! We enjoy having a little miss around, and when I say "little miss" all the time it is because EVERYONE including us calls her "the little miss." It is absolutely adorable. She is definitely all GIRL except for the times when the boys force her in to playing with their cars with them. She is so easy going and really doesn't complain about a whole lot. Being the third baby and knowing she has to be patient in the car during school drop offs or pickups or during homework time she doesn't get to be the COA, she does a pretty damn good job! She has a small...just a small fear of strangers and warming up to people. If she isn't used to you or doesn't want you around, she kind of will let you know it by crying or running away from you! I guess she already knows how to stay away from strangers.
Her older brothers absolutely adore her. When I say they treat her like a princess, I mean they treat her like a princess. They talk to her in baby voices, they always wait on her like when we are heading out to the car or going upstairs for whatever reason, and they are always just looking out for her. If she cries they are right there. It is really very sweet. Like I said Hayden will turn 2 in a couple months and she is growing right along. Being she is the youngest of two boys, we thought she would be a tom boy for sure and love the dirt, cars, and trucks but we were wrong. She is all about the dolls. Feeding the dolls, changing the dolls, rocking the dolls, holding the dolls, etc. She also got a kitchen set and vanity for Christmas. Pretty sure she would cook food all day in the kitchen and check herself out in the mirror of her vanity.
Hayden is great with other kiddos as well. She also goes to Kristi's on Wednesdays and Fridays with Tycer. Karsyn, who is Reese's sister, is around the same age as Hayden. Hayden is only about 4 months older than her so they are together all the time and it is funny at times you will catch them in a girl fight. Yes over something stupid!! As Jeff would say "typical."
Ady- How could we forget our sweet little pug?! Well she drives us nuts one day with the begging for food and scratching at the door, but I don't know what we would do without her either. She was our first "baby" and we love her dearly!
THE ADD-ULTS
Jeffrey- Jeff is still the Pharmacy manager at Hy-vee in Grinnell...so yes he is making the 60 minute drive one way to get to work. The nice thing about his drive is that it isn't every single day. They recently changed their pharmacy hours to Mon-Fri 8-8 and Sat 9-5 and Sunday 10-4. They also hired on two more pharmacists when this change was made so it turns out they are working less hours then before! Basically he drives about 4-5 out of the 7 days a week to work. I can't complain because now I have his help some mornings and some evenings he is home in time for dinner!! Finally!! The weekend shifts are the worst ones but I think working on any weekend isn't fun. Having three kiddos and trying to do a morning routine and our the door by 7:30 is not the easiest, so having his help in the morning is wonderful! Jeff still enjoys it though. Yes he has good days and of course bad days but he has a great group of girls that works with and they all work together so well. Thank goodness he has more pharmacy help too.
Besides work, Jeff's number one priority is being with his kids. Rather it be at our house or if he goes and watches football/basketball/or whatever at his friends house, he takes the kids with him. If I need some time to myself (oh my do I ever) he takes the kids and will just go. They will go for a ride, go to the store and get breakfast, or just leave for a while. He is always making plans with them in mind, and I love that about him. I can't brag enough about my hubby. He is what you would call our rock. I mean he deals with my crazy self and ideas...not many men would do that.
Jeff starts his basketball league this Sunday so he is pretty pumped about that. He got his new kicks in the mail today so don't let him fool you, he is pumped.
The wifey- Yes me. I can't say a whole lot about myself. I am pretty same ole.' I still enjoy my "me" time I get every morning at our local YMCA and I also enjoy my time I get to work on Wednesdays and Fridays. I still work the front desk at a salon in town called Beauty Is...Aveda and it allows me to have adult interaction and conversations that I miss when I am at home every other day of the week. My mother did have a major back surgery that put her in some long weeks of reovery. My mom is my "go to" person so her having this surgery put a strain on her and myself! She is doing so much better now and is back to walking everyday and enjoying her Saturday nights out with her friends. She feels like the surgery has really slowed her down, but we are encouraging her to slow down! Other than that I can say I have been blessed with three amazing kids and a husband that would do anything for our family. I truly enjoy being a mom. I may complain about the running around, constant time on my feet and all the hustle and bustle each and every day brings, but I love every second of it. I am so fortunate I am able to be there for my kids when I need them. I am so very thankful that we decided to move back to Indianola. From the help of our parents being just a phone call away and even the help of our friends being just a phone call away proved to us that moving back was one the the best decisions we have made!
Enough is enough...on to the top ten!
10) Our little man Tycer got his tonsils out:( Come to find out the poor guy had tonsils the size of apricots...not really but close enough. He was having issues sleeping eating and basically everything involved with the mouth so we decided getting his tonsils out would be the best decision. He was a champ. He was in a lot of pain the first couple days but popsicles are his favorite thing to eat so he was pretty pumped that he would get to eat those for a few weeks and as many as he wanted :)
My little superman!
9) Jase finished up preschool at IPS. What a joy that place is. He finished with a bang and we all were able to witness his end of the year program and meet all his friends that he would tell us about the entire year.
8) Miss Hayden celebrated her first birthday!
Oh little Miss
7) Tyce started PRESCHOOL! What a champ he is and a handsome one too I must say :)
6) Jase started Kindergarten! What a big man he is becoming! He also lost his front two teeth. The poor guy has had the worst luck with teeth. He fell at the water park in Okoboji with Mema and Papa Bates and smashed his front two teeth inward. They ended up taking him to a dentist in Okoboji and they had to pull both of them. Luckily there wasn't any other damage. Then when we were in Mexico, he bumped into one of his classmates and they hit so hard one of his top teeth went up in his gums. We thought he just lost it but found out at the dentist it was still there just in his gums.
5) Our Bates family trip to Florida. Last April we "went to the beach" as the kids would say. We flew to Florida with the whole clan and made some great memories with the Bates family! It was an absolute blast and we hope to go again sometime!
4) MEXICO! Jeff and myself were able to take a week long trip (kid free) to see two of our dearest friends get married in Mexico! It was absolutley beautiful and amazing of course and it was a trip we will never forget! We were with some of our best friends so it made the trip that much more special!
3) House updating! This year we decided to make some updates on the house. We got all new appliances, new floors in the family room, a new table for our dining room and new washer and dryer and Jeff surprised me with a brand new T.W. Just kidding about surprising me. Well, it was a surprise to me when he came home with it :).
2) Summer days at the Lake.
1) 2014 has been the best year and they keep on getting better. The number 1 moment in 2014 can't be described in just ONE moment. There are so many memories that were made and moments that we shared as a family. There is no greater pleasure for Jeff and I than watching our children grow. We can't wait to see what 2015 has to offer.
We hope you have a Blessed New Year!
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