Fall Fun - Part II

We have been so busy having fun the last few weeks that I have not had the time to sit down and highlight all the good stuff.  We have done everything from cookie decorating with friends to pumpkin carving to Trick or Treating!  Enjoy!

 Auntie Lo spent the weekend back at the end of October and brought all of her supplies to make her famous cake balls.  Eloise was happy to help and sample all the candy. 

 

Click HERE to watch the Cake Ball making magic!

This Fall has felt more like summer many days.  Eloise and Preston were loving the extra opportunities to run around in the background in the evening. 

 Even though there are tons of pumpkin patches around the Chicagoland area, we ended up at Cosley Zoo to pick out some pumpkins this year.  They have a cute Fall Festival throughout October that it just the right amount of fun for the kids. 

 What can I say?  It is in their DNA to look for deer. 

 Eloise kept referring to the pumpkin "guts" as brains.  Haha!

Halloween is so much fun for the Kalins kids!  They get to do a Halloween parade with daycare followed by a little party.  Preston was a perfect monster as he would growl on command.  Eloise was so excited to be a witch this year...mostly because she got to wear some of my makeup. 

 

After school, we went over Aunt Dina & Uncle Bob's house to trick or treat with Alex, Reese & Quinnley.  They all had a blast running from house to house.  

As soon as Halloween is over, it is Christmas overload everywhere.  Eloise jumped right on that train and was happy to start looking at the Target catalog for possible gifts.  

Click HERE to watch her in action. 

Eloise is 4 & Fabulous

Dear Eloise,

How is it that another year has passed and you are 4 years old!  It was only fitting that we celebrated your 4th Birthday on the Disney Cruise and you were made into a real Princess to celebrate.  Everything about that experience captures the best parts of you - your wonderful imagination, love for all things girly, and a flare for drama!  This past year, you've turned into this tall, strong, bruise-shinned, beautiful, articulate little lady.  There is not a day that goes by that you say or do something, I just shake my head and smile and think, "who is this kid?"  How did I get so lucky to end up with a little girl like you?  You love so hard and have such excitement for life that you inspire every day to be a better mommy for you.   

One of the best things is about you is how much you love everyone in your life.  I will never tire of the random times throughout the day that you will say, "Mommy?.....I love you."  Sometimes there is quite the dramatic pause in there after you say my name and I wonder, "Oh, God, what is she going to ask me."  9 times out of 10, you simply say, "I love you."  It's so precious.  I don't know remember when you started doing it but I will surely miss it if you ever stop.  I know first hand how frustrating it can be at times to have a younger sibling that gets into all of your stuff.  So, thank you for being kind to Preston.  He loves you so and just wants to be like you.  Thank you for singing to him when he cries in the car and making goofy noises to make him laugh.  Thank you letting him mess up your books and toys in your room so that he will keep busy while I do your hair in the morning.  Thank you for reading to him in his room while I put laundry away and get the bath ready.  Thank you for loving him so much that you have to give him a hug & kiss every day when we drop him off at school.  Thank you for being a mama's helper every day.  I don't know how I would do it without you. 

I think I had it said it before but in some ways every day with you is like playing a game. Your love for a little fun or a little drama has led us to create a lot of fun games or routines around every day activities.  For example, when it is time for dinner, we have to say something about you to get you to come sit down.  We say, "if you have yellow hair, come & eat!"  You promptly say, "Oh! That's me...that's me!" and run to the table.  Your favorite thing is if Daddy pretends that I'm talking about him and you two race to the table.  Preston has now caught on too and likes to play along.  Every once in a while, we switch up and say something like, "if you have pink soccer shoes, come & eat!" or "if you are going on the Disney Cruise, come & eat!"  See, a never ending game!  The only reason why it is so fun to do this is because you have such a great imagination and playful heart.  It blows us away with the stories you come up with when you are playing.  All of your teachers have said the same thing as well.  I've often said that I should record some of your playtime stories and turn it into a book.  It would probably be a best seller!  The only thing that I can hold a candle to your imagination is your memory.  I swear, you never forget anything! It blows my mind how you can recall things with such detail that happened when you were 2.5 years old or that only happened one time and seemed so insignificant.  You know the route to school, which is impressive for a 25+ mile trip.  If I take a slightly different route or make a stop somewhere, you immediately notice it and comment on it. 

This past year you have really displayed your independence.  You often ask if you can unbuckle yourself...brush your own hair...get your snack or water etc. Just last week, you started trying to completely dress yourself for school.  That's no easy task to take off the nightgown and put on a whole other outfit.  I'm impressed!  I thought you putting on your own shoes & socks was great but this is going to be awesome.  We figured early on that you had your own fashion sense and opinions about what you were wearing.  For easily a year or so, you pick out your clothes for the next day right before you go to bed.  It has made mornings so much easier.  Of course, the outfit of choice remains to be dresses.  No complaints here!  You look adorable in dresses with leggings or just by themselves in the summer.  The struggle now is shoe choice.  If it was up to you, you would wear fancy shoes or party shoes every day.  As much as I agree that your cute shoes complete the outfit, the amount of time you spend running on the playground requires a gym shoe.  At least we know better and buy the hot pink Nikes. 

Now that you are 4, you are moving up to the Pre-K class.  You absolutely love school and all that structure and fun that goes along with it.  In some ways, you remind me so much of myself with this.  I always loved going to school and learning new things.  My parents have told me stories of how many questions I would ask, especially the "what if" questions.  Well, karma is a real thing because you are full of questions for me!  You often start your questions with, "Mommy, what happens if..."  Sometimes, I literally have no answer for you and yet telling you I don't know is not acceptable.  One question often leads to another question that almost always harder than the first.  Brad and I joke how challenging it is to watch a movie with you because you ask so many questions!  Sometimes an entire conversation will center on going down the list of everyone we know and asking what they are allergic to.  I have no idea where this weird obsession came from though.  You get weirdly excited when someone is actually allergic to something and I'm pretty sure you make a mental note of it.  For example, you &  Daddy went to the pet store and there were kittens.  You adored them and asked Brad if we could have one.  I'm allergic to them to the answer was, "No, Mommy is allergic to them."  Now every time we drive past that pet store you tell me that I can't go there because there are cats and I'm allergic.  A few weeks ago when we were headed to get her hair cut, you excitedly told me that you couldn't wait to ask Carla (the hairstylist) what she was allergic to.  Lord.  Future nurse or doctor in the making?  Over the past few weeks, the following topics have come up:

Where do babies come from?

How do babies get in their mommy's tummies?

Did you eat me & Preston?

Where was I when you & Daddy were kids and in school?

Death. 

What happens to your body when you die?

Why did you get put in the ground?

When do you become alive again?

Why do people bring flowers when people die?

As hard as some of these questions are, I'm glad you are asking us.  It makes me realize how smart you are and observant to the world around you.  You make me so proud every day to see how smart you are and thirsty for knowledge.  I hope you are always this excited for learning new things.

My Favorite Conversations with Eloise

I asked Eloise to pick up a diaper that had fallen out of the diaper bag. She looks at me with a straight face and says in calm yet slightly irritated voice,  

"Do I look like a mommy? Do I have hair like a mommy? Eyes like a mommy? Those glasses like a mommy?" 
I had no words.  I picked up the diaper.

Eloise was wearing her Elsa crown in the way home from school...

M: "Do you want your snack?" 

E: "No. Queens don't eat snacks."

M: "Do you want your water?"

E: "No. Queens do not drink water."

M: "What do Queens do?"

E: "Queens sit on their thrones. They also turn people into frogs."
10 minutes later, she asked for the snack & water. 

Eloise had on some makeup on for her ballet recital...

E: "Mommy, are my teachers going to know who I am? They might think I'm a mommy because of my makeup. "

E: "Mommy! The rain is going to ruin my makeup!" 

That moment when you know your kid uses too much technology...
"Alexa! Put on, Can't Feel my Face on YouTube." 
"Alexa! Put on Justin Beaver (aka Beiber)!"

Your personality is so dynamic these days.  You are bossy yet sweet, loving and gentle, sensitive and curious.  Happy 4th Birthday to the most amazing little girl that I will ever know. 

Love,


Mommy

Eloise's Birthday Questionnaire

What is your favorite color?

Pink.

What is your favorite toy?

Ponies.

What is your favorite movie or TV show?

Goldie & Bear on the TV. Peppa Pig on my iPad.

What is your favorite thing to do?

Play Hide & Seek.

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Lunch?  Dinner?

Cereal – Crackers & Cheese (aka Lunchables) – Mac & Cheese

What is your favorite outfit?

Dresses!

What is your favorite book?

Touch & Feel Book.

What is your favorite song?

“Can’t Feel my Face”

What makes you laugh?

Tickling.

What is the best time of the day?

Monday.

What do you sleep with at night?

My Kitty.

Who are your friends?       

Lauren, Leah, Jacob, Cordell, Madison, James, Lucy L, Lucy P, Amerah, Alex, Camille

Who is your best friend?

Lauren

What do you like best about school?

Circle Time

What do you love to do with Mom?

Go to your office

What do you love to do with Dad?

Go Hunting

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Be a nurse for dogs & cats when they are sick. 

Work on my computer and write messages.


*Just for fun, you can check out her answers from last year HERE.

Easter 2016 Highlights

Eloise & Preston kicked off the Easter holiday by indulging Mommy with a themed photo shoot.  These 2 were a blast and loved the big carrots we used for props.  These 2 bunnies are too cute and were worth all the sweating and crazy antics to get some cute photos.  

 

Operation: Holiday Sweat Shop

I bought plain wooden bunny frames for Eloise to paint for all the grandparents' Easter gift. With each frame, she'd ask who it was for and pick her colors accordingly. 

Easter Fun at school 

Thanks to some of my fellow moms at daycare, I got the full report on Eloise & the Easter fun at school. When they were outside Eloise said to one mom, "I wonder who's in that bunny costume." She said, "Eloise, it's the Easter Bunny. That's not a costume!" Eloise responded with, "No...I think I saw some skin." Another mom told me that she didn't want her picture taken with the bunny and said, "maybe next year when I'm older." 

She had razor sharp focus when it came to the egg hunt.  She came home with a basket of eggs. 

I absolutely love putting together Easter baskets!  It is so much fun finding stuff the weeks leading up to the big day.  Eloise was so thrilled to see what the Easter Bunny brought her.

Preston's basket is a little lame this year given that he is only 10.5 months.  However, that little man loves his Gerber snacks and was happy to wear his little baby aviators. 

 We hosted Easter Brunch with Grandma Carrot, Papa Kevin & company.  We had a wonderful spread with some special treats like Auntie Lo's homemade Maple Bacon Breakfast Sausage (aka P2) and homemade Apricot Coffee Cake by Grandma Carrot.

Best joke of the day goes to Brad as he exclaimed, "He has risen!" in response to Preston standing on his own for the 1st time.  Extra credit goes to Grandma for capturing that moment. 

We wrapped up the holiday with Easter dinner at Grandma Sandy & Papa Mike's.  The 4 big girls all participated in Papa Mike's egg hunt and according to Alex they are pretty much rich now with all the money inside their eggs.  Just wait until next year when Preston & Brooke join the Egg Hunt.  The Easter Bunny may need to consider some "refinancing" and change from quarters to pennies with all these kids!