Picture Time! Kalahari

The Botvinnik & Zapp Families ~Sammy, Joey, Jeff, Laurie, Gabby, Bianca, Alex, and Nicky

Here is the water park... (above)

2 Swimmers ready (Joey & Nicky)

At dinner one night both Nicky & Joey won a coloring conest! How cool that they both won!!!

The floor was open for dancing and Gabrielle went up and got her groove on!

The menorah

Sammy... Is he not the cutest little thing!

On the last night we ended up giving Joey Benadryl. He was having a reaction I believe to the chlorine. Here he is about 10 minutes after taking the Benadryl. I was waiting for the Front desk to bring up clean sheets after I discovered something nasty all over the sheets. I hope it was not there the first night we all slept in the bed. Yuck! As soon as they came we put my little prince into bed.

Traditions, a new year, and our holiday memories

It is amazing to me how fast time goes by and it is now the beginning of January. I have so much blogging to catch up on, stories to share as well as photos. The middle of November up until now the time got away from me and we were doing so much and going from one activity to the other. This is the first year that it really did not seem like Christmas to me as well as some of our normal holiday traditions did not occur and new ones took over.

In our family it is tradition that we put up our Christmas tree as a family the weekend after Thanksgiving. I actually spent Thanksgiving alone this year due to be sick with the flu. I did stop over at my mom’s house where everyone was for maybe an hour but did not last long and it was also apparent that everyone was afraid to catch my illness. So I returned home to a quiet home and my laptop. This year Jeff put up the Christmas tree alone. The kids were in bed and I was either sick or too busy with Ebay to try to help. It was so nice that he put the tree up and hung the lights on the tree as well as doing some decorating to the mantle and our house. The next day the kids were very excited to add ornaments to the tree and they did not want help as the placed the majority of the ornaments on the bottom of the tree as this was as high as they could reach. They wanted no help and putting the ornaments higher or spreading them out was not an option. Our tree remained this way and it was a reminder whenever I looked at it to the day that the kids decorated it. All on their own.

I sold on eBay from September through December. I still have a few auctions going and may continue into February. I am proud to say that I made more than last year(which was my goal) and it is always a relief when I know that Christmas is paid for and we are now not in debt from buying our loved ones gifts. I sold more than I ever have and I was busier than I ever imagined I would be from buying, listing, packing, shipping, and returning. Jeff helped in making trips to the Post office or the UPS drop off location. For that I was grateful. On a few occasions when I had many things to ship he even helped me with packaging items for shipping.

Jeff continued to be a major rock for our family to allow me computer time or time out buying especially in the evenings when I could go alone without kids. It is always hard to sell “hot” toys and take 2 kids into stores like Toys R Us or Target and not have them want everything I am buying. He was also busy with working and transitioning his clients to someone new and getting information for the new territory he will be working in. I am very blessed to have a husband that is so helpful at home and with the kids. I can’t stress upon how busy eBay selling really is, especially with the volume of items I was selling. Laundry often goes to a last priority as does making dinner.

Joey and Gabrielle enjoyed the school parties, holiday parties, and the excitement as we waited for Santa to come. We did a new tradition in our family. We bought an Advent book as well as an Advent Lego set that was a welcomed event in the evenings before bed. The book has a story for every night leading up to Christmas. It was a fun book and had some messages that I hope the kids will remember.
For anyone that knows Gabrielle you would know that she is ALWAYS either singing or talking. She also enjoys dancing and dressing up. She was very excited to sing in her first (of many we think) Christmas concerts. She did an amazing job. At the age of three she knew every word and hand movements to all the songs taught to her at school. She and Joey were placed next to each other during the concert. Joey would sing the song if it was one that he liked. Gabby on the other hand sang every note to every song. I was so proud of both of them, but also very excited for Gabby. Being the younger sibling she has often sat through these before watching Joey. Now that it was her time up on stage she was definitely a star of the show.

As much as I wish that we were baking cookies and doing craft projects as we got closer to Christmas there was really no time. We did take the kids on a Sunday to the Disney on ice show. I love to watch the kid’s expressions when their favorite people Mickey, Lightning McQueen, or Tinker bell are right in their reach. We had fun and memories were made.

Christmas Eve this year was different in that we did not go to church. This is the first time in many years that I did not go to church on Christmas Eve. Felt a bit weird and out of the norm. We were blessed in a different way this year. This year Jeff’s Dad (Pops or Papa John) and his girlfriend (Dee) came and spent the night at our home. It was nice to have them and let them experience Christmas with us. I sure hope he enjoyed it and enjoyed experiencing watching his grandkids experience what Santa left behind. Maybe this flooded him with memories of his own kids in Christmas past. We loved having the time with Pops. I am hoping maybe he will make this a new tradition with us and I would love to throw church back into the mix.

The day after Christmas we did again something that is new and not tradition, in years past we just hung out at home and had family time. This year we met up with our friends that live in Chicago. We met them at Kalahari a water park that is in Sandusky, Ohio. We spent our time swimming, playing games, video games, hanging out laughing and talking. We also all got experience Hanukkah. Ever night the Botvinnik (Alex, Bianca, Nicky, and Sammy) family lit the menorah and celebrated Hanukkah. Every night also we had to remind Gabrielle that she is not to blow out the candles that were placed in the menorah. Although we as families practice different religions and celebrate in different ways there is a respect there for both methods and is never a topic of discussion or feeling like one way is right and the other is wrong. I have nothing but love for the Botvinnik family.

As the year closed I did reflect on some of the changes and events that occurred in 2008. We are no longer a family that is weighted down by bottles, diapers, wipes, Sippy cups, and entertainment toys for babies/toddlers. We no longer have a member of our family in a diaper or crib. We all now sit on the potty and have a big comfy bed to sleep in. This is sad in some ways to me that there will be no more babies, but in other ways the freedom we have now is exciting at the same time. We will be welcoming a new baby in May (my brother and sister –in-laws first child) I am more than thrilled to be an aunt again and look forward to getting some baby fixes and then returning that said baby and going home to a night of uninterrupted sleep. We don’t know the sex of this baby and it looks like it will be a surprise to even the expecting parent’s but with that being said I have reoccurring dreams that it is a girl… Sorry guys!
We also have now entered a time with both kids in school. This of course lingers in my mind that my stay at home time is coming to an end and it is time for a real job again. Not that being a stay at home mom is not a real job, because any of us that do it know that it is a very hard demanding job that never ends and has many challenges at the same time it is also a very important job that has many rewards not only for the parent but for the child/children too. Family time and vacations are now going to be revolving soon around a kindergartner. In the fall of 2009 my first born will be experiencing real school as well as learning how to read and learn in a way that he has never been challenged before.
2009 also brings the realization that almost 5 years now have passed since giving birth to our stillborn daughters Samantha and Sydney. It is amazing how fast 5 years have flown by and how memories and images seem to stay so fresh while other images and memories seem to feel like they never happened. I am just in awe when I say or think the words 5 years! For almost 5 years now 2 very important and loved babies who share my DNA have remained a very close part of who I am. Not that I feel like I should forget or not feel that way, but they remain a constant and as I know I have moved on in some ways I think I need to reflect in other ways how I have been unable to live and be happy. Hard to talk about but I am hoping that in 2009 I am able to work on some own questions that I have been letting surface and how I can move on and be a happier person and a better person as well.

I am hoping that in 2009 I can work on answering questions like “what do I want”, “what makes me happy” as well as making time for me and allowing myself to be a priority. In that there are things that I need to work on. Exercise, diet, losing the baby fat, as well as two habits that I need to break. I am also hoping to work on becoming healthier spiritually as well as physically and mentally. I also have some motivation for weight loss in that I will be the matron of honor in my cousin’s wedding in July.

Some memories of 2008:
*Going to Sanibel with the Botvinnik family in March
*Hawaii alone with Jeff in May
*Watching the kids grow
*Gabrielle starting preschool
*Joey’s success in soccer and t-ball

I have many photos that need to be down sized and then uploaded which I will work on soon. Hoping all of you have a happy healthy 2009 and I look forward to getting back into blogging.

Who will win?? Did you vote?

Jeff is out of town…again and today I was a bit nervous at the thought of taking both kids with me when I went to vote. Last Friday Jeff went and voted early at the courthouse and waited for THREE hours!! So I had that in the back of my mind as well as two kids and waiting for THREE hours. It turns out that we waited about 20 minute’s tops and it was no big deal… Did you remember to vote? I guess that is a dumb question. With all the media attention given to this who could forget that today was voting day.
Here is a funny story to share. When I put the kids to bed they always have the same 2 questions. “What did we do today?” and “What are we doing tomorrow.” So we recap the day’s activities and then talk about what they have to look forward to the following day.
Last night Joey and I talked about the campaign “race” and that we would watch the “race” today but tomorrow during the conversation. When we got home from voting I turned on the news and Joey was excited because he wanted to watch too. He then kept asking me when they were going to get to the “race”. I said the votes have not all been counted yet. We will know more tonight. He said “no the race” and then it hit me. He thought Obama and McCain would physically be going out and racing each other! He is TOO CUTE FOR WORDS. When I told him they would not be racing a running race. He then decided it was time to turn off the news he was done. By the way he predicted Obama would win a running race and I would have to agree.

Halloween Past & Present

Joey's Halloween costume from 2006 above

Gabrielle 2008! This was at her school. They dressed up and sang for the parents

2008

Gabrielle, Joey, & Jocelyn 2008

Joey 2008~ He is a clone trooper. We learned early on don't call that boy a storm trooper, there is a big difference?!?

Joey & Gabby 2007

Joey first time ever trick or treating

Gabby's first Halloween~ She was 4 months in this picture. Makes me miss babies!!

Thought it would be fun to show some pictures of Halloween past and Halloween present. If you get a chance after viewing my kids Halloween costumes this year, then go check out http://our-munchkins.blogspot.com/ to view what Laura's kids were for Halloween. Too funny!

Do you know what day it is?

Looks like I need to change a number in my blog profile from 33 to 34.


Happy Birthday to me.

Saturday 10-18 part II! Fall fun

After going to Joey’s new school we went home for some lunch and meet up with our neighbors (Keith, Jen, and Jocelyn). We went together to a farm. Every year I have the same thoughts when it turns fall. That is that I wish there was a place that we could take the kids that would have numerous activities for children and families to enjoy the leaves, pick pumpkins, go for a hay ride etc. One night I spent a lot of time on the computer trying to find a place that would be different and fun. Up until now our yearly outing would be to go to a place that is decorated a bit and pick out a pumpkin. As far as fun things to do that are fall/ Halloween and family oriented we have never found the perfect place. Anyways I was talking to my neighbor and she told me about a place that she has been to and a place that she really enjoyed. I was really excited. The place that we went to was about 40-45 minutes from our home. Our neighbors have a little girl that as it turns out is 3 days older than Gabrielle. They have become best buddies. It was a wonderful time!! This place was amazing! The leaves and colors on the trees were gorgeous, not only was there face painting, pony rides, tee-pees, slides, horse drawn carriage rides, tractor rides, apple picking, pumpkin picking, trails in the woods, a huge place for kids to run around that was filled with hay that you could pick up and have little “snow ball fights” with, walking on stilts, slides, play areas, and a corn maze X2!!! I am probably missing some things too. It was well worth the drive and a blast. I urge you to look up farms in your area to see if they do fun things. We will definitely be going back yearly. Before I show all the pictures I have to tell you all this too….

Some of you may be surprised to know that this city girl has never been this close to corn or in a corn maze. Look at my face when viewing the corn!! Jeff thought it was hilarious. It was also a chilly day! We came home and I did it... I turned the heat on! That time of year again!! :(

Part I of our Saturday

Today we all got up early for a day filled with family, friends, and fun. We started our day by going to an orientation for Valley Christian Academy. (http://www.valleychristian.com/) This is the school we have chosen for our kids to start attending for Kindergarten and beyond. Jeff and I both went to public schools. We currently live not even five minutes from the city I grew up in. When we bought this house and started having kids we started to become concerned with the city schools for the district and city we live in. Jeff really expressed a great desire for our kids to go to a Christian private school. I have to say that after going to the open house today I am totally sold on this school. I am so excited for Joey to start attending this school next year.
Here were some things that I found to be very impressive. One of the speakers this morning was the principal of the school. I found that to be totally neat. I remember growing up and thinking about our principal. First of all she looked mean; secondly it was put into your head that her office was a place that if you went there you were in big time trouble, third was always the fear of the “paddle”. In contrast today we saw and met one of the kindest and gentlest people I have ever met. They want kids to go to her office. A teacher may send a child to her office if for example they get an A on a paper, they do a great job reading aloud, or they spell their name correctly. Then when they go to her office they can get stamps, stickers, or as she says “do a happy dance” together. She then goes on to say if there is a situation where for example a child hit another child, they calmly talk about it. They discuss consequences and how to treat others. Love that. So she is not a person to be feared at all, but a person to confide in and to become friends with. You can tell by the way she talks that she loves her job and the kids. She then went on to talk about how all kids learn differently. If they find that a child is learning on a different level there is no holding that child back or the other kids that are excelling on a skill back. They simply do other things and try different ways to teach the child that learns different or is falling behind in a loving manner. I LOVE that too.
Other bonuses:
They have a computer lab!!! The kids in kindergarten yes, kindergarten know how to save files, learn Microsoft, and excel, can make spread sheets by the time they go to second grade.
They have music where they learn notes and have the opportunity to learn instruments
By the time the kids enter first grade they can READ!!! Some kids in this class right now are on a fourth grade reading level!!
I could go on and on. Jeff and I had three other families come up to us and out of nowhere tell us how much they love the school and how the school has changed their lives and their kids lives.

Update on our kids. Joey is doing really well at school this year. (Preschool) He is still occasionally having speech issues. I talked with the lady at VCA today and the day that they do kindergarten registration the lady that does it is a speech therapist. If they pick up problems in that first meeting they flag it and he can get individual attention at VCA
Gabby is amazing! This child is very intelligent. (They both are Joey just does not share as much about what he knows unless he is quizzed) She comes home and is singing CONSTANTLY even when she should be eating. I think I may have a singer on our hands. She loves preschool and after watching her today I think she is ready for kindergarten too… 2 more years for her. She had a ball today at the new school.
As a parent I am just very excited for our kids and the decision that we made to send them both to VCA.

Saturday part 2 to follow tomorrow I promise! I promise to visit all of your blogs tomorrow also.