SIBLINGS

Braxton and Lizzie have the cutest relationship. Braxton totally adores her, and she knows it. Whenever I am not able or simple WON'T pick her up, she goes over to "Bubba", looks at him with those puppy dog eyes, and then her wish is granted. He is a total pushover...but then who isn't when a cute girl dressed up in a tutu and a cute hat with big blue eyes and contagious smile wants your attention!?! Braxton has always been a sucker for pretty girls. {Apparently, his SLP had him go to speech with a girl from his class for the first time. She said she'd never seen him so attentive and interested in a conversation.:)}

Well, needless to say, I love that he's such a great big brother. In fact, all three of the boys are so cute with their sisters. It warms my heart to hear them all compliment the girls on their dresses or cute hair. Of course, they're not lovey all of the time. But when it does, I receive my payment for being their mom--and it's "priceless."

Happy Birthday, Mom! My sister, Mandi, paid a beautiful tribute to our marvelous mother today and I had to add in my two cents--because I have to and I'm the oldest--it's my right.:) I've known her the longest (out of my brothers and sisters), so I can verify that Mom is beautiful, talented, kind, smart, caring, driven, thoughtful, interested, and nurturing. I love how much my mom loves my dad. I love how much she loves my kids. I love her strong convictions and unwavering faith.

I love all of the funny things about my mom. She doesn't like peanut butter. She used to stick one of her teeth in her straw and drink through the impeded tube. She's highly competitive and hates to lose; thus, is not the biggest lover of games because she hates to risk losing.:) She is very fashion conscious. She used to vacuum just to make sure the lines in the carpet were visible. She can use the sound effect "tch, tch, tch" for just about anything. She rubs her feet against you no matter who you are. She gets excited over little things. She's so organized, her fridge has "aisles" on the shelves.

My mom was my greatest fan--and still is. She pumps me up every day. I am so grateful for her knowledge of cooking, cleaning, music, grammar, spelling, and how to run a family while juggling life. I appreciate her wisdom and experience. I love our relationship and how it's changed over the years.

Thanks, Mom for all you do and all you are. I can't express how much I love you! Today, I celebrate you!

optimism

I have been thinking a lot about being optimistic. I don't know if it's my age, economy, or the fact that the number of people I know continues to grow, but so many friends, relatives, neighbors (us) seem to have major trials going on in their lives right now. Today I realized that Lizzie has changed her word for getting out of her high chair at the table from "Down" to "Up." Of course, my mind immediately went to Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up routine that my sweet brother had me listen to on a CD nearly a decade ago. Jerry observes that as a kid, everything is "up." Kids are always saying, "Wait up!" "Hurry up!" On the other hand, we adults are "down"--"Sit down!" "Settle down!" "Calm down!" "Quiet down!"

I'm grateful for this balance in the universe. I'm so grateful for my kids to give me reasons to smile and have hope each day. They keep me finding things to be "up" about.

Hot Chicks

Last night as Steve was bringing Carter home from swimming practice, Steve was able to work a line from Star Wars into their conversation. Well, it turns out that Carter isn't really into Star Wars right now.

"What movies do you like?"

"I like High School Musical," replied Carter. "Why?"

"Hot chicks."

"Carter, what are hot chicks?"

"You know, girls that are really cute."

"What hot chicks are in HSM?"

"The cheerleaders."

"What else do you know about hot chicks?"

"Well, Evan knows a lot more about them than I do, so you should ask him."

So there you have it.

Braxton's Birthday

Braxton turned 11 years old on Wednesday, January 7th. I just can't believe my baby is that old! He told me that this birthday was the best he's ever had. Well, it's because he's the easiest child to please that I've ever had. He chose chocolate chip pancakes with hot chocolate for breakfast, hardly had any homework, got a Dragonology book, Wizardology game, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, and money. That afternoon, I had Emma help me hang up some streamers around the house. He thought that was just awesome! He couldn't stop thanking me for making his day so special. He got to go have baked spaghetti for dinner, go to BOY scouts for the first time and then have a chocolate cake with cookies & cream ice cream. It was simple, but perfect for him. He invited his 2 best friends to go to a Chicago Wolves game on Saturday. They had a great time watching the hockey game, even though the Wolves lost.

I am so proud of Braxton. He is such a hard worker. I love his laugh, his enthusiasm for life, his innocence, his strong spirit, his graciousness, and his desire to help others. He is a great big brother and a great example. I am so glad he's a part of our family. I am in awe at the growth he's made in so many different areas over the past year and look forward to what this next year will bring.

A few tidbits about Braxton: He loves to read, especially fantasy. His favorite dinner is spaghetti. He plays the piano and the cello. He is on a swim team. He enjoys scouts. He loves to draw and build models. He can swallow 10 vitamins at once. He wears a size 10 shoe!!! He is great at giving compliments and making others feel good. He is honest and pleasant.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

The Stoianowskis

January 1st brought quite a bit of excitement to our house when Uncle Ryan and Aunt Julene arrived at our home. We just absolutely adore them. It was so fun to have family come and visit. We had a great time playing, talking, eating, rock-banding (I think that needs to be a word now), ice skating, lazer-tagging, and relaxing. Ryan, Julene, and I formed "Birdski", the band of all bands. We loved the challenge of unlocking new songs and seeing who had "serious skills." I can't wait until we can get the band back together.:) Emma is a brutal boxer, but Ryan was able to knock her out with a cheap hit. For Christmas, they got the kids Mario Kart, which has been a HUGE hit.

I am so grateful that Ryan doesn't see chick flicks because it gave me an excuse to take Julene to see Twilight. Yowzers! What a treat for me!

I am so excited for Ryan and Julene as they're expecting their first child in a month or so. They'll be fantastic parents because they are wonderful with my own children. I am so thankful for the love they show and are willing to receive. We love you guys!

Family Adventures

Between Christmas and the New Year, Steve and I took the kids on 2 field trips--1. Brookfield Zoo's Holiday Lights and Magic night show and 2. Museum of Science and Industry. Both were fun. I got some cute pictures of the kids and have to share them.

We really had a good time. It wasn't too cold that evening and we got to see some different behaviors from some of the animals. A male penguin was "singing" for a mate. A leopard was on the prowl jumping around his exhibit and walking so close to the glass that my girls jumped back. The bats were extremely active. My boys were in awe. I was very impressed by the amount of lights on every tree and at every building. It made me miss temple square in SLC, but it had a small laser show, Christmas music playing around the zoo, and characters for small ones to hug.

The Museum of Science and Industry

The center tree

This exhibit explains photographic images and pixels. It's a hallway of mirrors. Can any kid ever get enough of his/her reflection?
My favorite room, "Fast Forward"--inventions for the future.

A gown of LCDs.

This is the "Toy maker" where is teaches how a spinning top is made. If you could zoom in, Evan's face is actually projected onto the manequin's face.

We discovered the space room. It was "out of this world!"

I will say that we will probably NEVER go to the museum on New Years Eve again as it was a free day and absolutely packed! Steve met us downtown after his flight got in and I had to park by the University of Chicago and walk in 5 degree weather with 2 crying girls for a mile to get to the entrance. I'm sure in a few years I won't remember the ordeal it was to just get indoors, but it's pretty fresh now. It's a good thing there's lots to see and get distracted with.:) Plus...the festival of trees from around the world was beautiful. It will be nice in years to come when the kids are older to return and actually enjoy things like that. Overall, we had a wonderful time. The kids loved sharing these fun places with their Dad as he doesn't usually get to accompany us. This is what makes the holidays so special for me as an adult.