Five For Friday

Here we go!

1. How can my baby girl be turning 11 in just a week??? A week from Monday Emily turns 11! Crazy. Seems like only yesterday she was a tiny baby!

2. Starting to finalize summer plans - camps, vacations, lazy days at the pool! Can't wait. Ready for a St. Louis summer - HOT, HUMID and SUNNY!

3. Thinking our summer will include lots of baseball games - both Adam's and the Cards. Maybe if we're lucky, a White Sox game in Chicago?

4. I made a few new recipes this week: Orange Beef and Honey/Applesauce pork chops. I also made Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos last night with Chipolte Rice. It was a good eating week at the Kreidlers!

5. This weekend - unusually quiet! Only 1 basketball game, baseball practice, and hopefully Emily, Paul and I will find time to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire one night after Adam goes to bed!

Emily. And her hair.

Every night, I'm a horribly mean mom who makes Emily dry her hair before bed. I'm picky too - her hair has to be COMPLETELY day. Her hair has enough body/wave that if it's slightly damp, she wakes up looking like this, only not as ugly:

So, I was looking at old pictures of her and remembering how curly her hair was as a little girl. Check these out - you might have to click on the actual pictures and blow them up to get a better look at her curls!

July, 2002

STEP. AWAY.

Paul wanted to know. Does eating Girl Scout Thin Mints make you THINNER?

Answer: No.

STEP. AWAY. FROM. THE. COOKIES.

Just for some extra motivation for us, pictures from a few years ago:

These pictures remind WHY we work hard at running and eating better! (Ignore Cathy in that picture - She looks great, I looked FAT!)

Wish We Were Here Wednesday

Sanibel Island, Florida

We spent 5 days on Sanibel Island in July 2005 before heading to the Florida Keys to see the grandparents. We enjoyed a fun vacation - shelling, hanging on the beach, and swimming. Paul and I also enjoyed playing poker with Emily in our cottage at night! We'd like to go back to Sanibel, especially now that Adam is older and would enjoying shelling and swimming in the warm ocean.

Adam - 6 months

Emily - 5 years

Adam's Good Deed

Adam's birthday comes so close to Christmas and since he's a well loved little boy, he doesn't want for much. So, we talked to him about raising money for the Court Appointed Special Advocates of St. Louis County. As a result, Adam raised $125 at his birthday party!

The mission of this organization is to advocate for abused and neglected children in need of safe, permanent homes through highly trained volunteers appointed by the St. Louis County Family Court.

Adam and I met Paul in Clayton a few weeks ago and delivered the donation to CASA’s director. The director, Allie Ray, explained what CASA does to Adam. This donation can support a CASA volunteer for one month, helping several children in need. To learn more about this great organization, visit them on the web at www.casastlcounty.org.

We're proud of Adam for making the decision to donate the money and not whine about not receiving toys!

Five For Friday

It's been an unusually busy week here in The Lou for the Kreidlers. Lots of activities, homework, and appointments. But, here we go with Five For Friday, an hour early!

1. Adam went to the dentist this week. No cavities! Dr. Fuzner said that Adam may not lose any teeth until he's almost 8 - yikes! His chompers must be in there pretty tight. Remember when Emily started losing teeth and she looked like this:

Emily's best Nanny McPhee impersonation!

Finally! Top teeth GONE!

2. Adam also went to the eye doctor. All is well -the lazy eye has strengthened and hasn't lost any strength in the few months he's been off treatment. Recheck in 6 months! The Eye Doc was in surgery and running late so we goofed off for a bit before he got there.

3. As a special treat for Adam (really, for Mommy) - we went to FroYo since we were up in the Creve Couer area. Yummy treat for a rainy day, especially since we both loaded our yogurt with HOT FUDGE!

4. Emily's Girl Scout troop went to the Missouri Humane Society on Monday. What a bunch of sweet dogs and cats! Emily and I both liked the Mastiff and the Boxer.

5. I'm away this weekend on my girls' trip so Paul is in charge. In store for the weekend - more basketball. Go Shock! Check out this picture of a recent jump ball. I didn't know Emily could jump that high!

That's it for now. Have a great weekend! More next week!

Five For Friday

Here. We. Go!

1. Kids were off school Friday (2/18) and are for Monday as well (President's Day). So far, no fights. Paul and I are blessed with great kids!

2. Emily is a basketball tournament this weekend. Two games and we're proud of her hustle and determination, even against much taller and talented teams.

3. Adam participated in his first baseball practice this week - batting cages and some throwing/catching. He seemed to love it and the coaches were wonderful with the boys!

4. We had a few BEAUTIFUL days here in Missouri during the week. We're spoiled now, so if it snows, I might cry! That says a lot about how beautiful the days are because I don't mind snow and winter. But, 75 degrees in February? Wow!

5. Hockey! This weekend we have tickets to the Blues game tonight and Monday. On Monday, the Blues play our Blackhawks so we will put away our Blues shirts for the day. Uncle Joe and Jon will be joining us to root on the Hawks!

Have a great weekend!