Chinese Immersion

Lucy is starting her first day, full time, as a kindergartner at Meadowbrook in the Mandarin program.  She was so excited to go to school today.  Thanks grandma for letting the puppy stay for awhile.  Lucy gave the job of taking care of the dog to Kadence, with full instructions while she was gone at school!  Love this girl from her nose to her toes!

Waiting for the bus!  It was cold outside this morning!  Kadence wondered if it was winter.

Daddy got to wait with us too

Off she goes!  All smiles, which melted my heart....she was so ready.  I on the other hand was not.  I waited until the bus rounded the corner before I burst out into tears.  Lucy is such a sweet, wonderful girl.  I will miss her everyday!

We've kept ourselves busy all day.  Kadence has enjoyed playing by herself, but keeps asking when Lucy will be home, and TJ keeps looking around, knowing someone is missing, yet unable to verbalize anything.  We've cleaned, switched out our summer dresses for fall clothes, and even baked Lucy some homemade chocolate chip ice cream sandwich cookies!  Hurry back Lucy!  We are sure you had a great day, and we can't wait to hear all about it!

cousins

  We are very blessed to be able to spend so much time with our cousins.  All 11 of them.  So far this year we have added 2 to the mix.  We've got to see 4 baptisms, celebrate many birthdays, celebrate some accomplishments, and just hang out and have a good time.  It's always a busy time when we get together, but it's so much fun!

Snowball fight

Tyler James

Jillian and TJ

Jovie's birthday

Tyler's baptism

Mya being Mya

The polar bear plunge

The girls birthday party

Sweet little No-No

fishing

dressing up

Reagen and Mya's party

TJ and Emma

sleepovers

Lucy's 5th birthday

Wow, when I asked Lucy her favorite things about her birthday she listed everything she had done today.  She has an eye for detail, and a memory from years ago.  She is such a sweet, loving girl.  She has seemed so old since last week (must be because she is now a kindergartner, and done with preschool).  She has mastered whistling, and whistles with everything she does.  She did try and convince me that she could still suck her thumb until she is 5 1/2.  For those of you who don't know every 6 months since she turned 4 she has put a time limit on sucking her thumb (all her) and keeps making extensions for every half year.  She is extremely creative and loves to color, her and Kadence go through coloring books like noone I have ever met.  She has always been my independent one, and now today has figured out how to tie her hair up in a bow.  She is also my rule follower.  I trust her, probably more than I should a 5 year old.  She is a wonderful big sister to TJ and Kadence.  I am so proud of how beautiful she is inside and out!  Happy Birthday Goosey!!

Looking back....we'll start with Tulip Time

This captures my life in a nutshell...can't help but smile about it!

 Such beautiful tulips

The boys looking at "manly" things....I let him get away with comments and things like this because he is such a good dad to his two girls (pedis and manis on mommy's working saturdays?? so cute)

My newest nephew Tyler.  Such a beefcake!

Kadence is 3 (FEE)

Can hardly stand it....3 already!  Kady has blossomed so much over the last year.  She is now quite talkative, has gained a bit of indendence, and has found her own personality.  Kady is quite a humurous little girl.  She loves to make people laugh, make silly faces, try out new dance moves.  She is still quite vocal, still a screamer, and still so sensitive.  Kadence is a full flegde mommy's girl.  She is a thumb sucker, dirty blankie lover.  We are trying to venture out more and leave the blanket at home or in the car (because she is 3 now)...but transitions seem to still happen much more smoothly if that dirty blankie is close by.  She likes to have a little more say in what she wears, but would much rather you picked it out, and put it on her.  Kadence loves to eat, but can be rather picky about what it is, depending on the day, hour, minute.  You really have to go with the flow around her.  She has turned out to still be a snuggle bunny, and loves to rub my arms and just talk and hang out.  She potty trained herself around 26 months after we transitioned her to a big girl bed in her and Lucy's room.  She loves playing with figurine dolls and animals, making them talk to each other (mostly in loud, shouting voices), color, and now just starting to dress up.  She is loosing a lot of her lispy words and sounding out letters.  We are working on letter recognition, but she really has no interest in finding the letters of her name....her most common statement to any educational type question is "I not sure", well make a guess I say, "I no know", what do you think your name starts with "not sure".  And so it goes.  She must be taking everything in, because when she is good and ready I hear her singing her ABC's to her animals, singing them songs, telling them colors and shapes....all in her own time.  Happy Birthday K-K!  Love you!

Grandparent day at preschool



Lucy loved getting all dolled up for the day with her grandma's

I surprised her with a new dress, but I think the fact that she got to wear sandles and no tights was the best thing of all!  Love you Lucy girl!

Grandma Cochran came and picked her up.  They met up with Grandma Koops at school where they colored, had tea, cookies, read book, and sang some songs!  Thanks Grandmas for both being there!

Happy April

It seems that April only just started....but my calendar is telling me we are ready for the month of May!  We have been so busy with new things, new sites, and finally enjoying outdoor weather.  We all took turns being sick, GI bugs, rashes, root canals (I'll count this as sick, since it laid me up for 4 whole days), and just the good ole Michigan crud.  I'm hoping to open my windows soon and air this place out.  There are many things I didn't catch on film....like Lucy riding her bike along side me while I pushed the double stroller (it makes me get a few less sympathetic and/or crazy looks while we are out walking (I had been pushing the double stroller and having TJ in the too small front pack...I'll admit, I must have looked quite funny).  The girls making mud pies, Theodore enjoying his swing, playdates, and time with grandparents. 


In April TJ turned 7 months old, and has gotten 2 teeth in the last week (and this is how it has made our otherwise happy boy feel)



He graduated to the big boy tub



We decorated easter eggs.  Kadence loves being in the "titchen" and helping.  She is so loving and sweet.  She loves to watch out for Theodore and make sure he only has "fafe" (safe) toys



Lucy and Theodore were having more fun playing peek a boo, one of his favorite games

Lucy got to ride the bus before KINDERGARTEN orientation.  She is so old, and cracking jokes to make us laugh

He is reaching for EVERYTHING, and this morning has learned how to scoot.  He has been rocking on his hands and knees maybe a month, and prior to this gotten everywhere by rolling.  He's fast, and I see crawling and climbing right around the corner.  He also likes to find wires, outlets, heater grates....those are his favorite toys right now!

How handsome!  His first easter!

Love them so much

Easter egg hunting with the Koops cousins...minus the 3 littlest ones

We celebrated birthdays.  Can't believe Joseph is 2!

Finally remembered to get a picture of the 5 of us

and the zoo...I forgot to take a picture at the zoo....but since it was Theodore's first time we had to get physical evidence of it, so this is getting all comfy for the car ride home (seriously girls, it's 10 min)

pretty much what he thought of the zoo

My ode to Kadence

My cute girl with the dimples



your favorite hairstyle is your "piggies"



I'll always remember you with your thumb and "der-dee bwankie"

Kadence,

  You are the sweetest little momma's girl around.  You have just started to stand up for yourself around here.  We're working on using words, and slowly the screaming is starting to decrease.  AHHHH, finally.  I looked back on posts when you were a baby, and I think I rarely said much about your screaming.  I remember not wanting to write about it, maybe because then I hoped I would forget, and also because I never wanted you to think I loved you less because you screamed every day all day for almost a whole year.  I'm glad that I wrote about all the positive things, and didn't settle on the loudness of our house.  

  You are very vocal still, but with funny jokes, eye spy games, and kind words.  You look up to your sister, and love being at her side.  You guys play so well together.  Your favorite things to do are to play with princess figurines and little dolls.  You make them talk to each other, and you say the funniest things.  You love your brother, and you have fully embraced being a big sister.  

  I love you smile, your hugs and kisses, and I even have learned to love not being able to be leave you without you being so tearful.  You are a brilliant little girl, who likes to keep everything you learn to yourself.  Funny I just found out the other day that you can sing every song that Lucy has learned from school, count, and say your ABC's.  You would rather play indoors than out, snuggle and read, and play candy land and eye spy.  

  You are an amazing little girl, and I am so proud to call you my daughter. 

Love you K-K,

mommy  

holding his own



Theodore "talking" at the dinner table...his sisters have taught him so much

His newest thing is to shake his head...wonder how much he really understands

My Mexican Fiesta

I was invited, (as were all the other mothers) to Lucy's school last Friday for a mexican fiesta.  Even with all the snow days, and one day weeks for the month of February the kids were able to put together such a wonderful party.  They had made us vases, flowers, worry dolls, birds; all of which made gorgeous table decorations.  Lucy's favorite part was their mexican hat dance (see the video below).  My favorite part was all the songs that they sang.  It was fun to see Lucy so quiet and timid in the risors....since at home she belts out the songs with all the motions like she is on stage in a broadway show.  So much in fact that Kadence knows every word to every song.  All the table decor was a surprise, which Lucy kept in until the day before :)   What a blessing Ada Christian has been to our family! 

Their performance

making maracas and just hanging out in her classroom

My sweet little Lucy....you can see behind us the beautiful vase she made, and the green bird as well

catching up

This is quite a hodge-podge of pictures....February has flown by.  In the last week Kady has had the flu, we started a home improvement project that was interrupted by carbon monoxide/furnace shutoff (this led to an overnight stay at the hilton--complete with a 230 fire alarm), and TJ getting breathing treatments for RSV.  We have created many memories along the way, swimming in the pool, getting "new" bathrooms (and thankful for working tolites), and many days at home.  AHHHHH, that was all in addition to our "regular" lives.  So here is to the start of March, warmer weather, and a return of health to the Koops household!

My 3 valentines

My 33rd birthday

cuddling in bed

My creative girls

Kadence loves to be a big sister as well.  She often gets upset when Lucy tries to steal "her time" with Feedore

Game night...even TJ likes to play sorry

Big sister reading to Theodore

More snuggle time

bathing beauty

5 months old....still so happy!