New Years Williams Style

Some may call it lame.  Others may call it pathetic.  For us...it is called "family time".

New Year's Eve came and the kids were excited!  They had planned on staying up ALL night so they could watch the ball drop.

Micah made his own ball to drop.  He used
rubberbands that he tied together and a bouncy ball
and had it go down just like the crystal ball.

The kids almost made it!  Quinn fell asleep at about 11:30pm and Micah and Sid fell asleep at about 11:50pm.  I tried waking them up but they just missed the New Year actually starting here in the midwest.

We did get to watch the ball drop for the East Coast though and the kids thought it was pretty awesome.  Not sure that they thought Jenny M. was awesome but the ball...that was very cool to them.

Sidney also made some special treats for us...cake pops.  She did a really good job and they were one of the few treats that I let myself eat over the holiday.

Midnight came and went...and I got to carry Quinn up to his bed.  He is a heavy little, snoring, dude!

New Pictures!

I am late...as always...with getting pictures out there.

This time though, really not my fault.  I have a computer that doesn't want to be a computer anymore and really just wants to be sold for parts.  In order to use the laptop it has to be constantly plugged in to something.  In our house, cords are not a good thing and just get chewed on by someone little, drooled on by someone little or tripped on.

I did get pictures uploaded though tonight!  That is such a huge success for me.

Here are some first day of school and some fun shots we took today at a local orchard.  These all look a little blurry but they really aren't.  Well...other than the one of Quinn where he is holding a sign.  It was raining and he is 4.  I'm lucky I just got him to stand still without jumping up and down the entire time...that is what he does when he is excited.  Enjoy the pictures anyways!  Oh...and there is one funny shot of an animal just for my hubby.  :)

First Day of School!

It is here! We made it out the door by 7:50 am. Kids packed snacks last night. They had their clothes out and were ready to go. I have no idea when they actually woke up but when I got home at 7:10am they were all dressed, showered (for those that now stink a bit if they don't) and were eating breakfast. They were ready.

Bonus...they have a brand new school bus to ride in this year. It looks pretty fancy :)

Few Cute Tidbits About the Kids...

Our summer has about a month left...and I am not quite ready for the kids to go back to school.  Today I am just enjoying their cute little sayings, their words that they say that sometimes that are unique to them and their innocent thoughts.  So...here are a few cute tidbits about my kids that I am thinking about today...

Someday my middle child will make a great husband.  Why?  Micah is in charge of emptying the dryer and putting in the wet clothes.  He does a great job with this!  He does such a great job that he even knows to take out my bras and let them air dry.  He doesn't even ask anymore...he just takes them out automatically.

Sidney is in that in-between stage...wants to be a kid but knows that some things that the kids are doing are just too young for her.  She has taken a babysitting class and she would love to be babysitting right now...if we let her.  She already has families picked out that she knows she could help out with babysitting.  We have let her babysit the boys while we run to the store quickly or while Chris and I have to be at two different places but have 10 to 15 minutes where the time overlaps and one of us can't get back home in time.  Her quote to me one time..."take your time mom, I'll watch the boys."

Quinn is enjoying his first sport of the year...T-ball.  He is swinging like a pro.  He actually thinks that once he is done playing T-ball that he will then be playing for the Twins.  Quinn is also our sweaty child.  He plays outside for 10 minutes and his hair is soaking wet.  It is so gross and so boy.  Mix that in with some dust, dirt and sand and you have quite the picture of a boy that needs a bath pretty much every day.

Sidney's 2012 AWANA Grand Prix

It was a nail biter folks!

Sid won 3 times in a row and some were neck and neck.  Her Kleenex box design of a car pulled through though and was a winner.  Over and over she kept going to the top of the track to brace her car and have it positioned just right.

Then, she fell into (bum, bum, bum) the loser's bracket.

(at this point Chris and I thought that she was done racing)

All of a sudden Sidney has appeared at the top of the race track again.  Her car is positioned and braced.  Over and over (at least 8 to 10 more times...at least it seemed like that), Sid kept winning.

Other parents were living vicariously through Sid as she had a huge smile beaming.  (the other parents actually told us this since their childs' cars were not even finishing down the track...but their cars looked pretty cool!)

There were tears of joy tonight.  There were tears of sadness as well.

Quinn was a tired little man tonight and so he and I took off early so he could find his nice comfy bed.  Those were part of the tears for the evening.

It was 8:15pm and the night of excitement at the AWANA Grand Prix was not over.

The award ceremony for design, craftsmanship and winners of the races were next.

After the entire crew came home I was settled into my couch.  Sid had a look of disappointment on her face as she came in with her car.  But, she also had a hand behind her back and a little bit of a smirk on one side of her mouth.  She started to tell me that she didn't win anything but that little glimmer of a smirk kept getting bigger.  I started my "mom" speech about how it was ok not to win every time and that she still did an awesome job tonight.  And then, I realized she was lying!  That stinker.  She pulled a trophy from behind her back.  1st place in Design!!!

(Chris and I were both shocked)

The second set of tears were from our middle child.  Seeing his sister win a trophy for design, a trophy that he dreamed about as he was preparing his car for the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby...well, that was just devastating for his little soul.  We pulled through as a family though and have learned a valuable lesson tonight (two actually):
1.  always talk nice about the other people racing and the other cars that are racing
2.  no matter what the outcome, we always need to support those in our family.  We need to encourage those that are sad when  moment doesn't turn out the way that they expect and we need to take those moments to congratulate those that did win a trophy during the race.

Congrats, Sid!  I think she went to bed with a smile on her face tonight :)  (Micah...well, maybe not so much.)

American Heritage Girls

Growing up I was part of Girl Scouts.  Was I the best Girl Scout?  I doubt it.  See, I am not a huge fan of dirt, cooking isn't a huge highlight in life for me and being outside in a sleeping bag when I could be inside on a mattress.  Am I right?  Who's with me?  ;)

Sidney is part of a group called American Heritage Girls...a.k.a. AHG.  There is camping, badge earning and so much fun.  The leaders all are so dedicated and you can tell that they truly enjoy and love what they are doing.  The whole organization is also Christian based which is great for girls that are growing up in a world that we are living in today.

Tonight was the winter ceremony for AHG.  Sid earned 5 badges and worked so hard at these.  3 of the badges she earned at camp and these are already on her uniform.  She did receive 2 other ones tonight though which I get to sew on for her.  

So proud of you Sid!  Keep up the good work.

Sidney and school

Sid is one of the top 50 kids in her school in Study Island (she's around the middle but forgot to look at the number) and is a Fast Math champion! The kids work on math skills each week while they are on the computer. Once they complete a section they get up on the wall. Sid is pointing to her picture in the line of 4th graders that are currently on the wall for Fast Math.

Way to go Sid!

Jessica's Journey...December 10th

My list of things-to-do today are pretty big.  But...they are officially done.  The most important thing that I did today though was first thing this morning at 6am.

A few weeks ago a very small note was placed on the counter at the gym that I go to.  This tiny teeny note states that those with certain types of memberships can now bring their children if they have a note from a doctor that can be kept on file.  See, normally you don't see kids at our gym except when it is during times when the childcare is open.  There are 2 kids that do work with a trainer a few mornings a month when I am around but those are the only ones that I have ever seen working out at the gym.

I heard about this note and checked it out and was thrilled!

This morning at 6am I woke Sidney up, like we had planned, and we went to the gym.

Sidney, who is 10, loved it!  She has wanted to go with me for a really long time but I haven't been able to take her, except to the childcare area.  I know that kids need more exercise in this country and my own kids aren't that physically fit.  My kiddos aren't overweight but other than just playing outside and the very small amount of time that they get in school for gym, that is all the physical fitness that they get.

Parents, I know that you think it is hard to get time to exercise for yourself.  What about our kids?  If we don't make time to get to get in some exercise how are our kiddos supposed to learn that being healthy is important?

Want to know how much exercise your kids should have? According to www.mypyramid.gov here is what is recommended:

CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS (6-17 years)
Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. Most of the 60 minutes should be either moderate- or vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity, and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days a week. As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening activities, like climbing, at least 3 days a week and bone-strengthening activities, like jumping, at least 3 days a week. Children and adolescents are often active in short bursts of time rather than for sustained periods of time, and these short bursts can add up to meet physical activity needs. Physical activities for children and adolescents should be developmentally-appropriate, fun, and offer variety.

YOUNG CHILDREN (2-5 years)
There is not a specific recommendation for the number of minutes young children should be active each day. Children ages 2-5 years should play actively several times each day. Their activity may happen in short bursts of time and not be all at once. Physical activities for young children should be developmentally-appropriate, fun, and offer variety.

In case you were wondering, here is how much physical activity an adult is supposed to have according to www.mypyramid.gov:

ADULTS (18 to 64 years)
Adults should do at least 2 hours and 30 minutes each week of aerobic physical activity at a moderate level OR 1 hour and 15 minutes each week of aerobic physical activity at a vigorous level. Being active 5 or more hours each week can provide even more health benefits. Spreading aerobic activity out over at least 3 days a week is best. Also, each activity should be done for at least 10 minutes at a time. Adults should also do strengthening activities, like push-ups, sit-ups and lifting weights, at least 2 days a week.

Maybe our world is just thinking that our kids are just fine...there isn't any need to get our kids to move more.  Let's just take them to McDonalds when they want. When they are cranky or do something great we can just reward them with treats.  Every holiday we need to continue to make sure that we have lots of candy for all of our precious little ones.  Give the kids what they want any time that they throw a fit just so they stop.  This is what our American world has come to.  This is our reality.  And the truth is that our kids need a healthy lifestyle just like adults.

I did a little research and found the following from The American Heart Association (the heart is a pretty important muscle so I'm thinking we might want to listen to them):

Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. With good reason, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects: Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. Excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood. Perhaps one of the most sobering statements regarding the severity of the childhood obesity epidemic came from former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who characterized the threat as follows: “Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents." How do you prevent and treat overweight in children? Reaching and maintaining an appropriate body weight is important. That's why recommendations that focus on small but permanent changes in eating may work better than a series of short-term changes that can't be sustained. Reducing caloric intake is the easiest change. Highly restrictive diets that forbid favorite foods are likely to fail. They should be limited to rare patients with severe complications who must lose weight quickly. Becoming more active is widely recommended. Increased physical activity is common in all studies of successful weight reduction. Create an environment that fosters physical activity. Parents' involvement in modifying overweight children's behavior is important. Parents who model healthy eating and physical activity can positively influence their children's health. The last thing I wanted to share was a link to some comments made from an article that Newsweek put out in 2000. Eleven years ago there was already awareness that the health of our kids was deteriorating. The article, "Fat for life?" touched the lives of many people. Click on this link to read what others said about their health, about their kids' lives, about the jobs that they have that impact kids and how our society needs to change to help our kids.

Sid & the ice

Sid is part of a group called AHG.  It is a lot like Girl Scouts but is Christian based and is run through churches.  (If you have a daughter you should see if there is a group in your area...great group!  There are 3 in Rochester now)

The AHG group has outings and fun activities for the girls and one of those was ice skating at one of the rinks that we have in town.  (Hockey is pretty big here so yes, we do have more than 1 rink...I think I even saw a hockey mom that I know while we were skating and at least one of her little men...#9)

Last year we also went to this event and Sid was crying on the ice because she was so scared and she just didn't want to fall.

This year, she went around the ice with "the helper" (which looks just like a walker) three times and then we went around together for about another 45 minutes.  My hands, and hers, were very sweaty from holding on to eachother.  We got out to the middle of the ice a few times and for at least the last 20 minutes she wasn't holding on to a wall at all.  She did great and was very confident in herself by the end of our skating.  She even tried letting go of me AND the wall a few times.  We had a really fun time!

Here are a few pictures of her.  The first is towards the beginning of our skating.  She is looking a bit nervous and was trying to figure out how to balance with "the helper".

This is at the end.  Look at her smile!  Sid is with one of her best friends...Skylar.  Skylar is a great friend to Sid and saved "the helper" for her at the beginning while we got our skates on.