Madison's 8th Birthday

It's hard to believe that Madison is now 8 years old! I was looking at pictures from when she was a baby and I remember what a special time in our lives it was. We became a family. One of the greatest things we did as new parents I think was to not let having a child stop us from doing the things that we loved. Madison went hiking, biking and boating during her first year of life. And we loved every minute of sharing those experiences with her. The night before her birthday Madison and I were talking. One of the rare moments that I can have a one on one conversation with one of my kids. She asked me if I was going to play her special personalized birthday CD and sing to her when she woke up the next morning on her birthday. I told her she would have to just wait and see. Then she told me that she knows that her life is so special because I did things for her that not all moms do. She said that she knew that not all kids were as lucky as her and that the special things I did for her really meant a lot. I thought I was going to faint! I felt like all of the time and hard work I put into trying to be the best possible mother came down to this one defining moment with my first born. I had hoped that one day she would get it. I never imaged that she would be 8 years old when she did. There are lots of times that Duane probably thinks that I'm going overboard to make certain things extra special. There is a fine line between spoiling your kids and making them feel significant. I know that I can't give them everything. But I want my girls to feel special. I want them to know how important their happiness is to me. Making memories for them is one of the things I live for. It makes them who they are and what I dream they will become some day. The next day on her birthday, she had a skating party with her friends. It was a joy to see her face lit up the whole time. I was out there doing the chicken dance and the hoky poky with a bunch of 8 year olds. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. After the party we went to church as a family and reflected on all our blessings. There are so many. Then we headed downtown the the Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner. It's one of Madison's favorite places. We have our ups and downs just like every mother and daughter. But the love and pride I feel for that beautiful 8 year old girl is overwhelming at times. I am so grateful that God picked me to be her mother.

What's New with Mallory

We have discovered that Mallory has a temper. She likes to scream, hit and throw things when she is angry. This is something new for us. The two older girls didn't give us much trouble with tantrums. She always says she's sorry when she calms down. She definitely holds her own with her big sisters. Unfortunately Molly has had a few war wounds after one of Mallory's fits. But 90% of the time she is the most adorable, loving girl. She has the cutest little voice and she likes to talk in a high pitch tone when she is very excited. She is very excited a lot. She also talks a lot. She is starting to play with the big girls toys like My Little Ponies and Littlest Pet Shop. She is very imaginative and has conversations with her toys. She also like to play with her kitchen and baby dolls. We've discovered that she is a whiz at puzzles and she loves to sort things and line them up in rows. We may have another engineer on our hands. Coloring is one of her favorite past times. Every night Mallory has to go to sleep with her personalized Veggie Tales CD playing. I can't recall who bought that for her, but she truly loves it! We started a parent and tot class once a week at the rec center. It gives her a chance to climb, play with balls, do somersaults, shoot hops, parachute games, etc. It's a great opportunity for her to learn how to share and take turns. We may have another good soccer player on our hands. She loves to kick and throw balls. It's really nice for her and I to have that special time together. She is very generous with I love you, You're pretty and You are my best friend. All of which melt my heart. It is time for us to get rid of the paccie, start potty training and put her in a big girl bed. I have been secretly avoided all of those things. Number 1, they are all three a pain and number 2, that will confirm that baby, most likely my last baby, is no longer a baby and I'm just not quite ready for that yet.

What's New with Molly

It is never a dull moment in our house with Molly. Some of the things she says really blow me away! She has an amazing memory. Except for when it comes to letters and numbers! At least that's what she wants us to think. That ensures that she gets more one on one time with us to practice. She is very dramatic and is working hard to accept that she can't always have it her way. The other day out of the blue she told me she was going to be a different kid from now one. She was going to do what she was told, listen in school and be nice to her sisters. I said, "I'll take it!":) Honestly, she really is a good kid with such a loving heart. I really don't have to tell her more than once to do most things. Sometimes she just does them automatically, which is so nice for me. I love to watch her interact with Mallory. They really have become the best of friends. Mostly because Molly is so willing to give Mallory her time, attention and lots of affection. Many mornings, Molly gets Mallory out of her crib. It is not uncommon to see them cuddled up on the couch together or to hear them said, "I love you". It's such a precious gift to a mother. I am blessed to see the love of sisters everyday. I always missed having that. Molly has taken an interest in roller skating. She is bound and determined to skate around like the big kids. Now it consists of her holding on to me with one hand and the wall with the other. She stays up about 75% of the time now. Every time she gets a little more confident. She continues to like gymnastics and is improving her skills alot. This spring she's going to try her hand at soccer. Kindergarten registration is right around the corner too. I remember when I was in my first trimester with Mallory. I was so exhausted, I could hardly get off the couch in the evening. Molly was always there for a cuddle on the couch and she is still my little cuddle bunny. Even though she's not so little any more:(

What's New with Madison

No words can express how thrilled I am with how Madison is doing these days. What a huge change from one year ago! She has a fantastic teacher in a school and school district that I am grateful for every day. She just got her report card and I am proud to say, she is right on track with everything. Math is something that she has to work really hard at. Unfortunately she gets that from me, not her father the engineer. But she has come a long way. She has even met her end of the year reading goal already. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to sit and listen to my first born read! I never tire of it. Last Friday Duane had to opportunity to visit her school for a "Living Museum". The kids in her class each picked a significant person from the United States that they researched. They made a special art project, collected information on the person and dressed like that person. To her father's delight, Madison chose Sally Ride, the first American women in space. She did a great job sharing her report with the audience. It was such a wonderful project. The kids learned so much. They'll remember the experience for a long time. Those types of things are the most valuable learning experiences. Madison is still enjoying gymnastics, but can't wait for soccer to start. In a few months she will make her first communion. She is getting so tall! I love her enthusiasm. So many of her traits that were challenging as a young child have really developed into valuable traits that make her such a wonderful girl. This is really special time in her life that we are blessed to be a part of.

Sledding

It was finally warm enough to go out and play in the snow after several days of very frigid temperatures. In the past I have had to stay home with a little one instead of going sledding. This year all the kids were old enough to go so I went along too. It always amazes me how fearless kids are. I am often put in situations that remind me how I'm getting old. They are the same things I did without hesitation as a child, like roller coasters, water slides and sledding. Now I have to force myself to do this things that my kids are more than willing to do. When I sat on the sled at the top of the hill, I spent a few minutes trying to convince myself that I could do. Madison and Molly went down ahead of me literally seconds after making it to the top of the hill. Mallory, my 2 year old went down with Duane next. A soon as she got to the bottom she said ,"I want to do it again!". So there I was all alone talking myself into taking the plunge. Finally, I did and it felt great! I immediately climbed up the hill and went down again. Madison and Molly were a team the whole time. Madison would pull Molly up the hill over and over and they went down together every time. I was so thrilled at how well they were getting along. I would take them sledding every day to have a little of that each day. Now that the kids are getting older, it seems that there are so many more things that we can do all together. I'm really enjoying that. We had a great day in the snow!

Happy New Years!

We had a great time ringing in the new year at home with some great friends. The Cloyd family spent the night. The kids played so well together and the grown-ups actually had a chance to have some spirits and catch up. Not to mention we didn't have to leave the house and everyone was in sweats. That's my kind of party! Funny how things change over the years:) The next day we put all the x-mas decorations away and had our tradition pork and sauerkraut dinner. I really get excited to put the holiday decorations out right after Thanksgiving. But I am usually really ready to put them away and get the new year started on Jan. 1st. I couldn't wait to get everyone back on a normal schedule. Like every start to the new year, I try to set some goals. To help myself improve my odds of following through, I thought I'd add a little pressure by writing in my blog for all to see and as a reminder to myself. So here it goes! This year I will "try"to:

1. stop biting my nails (I know...terrible habit)

2. eat healthier (probably the hardest one!)

3. add to my exercise plan a little

4. run more 5K's

5. take tennis lessons with my husband this summer (have wanted to do this for years)

6. go away for an entire weekend with my husband (with the help of a few willing babysitters:)

7. focus on my spiritual growth (I'm a work in progress)

8. have more patience and tolerance (especially in the most challenging situations)

9. smile more and focus on the positive (there is so much to smile about!)

10. stop to smell the roses (enjoy today more instead of worrying about what's to come)

I'm looking forward to another great year with wonderful family and friends. I have some hard goals but the journey will be worth it!

Mostly Merry Christmas

I would love to say that we in the Scott house have had a picture perfect holiday season over the past few weeks. But in all honesty, it has been pretty rough on me! For the past four weeks someone in this house has been sick. This is the main reason I hate winter! It started with Molly having an upper respiratory infection. Then it moved on to me with bronchitis and a sinus infection. It took me almost two weeks to start feeling better. Then the stomach bug went from Madison to Molly and back to Madison again. I was amazed at how well the girls handled being sick. We had two trips to Massillon planned and had to rearrange our travel plans both times. Madison and I stayed home and Duane took the other girls so that they could have a family get together with the Scott's the first time. Hopefully we'll be able to make the second trip tomorrow if this stomach bug comes to an end. In the midst of taking care of sick kids and being sick myself, I still had to shop for gifts, wrap gifts, grocery shop, cook, bake and make ornaments in addition to my regular duties. Luckily we were all feeling well on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Even though I was faced with lots of disappoints and added stress, I was reminded of the true meaning of Christmas in church on Christmas Eve surrounded by my family. I woke up to a beautiful Christmas morning, in my home that I love with my family that I adore. The girls were so excited to open their gifts. They were so happy and grateful. We enjoyed being lazy all day and watching the girls play with their new toys. I love that over the past years we have been able to carry on many of our own family traditions with our girls and make many new traditions too. Although it has been a difficult few weeks, this time has also been filled with many joyful moments and wonderful memories! I hope everyone is happy and healthy during this holiday season.

Decorating the Tree

Every year for the past 11 years, we have gotten our x-mas tree from the same place. It's a family tradition. Several years ago when I was pregnant with Madison, she kicked me when we were looking at a certain tree. So that was the one we brought home that year. She chose it for us. We all loaded up in the car after church on Sat. and went to find our tree. Like every year it was frigid outside. Everyone was bundled up. The girls all insisted on wearing their Santa hats. They looked adorable! We ended up choosing the first one we looked at. Partially because it was a beautiful tree and partially because we were freezing. The next evening I had high expecations for decorating our tree all together as a family. It was going to be a wonderful time together. In actuality, Mallory broke 3 ornaments, Madison had a melt down because she had made one of the broken ornaments, they all fought over the ornments, they were up past their bed time and I was ready for a stiff drink! When it was all said and done, everyone sat in the living room together happily and enjoyed our beautiful tree. This time the finished product was more important than the process of getting there:) You really have to give up some control and let the kids take the reins during times like decorating the tree. It's not an easy thing to do when you're a control freak! I can remember back to when I was a kid and we were decorating the tree. My dad would always get frustrated with me because I put the tinsel on wrong. Every year it was the same thing. "Amy you lay the tinsel on, you don't throw it!" I still have flash backs. It was a very tramatic experience for me. Just kidding! You can see who I get my perfectionist side from though. I remember decorating the tree my senior year of high school. It was the most fun we had had in a long time. We played x-mas music and danced around the living room. I think we all cherished that time because we knew it would be my last x-mas living at home. These little Scott girls will be there before I know it. So for now, they can throw the tinsel on the tree. I'll just wait until they go to bed and fix it then:)

COSI

A few days after Thanksgiving we meet our niece Brooke and her mom Beth at COSI. We hadn't gotten together in a long time so we thought it would be fun to catch up and let the girls have some fun together. I can't believe how much my niece has changed! She is a kindergarten now. When you go a long period of time not seeing a child, they seem like a different kid! She is still her same spunky self with lots to talk about. But she is a lot taller! I loved just listening to her talk. She is so adorable! I can see similarities between her and Molly and Madison. She is competitive and likes to try things out like Madison. They both wanted to do every thing first. Madison liked to point out that she was older and wiser:) Molly and Brooke share the desire to push buttons. Molly has made a sport of it with her big sister. We had lots of fun and the day flew by to quickly. It wish we lived closer to them. I wish we could be more a part of her life. I want her to always know that we love her and think about her so much. Time gets away from us in our busy lives. We just have to remember to make more time for the people that mean the most to us. Hopefully we'll be together again over the holidays.

Father Daughter Dance

My husband is such a wonderful father! For the past three years, he has gotten dressed up, worn uncomfortable shoes and danced the night away with his daughter at the Girls Scouts Father Daughter dance. While many dads stood on the side lines for most of the night, he spent 90% of the time dancing with his daughter. One of Duane's least favorite things to do is dance. But he did it for his little girl. They looked so adorable! Madison was in kindergarten the first time they went. She is growing up so much. Last year I got them each a corsage and a boutonniere. Duane said they got smashed with all the crazy dancing so we decided to skip the flowers this year. While they were at the dance Molly, Mallory and I had a pajama party. They deserved a special night too. Molly can't wait until next year when she is old enough to go. There will be no chance for Duane to escape the dance floor with two dates:) I'm sure he'll live up to the challenge. This was another one of those times that made me think back to when I was a sophomore wearing my boyfriend's senior letterman jacket at school. Now he's taking his oldest daughter to a father daughter dance! Certain experiences like that make me look back at where we started and appreciate this priceless journey that we are taking together.