A Whole Lot of 1sts...and one 11th!

Life is just crazy. I think that statement can pretty much sum up how we've been lately. I'm beginning to figure out that around the middle of October things gear up and they stay at warp speed until after Christmas. We've had so many things go on at our house lately, I couldn't let more time go by without getting them written down. So, drum roll please...

1. Halloween fell on a Saturday this year. In the past, we've always gone to our church's fall festival in lieu of trick-or-treating. This year, the church decided to have the festival during the day which allowed for BOTH! Oh my goodness, this was so exciting. I feel a little guilty that Karson turned 6 and had never been trick-or-treating before. We had so much fun. Campbell was fascinated with the candy, and Karson wanted to hit EVERY house in the neighborhood.

The trick-or-treaters in action

Karson as "Hannah Montana" and Campbell as "A Pacified Strawberry" :)

2. Karson's best friend, Addi's birthday is just 2 days before hers. Now that they go to different schools and don't take dance together, they only see each other at church. For Addi's birthday, her parents planned a pajama party. All of the girls came in their pajamas and watched movies, etc. The BIG highlight of the party was that when everyone else went home, Karson got to spend the night (she's never done this except with cousins). Now, I was never a good "spend the nighter". I usually made it until about 11:30, and then I was ready to go home. In light of this, I waited by the phone all evening waiting for the call to come pick her up. That girl always surprises me. She made it just fine and had a WONDERFUL time!

3. Kars has had a wiggly tooth for weeks. We've tried to convince her to let us pull it out, but amidst MUCH drama, she has refused. Well wouldn't you know that while she was at Addi's party, the silly tooth fell out! I must admit that I was a little sad that I missed it, but she was so excited that all the girls got to see it, so I had to get over myself! Rusty's cousin, Georgann, gave Karson a tooth fairy pillow when she was a newborn. It came with all of these cute poems and ideas for the tooth fairy. I was so excited to use it, so the next night the tooth fairy went into action. She left a sweet poem about how important the 1st tooth is, $5, and she even cooled her wings in the glass of water by Karson's bed and made the water turn purple! Karson was thrilled to wake up to all of this on Sunday morning!

Showing off the "gap"!

!

4. Campbell had an excited "1st" on Monday. Her sweet little friend, Landrie, (who lives down the street and goes to church with us) got to come over for the day. Her regular baby sitter's daughter was having a baby, so we got to have her over! Oh my goodness, the precious moments I got to witness all day long are too many to list. They were so darn cute! They played with their babies and loved on each other...oh, I could eat them up!

Two peas in a pod! (I caught Landrie in a strange moment)

They were sharing babies and loving the fact that they had the same bunny!

5. Last, but certainly not least, the 11th! Rus and I will celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary on Saturday. It's a true testimony to how life is right now that I will be busy all day at a dance competition, but we've made plans to celebrate on another day. We've been through a lot of changes in the past year, but I wouldn't choose to do life with anyone else. He is the love of my life and I am forever grateful that God led us together. Happy Anniversary, Rus. I love you more than ever.

This is one of our pictures from the beach this summer. It's a little glarey, but I love the sunset!

And there you have it. A whole bunch of life in a short little list. We'll keep trucking along. 'Til next time...

A Six Year Old...wow

Karson Elaine,

Today, at 1:03 pm, you will turn 6. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It seems like the time is just flying by. I know I say that every year, but it's so true. I've always been a "keep them little as long as possible" kind of girl, but I know that getting bigger is the natural order of life and with growth comes so many blessings. While I LOVED your baby, toddler, and preschool years, I am so enjoying the fact that you are now old enough to do so many things that you couldn't do before. You have such a funny sense of humor, and I love joking around with you. You still love to snuggle and read books together, so I still get to baby you just a bit! You are also starting to become a little clothes horse, so we have a great time shopping together (watch out, Daddy).

Here are some of the things you like right now...

Food
You've become a bit of a picky eater...but most of the time you're willing to try new things at least once. These are your favorites:

1. Bread (any kind - usually with butter)

2. Noodles (plain with salt)

3. Spaghetti

4. Baked Potatoes

5. Chicken

6. Dessert of any kind (ice cream sandwiches, no-bake cookies, and cake balls are your top picks)

Clothes

You still let me pick out what you're going to wear, but you usually have an opinion to express about it. You've slimmed down a ton (not that you were chubby before) and now most of your pants are too big in the waist.

1. Soft t-shirts from the Gap

2. Anything "bedazzled or sparkly" (Mommy is not a big fan of this, but we go with it)

3. "Cozy clothes" - you love to be comfortable

4. Boots (you have some with a wedge heel that are your favorites)

5. Headbands (you have all but started REFUSING to wear bows - gasp!)

Toys/Games

You got a DS for your birthday, and you are LOVING it!

1. Barbies
2. Anything craft related

3. Guess Who

4. Basketball (you start your practices the last week in November)

5. Dress up clothes - I love that you still like to do this.

We had your parent/teacher conference a few weeks ago. Daddy and I were so thrilled to hear all of the wonderful things Mrs. Plum had to say about you. You have already started reading and we see growth in so many areas. Kindergarten has proven to be a very happy place for you and we are so thankful.

I think the sweetest thing you wanted for your birthday was a Bible. Daddy and I found a pink one with a carrying case. It made my heart swell with emotion to see you have the desire for God's word. You've been asking lots of questions about what it means to ask Jesus into your heart. We've talked a lot about it and I think you're getting closer and closer to making this big decision.

My precious girl, the last 6 years have been filled with so many special memories. I'm so grateful to be your mommy, and I'm so privileged to get to witness all the changes and events in your life. I could NEVER begin to put into words how proud I am of you. I hope you know how much you are loved and cherished. I have loved you long before I ever saw your sweet face, and my love continues to grow each year. Thank you for blessing me every day with your sweet spirit. May this next year of your life be full of so many adventures, tons of fun memories, and more joy than you could imagine.

I love you, Mommy

Here are a few pictures from the big girl's birthday party at the pumpkin patch...(and Blogger is being quite annoying and won't let me move my pictures where I want them. Grrrrr. They are out of order.)

We played some really cute relay games with the pumpkins. Run, Karson, Run!

Blowing out the candles!

Everyone made a spider pumpkin! Very cute!

Posing by the "cake". She wanted to have cake balls...so we did!

A Very Sad Day Indeed

If you know my girls at all, you know that they are EXTREMELY attached to their "bedtime friends". Many people call these sweet items, "Lovies". When Karson was learning to talk, all of her "l"s sounded like "y"s and her "v"s sounded like "b"s, so her "lovies" were "yubbies". Oh my goodness, Yubby is VERY special. She was given "White Yubby" when she was just 3 weeks old. It looked like a small white kitty cat face attached to a tiny floral blanket (about 1 square foot). We quickly realized how attached she had become and began to worry about losing "White Yubby". We set out in search of another yubby, and found one that was the same brand. It was a brown teddy bear head attached to a small blanket. Creative as we are, it became known as, "Brown Yubby".

Now, Brown Yubby was acceptable for taking to preschool and in the car, but it was definitely a second class citizen to the original, White Yubby. As time progressed and Karson was no longer taking naps at preschool or needing to take a yubby with her in the car, Brown Yubby found itself in the drawer and was no longer used at all. White Yubby was a prized possession and came out each night to help Kars go to sleep. She would take one of the ears between her first 2 fingers and rub it gently until she drifted off. It was truly precious to catch her in the act! By now, White Yubby has several holes and is extremely faded due to being washed so many times. We say it looks "well loved".

Before Campbell was born, we set out on a search for a Yubby. Nana found her a precious giraffe that we knew would be perfect. She was also given a super cute princess by my friend Lauren. Both of these yubbies were the same brand as Karson's and were attached to small silky blankets. Campbell attached herself instantly! We made sure to change them out frequently so that she wouldn't prefer one over the other (we had learned our lesson with Kars). It was so sweet to see Campbell with her yubbies! We even overheard Karson trying to teach her how to rub the ears properly! :)

Needless to say, yubbies are VERY special at our house.

For the past month, my parents have been adding on at their house. The latest in the project was that the floors were being sanded and stained, and so they had to spend several nights at a hotel. This past Friday night, I took the girls to stay with them at the hotel and go swimming (yes, we are "those people" - don't judge). Later in the evening, as we were winding down, I got out the girl's yubbies and handed them to them. They both drifted off to sleep and all was well. Around 1 AM, Rus arrived at the hotel (he had been in Stillwater for the Union game) to take the girls home. I was staying the night because I had to get up early and drive to Arkansas. forshadowing...

Saturday morning I called to check in on them, and Rus informed me that Karson had left White Yubby at the hotel. I quickly called Mom and Dad to let them know. I wanted to make sure they grabbed it before the cleaning ladies came in. I had a fear that it would get tangled up in the sheets/towels and taken to the laundry. more forshadowing...

On my way home from Arkansas, I called Mom and found out that Yubby was no where to be found. They had searched all over the room and all over the hotel. They had the entire hotel staff looking for it, and no one had seen it. Apparently during the transfer from the room to the car, Yubby was dropped and LOST. shudder. I quickly called Rus to see how Kars was taking the news. He said she wasn't handling it too well, and that quite a few tears had been shed.

After I arrived home, we talked about what had happened, and got Brown Yubby out of the drawer. Mr "Second Class Citizen" has now become her new best friend and is filling a much needed void. She still says his ears aren't good for rubbing, but that it's okay. We haven't had any tears at bedtime, so I guess that's a good sign.

I think my heart may be as broken as Karson's. This was a special item that symbolized her childhood. It was one of those that I hoped to keep forever and be able to give to her when she had a baby of her own. Ugh. It's been a sad few days here at the Zumwalt house, but I guess life goes on. It's all about perspective!

Here are a few pics of Yubby...

I took this picture last summer. I was going to write a post about Yubby (ironic, isn't it). That's White Yubby all tucked in by her chin. I laid Brown Yubby out beside her.

This picture of Campbell makes me laugh! I wonder what she was dreaming about? These are her 2 yubbies! Pink Yubby goes to school and church with her, while her White Yubby stays at home in her bed.

Thoughts from the Sick Bed

Karson has been sick for the past couple of days. She's finally fever free today, but I took her to the doctor just to make sure we were in the clear. There has been some nasty stuff circulating around Owasso. They did a flu test and a strep test. Thankfully both came back negative. If all goes well tonight, she should be able to go back to school tomorrow.

After we got home from the doctor's office, this is what she told me...

"Mama (in a very pitiful voice), can we go to a yummy roll place for dinner? That would make my cough feel lots better."

I told her that I would call Daddy and check, to which she replied...

"I love yummy rolls. Bread is my favorite thing to eat. Besides noodles. Oh, and butter. I love butter. And eggs. Bread, noodles, butter, and eggs. Yeah, those are my favorites."

As you can see, we're all about the food pyramid over here at the Zumwalt house. The perfect picture of healthy eating.

First Day of School...Round 2

Today was the first day of school for King's Kids, so Campbell and I were "back in action"! Did I take a single picture? NO! I'm the worst mother ever, and my poor second child is completely neglected...judge me.

The day went fairly well overall. We had a "few" criers, and I had to call 2 mommies to come pick up kiddos that just couldn't get themselves together, but for the most part it went as smoothly as first days can go. It always takes a few days to get back in the swing of things and for the kids to adjust to the routine. Hopefully in a few weeks everyone will be in the groove.

Campbell did GREAT! She didn't cry when I dropped her off, she played on the playground, ate her lunch, and TOOK HER NAP!!!! I was so proud of her. She has the same teachers that she had last year, and she was delighted to see them this morning. She adores them, and they are so sweet to her! It made the transition very easy.

I think we're all glad to be back in a routine. The past week and a half has been really strange with Karson going to school and Campbell and I staying at home. She has been a little confused about "where Sissy is", and she's been searching for her all over the house...

Is she under here???????

Nope. I don't know where she is...

When I'm feeling low from missing Sissy, Mom fixes spaghetti and everything is a-okay!

We found her! She was at Steven's wedding...performing her flower girl duties!!! (Like how I fit that in? But doesn't she look beautiful?! )

So there you have it...ALL of the Zumwalts have officially begun school year 2009-2010. Our prayer is that we follow wherever God leads! It's gonna be great!

The First Day of Kindergarten!!!

This morning was a little different. Karson ate breakfast a little earlier than usual.

Then she put on her new outfit, put her new clip in her hair, and grabbed her new backpack.

She hugged Campbell and posed for a few pictures.
We got in the car and drove to her new school. She held my hand as we made our way to the front door.
We found her class, and she showed Daddy where her locker was.

Then she walked right in, got her name tag on, and began her year as a KINDERGARTENER!!!!

There were no tears or looks of desperation. Just a thumbs up and a smile!

My house seems VERY quiet (especially while Campbell is napping). 3:10 seems like forever away. I miss her. I can't wait to see how her first day of school was.

Preparing

I feel as if I have spent much of the summer preparing for the fact that my child will be starting kindergarten. I started the summer worrying about the school where she will be going. Is it the right school? Will she have any friends? What will her teacher be like? I applied for an intra-district transfer to another elementary that would be closer to the church. I thought that would make it better on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday while I'm working and she would be so much closer to me. My transfer was denied. I called her school to request a certain teacher. I was told they don't take requests.

I was trying to do everything I could to make things the way I thought would be best. God had other plans.

I've spent much of the last few weeks praying for Karson's new teacher. Praying that I would let Him be in control. Praying for peace about the whole situation. I don't know why I was surprised when I began to feel better. I don't know why I was surprised that His way was better than what I was trying to work out. I don't know why I'm ever surprised that He always has a plan, and that "plan is good" (Jer. 29:11).

This past week we continued our preparation.

We bought new tennis shoes for school. When I asked Kars if they made her run fast, she informed me that it is the person wearing the shoes that makes you fast or not, not the shoes themselves. Wow. She did, however, pose to show me how fast she was going to be! :)

We also purchased a new flower clip to go with our first day of school outfit.

We then headed to Wal-Mart to purchase our school supplies. Oh my goodness, I think everyone else was there buying school supplies at the same time.

After all of our shopping, we headed to the nail salon to have our very first Mother/Daughter pedicure. Oh my goodness...this was fun! Kars loved it! She picked hot pink polish and had them add white polka dots to it. Too cute!

One of our final preparations was tonight. We got to go to the school for "Meet the Teacher". It was very crowded in the hallways, and we had to wander around to find the kindergarten rooms. We finally found them and entered Mrs. Plum's room. On our way to the school, Karson and I had discussed what we thought Mrs. Plum would look like. Karson was delighted to see that she had pictured her perfectly except for her hair color! We dropped off her school supplies and looked around the room a bit. We then made our way back through the crowded halls. We walked back to the front door and then retraced our steps back to the room so that Karson would feel comfortable finding it.

As we were walking to the car, I could tell Kars was getting quieter by the second and I asked her what was wrong. She took my hand and looked up at me with a trembling lip and tears in her eyes. She said, "How am I going to be able to find that room all by myself?"

With these words, my heart broke into a million pieces.

I guess with all of the preparation I was doing as far as worrying about the right school, the right teacher, the right outfit...I totally forgot to prepare myself for the fact that my baby girl is going to have to walk into that big school and find her room "all by herself". Ouch. That hurts my heart.

I assured her that I would be able to walk her in the first day or so and that there would be plenty of people there to help her, but it's the symbolism of it all. It's the letting go. It's the "all by herself".

God has it under control. I know that in my head. My heart is trying to catch up.

Wednesday is the first day of school. I'm planning to have precious pictures to post and a happy story to tell. It's all going to work out. His plans are good...the Bible tells me so.