'Tis the Season

Another year gone. Unbelievable. These kids just keep getting bigger and time just keeps flying by. With an unusually busy traveling plan this year I am again relying on the Blog instead of a newsletter. Hopefully I'll get cards out before Christmas... or New Years... maybe just by Valentine's day.

This year has been wonderful. The past posts are proof of a blessed life that Brad I frequently feel unworthy of. These children keep us busy and happy and we are grateful to be making wonderful memories together.

Caitlin is 8 this year and has changed so much! She was baptized this year, is in the 3rd grade (excelling as usual), had her ears pierced, progressed as a soccer player and is the living definition of 'book worm'. Most days she is our pride and joy, although the teenage attitude seems to be sneaking in a little early from time to time. Where has my baby gone?

Amber turned 5 this month and is all giggles. She lights up any room with her smile and silly antics. Amber is becoming quite the skier and is progressing in her school work too. She can finally write 'Amber', or at least something close. Amber is our horse and animal lover and also asks every day when we will be able to swim again. She is our little ball of energy and keeps us all smiling.

Drew is almost 18 months now. Walking has been his latest development and our greatest thrill. He is coming up with new words and is a typical busy boy. Just yesterday he knocked his bottom teeth loose. Welcome to life with a son. What a joy this little guy is!

Brad and I are much the same. Business continues to be busy for Brad. We take every opportunity to get out and about with the kids. And in our spare time we give what we can to our callings in the church. I am now the ward organist (who knew?) and Brad is a counselor in the Elder's Quorum. We are anxiously looking forward to our next addition: a fawn Great Dane puppy girl named Bella. After loosing our Beau in October we are eager to have another giant in the family.

We are grateful for another prosperous year, healthy children, and our blessed life. We wish each of you a Merry Christmas and joy in the coming year.

Hugs,
Krinke Family

I want a pony!

Every little girl wants her very own horse. But Amber has a true love for animals in general and horses to be specific. She loves to ride, and will jump at any opportunity to do anything with horses. It is rare to have a week go by without Amber asking, "Mommy, when are we going to get our horses?" She has even gone as far as to say we could get rid of the pool to make room for our horses.



So for her birthday this year we decided to have a horseback party. Because our 'little Bee' has a December birthday it took two weeks of patience (and wonderful party guests who were willing to wait for last minute notice) but we were fortunate enough to have a gorgeous day for our party.



With 9 party guests in total it was amazing that they all got a 15 minute private lesson with the trainers followed by grooming and feeding the horses. And with a play set, trampoline, and other farm animals to visit, the kids were busy enough to not even complain about taking turns or having to wait.

Amber started off on a little white pony named 'princess'.



She was so comfortable they even had her doing 'tricks' riding with her hands on her shoulders, out to her sides, swinging in step with Princess' gate, sidesaddle and backwards as well.



Caitlin rode a bigger pony named 'Ernie'. She was also a 'natural' and quickly progressed to jumping position and trotting.



Because she was the birthday girl, Amber got a second 15 minute session, this time on Ernie. She too progressed through jumping position and trotting.



After riding, the kids got to groom the horses, brushing, picking hooves, and feeding them their cookies for a job well done.



It was the best birthday ever! We love you, Little Bee!

Girlie Girls

Where in the world did these girls come from? I have always known I am far from the norm with my tom-boyish ways. But I am not prepared for these shockers:

-Caitlin at age 2, standing at the top of the stairs covered in Nana's jewelry: "How do my yook?"

-Caitlin at age 4 anxiously awaiting the arrival of her teenage cousin, Andy: "If I stand here do you think he'll notice me?" (Crush much?)

-Caitlin at age 4 playing dolls with Nana: Nana:"Do the boys play with Sarah?" (the doll), Caitlin: "No, she's not popular enough."

-Caitlin at age 8 while at a sleepover with Nana holding up two different colors of eye shadow, "Which one goes better with my sweater?"

-Caitlin just this week standing in front of her closet overflowing with the latest clothing trends, "I have nothing to wear!"

-Amber at age 4: "Daddy, I have two boyfriends." Daddy: "No, Amber, you have two friends that are boys." Amber smiles a devilish grin.

-Amber this week (almost 5): "I kissed Tanner at school." Mommy:"I thought Miss Karen said 'no kissing' at school." Amber:"It was behind the playhouse so she didn't see." Daddy, with a few veins becoming noticeable in his forehead, but a cool voice: "Amber, kissing boys is not appropriate." Mommy: "Take a deep breath, Daddy."


Heaven help me!!

Heavenly

Actually, this is Sugar Bowl.(We have a resort here in Cali called Heavenly) But when I imagine heaven, it is not far from what we experienced Saturday. The snow this year is amazing! Seven feet of fresh powder before Christmas!?! Fantastic! I can't wait to post pictures of the girls ripping down the mountain this year. Stay tuned...

Freedom!

It only took about a week after my "kindergarten" comment for Drew to finally take off. And take off he has! Now he loves to run in the opposite direction of where he needs to go, squealing and laughing all the way. Walking is now his favorite pastime.

The boy who wouldn't walk

You will note that the title of this post includes the word "wouldn't", not to be confused with "couldn't". For months now (not exaggerating) we have been waiting for Drew to finally let go and take off. He has had the ability to walk all along, just no interest. He is officially the world's fastest crawler and happy to be so. A few weeks ago he took his first series of official steps out at Caitlin's soccer practice. But still, no walking. Then two weeks ago when our sweet Beau passed away, Drew decided we all needed a little pick-me-up and showed this off for his uncle:



But does this mean that he is walking?? No, no, crawling is still his preferred mode of transportation. I do hope he gets it figured out in time for kindergarten.

Remember

Two and a half years was not enough time...





I will always remember the first day we saw you. Your humongous floppy ears and giant feet made you look a bit like Dumbo.

I will always remember waiting anxiously to find out if your Grandma Iris would really let you be ours. We could hardly stand the wait.

I will always remember your first night here. You played in true puppy style, bounding all around the front yard. We took you on your first walk and you jumped from lawn to lawn trying not to walk on the rough concrete.


I will always remember your first meetup. Playing with all the 'big boys' and then having dinner on the patio of a pizza place. You and Terra had to rest on car mats because we forgot your beds.


I will always remember little Amber wrapping her arms around your neck to give you hugs. Until one day you had grown too tall for her to reach. Then she grew too...



I will always remember how sweet you were with Terra. You two bonded right away. Terra misses her companion.




I will always remember how you acted when we brought the "new pack member" (baby) home. You were so good with him from the start.


I will always remember how you wanted to be right next to the kids as they played. Always watching out, making sure they were safe.


I will always remember how wonderful you were with all children, those from our own pack, and friends too. Visitors were always welcome.


I will always remember sending you to "boarding school". You broke the seals on every door and gave those trainers a real project. But you also came out a gentleman, always anxious to please us.

I will always remember taking you to little league games and parks with the girls. Their little friends always clamored around you as parents commented on our 'horse'.

I will always remember how freaked out everyone got when they saw you. You were the world's best guard dog. You didn't even have to try. Solicitors wouldn't even come to the door once they saw you.


I will always remember being stopped almost every morning on our walks. Everyone wanted to be sure I knew you were amazingly handsome. People would literally stop their car to come meet you.

I will always remember how much you loved muffins and cupcakes. They were your weakness.

I will always remember your face on the side of my bed in the morning.

I will always remember how much you loved your froggie.


I will always remember your rear end on the couch and how you sat just like every other 'human' does wondering why we were all laughing.


I will always remember how you would turn circles trying to fit your enormous body onto the just-barely-big-enough dog bed or onto a couch pillow that had landed on the floor.

I will always remember how you love to snuggle and nap with your daddy.



I will especially remember how much I wanted you. How I dreamed of owning a Great Dane for years and years. You were my "someday" dream come true. I had lots of great memories, but not nearly enough time with you. A dog holds a special place in the heart of those who loved them.

Dream Date

Every month or two Brad and I try to get the girls out on individual 'dates'. Usually we do small outings that cost very little. It's more about the time spent together. But in September we realized we had some leftover points with our Disney Vacation Club that were going to expire if we did not use them. So Brad decided we should take the girls on individual Disney trips. Brad and Caitlin went down first on a Friday after school and work. They crammed in a full day at Disney Land and California Adventure Saturday. Then Sunday they were able to visit the Discovery Museum (super cool!) before dashing back home to get a good night's sleep before work and school Monday morning.

Since I live the life of luxury and don't have to work (wait a minute, who takes care of these 3 kids and the household?), Amber and I were able to enjoy a more relaxed schedule the next weekend. Thanks to my Mother-in-law and a wonderfully supportive hubby, I was able to leave Drew and Caity in capable hands for 5 whole days! Amber and I left Saturday afternoon after Caitlin's soccer game. We rolled into Camarillo for a super mellow Sunday together. We played cards and made playdoh creations, watched a movie, snuggled in bed reading stories, and just enjoyed giving each other undivided attention.



After closing up the house we headed for Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. A super fun hands on (and free!) location that was perfect for Amber. We touched everything and had a great time asking all about the sharks, eels, snails and other creatures there.



We also played out in the sand and on the gym-type equipment on the beach. It was quite entertaining watching the muscle-men doing their acrobatic tricks on the bars and rings. Amber kept saying "Daddy does that". I had to keep my mouth closed, although I will admit Brad can do some pretty fun tricks on our rings in the garage.

Next we headed for our Disney Hotel. We were driving 'the fast car' (Brad's convertible) and chose to ride with the top down at every opportunity.



Monday we met some friends at a place called 'pretend city'. It was great entertainment for a 4 year old. And we mommies enjoyed some adult conversation.
This is Amber and her friend Saxon. Saxon's two little brothers had split in opposite directions so we never did get a picture of all of them together.



The entire time we were there, Los Angeles was experiencing some of the highest temperatures on record. So we spread our Disney Land and Cal Adventure experiences over three days while mixing in frequent breaks in the hotel pool and water slide.










On the fourth day Amber finally made mention of her siblings: "Mommy, the next time we go on a special trip just you and me, can everybody come?" Aw! She did miss them. Just in time to go home.

The big 3-0

Yay! We're finally adults! Brad and I are so often asked (with looks of curiosity and disbelief), "How old are you guys?" Brad and I are now officially out of our "20's". I understand that most people don't celebrate this milestone with this same enthusiasm, but quite frankly, I could not wait.

So, what did I do to celebrate this momentous occasion? Did I abandon my children to frolic with my girlfriends? Perhaps an extravagant jaunt with my hubby for the weekend? Or a big party to bring in the new era of my life?... Nope, I took my girls camping down California's gorgeous coast. And as Amber continued to announce at every opportunity: "No boys allowed!"

I didn't originally plan this trip to be my birthday present to me, but it just sorta happened that way. At the beginning of the summer I challenged my girls to watch only two 30 minute T.V. shows per day. I asked them what would be a big "prize" for them to work toward with their efforts. Because Brad and I had just finished our 10th anniversary trip to Disney Land and were telling them how fun our dinner out at Medieval Times was, they both agreed going there at the end of the summer would be a good incentive.

So as the summer wore on and they continued to limit their T.V. watching (at home anyway) we planned our trip. We invited our friends, Karen and daughter Allysa, to join us. What a trip it was!

The pictures will get a little excessive, but hey, it's my birthday and I can post all I like!

Thursday we headed for Santa Cruz and Natural Bridges State Beach:





After having our fun we headed inland to Henry Cowel Redwoods State park to camp for the night.



The next morning we went back to Natural bridges to see the tide pools before leaving for San Simeon. The girls loved this and got to hold and touch all sorts of neat tide pool creatures.











We then headed for Hearst Castle in San Simeon. This stop was more for us adults, but the girls found it fascinating as well. I'm sure it would have been more fun for them if they didn't have to be reminded to stay on the blue carpet runners and not touch anything.

After Hearst Castle we cruised into Pismo beach to camp for the night.





The next morning we realized we had set our tent up on top of a gopher's home. He was excavating himself a new front door when we woke and allowed the girls to get close enough to observe.



The girls relished riding their bikes around the camp after breakfast while we packed up to head for Camarillo.






We stopped along the way at a random beach south of Santa Barbara to have a picnic lunch and play in the surf. Amber wasn't too sure about the waves. Karen (who also happens to be Amber's preschool teacher) babied her into the water holding her hand to which Amber came alive and started squealing with delight.







That night after settling into the Camarillo house we took Karen and Allysa to our favorite spot at Ventura Pier. The girls loved playing at the park (as usual) and were lucky enough to run into a super nice guy on the pier who was fishing for crabs. He gave them a little lesson all about the crabs and they got to touch and hold them too (at least, those brave enough).





Then, Sunday, the big day had finally arrived. After some successful shopping at the Camarillo outlets, we were finally on our way to Medieval Times. The girls were thrilled and had the best time. During the show Amber kept yelling, "Why don't those boys play nice!?"





Monday morning we packed up and took one last bike ride to our favorite little neighborhood park. Then it was back to my boys and life as usual.








I love my life!