Friday, January 31, 2020

Welcome to 2020!!

Wow! Welcome to 2020! We have flying cars and hover boards, our telephones are transplanted in our ears, and we only eat shakes called HUEL to get all the nutrients we need. We don't even have to cook anymore! Okay, So not that much has changed from my last post...except that last fact actually is true. Some people are doing that Huel Nutrition...but not me and my family. We like bread too much.


January here in Iowa has been a new adventure, we have had school cancelled because of the weather. Although some of my friends in Utah have had school cancelled as well, which is new to me. I never had a school day growing up, and we had some pretty big snow storms. So it must have been massive. School being cancelled in Iowa is more for the icy roads than the amount of snow. We have had a couple good snow storms, but overall we haven't had much snow. I was really hoping to get out and go sledding with the kids. We will have to see if February will be the sledding month for us.

Here are a few things we did in January 2020.

After one of the snowstorms, we made snow cones from the fresh powder. Camille thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Jason thought it was really fun to make, but didn't love the taste. It typically takes him a really long time to eat cold things. Ice cream cones get messy unless I am there to lick the melting side before it falls (not that I am complaining that I get more ice cream) but he ate some of the snow cone, just not all of it. We had a lemonade Kool-aid packet and used that for our syrup. They turned out pretty good.
                 

I took the kids to the doctor to get check ups and their flu shots. Jason ended up getting 3 shots! He was so sad and he kept complaining about his legs hurting, and I actually think they were hurting him quite a bit. So instead of rushing Camille back to school we skipped school and went on a quick adventure. There was supposed to be a huge storm coming through during the afternoon, so we stopped at Trader Joes that was across the street from the doctors office and picked up a couple of things. I have never really shopped at Trader Joes, but we did get a couple of things to try. We got their yogurt that was super creamy, and some pot stickers. Along with a new type of berry we had never seen, and some pasta sauce. In Trader Joes there were some samples....oh how my kids loved the samples. We only dropped one mashed potato sample on the floor, so I will take that as a win.

After Trader Joes we were going to drop our books off at the library, but since we were skipping school anyway we stopped and had a special lunch that the kids earned by being so brave and getting their shots. It is always fun to occasionally have a lunch out with the kids. Even if it is just McDonalds. The kids really enjoy it. We took this picture and sent it to Kevin. He said that this picture shows exactly the personalities of our family. Camille and I are smiling and happy, Sadie is looking a little mischievous and Jason is working on eating his food. I love all my kids and all of their fun personalities.


One night it rained a ton, and then froze. It was like freezing rain and made everything so slippery. Our whole back porch was an ice skating rink. It was like 6 degrees outside, but the kids wanted to go out and play so bad. I let them go out for 10 minutes, and they had so much fun. They were sliding around the "rink" and Camille kept trying to lick the ice. She was licking the ground and the deck poles. I was just waiting for her tongue to get stuck, but she never did.  Camille and Jason took the sled out and went down our little hill in the backyard. Since it was all frozen, they actually went really far with no friction. They loved it and it was fun to watch them.
              

A couple days after playing outside, Jason got sick. He got RSV. It was pretty scary. We were just watching some shows, and I looked over and Jason was breathing so quickly and very shallow. I was really worried about him. I made him sleep on a little mattress in my bedroom. He threw up 5 times or so, and was just so sick. The next morning we went to the urgent care and got tested for the flu and RSV. He was positive for RSV. He didn't throw up again, but he was so sick. We went home and I cleaned as much as possible so that nobody else would get sick, and he rested and watched shows. I secretly thing Jason loves being sick because  I make him sit on the couch and not tough anyone or anything and just watch shows. Watching shows is Jason's very favorite thing to do. It took a couple days but he eventually got better, thank goodness. He is the sweetest boy. I love him so much and I am so glad that he started feeling better in  just a couple of days.

The Chick-fil-a in the mall has been giving free food away. I am not exactly sure why, but we went with Lala to the mall and got some free food. I got 3 free chicken sandwiches from the promotion they were doing, then I had a card for free nuggets, and I had a reward from the app for free nuggets. So I got an awesome steal of a deal with all of the free food. After lunch we went to the children's museum. It was a nice day. I feel grateful I have some good friends here now.

Overall January has been long, and we have been sick, but we have had a good month. Just today I was telling Kevin how much I love our kids. They are so sweet, and good, and kind. I hope they always keep these special traits with them. Because not all kids are so kind to each other. Love you all! I can't wait to see what fun things we do this year!


Thursday, January 16, 2020

Camille's 6th Birthday!

When did my little girl get so big? It feels like yesterday that she was sitting on my lap telling me stories and squishing bread between her tummy and the side table to flatten it before eating it. 

Now she is 6 years old and telling me about coding sequence and reading books all the time. She loves creating still, but I am starting to see it more in things she wants to invent and build instead of just creating random things with no rhyme or reason. 

She is doing so well at school. She loves it so much. She loves to read, and she loves her teacher, and math class. She loves it all. Right now she wants to be be a kindergarten teacher during the day, and then during the summer she wants to be a helicopter pilot. 

For her birthday this year she wanted to have a party on Saturday with some of her friends. So on her birthday she went to school, then she came home and we opened presents and played with them. She got some legos, paint by sticker books, pompom creating kit, a joke book, a fairy garden kit, and a couple more things. She loves them all. Then we went and got some Panda Express for dinner. 

On Saturday we had Cason, Ronin, Isabella, and Faith over for a little party. They painted some pictures, decorated cupcakes, and hit a pinata. It was a pretty low key birthday party, but I think that Camille enjoyed it enough. Most of the time I am an over the top party planner, but this year I just needed to be a little laid back and let the kids just have fun. 

Camille, I love you so much. You are the one who made me a mom first and I will always love the years we spent just us together. You are the best daughter, sister, and friend. I look forward to seeing you grow up and what you will do in the world. You amaze me with your kindness and thoughtfulness. I hope someday to be as kind as you. Love you forever!

                  



              
              



              

                 













Thursday, January 2, 2020

Bowling

We started off the year with a bang. During Christmas Break we followed some friends up to Cedar Rapids to go bowling with them. I feel so grateful for some of the friends we have made here in Iowa. Specifically the Rogers. They found a deal for bowling and invited us to go with them. I am so glad that they did. We love bowling, but we don't go very often. 

We went up and played two games. The first game was by family, then we let the kids do a game all together and the adults played one all together. It worked out wonderfully. The kids were STARVING apparently so we got some french fries to munch on and they were pretty delicious. 

Camille wanted to be so big. She kept picking up a heavy ball to carry over to the roller. ( I love those roller things. They really make bowling with children much better). 

Jason wanted to carry his bowling ball all by himself as well. He is so funny. 

I loved being able to spend some time with the kids during the Winter Break before school started back up. 



                   

               






Tuesday, December 31, 2019

New Years Eve 2019

This year for New Years Eve I wanted to have some friends over and play games...only until 7 though because I am totally not a late night person, and I have small kids....and my friends have small kids. So I invited some people over. I thought that Kevin was going to be home, but it ended up that he wasn't going to be able to be home. But I had already invited several people over. Well, it ended up that most all of the husbands couldn't make it. So our neighbor Tim came and ate dinner, then went home (just down the street) and watched a game while the ladies had a ladies night and played a game while the kids played. some of the kids were crazy, and probably won't be invited over for another large group gathering but it was fun to get to know them. And again...my picture taking skills are lacking. Maybe that is one of my goals for this year. Take better pictures! Happy New Year Everyone! 




Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Christmas 2019

This Christmas we spent in Iowa. I was sad not to be able to go home, but we just couldn't financially and time wise. Since we couldn't go home, my parents and Jacob came here. It was such a nice surprise. And of course I again didn't get very many pictures. But here is my little recount of the wonderful day. My family got here on the 23rd at like 8 PM, and Kevin got home around 9 PM. I was so happy to have people home again. Sometimes it gets lonely being at home with the kids. So the celebration could begin. 

In the morning I made some breakfast and then my parents snuck upstairs to surprise the kids. They were so surprised, but my mom made the grave mistake of bringing up a lost Friskie dog and Camille was just so excited to see Friskie, so she seemed less excited about grandma and grandpa being there. But they really were excited and it made for such a special Christmas. 

We played games and made our homemade pizzas for lunch. We didn't end up making cookies for Santa, but we left him out some pre-made cookies that were in a tin. For dinner we kept up with the tradition of ordering Panda Express. We ordered so much panda express. It was a fun surprise for my parents, and delicious for the rest of us. We obviously ate too much, but had a good night anyway. We read the story of Jesus Christ's birth, and had the kids put a sticker nativity together as we read the story. Then after all the festivities were done, we put the kids to bed.
Christmas Morning the kids didn't even wake us up until 7 AM when their light turned green. We went downstairs and the kids saw what Santa left them and they were so excited! Camille has been asking for a remote control helicopter for years, and last year I told her that Santa doesn't do remote controlled things (mostly because she would have been too young to have the coordination to fly a helicopter). I saw one at a store called Five Below and it was only $5 so I got one for her and a monster truck for Jason. They have lasted relatively well and Camille has been able to fly it so good now. But on Christmas she said, "Mom, I guess Santa does make remote controlled thing!" I can hardly believe she remembered what I said last year. 
           
It was 60 Degrees outside, and the kids got a sled for Christmas. So Kevin pulled them around outside on the grass in his bare feet! It was such a warm Christmas! 


We took turns opening gifts and it was just a nice celebration of Jesus Christ and a good time to be together. It was a beautiful day playing with gifts and grandma and grandpa and Jacob. We had a Traditional Christmas dinner of Ham and funeral potatoes, and enjoyed our time together. 

My Dad and I took a 3 mile walk after the Christmas festivities and it was so nice. I love to go on walks, especially with my dad. It is always a special time for me to be able to go on long walks or short walks with my dad. 

The next day we took Grandpa and Jacob to the Children's Museum. The kids loved showing Grandpa and Jacob around, and they loved playing. We recently got a membership to the Children's Museum, and I think that will be great, the kids love it there. 

The next morning my family left for Utah....only a 16 hour drive. I was so grateful that the weather was nice and they were safe. 

This Christmas was a special one, filled with surprises and family. I hope to always cherish my time with family. I love the family I grew up in, and I also the one I am making. 


Merry Christmas from the Haderlie Family!

                   

               



                



                                                



















Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Jason's Birthday

Jason turned 4!!! I still can hardly believe it. I still think of him as my little 2 year old, even though I almost have another 2 year old! Jason, I love you so much! Wow, What a sweet and precious boy you are. For your birthday we really celebrated pretty hard this year, and tuckered you out by the end of the night.
                               
While Camille was in school we served the elderly by taking meals to them (Meals on Wheels). You are always such a good sport to come ride in the car for a couple hours. After we finished we headed to the Children's Museum to meet up with your friend Ronin. We had lunch at Chick-fil-a and then went to the Children's Museum. You had so much fun with Ronin, and it was fun to spend a little quality time with you.




After the Children's Museum we went and picked Camille up from school. We opened presents and let you guys play with the gifts you got.

For Dinner we went to Pizza Ranch. We all ate some delicious pizza and macaroni and Cheese, then went to the arcade they have. It was SO fun! I loved playing arcade games with you! Seeing your eyes light up....it was such a fun night.

We didn't end up eating the birthday cake on your birthday, we waited for the next day because it was so late and we had just eaten Ice Cream at Pizza Ranch. But it was such a fun Celebration. I love you sweet boy, more than you will ever know! You are so good and fun and have a little twinkle of mischief in your eye that I love. I can't wait to see what the next year has to hold for you! Happy Birthday!

This was supposed to be a PJ Mask cake, and it didn't turn out too well. None of the kids liked the taste of fondant, and it was kind of Ugly...but Jason, I tried! I promise! And you were pretty happy with it...you loved helping make it! 



























Sunday, December 1, 2019

Gift of Time 2019

This year we did the gift of time again, which is doing a small activity everyday. Next year we might do it a little differently because it was a lot with Camille being is school...it also has just been a hard year for me so that might be it to. But here are the things that we did with a couple pictures thrown in there too. It was such a fun December with the kids! 


1.Kick off to Christmas Party- Pajamas, Hot Chocolate, Christmas Movie, and some fun! 


   
2. Salt and Watercolor Craft- Camille worked so hard on hers and they turned out great. We taped them up and decorated a wall with them. 

3. Dance Party around the Christmas Tree

4. Marshmallow Gun Fight- This was so fun. Kevin was the only one who was good at it, but the kids and I had so much fun!

                                        
             

5. Make Paper Snowflakes- We still need to be a little older for this, and I need to do more research on how to make a good snowflake, but the kids had fun. 

6. Read Christmas Books

7. Game Night

8. Make Christmas Cookies

9. Teacher Gifts

10. Feed the Missionaries

11. Make Grandparent Christmas Cards

12. Sleepover by the tree- the kids would do this every night if they could. It is a special night for them. 


13. Make Christmas Ornaments- This year we sent our Ornaments to the Peaden Family and they sent some to us. It was so special. 

14. Cookie Decorating


15. Camille' Snowflake Sing-a-long 

16. Build a Snowman- It was too warm with no snow to build a snowman, but we built one out of kinetic sand and play dough. 

17. Jason's Birthday!!!

18. Drive around and look at lights. The kids loved this. We would get to the house and I would let the kids come out and the loved looking at all the lights. 

19. Drop off neighbor gifts

20. Carousel Ride at the Mall

              
21. Ronin's Birthday Party


                                                    

22. Time Capsule

23. Sing Christmas Carols

24. Christmas Eve Celebration

25. Christmas!!!!!