Kaitlyn lost a tooth!

It has been a long time since we have had a first in our house and today was a milestone for us.  Kaitlyn lost her first tooth!  We knew this morning when she showed us, that it would be gone by this evening, but did not realize with an emotional daughter just how big of  a moment this would be.  She started sweating and crying before bedtime worried that she would swallow it while she slept so she wouldn't go to bed, so Will played tooth aerobics with her and she wiggled it in every direction.  Then he grabbed her toothbrush and brushed it out.  Whoopee!  She was so excited and then hugged me and started crying, "  Mommy, I am just so excited!  I don't know where she that emotional gene from?

Before bedtime she told me she needed to write a letter to the tooth fairy and then she started writing.  What I read was so sweet I had to take a picture.

The typical house photo op

Everyone has to get a picture of their house in the snow.

Poor Puppy!

Taylor loves the snow and proves this to us every five minutes as she barks to go outside and do absolutely nothing.  Today she scared herself at one point when she walked around and then disappeared.  Yes that's right, she disappeared in the snow.  But luckily she popped up quickly and ran in her path back to the door to come in.  At that point Will and I decided it was time to dig a couple paths for her again.  We had done this yesterday, but it all filled up with new snowfall.  It is rough being a short dog:(

Sledding with the Peterson's

Our friends Jeff, Meg, Emma, and L.J. Peterson drove over to our house yesterday in their trooper and Meg and I made a run to my parent's house to pick up some things and then to Starbucks to get me my much needed coffee.  Upon our return home, we all bundled with our Hotties handwarmers and sled in tow and headed to the Oak Hills Rec  Center to do some sledding.  The girls liked to double up on the sleds and had a really good time. There were many times that one would drag behind on the sled by the time they reached the bottom, but all had a great time.  

Then we went over to the big power line hill in Oak Hills.  It was pretty busy.  At this point Kaitlyn had already removed her shoes in the car and had decided the snow was too cold and Emily, Will, and the Peterson clan all ventured up the hill while Kaitlyn and I watched from the car.  Will said you had to use the radio flyer on that hill, otherwise there just wasn't enough power to get down.  

Then we came home made cookies and warmed up.  What a fun day!

Arctic Blast 2008!

This week has certainly been interesting.  This is how our week went.

Day One:   " Yea! Look it's snowing!"

Day Two:   NO SCHOOL, "That's fun the kid's got a snow day."

Day Three:  NO SCHOOL, "At least Kaitlyn's playdate can walk over:)"

Day Four:   NO SCHOOL, " Well, laundry is caught up, ironing is caught up, house is clean, should we pop in another movie?"

Day Five:   NO SCHOOL, " This is driveable, Emily's going to soccer!"

Day Six: NO SCHOOL, " Are you kidding me?!?"

Day Seven:  " This is pretty."

Day Eight:  Get up at 9 am and I'm still in my pajamas.  Not so bad.

We have been lucky in that we live in a part of Portland that has thawed out on occasion so we have been able to get out on occasion and Will has made it to work everyday.  We went to Kaitlyn's piano lesson on Tuesday, Soccer on Thursday, a playdate for both girls on Thursday, and some friends came over on Saturday to go sledding with us and just plain hang out.  We also managed to go to our Christmas party down the street last night, so that has helped to break up the week.

SAVE THE DATE!!

The date of the MS Walk in Portland has been announced.  I will be setting up the sign up site online as soon as the new year has begun.  In the meantime mark this date on your calendar and join me for a fun day of walking and friendship! 

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Santa Pillow

We Gingell's will never deny that we are creatures of habit. We have even been known to mock each other for such habits. apparently we are drawn to those that do such things as well. Even Dogs!

Taylor must be fed in the same room, at the same time, and NOT in a dish. She has the same spot on the couch that she sleeps in daily and if you put your coat down or try to sit there, she does not care. She will sit on you. That is her spot. Unfortunately, small dogs should not jump on couches often due to it being hard on their hips. Therefore, we have tried to buy dog beds, pillows, etc... to try and give her a new spot in hopes that it would stop her from jumping so much. We have had no luck.

However, every holiday season we pull out a Santa pillow and to no avail, guess what happens?

Oh Christmas Tree!

Getting our tree every year is the same. We go with Will's sister Thomlyn and her family to get our trees together and then we put it in the house the next day. I turn on the Christmas tunes and then proceed to help Will get the tree straight in the stand and then he sits and watches me fend off the kids from putting ornaments on while I get the lights, ribbon, and garland on the tree. I have made it a tradition apparently to move every ornament he puts on, so he has decided to only watch. I know, BAD SANDY! I have never said I am not a control fanatic. Maybe that will be my new year's resolution. (Probably, not.)In my defense, I don't think he is all that crushed to not put them on the tree.This year was just as entertaining as the last few. Kaitlyn and Emily can never get enough ornaments on the tree. They would like to have as many as possible! They continued to put them on and sing Christmas carols together. Needless to say we were all relishing with the Christmas spirit, minus the disciplinary moments of me saying, " Kaitlyn leave your sister alone, she can put the ornaments wherever she wants." After awhile, I took a step back to see our handy work. Wow. I just started laughing. Apparently, Emily had a favorite spot on the tree.

Aloha!

We had an absolute blast in Hawaii. We had an adjoining room with the Bakers and the girls have become quite attached to Dylan. They would wake up in the morning and go straight to the door, knowing he was waiting to come in. It was really fun to watch.

We would go to the pool daily and go down the slides with our buddies or play on the beach. The girls liked to have their legs buried and turned into a mermaid fin or make sand castles with their second cousins. Both girls certainly loved their freedom in the pool.

On Thanksgiving the girls were able to take hula lessons. It was so much fun for them. They got hula skirts and learned a whole hula dance. It was a kick to see my mom do the dance for them with the teacher:)

Thanksgiving night is the one night the entire family, 23 members, all has dinner together. I was very impressed with the service. They were very accommodating to my diet and even gave food back to the kitchen before I had a chance to see it, when it would not have worked.

On Friday, we went on a catamaran and went snorkeling in a turtle bay. It was amazing! On route to the bay we saw some whales and then saw at least 15 turtles while snorkeling in the bay. Will loves to tell the story of the turtle that was staring straight at him at the surface of the water. If you know Will he would prefer to see sea life from afar. But as usual, he was a trooper and took the girls out with me and pretended it was one of his favorite activities.

As a mother one of my favorite parts of the trip was watching my girls just love each other. They are truly best friends and love to take care of one another and play together. I am trying to enjoy this as long as it lasts.

Another Prime Moment at the Rookers

As many people know, I am very close with my cousin, Janis. We grew up in close neighborhoods and then proceeded to go to the same junior high and high schools growing up. Upon getting married within the same year, we also managed to have daughters within the same month of each other. Therefore, our girls play together all the time. This has made for some very fun memories. Kaitlyn and Keely managed to keep things pretty easy for us and really have a routine set up for what they play and how they play together. Janis and I were therefore able to just sit and relax during playdates.

Then came Emily and Ellie. They have added a whole new flavor to playdates. They love each other and play very well together, but also manage to stir up a lot together, VERY QUIETLY. A couple of years ago, we went upstairs to Emily saying, " Ellie did it!" This is what we saw:

There have been several other moments I will not mention as they do not compliment our parenting skills. I will simply say that the above moment has happened more than once:)

Last week during a playdate we heard Emily crying upstairs. She was mumbling, "...Train... stuck..." All the while she was crying. As I was heading up the stairs I thought to myself, she must be really tired, to be so upset that one of the trains is stuck. This sort of problem can be easily solved. Then I saw her:

To add to this stuck train, it was one of the battery operated ones, so every time she touched it, it would get even more stuck. We finally got it turned off and I managed to remove it. I was glad I got a picture.

MS Update

I had a scheduled appointment today with my MS Specialist and as hoped, everything went fine. He said it was an excellent appointment and that it couldn't have gone any better. I have had a teeny tiny decrease in sensation in one of my feet, but nothing significant that stood out to concern him. I have learned that this sensation decrease is normal for all people my age even those without MS. He is very confident with my condition and prognosis so far. We were hoping to schedule my MRI before the end of the year since we have met our deductible, but he said that it would be too soon, so we are setting it up for the end of February before my appointment in early March. His "Too Soon" was meaning, a lot can happen in a couple of months and he wants to have it done as close to a year from when my last one was done. This is not something to worry about as it is something I will get done routinely. Plus, I am planning to ask for a Valium again so I am relaxed. Trust me it works and the the MRI is over an hour. The hope is that there are no new lesions and that the lesions on my spinal cord will have gotten smaller in the last year. All prayers are welcome.

The Soccer Party!

Soccer is officially over to end it all, the team had a pot luck at one of the player's houses. It was great and I highly recommend it. It was relaxing the kids had a great time goofing off together and to seal the whole event the got cookies, cake and TROPHIES! Kaitlyn's excitement for her trophy shows in this picture and I can honestly tell you it has not dwindled since. In fact, we were video chatting with Noah, Amy, and Aidan in Florida last week and Kaitlyn brought her trophy to show them right away. One of the best $5 we ever spent!

Halloween

I knew that our Halloween was going to be a blast when Emily ran in our room to wake us up saying, " This is the happiest day EVER!".
Every year for Halloween our brother in-law, Chris the model mastermind, does an amazing setup in our front yard. We have had ghosts, dementor looking men, and this year we had Glowing ghost-like things. They looked amazing. The pictures do not do them the justice that they deserve. It also works out that because of our yard, our girls are not scared of any house in our neighborhood that is decorated. That is a major plus, if you ask me. As for the rest of the holiday, Kaitlyn and I began the morning by taking Emily to school for her Halloween Party and joining her since Kaitlyn had no school. Emily was happily dressed as Belle and Kaitlyn was a cheerleader. That afternoon to go with tradition, we trick-or-treated at the mall with the Rooker girls, and then came home and relaxed. Again with the tradition, our nieces came over to trick-or-treat and then we had several friends stop by and say,"Hi." It was a very fun day!

My Apologies:)

Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged. Like most of you, I have been busy keeping things rolling in the Gingell household and the blog has been pushed to the wayside. I will do my best to Catch everybody up.

War and Peace

Last week the Gingell Girls decided to have a pajama afternoon into the evening. The girls set up a bed in on the floor in the playroom, I made a candy/popcorn mix for snack, and we turned off the lights. Then I popped in the movie Enchanted and we snuggled and watched it together. We had a great time and then of course the girls sealed off the night with a pillow fight. Will was home late that night, but made it home in time for the pillow fight.

Prime Minister Dennis Baker and First Lady Pam

This was the official weekend where my Dad's reign begins as the Prime Minister of Royal Rosarians. It started at a ball Saturday night at the Multnomah Athletic Club. He was installed where he received a trophy cup, gavel, his "furry cape" as the girls call it, and his medallion, which of course Kaitlyn and Emily adore. " Bampa, I love your necklace!" Then we had a nice dinner and danced the night away. I was pulled on stage with Rachel and Janis to do the swim, mashed potato, and YES, the sprinkler. For those that do not know that is my favorite move ever! We had a great time!

Then on Sunday, Dad was honored at the Rose Garden with a plaque on the grounds with the other Rosarian Prime Ministers and a rose that was planted for him. He was knighted with the Rubaiyat when he began Rosarians and so that is what they planted for him. It was the same rose that my Bampa was knighted with long ago. It is really fun seeing and meeting all these wonderful people that my parents have been doing so much with these last few years.

I do not have pictures from the formal, but will post them when I get them, but here are some from the Rose Planting and plaque unveiling at the Rose Garden.

Let the Games Begin!

At 3:30, every Saturday, our family heads to the Oak Hills fields for Soccer. You see, two of our family members have a soccer game beginning at 4:00. Will is coaching Kaitlyn and the rest of the Golden Rockets every Tuesday evening and Saturday afternoon. It has been really fun for both of them. Will is really enjoying getting to know some of Kaitlyn's buddies and the community. He walks her to school every morning before heading to work and sees many of the same faces walking to school as well. Kaitlyn is just so proud of herself and is really getting into the game, much more than we anticipated. She is still our little girl that checks on the kids when they fall and gives hugs to the players when they get a goal.

FUNNY MOMENT: At the end of the game when they were doing their end cheer, they got in their lines to slap hands and ended up in a circle that keeps the slapping going. All the kids started laughing and thought it was a real hoot.

Emily's First Day of School

Today was Emily's first day of school. I tell ya, though, it doesn't get much better for a four year old than this. Her teacher told me on Friday she wanted to celebrate Emily's birthday on Monday at school and that meant it was Emily's show and tell day. So, for Emily's first day of school she got to bring Krispie Kreme donuts, her Hanna Montana guitar WITH attached microphone headset, and wear a Happy Birthday sticker. She was a VERY happy young lady. To be honest I was never worried about her going to school and having separation anxiety. She even made sure prior to taking my last picture of her that I was leaving as soon as I was done taking the picture.

She had a wonderful day at school and has spent the afternoon singing, to the tune of Louie, Louie!:

I said a Pharoah, Pharoah,

Whoa Baby , Let my people go

(Hip thrust forward) HUH!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah,

REPEAT SEVERAL TIMES

Emily Olympics

For Emily's birthday we held the Emily Olympics at our house for some of her buddies. I am happy to report that all went well. There were five events and a relay. We had the pixie stix javelin throw, the Frisbee discus, the balance beam, the long jump, and the water balloon shot put. To end the Olympic games we did a relay with Will's swim trunks and shirts and a set of goggles. The kids looked so cute. Finally we had an awards ceremony where each child was awarded a certificate and medal. We clapped for each athlete. The kids were so excited to get their medals. This is the end of the birthday festivities at our house for the year. BUT, Emily gets to celebrate her birthday at school on Monday. The First day of school, too. What a treat. She says she wants to bring Krispie Kremes for snack. I am so proud of her!

Happy Birthday, Dear Emily!

Today our baby turned 4. She was so excited and tried her hardest not to wake up her big sister, but just couldn't help herself and gave in to temptation about 1 second after waking me up to ask if it was her birthday yet. Will had to leave for work briefly after she woke up so we were unable to open gifts until he came home for the afternoon. Due to Emily's love of Barbie, we got her the Barbie ship/plane.Daddy took the afternoon off for Emily's birthday. We had a ton of fun.

When Will got home we opened presents, then had lunch at home, and got ready to go. Where did you go, you ask? We all went to the zoo so we could see the new baby elephant. For those of you thinking about going, GO! He is so cute and completely worth the 8-10 minute wait. Will agreed. We then came home and made"pupcakes" as Emily calls them.

Finally, we had pizza for dinner upon Emily's request and her grandparents, Nana, and Doug, Jessica, and Dylan came over. We will go out with Amelia and Audrey on Sunday. Emily was very entertaining. She would open an envelope and announce, " Look Sister, A CARD!" Then she opened many of her favorite things of this world. She got soccer gear, which she modeled for us and ran the circle on our first floor, the Movie Flicka ( another running activity Movie in our house), Quizno's Gift card ( you may think crazy, but my girls love to buy their OWN food), The Hanna Montana guitar, ( Her big girl Tar), and a plasma car. ( Which her sister got 4 days ago and they have been fighting over it ever since. (A fabulous gift for exercise, too)

We had a Supercalifragilistic day and I know Emily did, too!