Sneaking In

This is a picture of the girls hiding behind a tree at...Terrible's Casino in Iowa. I guess they wanted to play a few penny slots...but knew they'd have to sneak in. Good hiding girls!!!!

Actually we stopped at Terrible's on the way down to Missouri to feast on their buffet for lunch...and the girls did feast. Lots of pizza, breadsticks, and treats!

11.24.2010

On to Christmas

It's a Dobbelaere tradition to decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. Even though we traveled to Missouri, we still had time to keep our tradition. Sunday was spent putting up the tree and all the Christmas decorations.

As we were decorating for the Christmas season, we had a little visitor come to the house. The Elf on the Shelf rang the bell and sat waiting for the girls to welcome him to their home. With curious eyes we opened the box in which he arrived in. Within the box was a story of why he was here and there next to the book he sat. We were instructed to name the Elf and Kendall did so without a beat..."Strawberry Shortcake."

So Strawberry Shortcake sits on the tv today and will observe the girls...are they naughty or nice...Santa will want to know. As the day nears its end, the Elf (AKA Strawberry Shortcake) will head back home to report on Kendall and Sydney. He will return tomorrow in a new spot to observe once again...and will continue this until Christmas Eve.

11.28.2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We hope you had a wonderful holiday.

We most definitely did...it was spent with Papa Mike, Grandma Elaine, Uncle Chad, Brandon and Emily...in Missouri.

Our holiday began a bit earlier than expected, but only by half a day. With winter knocking on our door and threatening an ice storm, we decided to hit the road bright and early Wednesday morning. Good thing we did, as we heard that MN and IA drivers were advised to remain off the roads until the storm had passed.

As we got further away from MN and into MO, the temperatures rose. Chad made sure to let those back in MN know it too by sending a text to those lovin the beautiful MN weather a picture of our temperature gage in the truck...60 degrees!

The holiday was spent doing many things, from Chuck E Cheese to a hands on science experience. A nice brisk walk to blow off some energy to hanging out with family. We had plenty to do and many loved ones around us...it was a GREAT Thanksgiving holiday.

Thank you Papa Mike and Grandma Elaine for a perfect holiday!

11.2010

Going Short

We decided to trim, okay more like chop the girls' hair. And it looks cute!!! Should be interesting as the girls get older. Right now, Syd has the most perfect hair and even Mommy wishes she had her hair. She will be the girl that gets out of bed, shakes her hair, and every piece will just fall into place. Then there is Kendall...her hair doesn't lay right, it flips and turns. She will be the girl in the bathroom throwing a fit because her hair won't do a thing. Maybe Sydney will come to the rescue??? Only time will tell.

My brother and his kids paid a visit this past weekend. It was great to see them and I could not believe how BIG the twins are. Hard to believe they will be 5 soon. And what well behaved kids they are!!!

Talk about double trouble...this is what you call double, double trouble!!!

11.6.2010

Lovin Popcorn

A Sunday night tradition for the Dobbelaere household is to have an early dinner, take baths, then pop up some popcorn...The girls LOVE it!!!! If only everthing in life was this simple!!!


10.24.2010

Dress Up Time

The girls LOVE, LOVE to dress up. This is a daily occurrence for the Dobbelaere house. They even get Daddy involved. Just the other night Kendall put a necklace, a bracelet, a crown (really it's a headband) and a purse on him. She then told him..."Daddy you are gorgeous...just like me." Too bad I wasn't fast enough to grab my camera, that would have been a good one!


10.6.2010

Hello Michelle

The girls started at their new daycare/preschool on Monday 10.4.2010. The morning started out well, Daddy woke the girls as normal, dressed them and headed out the door...all the while talking about school and how they get to go to Michelle's house. The girls were excited, a bit bummed that they didn't get to "ride the bus" to school. All was going well, until they walked into the house. They would not leave Chad's side, nor would they talk. As Chad tried to leave, they would cry out for him. After 30 minutes of trying to leave, Michelle and her assistant just took over and Chad rushed out the door.

Yes the morning was hard, but after Daddy left the girls immediately calmed down and school began. To explain, Michelle offers a in-home daycare that specializes in preschool. She is a licensed teacher that has taught preschool, kindergarten and first grade. When her son was preschool age she realized they would not afford a center nor was she able to leave in the middle of the day to haul him to preschool. So, she decided to open an in-home preschool. She uses her skills as a teacher to set a curriculum for the kids. Each month we get a monthly calendar on what will be taught, events, etc. I spoke to multiple families and every single one loved Michelle and found that their kids were more than prepared for Kindergarten. What really got me hooked...seeing the older kids who are now in school full time, run up to Michelle and give her hugs. They obviously enjoyed their time there.

Michelle can have up to 14 kids. She has a full time assistant and is currently looking for a substitute to fill in on some days when she needs time off. The substitute would not replace her vacation days, but help if her son has a school event that she would like to attend or a doctor's appointment for example.

The girls' first week has been bumpy. Each morning the girls don't want Daddy to leave, but once he does they have so much fun. The week came to a sudden stop on Thurdays when I received a call that Kendall was not feeling well. She had a 102 temp, hadn't moved from the couch all day, didn't eat lunch...she needed her Mommy and she needed to go home. Because of the high temp, we need to keep them out on Friday as well. Even though the week was cut short it overall has gone well.

They both have made their mark and the words that I hear when I pick them up are wonderful...makes me proud to say they are mine. I think the girls will really enjoy this place and it will be a great stepping stone for them.

10.7.2010

Fall Is In The Air

The girls had a great time picking pumpkins, petting animals and taking photos at a local pumpkin patch. Time was spent with Tracy, Madison and Cam Lee and Grandma Shelley. Later that same day, the kids had even more fun as they painted their pumpkins. We've got some artist in our future! As we get closer to Halloween we plan to carve them for the big day!

10.2.2010

Good-bye Erin

The girls' last day with Erin was Friday 10/1/2010. It was very hard to say good-bye to such a wonderful person. She has been with the girls since they were 4 months old. She brought us a sense of trust, which as a parent is hard to find. As we were leaving on Friday, the car was quiet. I looked back to see both Kendall and Sydney sad, with tears in their eyes. They may not have completely understood this change in their life, but they most definitely realized and felt the emotions around them. We will miss you VERY much Erin.

10.1.2010