Our September and October...

I hope your Fall has been as nice as ours! Summer is my favorite season but Fall is a VERY close second. You can't beat Albuquerque in the Fall with the warm days, cool nights, beautiful colors and hot air balloons over the city every morning! It's as close to perfect as you can get I think. Lets see.... Kyler has gotten the hang of Middle School I think. He's figured out his teachers and the schedule. Honestly, I don't know how he does it. Their schedule is so much more confusing that it was in our day! I have to toot his horn a bit so momentarily bear with me. ;) We had his first parent teacher conference and he has straight A's. In Math he has a 100% and tested in the advanced level. He must have had a light bulb moment because last year, Math wasn't coming easily to him at all, but this year it's really started to click which has been so nice. Less tears during homework is ALWAYS a good thing. :) He tried out for the school's basketball team. About 100 boys tried out and only 15 make the team. He made it to the top 22 which was pretty cool in itself but he didn't end up making the team. He shed some tears but bounced back quickly and is already talking about trying out next year. We decided to forego Little League this Fall and just let him play Club so he would hopefully learn more playing with more experienced players. It ended up being a decent season. When the boys were on, they played great...when they weren't...they weren't. But he learned a lot and the parents were actually pretty calm which was very nice. We love Little League though so he'll definitely play in the Spring and we're still undecided about Club. We'll see. Club starts in January which is just crazy to me and he wants to play a Winter Basketball and something has to give...so it's looking like that something will be Club. ;) Oh to be Mikaela right now! ;) If only we could all be so lucky. All things in Mikaela's world are just about as close to perfect as they can get. She's at that age where she LOVES literally everything and everyone! She loves school, her teacher, her friends, dance, her parents, even her brothers and her homework! Every day is "AWESOME". I have to say, I love this phase and will take it as long as I can get it because I know the "girl" drama and emotions will come eventually. She's very excited for her 9th birthday and decided to keep it small this year and have her two closest friends come over for girl stuff, movies and a sleep over. She's still loving dance and decided to go with a ballet theme this year. The cake she picked is so cute. Yes, loving this age with Miss Mikaela. :) Kamden is still our strong willed, quick witted little guy. He drives me crazy and cracks me up on a daily basis. He wrapped up his second season of T-Ball. He was excited about it for about 3 games and then he wanted no part of it. The only reason he finished the season was because we told him he wasn't getting a trophy unless he participated. No way were we letting him have a trophy for merely "showing up". We're so glad that we made him wait to start kindergarten. As his pediatrician said, he needed this year to grow up AND be a kid a little longer and I have to say, that's exactly what he's doing. He went to the dentist this month and our poor, very patient dentist was answering his endless questions. He was making it fun and told Kamden that there were spiders, webs and bugs from the web that needed to be cleaned out so he would have healthy teeth. Kamden asked him what he was doing and the dentist said that he was getting the bugs out of his teeth and Kamden told him matter of factly "You better do a good job and get out the spider and the web too or we're just going to be right back here again". Luckily, our dentist appreciates Kamden's wit and laughed and laughed. The kiddos are busy practicing for the children's choir Christmas performance at church. Kyler is a part of a trio that's singing a Christmas rap song and Mikaela has a non speaking part in the play. She'll be the comedic relief. She liked it because she doesn't have to talk or sing in front of everyone. Kamden decided to sing with the Preschool Choir. Hopefully, he sings. Two years ago he wouldn't get on stage so you never know with him. He's my only one that my "mom face" doesn't work. I've always been able to make the first two do anything with "the look". Oh the strong willed child....they keep you on your toes. ;) We went to McCall's Pumpkin Patch again this year. We've gone every year since Kyler was one so it's become a bit of a family tradition. This year, Tiffany and her family joined us and made it all the more fun! It had been a few years since we'd seen each other so it was really nice to get the two families together. We also got to go to our friends' pumpkin stand here in town. They have a lot of fun things to do and the kids had a blast. So, we definitely got our Fall fix this year! :) Our family LOVES Halloween! It's such a fun holiday, especially with kids! One of the downsides of Kyler getting older is that holidays aren't as fun at school. I think a big part of him missed not having a party or dressing up at school. They did have a dance during last period but he said it wasn't the same. He asked a girl which shocked me. He was smart though and asked a friend he's known since kindergarten and they had a blast together. Mikaela had a parade and a party at school. We made mummy candy bars and jack o' lantern oranges for it the night before which was fun. We also carved the kids' pumpkins that night so it was busy and MESSY at the Glade's. ;) This year, Kyler decided to be a Faceless Phantom, Mikaela a Fairy and Kamden was none other than THE Captain America. ;) They went trick or treating and then handed our candy. It always cracks us up that they like handing out candy as much as getting it. ;) The wonderful Schimke's took our kiddos for a sleepover at their house in September so Mike and I could celebrate our 12th Anniversary and both our birthdays. We didn't do anything wild and crazy and just went to dinner and a movie but it was oh so nice. It's amazing just how nice a QUIET dinner and a movie can be when you have 3 kids. ;) Mike and I are doing good. Always working towards that evasive goal of "balance". It's hit or miss most of the time but right now we're doing better than usual. Those of you with kiddos know how hard it is to have and keep a hold of. ;) I think that's all our news for now! Wishing all of you a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving! You're all on our list of things we're so grateful for! Sending Out Lots of Love and Hugs, The Glade's

September 2012 Memories...

McCalls Pumpkin Patch 2012

Halloween 2012 Memories...

October 2012 Memories...

Our May, June, July and August...

Oh wow! Am I behind or what?? May hit and our lives became a whirlwind! I can definitely testify to the fact that the older your kiddos get, the busier you get...at least at this age anyway. I hear rumors that once they're teenagers and driving, parents get less busy but that might just be an urban legend. I'll believe it when I see it. Let's see....I'm behind four months so I'll try to just hit the high points. May was the month of field trips, end of year parties, baseball and dance. May always has a lot of field trips but with Kyler bidding adieu to Elementary School, we had a few extra. I have to say, Kyler had a great last month of 5th Grade and Elementary School. I think the last week of school he had a party to say good bye to something every day. I think his favorite was getting to spend all day at Cliff's Amusement Park and ride as many rides as he wanted as many times as he wanted. I definitely think it's safe to say he had a great send off to Middle School. We were extremely blessed with amazing teachers and I think he will always look back at his Elementary School years with very happy memories. Mikaela had a phenomenal second grade year. She had an amazing teacher and so second grade will be a tough year to top. With both of their years being so successful and it being Kyler's last year of Elementary....the end of this school year was very bittersweet. With Kyler playing Little League and Club Ball, Mikaela getting ready for her recital, both of them in ballroom and in the Spring Musical at Church...it was pretty hectic. We lived, breathed and died by the calendar on the wall. Mike and I teased that we had to schedule time to see each other because we were tag teamed so much with the kids having to be at different places at the same time. Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've had a text message date with your husband. Club Ball last Fall was definitely a learning experience for us. Kyler learned a lot but dealing with the type of crazy, competitive parents you always hear about, definitely made us appreciate Little League. The Club Ball tournament was while we were on vacation so you can imagine how disappointed we were to miss it. Kyler's Little League team on the other hand, was probably the best experience Kyler has ever had. This team, coach and season will be tough to beat! I'm sorry if I momentarily turn into a bragging mama...I don't mean to, but I was so proud of this little league team. I love baseball in the fact that it teaches a lot about life and Kyler's coach was all about that. He took everything that happened in the games, good and bad, and would turn it into a life lesson for the boys. This coach was AMAZING and Kyler adored him and just grew this season in so many ways. His team had a great start and beat every team in the league. Well, then they became the team to beat. They started struggling and making mistakes and ended up losing 8 games in a row. It was brutal but I have to say, I was so proud of how they handled it. Because of all their losses, they went from first to last place so they actually had to win the first game to even EARN their way into the tournament. They won and kept winning and worked their way up and ended up taking the whole thing. They went from very last place to being first place champions...it was CRAZY! The thing that made me the proudest was how they handled winning and losing...they were humble through the good and the bad. They were accountable for their mistakes, never gave up and worked hard individually and as a team...talk about a life lesson. I love it! The kids performed in our church's Spring Musical in May. Mikaela was a part of a trio and Kyler had a solo. They all did such a good job and it was fun to watch. Kamden didn't want to do the Preschool Choir this time around. He keeps telling me "maybe next time", so I guess we'll see. Kyler and Mikaela also wrapped up the Spring Semester of Ballroom in May. We took a break from Ballroom for the Summer. We're not sure about the Fall Semester since the Ballroom group classes conflict with Mikaela's new dance schedule for this year. She's not too torn up about it so we might just have Kyler have his private lessons with Jayden for now and not do any group classes. In June, Mikaela had her dance recital...FINALLY. She was so excited and I have to say, all the anticipation and hard work paid off because she LOVED every single thing about recital from the costumes, to pictures, to dress rehearsal to the actual performance. She was nervous too but didn't let it show and did such a good job. The girl was definitely in her element and it's always fun to watch your kids do something they really love. My Mom came to visit during her recital so that made it all the more fun. We went on our family vacation the weekend after Mikaela's recital. It had been 3 years since we'd gone on a family vacation so it was time. We ended up going to an all inclusive resort in Cancun. Three years ago, when we went to Hawaii, Mikaela and Kamden weren't fans of the beach at all, while Kyler on the other hand LOVED it. So, Mike and I were always trading places with one of us with Kyler in the ocean and the other with Kamden and Mikaela at the pool. It was so nice this time because all three of them loved the ocean and the beach so we all got to be together! What a concept on a family vacation, eh? We were there for a week and we had such a good time. I think we ate ourselves into a food coma but we also got to to swim with dolphins, go to a water park, paragliding and go to an island where Mike and Kyler snorkeled. We were worried about what Kamden was going to be able to do but he got to do everything we did which was so nice! We had a really good time. Kyler and Mikaela joined swim team again so we were at the pool every day this Summer. Kyler had to move up to the next age group and so he was the youngest of his bracket which made it a challenge for him. Another life lesson...you work your way up to the top and then have to go back to the bottom and start again. He loves a challenge though so it didn't phase him too much. This was Mikaela's first year on swim team and we learned a lot about our girl. We learned that she doesn't have a competitive bone in her body which is foreign territory to Mike and I. We have Kyler who is definitely competitive and Mike and I are competitive (we're not sure about Kamden yet). We're not crazy about it and can definitely lose but we still WANT to win. In the beginning, she really struggled and sometimes looked more like she was surviving instead of swimming. But then she found her niche. Our girl does a heck of a breast stroke. She went to her first meet and was getting a lot of 5th up to 9th place ribbons...then she gets in with her breast stroke and wins 3rd and shocks us all. At her second meet she got first. The funny thing is, none of it matters to her. She handed me her first place ribbon the same way she did her 9th place. You wouldn't think it would make her a competitive racer but it actually helps her because she does her best, she just doesn't get frazzled. At the city meet during relays, her team was way behind and everyone else was flustered being behind but her. She just raced her race and they ended up getting 3rd and getting the bronze medal. Who would have thought? I have to say, we were pretty proud of Miss Mikaela. Our Kamden turned FIVE the end of July. I can't believe our little guy is that old already! He was more excited for his party that he was Cancun. It was ALL he talked about all Summer. He was giving us a little bit of a hard time in wanting to be a big boy when it suited him and being a baby when it suited him. Of course, he always wanted it to be on HIS terms. We just want him to act 5 so we thought we were really smart and would use his party as leverage and told him he could have a 5 year old party when he acted 5. He told us he would just stay 4 and have a 4 year party. That child is so stubborn he repeated his 4 year Spiderman party again verbatim. His party was an EXACT replica of his party last year. When people would ask him how old he was, he was adamant that he was staying 4. Strong willed little toot! Despite him having his 4 year party all over again, he had a blast at his birthday and turned 5 whether he wanted to or not. We had family in town that got to come which made it all the more special. On a side note, he did decide to be 5 when it was time to sign him up for T-Ball because we told him he had to be 5 to be on the team he wanted. Little stinker definitely keeps us on our toes...but we wouldn't have it or him any other way. Last year when our house was for sale and we were looking at houses to buy, we really only found one we loved. We ended up taking our house off the market for the winter but kept an eye on the other house. A year later, that house was still on the market so we decided to list ours again to see if it's "meant to be". They say the market is better but in reality the only houses that are selling are the ones that HAVE to and are dropping their prices by thousands....at least here in Albuquerque anyway. Buyers just want the "steals" so it's not looking good. In the meantime, this house we like kept dropping and finally got an offer and is now pending. We've had great feedback on ours but aren't willing to give it away when we don't have to so, we're probably going to take it off the market when that other house finalizes and stay put for awhile. We'll just continue to take it as it comes....you never know. The kids started school the 13th of August. This is a big year since Kyler is officially in Middle School. Yikes! He was pretty nervous (heck so were Mike and I) but he's figuring it all out and doing good. Hopefully, things continue to go smoothly for him. I think it's a little bit easier for boys so that's good. I'll take what I can get. Miss Mikaela started 3rd Grade and is making it almost too easy for us. She LOVES all things 3rd Grade...her teacher, her class, her school work and even her homework. Every day she walks in the door and her first words are "School today was AWESOME!". You can't top that. Kamden technically could start kindergarten this year but we're waiting a year to send him. He's definitely smart enough (sometimes TOO smart for his own good ) but we think he needs another year to mature more. He's happy to wait another year so I don't think we'll regret it. Along with school, baseball and dance are back on our schedule. Kamden decided he wanted to play T-Ball and already had some practices and a couple of games. He wasn't a big participator last Fall so we're happy to see he's grown up this year and is enjoying playing this time. We had a tough decision with Kyler and baseball this Fall. We decided to forego Little League and let him play Club for the Fall. As much as we prefer Little League to Club, he learns a lot playing with the more experienced "club players" and it's a shorter, less intense season than the Spring. Plus, we knew his games and practices wouldn't conflict with Kamden's games. Also, Kyler's playing for a new coach so we thought we'd give it a try and see how it goes. So far, it's been okay. The hardest thing is the back to back games. But we've learned who the crazy parents are and avoid them. I guess we'll see. Mikaela moved up in dance so she has a new schedule. It's good and bad. Both of her classes are on Thursdays which is good but they're not back to back. We have an hour in between the two. It's crazy how long and short an hour can be. It's too long to sit and wait but too short to go home. So, we're still figuring out what to do with that hour but I'm sure we will. Mike celebrated his birthday this month. We ended up going to Clovis for his birthday weekend and seeing family. We got to go out to dinner a couple of times and we had a great time seeing everyone so he said it was a really nice way to spend his birthday. Well, I think that brings us up to date with the Glade household. Hopefully, now that we're back on our school schedule, I'll be better with keeping up....we'll see. Overall, we had a very nice, fun Summer and we hope you all did too! As always, keep us posted on all your happenings! We love hearing from you!!!! Sending Out Lots Of Love and Hugs, The Glade's May Pictures:

May 2012 Memories...

June Pictures:

June 2012 Memories...

Cancun Pictures:

Cancun

July Pictures:

July 2012 Memories...

Kamden's 5th Birthday Pictures:

Kamden's 5th Birthday

August Pictures:

August 2012 Memories...

Our March and April...

Oh my gosh! Can you believe that it's already May?! I can't believe that there's less than a month left of school already! Time always goes by fast for us but Spring hit and I swear it went into mega fast forward. The weekdays and especially the weekends have just become a blur. I can't wait for Summer so we can take a break from our schedule and just SLOW DOWN and BREATHE a little. March was the month of urgent care for us. I swear we were there 10 times between the five of us. In February my blood clots were just getting out of control and so I had to break down and join a gym and take Kamden to their childcare while I worked out. I know when kids get around other kids they get sick and we all went through it when Kyler and Mikaela started kindergarten but it was NOTHING like this. These germs had to be just freaks of nature because it went through all of us and we haven't been sick like that in years, if ever. By the time I got it, they put me on two different strong antibiotics and a narcotic for pain. Mike got it too but didn't want to be put on antibiotics because they kill the good germs too and he didn't want to catch anything at work and get more sick so he probably had the hardest time of it and is STILL getting over his lingering cough. Not fun...needless to say, we had to work out other arrangements as far as me working out and Kamden doesn't go to childcare anymore. It just isn't worth it. We had Spring Break and Parent Teacher Conferences in March. Conferences went really well. The kids love school and it shows which always makes you proud and your heart smile. For Spring Break we didn't go anywhere. I was hoping we'd get a break from everything but no such luck. The only break we got was from school and all their other activities stayed the same. But we still had fun during the day and went to the movies a bunch and the park almost every day. They also had two sleepovers that week. Shayla's girls spent the night with us and then ours went to their house for a night too. On the night they stayed at Shayla's, Mike and I actually got to go out which is a very rare occurrence. It was Chuck's birthday and they were celebrating at a dance club so we got to go dancing which is even rarer! It's been years since we've gotten to go dancing so we had a blast but were so tired. We definitely don't have the energy we had in college. That part of getting older is not fun. The kids had a ballroom competition the end of March. The youth class did a group dance so Kyler, Mikaela and Jayden all got to dance together and compete. They had so much fun and did a great job. Mikaela got to get her hair and make up professionally done which put her on cloud 9. Her Daddy on the other hand wasn't so happy with how grown up and mature it made her look. I have to say the look on his face when he first saw her was priceless. Kyler and Jayden competed in 6 different individual dances together and took first place. We were really proud of them because they had really worked hard, especially the month before the competition. Kyler wrapped up his basketball season. They ended up taking second place so they did really good and had a great season. He had a little overlap between basketball and baseball but now our lives seem to revolve around baseball. I tease that we should just pitch a tent and forward our mail to the ballfields until June because it feels like we live there sometimes. We absolutely LOVE his coach though. He's the exact right coaching style for Kyler and Kyler is just flourishing playing for him. I have to say, it's pretty cool to see. We've never played club ball before but one of the teams had some injuries and they asked us if they could pick Kyler up for the rest of the season. It's a huge compliment for Kyler but also a huge commitment. I honestly don't know how these families literally LIVE baseball. Mike and I had to have a serious talk about it because Kyler isn't the only member of this family our lives just can't revolve around him and baseball but in the end we let him because we figured he would learn so much and it's just for two months...like how we tell ourselves it's JUST two months? ;) It's been interesting so far because it's literally a whole new ballgame, no pun intended. It's way more competitive and intense and some of these parents are just outright crazy. My favorite one of all is the overweight attorney who's kid is (of course) amazing in all things ball and feels it's his moral duty and right to scream at the kids after every play telling them how they did it wrong and could have done it better. But my very favorite part is the fact that he's literally NEVER played ball in his life. Uuuuummmmmm....live through your kid much???? Mike and I learned fast that instead of sitting in the stands, we needed to sit in the outfield with the other parents who think that it really is JUST a ballgame and they're JUST kids who JUST want to play ball and have fun. At the end of the day though, Kyler is in heaven playing for both teams, is learning a LOT and is able to tune out the crazy parents and just play ball....so that's what matters. :) Mikaela is still working hard on her dances for her recital in June and loving every minute of it. She got her costumes already and is SO excited to wear them. Her recital just can't get here quick enough and she's got a daily countdown going. She's constantly tapping in the kitchen and practicing ballet and her splits in the living room. I love that she's found something that she loves. Her class at school had a fieldltrip to the Planetarium which I got to go on to help chaperone. I love all fieldtrips but my very favorites are ones to the theater and the planetarium. They're definitely the best of the bunch. Kamden was in gymnastics and was doing pretty good. He never wanted to go, but once he got there, he had fun. We took him out for the Summer but he'll probably go back in the Fall when school starts back up unless he decides to play T-Ball again. We never know with Kamden. He's had a little bit of a rough month. Mikaela did a cartwheel in the living room and accidentally nailed him in the eye with her foot. He got a doozy of a first black eye. Then last weekend the three of them were wrestling in the living room and somehow in the midst of that, he got his bottom middle tooth knocked out. Yep, it's all fun and games until the little one gets his tooth knocked out...literally. I told Mike at this rate, CPS is going to show up here pretty soon. Boys...never a dull moment. Kyler and Mikaela are getting ready for the Spring Musical at church this month. Kyler has a singing solo and Mikaela a speaking part so they're both really excited about that. It'll be fun to watch and we're all looking forward to it. Our Easter this year was very nice and relaxing. We got up and saw what the Easter Bunny brought the kids and then went to church. After church the kiddos hunted eggs outside and then the Schimke's came over for lunch. After that we did absolutely nothing and the kids ate themselves into a candy coma. ;) It was as close to perfect as I think you can get. We applied for and got our passports for our family vacation to Mexico this Summer. Mike's been to Mexico before but for the rest of us, this is our first time out of the US so we're all pretty excited. It's been 3 years since we've been on a family vacation so we're ready and can't wait. And other than that, when we're not taking, picking up or at something for the kids, we're outside getting the yard ready for Summer. It's a stress reliever for us and we enjoy it for the most part. This year we're not as motivated as we usually are so we're a little bit behind schedule but we'll eventually get there. :) We hope you're all enjoying your Spring, almost Summer weather. We've lucked out this year so far (knock on wood), as our weather has been beautiful and not very windy. Hopefully, I didn't just jinx it. ;) Sending Out Lots of Love and Hugs, The Glade's

Ballroom Competition Pics

Easter 2012 Memories...

Our January and February....

This year has started out with a whole plethora of ups and downs and everything in between. I hope this isn't a foreshadowing of what this year has in store for us.

The kids went back to school after being off for 2 1/2 weeks. They're always excited to get back to their routine and their friends which is good. I love that they love school.

Kyler is wrapping up his Winter Basketball season. He has his final tournament this weekend. All his games were on Sundays this time which was new for us. It ended up being nice in the fact that we didn't have to worry as much about conflicts but bad in that it didn't give us a "day off" on the weekend. They've had a good season so far. They lost their first two games but then they started figuring out how to play as a team and not only learn strategy but actually use it and have been winning since then. Hopefully, they do well in the tournament but if not, it's still been a really good experience for him. As he's wrapping up basketball, he's starting up Spring Baseball. For the majority of the time he's played, we've been very blessed with amazing coaches and this season is no exception. The coach he had his first year of machine pitch drafted him and Kyler is thrilled. He's more than ready to get started and can't wait for his first practice on Friday. Mike and I always take a deep breath when we get the schedule because Spring Ball is pretty intense and we know what's ahead of us. Kyler on the other hand just thrives in it and truly loves every second. There's no such thing as too much baseball as far as he's concerned.

Mikaela is busy learning her recital dances. Both her tap and ballet teachers are giving them challenging dances and she's loving that. She can't wait to go to class every week which is fun to see. I love to watch her dance as she's starting to come into her own and really fall in love with it. Her teachers are noticing too which has helped boost her confidence.

Kamden is back in gymnastics and doing pretty good. MUCH better than our experience a year ago which was a relief. He had a choice to make because we told him he was going to do SOMETHING. He could play T-Ball or he could go back to Gymnastics and he picked Gymnastics. So far he's having fun....fingers crossed it stays that way.

Kyler and Mikaela are getting ready for a dance competition in Ballroom the end of March. Mikaela's doing one group dance and then Kyler is doing two plus a few dances with Jayden. They're both having fun and I love that they're learning something cultural that they can do for the rest of their lives if they wanted to.

Kyler and Mikaela are also back in the church choir getting ready for the Spring Musical. Mikaela wants to try out for a drama part this time and Kyler is trying out for a solo again so we'll see what happens.

Mike is still extremely busy at work unfortunately. Just when he thinks he's got everything like it should so he can get home when he's supposed to...something will happen or change and he's back at square one. Very frustrating for all of us.

The end of January I had my arms full coming downstairs and didn't see Kamden's shoes on the stairs and fell. I missed the last two steps and fell on my left foot
with it turned in and fractured it. There's nothing you can really do with a foot fracture so it's just going to take time to heal. I'm wearing tennis shoes way more than I ever have because they support it the best and hopefully by the end of March it'll be back to normal.

My blood clots were getting out of control so I had to break down and join a gym. I can only go right after I drop the older two off at school or late at night because of the kids and Mike's schedules. If I go late at night, I'd never see Mike so that leaves first thing in the morning which means Kamden going to their childcare program. It's been a challenge for both of us. Overall, it's good for him so he can get ready for kindergarten. He liked it the first couple of days...after that, not so much. Now when we go he cries. To that I say "tough" because Mommy can have an hour to exercise but it does make for a rough start to the day. I asked him what he's going to do when it's time for kindergarten to which he plainly stated that it's not time for him to go to kindergarten so he doesn't have to worry about that yet. Gotta love this 4 year old's logic. ;) The downside is that he's been constantly sick and is sharing it with the entire house. I wasn't surprised at Kamden but was at the older two and Mike and I. I thought our immune systems were built up, but apparently nothing is a match for these super powered childcare germs. We've been to the pediatric urgent care several times which is getting old fast. It's frustrating that trying to work out for an hour a day is causing this many problems and issues. It truly should NOT be this hard to exercise. For now, we're trying to limit Kamden going to a couple of times a week. Mike's been trying to get home at a decent hour the beginning of the week so I can work out earlier in the evening. That way Kamden's not exposed to as many things. Plus, he doesn't mind going a few times a week which gives me a reprieve from a power struggle, which I win, but is never fun.

I was busy on ebay this month selling the kiddos' out grown Summer clothes. I think I finally figured out a good time to list Spring and Summer clothes. It's a very time consuming process but worth it in the end and helps so much in getting their new Summer clothes.

On a high note, we picked out and booked a family vacation for this Summer. It's been 3 years since we've had a REAL family vacation so it's definitely time. We looked at a bunch of places but finally decided on an all inclusive family resort in Cancun. They promised us that Cancun in June is completely different than Cancun over Spring Break so we're taking her word for it. We're very excited and the kids are already counting down the days!

We sent Abbey in to get spayed and declawed in January. It went very well but as she was healing from that, she got accidentally bumped with the garage door as we were coming in the house and it fractured her pelvis. Apparently, it's a common thing with cats and they can do the same thing jumping off of things...who knew??? I'm learning waaaay more about cats than I ever wanted. Well, between that and healing from surgery...it was just too much and so her white blood cell count went up from the stress and she got a fever and quit eating. So she had to go back to the vet and spend another night. They put her on antibiotics and baby aspirin. She had a reaction (of COURSE she did) to the baby aspirin and got sores all over her face and ears because apparently, cats don't do well with pain killers. Again...waaaaay more information about cats than I wanted. She cost us a small fortune this month but she's almost all healed up now and back to normal. As Mike puts it...no good deed goes unpunished. ;)

Our year is off to a very rough start as our saddest news is that we had to put our sheltie, Kelsey, to sleep Tuesday night. As hard as I thought it was going to be...it was SO much harder. She turned 16 this month so she's been through it all with us...from being with just me in college, to Mike and I dating, to being engaged, to being married and then kids 1, 2 and 3. I can't imagine life without her and we're all heartbroken right now. This last year has been rough for her and she's aged a lot in the past few months. She was struggling and I couldn't remember the last time she was happy and excited about anything. We took her to our vet Tuesday night and he said it wasn't going to get better for her, only worse so we decided it wasn't fair to her to make her keep struggling. It's one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make. It'll get easier with time but right now the void she's left behind in the house, our family and our hearts is just SO big. All I know for sure is that she was VERY LOVED and will be VERY MISSED...our sweet little baby brown eyed girl!

That's all our news from the year so far. Hopefully, things settle down...a lot. We hope your years are off to a more uneventful start.

Sending out lots of love and hugs,
The Glade's

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Kelsey...SO Much More Than A Dog.....

The Glade House is a very sad place today as we had to put our Kelsey to sleep last night. She came into the world 16 years ago on President's Day and so began our adventure together. I met Kelsey when she was just 3 days old and actually picked her sister out because she had better markings and Kelsey was the runt of the litter....but when I went to pick the sister up when she was weaned...she was actually very shy...and I'll never forget Kelsey, so tiny still, come running around the corner like a little tornado tackling her brothers and untying shoelaces. The breeder got onto her while we were there and Kelsey talked back to her and pranced away little tail in the air...so full of sass and spunk. Mike was actually there with me to pick her up and needless to say, right away, we knew she was the one and took her home instead. I look back at how much she's been through with us. She started out with just me, to Mike and I dating, to us getting engaged, to marriage and then kids 1, 2 and 3. When it was just she and I...I was going to college and she was my world. Then she became Mike's and my dog and she was our "child" and went EVERYWHERE with us. She wasn't away from us for more than 2 days until our honeymoon. Then when we had kids and she moved into the "family dog" role instead of the "child" role...she did so with love and grace...and a few temper tantrums (she wouldn't be spunky Kelsey without a few of those at least). She LOVED the kids and they became hers too.
She was loving, loyal, spunky, sassy and SO SMART! Mike used to tease me that I talked to her like she was one of the kids...but the thing is I COULD because she UNDERSTOOD what I was saying. When we put in our backyard, I told her she had to start going to the bathroom in the rocks instead of the grass because she was killing it...and from then on she went to the rocks to go to the bathroom...just like that. Of course, being spunky Kelsey...she had what I called her "bee up her butt" days where she just wanted to get a rise out of me and she'd look right at me and wet in the grass like what are you going to do about this? Of course as soon as she did it, you could see all over her face that maybe that wasn't the best idea and maybe she should have rethought it through before actually carrying it out. :) She knew the names of all her toys, all the rooms in the house and all the doors. If we were going somewhere I would tell her we were going out the garage door and she'd go there and wait for me. She HATED to be brushed and so from a puppy, I could never leave it out because she'd hide it and she'd hide it GOOD and never in the same place twice. SO SMART!
She's been aging and I could see it. She was completely deaf for the past two years. We still communicated though because I'd taught her hand signals when she was a puppy and she'd remembered them. She used to sleep with us, then it got too hard to get on and off our bed so she slept on her own bed on the floor by ours. In the last 4 months, the stairs became hard and so she started sleeping on her bed in the laundry room instead. It's so hard to see them age and not be able to do the things they used to that made them so happy. The last year and especially the past 6 months were really hard on her and we saw her age quickly. Her lower spine and back legs started to give her a lot of pain and were giving out on her. She couldn't play ball which was always her FAVORITE thing to do. She LOVED food and in the last two weeks she lost all interest. Her healthy weight was between 21 and 24 pounds and last night she was down to 14 so she had lost almost half her body weight. Dementia was really setting in and she was starting to forget and just go to the bathroom all over herself, her bed and the house...definitely NOT our prissy Kelsey. We put her on a strong antibiotic in case it was a kidney or bladder infection but it didn't help. Besides to go outside to the bathroom and eat, she literally slept ALL the time.
We have an amazing vet and he asked us some good questions last night. He asked when the last time we saw her truly happy and excited about something.....when was the last time we saw her smile......and when I really thought about it.....I honestly couldn't remember the last time because it had been so long. He said when he looked in her eyes, he didn't see her anymore and it was only going to get harder for her. So we made the excrutiating decision that it was time for her to be at peace and not hurt anymore. The kids came in and told her goodbye and gave her hugs and then went to the lobby while Mike and I stayed with her. Seeing the life go out of her, my logic and my emotions were at polar ends. My mind knew I was doing the right thing for her, my heart was breaking and I felt so sad and guilty.
Grief is it's own entity. Everyone handles it differently. In the beginning, all you can focus on is the last 5 minutes of their life and the 16 wonderful years of experiences you had with them just make you sad and cry. The kids are all handling it in their own way. None of them know life without her but Kyler has been with her the longest and is taking it the hardest. His heart is breaking and he just sobs. Mikaela is sad and cries. Kamden is sad but his young heart and logic is so sweet and innocent. He misses her but he says she's happy and running around with Bama and Jesus and they're both throwing the ball for her so he's not sad and doesn't cry for her or him. And some people don't think kids can teach us things.
Time heals and I know every day will get easier. I know we will start to think of her and all the amazing 16 years we had with her and it will bring a smile instead of tears. But right now...the void in our house, family and hearts is SO big. I do know one thing for sure...she was VERY LOVED and will be VERY MISSED! We will ALWAYS love our sweet baby brown eyed girl!

Our December....

Happy New Year! It's always hard to believe when a new year rolls around. I swear it takes me a quarter of the new year to actually remember to write the correct date. I'm hoping that happens to everyone and it's not my age or my memory.

Our December is usually pretty low key for the most part but this one ended up being pretty hectic.

The first weekend in December, Kyler and Mikaela performed with the Children's Choir at church for Christmas. They had two performances that weekend and they all did a really good job. Kyler had a little solo which he loved and had a lot of fun doing. Kamden sang with the preschool choir at the spring performance but decided to forego the Christmas one this year. He said he was "tired" from baseball....I'm rolling my eyes as I type that. He's such a stinker.

Kyler started basketball which thrilled him to no end. He's loving everything about it...his team, his coach, his practices and can't wait for the games to start next weekend. They're on Sundays this year which is new for us and we haven't decided if we like yet or not. I guess we'll see.

Mikaela wrapped up this semester of dance. She got measured for her recital outfits which she LOVED. Getting measured for special outfits is definitely one of the fun "perks" to being a girl and she loved every second. She also got to see what her recital outfits will look like. Seeing them put her over the moon and I have to say, they really are pretty. Her instructors did a really good job picking them out. She performed her December dances in both her classes. I was really impressed with her tap dance as they only had one practice before they performed it. They're definitely starting to pick up new dances quicker. She's very excited for this semester because now they finally start learning and working on their recital dances.

Both the kids had fun on their last day of school before Winter Break. Mikaela got to wear pajamas to school and had a "Game Day". Kyler had a Gingerbread House Making Party with pizza, snacks and dessert afterwards. Mike had the day off so he got to go with Kamden and I which was fun. Kamden always enjoys getting to go and hang out with the big kids but it wore him out. He almost fell asleep on the 2 minute ride home.

We had a lot of Christmas events this year which was fun. Mike ended up having two company Christmas parties to go to. One with his current employer and then he got invited to his previous employer's that he worked 10 years for as well. We really enjoyed both. It's not very often we get to get dressed up and spend evenings with only adults. We also got invited to some friends' for dinner and Gingerbread House making which was so much fun! It's always nice when all the kids get to play and the adults get to talk and everyone has a great time. The Schimke's took Kyler and Mikaela to the Menaul school to see what used to be the Bug's House for their birthdays and they had an amazing time. So, I think it's safe to say, the Glade family had a very nice December as far as Christmas parties and get togethers go.

The first Monday of the kids Winter Break, I had an appt with my vascular surgeon for what I THOUGHT was just a check up to see how my leg was doing and to re-evaluate. Mike took the day off and I was glad because I found out I have another blood clot (UGH!) and he ended up doing more injections....grrrr....NOT what I had in mind the week before Christmas. Injections are never fun but this time he did them on the back of my leg so sitting is not easy. Needless to say, our trip to Clovis wasn't very comfortable...good thing it's short. I'm so ready to be done with all this leg/blood clot business.

The kids' winter break was really nice as not only did we get a break from school, we got a break from EVERYTHING....sports, dance....everything. To not be on our "schedule" for two and a half weeks was OH SO NICE! The kids got to play with Jayden and Payten several days and have a sleep over, we had a few play dates and we got to go to the movies a few times. Yes, it was a very nice break. But that being said, it was also nice to get back into our school routine again. Kamden was definitely ready to have his quiet time during the day back.

Kyler officially turned ELEVEN on the 28th. It's so hard to believe he's that old already. He had his party in November so for his actual birthday he got to pick where he wanted to eat for his family birthday dinner. He picked Azuma where they cook everything at your table. He loved it so I think it's safe to say, was happy with his choice.

After seeing pretty much every pregnancy sign in our newly adopted kitty and even her going into what seemed to be every sign of labor...the only thing we didn't see was...kittens. Yep, Abbey went through a full blown false pregnancy and I now know waaaaay more about cats than I EVER wanted to. Poor thing, you have to feel for her but it's probably for the better. The last thing the world or our family needs is more kittens. The cure for a false pregnancy is getting spayed so she has an appt in two weeks with our vet so we won't have to worry about her having a real or a false pregnancy again. Never a dull moment...never, never.

For Christmas we stayed home. We love being home Christmas morning. The whole day was so relaxing and as close to perfect as I think you can get. For New Years, we drove to Clovis to see our family. If we have a second home, Clovis is definitely it. I don't know how you can be surrounded by that much family and it not feel like home. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the entire family while we were there, but we got to see a lot and we had a great time.

I think that's all our December news. We hope your 2012 is a phenomenal one! Having all of you in our lives, definitely enriches ours! Keep us posted, we love hearing about everything going on in yours!

Sending Out Lots Of Love and Hugs,
The Glade's

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