KINSLEY BIRTHDAY CAKE RESULTS....

Wow - so I can't tell you how many responses/comments I received about Kinsley's birthday cake!

What fun!!!!

Out of the 693 responses.....this is how it played out:

Tweety led the charge with = 349
Dora came in second with = 233
Blue's Clues came in a distant third with = 83
Animals came in fourth with = 26
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ACTUALLY - THE MOST CAME IN WITH A WOPPING = 2.

And those, I guess, are the only two that will count - we had two comments/opinions and they were mine and Sara's.  So we are going to go with a #1 because she is one.

Thanks for all the comments!

:)

My girls are 3 years old - just ask them, they'll show you!

If there is anything that I know about twins, well it isn't much to tell you the truth, but I do know a little!  Their personalities switch like the day turns into night and night back into day. 

What I mean by that is that they definitely have their own personality, but all-to-often like to switch back and forth.  One day, Ady will be the one who shares while Riley is as selfish as can be and won't share a thing.  Actually, she'll be as adamant as can be without sharing.  It'll be to the point that Ady sees this and for some odd reason knows this and gives in and looks at me and says...

"It's o.k. daddy, Riley can have that, I don't need to have it.  It's o.k."  - I mean how sweet is that.  It is amazing that sometimes I look to a 3 year old to help me settle a dispute.

Then, the next day or week, they will completely switch roles.  Ady will want something so entirely bad and there is absolutely no give in her.  All of a sudden, you can see the light go on above Riley's head and she says the same thing that Ady just said the time before and just as sweet - IT IS TRULY AMAZING!

And of course there are plenty of times where they say.....

"Screw this, I want it and I am not giving it up and she can't have it!"  Believe me, I run into that a lot!

However, here is a small glimpse of their own personalities shining through.....

When you ask Ady how old she is, she says, "Free!" and then I'll ask her to show me and she'll put her thumb on her pinkie and hold up her free, I mean three middle fingers.  When I ask Riley the same question, she says "Free" and then I'll ask her to show me and she'll put her thumb and pointer/index finger together and put up her last three fingers.

Just a small little glimpse as to how Ady and Riley stick to what they know and don't care what the other does, because that works for them.  They haven't switched in 5 months since we have been asking them how old they're going to be come October 20th and yesterday being their birthday was no different.

They each showed us how old they were......I really enjoy seeing them develop into their own person!

YOU GO GIRLS!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY!!!!

I LOVE YOU!

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS....

Kinsley's birthday was October 10th and she is 1!!!!

Ady's and Riley's is October 20th and they'll be 3!!!!

Key question was/is - what do we get the girls??  How do we celebrate?  Do we have a party for Kinsley and then one for the girls?  Do we have one together??  What would you do? 

Ady and Riley are at the age where they can pick what to put on their cakes.

RILEY = I want Boots

ADY = I want aminals (yes, that is how she says it, even after you try to have her say it correctly)

KINSLEY = ???  Opinions/comments???

We have had Dora, Tweety, and now Boots and aminals - so do we do something different?


Opinions and comments are welcome!!!!!

Trampoline - kicking my butt!!!

So the trampoline trip was successful - I fit it all in my father-in-law's suburban - thank goodness I borrowed that, otherwise I would have been in some serious trouble!

The good thing is that it was completely taken apart (except for the safety net, which wasn't that bad).  The bad thing is that it took me a while to put it together because I had no instructions and no idea what went where!

So I put it together - got the brace put together with the legs, then had to take it apart in three areas to flip it over and needed Sara - my wife - to help me with that.

O.K. - now I can do the rest......

Began putting all the springs on (I didn't know that you weren't suppose to go in order by the way), so I just kept going until I got about 75% done and then it was unbelieveably difficult to get the other 25% done!!! 

BUT I DID IT!!!! I sucked it up, put some gloves on (I had to protect my girly hands), and got a little dirty!

Then came the poles that supported the safety net.......ummmmm.......the poles aren't lining up!?!?!?

Hmmm....would have been nice if I would have thought about that before putting all of the springs on.  The holes in the spring pad did not line up with the holes in the brace/foundation.

I HAD TO TAKE ALL THE SPRINGS OFF and put them back on again!

Nightfall......I am going to finish it tonight!

Ady, Riley, & Kinsley will have to wait - sorry girls - your birthday present is coming - hang in there!!!!!!

Poor girls - they're suffereing because of their TOTALLY "UNHANDYMAN" DADDY!

Al's Run/Walk - Children's Hospital - Back at it in 2010!

WE'RE BACK AFTER A 2-YEAR HIATUS!!!!!!

Our Twins were born on October 20th, 2007 (their due date was December 20th).  So they were about 8 weeks premature.  We were expecting them early because of the whole twins thing, but 8 weeks caught us a little off-guard - we'll save that whole story for another post/entry!

Anyway, to cut to the chase, Sara had 2 very quick and healthy deliveries (vaginally).  Both girls were carted off to the NICU, but we were told that they would be fine.  The following morning, Sara and I were visited by the doctor, an unexpected visit - WE BOTH KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG - Riley was born with a TEF -  tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a congenital or acquired communication between the trachea and esophagus. TEFs often lead to severe and fatal pulmonary complications.

She would be taken by ambulance to Children's Hospital for emergency surgery to connect attach her esophagus to her stomach so she could eat like a "normal" human being. 

Riley had surgery on the second day of her life at Children's Hospital - a 4 lb. 6 oz baby going surgery.  It is still so difficult for me to imagine!  She was tiny.....and she pulled through - what a fighter!  This is the day after surgery...

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL saved our Riley's life and we are forever in debt to them!  We have made it a tradition to help raise money for Children's by walking and remembering what they did for us - the doctors, nurses, desk attendants, maintenance, you name it - they made our difficult time there as good as it could have been!!!!!

LAST YEAR WE HAD TO TAKE OFF - Our youngest daughter - Kinsley came 2 weeks early on the day of Al's Run/Walk - so we had to take off.

But we're back in 2010 - LOOK OUT - HERE WE COME!!!!!

Sara and I went through a tough first year and I can't tell you how we count our blessings everyday because of our experience!!!!  Thank you CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL!!!!

We had a great CREW in 2008 and we can't wait to participate again tomorrow and celebrate our 2008 roller coaster memories - check out our team that walked, our cutie-pies, and our HEALTHY FAMILY for the walk in 2008! 

RILEY'S CREW

OUR FAMILY....

OUR CHAMPION - RILEY - I CAN'T IMAGINE OUR LIFE WITHOUT YOU!!!!!

THANK YOU CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL!

Craig's List...Trampoline!

So - this is a great website by the way!!!

My wife loves it, which means, I usually have to go pick up stuff that she buys.  We live in Random Lake and my wife just bought a trampoline in Green Bay, about an hour and forty minutes away. 

It is Kinsley's birthday on Sunday and the twins birthday on the 20th - so this is a big month for us.  Anyhow....one of their presents is of course this 15 ft. trampoline, it's actually a very nice one.

My problem is that I get to leave for Green Bay right after I get done with work/school and pick it up, break it down, cart it back and make it home for me to be able to give Kinsley a big "goodnight kiss"!  I hate missing those kisses!

I am pumped to get this thing in our yard - the girls are going to absolutely love it.  Well, now that it will be ours and will be in our yard and they will have full access to it whenever they want, they'll probably get sick of it after the first time they jump.  For some reason, things are always more fun when it isn't ours or isn't at our house....I don't get it, but it is the truth.

We'll see how much use we get out of this thing!

Wish me luck......

The Forgotten Child...

I can't tell you how bad I feel and how pathetic of a father I am sometimes!  I have a beautiful daughter - KINSLEY - and she is 99% of the time - OUR FORGOTTEN CHILD!

Both Ady and Riley - The twins - consume so much of our time, that our sweet, innocent, all-to-often forgotten 1 year-old gets lost in the shuffle!

Here is a for instance...

Kinsley's 1-year birthday is coming up on Sunday - and we just found out yesterday as my wife and I were talking that we had ZERO presents for her to open up on her own birthday!  WOW - these are the times that I feel just awful as a father.  I feel like I am not fulfilling my duties!  This isn't the only time either - there are plenty of times that I totally take Kinsley for granted and I have to tell you here that she is one heck of a trooper. 

She has this intuitive ability to understand that her time is coming and although she is not even 1 year old, she has wisdom beyond her years! 

Because of my shortcomings as a father, I have dedicated myself to be a better father towards Kinsley while at least keeping "status quo" with Ady and Riley!

I mean just look at this CUTIEPIE!!!!!!  How in the world could I be so forgetful of this SHNOOKEMS!!!!

I MEAN JUST LOOK AT THOSE DIMPLES - WHAT A CUTIE!!!!!

KINSLEY - YOU ARE AN

UNBELIEVABLE, PATIENT, AND UNDERSTANDING 1-YEAR-OLD!

I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!!!