The Adkins Family

The kids and I got these pictures taken when we went to visit Mandy in Alabama.  I just love them!  The kids look so adorable to me.
Second grade is going great so far!  Lilia has the nicest teacher ever this year.  She seems to really love school.  She loves to read, and is getting better with her handwriting.  She is still doing gymnastics and is going to be starting up Brownies next month.
Kaiser is chatting all the time.  Kaiser wants a fruit snack, Kaiser wants to go bye-bye, Kaiser wants to go to Gomma's.  He keeps us so busy.
Football is in full swing!  The boys are doing great and I am proud of them!

Wow!  I can't believe summer is over already.  I was so sad to send Lilia to school yesterday and I cried, in fact.  I just want her to stay little forever.  I keep telling her she can't grow up and she responds with, "Mama I have to grop up because there are a lot of kids without mama's and I need to grow up so I can be their Mama."  I guess that is an ok reason to grow up!
She had a great first day of school and loves her teacher.  I am going to have to get in the swing of things and get used to her being gone again!

They both recently had their bdays.  Lilia turned 7 and Kaiser turned 2.  And he is 2!!!  He threw a total fit in Joann Fabric today because we left and he had to put the cart back.  It pretty much was the end of the world.  I am trying to learn how to deal with it without sticking my tongue out at him or screaming back.  Calm, calm, calm.  Most of the time he is sweet, busy and cute.  It is only a few times a week that the monster comes out and he turns into a different person.  I still think he is the best baby ever!!  He is really into airplanes.  He carries his metal navy airplane around with him.  And the last couple of days he has started talking in the 3rd person.  Kaiser wants a popsicle.  Kaiser wants to go bye bye.  Kaisey wanna hold you.  It is so cute!!

Lilia is still loving her gymnastics.  She is getting ready to take an art class at school.  She is busy, too but still loving life! 

Football has begun so our lives are getting busy!  We joined a community group at church and went for the first time last night.  I loved it!!  And am so happy we got this group of people to hang out with!!

At the Legokids fest with Noelle and Kanyon

Legokids fest

Pile of legos

My new hat!

Almost 7!

My new books

father-daughter dance

What a complete slacker I am in updating this blog.  I read other people's blogs on a daily basis but can't seem to get myself together!!  Well, gotta start trying harder.

We have all been great.  Adjusting to life with 2 busy kids has been challenging, but super fun.  The two of them are pretty much night and day.  The one similarity is that they both LOVE life.  They are super happy kids.

For spring break we went with my sister and the kids to Glenwood Springs again and had a great time.  Kaiser just floats around in his water wings and really loves it.  Of course Lilia is a fish swimming around in the deep end, going off the diving board. 

She is going to be on the mini barracudas swim team this summer and hopefully they can teach her some good swimming techniques.  2 days a week with one swim meet at the end.  She is still in gymnastics, which she really enjoys.  She finally did her own pullover all by herself last week.  It was awesome to see her progress.  She is going to stay in gymnastics, and is still doing girl scouts.  She wants to do piano lessons, too, but we are going to wait until swimming is over.  We would like our lives to be a little less busy!  She is almost done with 1st grade!  We all are ready for the school year to be over.  She is reading like a champ. 3rd grade level.  Not that I am bragging.  I am so proud of her.  Now if she could catch up with her handwriting.  At this rate, she will be a doctor in no time, the nurses mad at her because she can't write legibly :)

Kaiser is so busy.  He is curious, into everything. He loves dirt, sand, sticky stuff, and anything messy.  He is messy all the time.  Food doesn't stay put.  He throws food on the floor, etc.  He is fun, but you have to watch him all the time so he is not a danger to himself or others!  He is pretty sweet most of the time, but has his brief moments of "no!" but usually you can say "Kaiser, say no thank you," and he will say "no thank you mama."  He has seen time out a few times, and knows what it is.  He is pretty good about staying there when he has to.  I am not sure Lilia ever saw time out.  Compliant kid she was and still is.  Kaiser is talking up a storm.  He likes to repeat everything you say, and he is into trying to make us laugh.

Lee is busy with work and the Rangers, and football season is right around the corner.  I am working and taking care of kids!  We will be off to Florida in June for a much needed vacation.  Disney for a few days and a week at the beach.  We can't wait!  The kids and I are going in July to visit my very best friend Mandy and her family.  Alabama in July will be hot, but I can't wait to see my friend!

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post.  I am a total slacker!  I will try to be better!

We have had a busy couple of months.  Kaiser is doing pretty good.  We found out over the summer that he is really allergic to pets and some other things.  We had to find new homes for our 4 animals, which was really hard.  We will wait and see if he is going to be better.  He already seems better, although it may take up to 6 months for all the dander to be gone.  He is so busy.  He is getting in to everything and is faster and faster every day.  I found my wool hat and an ornament in the toilet today.  Our house is busy and chaotic with him around.  But he is talking and talking more every day and is starting to be able to communicate with us.  He is still happy and smiley and seems to be just a joyous little guy most of the time.  Except when he is mad.  Then he is loud, and REALLY mad.
Lilia is doing wonderful.  She turned 6 and started 1st grade this year.  She lost her first tooth about a month ago.  She looks pretty cute!  She is in gymnastics again and is loving it!  And she is a great big sister.  He does get on her nerves when he yells, tries to tackle her or messes up her things, but for the most part, she is kind and loving to him.  It is great being a family of 4.

Lee and I are doing well.  Just busy with the kids and the holidays coming up.  We went to Cancun with his family in October and it was a nice getaway before the cold.  No vacations planned for us for next year.  We might take a couple weekend trips around Colorado and that might be it for 2012.

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

Lil and Uncle Jeff

Lilia at Epcot

Papa and Kaiser

Magic Kingdom

Gramma and Kaiser at Blizzard Beach

We need a vacation after the vacation

Both kids slept the entire plane ride home

We just got back from a week long trip to Orlando and had the best time ever.  We went with the entire family.  Us four, Grandma and Papa, Jody and the kids, and Jeff and Cat.  It was HOT!  104 some days, plus add the humidity and then add the walking and standing in line all day and it made for a hot vacation.  We tried the water parks which the kids just loved.  They liked Disney, but preferred to be in the pool most of the time.
Kaiser is doing pretty well.  Still trying to fight off illness and lung stuff, but he is a happy little boy.  He did great at Disney.  We had him in the stroller and took turns holding him and he did great, but did get hot. 
Lilia is doing well also.  She is happy she is out of school for the summer.  She is becoming quite a little swimmer and we can let her go freely in the deep end.
We are looking forward to the rest of the summer!



Making Smores in our backyard




In Glenwood at a tour of the caverns



Cousins

Sissy and bro-bro

We are all doing great and enjoying our new life.  Kaiser was finally starting to feel more healthy until this last week, and then he came down with another cold.  He seems to be better this time and his ears seem okay.  We have a doctor appt. with him on Tuesday for his 9 month well baby visit.  He finally started crawling on Thursday, but seems to not want to do it a lot yet.  Today he crawled a little bit more on one knee with the other foot on the ground and the knee up.  It is so cute!

We got a great swingset from our neighbors and Lilia is having a ball playing for a couple hours each day on it.  Kaiser is pretty indifferent about swinging at this point, but ate a lot of sand while playing in the sandbox.  Lilia and Kaiser are becoming a great pair.  She loves to make him laugh and help him.  She will wipe his nose, or pick it, too!  She helps get diapers and wipes, and will try to help dress him.  She picks him up, and tries to help him walk.  Lilia is starting to get tiny freckles on her nose and told me his the color of her freckles, so she has started calling him "my little freckle freck."  It is adorable to see them together and to see her trying so hard to make him laugh.  He is super loud and just likes to scream when he is really happy, and she will put his pacifier in to keep him quiet, or will yell to me "Mom, he wants you to pick him up!"

We went to Glenwood with my sister and their cousins for spring break and it was such a good time.  We went to the hotsprings pool, and rode a gondola to the top of the mountain.  Lil and Kai loved the warm water.  Our next vacation will be a big family vacation with my side of the family in June to Disneyworld.  We are looking forward to it!

I have to go back to work next Friday.  I am hoping he does okay without me, because he is so attached to me and a little clingy.  It is such a blessing that I work night shift so I will be working when they are asleep and will be able to be with them during the day.  I am a little sad to be going back, but it will be good to get back into our routine, since I gotta go back some time!