Sledding Fun!

A few days before Christmas, our area got almost a foot of snow. With the threat of rain tomorrow, Abigail and Emma enjoyed one of their Christmas gifts before the snow melted. Santa brought them inflatable tubes for sledding. Where is there a sledding hill near our new house? Closer than you think. A benefit of having a walk-out basement is the slope from the front of the house to the backyard. Emma and Abigail zoomed down the hill and loved every minute of it.

The Best Christmas Gift!

On Christmas day, Abigail and Emma went outside to try out their new sleds. We bought Isaac a new Go, Diego, Go hat and gloves for Christmas (always good to have a second set). Isaac thought that if he donned his hat and gloves, he could go outside too. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't join in the fun. Nothing that a couple oatmeal raisin cookies couldn't fix.

He's wearing his giraffe pajamas. I got them on clearance when Isaac was a few months old. I know, it's an obsession - Brian would say it's a sickness. I love these pajamas. I was so excited when they finally fit him (they hung in Isaac's closet for 2 1/2 years). I will be sad when it's time to hand them down to Luke.

Princess Abigail

Christmas Eve: waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to pick us up. Twisty pigtails, flowy dress, and Christmas socks - very stylish.

This year for Christmas, Abigail wanted to be 16. It seems like kids want to grow up so fast - and then as adults, we want to stay young.

So when Abigail realized that she wasn't getting make-up and high heels for Christmas, she asked for a kitten. She was disappointed when she found out she couldn't have that either. We spent many years not being able to have Marcy, Nathan and the kids over for longer than 5 minutes. Their allergies are severe, so anywhere that cats live, they can't be. So unless there is some miracle breakthrough with medical technology, it'll be awhile before we can get a cat.

She's Got Style!

We've always known that Em's sense of style was different than Abigail's. This school year, Abigail and Emma choose the clothes they wear to school. I used to be a control freak about matching and not clashing, but I am trying to embrace the fact the girls are taking responsibility on their own. If I go back and undermine their choices, then they'll think, "why should I bother?", right? So, I have been taking pictures of some of her choices. I will save them and show them to her when she's getting married. Although if you ask her, she doesn't want to get married. Or have kids. She wants to be like Yeeha. She's special.

Sunny and 72 on Halloween!

Halloween in Illinois is usually wet and just above freezing. Many costumed kids wear heavy winter coats and shiver while they say, "Trick or Treat." But not this year. We always hope for nicer weather, but this was unbelievable. Isaac was a puppy - in a fluffy heavyweight costume. Poor guy was actually sweaty when we were done trick-or-treating. Grandma and one of Abigail's friends joined us for trick-or-treating.

This was our first year in our new neighborhood - and everyone was outside and friendly. Many people recognized that we were new to the neighborhood and introduced themselves. It's hard to say if everyone was more neighborly because the weather was so nice, but there was just such a sense of community here. I love it. Just love it.

Home, Sweet Home!

After 10 months of waiting, we finally received an offer for the old house. On August 25, we moved into our new house and the girls started at their new school. It's nearing the end of September now, and we're starting to get into our routine. Many boxes still remain unpacked - and I am amazed that we were able to fit all our stuff into that tiny tiny house. (This house used to be a model home and the garage was the sales office, so our garage does not have sliding patio doors anymore, but this is the best photo we have of the new house.)


 


The kids have a playroom full of toys that have been packed since last summer, so moving here and unpacking has felt a little like Christmas morning for them.

The girls really like school. If you ask them, their favorite things about school would be the great playground and that they get to ride the bus.

Here they pause from playing outside to take a picture on the front porch. After visiting this house several times and saying, "This is the house we want," we can finally say, "We're home."

Last 1/2 day of first grade, first 1/2 day of summer

Well, although we had hoped to move mid-year sometime, we managed to stay here until the end. Abigail's last day of school is today. While Emma slept in, Abigail ate breakfast and the sun was streaming in the kitchen patio doors. I had a few extra minutes, so I grabbed Abby and my camera and we shot a couple great pictures outside on the back patio. The natural light is so beautiful and I just think to myself, my little girl is growing up - and where does the time go?

Every summer, I start the season with a mental to-do list - of all the fun things I want to do that summer. And most summers, I rarely feel like we put a dent in it. Well, this year, I have written them down. And while we may not get to all of them - we have already been able to check some off.

Summer Fun to-do list:
Day at Brookfield Zoo
Day at Six Flags Great America
Backyard camping
Roller skating
Bowling
Camping at Woodhaven Lakes
Roasting marshmallows in our firepit
Checking out lightning bugs

Things we've already done:
Fishing
Kite Flying
Slip n Slide
Swimming

Of course, we have our annual trip to Southeast Missouri planned for July. We look forward to seeing all our family and all the food. The best ribs, tomatoes and pigs in the country, I must say!

If you can think of anything else that you think we should do this summer, post a comment!

Recent pictures of the girls...

On one of the first nice Saturdays we had recently, Brian and I took the kids fishing (while we had a showing at our house). While chasing Isaac down the path, I shot a few quick photos of Abigail. It was a windy day, so her hair is sort of a ruckus and she is wearing my sweater. It's usually hard to get her to not give me a fake (or goofy) smile, so this is kind of a rare real-Abigail-moment.




Emma has a great imagination. She loves animals and creates all kinds of costumes, homes, and lives for them. This is a stuffed dog that my dad gave Emma for Christmas two years ago. The stuffed dog looks just like my dad's real dog, Spunky. So, of course, Emma's dog is names Spunky. She created this superhero costume for him (complete with mask and cape) and brought him to the Mother's Day dinner we had with Brian's mom and dad, brother and sister-in-law, grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins.

Isaac's first haircut

Just in time for our first (extended) Proehl Family photo shoot, Isaac had his first real haircut yesterday. He looks like such a little man now. The long whispy curls behind his ears (that resembled wings) are gone. We took him to a kids' hair salon and he sat so still and was very well behaved. The girls liked it too because they had toys in the back for them to play with.



They rewarded him for his good behavior with a lollipop and a balloon. The girls have officially decided that this is their favorite place to visit - because they got lollipops and balloons too. It's amazing how little it takes to make their day.

The Proehl Family

What a great way to keep everyone posted on what is going on with us! So many things are changing... we're selling our house in the Northwest Suburbs and hoping to move to a gorgeous house about 20 miles away in the Western Suburbs, we're changing churches and Isaac is turning two! Abigail and Emma are growing leaps and bounds and every day they surprise me with something new they learned. Brian and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this month and wow - I can't believe how time flies!

I'd like to think that we lead exciting lives, but in the grand scheme of things, we probably don't. But many people ask what we're up to and so this is a way for people to find out! It'll also be good for me to keep a record of all the neat things that have happened.

I hope to be able to update it every few weeks (maybe sooner if we get an offer on this house!). Stay tuned!