5 years ago, we met our firecracker!

Did I count the years correctly because I'm pretty sure that it can't be 5 years already?! 

Seriously!

Lexie turning five scares me. I knew it was going to happen, but for some reason when my kiddos turn 5, it's like I have to accept that they're no longer babies.  It's halfway to TEN! Yikes. 

In many was Lexie is still a baby, so we do get to enjoy the innocence that comes with that, but the way she shows excitement over pretty tutus or the way she loves to take risks does scream her age. 

 She's full of energy, laughter and love.  She craves affection and shows remorse surprisingly well.  She loves holding and caring for her baby dolls and often dotes on Eli as if he was her baby.  She absolutely adores him and the feeling is mutual.  Having Eli has done wonders for Lexie and I think she truly understands her role as the bigger sister.  She enjoys watching me cook dinner and will go and get her own step stool just to get a better look.  She even has her own chore in our house which is setting the table for dinner.  She likes being helpful and it not only reinforces to her that we are a team, but that she is capable of doing more than most people think.  Lexie loves school and plays the social butterfly role quite nicely. Her classmates are the sweetest, because many times I catch them helping and caring for her in ways that makes my heart want to weep.  She is accepted and loved.  

Every year on Lexie's birthday, I'm reminded on how her birth was more terrifying than exciting, but we were so wrong to fear this little girl.  Can you imagine how exhilarating it would be to prove so many people wrong?  Lexie doesn't comprehend that that is exactly what she did, and even if she did, she wouldn't hold it against us because she's that amazing. 

How lucky are we to walk this life with her.  Too lucky. 

To celebrate Lexie's birthday we went to her favorite places.  

Pump it up and Chick-Fil-A,

She was worn out after all of that, but still had enough energy for presents and cake.  

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

You take the good with the bad.

On Tuesday morning, I was at Lexie's school attending an IEP meeting.   We discussed her current progress, future goals, and transitioning from Pre- K to Kinder.  Thankfully the meeting went along perfectly well without any hiccups and we all agreed that Lexie is continuing to grow and develop educationally.  She's more in tune with her surroundings and her communications skills are surfacing. She shows respect, love and admiration to her teachers and her classmates. I absolutely love how she is included and accepted. It makes me so happy to see her thrive.

 However, as I as walking out of the meeting,  the front desk got a call from the classroom that Lexie was showing signs of a seizure.  When I reached her, she wasn't seizing yet, but I knew it was on it's way.  Even though I had her rescue seizure medication on me and an extra in the nurse's office, I decided to bring her home because I knew it wasn't going to get better before it got worse and I also had Eli with me.  As soon as we made it to our street, the seizure started.  After noting the time, taking her and Eli out of the car, and making sure she was safely on her side on the living room floor, I administered the Diastat.  It took about 5 minutes to take affect before the seizure stopped and she passed out.  I called her neurologist and we came to the conclusion that she just isn't ready to outgrow her seizure medicine.  We typically increase her dosage at every visit due to weight gain, but this last time we decided to hold off.  We have had two seizures since that visit, so I know we are making the right choice.  While I would love for Lexie to be medication free, it's just not worth it.  A couple hours later, Lexie woke up like nothing happened and continued to run circles around us.  I do have to say she can bounce back amazingly well.

Santa, pancakes and friends= RSVP for 6 please!

Frozen slides? Count them in!

The National Harbor is a pretty neat little area that is full of hotels, restaurants, and shops.  It's right on Lake Potomac and we've enjoyed taking the kids there many times. I honestly think the National Harbor Christmas tree is much prettier than the tree that is placed outside the White House.  The kids absolute favorite part is the ICE exhibit.  Thankfully Eric volunteers to freeze with the big kids while I graciously back out and hang out with Lexie and Eli.  I don't see the appeal, but they love it!  

We can never leave the Harbor without a visit to Potbelly!  

Elmer the Elf

We had our annual breakfast tradition to celebrate the return of our favorite elf; Elmer.

The kids LOVE our elf and I enjoy watching them have fun.  They're growing so fast and before we know it, this activity will no longer hold any interest for them, so I'm enjoying it while it last.  

I have noticed that it seems people either love or hate the Elf on the Shelf, and I completely understand if isn't for your family, but I love sharing this with my kiddos and it makes them happy. 

I think what makes it easier for our family is that like everything else in life, moderation is key. 

Will you ever see our Elmer make tiny elf doughnuts? Nope.  Will you see Elmer spend two minutes wrapping a TV?   Ugh, why the heck not?!  It's funny!   

When my kids are happy, I'm happy.   

That's all that matters. 

                          

They did a fantastic job decorating the tree! 

Give thanks in all circumstances... 1 Thessalonians 5:18

We gave thanks for all of the wonderful blessings that have entered our lives. 

Which probably included many of you!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I made the whole Turkey Dinner shebang, but this cheese ball won the show! 

It was delicious! 

Our Smart Cub Scout

Ethan accepting his award for earning a spot on the A/B honor roll!  

The pictures below are of Ethan and his fellow cub scouts showing off two days worth of hard work. They passed out bags to every house in one community on one Saturday and picked them up the next Saturday to take them to a local food pantry.  It was a lot of walking and hard work, but they seemed to enjoy themselves and learned a couple things along the way. 

We're pretty proud of our little guy!

Frozen Swamp

Gracie, like most girls her age, wanted to be Elsa the Snow Queen for Halloween.  Seeing how Elsa has a younger sister, we just knew Lexie would be the perfect Princess Anna. Well once you have two characters from the movie, you might as well add another to play the cute snowman. Eli's as cute as can be so he got the job.  Ethan wasn't going to have anything to do with our little grouping, and went for the more scary route with Swamp Creeper.  I want to say we walked about 6 blocks until the kids had full bags of candy. This was the first year that Lexie walked a good majority of the way.  She has been doing much better transitioning from one surface to another and doesn't try to crawl as much.  We had a tricky time going up and down steps, but she hung in there.  Which surprises me because I was sure she would demand to stop and eat the first candy bar or freak out that we didn't get to go into the houses.  Thankfully both of those things didn't happen.  She did try to go in the first couple of houses, but once she realized what was happening, she was good to go.  Another successful Halloween full of happy kiddos! 

Halloween Breakfast