Running Behind

And so I'm behind again on my blog.  It's been a crazy few weeks, but I wanted to get you all caught up on the happenings at the Dinkelberries' home.  A couple of days before Easter our dear, elderly neighbor brought over her specialty cake she made for the kiddos.  It looked amazing and tasted soooo delish!  We are truly blessed to have her across the street.

Sweet Bunny Cake

Unfortunately, our Easter celebration was hampered by James being extremely sick.  He ended up going to Urgent Care on Easter and was diagnosed with pneumonia.  So, he won't be featured in our Easter pics below.

Malachi was out of school for 5 days for the holiday so I wanted to have some fun while he was off.  Good Friday was spent playing games, reflecting on what the day truly meant and also dying some eggs.  (Samara may be a bit confused on the holidays because she insisted on wearing her Santa dress!)

Hard at Work

CHEESE!!!

Silly Face and Bunnies

 That Saturday I treated the kiddos to a trip to the donut shop.  Initially, it was going to be the shop in town, but it was closed so we headed into Wichita.  They had their first experience at Krispy Kreme.  I love me a good donut!

Sunday morning the kiddos and I went up to my aunt, uncle, and cousin's house in KC for an Easter celebration.  My parents along with my sister's family were there.  We had amazing food, awesome company and of course, an egg hunt.  When a kiddo found a "special shiny" egg, they got a big prize bag filled with a puzzle, cool drinking cup, bubbles, coloring book and other cool prizes.  I loved to watch all the kiddos race to snatch up an egg before the next kiddo came along.  It was also so nice to be around family if only for a few hours.

Precious Stella Has Quite the Loot!

Busy Guy

Grammie Helping Out

Malachi is on a Mission

Sweet Cousins

Last Tuesday night was the beginning of preparation for Isaiah to enter Kindergarten. <GASP!>, tear up, and take a deep breath.  I knew that once Malachi started school then the year would go by so quickly and before I was ready, Isaiah would begin his academic journey.  I took Isaiah to Kindergarten Round-up. The teachers took the *almost* students to a classroom for cookies and coloring while the parents received information and necessary paperwork.  It was very low-key, but still it was hard to walk beside this boy who is growing up way more than I would like to admit.  He is no longer a little boy, but a boy. Wow.  When it was over, he came rushing out at me and in the way only Isaiah talks, exclaimed, "It was AWESOME!"  Yeah, he's ready.

Throughout last week I kept a close eye on the weather forecast.  There was a growing possibility for severe tornado weather on Saturday.  Ever since the Joplin tornado hit last year, I have taken these warnings way more seriously.  If I have the time to prepare my family for the worst and don't, then I would feel like I failed them.  So Thursday and Friday I cleared and cleaned out our "safe spot" in the basement.  I brought down a few chairs, had extra blankets, packed a few bags filled with toys, food/drinks, important paperwork, shoes, clothes, phone charger, etc.  Yes, you may shake your head at me, BUT if we were ever in a situation where we needed the above listed, then you would thank me for being a little over the top!  Anyway, on Friday, I went over to our dear elderly neighbor to remind her that if the sirens went off to just come on over and head to the basement.  Since finding out that she and her daughter do not have a basement, we have invited to come over any time the sirens sound.

Saturday afternoon I spent watching all the tornadoes pop up all around us.  The air was thick with moisture and very ripe for tornadoes.  Late in the afternoon the meteorologist said that we would need to pay close attention to the storm coming out of Oklahoma.  This was going to be our best shot at a tornado coming up in our immediate area.  It took hours, but I watched it slowly make its way to Wichita.  Once the warning was issued for Wichita, I got my running shoes on and grabbed my purse.  We were the next county and the storm was tracking our way.  A little before 11pm the tornado sirens went off.  I went upstairs and grabbed sleeping Samara and rushed her to the basement, under the stairs.  I then woke the boys up.  They were very confused about what I needed them to do. I had earlier warned them about this possibility, but it took a few minutes for them to grasp the seriousness of the situation.  Our neighbor and her daughter came over and we all huddled in the basement.  It was dead silent outside; no wind blowing.  The meteorologist said that it was headed straight for our town.  We knew that it had brought extensive damage to parts of Wichita already and so it was a little frightening to think about it coming down the highway right at us.  All of a sudden, we hear a wall of rain and wind.  I was trying hard to hear that distinct "train sound", but didn't hear it.  A few minutes went by and the meteorologist said the tornado was now north of town.  Praise God we were fine and from what we could tell, our house was fine.  We said goodnight to the neighbors and the rest of the family went to sleep.  There was one more severe storm system headed our way and I watched it approach until it no longer had tornadoes forming from it.  It was close to 2am before I slept; I was exhausted.  We later learned that right before making it to our town, the tornado went back up in the air and didn't make contact with the ground until it was north of town.  We were definitely spared!

Monday night there was a "Go Green" night at the middle school.  Local agencies promoting a "greener" environment had booths and Malachi's Green Club he is involved with after school on Mondays and Tuesdays made a poster for the event.  I went with Malachi to look at the displays, eat a snack and see the handy work of his club.  Here he is with one of the Green Club's sponsors.

Malachi by Green Club's Blue Poster

   Ok, so I think you are now up-to-date on our lives.  Hope you're having a fabulous week!

Valentine's Celebrations and a Sick Girlie

Tuesday was Valentine's Day.  Our family was blessed with multiple days to celebrate this "lovey-dovey" day.  Late last week James' mom mailed homemade, heart-shaped sugar cookies along with a Valentine's card for each of us.  Malachi was super excited to be able to actually read the card himself and we all enjoyed the yummy treat.  Friday afternoon Malachi got out of school early and I had us packed up to head to KC for a quick visit so the kiddos could meet their new cousin, Sylvia. And of course, visit the rest of the family.  Right when we got into town, we headed to Nebraska Furniture Mart because my mom was working then.  She proudly introduced us to her co-workers and then treated the kiddos to See's Candy where they each picked out some gourmet suckers for V-day.  I was pretty happy they didn't go nuts inside the store =)

We then made our way to my sister's house.  Malachi was anxious to be able to hold the new baby; he simply adores babies.  He was playing "peek-a-boo" and trying to talk "baby talk" to her.  Then the time came that he was seated on the couch with pillows under his arm and precious Sylvia was placed in his arms.  His smile was priceless (I was too busy making sure I was right there to grab her if needed so I didn't get a pic =( )  The cousins enjoyed playing together and then we went to spend the night at my parents' house.  Early Saturday afternoon we met up with one of my cousins and her boys to have a play date at McDonald's.  It was so nice to catch up a bit while the kiddos ran around.  Afterward, we headed back home.

Monday night Malachi finished up all of his Valentine cards for his classmates.  He wrote all of their names and signed his name to each.  Fortunately, I had him start on this project a few days before because the task of writing so much might have been a little daunting for the guy. 

Valentine's Day ended up being quite busy, but fun.  After dropping Malachi off at school, Isaiah, Samara and I went to MOPS where the mommies decorated sugar cookies for their families and made little coupon books.  It was wonderful to relax and chit-chat with other gals.  The kiddos made heart Valentine's so they were quite thrilled to show me.  For lunch, I made heart-shaped PB&J and then for snack we had some Valentine cookies along with a juice box (a treat at our house!) Since Malachi insists on James and I taking turns going to his special school functions, it was James' turn to go to the Valentine's party.  The class ate cupcakes and passed out their Valentine gifts/cards.  A girl's grandma made such a special gift for all of the kids.  It was a "Tooth-fairy pillow".  It was a blue heart pillow and in the middle was a smaller heart pocket with red trim around it that will hold the tooth. Malachi insists on keeping it by his real pillow for when the anticipated day comes when he loses his first tooth.  When I asked how his party was, the first thing he said was, "I didn't eat a lot of candy."  LOL...that was going to be my second question!  Instead, he brought home a gallon jug full of candy.  Maybe that will last until Halloween ;-)  Our dear elderly neighbor across the street brought over a Valentine's goodie bag that also included treats for George.  We are very well stocked on sweets! 

Yesterday it was obvious that Samara was not her usual bubbly self.  She kept the same PJ's on all day (yes, no dresses were worn).  All day she lounged around and didn't talk much.  She had some diarrhea and complained her tummy hurt.  Late in the afternoon, I let her soak in the tub (she normally takes showers now) and then I painted her nails.  Afterward, she wanted to watch a movie in my bed so we cuddled and around 5:30pm she fell asleep (you know she's sick then!)  I tried to wake her to eat, but she couldn't stay awake.  Finally at 7:30 she came downstairs and wanted to eat some cereal.  I let her stay up a little later than normal since she took such a late nap. Fortunately, she slept really well last night.

Today, she has already changed out of her PJ's into the Mr. Incredible's suit and is playing with her dollies so she must be on the mend.  YAY!!!

"Spy Vests", Dollhouses, Nerf Wars, and the Stomach Flu

And another Christmas season has come and gone.  It was a busy time, but was filled with precious and not so precious memories.  The afternoon of December 23rd, we made the trek up to KC so we could celebrate with my family.  Earlier in the week, Malachi and Samara had the nasty stomach bug that was going around.  It had been 5 days since they threw up so I thought we were in the clear.  Boy was I wrong.  Late Friday night it started.  Isaiah stayed up all night throwing up at my sister's house.  Around 6amish, he was so tired from the lack of sleep and from his ordeal that I had to hold him up over the toilet because he didn't have the strength.  I felt terrible for him.  I also felt bad because I didn't want my nieces to get sick (which they ended up sick the following week).

My parents had planned on taking everyone to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast so that the kiddos could pick out their own donuts and the mess could stay at the restaurant.  Instead, they brought the donuts and breakfast sandwiches to us.  We had a wonderful time with my parents, sister and family, as well as my grandparents and aunt and cousin.  My sister made craft kits for the kiddos.  They are so excited about all of the projects they will be able to make. They all received a sand/water table like my parents have at their house.  I'm excited about the sand castles they will make this spring/summer! My aunt and cousin gave each of us our own "tie" blankies.  They are super cozy and are perfect for the long car rides. The boys' loved their Backyard Safari vest that came with a bunch of the essential accessories.  Malachi called it his "Spy Vest".  Oh the fun they have already had with these vests!  My parents also gave them a portable DVD player which is awesome for the long car rides the kiddos make to see family.   It came along with The Incredibles movie which was on their "most wanted" list. My grandparents gave them money so they are excited to go on a shopping trip with just Mommy or Daddy to pick out whatever they would like (well, that fits in their budget!)

Towards the afternoon, I was feeling nauseous so we hurriedly packed up and headed home.  We were 20 minutes outside of our town when Isaiah got sick again.  All over the truck.  I was ever so happy to get home!

After tucking the kiddos in bed, James worked on Samara's dollhouse.  I love that timeless tradition of a dad putting together a dollhouse for his daughter.  Malachi woke us up at 7:30 and tried to wake up Isaiah and Samara, but they were enjoying their sleep.  He finally was successful and we all made it downstairs to see what they had. Below there's a video of their reaction.

We enjoyed a leisurely morning and then in the afternoon, we packed up to go to Salina to see some James' family.  After the annual Bingo game at his grandma's house, we made the almost 2 hour trip to James' hometown.  It was past 10pm when we got to my in-laws.  We tucked the kiddos in bed and decided to have the adults open their gifts.  The next morning it was the kiddos' turn to open up their gifts. The boys are now armed with 4 Nerf guns, 2 Light Sabers, bow and arrows,along with some games for their DS's (including the much desired Mario games!).  They also have matching SpongeBob PJ's and slippers. Since their birthdays are so close to Christmas, they also opened up birthday gifts.   

Samara is the proud owner of an Easy Bake oven.  She also received a trunk full of Fairy costumes, a jewelry box complete with some rings,  a Snow White dress, Princess PJ's with matching slippers and a new dollie.  They also received the Cars2 movie.

After all of the gifts were opened, the older boys (aka Daddy and the Uncles) started a Nerf War.  Our kiddos joined in and for probably about an hour it was an intense battle complete with ducking, hiding, rolling, and lots of laughter.  Later that afternoon, the boys tried out their bow and arrows outside.

My appetite was not what it normally is and later in the afternoon, I started having stomach issues.  We had our annual Wine and Cards night, but I couldn't really enjoy it because I was feeling so badly.  I was up most of the night and spent the next day sleeping and just laying around while still having stomach problems.  It ended up taking me the rest of the week to feel back to normal.  I don't remember being that sick in a long, long time and I hope it will be years before I have to go through that again!

Late Tuesday night James and I left to go back home.  The kiddos were staying some extra days with James' parents.  We enjoyed some time to ourselves and for New Year's Eve, we used our gift card to Olive Garden that we received from my sister and her hubby.  We are always excited to go out on date!

The kiddos got back last night and we are going to enjoy the few days that are left of Christmas break.  We are so richly blessed and thankful to have such a wonderful family that we go spend time with. 

Below are pictures and videos of some of our Christmas...

The KC Crew with Our Santa Hats

Fabulous First Day of Christmas Break

Today is Malachi's first full day of Christmas break.  It was oh so lovely to not have the mad morning rush out the door.  I do have to say it was quite humorous because right after breakfast Malachi rushed upstairs to get dressed, teeth brushed, and actually had his shoes, coat and gloves on. I found him sitting by the front door waiting for us to drive him to school.  He forgot that he was on break!

He was quite prepared, though, because the rest of us got ready to go outside and enjoy the first snowfall of the year (we had the slightest bit of dusting a few weeks ago, but this actually covered some of the ground and cars.)  I pointed the snow out to Samara and she said, "Yeah! It's my birthday!".  She always assumes that if there's something special going on then it MUST be her birthday ;-) 

All of us enjoyed playing in the snow for about 20 minutes (George attacked the snow as shown in a picture below.)  We came inside and enjoyed hot chocolate with marshmallows (or "coffee" as Samara calls it) and warming up by the fire.  George is quite exhausted from running outside.  What a wonderful way to start our break!

Merry Christmas, Mrs. O!

This is my first year to add a teacher to the list of people to shop for Christmas gifts.  I wanted something maybe a little different, home-made. Something Malachi could help with. I got inspiration from Pinterest (should check out that website if you haven't already!).  I bought a natural wood shadow box, wooden cross, wooden letters, and a piece of purple scrap book paper at Hobby Lobby.  I painted the box while Malachi painted the cross and letters.  Once it was dry I glued that paper, letters and cross to the box.  Malachi insisted on making a Christmas card for her along with a "K-State" card.  Here is the end result which he brought to school today to give to Mrs. O:

 

'Tis the Season

Wowza, it's been a long time since I posted. So sorry!  We've been crazy, busy around here.  Shopping for Christmas, decorating for Christmas, Christmas program at church and Malachi's Christmas program at school.  Christmas is definitely in the air!!!

This year I've been more laid back about the gifts we're giving.  No stress about if I couldn't find what I initially thought about giving someone; no stress about needing to get all the gifts wrapped (I did just purchase the wrapping paper last night. I'm guessing I'll dedicate an evening and bang that out.) I was one of the crazies that went Black Friday shopping with a dear friend.  We started at 9pm and I walked into my house at 7am.  Was it worth it?  Oh YEAH.  I was fortunate to find amazing deals on items that was already on the wish lists of both our families.

Shh...don't tell the boys, but they are both getting a Nintendo DS lite.  It was funny because I thought about that gift for them, but James actually brought it up that he thought we should give it to them. Then, Malachi began talking about getting a DS for Christmas. Great minds thinking alike ;-)

The problem was, though, that they are super expensive x 2.  We decided that buying "pre-owned" DS' was both economical and practical.  Remember, these are boys aged 4 and 5 (well almost 5 and 6).  Would they be gentle with the system? Would they take care of them? We don't know, but if we bought used, I mean, "pre-owned", and they broke it, we wouldn't be out so much money.  So we began researching deals on Amazon and Ebay. They were still expensive! I was beginning to think that maybe we were going to have to find something else for their gift. But, James really came through for them. He found 1 DS on Craigslist and posted on one of his "computer-nerds-unite" forums that he was interested in buying a DS for a certain price.  A reader saw his post and agreed to the price!!! He actually sent the system to us and said that we could pay him after we looked the DS over to make sure it was ok. Who does that anymore?!?  What a blessing!  I'm super excited to see them open up this gift.

Now Samara's gift is ah-maz-ing!  OOOOH, I am already thinking about her response.  Her sweet cousin, Sofia, has a 3-story dollhouse from KidKraft. Any time she is at her house, she will spend hours playing with the house.  We decided that this was her year to get the traditional "girlie" gift of a dollhouse!  My parents found this house at Costco for much cheaper than on amazon.com or in other stores.  Now, come Christmas Eve night, I may not be quite as thrilled as I am assembling this (yes, James, I'm going to try to put it together myself).  Here is a picture of it:
 
 Needless to say, she's going to be thrilled!

 There are a few other gifts that I'm super excited about giving, but those gifts are to people who read this blog so I'll share after Christmas ;-)

Hope your Christmas season is going great!