Sugar and Caffeine

I (Kris) have to share this story with you. Jessica and I are mean parents. We don't let our kids have a lot of things that I used to get as a kid (I can't speak for Jessica). One of those things is soda pop. However, I still drink it relatively frequently (a lot less in Michigan because of recycling deposits, but that is another story entirely...see Seinfeld).

So when one of my kids asks for soda Jessica and I usually have three canned responses (pun intended). Either it 1) has too much sugar, 2) has caffeine, or 3) is diet soda and diet soda is bad for you because of phenylalanine - which it actually isn't under 99% of circumstances (see here), but you can never be too careful as a parent...right?

Sorry, one last thing to clear up before I get to the actual story here! I rarely get regular Pepsi (usually I get caffeine free and most often diet), but because Pepsi decided to reintroduce the original Pepsi - even in the original cans - I bought some of the "hard" stuff. Anyway, the kids have been asking to try it since we got it and last week they got some. They liked it and usually ask for it, but it is when I get home (Jessica almost never drinks soda, so it is seen as Daddy's to give away in our home). Obviously, when I get home it is close to bedtime and I say, "No, it is too close to bedtime and that Pepsi has caffeine and sugar which will keep you up too late."

So (finally) tonight before the kids went to bed (around 8 PM) I asked Kourtney to get me a Pepsi. Her exact words were, "The one that has too much caffeine and sugar and will keep you up?" I replied "Yes" with a smile. Well, it is 3:23 AM and I have tried all night to sleep, but to no avail. It is probably because I have a lot of things on my mind and because I really do rarely have soda pop with caffeine and sugar (especially late at night), but I just had to sit down with my time and do something "productive" tonight. I hate laying in bed trying to sleep.

I wish I would have listened to Koco. I am really, really tiered...just not sleepy. As you can tell by my rambling writing style at 3 AM - sorry about that. Good night y'all - I hope!

For Nana, Papa, Aunt Uta and Uncle Jim

Nana and Papa have been asking to see more pictures of the girls with their short hair. And Aunt Uta and Uncle Jim gave the kids a gift card from Target for Christmas. Well, the kids and I went to Target last night and Aly and Koco bought these dresses (and a few other items...Thank you!) and wore them to church. I sat the girls and Keegan down on the couch this afternoon before the girls went upstairs to play so I could get some pictures of them. So, here you go Mom and Dad. And thank you Aunt Uta and Uncle Jim for the gift card. We love you all very much!

Reading's for the Dogs!

Alyson and Kourtney read to therapy dogs at the local library this past Saturday. It's a big hit with the kids so we try to go whenever the therapy dogs are there.

In Short

Alyson and Kourtney had their hair cut a week and a half ago at their requests. Although it was hard for me to part with their long hair (no pun intended), they really like their new does, and it takes less time to brush in the morning. All plus' for everyone!

6 Posts-Good Luck!

I've updated our blog with 6 additional posts. Wow-great to have it all done! Hopefully you will enjoy reading our blog and won't become too bored!

Frequenting Frankenmuth

We spent a day and a half in Frankenmuth (Christmas capital of Michigan) only about an hour and 15 minutes away. It was our second time visiting the area since we moved to Michigan, but this time we got to see more of it than we did last time. It was the mid-winter break mini-vacation we needed. Bronner's is the world's largest Christmas shop full of tons and tons of Christmas decorations for purchase, and it's located in Frankenmuth. It's a fun stop. You could spend hours there or just a few minutes depending on what you want to see.

We didn't splurge on the hotel, but we did find one with a pool and a separate sitting area with a pull out couch. Our family is just getting too big for a traditional hotel room. Can't believe it!

Here's Kris taking it easy with Keegan in our hotel room.

Is there anything sweeter than the admiration a father receives from his son?

It's Officially a Winter Wonderland Outside

We had our first big winter storm just after Christmas, and everyone felt the urge to get out and play in the snow. So, while Kris took to our driveway, and the neighbor's driveways via the snowblower, the girls got out and did their best with their shovels. This also marked Keegan's first real snow, and the first time Ellary played in it as a mobile child, both experiences that needed to be documented!
Alyson and Kourtney couldn't wait to get out and sled between our house and our neighbor's house. There was barely enough snow to sled on, but they had a great time.