*

20 Week Ultrasound

2012-02-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

I had my 20 week ultrasound today. Everything looks great. The baby's anatomy all looks perfect. Heartbeat was a bit slower at 138bpm, but completely in the normal range. The little stinkers growth has slowed down as well, measuring 20w4d, (today is 20w2d)so my due date remains the same, June 24th. (I was really hoping for it to be moved up a week or two..oh well) Doctor was able to find the heartbeat on the doppler today, so that was nice. I gained 1/2 pd from my last appt. to this one, with a total weight gain of 1 lb....still under starting weight, but Doctor not terribly concerned considering the baby is still measuring ahead or right on, and since I"m still not feeling great, it's better than weight loss.

The only minor concern is the placenta. While not covering the cervix, it is in the "too close" range at this point, so I'll have another ultrasound at 28 weeks, and hopefully it will have moved out of the way. Doctor is fairly certain it will move and won't be an issue, especially since my placenta is on the back side and not the front side. Once there is more baby growth, that will pull the placenta farther away. If by some chance it doesn't move adequately, then we'll talk about the next step...c-section.

The baby is estimated to weigh 13 oz....right on target with where I am in the pregnancy.

Talked a bit about not sleeping well on my side, due to my neck bothering me (I wake up with terrible awful headaches when I sleep on my sides, as I think I need a neck adjustment.) The doctor suggested I get a massage to see if that helps the situation, but said that she would write me a note to a chiropractor, as long as the only adjustments are done on my neck...no back adjustments. She said that in about 3-4 weeks, she does not want me on my back sleeping, so I have to get this problem fixed soon. So, David, if you are reading this...a massage gift certificate would be great right now:-)

It was fun to see the little thing wiggling around on the screen....very active. There was very little temptation to find out the gender...I figure since David wasn't there, I'd better not..he might be upset:-)

Glad that everything looks good...now to get feeling better, sleeping better and have a dose of energy. That's not too much to ask, right?

20 weeks down, +/- 20 to go

2012-02-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

The first half of this pregnancy has past. Incredible. I used to think that time just stood still, those awful days and nights that I spent feeling very miserable, but looking back, time went faster than normal. How can it be the beginning of February already? How can I be 20 weeks pregnant? How can, in 20 weeks, it be June? Seems impossible to me.

I'm still not feeling great. UGH! I was sick until about 20 weeks with the other kids as well, but I was hoping that this time would be different. Guess not. I thought I was kicking the sickness a few weeks back, but then the last 3-5 days have been rough again. And, I'm still soooo tired.

I did lose a bit of weight in the beginning, which is normal for me. The doctor did give me Zofran, which I took every once in awhile when the sickness was just bad enough. Thankfully, it really worked for me....almost instantly. At first, my sickness was multiplied by my vitamins, which made me sick, so I took the Zofran to help with the sickness, the Zofran would give me a terrible headache, so I'd have to take a Tylenol...it was a vicious cycle. My vitamins still make me sick, so I've been taking Flintstones, but I think I may just try changing the brand of vitamins the next time I'm at the store.

I'm just now starting to show a little. I don't feel like I'm as big as I was with Connor at this same point, but the last ultrasounds I've had are showing a larger baby than my dates, so who knows. I've had to have an ultrasound at every appointment so far. I had one at my first ultrasound at 9 weeks, then again at 12 weeks, b/c the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat on the doppler (that was not stressful at all), then again at 16 weeks to have my cervical length checked due to a leep procedure I had many years ago. At 9 weeks, the baby was measuring, 9 weeks 5 days, at 12wks 3d, the baby was measuring 13w 4d, and at 16 weeks, she didn't take that measurement for some reason, but everything looked great. Heartbeat has been between 150 and 160. Even at 16 weeks, after having the ultrasound, the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler..makes me crazy. I guess the position of the baby is far back, and the uterus is tilted slightly, with the placenta sort of in the way, so there is a lot between the baby and the doppler. I sure hope we don't have this trouble going forward, as I prefer things to be easy:-) Thankfully, this is a very active baby. I started feeling kicks (actual kicks) at 14 weeks, and this child is always moving around.

I go on Thursday for the big 20 week ultrasound, and I am praying that we see a healthy baby. We will not be finding out the gender, but my guess is on a girl. (yep, I'm putting that out there, I think it's a girl.) Avery and Alivia both want another brother, and Connor is still in denial:-)

I'm not sleeping too great, but I think it's mostly b/c I haven't found a comfortable way to lay on my side...I sleep the best flat on my back, and that won't work for too much longer. As much as I would love to take a nap during the day, I've been forcing myself to do something else, so that when bedtime rolls around, I'm super exhausted....then at least until I have to get up to go to the bathroom, I sleep decently.

Other than that, things are good. I think I'll be full of anxiety until that baby is here and healthy, but I'm trying to push that all out of my mind....it's out of my hands.

Favorite Reading Spot

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Very Rare for the Last Day of January

2012-01-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

I don't think our particular town topped out where they predicted (mid-60's), but it was still a decent day (low 50's), so the kids and I had a quick Jimmy John's lunch out (I really don't worry about the sandwich meat thing..don't judge) and went on a hike in the forest preserve area by our house. Wish the sun would have been out, and that it was less windy, but it was still a pleasant 45 minutes and we were back in plenty of time for Connor's nap. I heard on the news this morning, that it is the anniversary of our huge blizzard from last year....20+ inches of snow...only to be close to record breaking temperatures this year...craziness. Oh, and there was an earthquake just a few miles from our house yesterday....double craziness.

Basketball

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

Avery is playing basketball this winter and David is her coach. (She is also playing indoor soccer and we occasionally have conflicts between the 2, but the soccer season is much longer than the basketball season, and Avery loves soccer, so we thought it would be ok to try both this year.) Things have been going well. They are currently undefeated and the girls are showing real progress already. There were a few girls who had never played before, couldn't get the ball to the hoop, and they are all doing so much better. David is focusing mostly on fundamentals, and I'm so glad about that. It drives me crazy to see the kids blatantly double dribble and travel and to have their coaches encourage them to do so. I don't think that is teaching them, I think it's doing a disservice to them. While there is, of course, some traveling and double dribbling, this team does it very minimally, and I'm proud of them for that.

Fun Dip....Anyone????

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Connor Swimming

2012-01-28T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad that I was able to capture this on video. Connor's teacher, Ms.Sara, was so proud of him and how far he swam. She wasn't helping him at all, she just kept backing up as Connor kept swimming farther.

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Next to get some video of Avery swimming..tried, but my camera died. Next time.

"Yes, there's a Baby"

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

****Alternatively titled, "There's No Baby", until my Mom brought to my attention that she read the title and her heart fell to the floor, thinking that something bad had happened to the baby....Mom, I'm so sorry for scaring you.

"There's No Baby" is what Connor says when we talk about the baby in my tummy..."There's No Baby, Mom!" Sorry kiddo....I'm afraid to tell you, there is a baby, and you are going to be a Big Brother!!!!!

Swimming

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post some video of Alivia and Connor swimming. This isn't the best of Alivia, as by the time I remembered to video, she had already swam the length of the pool several times and was a bit fatigued. She is doing great though, swimming without arm floaties front and back all the way across the pool. Connor also loves swimming. He's still working on the coordination between using his arms and kicking his legs, but he has a great teacher and as long as he's having fun I'm ok with his progress....he's only 3, right? (I just realized that both of these videos are of Alivia, so I'll have to get video of Connor when we go for our next lesson.)

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Alivia does much better on her back floats when she is using her arms...I guess this time it was legs only.

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Avery's 8 and I'm a terrible Mom

2012-01-24T06:09:00.000-08:00

Avery turned 8 on January 17th....a week ago. I feel terrible that I didn't get a post up about her until now. I didn't get her pictures taken (yet). She didn't get a birthday party. (But that was her choice, as she had a choice between a party with her friends, or getting a mini laptop for her birthday gift...she chose the computer..good choice)

We spent the weekend before her birthday in WI, celebrating our 8th annual January Christmas in Wisconsin. We took the girls out of school on that Friday and left bright and early that morning. All was well, until about 4 hours into the trip, when in true Nielsen Family Travel Tradition, there is vomiting. This time, Connor. So, it was a 45 minute stop to change clothes and clean up the best we could and we continued on...only to stop again for 30+ minutes to clean up the next round. This went on every 20 minutes or so for the remainder of the trip. So, instead of our 6 hour trip, it took 7.5 hours.

Connor was sick the entire weekend. We had Christmas that Friday night, and he was so miserable, he couldn't even open his gifts. Poor guy.

The kids did a lot of sledding in the back yard. For not having much snow, they sure flew down the hill. So fast, in fact, that they would hit the weeds at the base of the dried up pond and fly out of their sleds. Connor did get outside that first morning, and went down the hill a few times, but then that was enough for him. I wish I had video of them sledding, as it was hilarious to watch.

The kids didn't get too tired when Grandpa was around, b/c he would drive the four wheeler down to the end of the hill and pull them back up...sounds like the good life to me!

We celebrated Avery's, David's, our nephew Joe's, and my Dad's birthdays' on Saturday night. Avery requested her normal, cherry pie for her birthday "cake" celebration.

After some gifts, the kids played a little Just Dance 3.

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Connor finally felt better on Monday..the day we left, but at least the drive home was uneventful (thank goodness) and it only took the normal 6 hours.

Then of course, that's not all for us, as Alivia started throwing up Monday night. I stayed up the entire night, holding the bucket by her every 20 minutes to catch the mess. Thankfully, hers only lasted about 12 hours and after a day of rest she was back to herself.

We had planned on going out for dinner on that Tuesday, (Avery's actual birthday), but with Alivia sick, we couldn't. So, instead, Avery and her friend, Lilliana and David and Dan (Lilliana's Dad) went to a movie and out for ice cream.

We took Avery out for her birthday dinner at the Olive Garden this past Sunday.

I am hoping to get her pictures taken in the next few weeks, but our afternoons seem so busy lately. Once I get that done, I'll post a few more things that's going on with Avery and what's she's up to lately.

Avery, we are sorry that your Birthday didn't work out as we had planned. We love you and can't believe that you are 8. (It seems soooo much older than 7 for some reason...but I suppose I'll say that with every year that passes now)

Christmas Day

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

We decided at last minute to head home on Christmas Day. We went to my step-mom's family's house for lunch and a few gifts and then headed home around 4:00. Thankfully, there were places to stop on the way home this year. (Last year we drove from Fort Dodge, IA to home on Christmas Day and I don't know if it was the time of day (later) but nothing was open..not even a gas station to stop for bathroom breaks...that was a long drive.) This year, everything was open.

So, we got home around 9 or so on Christmas Night. The kids opened one stocking gift that night, b/c they were tired (and so were we). We got up the next morning, did stockings, and attempted to find places for all our loot from Iowa, had breakfast, and then did the other gifts.

This year, Avery's big gifts were an Ipod Touch with a docking system and an electric razor scooter. She also got her blue, fuzzy saucer chair, some friendship bracelet making things, a basketball, jammies, a wii game, a globe, a microscope kit, and a few other things.

Alivia's big gifts were a DS with a case and 2 games, and a razor rip rider. She also got a new make-up kit, make-up, a basketball, friendship bracelet stuff, a horse jewelry box, a wii game, puzzles and some other things.

Connor got a Leap Pad (thanks to our neighbors who went above and beyond for me to get it...as I waited too long, and there were none to be found) a case for it and some games, and he got a tricycle so that he can practice pedaling in the house. (He still won't pedal...not sure how to remedy this) He also go a new new shot-gun, some games, and toys.

It seems that gift buying gets harder every year.

The kids loved all their gifts and have done a good job playing with everything and taking care of it all.

Connor still asks when Santa is coming back to his house, and still sings some Christmas Songs. Frosty being his favorite.

We are heading up to WI on Friday for our 7th annual Christmas In January with my Dad. I always look forward to this trip...no running from one house to the next. We celebrate my Dad's, David's, our nephew Joe's and Avery's birthday's, have Christmas, eat, play the Wii, go sledding, ice fishing, shopping....and just sit and relax. It's such a nice weekend. Hopefully, I'll take some pictures:-)

Christmas Eve Dinner

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

We always try to have Christmas Eve dinner with my Mom. With families expanding and having other places to be, it's getting harder. This year, my brother, Eric and his family were not able to be there, as he had to work. (He's a paramedic in Waterloo) We sure missed having them there. My mom keeps dinner fairly simple with a couple of soup choices and appetizers and desserts. She makes the best desserts, but I always find that by the time I'm done with dinner, I'm too full to have desserts. I always tell myself that I'll take some with me for later, and then forget, but really want a piece of dessert the next day. One of these years I'll learn.

Jayden, Addison, Alivia, Avery, Baby Emma (not happy) and Connor

Emma was a little happier after her jammies were on. Connor did a good job holding her, until we said something about everyone getting a present, and then he sort of pushed her off his lap onto the floor...thankfully I was right there to grab her, and she didn't get hurt at all. But, you always feel bad when your kid does something like that to a baby that's not yours, even if it is family:-)

My mom always goes way overboard for the kids for Christmas...They love it, as you can imagine:-)

Christmas Eve Lunch

2012-01-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

We had Christmas Eve lunch at my Grandma Ramona's. She always makes such a great meal and I end up stuffing myself way too full. We also went to my Grandpa's on Christmas Eve morning, but I guess I didn't get any pictures...darn it.

And, I just realized that I didn't get any pictures from our Nielsen Christmas with David's family. We had that on Christmas Eve Eve. (Friday) What is wrong with me?

The kids eating lunch.

Trying to get a picture of Grandma with all the Great-Grandkids. (I didn't realize until know that only Alivia was looking at me)

After lunch, we headed up to my mom's for dinner and gifts. Christmas Eve was a long day.

Behind.....Again...The story of my life!

2012-01-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm going to begin by saying that I just don't see how people have the time to blog everyday. Seriously, uploading pictures, writing about them or something else...I wish I had time to stay ahead of the game, I just don't. Oh well. I'll be posting some Christmas pictures, as that is pretty much all that's been missed since my last post. I hope the holidays were wonderful for all of you. The excitement and joy the kids had this year was amazing. I loved watching them this year.

Annual Nutcracker Picture

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

The girls and I went to our 2nd Annual Nutcracker performance on Sunday afternoon. We took a couple of pictures before we left.

I was really late ordering tickets this year, but thankfully found a production not too far from where we live and we got tickets in the 2nd row...it was awesome. The dancers were so good, and the little tiny girls in there were so cute. Avery and Alivia had a really nice time, and I'm glad we are able to keep the tradition going.

Cute Homemade Things

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Alivia and Connor made some really cute crafts at their schools this holiday season. I adore them, and am going to be really sad when it's time to pack up the holiday decorations....but I so love bringing the bins out each year at Christmas time and finding these priceless treasures again.

The girls are really into writing notes to our elf, Buddy, and leaving him treats to take back to the North Pole each night. (They were super excited to get a note back from him the other day) Avery is trying so hard to believe, as I think she really wants to, but she's asking a lot of hard questions about it all, so I expect she'll be past the "Santa" stage soon...boo.

Here is a letter that she wrote to Buddy.

Here is a drawing that Alivia made for Buddy. She drew a picture of him, and labeled the "sky" (b/c that's how he flies back to the North Pole), wrote his name and signed her own name.

An ornament she made in preschool...so cute.

A Christmas Tree made out of her hand prints....LOVE IT!

Her Angel

Just a 3 year old cutie who wanted his picture taken..not sure where his pants are.

Connor's reindeer he made in school

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-19T10:08:00.001-08:00

Every year I say that I am going to buy 2 gingerbread house kits...one for the kids...and one for me:-) Well, this year, I came home with 1...and you would have thought the world was ending in our house. So, back out to the store I went and bought 2 more...so each adorable child could have their own. I'm so glad I did this. The kids did a great job working on their own houses, there was no fighting and they all had a great time.

Connor did a lot of this

Avery's finished house

Alivia's finished house

Connor's finished house

This Cutie

2011-12-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Is just getting too big. We are pretty much potty trained. We can go all day without any accidents..just not at night yet. (But I don't expect too much from the nighttime wetting yet, as my girls were very late in being nighttime trained.) I still put a pullup on him when we are out and about, as I'm not a big fan of frantically trying to find a bathroom while in the freezer section of the grocery store. Not worth the stress in my book, but when we are home and feeling good, we go pullup free. He loves wearing just his big boy unders:-)

Around the House

2011-12-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not such a good decorator. I like how other people decorate, but for some reason, I just don't have the gene in me. Oh well.

This is my favorite new purchase of the season. I've always wanted an Advent calendar, but never really knew what to fill the boxes with, especially with 3 kids who all want to do it themselves. This is the perfect solution. The boxes all have a little ornament in them to hang on the tree..we rotate the days so that they all get a turn. I love it.

Our mantle area...please ignore the plastic over the fireplace opening..the previous owners didn't put a door on, so it is super drafty....I eventually want to change the fireplace out with a new face, so we don't want to buy doors for it yet, as they are way expensive. (Not sure how Santa is going to manage to get past the plastic, but for now, at least the kids haven't asked that question:-)

My favorite holiday decorations are ones that are handmade by the kids. A picture of Alivia from a few years ago...so cute.

The hallway table.

Avery as an angel....I remember when she was very angelic....not so much anymore:-)

Our tree in the dining room.

Another cute one of Avery from many years ago.

Our family room tree

My holiday snowman card holder

The entertainment center in the family room.

Our Elf, Buddy

And that's about it. Nothing fancy, but the kids like it. Helps get me in the holiday spirit..can't believe Christmas is next weekend already. Where did the month of December go?

Decorating the Tree

2011-12-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

It took quite a few days to get the tree decorated. Many hours to put the lights on and ribbon on. We broke many ornaments this year. Mostly the ones that Connor was trying to put on the tree. He hasn't grasped the concept of having the "hook" the ornament on a branch. Oh well. They sure had fun.

Visit with Santa

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Santa visited Alivia's preschool. Connor thinks he's in preschool. He pushed himself right up to the front of the group, held Santa's hand and listened so nicely to Santa's stories.

After he got his candy cane, he was so sad, b/c he wasn't able to tell Santa that he wants a helicopter for xmas, so we had to go back so he could tell him. It was cute.

Hunting for our Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is the first year that we have a live Christmas Tree. I put a artificial tree in our dining room, but we wanted a nice big live tree for the family room area. So, on Sunday, we set out in search of the Nielsen Family Christmas Tree.

The weather was decent. It had rained for a few days prior, so the ground was very muddy....I'm so glad I insisted on snow boots for the kids.

We hunted quite a long time, and if it were any colder, I think it may not have been as much fun. We found our tree, but wanted to keep looking..thankfully, we were able to re-find it later. Next year, we'll have to mark potential trees, so they are easier to find when we come back.

The search begins

Connor was lobbying for trees that were his size:-)

Our tree. Connor was mad because I said we could go have some hot chocolate after we cut the tree down...he wanted orange pop.

David was so quick cutting the tree down, that I didn't even get an action shot. We weren't too far from the cars, so he just carried the tree over. Otherwise, they have a tractor that will pick you and your tree up.

Our tree in the shaker.

Getting bundled

Loaded on the family truckster

I'll post pictures of the finished product, as soon as we finish it. It took me 3 hours to put lights on it, and then another hour or so, to decide how I wanted to do the ribbon. While I loved doing this, a pre-lit, artificial tree is definitely less work. Stay tuned.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving had MANY bumps in the road this year. (Last year, I got the flu and gave it to Avery and Alivia...this year is of equal proportions)

We left for Iowa on Wednesday morning. By the time lunch rolled around, everyone was hungry, but could not agree on what to have. The littles wanted McDonalds and Avery wanted Subway. So, we went through a McDonald's drive through and Avery starts complaining that the smell of the grease was making her sick. She makes this weird gagging sound and David and I tell her to relax.....and then she vomits....all over the back seat. She's not kidding when she says she doesn't like McDonalds:-) So, we have to get her cleaned up, clean up the car and then figure out the rest of lunch. (I'm thinking she's starting to get a bit car sick, so Dramamine to the rescue.)

we get to David's parents house and have a decent evening. That night, Connor and Alivia are up all night coughing. Missed a breathing treatment. I woke up Thanksgiving morning and am hardly able to move. Did something to my neck throughout the night and am in terrible pain all day.

Connor, while playing at my Grandma's hurts his neck and is screaming in pain every time he has to move his head. He isn't visibly better for 24 hours.

Avery, having indulged a bit too much in Thanksgiving food, throws up again Thanksgiving night.

I do get up and go shopping on Black Friday, but am back home by 10:00am, b/c David thought we might need to take Connor to the ER. Instead, it's decided that we'll wait until after he naps and see how he's doing. So, instead of me getting my 1 day a year out shopping and not worrying about the kids, I am home with them all day, while someone else meets friends for lunch and goes off for another couple of hours looking at pool table stuff and then out again that night with friends....I'm over it, really:-)

On Saturday, I woke up with pink eye....awesome. Then we traveled to David's Grandma's on Saturday in Gowrie, Ia...which is over by Fort Dodge. That was a good day, the kids did great. We drove from there back to our house that night, so it was a long day, but it was nice to be home on Sunday.

I've been terrible with getting my camera out, so I only have pictures of our gathering with David's family.

The great-grandkids and Grandma Delsie

Nancy (and Connor) with her sisters, Sue and Charlotte and her mom, Delsie.

Delsie's cousin, Zo, and the kids

All the guys with Zo and Delsie

The sisters again

Alivia singing in Church

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Alivia's preschool class sang in church a few Sunday's ago. For a little girl who used to be so withdrawn and shy, she is certainly not that same person. She sings loud, she participates and she's a great listener. It's so fun watching her grow.

This video may be a little long.

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Another visitor

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Before leaving for Thanksgiving, we happened to see this guy in our back yard.

We also had 3 other deer hanging out in the back yard/prairie area after we were home...but for some reason, my camera would not take a decent picture of them.

Ballet and Tap

2011-12-07T07:00:00.001-08:00

Alivia took a Ballet and Tap class this fall. On the last day, we were able to go into the room and watch. Alivia was the oldest in the class...and the tallest. She wants to sign up again, but next time, we are going to put her in a class of older kids. Some of the younger girls had a hard time following directions and the teacher was more preoccupied with redirecting them than with teaching the class.

It was fun to watch her dance, and more fun to hear her answer all the questions the teacher had correctly, regarding what each dance step was called. Alivia knew them all:-)

Not sure about the gang signs, but still a cute picture.

Veterans Day

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Was like a month ago (or more)...I know. Anyway....

The whole 2nd grade (3 different classes) at Avery's school put on a Veteran's Day performance. Avery was so excited to have been picked for a special singing part. She and 4 others sang part of a song by themselves. We did lots of practicing at home and she did a great job.

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We were asked to send in pictures of our family members who served or currently serve and the teachers put together a wonderful wall display and power point with the pictures. Unfortunately, my camera isn't what it used to be, and the picture didn't take as quickly as I wanted....this is what we got of David's dad, Clif.

We were able to find him on the giant wall display, so I took a better picture of that one:-)

December 2nd

2011-12-06T03:38:00.001-08:00

Came and went like any other day. Due to the season and the busyness of life, not much time was left to fully reflect on the day, but my heart was still heavy with sadness. Sadness for an angel baby that wasn't meant to join our family here. I've been told that He has a plan.....and I believe this....it's just that waiting for that plan can be very difficult.

Where does the time go?

2011-12-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

Seriously? There are just not enough hours in the day. I finally took 200+ pictures off my camera (don't worry, 90% of them are not post worthy) so I'm hoping to play catch up once again very soon. It seems that the holidays, kids schedules, decorating the house and tree, along with just living life has taken over all my time:-) I sure hope I have a couple of readers still out there...and if not, at least I have some sort of a diary of our lives still going here.

Hope you all are enjoying this busy Holiday season...I know we are!

Connor's Stats

2011-11-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to Connor's 3 year well-child visit yesterday. He was such a good boy for the doctor. Answering all the questions he was asked, doing what he was told. So brave for his 1 vaccine. (He got his 2nd Hepatitis shot)

He's been dealing with a cough/runny nose thing for quite a few weeks now, and the doctor did hear a bit of rattling in his lower lungs, but never a fever, so we will just do mucinex and the cool-mist humidifier like we have been doing.

He also gave them a urine sample and I got a call from the doctor that there was some protein in there, and that it could be completely normal, but that they wanted me to repeat the sample with a first morning urine and drop it off. Thankfully, I have a sterile cup already and that I'm heading over that direction with Avery for a bday party today, so I'm able to drop it off this morning. Hopefully it's all fine.

He's not quite as giant as I thought he would be, but still a very healthy growing boy.

Weight is 31.6 lbs (50%)
Height is 38 inches (66%)
and she didn't write his head size down, but it's good sized:-)

Now, here's to hoping that we don't have to go back to the doctor for anything until he's 4:-)

Cousins Visit

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

The week before Halloween, David's sister, Renee, and her family came for a visit. They came on a Thursday, and while the girls were in school on Friday, they took a trip to Legoland. Saturday morning we went to Avery's soccer game and then headed for the Dells for the night. It was a fast visit, but always great to get together with them. The kids love playing together and have such a fun time. We managed to fit in some Just Dance and pumpkin carving while they were here.

This was the backseat on the way home from the Dells.

Soccer

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Avery finished up with fall soccer a few weeks ago. She had a great fall and learned so much from her new coach. We are thrilled that she will have him again in the spring. Her team started out pretty rough and it was sometimes a struggle to sit through practices and games. But, they came out of the season with only 1 loss, which I think is really great. Avery played every position, but only goalie a few times. She was their go-to for goal scoring, so we needed her on the field. She likes to play forward or mid-fielder the best. She does a pretty good job at defense as well, but prefers to be up in the action.

(the pictures uploaded out of order and I don't have time fix it...sorry)

Alivia combed her hair

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

with a baby-toothed comb....I thought for sure I would have to cut it, thankfully, I was able to get it out after about 45 minutes of untangling.

A Witch, Super Girl and Buzz

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

The kids had a great time this year at Halloween. Connor especially loved it. He said, "trick or treat" and "thank you" at every house. And off he'd go...to the next house. Before long, we had to carry we had to carry his candy sack for him, as it was too full. We ended up with A LOT of candy....A LOT.

Alivia got to dress up for preschool. Here she is with Loralei, one of her besties.

Alivia's preschool class

Serious Buzz

Super cute Buzz

Avery in her Halloween parade at school

Super Girl

Birthday Celebration

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Connor wanted a Buzz birthday this year. Big surprise. I really didn't even start planning until the week of his birthday, but I did manage to get some cute decorations and I made a few myself.

I took the easy way out, and just ordered sandwiches, a veggie tray, and a fruit tray from the grocery store. I made a couple dips and had little smokies. We seemed to have enough food:-)

some of the decorations. I think my camera is on it's last legs, as it just didn't want to take very nice pictures this time. (hint to my husband:-)

Connor got a lot of very cute birthday gifts. His sisters made him cards and put a dollar of their very own hard earned money in it. I thought it was sweet. Grandma Donna and Grandpa Rick and Molly came for the party from WI....always so great to have them here. The kids adore them and love having the dog around. Avery is a puddle of goo when Molly is here..she loves that dog.

We had a few of our neighbors over for the party and before we knew it, it was 8:00 and time for the kids to go to bed. The kids were all pretty tired that night.

Connor loved his birthday party and we loved watching him that day. Pretty special 3 year old.

Connor's 3 Year Pictures

2011-11-09T08:46:00.001-08:00

Since I am so far behind, I am going to work from the most recent and go backward. Annoying, I know. Sorry.

I can't believe that this boy is already 3. (sigh)

He is certainly ALL boy. He loves guns, swords, trucks, cars, trains, wrestling and eating (just not eating healthy things)

This kid LOVES pickles. He asks for a pickle at EVERY meal. Even breakfast.

He is a super sweet boy. Always giving hugs and kisses and telling me he loves me. (Then he turns around and smacks one of his sisters and gets into trouble)

He still loves Buzz (as you'll see from his birthday pictures and halloween pics)

Still takes a good 2 hour nap a day.

Now that it's dark earlier, he's in bed between 7 and 7:30 and we get him up at 7:00 in the morning. (Yes, my kids like to sleep:-)

He goes to a preschool class 1 day a week. I'm hoping to get him into a longer class or a 2 day a week class starting after the new year.

He is still in the potty training process. We were about 90% there about 2 months ago, and he has regressed.

He can count (assisted) up to 20, and is starting to sing his ABC's. He knows all of his colors and about 95% of the animals in our little animal encyclopedia

loves to talk on the phone and is getting better at being understandable.

I just made his 3 year well-child doctor appointment for next week, but I'm guessing that he is pretty tall and heavy for his age.

He will not eat any vegetable...none. french fries don't count

he is taking a soccer class through the park district and is still in swimming

we went to the Dells a few weeks ago, and he did so great. He loved all the slides and even the big raft rides. He always wanted to go, "one more time"

he likes to be outside, but he has a tendency to wander..I think he thinks he's 13, not 3

he adores our next door neighbor, Luke (who is 11???) Thankfully, Luke is a good sport and plays with Connor

He still wants to rock before bed and asks me to sing him his song every night. (I LOVE THIS!!!)

Not so great at brushing his teeth, but he sure loves to do "mouthwash" (swishing with water after)

Has developed a new liking to Mickey Mouse Club House and the Looney Toons

Loves most fruit...bananas, apples, oranges, peaches, strawberries, blueberries

will rarely eat meat that isn't in a nugget form. He does like spaghetti, meat loaf and maidrites

has not had even 1 sip of milk...EVER. Will probably need to ask about a calcium vitamin for him...although he does like orange juice.

Is just the sweetest, craziest, cutest little guy ever. My most favorite 3 year old. I could just eat him up (most days)

Playing Catch-Up

2011-11-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

Seems to be the story of my life on here. I have a billion things to post about, but just can't find the energy to upload the pictures and get it done. One of these days. Be prepared for Halloween, Connor's 3 year pictures and birthday pictures, school programs, and other things I can't seem to remember at this minute. I sure hope I have some readers left out there. I don't know how those people do it that blog every day.

Flying Kites

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

The kids each got kites in their Easter baskets....ummmm, yep, back in April (is that when Easter was?) Anyway, it was slightly windy last weekend and they wanted to use them. Although it was not as pleasant as I remember as a kid (constant un-tangling, trying to keep them flying, etc.) the kids had a fun time.

Another Visitor

2011-10-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

This guy flew up and sat on our deck while we were eating dinner on Tuesday night. The kids thought it was pretty cool.

Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

David was out of town, fishing in WI, last weekend. Here is proof.

And, the weather was beautiful, and the kids had a 4 day weekend, and we had soccer practice/games/etc, and we decided to go with our neighbors to the pumpkin farm. It was a gorgeous day and we had a really nice time.

Pumpkin farms have gotten very commercialized and go way beyond just pumpkins, and the cost is outrageous..so I guess it's a good thing that we only go once a year. The one thing I liked about this farm, compared to other "farms" in the area, you can take a long hayride out to the fields and actually pick your own pumpkin....as big or as small as you want, $5. Our driver was sweet and charged me only $5 for all 3 of ours, b/c we got a smaller medium sized one and 2 smaller ones. (The kids had to get ones that they could carry...as I am only one "smallish" person and can't carry everything:-) So, along with the lovely hayride to the acres of pumpkins, there were also pony rides, jumpy houses, a corn bin, a small hay maze, 2 giant slides, a jumping pillow, tons of vendors, a petting zoo, a barn selling garden goodies and my favorite, apple cider donuts, and food. Lots and lots to do....but again, beautiful day+good friends= lovely day out of the house.

Below is an array of pictures...I'm too lazy to label them all. The kids along with mine, are Dylan and Lauren, our good friends and neighbors kids.

Remembering.....

2011-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Almost 6 months since our loss. Feeling sad......

Rainbow

2011-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

After what I would call, 2 raindrops falling from the sky, this is what we saw out our back yard.

It was so big, I couldn't even get a picture of the whole thing. It lasted for a long time too...Avery was sad when the last bit of color disappeared from the sky.

Picnic Time

2011-10-13T12:57:00.001-07:00

The weather has been so beautiful here lately, that we decided a picnic on the patio was necessary.

Good thing too, the next day...cold and non-stop rain. Boo!!!!

Nothing

2011-09-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, I got nothing. Nothing to post about. Seriously, nothing. I don't think I've even taken 1 picture since Labor Day..that's how pathetic I've been. The only things I've managed to accomplish is painting. I (and some of David's help) have managed to paint the office, the downstairs powder room, the formal living room and the formal dining room in the last month or so. I am now starting the process of painting the rest of the downstairs...BIG project. 3 hallways, dining room/family room, 2 story entry way, play area.....lots and lots and lots of wall space to paint. I can't wait for it to be done:-) I'll post pictures...sometime:-)

I also turned another year older today. YAY!!!! I guess it's just not that big of a deal anymore....I like getting older (weird I know---someday I'll be eating those words) But for now, I'm content with being another year older. Life, while very frustrating sometimes (i.e. 3 very adorable, but drive-me-crazy-every-day, kiddos) is good.

Alivia-4 1/2

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Alivia is growing up quickly. She has a few of her "own" friends, but spends most of her time playing with Avery and Avery's friends. So, she is acting very much like a 7-9 year old (minus some of my own 7 year old's tantrums)

She does not handle getting hurt well. She will cry and cry and cry, but she won't tell anyone what is wrong, therefore, not allowing anyone to actually help her.

She is coming out of her shell recently. She will now play Just Dance, sing and dance for anyone and do cheers, act goofy and not be all embarrassed.

She is a hard worker with learning time. She loves it. I actually don't plan enough for her to do during that time. I plan 4-6 different activities per day, and she wants to do more. I'm hoping that with preschool starting up, she'll get her learning time "fix" and our 4-6 activities will be suffice. (Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE that she loves learning time, but it is a lot of planning and a lot of work to prepare for each week, and I'm just running out of hours in the day.)

She loves any and all crafts. Not so much plain coloring, but that can hold her over until something better comes up.

She is great at puzzles. Fairly hard puzzles....100-250 pieces.

She doesn't need to nap everyday anymore, but will still lay down and fall asleep if I lay down in her room with her. Never a nap on the weekends.

Not able to stay dry through the night yet. I'm not great at limiting her liquids either, so we'll have to work on that.

She loves hair pretties and chap stick. This girl, has more chap stick than anyone I know. She also loves to wear her hair in a ponytail, with a barrette and a headband.

A decent eater with fruits and veggies. Not great with meat yet.

Is in 3T-4T clothes. I think her legs are longer than what Avery's were at this age, b/c I'm finding that some of the pants that Avery wore at this age, are a bit too short for Liv.

Goes to bed at 8:00, gets up around 7:00

Will take either a bath or a shower.

loves bugs, butterflies, frogs...all those things that I am really not fond of.

started riding Avery's bigger bike, but is still a bit cautious and prefers her princess bike.

goes to preschool MWF from 9-11:30. She can't wait for next year when she gets to ride the bus to school.

Still likes Disney Princess, but never wants to watch any of the princess movies and doesn't really like dress up anymore. She likes the t-shirts with princesses on them, and she likes to have hair pretties and chap stick that are disney princess.

Is becoming a pretty good swimmer. She takes lessons once a week, and I watched her back float all the way across the pool alone at her last lesson.

She's going to start a ballet/tap class again this fall, but has asked to start up gymnastics again. (We took the summer off, as we were all getting a little burned out)

She did spring soccer, but wasn't a fan, so we are going to try and basketball class starting in November.

Has discovered a love for fishing.

Loves to run, and run, and run. I giggle when I watch her, b/c she runs like a linebacker. (wide stance, swinging arms way out to the side...comical...think Phoebe on Friends)

can not sleep in her room at night if Avery is not there. She ends up sleeping on the floor in our room.

maybe having her very first sleep over at a neighbor girls house. Not sure how I feel about that yet:-)
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loves to help. She is my little domestic girl. loves to fold laundry, help cook, bake, clean....anything, as long as she's helping.

plays well with Connor while Avery is at school, but the minute Avery is home, Connor is left in the dust...poor guy.

really wants a cat. UGH!

She can also throw momumental tantrums....it's something to see, let me tell ya!

Can't believe this sweet girl is half way to 5. My heart melts thinking about how much I love this little thing.

Wild West Town

2011-09-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

My sister, Kelly, her husband, Dan, and their son, Alex came and spent Labor Day weekend with us.

On Saturday, we had no plans, except for watching the Iowa game and playing yard games with some neighborhood friends.

This is what my house looks like when there are 8 kids and 8 adults in the house.

Practicing some cheers.

Alex didn't want to be left out of the dress-up play....his Dad was very impressed:-)

All the kids, doing some "shufflin"

We made breakfast burritos and had a bloody mary bar in the morning. They were yummy!!!! And with bloody mary's starting the day off at 9:30am and a mirage of other drinks throughout the day, my day ended at 9:30pm:-) It was a FUN day!

Sunday, we went to Wild West Town. It's only about 25 minutes away from us, and one of those little "gems" that only a small town can possess. We were there about when it opened, (10:00) and stayed until 3:30 or so.

The kids had a great time. Pony rides, roller coaster, wild west show, panning for gold, petting zoo, boat ride, archery, slingshots, face painting, a train ride, little shops, and a carousel.

Panning for gold.

boat ride

I like this one, b/c Uncle Dan got Connor to raise his hands in the air on the roller coaster.

There is also a museum-ish place for the older crowd, a real, old-time movie theater and a few shops to poke around in. We also ate at the restaurant there, and it was decent. (I've read that the evening meals are rated #1 in McHenry county, so we might have to go back and try dinner there.)

Sunday night we ended up ordering pizza and eating in our neighbors driveway, as we sat around a fire and had some drinks. Feeling really blessed by our neighborhood.

Thanks Dan, Kelly and Alex for coming to visit us. We had so much fun.

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Alivia finally had her 1st day of preschool. She has been waiting forever for it to be her turn. She's going to a new school this year, Holy Cross Lutheran Preschool MWF mornings. I would have loved to get her into something that is longer and more days, but it will be fine for now.

(She looks so bow legged in this picture...she always stands very.....wide....not sure how to exactly explain it, but it's something. )

This is her friend, Loralei. They were in preschool last year together, and when our dear teacher was let go, we both decided that we would move the girls to a new school. They are going to love preschool together this year!

Alivia's new ears

2011-09-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Miss Thing got her ears pierced on Monday. I had prepared her that it would hurt, she would probably cry, but then it would be all done. Well, she was very brave and barely shed a tear. She was more relieved that it was over...it took awhile to get the dots on her ears lined up perfectly.

She looks pretty sweet in her new earrings.

New Smile

2011-09-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Avery finally lost her 2 front teeth..they've been wiggly since the beginning of summer. She had to go to the dentist for sealant 2 weeks ago, and she asked the dentist to pull the 1st one out, b/c it was hard for her to eat. After that one came out, the other one got super wiggly and fell out 3 days later. She's pretty proud of her new smile.

Chicago Sky

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Back in March, I attended a Girls on the Run function with some friends. It was their annual gala, that included full appetizers, drinks (the pink champagne, although delicious that evening, proved to be a very poor choice come Sunday morning:-), a band, dancing, a live auction and a silent auction. I bid on, and won, 4 tickets to a Chicago Sky WNBA basketball game. My friend, Sarah, and her daughter, Lilliana, were going to split the tickets with us.

Many months later, like June, I decided that I should call a Sky rep and find out how to redeem my tickets. I spoke with Ashlee, who was incredible helpful. We ended up picking August 26th as the game we wanted to attend.

So, the Friday after school started, we (Sarah and I) took the girls (Avery and Lilliana) out for dinner and to the game.

We had a such a fun time. The Sky played Washington, and although not doing so well in the standings this year, they played really well that night and won. The girls had a fun time watching the Sky players during the game.

Although I don't follow the Chicago Sky, I'd definitely go back for another game.

Some Visitors

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready to herd the kids out the door to run errands, I'm sure glad a took a second to look out the kitchen window. These 3 little creatures were visiting our house and stayed for quite some time. The kids thought it was pretty cool.

First Day of 2nd Grade

2011-08-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Avery started school on August 24th. 2nd grade. She's definitely growing up fast.

She lost one of her top teeth the day before, and the other one got really wiggly as soon as the other one came out, so her smile is a little goofy with that one tooth sticking out.

One last WI weekend---Warning-Long Post-Lots of Pictures

2011-08-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend in WI. (almost 2 weeks ago now, as I am always late getting posts on here) One last weekend away before we are consumed with school, soccer practice, soccer games, preschool and toddler school. The weather was lovely, not too hot, not too cold.

We left on Thursday morning and came home on Monday in time for Avery's "Meet the Teacher" night at school.

I was able to spend the morning with my sister in law, Jen, shopping on Friday. I haven't been to a store without at least 1 kid in tow for so long I can't remember (and going to Walmart at 8:00 at night for groceries, does not count)

Avery had her 1st experience at knee boarding and Uncle Tom and David took them all tubing.

Our adorable niece, Emry. 18 months old, tubing with her Uncle Dave. She's growing up way too fast!

Daddy and Alivia

Avery knee-boarding

Alivia and Connor on the tube with David

Connor and Daddy

Jake, Avery and Joe on the tube

More of Alivia and David

And more of Connor and David

My beautiful girl

Big kids again

Joe knee-boarding

More of Avery knee-boarding

and more

Jake knee-boarding

Daddy and Connor on the pontoon

David's parents and grandmother also came for the weekend. It's always nice to spend some time with them.

My 2 best attempts (out of about 30) at a picture with Clif and Nancy and the kiddos.

David and Grandma Delsie

Grandma Delsie with her Great-Grandkids I'm so thankful that my kids have a lot of their Great Grandparents still with us.

We all went on a train ride on Saturday, and Connor slept through almost all of it, so I didn't get any pictures. Right before we left for the train, he somehow fell out the door and took a big chunk out of his arm, if it was any bigger, I would have taken him to the er for potential stitches, as it was quite gaping. Then, after waking up on the train, we got off to look at one of the cars they have out for climbing in, and he got stung by a wasp. It was quite the day for him.

We did a little fishing, some swimming and lots of playing.

Connor's fish

Avery on the paddleboat

Sweet Emry

I love how Connor is looking at David in this picture

I just couldn't get enough pictures of this sweet girl

Such a blond haired boy after this summer

A Bald Eagle flying down to pick something up out of the water.

Our annual "cousins" pictures.

We didn't get to see much of my Dad or brother, Eric, as they were in a big-time fishing tournament that weekend, but we did get to see Grandma Donna and my SIL, Jen and Emry a lot, so that was wonderful.

It was a great way to end the summer. It sure went quickly.

Wartburg Weekend

2011-08-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Each year, we (try) and get together with some of David's college friends and their wives. Troy and Jen Osterhaus's family have a house on the Mississippi River, so we all meet there. It is such a fun time. Boating out on the river. Playing bags on the sandbar. Having many beverages and just a lot of fun with a lot of fun people.

I need to send a shout out to Carey for sending me all of her pictures. I only took a few, so she did me a big favor by sending a lot of them to me. Thanks so much Carey.

Some of the group on the sandbar.

The guys re-living some of their football days.

I love this picture of Kevin!!!!

Nice muscles, Troy!

David on the phone...come on!

Sarah and Jenn playing bags

Jen and I

Friday night after coming in off the river, we played a lot of card games. This is how David ended the night....on BJ and Carey's bed.
It appears that David might not be as young as he used to be.

This year we decided to golf on Saturday morning. It was called the Divorce Open, as you play with your spouse (every other swing) and sometimes it can result in an unhappy marriage (so I've been told) Thankfully, we all had a fun time and no one was on the brink of divorce as a result.

All of us before the 1st tee.

After golfing, we headed out on the river again, and it was much busier than Friday night. But, we made room on a sandbar, played bags and then went to a bar for dinner. The following pictures are a result of our bar experience. I included in the picture descriptions if the people were married or not, as it appears that we took a lot of pictures with each others spouses, and not so many with the people we are married to. I think I did get one of each couple, except for BJ and Carey...what's up with that?

Sarah and BJ (not married)

Carey and Dave....he seems to be showing a few signs of sleepiness in this picture...hmmm

David and I (married:-)...when did I start taking such god-awful pictures????? UGH!

The ladies...(and Troy:-) Jenn A., me, Carey, Sarah, (Troy) and Jen O.

Carey and Troy (not married)

Sarah and Troy (not married)

Troy and Jen (they are married)

Mike and Sarah (married)

Me and Troy (not married:-)

Me and Carey (also, not married:-) and after looking closer at the picture...Troy and Jen also made an appearance in this picture:-)

The whole group

Kevin and Jenn (married)

And David, again, showing his age, sleeping on the couch while the rest of us were still hanging out.

We had a great time this year, Thanks so much Troy and Jen for having us all over.

Thank you also to Clif and Nancy, who met us in Guttenburg on Friday to take the kids home with them and then brought them back on Sunday. We had a great weekend away and the kids had such a great time with you. I hope they weren't too much trouble. Connor still asks (pretty much every day) to go to Grandma Nance's house. Thanks so much!

Six Flags

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Avery did a reading contest for school this last winter and won a ticket to Six Flags. The ticket was set to expire and so I figured it was time to actually use it.

(Connor on the log ride)

Amusement parks are not rated very high on my "things I want to do" list. They are actually probably the lowest activity on there. The tons of people, the lines, the outrageous cost of food and drink, the heat and did I mention the enormously long lines and oodles of strange people? None of which I'm incredibly fond of. Plus, they don't even let you bring in snacks for little kids. I can see if I was bringing in an entire meal for my whole family, but some pretzels, goldfish and mandarin oranges. Come on! I had to throw it all in the trash and then purchase the overpriced, nasty, not-at-all good for you food to feed to my 2 year old. Nice Job Six Flags...way to promote healthy eating.

(in some outrageously long line for some ride)

So anyway, we decided to go on a weekday, and it was still very busy and it was hot. We arrived at 9:30, 30 minutes before the rides start.

(driving the cars)

Avery started off on a rollercoaster with David, while the littles and I rode the carousel. Avery and I then went on one of the wooden roller coasters. Not a good idea. The line was really long, it was super hot, we didn't have any drinks, so by the time we actually rode, Avery was not feeling well. My stomach was also a little queasy. David had taken the littles to the kiddie area, and I couldn't find him. I didn't have any money with me, and I could see that Avery was in desperate need for something to drink. So much so, that I knew she was going to throw up. She did. Thankfully we had made it to the bathroom. So, after 2 rides, Avery was miserable. Good Times.

(her favorite carousel horse)

We found David and decided to get some lunch. Avery still didn't feel good and would only drink water.

(CW was a big fan of the carousel as well)

Alivia and Connor loved the little kid sections of the park, and went on more rides than anyone else. Connor is just tall enough to ride the log ride, boat ride and raging river, so we all were able to do those together. Alivia was pretty scared after the log ride and didn't want to ride the boats, but we forced her...we're good parents like that. Connor was excited to ride them, but David said that he could feel Connor's grip get really tight as we approached the steep drops. After each ride, he would say, "Wow, that's fast!" Everyone like the raging river, although Connor looked like he was going to disappear sitting in those big seats by himself.

(sweet, sweaty girl)

It was starting to get late, but decided to let Avery pick one more thing she wanted to ride, since she was the reason we were there. She wanted to do the raging river again. So, she and David went to do that, while Alivia, Connor and I went to the carousel. There was nobody in line for that, so we were able to ride it about 5 times in a row before David and Avery got back. Then, of course, in true Avery fashion, she wanted to do "just one more thing...please?" and she and David headed off to the Whizzer. (some roller coaster) I decided that while we were waiting for them, me and the littles were going to have a funnel cake...I figured, what's 8 more bucks? It was worth it:-)

(driving the boats)

After many hours (we left at 8:00pm) we headed home....with the windows down. The smell of that water on our clothes was about enough to make me gag. It was nasty. Many times the Six Flag workers would gently remind the kids to "please don't touch the water, it is very dirty." No kidding. I had to wash everything, even our shoes. Yuck.

(Connor was napping at this point, so Liv rode the boats herself)

So, I'm not sure if the school will have a reading contest again this year, but if they do, and Avery wins a ticket, we may just end up paying her in cash the cost of admission and forgo the amusement park experience...at least for a few more years.

Summer Fun

2011-08-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Bubbles, water balloons and swimming. Pretty much sums it up.

Avery and her friend (and our next door neighbor) Kelly

Flowers

2011-08-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Our yard needs a lot of work. I don't like any of the "garden" (term used very loosely) areas in our yard. The landscapers just sort of threw the bushes and plants in and then the last owners never really took care of them, so we have a lot of work to do in our yard. Hopefully, next summer, we will get the front flower bed and the patio in the back yard taken care of. I also prefer to have flowers planted in pots, opposed to in the ground. I prefer contrasting colors of shrubs and bushes, grasses and hostas for the in-ground stuff.

I sort of missed the prime picture taking time for my flowers, but they still look fairly decent. Everything except for the hanging plants I bought when they were super little (like 1 leaf per plant) so they did pretty well this year, considering how hot it is. Some of the flowers I'd like to bring in and have them for next year, I'm just not sure where to put them in my house and I need to research a bug spray to use on them, as I don't want to bring in any nasty little pests that have made their home in my flowers.

I kept all the stakes that had the names of the plants on them, but am too lazy to go get them, so I can document the pictures.

Notice how dead the grass is right by the driveway....we are going to put in a paver boarder next year also, hopefully that will help the grass.

I love these Boston Ferns. I have 3 on our deck...they got huge this summer.

Family Picture

2011-08-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Alivia needs a family picture for her new preschool. We haven't had one taken since Christmas, so while my mom was here, I had her snap a quick one. Not our best effort, but good enough.

Dance Class

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Alivia took a beginning ballet and tap class this summer. It was only 6 weeks long, but she really liked it, (especially the tap part) so I'm going to try and get her in another one for the fall.

Playdate

2011-08-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Avery has kept in touch with some of her friends from her old school. It's been a crazy summer, and we just now were able to have a play date with her friend, Olivia. Olivia came to our house for the afternoon, so her mom could get them packed up for a trip to Puerto Rico (I'm jealous) So, the kids built forts upstairs in the playroom, then we took a trip to DQ for some ice cream, and then we went to the park for a bit before taking Olivia back home.

(Oh, and btw...I am totally annoyed with how picture upload on blogger...another reason why I'm losing interest...I don't want to have to rearrange pictures on every post, so that they are in order...I upload them in order, but they then somehow rearrange themselves in the process....so frustrating)

Grandma Joanie's Visit

2011-08-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

My Mom came to visit us last weekend. It's the first time she's been to visit in a long time, and she came by herself...which is saying a lot for her:-) She doesn't like to drive places by herself, especially 6 hours from home. But, she did great, and I hope that this shows her that it's not that bad coming to visit us and that she'll come visit again soon. The kids loved having her here...Connor still asks for "gamma doannie to play hide seek."

We took her into the city on Saturday to the Shedd Aquarium. We spent the majority of the day there, and were pretty tired after we left.

She's so strong.

By the fountain...Connor was being a stinker and wouldn't get in the picture..gotta love strong-willed children.

watching the dolphins and eating some chips

Thanks for coming to visit Mom...we had a great time!

Losing Interest

2011-08-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm losing interest in my blog. I like reading other friends' entries, but the time it takes to write a post, add pictures, etc. is just overwhelming me. I am always a few weeks behind, and I have no desire to post everyday, so I just wait until I have numerous things to post about and schedule them to publish on different days. I haven't been taking too many pictures either, b/c I am 7 months behind on getting them uploaded to my picture website and ordering them, so I don't feel like adding more pictures to the mess. Anyway, maybe it's just feeling completely bogged done and behind with so many projects that I'm just starting to dislike the things that previously brought me lots of joy. Everything just seems to stress me out these days. I don't like that.

Lights Out

2011-07-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

After returning from vacation, catching up on laundry and all that goes with being gone for 8 days, Monday rolls around and David heads back to work. I am getting Connor out of bed at 7:30 that morning and the lights go out. I look outside and it's not even really dark. I don't even have a chance to get downstairs and massive winds start. Avery asks me if their swimming pool is going to be ok outside....Nope....so I head to the basement to attempt to drag it in out of the weather. I got it in, but it was a struggle. Nearly got blown across the yard, broke the outside basement light when I ran into it, and was soaked from the down pour that had just started.

The kids and I are sort of watching out the window..the wind is incredible. Then I see a giant tree branch from a neighbors yard that was down from a storm a few days earlier go air born and land right on our front porch in front of the door. I then think it's probably a good idea to get away from the windows.

I was watching one of Avery's friends for the day, and her mom left me a message that she couldn't get out of the garage, so she'd call when she was on her way. I look outside again...tree branch has now blown off of our porch and is tangled in my bushes and flower bed.

20 minutes later, it's over...just a light rain. But the damage was done. 800,000+ people were without power...us included. I probably called our power company 2 dozen times hoping for updates. Nothing. The only thing they did say, was that it was going to take days to get everything restored. Possibly the worst power outage due to storm in recent history.

So, we went out for lunch (along with everyone else in the area with no power) and we went out for dinner. We never opened our refrigerator or freezers (until we bought ice late in the day Monday), hoping to keep them as cold as possible for as long as possible.

We all sleep in the family room..too hot upstairs. We wake up when the sun comes up...still no power. David is getting ready for work and then decides that it might be necessary to try and find a generator. (Our freezers are packed with food and I had called places as far away as Gurnee and everyone is sold out of generators) David is prepared to drive all the way to Madison, WI if necessary, but is so very fortunate to get 1 of the last 2 just delivered to our local Menards. We get it fired up, get all the fridges/freezers hooked up and feel pretty good about things.

Thankfully right at noon, our power comes back on. 30 hours after going out. We were one of the lucky ones...some people were still waiting until that Friday....5 days without power...I couldn't imagine. It was hot sleeping, but we managed, and we had water and flushing toilets, so that was ok, and now, if something like this should happen again, we are prepared with a generator:-)

Saturday-July 9th-Annual Cousins picture

2011-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

We take a picture of all the cousins at the end of every vacation. It's fun to watch them grow and change. We also have adapted doing "snaps" before we get in the car to make the long drive home. I'll have to see if I can find anymore before we go back in a few weeks.

The end of vacation came a few hours earlier for us than what we had planned. Friday after we returned from Fawn Doe Rosa, the kids and David went swimming and they were playing in the sand. Avery started first to complain of being itchy...then Joe, then Connor, then David, then Alivia. The tears started and nothing seemed to help. We finally sent Tom on a benadryl run and started researching chiggers. They are super-duper-tiny red bugs that attach to your hair follicle and inject a venom into your skin. You scratch b/c it itches and it spreads and makes it worse....fun stuff. So, the afternoon was filled with moaning, scratching, resting and finally sleeping when the benadryl kicked in. A few hours (or in Connor's case 5 days) later, red bumps appear. David has hundreds of bites on his legs...very attractive. The girls were covered from shoulders down with dozens and dozens of red bumps...if they hadn't all gotten them at the same time, I would have thought it might be chicken pox.

We had originally thought we would let the kids fish and swim on Saturday morning/afternoon and then head out sometime late Saturday. Due to the chiggers and then the power going out at 3am, we decided that we would pack up first thing on Saturday. The power was still out when we left around 10:00. We headed into town to say good bye to my Dad and Donna and we were on the road about 11:00. We made it home about 5:30 (which is making really good time) and we started laundry, unpacking, watering our poor crispy lawn and taking baths.

It was a great vacations...a few bumps along the way, but that is what makes memories (so I'm told:-)

Thank you Tom, Renee, Joe and Jake for having us for a whole week at your lake house. We had a fabulous time and can't wait to see you again in August.

Friday-July 8th-Fawn Doe Rosa

2011-07-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every year, we try and take the kids to Fawn Doe Rosa. They love feeding the animals, and it's nice to have something different to do for a morning.

I don't make too many attempts at a group picture these days..between 3 subjects that like to do their own thing, a camera that is on it's last leg, and just terrible picture taking abilities on my part, it's pretty impossible to capture on a camera just how stinkin' cute these kids are..guess you'll have to just take my word for it.

Connor's pretty excited that the goats came right up to him.

This big guy followed us around for awhile.

Liv walked right up to him

Timber wolf

Baby Geese

Oh, how Alivia wishes we had a horse.

Alivia ran off ahead of us, so she could feed the mini horses

Sweet baby

Farmer Connor

More Vacation Fun

2011-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Bags was very popular this vacation.

Nancy

David and Renee

Nancy and David

Bob and I

Nancy and Sue

Bob in the kayak

The start of a water balloon fight between our kids and the neighbor kids. The 40 minutes it took to fill those water balloons, was worth the fun they had in those 2 minutes

Alivia just being Alivia

Retirement Party-Thursday-July 7th

2011-07-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

David's mom, Nancy, has officially retired. We thought that since she and Clif, along with her two sisters and their husbands, Sue and Stan, Charlotte and Bob were going to be at the lake for a few days, we would have a bit of a surprise party for her. (It turns out that Nancy was a little suspicious due to reading an email not meant for her eyes to see, but it was fun anyway.)

We sent all of them out on the pontoon for a nice long ride, so we could get things decorated.

The table decorated with the goodies. Avery, Alivia and Connor painted that pot for Grandma Nancy and picked out the flowers to put in it.

Even if she wasn't super surprised, she was a good sport.

Nancy, Charlotte and Sue looking at the bracelet we got Nancy for a gift.

No retirement party is complete without silly string

Love this picture!

We sure hope Nancy is enjoying her new found freedom from working. If she's every really bored, I know 3 of her grandkids would love her to come and visit!

Swimming

2011-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

These pictures pretty much speak for themselves...the kids HAD.A.BLAST. swimming this week.

Fishing

2011-07-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

At this point, the days are sort of running together, and we pretty much did swimming and fishing every day, so these are just a jumble of pictures from throughout the week.

Grandpa and Alivia fishing. Grandpa brought Alivia a big-girl fishing pole, but we need to practice with it a bit before our next trip to the lake. Alivia caught a lot of fish during vacation and really seemed to enjoy fishing this time.

Alivia caught this rockbass, but she didn't want to hold it, so Avery held it for her.

Another one of Alivia's monsters.

Avery, Joe and Alivia fishing

More of Alivia

Connor and Uncle Tom driving the pontoon.

Alivia caught something

Connor's newest fun stage....the arms-crossed-pouty face....he was mad that it was time to be done fishing.

Alivia with another whopper

Liv and Grandpa

Connor and I

Grandma Donna and Avery in the paddle boat

Grandpa and Connor. We found a Toy Story fishing pole for Connor and he just loves it.

Alivia and Connor seemed to enjoy fishing this year more than Avery. I'm not sure what that was about, but Avery just didn't seem to have as much patience this year as last, but Connor and Alivia made up for that. They wanted to fish All.THE.TIME.

Connor Jumping

2011-07-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is getting a post all its own, b/c this is what Connor did at the lake 90% of the time. Jumping off the dock. We had 1 scary moment when he ignored the shovel on the dock that made up the line he wasn't to cross. David and I were both sitting there, watching the big kids jump into the deep water and didn't see Connor walk past the shovel. It registered what had happened the second he was jumping in, so I was on my feet running. It was over his head and he couldn't get his footing. He was scared, I was scared...and soaked. Connor never looked past the shovel again while jumping and I don't think I ever took my eyes off of him again while he was by the water. He told me later, "Mom, it was too deep, I cry."

See the shovel?

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What a difference a year makes. Last year he didn't go near the water, and barely played in the sand..this year, can't keep him away.

Vacation-July 3rd-75th Birthday Party

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

My Grandma turned 75 on July 4th, but we celebrated on the 3rd. We had way too much food and a few drinks(s) and a lot of fun. We played A LOT of bags and A LOT of hammerschlagen. (I would guess most people have never heard of hammerschlagen before....so fun...so frustrating) My uncle Randy and his fiance Sandy came in from Colorado. I haven't seen them in 5 years, since my Grandma's 70th bday party. My uncle Randy is quite a character and it's just so much fun getting together with them. My other uncle Ron and his family were also able to come. We had the majority of the party at my Dad and Donna's and then we moved to the David's sisters' lake house for cake and fireworks.

Here's David being funny guy...Sandy is not aware that he has his nose right in their conversation.

Deb's turn at hammerschlagen.

Grandma's concentrating hard.

Grandma Donna and Avery

Grandma gives it another go.

More bags...my Dad and Uncle Ron

Randy's turn

David's turn

Everyone picking their nail

Kid's sitting in the garage. Avery in back, Alivia in front, Amy and Emma and Adam

Grandma with her birthday cake

Connor and Alex jumping off the dock.

Vacation-July 2nd

2011-07-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

After a very early trip to Walmart and Menards for party supplies, Kelly and I got to work on re-making some decorations. We were done by early afternoon and were able to enjoy the rest of the day with the family. We played A LOT of bags that day.

I like this picture, b/c it tells exactly what just happened. My Aunt Deb (or Debota, as we will now call her) made the winning shot, David is astonished at the loss and Uncle Ron is cheering...cracks me up.

My brother Eric and David....nice sleeves honey.

Jen and I

Uncle Ron, my Dad, Grandma, and Uncle Randy

Jen, Emry and Eric. They were only able to stay until Saturday afternoon, so we didn't get to see them as much as we would like, but Eric had to work on Sunday morning. Hopefully we'll get to see them again soon.

An attempt at a family picture. Alivia refused to be involved and I wasn't about to fight her on it, Connor was asleep, and Ron and Deb's son Adam was also not there.

This is Alivia while the family group shot was being taken....stinker.

Our first full day....Success.

Vacation....where to start

2011-07-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

We spent the first 8 days of July on vacation in Wisconsin. We had a great time, with a bump in the road in the beginning and another bump at the end. The weather was fantastic. We were able to see tons of family from both sides. The kids did great and had a lot of fun.

We started vacation leaving after Alivia's tap and ballet class on Friday the 1st. Traffic was terrible and it left a lot of time to think about what we could have possibly forgot. About 3 hours into the trip, I realize that I didn't pack some very important birthday decorations that I had made for my Grandma's 75th birthday party. to say I was crushed, is an understatement. I had spent 2 weeks working on these decorations and I left them home. Many tears were shed. I called all over to see if I could get a friend to overnight them for me. (I didn't need them until Sunday, so I thought if I could get them on Saturday, bonus) Turns out, no one delivers to that area on Saturday, and it would cost me $160 to get them there by Tuesday...no good. Next plan. Some friends were going up around Madison that day...they could take them and then I could drive back the next morning and get them. After mapping it out, it would take 5+ hours one way..not how I want to spend day one of vacation...11 hours in the car. Next plan....re-buy some of the things and make them over. Not ideal, but my dear sister Kelly stuck by me and helped me out until we got them finished. (my SIL, Jen, also helped with her lovely handwriting) They weren't exactly the same, but they were nice as well. And during the party, when many adult beverages had been consumed by me and all the of-age party goers, I realized that it wasn't about the decorations, but the amount of fun we had. (I do have to say, I had a great time making the decorations....I love all the creativity it took....I can see my kids' bday parties getting a bit more elaborate in the future)

Stay tuned for a re-cap of vacation...

Car Wash

2011-07-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

The girls are forever asking if they can wash the car. I really don't like this, b/c it's not actually cleaning the car that they are concerned with..it's spraying the hose. They fight over who gets the hose, wash the same door 35 times while leaving the rest of the car dirty and dusty with water spots on the windows....my favorite type of help:-)

At least they are pretty cute doing it.

A Day at the Races

2011-07-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

We went to the horse track last weekend. The weather was fabulous and it wasn't crazy crowded. (The lines for the pony rides were absurd, but they are always like that)

We didn't bet on a single race, but we still had fun picking what horse we thought would win.

We are starting a goofy picture taking stage.

I haven't had a picture with the kids in a while (I guess since Mother's Day, but it feels like a long time) Too bad this one turned out hideous (of me)...oh well.

Best Hiding Place Ever.....

2011-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Connor's newest obsession is playing hide and seek. He loves when David hides and then jumps out and scares him. The girls love this too. He has been able to count to 10 for quite some time, but lately, he goes, "1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10....here I come." It's pretty cute.

Where has the time gone?

2011-06-30T06:20:00.001-07:00

It's the last day of June..........seriously, how fast is this summer going? We have been having a great summer, and you can tell this by how much my poor blog is being ignored. I only just realized I still had a "spring" theme on it the other night, when I was up until 2am b/c David was out of town.

I thought that having all the kids home all.day.long would wear severely on my mental health, but it's actually been pretty great. Avery and Alivia play so well together and they just keep each other busy playing outside. 9 out of 10 times you can find them with their bug nets and bug keepers out in the back yard by the prairie trying to catch moths or grasshoppers. And rollie pollies...they all love them, including Connor. My kids have a soft heart for the crawly creatures of the world.

We have been very diligent in our learning time this summer. I have weeks of lesson plans written out and we do something everyday. Alivia is still focusing on a letter a week, and she really likes it. Avery has at least 30 minutes of independent reading to do, and then we work in her math, reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and thinking skills books. She is in a contest for school, that if she reads 900 minutes and completes an entire Spectrum Math book, she is entered in a drawing for an IPod Touch. She'd love to have one, but she knows that there are a lot of kids that will be in the drawing, so we don't have our hopes too high. She is really rocking her learning time though, so I'm thinking that a new bike might be a nice reward. She has really outgrown her old bike and doesn't like to ride it...plus it's Barbie, and she's way past Barbie...and some of the girls made fun of her (stinkers) so I'm thinking a bike might be a great idea.

Connor started a Two's on Their Own class at the park district....he LOVES it. Waves good bye and heads on in. He says he's going to school. He's such a sweetheart. We have started pushing the potty lately, and he's pushing right back. He is dry 9 out of 10 mornings, but refuses to use the potty in the morning. The second he wets his diaper, he comes and tells me...same with the poops....trying to figure out some new motivation.

I have lots (well, maybe not lots, but some) pictures to post...but of course, there just isn't time.

Funny story I want to remember....yesterday Alivia went upstairs about 4:30 to put her swimsuit back on. She didn't come back down, so I asked Avery what she was doing...Avery said, "she's sleeping." So, I go up and check on her...she's is asleep in her bed, completely, totally naked. Apparently, she just was way too tired to finish getting her suit on after getting undressed, so she just went to sleep. I still chuckle thinking about it.

Hopefully I can get some pictures up today...Happy 4th of July friends!

While in Iowa

2011-06-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

While we were back in Iowa for Dairy Days, we got in a little outside playtime at Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen's, as well as we got to see sweet Miss Emry for a little while on Thursday.

Two baby robins we found in the pine tree...they were getting a little too big for that nest, guessing they will be flying away soon.

Avery and Grandma Joanie played a lot of frisbee.

Connor was working on his frisbee abilities too.

Playing in Emry's cool sandbox. David just might get roped into building one of those for us:-)

Avery's Last Day of School

2011-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

We have a 2nd grader in our house....seems crazy to me:-) Avery had a great 1st grade year. It's hard to move in the middle of the school year (or even after the 1st 6 weeks) and she did well adjusting. Her teacher, Mrs. Lamal, said that she had a lot of friends, was very active in participating in class, and was very bright....so proud of her.

On the 1st day of school,(8/10) in our house in Palatine, going to Sanborn Elementary.

Last day of school, (6/7/10) at Deer Path Elementary.

Alivia's Last Day of School

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Alivia's last day of school was last Monday. I don't think I've ever been so sad about a school year ending. I'm not sad about her growing up, but I'm just so sad about her beloved Mrs. Mabry leaving. Mrs. Mabry is nothing short of a gift. She is such a wonderful person, a wonderful teacher with beautiful heart. Due to our school district being very careless with their money and to the wonderful thing that is a union, Mrs. Mabry was let go this year. Every time I think about her not coming back next year, tears fill my eyes. Our kids deserve teachers like her, some other school is going to discover a pot of gold when she begins teaching there. I sure wish that we would have been able to keep her here....she is truly a blessing.

Alivia and Mrs. Mabry...isn't she adorable?

Singing songs

Mrs. Mabry, Alivia and Loralei.

We wish you nothing but the best....you have something very special inside you and we are going to miss you terribly!

GOTR 5K

2011-06-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

My 1st 5K run was last Sunday. It wasn't my best run. For some reason, I just couldn't get into my groove that day. I was so tired and thirsty and there was a point when I didn't think I could keep my feet moving, but I did. I didn't stop and I finished just under 31 minutes. Not great, but for my first time, I'm fine with that.

The girls participated in a the kids 1 mile Fun Run before the 5k. Avery finished 3rd, which was great for her 1st race. Alivia finished hard and had a great time. They all got a medal and a water bottle.

The runners with our friend Raechel, who works for GOTR. She did a great job organizing this event.

Lilliana and Avery

Avery, Lilliana, Malaina, Alivia and Loralei

Avery crossing the finish line

Alivia coming up to the end. (I borrowed this picture from another friend, as the one I took of her at the finish line didn't turn out...boo)

The girls and me.

Alivia with her bestie, Loralei....and Connor had to sneak in.

Me coming down the stretch. I look miserable, but I was so happy that the finish line was coming up quickly:-)

I've decided that I might not be a very good morning runner. I've tried running in the morning hours and I always feel miserable, but my evening runs are always great and I feel like I could run forever. Weird.

Dairy Days

2011-06-11T11:36:00.001-07:00

I decided at last minute to take the kids back to Fredericksburg for Dairy Days this year. I've wanted to do it in previous years, but Avery has always still been in school. This year, she got out of school on Tuesday at 9:45 (they went for 1 hour....seems like a bit of wasted money to me), so we headed out toward Iowa around 10:30 that day.

My mom was able to go with us, so we left Wednesday morning around 9:30, so that we could get a nice spot to watch the parade. I thought the parade was decent. It was disappointing that they didn't have any marching bands this year, but I thought that the floats looked pretty good. (They also threw enough candy to keep the kids interested, so that was a plus.)

The carnival, on the other hand, was not good. I'm sure it wasn't great when I was younger either, but I know it was definitely better than what they had this year. Hardly any rides, only about 5 games, and not a lot for poor Avery. She said, "it's either baby rides, or rides that are too big for me." She's right...she's stuck right in the middle of being too big for the baby stuff, but not big enough for the big stuff. Tough age. Plus, it was super hot. The kids got a bit grumpy due to the heat, so we tried to pass the time with snowcones, cotton candy, and any other sugar filled treat we could find.

We ended up leaving pretty early. I was happy that I got to see a few old friends. There were a couple that I saw from a distance, and when I tried to find them again, they were gone.....I'm bummed I didn't get a chance to chat with them.

I'm glad that we were able to get back, and that the kids did really well in the car for me.

This is how Connor sleeps in the car....foot up on the seat and other leg crossed over.

Waiting for the parade to start.

Pouting, that he didn't get the last piece of candy....if you look closely, you can see that his hands are stuffed full of candy...silly boy!

Grandma Joanie and the kiddos

Waving for candy..such beggars.

Slip n' Slide

2011-05-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

I think this is the 1st Memorial Day weekend that we didn't spend in WI in more years than we've been married. It was sad not going up there this year for the holiday, but the girls are still in school and since having kids (and much less patience than I used to have----I thought patience was supposed to increase with age..huh?) I refuse to travel on a holiday-day (i.e. Memorial Day Monday) I don't do well in traffic, and neither do the kids. So, we stayed home. Saturday I went with my bestie, Sarah, to get a mani/pedi...it was heaven. Then we went and got Starbucks and went to the running depot....where I bought my very first, fitted-by-a-watch-me-walk-and-run-professional, pair of running shoes. Sadly, I have yet to break them in on an actual run, but hopefully tomorrow. The weather wasn't great that day, a bit chilly and windy, but it wasn't terrible.

Sunday, we were invited to a neighbors cabin on Lake Wisconsin. We were invited for the whole weekend, but we thought we'd ease our way into that group and just go up for the day. We weren't sure what to expect and it was a big crowd from our neighborhood. We left after breakfast on Sunday and drove up in rain the entire way....we were bummed. It was only just over 2 hours to get there, and when we did, the rain stopped, but it was still chilly. Not cold enough to keep the kids out of the water...Avery even went tubing...she froze, but by-golly, she was doing it:-) (I, of course, forgot my camera, so I'm hoping to steal some pics from my neighbor.) We left there around 8:30 that night and were home by 10:30. None of the kids made a peep the whole way home...it was lovely...and they slept in on Monday.

Monday we woke up to very hot and humid weather..perfect for water fun outside. First, we had to get the lawn mowed..it was a forest...and we had about a gallon of sand in our car, so I got that vacuumed up. Then, we broke out the slip n' slide. It was a hit. (David on the other hand, is not impressed by what it does to the grass:-)

These are in no particular order, mainly b/c I'm just feeling too lazy to move them around..sorry.

Hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day. We are back in the swing of things for just a few more days and then we will have a few days of rest and nothingness and then we are going to be starting a homeschool program for all 3 kids each morning, along with getting Mr. "No go potty" to go potty:-) Should be a fun summer.

Face Painting

2011-05-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

The girls were invited to a face-painting birthday party of one of our neighbors. This was the finished work..they looked great.

And for good measure...one of my super cute Connor Wayne.

\

Tree Cutting

2011-05-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

David's parents visited a few weekends back and of course, we roped them into some serious home improvement projects. (They haven't been back since, so perhaps they had enough:-)

We took down an evergreen tree on the side of our house. I hated doing it, as it was still a pretty nice tree, but way too close to the house and it cut off the walkway to the back of the house. (I was hoping we could do it closer to Christmas and just use the top half as our tree this year, but David wasn't willing to wait that long.)

Stronger

2011-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Since our loss, there are certain songs that I hear and I'm right back to where I was a month ago....but stronger....feeling like I can finally accept that there was a reason for it and because of that reason, I'm a stronger person. One particular song is A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans. I know that song is about something totally different than what I think about when I hear it, but there are lyrics in the song that represent my feelings and how I'm moving on and strengthening myself for what is in front of me.

"Woke up late today, and I

still feel the sting of the pain,

but I brush my teeth anyway;

got dressed through the mess

and put a smile on my face.

I got a little bit stronger"

"I know my heart will never be the same,

but I'm tellin' myself I'll be okay.

Even on my weakest days

I get a little bit stronger."

"Doesn't happen overnight, but you

turn around and a month's gone by,

and you realize you haven't cried.

I'm busy gettin' stronger." (Of course, I'm in tears while writing this)

I know that this song is about a failed relationship, but it was one of the first songs I heard in the car while driving home from that awful doctor's appointment and while I had heard it before this day, it didn't hold the same meaning to me that it does now.

Here is the YouTube Version by Sara Evans.

So, I'm busy healing my heart and getting stronger. While some days are still exasperating in our house, I've realized that our house is probably no different than any other persons house with or without kids. There are tough days, but I'm doing my very best to see the joy in every situation, and I think it's working.

Wha'ts Happening with us?

2011-05-25T07:01:00.001-07:00

Overall, things are going well for us.

We are still having some trouble with Avery, and that is frustrating.....she told David that she was going to run away the other night, and he said that he'd help her get her suitcase packed. That was not the reaction she was hoping for, and ended up in tears...I think being the 1st born, we put a lot of pressure on her, and I'll admit, I expect a lot from her...but some of that goes along with being the oldest..it isn't always fun, but I expect her help some times and she needs to learn some responsibility. This summer should be interesting:-) Avery is in the process of finishing up soccer. She is going to try out for the travel soccer league, but we have sort of decided that even if she makes a team, we will probably decline the invitation. There are huge costs involved, along with 2 weekday practices and 1 or 2 travel days each weekend. The season runs from Aug-Nov...plus she's only 7. We are hoping to use the tryouts as more of a learning tool (i.e. you must practice to improve your skills) but we are glad that she is liking the sport....people are pretty crazy about soccer here. She still has a bit of school left; she gets out on June 7th, but I think she's ready for summer....I can't believe that in just a few short days, we have a 2nd grader in our house..yikes!

Alivia has grown up immensely the last few months. She is 4 going on 8...she thinks that Avery's friends are her friends and always asks if she can go over to so and so's house to play. Thankfully, most of Avery's friends accept Alivia into their groups. I do think we need to give Avery more "alone" time with her friends. She is stuck with Alivia tagging along everywhere she goes, so we need to be more intune to Avery's need for "her own" things. Alivia and I have started our homeschooling activities. We call it learning time, and she seems to be doing well with it. I'm focusing mainly on letters and numbers, and we do an upper and lowercase letter craft activity, along with cutting and gluing, stamping, dot art, letter formation, magnets, sequencing, and more. I normally plan for 2-4 activities a day and see how her attention is. We generally spend 1 week per letter and then mix in numbers during that time. So far, we've done the letters Qq, Zz, Aa, Bb and when we review them, she is able to identify the letters and their sounds. Hopefully this will be a good booster into her last year of preschool. Her last day of school is June 6th. I still haven't decided where to place her next year. Her current teacher, (whom we LOVE) was let go with the school district cuts, and we have heard it rumored that the preschool program will be cut next year. I hate having to make these changes.

And on to Connor....oh, Connor. He is such a pistol. Strong-willed and stubborn, but oh so lovable. That boy gives hugs and kisses and love to just about anyone. He's getting to be a better eater, but still likes snacks. He also loves TV. (and while I hate to admit it, that is the only time I can get anything done) Just in order for me to get dinner ready, I have to put something on TV, or he'll go outside without telling me. He can unlock and open all our doors and some days I have trouble finding him....scares me to death. Even when I'm outside with him, I can't do much of anything that needs to be done, b/c the second I turn my back, that kid is wondering away. We're starting to talk a bit more about using the potty, as he tells me when he's gone in his diaper and realizes that he should have done it in the potty. We are going to give it our best shot this summer.

On to David...my dear husband. He closed a big deal with his work last week, and we are so proud of him. It had been a very long 6-7 weeks with long nights and never seeing him. I'm so thankful to him for all he does for us. He works so hard, and when he comes home, he is always in a good mood and ready to be with the kids and me. (although, he does have a very close relationship with his phone:-) He has been busy getting our yard looking nice and researching our new basketball hoop. (we are so excited to be getting one) He has been battling our carpenter bee problem. I often think about what a blessing he is to us. He makes me laugh constantly. He's patient and kind. He's a great cook. He's active and involved and I know that he is crazy about me and the kids....he brings joy into our house and into my heart.

And now me.....I've started running. This has been a huge accomplishment for me. I have never been a runner...I've always hated running. I would do anything to get out of running back in high school PE. (although, I played every sport, and we had to run for that, it was different...the end goal was playing the sport..PE...I saw no end goal, just that we were forced to run a mile...anyway) My very good friend, Sarah, and I run together, and last night (Tuesday) we ran my very first 5K. (she's done many) 3.1 miles....and what's amazing...I sort of like running. I think I like the challenge more than anything. I'm not good at failing, and running is one of those things that I never imagined I could be remotely successful at...I've surprised myself. I've found that my first .3 miles are tough..it's hard for me to get into that rhythm, but after that, I feel really good. I've always envisioned being completely miserable during the entire run and wanting to pass out after being done. I think running is therapeutic to me and reaching that goal, the one I previously thought of as unattainable, it so fantastic. I am entering a 5K race on June 5th, but it isn't a timed race. It supports Girls on the Run and I figure, what better 5K to make my debut at. I'm not out there to see how fast I can do it...it's just so that I'm out there.

That pretty much sums up our family at the moment. Always busy and ready for a relaxing summer!