Busy days

We've been busy the last few weeks. I don't think I can remember it all.

Sundays have become busy days. (I miss my day of rest!) We have church in the morning, I am at church at 3:00 for choir practice for the Christmas production, I leave at 4:00 to go get Analise and take her to the church for the kid's practice until 6:00. Some nights we pick her up at 6:00 and go straight to small group until 7:30ish. I am excited about this Christmas production because it's a multi generational production. I love seeing families (or parts of families) participating together. I look forward to serving with Analise by singing on stage.

Last Monday was applesauce day! It's another tradition. :) This year there were more apples, so it took all day! We go to my mom in law's house. My sister in law comes as well. This year her mom was also there. We were very thankful for the extra help! We left at 4:30, grabbed a pizza on the way home and ate quickly. Analise and I then left at 5:20 for her music class. We were home 6:40 and headed out the door again. Her school was having an openhouse for parents to meet each other. I was looking forward to getting to know some of them, but when we were there we were the only ones in the classroom. Oh well, I always enjoy visiting with her teacher. Analise was thrilled to show us again, and I like Maisie being able to see where Analise spends her day.

Tuesday we stayed home from Bible study because the girls had an annoying cough. We ran errands instead. I was supposed to have a meeting, but it got canceled.

Thursday I was able to go to Analise's class. I had a different group of kids, so that was fun. I then made a quick grocery run since I didn't know when else I would have the chance. I am loving this "freedom" each week!
The girls were all moody/emotional today. It makes me wonder what they will be like as teenagers. Whew! Glad to get them to bed!

Friday was Fall Break, so we had Analise home all day. I was glad because the day before, eight kids were absent from her class. We want to stay away from the sick germs! We all slept in, and everyone woke up on a much happier note. PTL! The girls got along so well all day! I decided it was a good day to make sugar cookies. We made the dough in the morning and used cookie cutters in the afternoon. Then came time for frosting. What a mess! Thankfully they had fun. I had a good laugh during this time. I had the two older ones standing at the counter while I mixed their frosting, and I was on the phone with my mom. I hang up the phone and see Sadie walking out of the kitchen with cookies in hand. I said, "Sadie...", and she gave me a smirk and ran out of the room. Little stinker took them off the counter! :) I'll post pictures of their cookies another time.
Friday night was movie night. We watched the new Veggie Tale Christmas movie. I know...but I had a good reason. Operation Christmas Child is kind of promoted, so I wanted to preview and see if it was something we would want to show at church. So it worked well. I got something accomplished during movie night. :)

Saturday was game day! Grandma came over at 7:30 so Grandpa, Brandon and I could get on the road. We went to the University football game. It was cool and kind of dreary but lots of fun! Our seats were behind the field goal (to the side a little) and I love watching from that angle. Though the outcome wasn't what we had hoped for, it was a great time regardless! Fun times and time with my hubby. I loved it!

Sadie had a doctor appt. last week. She finally hit the 20 lb mark! We did a little jig when we heard the good news. Everything looked good. We will continue breathing treatments while she has this cough. Grr...those are battles! She has learned how to take it all apart.
After I was home from the doctor, the nurse called to let me know that more H1N1 vaccine had arrived. Last time they were out within four hours. It put a kink in my day, but praise the Lord for Grandma willing to come over last minute. I picked Analise up from school and then took Sadie in. She qualified for it because of her small lungs. We waited our turn and got shot. She started crying when they pulled up her pant leg. She knows what that means. She recovered quickly and had no side effects.

This week has been busy as well. Fun things, but still busy. More on that later....

Pumpkin Patch Fun

I love traditions. I don't know exactly why, but I just do. One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go to a pumpkin patch. I think I look forward to it as much as the girls do. The last couple of years we have gone to a close, smaller patch. The girls enjoyed it, and it was a nice size when they were small. This year I wanted a bigger one where there was more to do. Brandon was on board, so I did my research and found one about an hour away. We waited until the girls were up from their naps, and we loaded up and hit the trail. It was a sunny day but only in the 50s. I was thankful I had brought along some extra coats. We used them!

Sadie rode in the stroller most of the day and didn't seem to mind.

She loved the corn pile! I let her play in this while the others took the wagon ride to pick out their pumpkins.

They even had adult trikes!

I wish the picture portrayed how blue Maisie's eyes were.

The girls LOVED this slide!

The zip line was more fun with daddy's help.

We walked through the corn maze Pony rides are fun.

Sadie enjoyed the goats.

There was so much to do; it was a kid's paradise. I was never told when I was pregnant how much joy I would have watching my children enjoy something. The girls jumped in an inflatable pumpkin, climbed forts, rode in a "train", rode the trikes, went down slides, zip line, corn maze, wagon ride for a pumpkin and loved all the farm animals.
We ended up eating dinner there and left when they closed. It felt good to warm up in the van. I asked Analise what her favorite part was, and she said, "All of it." What more could we ask for?

Fun Times

What an October it has been! Most of the days have been cool and cloudy. So we take advantage of the sunny days! This week the girls were playing outside. Sadie walked over to me, coat in hand and gabbered a long sentence, making it very clear she wanted to be outside with her big sisters. I couldn't resist. I put her in the swing first, because she always enjoys that. However, since she is an official walker, I let her roam the yard. I had the most delight watching Sadie delight in her new independence of walking around and playing with new things. She was on top of the world. Her favorite thing was the Little Tykes car. In and out, in and out.

Last Satuday the girls came flying into our room announcing, "Snow, Snow!'' (Maisie says, "No No!") They couldn't even eat breakfast before they went outside. Brandon and I pulled out the snow gear and realized we have some shopping to do. :) Both girls were in snow pants that were too small. Analise squeeze into her boots. They didn't care; they just wanted to play.

As much as I didn't want snow on Oct. 10, it really was pretty. The first snowfall always is. Come January, I will be tired of it. While the girls played, I made pancakes for breakfast. After that we all went shopping for new winter gear. The girls did fairly well, but we didn't have any luck.

We had a good, healthy week. We were able to participate in all the scheduled activities. Music Academy, Awana, Bible Study, Moms in Touch, etc.

Sadie is now 19 months. She is walking everywhere, carrying the step stool to reach things she shouldn't be reaching, and she can jabber like none of my other girls did. She is signing for "more" and "milk." She's had a cough and runny nose, but I think part of it is teething and part of it is just because she's Sadie.

Analise said something awhile back that I want to remember. A few months ago, I had her grandma buy Analise the next size up in undies. However, they were way too big. When I brought out all the fall/winter clothes, I decided to have her try them again. I laid out her school clothes with her new undies. When she was getting dressed, she asked me, "Mom, are these my big grandma underwear?" I laughed and laughed, but I knew what she meant. :) The best part...they fit!

I've been going in to Analise's class once a week to help for about 30 minutes. I always enjoy it and I like getting to know her classmates. She likes having me come, even though I don't ever work with her. I go in the afternoon while the other two are sleeping. A college gal comes over and does homework while I am gone. After I leave the school, I usually run a couple of errands...by myself! It's so liberating. :) It's a good set up, and I love it.

I think that's about it. We are going to enjoy the sunshine.

This tube has provided lots of fun

Sadie loved her freedom in driving the car

The first snowman of the season

Snow fun in early October

Maisie is hiding....do you know where she is?

Grandmom reading a story over the phone to the girls

Our little flower

Sick of the Sickness

It was a good thing I got away when I did and home when I did. After crawling into bed about 11:00 and having difficulty falling asleep, Maisie was fussing at 1:00. I went into her room to check on her and discovered what every parent hates discovering...vomit in the bed. I began the process of cleaning her up and stripping the bed. When I got new sheets out, I woke up Brandon. :) He was a big help and brought up some of his camping gear. I slept in his sleeping bag on a couple of air cushions, next to Maisie. I say "slept" loosely. Maisie was very good about telling me when she was going to be sick. I'd hear this, "Mommy, help." I'd grab the bucket, she'd do her thing, I'd rinse the bucket and crawl back into my sleeping back. For awhile I was up with her almost every ten minutes. As the night progressed, it became less frequent.
By morning she was doing much better! She ate small portions of things throughout the day, but she never got sick again. She even had most of her spunk!
Monday night I enjoyed a complete night in my bed.
Even though Maisie was doing better, I decided to pass on Bible Study. Instead, we went to Walmart. Taking both girls is never easy, but we managed. Maisie loves it because I let her get a gumball (from our little machine). She carries it in her pocket and chews it once we're at the store. So simple and effective with her.
After naps I noticed Sadie had diarrhea. I was a little concerned, but we had to go pick up Analise from school. My mind began that "What will I do if...." game. Well, it happened. We'd been parked in front of the school for less than two minutes, when I heard Sadie throwing up. Did I have things to be prepared? Yes. Did it help? Not really. She is facing backwards, and there was no way I could get to her in time. As quickly as I could, I grabbed our barf bags (which we got from a nurse when I was in the hospital. They are the best!) and hopped in the back just in time for round two. I opened the side door and began to "clean up." Of course I had to call Brandon at work and let him know of the misery I was going through. :) We had a chilly ride home with all the windows down. I told Analise we could either be cold or endure the stink. She wisely chose cold.
Straight to the tub she went, and the carseat sat outside. I don't remember the other two getting sick at this age, so I wasn't sure what to do with her. I ended up putting her in the highchair in the kitchen and stuck close by. I was able to learn her sick cues and got the bucket there in time. Poor girl was just worn out. She even fell sleep in the highchair!
After dinner, I began to feel sick. It hit me fast and hard. I spent the night on the couch and in the bathroom. By morning I felt better but very tired and weak. Brandon decided to stay home to help. However, by late morning it was his turn to be sick. Bummer! My dear mother in law took the girls at lunch time to feed them and let them nap at her house. Brandon and I were both able to relax. It took a couple of days for us to get our strength and appetites back, but now we are all doing well! It was simply no fun to go through it all!

Ladie's Getaway

For the past 18 months, the women in the family have tried to get a nice weekend away. You see, our husbands hunt. We encourage their hunting knowing that it's a needed man time...get out in the wilderness and shoot a gun. However, since we've seen them slip away several weekends, we decided it was time for us to leave town. Unfortunately the last two times we have been scheduled to go, something catastrophic has come up. (mainly on my end). So here we are, a year and a half later, holding our breath hoping the weekend will go as planned. Praise the Lord it did!
Last Friday morning my mom in law and sis in law picked me up in the minivan, and away we went. Ahhh....we enjoyed the 6 hour drive to the mountains to meet up with the other sis in law. First thing scheduled for all four of us - hour long massages! Ahhh...relaxation. It was simply the best. My gal did a wonderful job. She informed me that I get tension headaches. Who knew I was tense? :) She also said, "I can tell you've been carrying babies on your left side for the last five years." Bingo...she could tell just by looking and working my back. Crazy! After we all were finished and very relaxed (almost to the point of woozy) we went out for dinner. We landed at the Elephant Bar. Delicious! While waiting for my meal I called the girls and chatted with them quick before they went to bed. Brandon got on as my food arrived, and my sweet self simply said, "I'm going to go now since I'm determined to eat my meal while it's hot." He's so gracious. :) We then went to some great stores for a little shopping and a lot of laughing
We went home to my sis in law's house and stayed up while and chatted.
Saturday morning we "slept in". For me these days that means 8:00. I got up and relaxed by reading. We then spent the day shopping, shopping shopping. Between shopping was a yummy lunch at Panera. I decided to surprise Brandon and bought a dozen bagels to take home.
While shopping, I was really looking for some long sleeve shirts. Nothing fancy, just every day normal shirts. I was counting on Kohl's, but it let me down. I left with a sweater for myself and clothes for the girls.
We ate dinner at Chick-fil-A and went to see "Love Happens." I highly recommend it! There are a couple of lines they could have done without, but otherwise it was quite clean and very good. I laughed, I cried. After the movie was dessert and then another night staying up late while chatting with the girls.
We went to church on Sunday morning and really appreciated the worship time and sermon. We ate lunch at Jason's Deli and began the drive home. As much as I wanted to see my girls before bedtime, I knew the likelihood of that happening was slim. Brandon was fine with that. I got home at 10:45 and immediately went to give each of my girls a kiss.
I truly loved and appreciated the time away. I got to do things as an adult, a friend, a sister in law. Shopping without keeping someone happy with snacks;not telling a daughter over and over to "not touch";answering a 1000 questions; eating hot meals, getting things done at my own pace. I came home refreshed. A big thanks to a mother in law who knew all this was needed and took upon herself to make it happen!
On the home front...Brandon and the girls did awesome! (almost too well...). I tried to help Brandon out as much as possible. I figured if he was going to take a day off work and be a single dad all weekend, then I would chip in. I left all the girls' outfits out for each day. One less thing for him to worry about. My mom in law and sis in law and myself all made one big meal so each of the men and families could get together each night for company and a good meal. It worked well!
Now my hubby went beyond the call of duty. He not only took care of the girls, had fun with the girls, but he also did some major house cleaning! I had cleaned the bathrooms and floors before I left, but he took care of things I never seem to do. He cleaned all the baseboards, washed benches, cleaned all the windows (inside, outside and inbetween!). My fridge was all wiped down on the inside! He pulled it out and cleaned behind it, too! He cleaned the basement! Vacuumed the stairs in the basement, and the list goes on. When he is away hunting, I find myself relaxing in the evenings. :) The girls did great with him and had lots of fun. They didn't mention me much nor ask about me much. I think that's a good thing...
I loved my time away, but I was ready to be home with my family. What I wasn't ready for was the week ahead...

Completely Random

It's been so long since I have posted, so these thoughts will be random. Labor Day weekend we tried something new with the girls. In a small town about an hour away, they have an annual kite flight. Since it was a nice day, we decided to take the girls. It turned out to be something all the girls enjoyed. Some kites were huge, and there were about 200 in the sky. We enjoyed a picnic on the hill while the girls enjoyed the kites. Another blessing on that day was seeing a family from our church there. The parents were there with their two older daughters (17-19ish). I asked them what the secret was to having theirs girls with them. Not many kids that age choose to hang out with their parents. Both parents shared that they started doing family things when they were young. They did simple things, started traditions, shared stories together, encouraged time together, went camping, and the parents said they didn't grow old. Brandon and I have talked many times on how to keep our family close and having the girls want to spend time with us. I really enjoyed hearing tips from a family that I would call successful in this area.

I didn't plant as many things in my garden this year. Green beans, three tomato plants, a green pepper plant and basil. Analise loves to help, and Maisie enjoyed picking as well. My favorite thing is the fresh tomatoes. Analise is standing in front of one of them. I've had enough tomatoes to make 3 large batches of salsa, pasta sauce and pizza sauce. We can enjoy all winter long!

Sadie is loving life at the big table and makes herself rather comfy when she is finished eating.

Grandma Luke always takes the girls pumpkin shopping each year. This year they came home with pumpkins and decorations. It was like creating a real Mr. Potato Head. My kind of craft - simple, not messy and the girls loved it!

A couple of Saturdays ago, we took the girls mini golfing. Analise had asked all summer to go, so we decided it was a good day. The weather was perfect, and we had the course to ourselves. It was Maisie's first time to play, so she enjoyed it. Analise and Maisie played the holes (Analise called each hole a "course") so Brandon and I enjoyed playing together. Sadie hung out in the stroller and enjoyed. It was a great family time!

Sadie is officially walking! I still see her crawl every now and then, but her main mode of transportation these days are her own two legs. I even find her carrying things across the room. We are so excited! In the last couple of weeks, she split open her chin 3 more times. Goodness...I think that brings the total to about six times! I think she will be better off walking. :)

Brandon and I are leading Awana games together this year. We are enjoying the time with the kids each week and love serving together. It's been since pre-kid days that we served together. We seem to make a good team. Analise loves having us there with her age group!

The clothes switcharoo is completely finished! Out with the summer and in with the fall/winter. I've learned the best way to do this is to be in the house by myself for about three hours. However, I have yet to learn this by experience. :) I didn't have much to do for Analise since we already had her things out. Maisie moved up to size three and Sadie is still in some 12-18 month, but I also pulled out 18 month clothing. I think she may need suspenders to keep her pants up!

I had a great getaway weekend, but I am going to save that post for another time. Thanks for checking in!