Build Together

One of those days...

2012-02-15T22:24:00.000-06:00

It was the 100th day of school for my Miss Sophia. We got her THIRD quarter progress report yesterday....and I had to do a "double take" when I read the word "third." I truly can't believe the school year is already more than half over. Sophia's assignment for the 100th day was to create something with 100 pieces to display at school for the 100 Days Museum. Here's what we came up with...

We were invited to attend the "viewing" of the Museum.....So... I was scurrying around this morning after Sophia left for school trying to get J ready for preschool and a few things done before we headed back to school. Obviously... I took my eyes off of little S for too long because this is what I found shortly after Sophia left....

Oh my.... this little boy is IN TO EVERYTHING. This incident (finding and dumping my powdered sugar stash) occurred only AFTER I found him rummaging through my desk, throwing my IPAD on the floor, climbing into the fireplace, pulling out a glass mixing bowl and rolling it like a ball on the floor, and requiring a full wardrobe change after a rather large episode of spit up. All this.... and it wasn't even 8:30. Needless to say... the rest of the day didn't get much better....

It was pouring when we had to run to the car after leaving the 100 day museum ( I had forgotten my umbrella), Sam had the hiccups continuously about 8 times today which of course interfered with both of his naps. I brilliantly decided to try apple juice for the first time with Sam while errand running this afternoon...without bringing any milk (just in case). He did not like it...nor was he too happy that he didn't have his usual white stuff to drink. All of the people at Whole Foods...also knew he wasn't too happy about it.

And tonight...more toys turned black from mysteriously being placed inside the fire place....and one final fall into an empty bathtub....( I wasn't being neglectful...was running after him...but just couldn't catch him before he made the leap). No signs of injury to report, however! :) The laundry is calling my name.....my fairy duties still need to be fulfilled....but ahhhh... I think I'll just sit for a minute and enjoy the peace and quiet:)

Valentine's 2012

2012-02-14T23:11:00.000-06:00

We made home-made Valentine's this year....found this idea on Whipperberry...and thought it was sooo cute! The kids and I had fun making these heart shaped crayons out of old crayons....I only wish I had found a smaller mold.... we had to peel soooo many crayons to make enough for both Sophia's and Joseph's classes!

The day started off with lots of sugar (Thanks to Duncan Donuts)....and a few teensy little Valentine's gifts. Sammy just wanted to eat the paper off of his Valentine present!

Sophia was very gracious and thrilled with her cheap little headband from Target.... (I never had time to find the Fairy book she really wanted) but while she was at school today... the boys and I headed to Barnes and Noble and ordered just that:)

A few pictures of little J before I headed to Sophia's Valentine's party at school.

I was in charge of snack...so those little sock monkeys made yet another appearance... Thank you to Dazzle Expressions for helping to design the labels for the sentiment I wanted to add! They turned out sooo cute!

I was not successful in getting a decent pic of all three together...Mr. Sammy just wouldn't sit still for long enough....He was probably just under the kitchen sink again sneaking that 409 bottle....HA... We are discovering that the new childproof locks we installed are not really "Sam" proof after all!!!

We ended the day with dinner and a movie at home.... "Lady and the Tramp," such a sweet little movie and perfect for Valentine's Day!

First Snow of 2012

2012-02-13T22:25:00.000-06:00

Well.... who would have guessed it would have taken until February 13th....for our first snowfall of the year... it wasn't huge...just a few inches...but enough for some good old fashioned snow fun! Our school actually had the day off today anyway...so it wasn't a "real" snow day...but S and J sure enjoyed it all the same!

Here they are all ready to head out....

It was pretty good snow for packing and for snowball making. I thought for sure they would start to make a snowman...but instead they thought it was really fun to attempt to ride their bikes through the snowy yard...until I had to put a stop to that after it looked pretty unsafe!

Ahhh...the fun of making snow angels....

And this little guy was supposed to be napping...but instead decided he needed to mop.... I'll take an extra helper over nap time any day! :)

He was pretty content until he noticed just what the others were doing outside...

And of course that looked more fun than cleaning the floors!

But just as I was going to bundle him for a quick jaunt in the snow...the others decided they were too cold and headed in.....I'm guessing their will be other opportunities for little Sammy to have his fair share in the snow too!

Sock Monkey Fun for ONE!

2012-02-13T00:12:00.000-06:00

Twelve days ago... our youngest little man turned ONE....and 12 days later... I'm still not quite sure how that happened. I can't even put into words just how quickly this last year has flown by....and just how much we love our little Sammy. I have sooo many pictures to share.....not all of them are great...but all are definitely ones I want him to see when he gets older. We were joined by family and friends and so many of the people who love this special little guy. What an incredible gift he is to our family!

We celebrated with a sock monkey party.... so of course we had some sock monkey treats.

Vanilla cupcakes...

More sock monkeys....

Here is one of my helpers the morning of the party....helping me set the table....(translated: sneaking lots of hot tamales and tootsie rolls)

I love those old fashioned candy jars....I've had them for a while and never really used them...but I thought they looked cute on the table with red and brown candies to match our color scheme!

The plates and napkins

Dining room decor

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for the guests to take home....wrapped up in cd packaging.

A little slideshow of our baby's first year...

We surprised Sammy with a bunch of balloons before the party.... He and Sophia had a great time bouncing them around! I just love this picture below.....Sophia has been so incredibly in love with this little guy from the moment we brought him home. She is soooo good with him and he adores her like no other... The smile on his face when we go pick her up from school every day....is simply incredible. How lucky my little boys are to have such an amazing big sister.

I tried to take lots of pictures of Sam before the party... I knew it would be hard for me to get lots of good ones during....and I did capture a few funny and sweet little smiles!

Awwww....look at those sad eyes... He really wasn't feeling too hot the day of his party and it wasn't until the beginning of the next week that we discovered he had a double ear infection.

A little monkey craft for a few of the kids at the party.... but I don't think the kids even got to it...playing in the basement was much more fun!

THE CAKE..... I searched high and low for a sock monkey cake pan, but to no avail... Instead, I had to use the regular monkey pan from Wilton and just improvise with the decorating.... I wanted it to look just like his cookies!

His brother and sister did most of the opening for him.....and he just loved to watch and enjoy the freedom of the "ungated" living room... Of course the wrapping paper and ribbons is always the most fun anyway!

Big brother J showing Sam the ropes on his new Alpha train. He also got some darling clothes, shoes, jackets, cars, and trains from his Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, God Parents, and friends.

Uh-oh... there's that sad look again!

I did not get good pics of the cake and candle blowing...

He wasn't smiling...but he DID like his chocolate cake! YAYYYY!!!!!

We had one tired little guy by the end of the night...he had fun with Daddy and learning the ropes to all of his new toys!

Hope you enjoyed your special day sweet Sammy!! We love you sooo much!

Scheduled.

2012-02-06T23:41:00.000-06:00

Our little man has been battling congestion and ear stuff since day one. I tried to be conservative...and not overreact when doctors told me to give it time. I watched this little guy rub his ears day and night....heard him cry night after night...and prayed for naps longer than 20 minutes. The last ENT visit left the tube surgery up to us.... But rather than jumping the gun...B and I decided to wait it out...since our pediatrician seemed to think things were looking okay. But today... when I saw this sad look...

I decided it was time...time to schedule the surgery for tubes. When the nurse took my call today... she asked if Sam had recently had more ear infections since we met with the doctor. He had not had more infections...just numerous colds and congestion and fussiness. I felt a twinge of guilt scheduling this since he hadn't had a diagnosed infection in over a month...until....

Tonite....when after a long day of more fussiness....the after hours clinic diagnosed a double ear infection. Soooo glad I made the decision today to move forward with this. Poor Sammy....I hope that he will eventually get some relief. He deserves it!!! Please pray for him that he finally feels some much needed comfort...surgery is scheduled for Feb 28th.

Just a few more pictures from his party day....and still more to come...

One Year Well Check

2012-02-05T22:33:00.000-06:00

Sammy had his one-year well visit last Thursday! I always hesitate to plan well-checks (where vaccines are involved) prior to party days....but this little man is sick sooo often...that I have to squeeze those well visits in when I can. He received a clean bill of health at the doctor....such a blessing.....
Here are his AMAZING stats!!

At 1 year Looking back at 9 months
Height: 33 1/2 in. above 95% Height: 31 1/4 inches
Weight: 26 lbs 12 oz 94% Weight: 24 lbs
Head Circumference: 19 3/4 above 95% H.C. 19 1/2

He is definitely a HEALTHY and GROWING little boy. I still have concerns about his ears and may have the ENT look in his ears again...still considering tubes. This poor little guy pulls on his ears night and day.....and just can not sleep soundly. He still wakes up sometimes 6-8 times a night.....And after 12 months of this...I'm not really sure what B and I would do if we actually got a FULL night of sleep....wow... we might wake up feeling refreshed! Ha!

And as I suspected...the four shots he received on Thursday....did't bode well for the birthday boy.... he felt pretty crummy the night before his party and was still not 100% on Saturday.

I have lots of pictures to share from his day....but this terrific migraine I have been trying to ignore all day may just be getting the best of me.... so I'll leave you with just a few of my favorites I've looked through so far.....

And of course I can't leave out the other two....

Poor J must be coming down with something...b/c he has been exhausted and eating even less....he is such a teensy little thing already....

And Miss Sophia....just keeps getting more and more grown up. She asked to read the story tonight before bed to all of us....and sat at the end of the bed pointing to all of the pictures for J to see...just like a teacher....she's incredible. Here's a picture we took today for a fun little project we are going to do for her 100th day of school!

One YEAR

2012-02-01T23:06:00.000-06:00

Sweet Samuel....

One year ago today.... our hearts got a little bigger. One year ago today.....on that cold, wintery day....one Mama's heart ached to hold you..... One year ago today....I knew you belonged to me.

In one year....you have learned to smile that sweet, sweet smile. You have learned to giggle with that cute little low voice. In one year, you have learned to grin and lift that little eyebrow. In one year, you have learned to fall in love with your sweet big sister and silly big brother. In one year you have learned patty cake and how to say "Mama" and "Daddy." In one year, you have learned to roll over, sit, crawl, walk, and even run. In one year you have learned to grow BIG and Tall!

In one year you have learned to make us all smile.

In one year, WE have learned the joy that only a Mama and Daddy know.

We are so grateful for the blessing that you are, and so fortunate to be the ones to watch you grow. May all your dreams come true sweet Sammy!

A big week

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-06:00

I do not want to admit this...but my baby IS turning ONE in just a few short days. It just doesn't seem possible. I can picture exactly where I was and what I was doing one year ago this week when I got THE phone call that made us a family of 5. I knew in my heart...way before I met him...that special little baby was meant for us.... He was the one we had prayed for and waited for. It was all part of His greater plan.

We will celebrate the gift this sweet boy is to us this weekend....we are already singing Happy Birthday to him. And I LOVE how he smiles that big smile when he hears us sing his name!

So...just a few pictures of my BIG kids from last week....lots of hanging around the house time last week...since poor J had strep! But still lots going on...never a dull moment.

Chocolate chip cookie dough...is always "lick the beater good!"

Mr. Sammy is getting his 7th and 8th teeth already... and just can't chew on enough things!

This grown-up girl....loves to do her school work....She is getting ready to prepare for her First Holy Communion, and has decided she will be a Fashion Designer when she grows up..... She spent much of the weekend....cutting old Barbie/Princess outfits and re-designing them into different fancy gowns...strapless gowns...she said it was hard to get those strapless gowns to stay up over those "bumps" Ha, ha!!!

And I guess he thinks my new toy is pretty fun too!

Willie sometimes gets stuck behind all of the gates/closed doors...They are a necessity these days to keep Mr. Sammy from escaping and running for the stairs...which he thinks is pretty funny!

These two... are quite the pair! (And....yes...I did clean the glass on this door after I took these pics.....ahhh the joys of having kids...the fingerprints...the lips pressing on the glass....someday....maybe in 10 or 15 years... I might be able to keep this clean for more than 5 minutes!!!)

See... I told you he was quick!

Have a great week!

Four-Year Well Check

2012-01-19T22:29:00.000-06:00

We had J's 4-year well check yesterday! Even though we have been to the doctor numerous times this past year....( and by numerous... I mean weekly especially these past few months), it seems like J's 3-year well check was just yesterday....no joke. I can picture what he was wearing....but sometime in the last 12 months...this little guy grew a little taller...gained a new little brother....and grew even sweeter (if that is even possible). I've said before...Joseph is a small little guy with a HUGE heart....and though a lot has changed in this past year...that still remains true. Sure... we have our battles.....

he is rough....he is CRAZY....he.can.not.sit.still and sometimes he makes me want to plain pull my hair out...but in the end, after all of the tears... there is ALWAYS that "I love you mommy" that makes my heart melt.

Last night... I asked him to sit down and brush his teeth (instead of running around with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth) and of course he did not comply....he was acting his crazy little self when Daddy accidentally shut the bathroom door on his poor big toe (We have to keep doors closed for certain little boys named Sammy...who try to climb in the bathtub before it is his turn!!) OH Poor J! His big toe nail turned black and blue immediately....I cried with him.....and I told him now we could both have broken toes together! (Although I don't think his actual toe is broken). We told J once he had calmed down that that is why we asked him not to act so crazy. And though we always question whether or not our lecturing even comes close to sinking in....sure enough....he came downstairs after we tucked him into bed and told Daddy not to worry about shutting the door on his toe....he said he should have been listening like we asked. So.Sweet.

Our doctor visit went well....and the doctor didn't seemed too concerned that J has barely gained one pound in the last year....(we may have some formal allergy testing done) but other than that...we are thankful for another clean bill of health. We are so fortunate...

Here are the stats!

Weight.... 33 lbs 25% (up almost a pound from last year)

Height.....38 1/2 inches 10% (up about 2 inches from last year)

And a few final pictures of my newly turned four-year old doing some serious work.

This little man is the king of hidden picture games. He loves to search and find. So we made our own "I spy" game with some rice and some little tiny figures I found in my button jar. Easy peasy. I laid all the items on a piece of paper and snapped a picture of them before I placed them in the jar. So when he is bored...we get a cup of his favorite snack and each time he finds a figure in the jar...he marks it off on the paper with one of his snacks.

It's the little things...

that make him smile...and that's what I love about my "middle" man.

Sound the Alarm....

2012-01-11T22:53:00.001-06:00

Run out the door.....
Guess who just turned FOUR???

The last few months have been a whirlwind to me.... Did we really already have Christmas and celebrate New Year's? Wow. Where did the time go....and now....tis the season for birthdays. Last week when we were making party decorations....Joseph asked me to take his picture with the number 4. He remembered doing this same exact thing last year with the number 3. I am always happy to oblige....how can I not with this adorable face??

We had his party a few days early on the weekend so most of our family could be there. Joseph was excited for weeks prior. He started asking every morning about 2 weeks in advance "Is today my party day?"

He chose a fire truck theme.... I was pretty shocked that he didn't ask for a CARS party.....Fire trucks....such a perfect theme for a little boy.

I really wanted to keep his cake a surprise...so I had to work on it at night so he didn't see it. Kind of hard when little ones keep coming downstairs to ask to have help blowing their noses. Needless to say... I kinda rushed....and the home-made frosting didn't look as pretty as the canned frosting the recipe used...but I think it tasted better in the end:)

I saw the idea for the cookies on Etsy....and once I realized I already had the cutter.... I decided they were a must to make!

A few of the sweet treats... (had to include some chocolate cookies for my chocolate loving little guy).

And at the last minute J requested strawberry cupcakes. I have always wanted to make a home made strawberry cake...so I found a recipe and modified it for cupcakes.....S and J LOVED them:)

The favor table and invites from Dimple Prints on Etsy....they were fabulous!

I arranged for the party guests to have a tour of our nearby fire station. Joseph was so excited to see where the fire fighters slept and to see the big trucks.

I had actually done this with Sophia and Joseph when J was a baby.....but of course J was too little to remember.

And of course Papa Rick always gets the giggles out of him!

Unfortunately... after we had finished the inside tour of the station.....and just before J and his friends got to get in the trucks.... the fire fighters got called to a REAL emergency! It was exciting for Joseph to see the trucks leave...but sad that we didn't get to see inside of them. We will definitely plan a trip back!

S and J had some fun running with his buddies before we left!

Then back to our house for presents and cake. I loved how excited J was to wear his hat and how he wanted his buddy Will to help him open....and even Sammy got in on the action.....I guess he got some good practice for his birthday that is just right around the corner...

Make a wish!

I was so glad my sweet friend came along with her sweet children and took some wonderful pictures! Her pictures really captured the party! Thanks so much Nance!

The guests at the fire station...

Will and Joseph peeking in after the fire trucks left.

Presents!

And then...big sister wheeled in the BIG surprise.... a NEW bike! We were worried it would be too big for our little J....but the size seems to be working and J can ride it like a pro!

LOVE this picture....

I can't believe he is already this many...

Hope all of his wishes come true!

Now it's time to switch gears and get ready for a FIRST birthday party in a few weeks. Haven't even begun thinking about Sammy's BIG day....but I'd better get busy! I have big plans every day of accomplishing so much....but in the end much of my day involves playing prison guard to keep Sammy from escaping the gates, and from picking up any glass objects. Today he found my m & m stash and dumped every last one on the kitchen floor. I scurried to pick them up (okay...hobbled...still trying to move around on this annoying broken toe) before Willie got them.

And then my "plan"changes to....okay... I will get some of "my" work done when the kids go to bed.....But yet again....those plans are thwarted by 7-year olds who can't go to sleep because they are scared of time bombs in the Nancy Drew series, and crying babies on the verge of another ear infection, and last but not least, newly turned four-year olds calling for kleenex. The colds have returned...and I am one tired mama. I guess the pantry organization will have to wait yet another day:)

Firetrucks and Four

2012-01-07T23:05:00.000-06:00

Just a few pics I took before our festivities began today for J's FOURTH birthday. He chose a fire truck theme......and has been excited for weeks about his party. I love this little guy for so many reasons.....his sweetness, his " I love you, Mommy's " and his enthusiasm for all things...to name just a few. Today, I couldn't stop thinking about how fortunate I am to get to be his Mommy... how fortunate I am that he is here with me every day.... I am grateful beyond words. The joy that he brings each and everyone who meets him is immeasurable. I love you little J....

Many more pics to share soon!!! Happy Weekend!

Secrets....

2012-01-03T23:04:00.000-06:00

make this little guy smile!

And I just can't get enough of him! He has finally started mumbling "mama".....off and on... of course... and I couldn't be happier. I love his expressions...love how he raises that one eyebrow....loves how he smiles that "toothy" smile. We used to think that Joseph kept us on our toes...till Sammy came along!

I kid you not when I tell you that this 11 month old is IN TO EVERYTHING....including
-Willie's water bowls
-the dishwasher
-the refrigerator
-the (gasp) POTTY!
-the newspaper basket
-the bottle of Itsy Bitsy Spiral Moisturizer for his hair (it actually ended up poured all over J's carpet last week)

And I guess the "NO Samuel!" just hasn't sunk in yet... Last week he picked up a new vase and just threw it as hard as he could to the wood floor.....thankfully I am a bargain shopper and the vase was only 9.99 and even more fortunate...no one was injured!!!

We rang in the New Year with our traditional Greek dime cake. It's always pretty stressful trying to cut the pieces and trying to pick the "best" piece. Brett always does such a precise job cutting... and I of course do the baking.

Sophia was nervous about which piece to choose...

And J said..."hmmm....let me put my thinking cap on first...." (This little guy...by the way is celebrating a big birthday this weekend.... I can't believe it has been FOUR years..... I will never forget how he just cuddled with me and smiled at me during those FRIGID Iowa days. He was soooo tiny....but so full of love....even then!!!

But in the end.... I was the lucky duck!!!!!
(not too thrilled with this pic of me....but hey...it's all about that lucky dime!!!)

Showing curious J....

Someone was not too thrilled with the results...

Others accused me of "cheating" since I baked the cake.....But I assure you...I closed my eyes tight as I kneaded the dough and pressed it into the pan. Cross my heart:)

So here is to a happy and healthy 2012!

Merry Merry 2011

2011-12-27T22:52:00.000-06:00

Christmas came and went in the blink of an eye this year it seems!!! Wish we could have slowed it down a bit! What a whirlwind! I didn't go crazy taking too many pictures....first, because I just wanted to enjoy the time and second, because....I was too busy...chasing Mr. Sammy down....he is on.the.go.....walking, no...running... up a storm and in to EVERYTHING:) Exhausting, but I am sooooo glad we had another little one to celebrate with this year:)

I was so thrilled that we finally decided to go to Christmas Eve Mass this year. This allowed us a little more "home" time on Christmas morning. I was excited to get a few pictures of the kids in their Christmas bests! But only a few wanted to cooperate..

Mr. J was not into the picture thing... especially after I had to wake him up from a short nap early;(

Makes my heart full to see how FULL of stockings our mantle was this year! Thank you to Yiayia for sewing yet another stocking.... I LOVE LOVE Sammy's....especially the blue!

We headed to Yiayia's after a long Mass for dinner! Here is our annual family picture!

The kids were more than ready to open a few presents after dinner! Though Sammy's favorite thing to play with was definitely the paper....he had a lot of fun with this little toy from Thad:)

My reader...so thrilled with her new fairy books!

And J with his FABULOUS new life-like airplane. There's even a potty!!!

Before unwrapping their Santa presents in the morning the kids ran to read the letters that Santa and their elf had left, and of course checked to see just how many cookies Santa ate:)

Sam was pretty fun to watch....he just loved his "gate-less" freedom in the living room:) Love the way he is sitting in this picture. He was all smiles even though he was up most of the night. Not sure if it is teething or another pending ear infection:(

What a LUCKY little girl... with her new Marie Grace American Girl...

J was pretty excited about his new race track....

Hmm... this box looks fun even though it's not mine:)

And Missy was pretty excited about the fairy door and is awaiting a visit from her fairy any day now:)

We had a cinnamon roll breakfast and played in our jammies before getting ready for dinner at Omi and Papa's.

Here's my plate of this year's Christmas cookies...

A few family pictures....so hard to get everyone looking at the camera without being too silly:)

Here's the whole gang!

More presents and a yummy dinner from Omi....(and from the looks of it...Sammy had moved on from his fetish with paper to a love for water bottles;)

Each year seems to go by just a little faster.....We are blessed every year,....but this year we had so many reasons to be thankful....Each and every prayer we offered was answered. Miracles happened and because of those miracles....we are healthy, we are safe...we are together. I could not ask for more.

Pre Christmas Fun

2011-12-24T13:35:00.000-06:00

Every December I establish a list of "want to do's" in my head for the Holiday Season. This year was no exception.....but sometimes life happens...kids get sick....trips to the doctor consume much of your time....and unexpected things always arise. We didn't get to cross too much off of that list this year...but looking back through my camera... we did get to have some Christmas fun. And sometimes I think the less we actually do...the more special things are.

So...before we unwrap all those presents from Santa and before we fill our tummies with Christmas dinners.... I want to post just a few snaps of a little of the fun we had together this December.

We did take a trip to Crown Center and ate at the infamous Fritz. Sam loved to watch the trains move around and Sophia and Joseph...though old pros at this, loved it like it was their first time there.

And I made some mini gingerbread houses with the extra dough from our gingerbread cottage this year. I finally took the time to put them together this week....and though I still had a HUGE to do list...we sat down yesterday and got to work decorating. I'm so glad we took the time to do this because the kids had sooo much fun...and I love how their houses turned out.

Sam didn't decorate this year....but with the pace he is going this year... I would not be surprised if he builds his own house next year. We are so in love with you, Sammy...and so thrilled to celebrate your first Christmas with you!!!

Joseph has been quite the terror this week......oh my...can't take my eyes off of him....but when I see him working so intently on something with those little hands...my heart just swoons. I love that he is the life of all of our parties;)

Miss Sophia....she is a pro at using those frosting bags. She is such a helper to me... I don't know how I would survive with out my little mini mommy. She is so sensitive and so innocent. Hope the years don't change anything about her.

We have prepared.... we are ready for the MAGIC and are really trying to keep in our hearts the MIRACLE that makes Christmas so beautiful. Merry Merry!

Getting ready....(or trying....)

2011-12-08T17:03:00.000-06:00

I do not like to look at the calendar on the wall these days.....Christmas is oh sooo close and I feel so far behind... So much to do and so little time left. My poor littles have just felt plain yucky for so long....we have not been able to do all that I had hoped. Poor Sammy has yet another double ear infection...(ear infections are all new to me... wondering when I will need to see an ENT for this poor little guy). He is on Augmentin AGAIN....which means diaper and entire outfit changes every TWO hours it seems.

And Missy... poor girl....has had a rough year so far...strep twice this school year and now just the yuckies. She has been home the last few days....and not even wanting to go to school....She does not feel good...but we are sensing some apprehension about school as well....unfortunate for my little girl who excels in everything she does and usually loves school. But it seems we have been spending most of our day playing catch-up and doing homework.....her make-up work and the time it takes to complete...is really pretty ridiculous..since she is a stellar student anyway.... Kinda feel like they are punishing her for being sick. It's no wonder parents send their kids to school sick....:(

I am behind on posting a few things...so I'll just play catch up! Last weekend we made some gingerbread flavored play-doh. It smelled soooo wonderful and both S and J loved to play with it! You can find the recipe here..... on my most favorite site!

Look at those lashes!!!

Love to watch those little hands create!

Saturday was Sophia's First Reconciliation! She was her normal brave self and when it was all done and over with...she said she wanted to go again! WOW! Impressive!

We gave her her FIRST rosary and a little book as a surprise!

Somehow between changing diapers, sheets, making play-doh and doing homework.... I have had a little time to make some Christmas cookies....so many I want to make this year...but just not enough time! These were again inspired by my favorite "cookier".

Sunday was pictures with Santa at Church. But none of the troops were feeling 100%. Poor Sammy had just started his meds for his ears, and as if that wasn't enough...he fell on a toy in the morning and had a huge GASH in his lip. Poor Sammy!

I could not get the lighting right for the life of me. I really, really want to take a Photography class just so I can get better pictures of my kids and learn how to use my camera better!

Sophia told Santa she wanted Marie Grace, the new American Girl doll. Joseph told Santa he wanted a race track for his cars.

Here is the actual photographer's picture!

More Christmas cookies....this time... with gingerbread dough...mmmmm.....

And the poor little gingerbread house for 2011...still waiting to be assembled.....Contractors sure can be SLOW!!!!

And last but not least.... our Elf. He has been quite the mischievous little guy this year....eating Cheez-its in my China cabinet, leaving crayons all over the place and coloring in coloring books, eating candy canes, and driving toy cars. But this morning we found him peacefully holding this sweet Baby:0 with a little reminder about what this Season is really all about.

HE WALKS!

2011-11-30T23:19:00.000-06:00

We kind of assumed that our sweet little Sammy might just be walking before he turned one...but when he walked multiple steps tonight on the eve of his 10 month birthday we were pretty surprised.... and maybe just a little excited.... (you may want to pause the music at the bottom of the blog to hear that teensy bit of excitement we all had during the video:)

I absolutely LOVE how Sophia was the first to hug and congratulate him for his HUGE accomplishment! He simply ADORES her!

I tried to take some pictures (have to admit... I switched to auto on my camera just to make sure I didn't miss the moment)...okay... I took LOTS of pictures.... But he was such a little cutie!

Getting ready for the "take-off"...

A little wobbly...

Hmmm... I may have to stop and think about which foot goes first.....

This is fun stuff!

Look at me... I'm almost a pro!

Love how he comes for us with this "arms up" pose:)

Oh and of course Joseph will only pose for me these days when I'm trying to get pics of Sam:) Don't worry little J... I didn't forget about you. I remember the night you walked for the first time like it was just yesterday!!!!!

So when our Sammy turns 10 months tomorrow... he will be well on his way to being a new walker! He still is not saying "mama" :(, but he sure is saying more sounds and giggling lots (especially with crazy J). I think he is really trying to say hi (by reaching his arm up)...and of course he is still delighting us with those bright eyed smiles even though he has been battling a nasty little cold for a few weeks now!

We love you Sammy....our hearts just keep getting bigger as you get older:)

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T21:36:00.000-06:00

We couldn't have asked for better weather this Thanksgiving! It was a beautiful day! Here are the kids before we headed off to Yiayia's!

We had a fun day with lots of WONDERFUL food...yum yum to Chef Yiayia! Oh my...trying to get a picture of everyone looking one direction and not closing their eyes (J!!!!) was pretty difficult. I'm hoping I got a few that were Christmas card worthy:)

I wish I would have taken a picture of her table...beautiful as always! Here are the collection of Thanksgiving cookies I brought.

Yiayia had some fun crafts for the kids (and Brett) and S and J did their annual Christmas Chain making.

Sammy had fun pushing chairs and crawling under tables... Poor guy still has a nasty cold, but was all smiles in these pics:)

This under the table thing is pretty fun!

And J made his own fun doing some swiffer cleaning for Yiayia...wish he would do that at my house!

S played a little dress up and had fun making some home-made ornaments.

Then we headed down to the Plaza (and Nouna's house) for the Plaza Lighting! We made it just in time! Here is Sophia giving Sammy some love... while we were waiting.

But she quickly turned grumpy just in time for the family pic....poor girl...she was still on meds for strep and I think the meds made her feel crummy the entire time!

Sammy watching the lights and the fireworks...

Joseph had the best seat in the house!

Uh-oh...Ms. Grumpy wouldn't even pose for her traditional "Thea and Me" pic at the Plaza Lights. Just keeping it real....it's not always roses over here:)

Yiayia and Thea and J!

Yiayia, Thea, and Anna and J after the lights turned on.

Such a perfect night! Our little family minus Ms. Grump :(

We definitely have a LOT to be thankful for this year! I couldn't ask for much more than the gifts I have right here.

Making the most of it...and Gratitude Rolls

2011-11-21T22:23:00.001-06:00

Well... Miss Sophia's new meds have kicked in and she is feeling better...but my boys still have those yuckies. J kept asking me all day..." Do you feel sorry for me Mommee??" And yes, yes I do....hate it when the little ones don't feel good...and just look so miserable. We tried to make the most of this cold and gray day while we sipped Gatorade and kept kleenex nearby:)

J and I played a turkey game that I found here while Sammy napped.

The object was to see who could finish their turkey first...you would acquire pieces by rolling a pair of dice. J sorted all of the m and m's (eating just a few, of course) and we used thin mint GS cookies for the bodies, royal icing eyes, and Twizzlers from our Halloween stash for the feet.

I love how my J has such a bright smile.. even when he doesn't feel good!

Next on the agenda...Gratitude Rolls. I used to be really good about making home-made rolls...we would eat them for dinner almost every night. My mother has a fabulous recipe that she gave me....I have tried desperately to make them as well as she does....but some things are just better when your mother makes them:)

Anyway... I saw this idea for Gratitude Rolls here. The recipe looked similar to my mother's...but had a neat twist...

The idea was to sneak in a little surprise in each crescent....and how fun to sneak in a little "I am thankful..." note in each roll the week of Thanksgiving. Just like a little fortune cookie...but in a buttery crescent roll.

I followed the recipe to a T...but had some trouble determining the bake time (as these rolls grew much larger than the ones I usually make). It was hard to determine when to take the rolls out without over or undertaking them.

The best part was watching the kids open their rolls for dinner!!

And here is a peek at what I found inside of mine....(excuse the EXTREMELY dry fingers.....my hands are constantly covered in royal icing or being washed under the sink!!)

The verdict...the rolls were a hit with the kids, but Brett and I did not think the taste was nearly as good as my mother's.. Next time I will make her recipe, but put the little surprise inside like I did for these..

And as for Mr. Sammy...well... he missed out on the rolls... poor little guy took quite the cat nap mid way through dinner!!

My oven is calling....night night...

Under the weather...again...

2011-11-20T22:16:00.000-06:00

Poor Sophia....Two days after finishing her meds...and she came down with strep AGAIN...how can that be?? We took her to the doctor Saturday morning and the doctor is suspecting that the InstaMeds (the machine where we got her medicine at the doctor's office) may have been the culprit. Needless to say... we went directly to the pharmacy for the next round of antibiotics. I won't trust those machines again ( I was always a bit leary of them anyway)! So we had a lazy weekend around here. While Miss S tried to recuperate, the boys decided to come down with their own fun illnesses....I'm hoping they are just colds. J is always such a trooper...still acts pretty crazy even though he is under the weather...and Sammy was, for the most part, still smiles today...but not feeling good at all. Poor little ones.

Nonetheless.... we started our annual Christmas lists...and this year...I'm so glad that we had THREE to make!!! I told Brett maybe next year we should hope to have FOUR....so it is more symmetrical....:) I let the kids find one picture out of toy catalogs today that showed something they really, really wanted to ask of Santa.... I'm hoping we can help them choose things they REALLY want if we do it over time instead of just having them cut like crazy out of catalogs all at once.

And even though we are thinking about Christmas... we still haven't forgotten about the special holiday that is just around the corner...

We were trying to show off Sam's Santa list...but he just wanted to chew on it....and really all I can get out of this picture is that I DESPERATELY need a hair cut... oh my.... I think it is way too long..definitely ready for a change....

Still loving her hair...what do you think??

Source: mango-watermelon-love.tumblr.com via Amalia on Pinterest

Here are S and J with the start to their lists...

And poor Sammy with his little pink chapped cheeks...but so happy he is smiling.. at least for now....

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week....can't help but think about all the gifts I have in my life.... can't ask for too much more!

Sick Days

2011-11-10T22:30:00.001-06:00

It's so nice when I look over to see S and J doing this....

Sitting so nicely and coloring together...I had to take a picture while I could...because trust me...though J adores his sister....cooperation and moments getting along are sometimes hard to come by.

I love being able to stay at home with my children... it's what I always wanted to do....but let's face it...some days when Brett walks out that door to go to work in the morning... I want to go with him....and this week was one of those weeks...

Poor Miss S woke up Wednesday morning feeling miserable... I always know she must feel really bad when she doesn't even want to get out of bed, because normally she doesn't even want to tell us when she is sick, in fear that she will miss out on something. I worried that she might have strep when she had a fever and a bad headache.... She doesn't like to admit she has sore throats because she hates throat cultures.... I don't blame her. So when she told me she "might" have a sore throat... after I asked her a number of times...I figured it was time for a trip to the doctor. Thankfully Brett was able to take her for a quick culture...poor girl felt soooo miserable.... and sure enough she had strep.

This girl is not always an easy patient....I guess she takes after her mama.... she HATES taking medicine and will not even attempt to get fluids in her. But... we got the medicine started and she quickly bounced back. She's not 100%....so I'm thinking she might miss a third day from school.... ( I hate to send her if she is not feeling her best), so I guess that means more homework catch-up. We spent over two hours tonight ( she asked me to pick up her homework from school...she hates to get behind...imagine that), so I'm guessing we'll have even more tomorrow.... Wow....and it's just 2nd grade!!

I am trying desperately to keep the boys from getting sick...but trying to disinfect, change sheets and clean is near impossible with Mr. Sammy around. OH my....he is too quick and into everything. I am just chasing him all day.....You'd think he would be exhausted at night...but he still cries quite often throughout the night. Ok Mr Sammy....Mommy and Daddy need some uninterrupted sleep after 9 months of this....pretty pleeeeaaassssee!

Since Sophia was starting to feel better today... we had to do some crafting of course.

We made fall trees on "real artist canvases" (sale at Michael's this week!) using Q-tips and paint....simple but fun!

She's so cute even when she doesn't feel good!

And J...was taking a break from building roads this morning...as you can see by his hat...

Here is Sophia's final masterpiece.....she was pretty proud...

And J wouldn't pose with his tree, but here he is showing off another project he and I did earlier in the week. They are learning about squares in preschool this month....so we decorated our turkey with squares of tissue paper.

And can't leave out Mr. Sammy.... His new love.....fruit flavored cheerios! I am so excited that one of my children finally loves these. S and J never liked any flavor of cheerios....but Sammy just goes to town with these....and watching those fingers pick each one up.... oh how I love it!!

Ok... the washer and dryer is still calling my name...back to work!

Nine month numbers....

2011-11-03T23:03:00.000-05:00

It just doesn't get any slower... these babes just keep growing and time slips away a little faster every day. Sam is NINE months already....seems so fast...but yet I can't even remember what life was like without him!!!

He received a clean bill of health today at his well check. Here are his latest numbers:

Height: 31 1/4 inches... (greater than 95%) (At 6 months I think he was about 29 inches)
Weight: 24 pounds even (92%) (At 6 months he was 22.2 pounds...and actually just a few weeks ago Children's Mercy weighed him at 24.8....I think he has lost a bit since being on meds for that nasty ear infection)
Head Circumference: 19 1/8 (greater than 95%)

He got a few shots and his first flu shot and had some blood work completed. AND boy did he CRY. This BIG guy... sure is a CRIER!!! Even the docs and nurses couldn't believe it. Big Brother Joe also got his flu shot. We were hoping for the mist...but with his asthma history... we decided the injection would be the smarter choice. J is always such a trooper.... NO TEARS at all.. and he even watches the needle as it goes in. He has always been my brave one when it comes to shots. But when we came home he kept telling me he didn't like flu shots, and he felt like he was going to cry now. He's such a character!

So at nine months...Mr. Sammy is crawling like a crazy man....pulling up to standing position and starting to stand on his own for very brief seconds. He.is.into.everything. Brett told me weeks ago that I should just put him on a leash...and now I am seriously considering it. Baby proof locks....here we come. He loves to go for the cabinet under the kitchen sink and of course the one cabinet that houses my pretty cookie platters.... (note to self: in next house....make a HIGH cabinet for ALL pretties!!!)

And of course he is into all of J's cars, especially the little ones.

He is not into eating table food yet other than some very ripe pears and some cookies and crackers...but I am starting to notice he doesn't gag quite as much when I try thicker textures of baby foods. He is pretty much hungry all of the time....and once he is in the high chair he will cry until the spoon hits his tongue or the bottle hits his mouth.... I have to be quick!!!

Sammy still loves to be held and to get lots of hugs and kisses. He is a squirmer, though, and at 24 pounds... it makes it hard to hold him. Dressing him is like exercise for me... he.does.not.sit.still. He loves when Daddy tickles his side and back... loves to hear "Old McDonald," "London Bridges" and "The Wheels on the Bus." He is still not really into books (though I try) except to eat them. He adores his big brother and big sister.

He has started to play a new game with us lately too... It's called...let's see how many times a night I can cry.... So B and I take turns going up to his room to pat him.... The second we stop patting... the screaming begins again...He's a smart cookie... he knows what he is doing and he has us wrapped.... Oh my...this might be a hard habit to break...but boy oh boy... what I would give to have a night of uninterrupted sleep. It sure has been a long time:)

Even so... who can resist the way he reaches up for you or that sweet little drooly smile? I just want to squeeze him all the time... and those baby curls that are coming on his head.....adorable!

Trick or Treat

2011-11-02T08:47:00.000-05:00

It's taken me a day to catch my breath from all the Halloween excitement! Sophia had a long weekend last weekend...and even had Halloween off from school. Normally...she has the day after (All Saint's Day) off as well...too bad we weren't so lucky this year! It was hard getting back into the groove today!

I tried to make some home-made games for our day of Halloween fun....The kids loved playing "Don't eat Pete (the pumpkin)" with popcorn...but the witches stew game...where you had to suck up little circles with a straw and place them in a cauldron faster than your opponent didn't go over too well.... Sophia had a hard time sucking the pieces...she kept blowing instead! J and I had fun competing against each other though:)

We also carved the last of the pumpkins. To say that Sam was stingy with his smiles on Halloween was an understatement. OH my....I am hoping his crankiness has been from teething and not a sign of another ear infection to come. Fingers crossed.

Here are a few pictures from our morning...

Our final masterpieces....
Lil' S.... J, and Big S.

The pumpkins look just like their owners, huh? J's pumpkin was a bit soft and after being touched a little too roughly...sorta caved in the face. Sophia and I secretly joked that the pumpkin was a little "rotten" just like it's owner...HA!!!

Trying to get a picture of my three....OH how I struggle with this....trying to get all smiles and all eyes on me...and a picture that looks exposed....uggghhh....Dear photography friends...please help me!!!

Sam thought the leaves were for eating...

Hmmmm.... I think that pumpkin's binky looks mighty nice...he's thinking...

The silly faces I got from this little guy on his first Halloween....

After the games were finished .... it was finally costume time. Sophia decided to wear her Statue of Liberty costume (she had been Mary had a Little Lamb at trunk or treat to match Little Lamb Sam), but she decided to save this costume for the BIG night:) And can you see Willie not wanting to miss out on the action? We were thrilled to get the report from the doctor on Monday..... the biopsy showed a benign type of mass. It was a type of cancer, but BENIGN! So thankful... so we will just continue to keep a close eye on it. Thanks for the prayers.

Yes....all three were certainly troopers....for cooperating while I tried numerous times to get a good picture.

Of course... our traditional Halloween cupcakes can't be forgotten... I make them every year for my little Sophia who doesn't like candy....

And the costume of the year goes to these two....
Wilma and Fred! Yiayia and Pappou surprised us when they came in these costumes. SOOOOO Funny! Sophia and Joseph LOVED it.... especially since they have just started watching the Flintstones recently. And oddly enough...just the other day... Sophia was telling Yiayia that Pappou should call her and say "WIIIILLLLMA!" (And this was without knowing about their costumes!!) Too funny! Darn... I didn't get Fred's feet in the picture...they were sooo funny...and finally Yiayia got the red hair she's always dreamed of.

And to get in the spirit... I threw on my crayon costume at the last minute... I think my mother made this for my sister when she was in 6th grade....that's how old it is!! J asked if I would draw on him!!! Too funny!!!

We tried to get one with all of us...but the kids were sooo finished with pics and I didn't want to make them wait for trick-or-treating any longer!

Hippie Thea came with us....remember that wig from last year?

And I'm not too fond of this costume on the right... but that plant... was, I think, my most favorite costume of the night! How creative and easy....but poor little guy had to be exhausted... it was pretty effortful to walk.

Sam was amazing for his first trick-or-treat... after kind of a rough day! He enjoyed the ride!

I think my kids are already planning their costumes for next year! Oh my!

There's a first time for everything...

2011-10-30T23:38:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday, Thea invited us to a rodeo sponsored by the Botars of the American Royal. It was Sophia and Joseph's first rodeo...and mine too! What a fun experience for all of us!!! Thank you, Thea, for the special Saturday treat.

Before the rodeo began... we were treated to a real cowboy lunch with hamburgers and hot dogs, and we even got to see a balloon man make custom-designed balloons for us!! Sophia chose a giraffe and a heart!

J chose a fish...perfect for his attire that day. We could not find our old cowboy hats before leaving home...so J insisted on wearing another of his favorite hats...not quite a rodeo hat...but he looks cute in it nonetheless!

The kids also got to lasso a "pretend" horse with the help of a "real" cowboy, and they got to practice milking a pretend cow.

Oh and yes... I tried to tell S that she looked a bit like Steve Erkel in these pictures...she kept complaining about her new jeans, so she pulled them up to the sky and tucked her shirt in...too funny!!! Boden to the rescue today....we found some more comfy ones that won't look so "unstylish!" HA!

Because we attended the matinee, it wasn't too crowded in the arena...so we got pretty good seats! J of course loved this John Deere tractor, and wow...even a truck on the dirt:)

Here's the gang before the show!

Yee-Haw...oh my goodness.... I don't know how these cowboys don't break their backs....the way those horses move.... and throw them around....Glad it is not me up there!

It was pretty hard to get pictures as the animals were sooo fast! S and J loved to watch, and S especially had a ball dancing to the music. The half-time motorcycle entertainment from the rodeo clown was pretty exciting too!

J was pretty tired...but he didn't really lose interest...especially when he got to get some popcorn!

And since we were downtown....we stopped by Pappou's office (yep...he was working LATE on a Saturday....he needs to take about 3 months off after this trial!!!!!) We rarely get to see Pappou at work, so what a treat for S and J...and to ride the elevator up to the 18th floor.....can't get better than that.... unless you get to get a snack from the break room:)

Sophia also finished her soccer season with a bang this weekend! We are incredibly proud of her!!! A busy and FAST weekend....and tomorrow we will get to Trick-or Treat! Sophia has the day off again...so I'm trying to come up with some fun Halloween games to pass the time before the big night of fun!!!

Parties and Parades

2011-10-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy week at our house this week...one filled with Halloween parties, parades, parent teacher conferences, etc.

The week began with a Halloween party in Sophia's dance class. She chose to wear her "Mary had a little lamb" costume. Thankfully I took this picture before her little performance b/c... in trying to carry Mr. Sammy and keep J under control... I must have dropped my camera phone on the seat in the car and wasn't able to take pictures of the actual performance:(

Poor little Willie finally had his surgery on Wednesday morning to remove the mass that has been growing on his back. They had to make a much larger incision than we anticipated...poor little Willie....It is definitely a nasty battle wound.

Here he is right when he came home...still groggy...and his poor fur is messy, messy.... He also got his teeth cleaned which explains his matted face:(

Sophia also had her Halloween party at school on Wednesday. I didn't think I would be able to go...but Yiayia spent her birthday helping me out the day of Willie's surgery...thank you...thank you....and she and Thea stayed in the afternoon so I could go to the party without the boys.... It was supposed to be an "All Saints Day" party....students were not allowed to dress up in Halloween costumes...but the parent helpers did..hmmmm.... This mother was pretty scary looking with her scary contacts.....I tried to get a picture of Sophia peering inside her "cauldron" where the students had to find plastic body parts (ears, feet, etc) among macaroni and other things... YUCK. Making the mummy out of the juice box was much more up my alley.

Sam was making his own fun with the vacuum cleaner the other night and I tried to get some pictures of his smiles... I'm sure he will be best friends with the vacuum soon since it pretty much runs non-stop at our house. Have I ever mentioned that my boys are slightly messy eaters????

And I ALWAYS love the smiles I get from this little guy... even if they are mischievous ones....:)

And here is sweet Willie bear on day two.... we put one of Brett's old t-shirts on him so he wouldn't want to try to scratch the incision site. He has been such a trooper...still doesn't want to miss a beat....still wags his tail even when he is hurting and tired. We are praying for good results when we get the biopsy results back early next week.

Thursday, Sophia got to take a trip with her Brownie Troop to a Bakery.... and J and I got to tag along! Soooo much fun for me to watch the bakers in action and ask them questions!!! They were incredibly sweet and even made a home-made tossed pizza for the kids to see....and of course sample!! Yum! We also had Sophia's parent teacher conference that afternoon..... She, of course, received a super report from her teacher. We are so proud of her. I don't think I've ever met a 7 1/2 year-old (it was her half birthday today:) with such determination and dedication. Now if only she could share some of that with her younger brother...Oh my... I'm thinking J's conferences might be a bit different when he gets to second grade.....What we have to look forward to... HA!

And finally.... we made it to Friday. Sophia had the day off again...but J had preschool and his special Halloween parade and party. He wore his race car driver costume and proudly waved and showed it off during the parade!! I just don't think he can get any cuter.

I loved the costumes his friends wore. One little girl was a darling pink flamingo...and another was an adorable Madeline. Her mother and I chatted about how we would so much rather our little girls learn French in school....so they could be just like sweet Madeline. Thea got Sophia onto those books and cartoons and we just adore that Madeline!!!!

And J's teacher was a perfect "Cat in the Hat!"

Of course I was running a bit behind this morning when I realized Sammy actually needed a warm coat this morning (the parade was outside). I quickly ran to his closet and found a jacket his GodMommy gave him....it was a 2T....but I was desperate...and guess what...it fit!!!!! Hooray!!! I love this little boy more and more each day...not sure how that is possible...but it is. He goes for his 9 month well visit next week....already missing those newborn days:(

Miss S and I had just a little bit of time to ourselves without the boys between the parade and Halloween party....so she helped me package some Halloween cookies and we sure had fun delivering them later in the day!

So....it's Friday night....I feel a little bit of relief that this week is almost over! Just two more soccer games and a fun trip to the rodeo tomorrow....

Happy Happy Weekend!

Pre-Halloween Festivities

2011-10-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

It's not quite here yet...but we already had a weekend full of Halloween festivities. Sophia had the day off Friday while J had preschool for a few hours in the AM. Thank you Yiayia for coming over early so Sophia and I could have some time together. We had a ball hitting Barnes and Noble...finding her favorite new Rainbow Magic Fairy series and heading to the American Girl store to start making our wish list for Santa....

Friday night was Trunk or Treat at Sophia's school...and even though Sammy was still not feeling 100%, we dressed him in his costume anyway....and what a trooper he was. Sweet little lamb....to go with Mary of course!

I was running a bit behind even though I had helpers with me this year....so I really didn't focus too much on the pictures....we can try to do that on the actual Halloween night. It's sooo hard to get a picture of all three looking at the camera AND looking happy!

So here they are....Mary, her lamb, and Raceman...of course!

Sammy with his Godmommy...

Once we got to Trunk or Treat...he was pretty content just chewing on his bell...

He looks like a REAL race car driver!!!

Sophia never has much interest in the candy...but J sure loves his.... especially those lollipops!

We had sooo many trick or treaters and maybe a few taking too many handfuls...b/c we ran out of candy before the end of the night! Here, J is telling a trick or treater..."Sorry...we're all out!" He was even giving his own candy away!

Such beautiful weather here... I decided to take the kids to Louisburg again (since Sophia was in school on our first trip there). We had cider donuts...watched the apples being washed and went through the pumpkin patch to find yet more pumpkins....we had to search high and low for a few good ones, while being careful not to get stung by the numerous bumble bees.

I only had my camera phone but here are some of the other quick pictures I snapped!

Love how J is looking at Sophia down below...

I had my camera outside today trying to take pics of the kids for a little book I am wanting to make for Sam....and we got a few cute pictures of him sitting in the grass and riding in the car. He loves to be outside and especially loves the swings. He is still tugging on that ear...but seems to be recovering for the most part from that nasty ear infection/virus.

He has been sticking his tongue out so much lately....think growing those toothers...just really really hurts...ouch!!

Brett got a few pictures of me with Sam.....a rarity. But I absolutely love this one below....

And so after this weekend.... we now have a front porch FULL Of pumpkins.... and a busy week ahead. I think between Sophia and Joseph we might just have a Halloween party of some kind just about every day this week... and we will try again for Willie's surgery this Wednesday.

When it rains....

2011-10-20T22:43:00.001-05:00

it pours.

I wasn't looking forward to this week. Willie's surgery was scheduled for Wednesday. I was nervous he would not respond well to the anesthesia. I was stressed about the usual morning routine of getting the Princess to school, the "Raceman" to preschool at a different time, all while having Willie at the vet bright and early. Of course when I stress about one thing... I have come to learn, that often other "bigger" stresses can come into the picture.

Sam has had an ongoing cold/sinus infection/slight fever for weeks now. But Monday night...his fever went up just a bit...enough to make me think it was more than teething related....Then the P came down around 9:30 requesting Tylenol for a headache....(which never happens, as getting this child to swallow any medicines is torture in and of itself). I took her temp and she had no fever...but I gave the meds to her anyway....I don't mess around with headaches. She skipped off to bed...and I checked her overnight to find her sleeping peacefully. Happy go lucky in the morning and no fever....so off to school she went on Tuesday morning. Sam grew more and more cranky during the day...and I finally got the boys down for a short afternoon nap when I got a phone call from Sophia's school that she was not feeling well. I quickly pulled the boys from their beds, and raced to school as quickly as I could ( feeling sick at school is the worst, and I didn't want Sophia to have to wait)...to find my sweet Sophia pale as a ghost. I quickly got her in the car and we headed home. She rested, got her color back (letting her watch cartoons all afternoon was the best medicine for her!) But I decided I would keep her home in the am...since Willie had his surgery scheduled and I didn't want to worry about her at school.

In the meantime... we decided to take Sam to after hours to get him checked out. Diagnosis... nasty ear infection. ( I had worried about this for weeks...but every time I brought him in...they told me his ears were clear). We got the prescript and headed for home.

Sam grew more and more cranky.....his fever rose to 102...we upped the advil and even gave benadryl to try to get him to sleep. In the meantime... I developed a migraine...perfect timing. I tried to get up with Sam a few of the times that he cried and then apparently I fell into an alleve-induced sleep. The next time Sam cried...B took his temp...and it had risen to 104.5.. I didn't believe it....even accused B of taking it wrong. So we retook it...and this time it was beyond 105. Panic....

Brett grabbed the diaper bag, an extra bottle and headed for Children's Mercy. They immediately dosed him with more meds... to reduce the fever and Brett had to stay the majority of the night until his fever came down while I sat at home in bed and worried. 4:45 am...B and Sam home with diagnosis of ear infection and viral infection. Needless to say... we had to cancel Willie's surgery and had to reschedule for next week.

Sam has had a rough few days....extremely lethargic....cranky, feverish, and just downright yucky feeling. Poor guy. But Sophia seems on the mend....and so far, J has escaped without any sickness beyond his usual allergies.

The weather turned colder this week....just as all the sickness began...oh how I dread the long winter months....and it has barely even begun!

Here is my little man tonight...hardly able to keep his head up, but trying to do what he likes best...push the chairs around.

Sam did finally sleep for two hours straight today without crying....so maybe we are beginning to turn the corner??? Keeping our pinkies crossed:)

And to end on a good note....some pumpkin painting fun... we do this every year at Omi and Papa's...and of course this year we had a "third" pumpkin painting "spectator"! Here are some pics of my artists at work!

And a few sillies...

And normally I put my cookies on my cookie blog....but these are just for us... the first Halloween cookies I have made this year....got the idea from the one and only.....she's a creative genius (made these out of a baby onesie cutter!)

Let the spooky festivities begin....
PS... I spoke too soon....Mr. Sam is already screaming in his bed...another looooong night ahead:(

Surviving.....

2011-10-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

day two of the roof redo.

I wasn't going to complain about the loud pounding directly above Sam's room that began precisely 2 minutes before I put him down for his nap.... I wasn't going to complain about the number of times the doorbell rang either. I wasn't going to complain about the fact that I have to take Willie out on a leash to go potty. I wasn't going to complain that I have to park down the block and carry school bags, groceries and a 25 pound baby down the street and up the driveway. I wasn't going to complain about the super who insisted that I did not know what type of stucco we put on our house. I wasn't going to complain about the incredible POUNDING all day that makes poor Willie pace the entire house from morning till night. I wasn't going to complain about the number of times I have had to straighten the pictures of my sweet children on the wall. I wasn't going to complain about how all that dust stirring up in the attic has wreaked complete havoc on my allergies. I wasn't gonna....but whew.... it sure felt good!

So....enough complaining ( we have a good 3-4 days left for that) and on to some fun pictures of the sweet little ones! Sophia had the day off on Monday....so we took advantage of everyone being home and made our first trip to the pumpkin patch this season. Yiayia came along...thank goodness.... to help manage the troops. It was a short trip...but we still had some time to see some farm animals, go on a tractor ride, swing and slide, and of course pick a few pumpkins from the patch. (I didn't realize my lens was dirty till about 3/4 of the way through our trip :( ) So some of the pics are not too clear.

It was Sam's first trip to a patch....and he did pretty good. Of course we picked out his pumpkin for him, but he seemed pretty content with the one we chose. Now if I can just get Daddy to clean off all that dust left behind in every crevice of the stroller.

And just a few more pics from today....

As you can see...Mr. Sam is pretty happy about his new found mobility. He already shut his fingers in Sophia's bathroom drawer, and knocked over a glass jar on one of my tables. Oh my!

He found the oven!!! Gotta start that love affair with baking early!

And look at J....just up from a short and interrupted nap.....he looks pretty exhausted... I think Sam is thinking..."What's up with that guy's hair????"

Sam loves to put his hand on J...especially his hair. Wish I could have just a few of J's curls!

And finally... for the record.... Sam said "mama" one time in a very clear voice at exactly 1:23pm.... Tuesday October 11th. It has since changed to "baba" but...we are still counting it! YAY!

Hear's hoping for a quieter day tomorrow....

Full Speed Ahead

2011-10-06T22:25:00.000-05:00

I am not quite sure what happened...but Mr. Sam has decided to grow up all in one week! Not only are his two top teeth starting to push through...but he has started to pull up from sitting to standing position (when grabbing on to things), he can now roll from his tummy to sitting position....and he started crawling like a maniac today! I think it may have had something to do with a big brother tempting him with some very appealing and fast toy cars from across the room! Theywill be playing cars together before I know it, and I can't wait!

Sam is already giving me that mischievous look when he knows he is moving towards something he shouldn't....like the enticing electrical outlet covers in the walls. He loves to grab hold of my legs and tries desperately to get his mouth into them while I'm standing (that whole teething thing, I think!)

And tonight....Big Sister was getting a bath first....and before I knew it...Mr. Sam had crawled from her bedroom where I had nicely arranged a basket of toys to keep him occupied....straight for the tub! He LOVED watching Sophia take her bath and obviously wanted to climb right in with her! He just squealed with excitement and Sophia thought it was so hilarious! I yelled for B to bring up the camera....and I snapped a few pics as quickly as I could just to capture a few of the laughs.

I have a feeling life may just be getting a bit more exhausting....

Fall fun

2011-10-04T22:33:00.000-05:00

The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous the last few weeks.....I know I shouldn't have J (especially) outside so much with his horrendous allergies...but with this weather... I just can't help it! We have really tried to take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy it. Lots of picnic lunches and playing outside. I took just a few pictures of the things we have been doing in between school and dance and soccer....Most of the pics are with my phone, so not great quality....I notice that I have been bringing my big camera less and less lately....Mr. Sam is about all I can carry these days...and when I focus too much on taking pics... I really miss out on the fun... so the camera phone it is!

We all went to the park to play and have lunch last weekend...

Isn't she cute in her braids??? We are pretty proud of this little girl.... b/c this letter came in the mail to us today:

"I am pleased to inform you that your daughter, Sophia, has been chosen by her teacher for the Christ's Light Recognition Award. Her teachers state, "Christ's light shines in Sophia. She willingly helps others without being asked. She recognizes when others need assistance. She consistently practices the Golden rule through her actions and words. "

We are all very proud of Sophia's willingness to spread the light of Christ throughout our school. Thank you for helping to instill this love of neighbor and the light of Jesus in your daugher.

Christ's Peace,
Mr. C"

Apparently Sophia was chosen again for this award. She won the same award for her grade level last April. She was bursting with excitement when she walked to the car this afternoon after hearing her name on the intercom....and was even more excited to see the letter that came in the mail today! They are pretty lucky to have her, I think:)

I digressed from the fall fun pics....oops...

So, here is J enjoying his lunch!

Then... Ms. Green Thumb herself (AKA Thea) ventured out with the three kids and myself Sunday afternoon (leaving B some peace and quiet to finish re-painting the dining room:) to update my front porch flowers. It was time to rid of the summer plants and buy some pretty mums and pansies. Thea is definitely the gardener in the family. She helped me pick the plants for my pot and even potted them when we came home... and so far.... I have not yet killed them!!! :) Thanks Thea!

And it's that time of year again for those cider mill apples.. J and Sam and I took a short trip this morning to Louisburg to get a bag of apples. Joseph was really much more into watching the apples go through the machines this year. He also LOVED the cider donuts....which he didn't care too much for last year. He was very interested in looking for cows on our drive down....he was a little disappointed that we only saw horses.. He is sooo funny. Today we were doing our "homework" while Sophia was studying her spelling and he said..."Mommy... I think I love you a lot." Melt.my.heart.

The boys and I played outside a lot the last few days... Sam is already big enough to fit in our swing....and he LOVES it... He is really trying to move around a lot these days... I caught him pulling up on a chair to standing position many times today...and of course we have already had some falls when the kids try to stand him up when I am not looking and he falls back.... Can't take my eyes off of any of them.. I tell ya!!

On another note... we took Willie to the vet today after we had noticed a definite increase in size in a growth we have been watching on his back. The vet confirmed our suspicions that it has indeed grown in size and would like to remove it... We will be praying that his little surgery goes well and he bounces back quickly. He is 11 1/2 and losing some of that puppy spunk.... so we worry that any surgery will be traumatic for him....

Happy almost Wednesday!

On the go go!!

2011-09-29T22:35:00.002-05:00

Saturday is the first day of October. As much as I love to see what the new calendar picture will be at the start of each new month... I always am a bit sad to have to take down the old.....it always means that our youngest will be yet another month older... Saturday...sweet Sam will be EIGHT months.

Poor little guy has not been feeling good for quite some time... but I think we are slowly getting over the hump! He sure had some smiles for me today after lunch! Who isn't happy with a full tummy?

He has two bottom teeth now... and must be trying to cut a few more...because he just drools, drools, drools....and has been a wee bit whiny lately. Naps and night-time sleeps have been a challenge. He took a pretty good one this morning, though, and we were off to a good start this afternoon until a lawn company decided to RING the DOORBELL....GRRRRR!

At eight months, Sam still LOVES to wrap his arms around you and give you hugs. He wants to be held...but is quickly learning to scoot around and crawl... He has gotten pretty good at crawling/scooting backwards and is really just beginning to move forward....

It used to be easy to put him in the exersaucer for a few minutes if I had to do something where I couldn't keep my eye on him...but as of yesterday...when he decided he wanted to get out...and somehow climbed out (head first :( ) this is not as good of an option. He will be just like little Joseph before I know it....always having to have an eye on him!!!

I am desperately trying to get him to say "mama".... but I think that he just might have said something a little closer to "dada" just once...but we'll keep that a little secret....and just keep working on getting that "mama!" :)

He is really trying to get up on all fours and really wants to get to sitting position from laying down. He will be there before we know it.

He LOVES to crawl/scoot under chairs and tables and beds... but cries tremendously when he can't get out. He is such a big boy....but oh my he can cry like a newborn:) especially when I try to wipe his nose!!!

All this crawling has worn me out!

Oops.. .I had to get down really low to get him and I accidentally cut off his chin...but love his expression!

He has become increasingly fond of this little guy as well...

Sam loves to play with J's hair and just watch J play with his cars... Soon... they will be lining up all those tiny cars together!! I took this picture of Joseph while we were waiting for Sophia at pick up today.... He is the best buddy to have in the car... he always comes up front with me....and you should hear the conversations he has with whomever has parked next to us... Sooo hilarious...so social...so friendly...He talks to everyone.....and who can resist???

Below he asked me to take his picture with the pumpkins at the grocery store... we will wait to get our pumpkins from the patch...but he was pretty excited about these..

Still chuckling about J's newest habit of coming back downstairs after we put him in bed. No matter what kinds of threats we give...every night he comes to sit on the steps and talk to us...just checking out what is going on while he is supposed to be sleeping. He usually always has something very important to tell us....the first few nights it was that he was going to throw up (but not really).....and tonight it was questions like "Why did you leave the dining room light on?" And after B tried to give a firm...."Time to go to bed, Joseph" while I was trying not to laugh....he asked...."When am I getting my report card?" He is too funny.....every day is eventful with him:)

So...October is here in one more day. I guess there is no stopping it.... Sam will be a month older....Sophia will celebrate her half birthday...and J will keep us hopping. Bring it on:)

Sillies

2011-09-23T21:27:00.000-05:00

I kept J home from school on Wednesday because his allergies/asthma were making him feel miserable....but we did have some fun! We visited Daddy's office and J decided to take over the biz while Papa was away. I think he would make a pretty good boss, don't you?

And today...Sam discovered something he had never noticed before...

Not great pictures b/c I took them with my phone...grabbed what I could to catch this little guy in the moment:)

I have a feeling he will get pretty used to this washing machine thing...since it pretty much goes non-stop at our house!

And staring at this picture of our laundry room... I have decided it needs an update...we definitely need some new drawer pulls and knobs to jazz it up a bit. I have a list of "around the house" projects...painting....etc that I am itching to start!!! Watch out B!

It's been an exhausting two weeks....Sophia seems to have kicked this cold/virus and I thought J and Sam were beginning to turn a corner...WRONG... I think it may just be starting over again.....We may just keep the Kleenex industry in business this year:(

Happy Weekend!

Missing....

2011-09-20T21:54:00.000-05:00

I feel like we have been missing on the blog the past few weeks.....The truth is life at our house the last few weeks has been pretty mundane....lots of colds and allergies and breathing treatments.....and sick babies...and that is truly NO FUN.... Wiping noses, distributing medicines, changing diapers....oh my.....something so easy can become so difficult when the kiddos are not happy. Poor Mr. Sam has had an awful cold/sinus infection....and this little guy quickly made it very clear to us that he WOULD NOT allow us to wipe his nose....even though it never stopped running. Well...living with me....that is just.not.possible.....so wipe, wipe, wipe we went....and cry, cry, cry he went! This along with J's nightly croup episodes left b and myself pretty darn tired and cranky. And...it's only September....hope this is not an indicator of what our household health will be this winter...

So even though things haven't necessarily been roses here.... I did find some picture-worthy moments on my camera!! I guess life doesn't really stop even when we don't feel too hot!

Here we are having a fun study break at a local coffee shop... Look at Miss Sophia....she is so intent and serious when it comes to her homework!

Here is J enjoying his brownie and of course making his usual Joseph mess:)

And Sam.... always along for the ride!

Here is Sophia ready for another night of dance class wearing her blue leotard this time!! She's so cute!

J's preschool was talking about apples last week...so we had our own taste test at our house. I cut the apples and numbered them...then we had a taste test without knowing which color apple we were tasting. The results were a tie (after Sophia changed her original choice to what I had chosen) and the winners were Red Jonathan's and Yellow Golden's!

Poor Sam was soooo not feeling well...but I got some of these smiles that night...and lots of

DROOL!

Yup...that is drool coming from his mouth in the picture below...but I just couldn't edit it out! It's a memory of that horrible teething they all have to go through, right? Look at those cute BIG feet!

Painting a race car from our friend's birthday party was a great way to spend a rainy Saturday morning...and J did such a good job!

Look at how hard he is working...

So proud of his work!

And finally we made it to story time at PB kids where we got to see the real George himself!

And there is really a story behind this final picture below... yes... it is my mixer.

I was mixing some cookie dough the other day....and little helper J was on the counter with me....he is always very interested in "helping out" while I make the dough. At one point of my mixing process... I always take the bowl completely off of the stand so I can really scrape down the sides.... As I was doing this....J pointed out that my mixer looked just like it was going to give him a hug. I stopped and looked at what he was looking at and realized he was right! I had never looked at my mixer that way...but without the bowl attached... it really does look like it has "hugging arms." Amazing...how someone else's perspective can change the way you see things. My kids definitely do this for me.... sometimes I get so "focused" in the routine that I forget to look beyond what my eyes see.

Never Forget.

2011-09-11T21:49:00.001-05:00

It was a beautiful day here today...and eerily reminiscent of the day ten years ago. Today I prayed an extra prayer for the many fallen heroes of our country. I pray that they know just how appreciated they are for their sacrifices, and I pray for the families they left behind. My heart is heavy for their loss.

I prayed also for my own family.... in thanksgiving for the gifts God has given me in the last 10 years. I am thankful that my children have both a mother and a father. I am thankful that in their lifetime thus far, they have only known safety and security (and I pray it stays that way). I am thankful for the freedoms this great country provides.

So as I remember those who sacrificed so much.... I am also thanking God for the gifts He has given me:

One more send off...

2011-09-08T21:27:00.000-05:00

Mr. J started PRESCHOOL on Wednesday....he just seems too little for me to be sending him away.... even if it is for just a few hours. He seemed excited the day before...but I was a bit concerned when he started telling others that Mommy was going to be there with him ( like I had been at his orientation).

Here he is ready to go...trying to hold his bag that is almost bigger than him. Speaking of bags...we purchased the cutest backpack for him BEFORE we found out that he had to carry the plain ole canvas bag given by the school:(

Don't you just love all these smiles?....you can just tell he is VERY tired of mommy trying to get a "good" picture!

We headed off early so we could catch the All School Mass before preschool. J pretty much had ants in his pants the entire time...would.not.sit.still. Thankfully, Yiayia joined us and offered to stay with Sam when we had to head out early to get J to the preschool doors on time. (Unfortunately I missed Sam "jamming out" to the Church music as Yiayia carried him up with her in the communion line. We have noticed that he likes to move his head back and forth when he gets excited or hears fun music, so we've given him the nickname "Stevie," for Stevie Wonder, of course:)

Here is J outside of church...looking a wee bit nervous.

Ahhh.... a friend we knew from My Gym.....makes it a little easier when you can walk into a new place with a buddy! These two were one of the first in the classroom, thankfully. After I walked out of the room... I, of course, "hung out" outside the door and peered in to watch J for a bit. There were still a few children coming in...and I noticed a few of them were clinging to their parents....once the others in line behind them saw their nervousness, it was like a domino effect...everyone started tearing up!!! Oh thank goodness J was already in the room and didn't see this!

Here is Joseph hanging up his bag with Mrs. M ( she is the SWEETEST!) and laughing that his silly name tag keeps falling off of his shirt..... He is too funny!

And showing off his decorated apple that we did at home.

Finding the toys...

And of course once he found the CARS....he felt at home right away!

He came home a few hours later happy and exhausted, telling me his favorite part was riding the tricycle at recess....just as it should be:) Love you my little J.....those teachers and classmates are so lucky to have you!

Snippets

2011-09-06T23:01:00.000-05:00

He is off to preschool tomorrow....It's just for 2 1/2 hours...but the house will be too lonely without him:(

She had her first dance class today at a different dance studio.

Such a pretty little ballerina.

She looks more and more grown up every day.

Little man, Sammie, spent much of his day doing this...

Chewing! Poor little guy is struggling with those new toothers!

Hopefully I'll be back to post some BIG BOY Preschool pics later this week:)

Seven Months Sweet

2011-09-05T21:40:00.000-05:00

I don't even want to talk about how FAST this last 7 months has flown by.

It makes me weepy.

He is growing up WAY TOO FAST.

He's turned our world upside down...this sweet little Sammy of ours:)

It can't be....

2011-08-31T21:04:00.001-05:00

that this little buddy of mine headed off with me this morning to meet his preschool teacher and classmates.

Whew... what a time I had trying to get a "nice" picture of him....but if you know Joseph...then this picture below is the "real" picture! He is always being silly...just can't wait to see if he turns into the class clown that everyone remembers from grade school! We headed to Mass this morning before going to the preschool room. He was a little nervous, but quickly warmed up and answered (aloud) every rhetorical question the teacher asked. I helped him fill out a form about himself as one of the activities where he told me the following-
favorite toy: trucks and cars
favorite color: blue
favorite song: "Life is a Highway" from the Cars movie
favorite food: Macaroni and Cheese
favorite place to go: the zoo and park

The next activity was a reverse scavenger hunt. The teacher had placed toys from the classroom in his bag and he had to find where they belonged and put them back! What a terrific idea to teach how to clean up! We got to participate in circle time activities and prayer and songs. I am thrilled with his teacher and his helper teacher is simply an angel. He will be in good hands....I just hope they keep their eyes on him AT ALL TIMES! Oh my....he is fearless and full of energy, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little boy.

All I could think about when we were listening to the teacher read "A Kissing Hand" (one of my favorite stories) was seeing how Joseph smiled in his sleep when we held him in the hospital. He has always been so sweet...so full of love. And it truly seems like it was just yesterday that I held that tiny little boy in my arms for the first time. I am not ready for him to start the school scene...even if it is just preschool...but I know he is ready.

Here is his sweet teacher... Mrs. S

And this amazing lady below is his helper teacher...Mrs. M.

Hope you have a fun year little J!

Our superstar...

2011-08-28T22:31:00.000-05:00

scored TWO goals at her first soccer game of the season!!! Way to go Sophia!!!!

A week in review....

2011-08-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

It's Friday evening....after our first 3 day week back in school mode...and I am already worn out!! It's always an adjustment starting a new routine... Just as Sophia is having to adjust to her new teacher and new second grade rules....the boys and I are having to adjust to our day without her as well.

Joseph and I put together a book of all the things that we did when Sophia was at school on Wednesday...her first day back. She loved it so much....she has requested a new book everyday since....Oh my... it is hard to try to take pictures of everything we do, load them to the computer, print them to card stock and then put them together in book form all before I pick her up...BUT...since she hasn't been as enthusiastic about going to school this week as she has in the past... I've tried my best to do this for her....So....I do have a lot of pictures of what the boys and I have been doing this week...

I think it will be fun for them to look back at these when they get older....

First Day Jitters

2011-08-24T21:42:00.000-05:00

All the other schools in our area have been in school for a week...and today it was officially OUR FIRST day of SECOND grade!

Sophia looks so bright eyed and well-rested in these pictures....you never would have guessed that she had been up crying twice during the middle of the night.....She told me her foot hurt and that it was really cold. I worried that she was just sick and didn't want to tell me because she was afraid she would miss her first day....(you know how this girl LOVES school). But we took her temp and all was fine....so I figured...maybe her foot was asleep or maybe her allergies were bothering her...and she went back to sleep. I was pretty exhausted this morning ....usually we are only awakened by Mr. Sam throughout the night..but last nite we had two little night owls.

And can you tell she really is a big kid now....do you like the peace sign she insisted on holding up for the picture?

Ready to go! And Big J is pretty excited about the first day too!

What a cutie!

Thankfully... Daddy followed all of us to school...so he could sit in the car with the boys while I walked Sophia in. She seemed a bit more nervous than usual....She so adored her first grade teacher last year....and I think upon meeting this year's teacher at orientation....she was a bit worried that things might be a little different in second grade.

She was not too keen on me taking pictures inside but I snapped a few anyway.

Here she is in her classroom hanging up her "Nera" :)

I wanted to get a picture of her at her desk but didn't feel like the teacher wanted parents in the classroom. I watched in the doorway as Sophia took a paper to her teacher and her teacher gave her the bottom portion back and said to put it in her bag to give back to me....then the teacher saw me still standing at the door and said..." Oh I guess you can just give it to her... I didn't realize she was STILL here." Oops! I still wish I could have gotten that picture of her at her desk....but I took that as a hint that it was time for me to leave:(

The boys and I then headed to Church for the first all school Mass of the year. Thankfully we were met by Yiayia who helped keep J in line:) We waited in the front entrance after Mass to watch Sophia walk out with her class....she looked a bit nervous....and I left feeling a little worried that her usual first day enthusiasm was not quite all there.

We were home by 10 am and it literally felt like we had already been up for 10 hours! J and I had lots of fun playing Legos, and cars and reading books. Sam had to adjust to two earlier in the day naps and did pretty well, and Joseph had a little too much fun pushing him a little too hard in the Johnny Jump up! We made a picture book for Sophia so we could show her all the things we did while we waited for her to come home.

Then it was off to pickup...and oh my...this is always a treat on the first day....CRAZINESS! I didn't park close enough...so I had to get both boys out so we could keep an eye out for Sophia...it was HOT....

She told me all about her day....and J showed her the book about our day. She seemed pretty worn out to me.....still seemed a little nervous....not my usual "I LOVE school Sophia," but still pretty excited about all her new supplies and especially the new pink highlighter she was given. She told me her favorite part of her day was gym and music...

We did our first day of school work, had a warm chocolate chip cookie for snack, relaxed with a little Miss Spider....took baths early so Daddy could do dinner.....while I headed off to J's preschool orientation! Whew... what a day. I made it home in time to practice some Math facts with Sophia...give Sam a bath and get them in bed. Day one...and we made it. (Thank goodness soccer practice was cancelled b/c of the heat...not quite sure how we could have fit that in today!)

Ahhh....off I went to wash my face....( of course the beginning of the year stress always wreaks havoc on my forehead...taking suggestions for skincare Thea and Yiayia......) but before I could decide which soap to use... I had a visitor.....Sophia came back down to just tell me she loved me. She looked like she was going to cry and I asked her what she was upset about....She told me.... she missed me at school..... OH how my heart melted.... I never wanted her to feel this way about school....it was the way I felt when I was little......and it was a horrible feeling to be scared and worried and to miss all the comforts of home. I assured her that she would be fine and that I would be up at school VERY often....in the lunchroom next week in fact. I think she just might need to make a trip to her first grade room tomorrow to visit her old teacher... I know she will put her right at ease.

Oh... I hope this was just first day jitters..... I am praying that her day is worry-free tomorrow. She is looking forward to a trip to McDonald's for ice cream after pick up!!!!

One Last Hurrah!

2011-08-23T22:18:00.000-05:00

We finally had our lemonade stand...on our last day of summer vacation!

J was pretty excited about all the customers....Thea, Auntie Eryn, our sweet neighbors, Papa, and Yiayia, and Sophia's teacher from first grade! What a surprise!

Sam even joined in on the fun after his nap! A big thank you to Thea....for coming to the rescue with some cups when I realized I only had five disposable ones in the pantry!

Whew... all the excitement and humidity got to him...he needed a quick rest!

Sophia was soooo excited about this lemonade stand....she even picked out her clothes and "non-matching necklace." Too bad the clashing hair ribbon she had chosen had already fallen out of her hair!!:)

Waiting for customers...

She was being a bit stingy with her smiles...but she finally agreed to give me ONE!

Our little table... Thea did a good job picking out the cups...I'm liking the color theme a lot!!!

Good thing the grown ups were there to man the stand...b/c after a while... little S and J ran off to play basketball, have some wardrobe changes and climb trees!

A perfect end to summer..... The school bell rings bright and early tomorrow!!!

Getting Ready....

2011-08-22T22:29:00.000-05:00

for SECOND grade. Well our last official day of summer is tomorrow :( Sophia had her orientation today.... We turned in all the important health forms, lunch forms, spirit wear forms, etc....while she settled in for a little while to meet her new teacher and see her new classroom. She was oddly quiet in the car this morning on the way...and I worried that she may be a bit nervous.....But after we picked her up from her teacher....she had that same old...."I LOVE school!" enthusiasm right back! I think she was more stressed about what she was wearing....She was worried that she would get in trouble for wearing sandals (these are typically not allowed on uniform days), but I assured her that it was okay for orientation. Apparently she was still worried about it when we first walked into school because she immediately asked the Assistant Principal if her sandals were okay....I guess she trusts her word over mine!!;)

She wanted to pose with her new backpack even though she didn't have to bring it to school yet. She desperately wanted a "Nera Bradley" (as she used to call it) backpack (all of the girls at her school carry them). Brett and I were very hesitant about this purchase....as these backpacks are pretty pricey. I don't think I owned a Vera Bradley bag till I was in college....but since she has had the same backpack for a few years...we decided to give in. Just praying that this little girl continues to be her own person as she gets older and doesn't let others try to influence her so much. I WAS glad, though, that she picked out a pattern that none of her other friends had!!!

This little girl has been quite the pill the last few months. Sometimes we have to have little lessons about respect....manners, etc. I think she just likes to test Mama and Daddy because she is still a sweet and sincere little girl who gives everything her ALL. And isn't she just a beauty??

And OF COURSE.... we can't leave little J out! Before we left with Sophia today... he was sure to tell her to "Have a Good Day!" He will be leaving me too....in a few short weeks for just two short mornings a week to be a BIG PRESCHOOLER!!! We happened to meet his teacher last week at school... I ADORE her already. And Big Sister already informed her that sometimes J bites. HA!!! Whew...glad we got that out in the open!!!:)

And my littlest man....is not so little anymore. Sophia said today... I wish Sam would stay a baby forever. Oh....makes me cry just thinking about how fast these last 6 months have gone.

We are definitely getting some toothers!!! And they can be pretty painful especially at night....Poor little guy!

He gets mesmerized by my flash...can you tell? Or maybe that was just a worried look on his face after he saw Big Brother throw his shoe over his head....see the shoe flying in the background???

Love to watch his giggles...LOOK at those hands.... I love how he LOVES to touch everyone so intently... He loves to just put his hands on my face...so sweet!!

This is sooo fun listening to this music and hearing the animal sounds!!!

And I had to get a picture of the back of his head...LOOK at those SWEET little curlies!!!! I am totally in LOVE with them. My poor guy has terribly dry skin especially on his head. But thanks to this sweet friend......I found this stuff especially designed for his hair.... Hoping it keeps those curls nice and soft...and hope he continues to grow lots and lots of them:)

So....tomorrow we will have ONE more day of fun.....One more day to read books, play hangman, and dance, dance, dance....(The Dance Party Wii game is her new favorite). Sophia already has grand plans for her last day of summer... she has already picked out what she will wear and has decided we will have a lemonade stand. Hopefully the summer will go out with a bang. It will be an eventful year ahead... full of soccer games, dancing, Brownies, preparations for First Communion and First Reconciliation and PRESCHOOL. So thankful I could spend the summer with these special little people!!!

Sammy's SIX month Stats

2011-08-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

Sam had his six month well-visit this week. I love to get pictures of the kids before each of their well visits....but this time... I decided it was necessary to get a picture of ALL three.

It is near to impossible to get a picture when all three are looking in the same direction AND smiling. I tried desperately to get "the shot". But in these pics....Mr. Sam was not his usual smiley self....it was almost nap time.

And much to the olders' dismay.... I tried again...post nap. This time... J was being his silly squirlly self... and being stingy with his smiles.... uggghhh
Do you like how Sam is waving in this picture?

Almost got it this time....but... as you can see....J has that fake smile with the "my cheeks hurt" look on his face.

Now we have smiles....but this time Sammy decides to imitate what I was doing....he is very good at saying "OHHHH" when I am singing "Old McDonald" and "E-I-E-I- OOOOOO!"

Still not perfect...but love the brotherly love here. Kudos to Sophia for holding that smile for soooo long!

And yay....ALL smiles....but horrible cutting off of Sophia's head!!!

As for Sam's appointment.... all went well. He is definitely one healthy and happy little...oops...BIG boy. He is off the charts for height and weight... (that means beyond the 97th%) . He weighed 22.2 pounds....and I think the nurse was so astounded...that she forgot to give me the height details. I might just have to get a job so we can afford enough food to feed this little guy!!!

He got two shots in those squeezable thighs....and cried horribly!!! Awwww.... I hate that they have to go through that.

I think his first bottom toother poked through today....I guess we can consider it a half birthday present!!!

Daddy met us at the doctor for the appointment and we thought we could all go out to lunch....haven't really done that all together all summer....but Sophia chose McDonald's to bring home....only so she could get a Smurf in the Happy Meal. This was a huge moment for us. This is the first time our children have actually eaten McDonald's (besides their ice cream cones). I think Brett and I were pretty proud that we kept Sophia away from it for SEVEN whole years. She was more of a chick-fil-A kind of gal anyway. The verdict.... she said her happy meal was "pretty good"...J didn't like his so much .....but the toys were definitely worth it.

Summer is dwindling.....and though the kids spend much of their time playing too rough with each other...whining to me about what they should do.....etc...etc...etc.... I am sad that we will soon have to leave our summer freedoms behind. The house will be a little quieter...and I will be a little lonelier. So here is to a few more days of summer fun!!!

Blessings

2011-08-13T22:22:00.000-05:00

We are back from our beach trip and home safe....and I have many pictures to share. We are counting our blessings today.

We had a direct flight (thank goodness....) because traveling with a 7-year old, a sometimes queasy 3-year old, and a very active 6-month old is very exhausting in and of itself... But each one arrived with smiles on their faces. (The pics are a bit blurry because I took them with my phone:))

And yay.....thank goodness for motion sickness meds...b/c this guy made it without getting sick on the flight this time:)

And here is sweet Sammy....he was the talk of the plane....people were guessing that he was 18 months old. You should have seen their jaws drop when I said he was just a BIG 6 months:)

There were a few little mix-ups with our hotel room at the beginning...but after an hour wait, we were able to settle in.

Have I mentioned that traveling with 3 can be EXHAUSTING? We got in and out of the car so many times...and having to carry the stroller and car seat everywhere we went was a workout in and of itself. Then there was the arguing about who was going to put their car seat in the middle and who was sitting by the window. Oh my... The first night after driving to a late dinner....we had to stop at the store to get some diapers and baby food....J was wild and crazy and then all of a sudden...he just crashed....poor guy was just exhausted!

We woke up to just a bit of sunshine on Monday....and after feedings and sunscreen applications we headed to the beach and pool.

The water was warm and so relaxing....

Even Sam LOVED the water! The sand on his toes took a little getting used to...but he was a natural beach bum!!

Hmmm...this sand sure feels funny on my toes!

See...I told you he was a natural!

Love the expression....

"Hmmm....hope I didn't get sand in my button!"

The afternoon of our first day... we had a very unfortunate accident that landed our sweet little J in the ER. It was something Brett and I will never forget...a reminder that we are all imperfect....a reminder that Someone so much greater is in control. Our world certainly stopped for some hours that day, and we prayed, prayed, and prayed. God heard our prayers and held our sweet baby in His hands the entire time. We are so blessed...so fortunate....so lucky that God placed so many of the right people in our midst at the right time. It was certainly a reminder of just how precious these tiny lives are and how quickly things can change in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately after about 7 hours at the hospital our little J had bounced back to his normal spirited self. We were exhausted both mentally and physically from the whole experience, but bound and determined to make the most of the rest of the trip for Sophia, Joseph and Sam.

Rain the majority of the week put a damper on some of our plans, so we found some indoor fun at the Aquarium.

Here is J watching the....SHARKS!!

And Sophia....she liked the sharks but was sooo excited to see the dolphins and sea horses!

We also played some miniature golf, saw an albino alligator, fed some baby alligators, watched lots of movies, went out to dinner lots, got ice cream, went to toy stores, lounged in our jammies.....and when the sun came back out....we headed to the beach.

We had room service in our jammies the last nite...

and made it home safely. A trip we will never forget, to say the least. We are sooo blessed and will definitely hug all the littles a little bit tighter each and every day.

Six months for Sam!!!

2011-08-01T22:41:00.001-05:00

It just doesn't seem possible....but our littlest man turned 6 months today!!!! We can't believe it has been 6 months since Sam came into our lives.....both Brett and I agree that it has been the fastest 6 months of our lives!!! Time is a flyin!

At 6 months our little Sammy is laughing, cooing, reaching for lots of toys, playing patty cake, loving to jump in his Johnny- Jump- Up, and getting very close to sitting on his own. He loves. loves. loves to receive lots of hugs and kisses!! He gets very excited when Sophia plays with him...and screams with excitement!

He loves to stare at his big brother too....I hope he is not learning too many wild things from his WILD and CRAZY brother. Oh my!

Sam is so easy going....He loves to flash those big eyes...lift those eyebrows and just make our hearts melt! He loves to hear secrets in his ears....and loves to hold tight to his Sophie giraffe toy. Another favorite...his little lamb that plays "Jesus Loves Me." Oh...the smile I get when I wind it up and sing to him....I'll never forget it!!!

He is eating and finally not spitting out his rice cereal...sometimes I sneak a bit of sugar in it....shhhh. He has had squash, sweet potatoes = love, and carrots. The greenies are next..... I think this very squeezable little guy just might be a good eater!!! We are working towards two better naps...which requires me to be a little more on the ball in the morning to get him down earlier....and requires a little more "at home" time.... Which in turn means.... I have to have more...more...more....at home to do for S and J. Paints, play-doh, Chutes and Ladders, Operation...you name it. This afternoon I even pulled out the math flashcards for Sophia and the Alphabet cards for J....when I realized that J doesn't even know how to sing the alphabet song without leaving out letters...Oops! He knows his sounds....but sometimes forgets the songs.....I think I got a little too ahead of myself last year when I worked on letter id. Better start getting back into the groove of school....it's just around the corner. S finds out her new teacher tomorrow!!!

Can't believe the summer is winding down. Can't believe how quickly these little ones are becoming "not so little anymore"....Happy Half Birthday Sweet Sammy!! We love you to pieces!!!!

PS....I promise I do not neglect Sam and confine him to his exersaucer!! It's just the only way I can take pics of him without worrying he will fall over and hit his head while trying to sit on his own!!! He is doing really well...sitting with no support...but still needs some practice!!!

Baby Food!

2011-07-26T22:14:00.000-05:00

So....I figured it was time to start the baby food with Sam. He has been doing okay with his rice cereal...still not loving it...but eating a little more now than he spits back out....So, for our first veggie we started with squash this past Sunday. It wasn't love at first sight....but he did eat most of it!! So far so good! Of course he much prefers the entertainment he gets during his meal times to the actual food...but if my crazy dancing to "Like a G6" gets him to eat it....then I guess it is worth it:)

And because Sam seems to outgrow his clothes at an alarming rate....I have opted for Target shopping for the majority of his wardrobe. I love when I can find matching shirts in sizes to fit both Sam and Joseph...

Here are my two little crazy ones....

We're almost over the hump for the week...

Swimming Lessons

2011-07-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

So.....wouldn't you know....our two week mid-afternoon swimming lessons just HAD to land during the hottest weeks of the summer! Whew!!!! Just sitting in the heat watching my little fishies was enough to exhaust this mama.....or maybe it was trying to hold my (I'm guessing) 20 pound almost 6 monther while trying to keep on eye on both Sophia and Joseph's lessons.

Here is my little Sophia....I was worried she would not like these lessons since she had a few way back when with a "not so friendly teacher".

And here is the little trouble maker...oh my...

S and J were so lucky to get these lessons with this family who actually grew up in my old neighborhood. I knew these kids when they were itty bitty....and now they are all grown up and soooo sweet.

I had a hard time getting pictures of Mr. J swimming with his coach...because well...he spends most of his time just getting out of the pool and wanting to jump in. His poor coach tries to get him to watch him...and J will be looking the other way. This little guy is so curious...and let's just say he has a hard time staying focused. He's three...nuf said.

I am sooo proud of Sophia....she is doing wonderfully. From being afraid to put her head in...she now is learning to freestyle...move her arms out of the water...

backstroke...

and even dive.

When she puts her mind to something...

she works her "darndest" to succeed.

I don't think I have ever been more excited about the weekend than I am this afternoon. I. am. simply. exhausted. These kiddies have worn me out this week. It seems this HOT weather has persisted a bit too long....We can't spend as much time outside....and the heat just seems to make everyone a bit more grumpy. There is a little more bickering....and seems to be a lot of "fist-fighting" going on when I turn my back on S and J. Who would have thought that teaching a three year old to "keep his hands to himself," to not bite or pinch (even if it is in fun) could be soooo difficult. This stuff is much harder than anything I ever had to learn in school. Of course "the teasing sister" doesn't always help matters. Hmmm....I think we all need a little vacation.

Pics of Sam will have to wait till next post....I had intended to take a picture of him with his cute new hat today...but spent most of the day with repairmen working throughout the house....our pile of damaged equipment (from the lightening strike) is growing in the garage....but s-l-o-w-l-y everything is getting back to normal....and at least J has made many new friends along the way.....I think these repairmen may just go home as exhausted as I am, after J asks each of them his usual 20 questions.

TGIF:)

Christening Part Deux!

2011-07-18T22:25:00.001-05:00

A few months ago when our Priest told me I would be required to take yet another baptism prep class (with our third child)....I was not too happy. The class was scheduled for 9am Saturday morning over the 4th of July weekend. I learned a lot from that class, however, as it turns out. Even though we've been through baptisms before...I don't know that I really understood the true meaning behind it. During our class we talked a lot about how introducing the child during the sacrament of baptism by name was so important. So that made me spend some time learning more about Samuel's name. I had researched the Biblical meaning behind it obviously before we named him... so I knew a lot of the amazing things Samuel had done....but I had forgotten the story of Hannah. I didn't realize that Hannah was one of Elkanah's TWO wives. His other wife was able to have children and Hannah struggled. She prayed to God to give her a child....and when He did...she named him Samuel.....meaning "God Heard" or "Asked of God." This is remarkably significant to me...because we, in a sense, did the same thing...we prayed so long for this sweet little boy.....and though the journey was less than easy....God was definitely"hearing" us all along. We struggled with a name for this little guy....and even when we chose "Samuel" it was so hard to get used to...but now I know....it truly is the perfect name for him. I love it so much and it fits him perfectly. We asked... and God Heard.

And of course I can't forget the other details of the day....I enjoyed finally getting to make some treats and cookies for my own little guy!!

And of course I can't leave out Mr. Joe. Don't you love the horrible bruise in the middle of his forehead? Makes us look like good parents huh??? Well...as you can imagine...this little guy happened to be messing around in the bathtub when he scored this injury! He's our little accident waiting to happen:) He sure loves his frosting though! He was a little squirrly during the ceremony....but always the life of the party!

Sophia was soooo excited for Sam's baptism. She has the sweetest love for him....and he loves her right back. They have the most special little bond.....She has always been the one to make him laugh....and her voice makes him smile every time!

J was sooo excited to open presents and little Samuel got so many beautiful things...it was like a birthday! Sam's sweet God Parents even brought special presents for Sophia and Joseph. Can you imagine Joseph's excitement when he got his very own basketball...and Sophia the Magic Tree House books she has been BEGGING for??? So special!!

And last but not least... a picture of the cd I made for Sam's baptism. I love to do this for the kids so they can see pictures from their birth till their baptism day....Time goes by so quickly and they change in the blink of an eye.

You can watch the video below...(probably need to pause the music at the bottom of the blog before pressing play...so you can hear the music on the slideshow!)

Create your own photo slideshow

Samuel's Christening Day

2011-07-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

What a special weekend we have had....Little Sam finally had his Christening today! Such a pretty ceremony....and he was such a good little boy!!! I have sooo many pictures to sort through....so I'm just going to post some of my favorites tonite...and I'll share more party details later!!!

We love you so much Samuel William.....God certainly heard our prayers when we prayed for you!!!

Spoon Fed

2011-07-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

I love summer. I love not having to wear coats and mittens. I love not having to leave the house at 7:30. I love being able to sleep just a tiny bit longer in the mornings. I love not having to do math facts homework...but my oh my....summer can be exhausting. I feel like summer has been slipping us by sooo quickly....and we haven't even done that much yet. Our intense swimming lessons don't even start till next week! I really want a catch-up day....and some days I just want a "do over" day....like those days when I spill my entire cup of coffee all over me...or those days when we get to tennis lessons and someone has forgotten a tennis racket:) Such a busy time....but I know some day Brett and I will look back and miss all of this craziness....

Speaking of craziness...our littlest man has reached the 5 month mark and made it to the cereal stage....the dreaded RICE cereal.

Apparently Mr. Sammy dreads it too...

Like S and J...he has not been too fond of this stuff...and I can't wait till I can just add some fruit to it or switch to the jar cereal altogether...can't seem to remember when I can do this....And for those of you with little ones...I would appreciate any suggestions you might have to get this little/big guy to swallow this stuff!

The second day was just a smidge better....He appears to like the high chair...even though we can't find the missing shoulder strap..hmmmm...

Pulling the high chair out....just added more clutter (which of course I don't like)....so we spent much of the weekend...in organizing mode....still not happy with my progress though and I foresee more changes in the future.

Have I mentioned how much I love this little guy and his smile too???

Finally a chance to make some just because cookies for US...and a special little girl who celebrated her birthday last weekend!!!

Sammy's Baptism is this Sunday... so it will be a busy week ahead getting things ready. I hear the rain starting to fall outside tonite and I'm praying it brings some cooler temps our way so we can get back to spending more time outside!! Happy Tuesday....is it really only Tuesday????

Happy Birthday America

2011-07-05T21:49:00.001-05:00

I have not been a good little blogger the last few weeks...not that there isn't anything to document....just that I am one tired mama! We've just been busy with typical summer stuff....tennis lessons, lots of outside time, some pool time, library time...and play time! Sam celebrated his five month birthday and J finally got to go to the old train store that he has been asking about for about a year!

We stayed in town for the Fourth this year which finally allowed us to participate in our neighborhood parade. We decorated our bikes with stars and stripes and went for a ride (or stroll) around the lake with the rest of our neighbors. The only disappointment for J was that the fire truck that was promised never arrived:( It was a hot day....but the kids had fun and even little J kept up with the big kids while he pedaled as fast as he could on his trike. I was ready for another shower when we were finished just having to push Mr. Sam in the stroller and try to keep up:)

We had our first Fourth of July dinner with Omi and Papa on Sunday night and then headed to Yiayia and Pappou's on Monday night....that meant two nights where I didn't have to cook....HOORAY!! Extra exciting for me as we still have a NON-functioning dishwasher:(.

I wasn't able to get a good picture of the festive decorations at Yiayia's house...but Sophia was happy to pose in her hat and loved to wish America a Happy Birthday all night!

Sam was pretty pooped after dinner as he didn't sleep a wink the night before.....even after a late night at Omi's :( So Brett took him home while I got to take the rest of the troops to see the fireworks with Yiayia, Pappou and Thea. J's highlight was riding in Pappou's convertible and waving his windmill in the air....saying hello to anyone in sight!

Waiting for the fireworks to start...Pappou found the perfect spot!

Watching the action...

I took a few pictures of some of the pretties...

Pappou and his buddies...

LOVE those curlies in J's hair!

And it wouldn't be a holiday without some treats. Sophia helped me with these cute cupcake toppers!

I always feel like reaching the Fourth means that summer is halfway over. There is so much left to do on our to do list before the school year begins....so I hope the rest of the summer slooooows down!!!

Lightning...

2011-06-22T21:02:00.000-05:00

never strikes twice...or so they say.

Our house got hit last weekend for the second time. Our first lightening strike was about three or four years ago....we woke to lights flickering on in Brett's office and a broken stereo. This time....we woke to a horrible popping noise followed by almost immediate cries from Sophia. We jumped out of bed and heard a number of alarms going off but not knowing where they were coming from. I immediately ran upstairs...Sam was fast asleep....Sophia was screaming and Joseph was laying in bed wide-eyed. I flipped on Sophia's light....but there was no power in her room or J's. We did not smell smoke....and immediately the alarm company called our cell phones. They wanted to send fire trucks, but B searched up and downstairs looking for signs of fire...and turning off smoke alarms and checking switches in the basement. We checked the attic but thankfully there was nothing smoldering. We were lucky....extremely. The hours following...appliances that were not already not working...slowly started failing. We lost a few tvs....the stereo, the garage door openers, the treadmill, the dishwasher, the central vac, the stove, all the phones, the alarm...and the list keeps growing. Apparently the water heater flu at the top of the roof (located near Sophia's room) was what was actually struck. We found it mangled in the yard the next morning.

Every repair person and his brother have been to our door so far this week ...and every single one has been amazingly nice...and none could understand how we escaped fire....must have been God looking down on us...

Before this week.... I don't think I appreciated my appliances enough....I sooo miss having a dishwasher...and really missed my vacuum....But we are slowly getting things repaired and are just grateful that we still have our family and our house!!!

We've had to hang around the house for all the repair work but have still managed some summer fun.

This pic was from last week....when we had a dress up party with a few fun friends. Don't you think blonde is his color??

I snapped this the other day of my soon to be 5 month old...he was eyeing his Big Sister...he simply ADORES her every move.

Today....we pulled out the paints for a project I hope to finish with the kids in the next few days.

Can you see Missy's BRIGHT red nail polish....we've been having fun playing beauty shop too! Sophia also started tennis lessons today! She is a lefty...but apparently prefers playing with her right. She played sooo well for her first lesson. Her instructor swore she had taken lessons before:) I have to brag a bit...b/c I am sooo proud of her!

And this little guy just likes to be dirty! He just wanted to paint himself:)

And finally, while I should be out buying new phones and tvs, etc.... I purchased some mini donut pans instead....definitely a necessity...don't ya think?

We made it over the hump....Happy Thursday!