The Kilmartin Family

I Have a Problem

2011-07-28T07:43:00.002-05:00

My problem...well, honestly one of many, but that is another post. My problem...motivating myself to blog. I want to, I just don't do it. I think I figured out why. Well, again, one of the many reasons why. It is hard to figure out what to blog about when I haven't done it for SO LONG! I feel like I have to go back and give a catch up of everything that has been going on in the past 4 or so months. When I think of that, I say forget it. Maybe I should just do it whenever and whatever and then I would do it more often which would be better than less often. Anyway, I will give a quick rundown of thoughts:
1. Cade is now peeing on the potty. It has been messy, but worth it. I think it is cute and funny when he runs around the house all day wearing a t-shirt and underwear.
2. Abby just lost her 4th tooth.
3. Abby can read... a lot.
4. Cara is such a sweet baby. She smiles at pretty much anybody who talks sweet to her or smiles at her or pays her the slightest bit of attention.
5. We are putting an addition on our house. We didn't really NEED it, but we really WANTED it. I feel fortunate that we are able to do it while our kids are young and that we will be able to enjoy it as they grow up. The addition will provide space for a second living room and mudroom and our kitchen will be completely new. Right now we have a 4 foot crawl space ready and waiting for the trusses to come in at the building supply store so they can start the actual structure.
6. Derek and I have been trying to choose flooring, appliances, furniture, paint color, cabinets, etc...
7. It has been hot in IL this summer! I prefer to stay in the AC. The kids prefer to be outside. It makes it not fun for someone.
8. Derek will have a new position at school next year. He will be district curriculum coordinator/dean of students.
9. I have been going to the chiropractor 3 times each week for more than a month. My spine in my neck is crooked and it was causing arthritis and terrible pain in my neck/shoulder area. I love getting adjusted. It provides immediate relief from any pain I have and it has significantly reduced the amount of pain I am having.
10. Abby has started going to the chiropractor with me. She doesn't enjoy it quite as much, but it is interesting that the areas of the spine that are out of line on her are the areas that send direct messages to the heart. I am not really counting on it, but wouldn't it be something if the chiropractor could help with her PVCs?!
11. Abby had a check up with the cardiologist this summer and the PVCs have increased. Not a great sign. We had to up her medicine and she will have to have another Holter monitor (24 hour EKG) in 2 months. This makes me sad, nervous, frustrated...
12. We drove to TN in June and stayed with my Uncle Sam and Aunt Sandy. Then we drove on to NC, and SC. The kids really enjoy traveling.
13. We also went up to MN to Kelli and Eric's. The kids love going there. We went to Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America again. The kids love it there!
14. Cara can roll over back to belly and has gone from belly to back once.
15. Cara does NOT like baby cereal, sweet potatoes, or carrots. She literally gags on them. Then when I get the spoon ready again. She smiles, opens her mouth, moves it around a little and gags again.
16. Summer is flying by. Abby will be starting kindergarten and Cade preschool in less than a month.

Cara Mackynzie

2011-03-07T13:16:00.009-06:00

Well, it has been too long since I've written...again, but I am going to have to be okay with that. Cara was scheduled to arrive on Friday, February 4, 2011 but she had other plans. When I went to bed on the night of January 31, I can't say that I really had a feeling, but I wasn't at all surprised when I woke up about 2:30 in the morning and went to the bathroom only to have my water "break." Well, it sort of broke. It actually broke broke when I was on the phone with the hospital. Anyway, Derek was sleeping in the Pooh room with Cade since he was sick and I told him that I thought my water had broken. He didn't really react. At all. In fact, he went back to sleep. I was pacing around the bedroom. Nervous. You'd think by the third baby that I wouldn't be nervous, but I was. Partly because there was a huge snowstorm coming before too long and partly because Cade was sick and partly because it was Cade's birthday and partly because it was in the middle of the night. I decided after a few minutes that I thought my water broke but even if it didn't that I needed to go to the hospital to be sure. I woke Derek up and we began making phone calls. He called his mom to have her come and stay with the kids. I called the hospital (thinking they would call the dr and we'd be ready to go when I got there). Then Derek had to shovel the driveway. I sat on the kitchen floor because every time I stood up, I had to change my clothes again. Looking back, I should have just stood naked in the shower. Oh well. I called my mom and dad and cried because I didn't know what the weather was like and I didn't want them driving in a blizzard. Mom, of course, told me not to worry and that they'd make it work. They did. I posted to facebook that my water broke and happy birthday to Cade. Derek got me new clothes about 3 or 4 times before I finally decided that I didn't have any more clothes that fit and I would just wear what I had on with a towel around my waist. Toni arrived around 3 and we drove over to Peru. I registered, found out that my favorite dr (the same one who delivered Abby and Cade) was on call (Yea!) and they wheeled me up to OB. They put me in a delivery room and I reminded them that I was having a csection and asked if the dr was on his way. They hadn't even called him. My contractions hurt. I figured if I had to recover from a csection that I ought to not have to go through labor too. Well, the dr and all the other OR people wanted to sleep, apparently. A nurse came in with a shot, which I didn't ask for, and told me she was going to give me a shot. When I asked her for what, she said it was to relax me and help with pain. I decided against it after my crappy experience with stadol when Abby was born. That was the only time that a nurse really rubbed me the wrong way. Well, that and when she couldn't get my iv in. And, it was the same nurse who turned off my fan when the room was HOT. Same nurse, too, that woke me up in the middle of the night and then made me sit there for 20 minutes before the other nurse brought Cara to me. I guess she was the only nurse that rubbed me the wrong way...about 4 times. Anyway, I made it through some rough contractions that were happening about every 2 minutes and the csection that was set for 6:30 a.m. happened a little early. I am still waiting to hear the song that stood out to me in the OR. I know I'll know it when I hear it. A csection is just a strange experience. I remember being very cold and shaking and pressure and wiggling. Then at 6:33 a.m. on February 1, 2011, I heard the most beautiful sound. Cara Mackynzie Kilmartin entered the world weighing 8lbs 7 oz and measuring 21 inches. Derek and I both liked the name Cara and Mackynzie (pronounced Ma-kin-zee) is for my Mom. When my cousins were little, they couldn't say Vicki, so it came out Macky and my Dad has called her Macky ever since. Oh, man, did Cara have some lungs. Cara was crying so much that it sounded more like yelling. The nurses commented how people could probably hear her down the hall. I tried to look back at her, but I was afraid I'd hurt my neck/shoulder the way I did when Cade was born. I got to see her for a minute and then they took her away with Derek. The dr finished up with me and then I went to recovery. I was in recovery for about 3 hours with Cade and it was awful waiting that long to hold him. I was out of recovery in about 30 minutes. Derek's mom and dad and sister Vanessa came to visit. My mom and dad had made it to our house around 6:00, I believe. They brought Abby and Cade over soon after, but Cade had to wait in the family waiting room since he was sick. It killed me to not be able to see him on his birthday. That was the hardest thing the whole time I was in the hospital. I couldn't see him at all. I had a picture of Abby and Cade in the room with me and every time I looked at it, I smiled and then I cried. Cara was a good baby right from the start. She hardly ever cried and when the nurse would bring her to me in the night for a feeding, she wasn't even crying. I loved the first feeding after midnight because she had just had a bath and her hair smelled so good and was so soft. I can't say that I love being up in the night, but I know that it will go fast and I try to take the time to enjoy time with her. Luckily still, she just nurses and then goes back to sleep (mostly). Later in the day on the 1st, the snow picked up and it snowed a lot. On the 2nd, it was windy and blizzard like. It really was amazing how much snow there was. Derek stayed over night in hospital on the 1st, even though we hadn't planned on it because we were afraid he wouldn't make it back the next day if he didn't. Derek went home in the evening on the 2nd and then came back with Abby for a visit the next day. Derek's parents, Vanessa, and Mom and Dad visited more too. On Friday the 4th, Cara's jaundice was getting on the high end, so they decided to put her under the triple blue light to get rid of some of the built up bilirubin. Saturday morning, the dr on call, told us that she'd be able to go home. We took our time that day and kept her under the lights for awhile. Derek drove us home at about 3:00 and when I walked in the door, it was so good to be home with all of my kids. Mom and Dad would stay with us until Monday afternoon. They were amazing with the kids and helping with household chores. It really allowed Derek and I to focus our energy (what we had) on the kids and for me on taking care of Cara and continuing to recover from surgery. I really did recovery very well this time. It was pretty rough with Cade, but for some reason, this recovery was much easier. David and his family came to meet Cara on Sunday. The kids played and we all just visited and relaxed. We had to take Cara to the hospital OB department for a weight and bili check on Sunday. She weighed 8lbs. 1 oz. and her bilirubin had only gone up slightly. They had us make an appointment with Cara's pediatrician for the next day. Derek and I took Cara and Cade to the dr on Monday afternoon while Mom and Dad stayed with Abby. Cade was doing much better and Cara had maintained her weight. The dr was pleased with both and that made us very happy. After the dr, we went through McDonald's and got shamrock shakes. It was sad to have Mom and Dad leave and the kids cried and cried, but it was exciting to feel on our own and see how this being a family of 5 was going to work. Surprisingly, it was not too difficult of a transition. Derek was home from work from February 1 through February 21. He went back on the 22nd. It was amazing to have him home that long. He had been going to stay home on the 1st since Cade was sick and going to be doing breathing treatments. Then he had snow days on the 2nd and 3rd. The 4th was Cara's scheduled date anyway. He ended up only missing 12 days of school. There were 3 weekends in there and President's Day. It was an adjustment when Derek went back to work, but kind of exciting to see how my day to day would play out. It has been kind of tough at times, but not really any more so than with 2 kids. Cade, Cara, and I take Abby to school in the morning. Then we either come home or go shopping or go visit Grandma Rose. In the late morning, sometimes we have either playgroup or library. Then we pick Abby up from school. We usually spend the afternoons and evenings at home. Tuesday afternoon we go to Krafty Kids playgroup. We've been out as a family of 5 quite a bit, either shopping or out to eat or to Derek's school for the kids to play. Everything is an adjustment, but Cara has fit into our family as easily as if she's always been with us. Abby and Cade are so good with their new sister. They are excited to see her in the morning and especially when "her eyes are open!" She sleeps a lot! Cade has been most interested in her small hands and her eyes when they are open. He says how much he loves his new little sister and then not to leave Abby out, assures her that he loves his big sister too. Abby says how cute Cara is and tries to comfort her if she cries. Cara likes to be held during the day and wrapping her in the Moby carrier has been a life saver, especially at dinner time. At night, she wakes up to nurse every 2-4 hours, usually 3. During the day, she usually nurses every 2-3 hours. Cara likes tummy time and laying in her crib watching her Winnie-the-Pooh mobile. She doesn't like having clothes go over her head or having gas (that makes her cry the most). When I lay her down after feeding her at night. She waits until I get back in bed and then starts grunting like she is trying to get out a burp or something. Then I get back up, pick her up to burp her, and she falls back asleep again. More than once, she has sneezed and sneezed until a booger shoots out of her nose. Hilarious! Last night at bath, she peed on the changing table, pooped on the bathroom floor, and spit up in the tub and on my pants and on my shirt. This was quite the ramble, but I wanted to get memories recorded. Cara is amazing and I can't imagine our family without her. We are truly blessed with our three beautiful children!

Who is That?

2011-01-20T14:12:00.003-06:00

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror today and didn't even recognize myself. This is me at 36 weeks 5 days with baby #3.

Family Birthday Party

2011-01-17T12:10:00.009-06:00

Abby loves when her family sings to her...

Cade, on the other hand, does NOT. He didn't cry this year. He just covered his ears the whole time. We really are not good singers...and apparently he knows it.

Abby and Cade had their first combined birthday party this year. Abby is turning 5 next week and Cade will be 3 in a few weeks. It actually worked out very nicely and both of them had a great time. We went to HyVee on our way to Pizza Hut and let them both choose balloons for a balloon bouquet. They loved going to the store to get them. Then we went over to Pizza Hut and met our families for lunch. Oma, Papa John, Noni, Papa Michael, Grandma Rose, Aunt Sessa, Uncle Dave, Aunt Beth, Jonah, and Grace all came. We had a nice lunch and then headed back to our house. The Bears were playing so we caught up on the game a little and then had cake and ice cream. Shortly after that, the kids opened their presents and then had a little time to play before the party came to an end. We really are truly blessed to have such great family to spend special days with.

Hanging In

2011-01-13T15:29:00.003-06:00

Just to be clear to this new little one on the way...I am not in a hurry. I'd like you to stay in a few more weeks and get bigger and stronger. When I went to the dr. on Tuesday, I was 1-2 cm dilated and "soft." I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it doesn't necessarily NOT mean something. I have never experienced Braxton Hicks contractions before and after I found out I was dilating, I started having contractions for about 4 hours. Luckily they stopped and I was glad they were "fake."Anyway, I'm really hoping and praying to make it at least 10 more days. That would get us through Abby's birthday and her party. That would also put me at 37 + weeks, which is better than 35 or 36 weeks. Ideally, I'd love to make it all the way to the scheduled csection on Feb. 4! I've been taking it easy...mostly. Although see previous post and realize that I have trouble just sitting around. Luckily I've been doing a lot of those preparations already so I don't have a ton more to do. This Sunday is Abby and Cade's family birthday party. Other than that...not too much going on until next week. Then we have appointments for Cade on Monday (dr to check ear tubes), Tuesday (hearing check and speech), and Wednesday (meeting at school to release from speech). I have a dr. appointment on Thursday. I think Friday is a relaxing day (maybe!) and then Saturday is Abby's birthday and friend party! Wow...I hope I make it through all that!

Getting Ready

2011-01-10T14:52:00.004-06:00

I feel like every day is the last day before the baby comes. I run (well, waddle, but still) around the house trying to make sure everything is in order....like it would be okay for bringing home an infant to an already pretty crazy house. It all goes back to when I had Abby almost 4 weeks early. I was sure I was going to have her on her due date...Valentine's Day 2006. Well, she had other plans. She didn't even make it to February. I had snowmen decorations laying in a pile on the floor. I started to put them away the night before and started not feeling very good. I figured I would just do it later. The refrigerator and freezer were qutie empty. The cupboards were nearly empty. There was laundry to be done and probably dishes in the sink. (Those were the days before dishwasher.) Well, long story short, I woke up a little before 5 am and my water broke. I felt so unprepared. Not that having all of those things done would have really made life that much easier, but it would have helped.

So, when Cade was due to arrive, I made sure I had the fridge, freezer, and cupboards full. The laundry and dishes were done (at least mostly) before going to bed at night. Diapers and formula (didn't end up needing it) were bought. We were ready. It made me feel more in control. The funny thing about that is that my parents came to stay with Abby and Mom cleaned and cooked and made the house more ready than I had in the first place while I was in the hospital. Since Dad reads this blog, I should say that he helped, but I'm not sure about that. I know that he knew how to run the DVD player and kept Abby happy by playing Ice Age over and over. Right, Dad?!

Well, I'm in that mode again. Diaper bag, suitcase, and Derek's bag are all packed for the hospital. The cupboards and freezer are so full that I don't know where I could possibly put anything else. I have diapers in sizes Newborn-6. I have wipes...a lot. New washcloths are washed and in the bathroom with about 10 bottles of baby wash. I have bottles and bottles of baby lotion. Ointment is ready. Baby girl clothes in sizes Newborn-18 months are washed and hanging in the closet; they are sorted and labeled by size. The pack-n-play bassinet is ready in our room. Two changing tables are set up. I have the kids birthday presents wrapped, treat bags made, treats for Abby to take to school bought, cakes ordered...I refuse for them to miss out on anything birthday if I am in the hospital. I still can't get over the fact that all 3 of our kids will more than likely have their birthdays less than 2 weeks apart. Even more amazing that their due dates were all within 3 days of each other. Anyway, I guess I'm ready. I will continue to keep up with the laundry and dishes, restock the cupboards and freezer as we eat what is in there, keep up with stupid things like dusting, vacuuming, etc... It makes me feel in control...even if I'm really not.

I Did It Again!

2010-12-21T15:28:00.003-06:00

I don't know why I've had such a hard time blogging lately. We have been busy, but I feel like we always are. At any rate, the past couple months have flown by.
We've had a lot of snow the past few weeks and the kids have been able to get outside quite a bit to play. They both love it!
Abby and Derek are now on Christmas Vacation. It is nice to have the family together and to fill our days with whatever we want to.
We spent this past weekend in Roscoe for Stuckey family Christmas. The kids had a great time with their cousins. We all had a great time visiting and relaxing. It was so nice to hear all the kids saying "thank you" each time they opened a present and directing it at the correct people. All weekend Cade kept telling Oma and Papa, "Sank yoon for my presents." He really meant it, too. Last week Abby had a Christmas program at school. They sang some Christmas songs and did some finger plays. Abby wore the same dress I wore for my kindergarten Christmas program. She just looked so big up there. I can't believe that next year she'll be in school all day. I'm really going to miss her.
My belly is getting huge...well, my butt is too...and probably the rest of me for that matter. Barely any of my clothes fit. These are maternity clothes that fit me until the end of each pregnancy with Abby and Cade. I hated to spend any money at all on bigger clothes, but I couldn't hold out any longer. I bought the hugest underwear and when I took them out of the package, I literally laughed out loud. When I put them on, I thought, "Wow! These fit nicely!" I went to Target and got a maternity shirt on clearance for $10 and two long sleeve shirts from the men's section for $7 each. They will all fit me until at least February 4, 2011. That is when my c-section is scheduled for. Abby was born at 36 weeks and 2 days. Cade was a scheduled c-section at 38 weeks. Cara will be 38 weeks and 6 days if she makes it to the scheduled date. Otherwise, she can surprise us. Speaking of surprising us, I've been having a lot of thoughts lately that we are having a boy. I imagine that is it normal to think that way, but I can't seem to stop thinking about it. I don't really care either way. Healthy is truly the most important thing, but it would be nice to know that the closet full of pink is there for a reason and that I won't have to call and have someone dig through the attic to get out all the boy stuff.
Well, how is that for a rambling post?! I'll have to do another soon with some pictures.

Halloween

2010-11-09T18:30:00.010-06:00

We met the kids at Grandma Rose's house when we got home from Chicago. They were excited to see us and us to see them, but I think they were more excited about these lollipops we picked up for them at Cracker Barrel.

We played for awhile and then got dressed up while Derek went to McDonald's to pick up some supper.

They were very excited about trick-or-treating.

After awhile we had to get out the winter coats, but it was still a beautiful night. The kids stopped to pose for a picture, but otherwise, they were on the go.

I love watching the excitement on their faces and also sharing thier candy.

Bulls Game

2010-11-09T16:55:00.005-06:00

Derek, Vanessa, and I drove up to Chicago on October 30 to go with Missy to the Bulls' home opener. We got to Jay and Missy's around 3 and hung out for awhile before walking to Big Star for some tacos. Other than the drunk people with the dog and the baby, it was a cool place and interesting tacos. After that, we walked to a sports bar a few blocks away and killed a little time before catching a cab to the game. We had box seats on the mid level. Missy's brother works for the Bulls and gave us the tickets. They really were great seats.

The Bulls played terribly in the first half, but made up the 20 some point deficit to come back and win. It was a great game (or at least second half) and I had a great time!

Getting Ready for Halloween

2010-11-07T11:46:00.005-06:00

The kids made "5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate" to go along with the song. Another Mom at playgroup gave us the materials and ideas. The kids had fun making the pumpkins and decorating the gates with leaf stickers.

The kids decided on painting pumpkins instead of carving this year. It lets them be more involved anyway, so it was fine with me and they really liked it too.

Then we cut out and decorated Halloween cookies. I don't know why my dough was so sticky, but it was STICKY! The cookies were good anyway. I told Abby they were the chunkiest cookies I'd ever seen. They had lots of candy on them and some thick sprinkles.

Preschool Halloween Party

2010-11-07T10:22:00.004-06:00

Cade and I went to Abby's school for her Halloween Party. The kids paraded around the playground and then went inside for a treat. After that, they did a craft and played some games. Abby and Cade both had a great time.

Meeting Grant

2010-11-07T10:09:00.004-06:00

We drove to my Uncle Chuck and Aunt Sheila's in Earlville on a Thursday after school and met Grant for the first time. My cousin Tom and his family, Mom and Dad, and Uncle Sam and Aunt Sandy from Tennessee were there. We visited and ate a wonderful dinner. It was a short visit, but it was so good to see all of them.

Ketchup

2010-10-20T13:56:00.039-05:00

Time to catch up...mostly with pictures. Enjoy the last about 4 months!
Chuck E Cheese...man I was feeling sick, but the kids had so much fun!

Lake Mendota

We always have fun when John comes to visit. That was at the end of June/beginning of July.

Children's Museum in Normal

Christmas shopping in July. Can you see all the clearance stickers from Target?!

We put in new landscaping for Mom and Dad's 40 wedding anniversary! So proud to have such great role models.

Abby's first day of preschool year 2. She was super excited.

Cade felt a little left out. He still often cries when we drop Abby off. Hopefully he'll remember that when it is his turn!

Cade with his new Buzz Lightyear book bag

We made a paper chain to count down the weeks until the baby arrives. It is already much shorter!

Cade has a lot of fun at lapsit at the library. We go to playgroup on Mondays, lapsit in Oglesby on Wednesdays and often go to lapsit in Utica on Thursdays. He says he goes to "Miss Sue school."

We met up with some friends from preschool at Lehigh Park on Fridays for most of September.

We went to Edwards Orchard near Roscoe with Mom, Dad, David, Beth, Jonah and Grace. The kids had fun and the donuts were SO good!

The kids love to have picnic lunches after school.

Cade posing with his projects from lapsit.

Open House at Lincoln School- Abby was so proud to show us her classroom.

Cade figured out how to really ride his bike in September.

The leaves were just starting to fall and the kids were super excited to be able to play in them. Derek and I will be super excited when they are done falling! I'm glad the kids can get some enjoyment out of them!

Cade helping to get the baby's clothes ready.

We had our 20 week ultrasound on September 27. The technician thinks it is a girl. The doctor thought it was a girl. We're assuming it is a girl. Her name is Cara Mackynzie. We chose Cara just because we both like it and Mackynzie if for my mom. Her nickname is Macky.

While I was going through boxes of clothes, I came across Abby's Halloween costume from when she was 21 months old. Cade tried to squeeze into it. He was so excited to be Uniqua!

It had been quite a while, but Abby finally made it back to Home Depot Kids' Workshop. Cade got to go for the first time and I went for the first time too.

On Tuesday afternoons, we have been going to Crafty Kids/Playgroup at Washington School with Miss Sue. The kids really enjoy it and I'm glad to have another activity in our day.

Abby's preschool class went to Boggio's for their field trip on October 6. Cade and I met them there as part of the playgroup/lapsit group. We had beautiful weather and a lot of fun.

Abby is in the front, in the middle in the long sleeved green shirt. A lot of the kids are wearing green because that is their class color and they were supposed to wear green for the field trip in case they got separated from the group.

When we got home from the field trip, we decorated the pumpkins with Mr. Potato Head kits. They are cute, but were not real easy to use.

I think Cade looks so big in this picture.

We went to Chuck E Cheese in Janesville, WI on 10/10/10 with Mom, Dad, David, Beth, Jonah, and Grace.

After Chuck E Cheese, we went to Peace Park. It was really a beautiful day.

After Crafty Kids on this week, I took the kids to get an ice cream cone at McDonald's and then we finished them up at LeHigh Park.

More leaves....

We went to Boggio's in mid October. It wasn't too cold, but very windy.

We went to St. Louis Canyon at Starved Rock with our friends Kim and Tracey.

Wow...Been awhile!

2010-08-16T15:27:00.002-05:00

I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted something. We have had a somewhat uneventful summer, other than Abby's medical situation, which is still ongoing. We've done a lot of swimming at Derek's parent's in Mendota, taken a few trips up to Roscoe, and stayed inside a lot because it has been so darn hot this summer. Hopefully I'll have an update about Abby in a few weeks and will do a full post on all of that.

Freezer Paper Stencil Shirts

2010-06-10T08:04:00.003-05:00

So way back in September 2009, I read Derek's cousin Kate's blog and saw this super cute and I thought even doable for me project. Freezer Paper Stencils. Of course, then, I didn't actually get to it, but I still thought about it from time to time. Then at Christmas, Kate surprised me and gave me supplies to do the project. Then it only took me about 6 months to actually do it. I had to improvise a little since I don't have an exacto knife, but I just used a razor blade and scissors.

The first step is to find a sillouette picture and print it out. Then I traced it onto freezer paper. Next, cut out the picture and remove the inside part. That is the part that I couldn't get at first. I kept thinking I needed the actual picture, not the part it was cut out of. I did keep the inside picture and thought another time I would make an outside frame for it and I could make another one that way. Anyway, then put an extra freezer paper inside the shirt so the paint doesnt go through and put the picture where you want it. Iron it. Then paint with fabric paint. Wait 24 hours for it to dry. Peel off the freezer paper. Iron again.

Isn't it super cute. I have another one too. The white one in the first picture has 2 Mickey Mouse heads on it; one black and one red. I already have it packed for Disney World! I know it is long sleeved, but I thought it would work well for a swim cover up :)

Minneapolis

2010-06-09T09:40:00.003-05:00

The day after the wedding, we went to Loring Park in the morning. They had 3 playgrounds and a beautiful fountain.

After the park we walked to Target food court again. Cade fell asleep on the way. The rest of us ate Pizza Hut. Derek and Dad took Cade back to the room and Abby, Mom and I went into Target to do a little shopping. We didn't buy a lot, but it was interesting that Target had 2 levels and a cart escalator like IKEA.

After we got back to the room, Derek, the kids, and I went to Kelli's for a little while in the afternoon. We got to say good-bye to Matt, Sarah, and the kids before they headed back to Amsterdam. We left Kelli's around 4, picked up Mom and Dad, got a little lost, Abby fell asleep, and finally met my cousin Tom, his wife Stacey, and their kids at a restaurant near their house in Fridley. We had a nice dinner and it was great to visit with them.

We dropped Mom and Dad off at the hotel and went on to Kelli's for the night. Cade went to bed and then Mike and Eric went to get blizzards at Dairy Queen. Abby went to bed around 10:30 and then Derek and I visited with Kelli for awhile and showed her some features on her new camera (which is just like ours).

The next morning we hung out until about 10 and then went to pick up Mom and Dad before heading back to IL. The kids were dressed in red, white and blue for Memorial Day, but of course I didn't think to take a picture! I got a picture of them in the bathtub in Roscoe instead. We stayed in Roscoe from about 4:45pm until 7 or so and then made the rest of the drive home. The traffic had been HORRIBLE from MN to Roscoe and we decided we needed a break. It was nice to get home and the kids were all ready for bed. And, so was I!

A "New" Uncle for Abby and Cade

2010-06-05T08:41:00.013-05:00

Click on the photo to link to more pictures from the weekend.

I think that ever since the kids have known Eric that they have loved him and he has felt like an uncle, but last weekend it became official.

The kids and I were in Roscoe Thursday night and left from there on Friday morning with my Mom and Dad. They came with so that Dad could video for Kelli and Eric. We ate a picnic lunch in the car and only stopped a few times for potty breaks. We got to our hotel, the Doubletree Guest Suites in downtown Minneapolis around 3:00. Mom and Dad were in the room next to us. We got unpacked and settled in and then Mom, Dad, and I played cards while we waited for the call that it was time to go to the church. It only took us about 3 minutes to drive over and we got there right at 5:00. We rehearsed and then we all headed to Minnehaha Park for a picnic. It was really nice and great to see lots of family that we hadn't seen for quite a while. We ate, visited, and the kids played. Around 9:30 it was time to leave. We had a big day ahead.

The morning of the wedding, I took Abby to see Aunt Kelli at her hotel where some of the girls were getting their hair done. Abby got her hair done for the first time. It was super cute! We headed back to our hotel a little after 10. Derek, Mom, Dad, the kids, and I walked a few blocks and ended up at Target food court for lunch. It wasn't bad because they had Pizza Hut. After we ate, we headed back to the hotel and Cade fell asleep in the stroller. It was time to get ready to go to the church early for pictures and Cade was still sleeping. So, Derek walked the 1/2 mile over and the rest of us drove. We got there around 12:30 and then it was lots of pictures and running around until 2:00 when the ceremony started. Everything went beautifully and it was a lovely ceremony.

After the ceremony, we had a few family pictures and then the kids went with Mom and Dad while Derek and I got to go in the limo. We went to the old stone bridge for pictures and then to Sneaky Pete's for a few drinks before heading over to the McNamara Center for the reception. The whole night was great and everyone had a blast. The kids, Mom, Dad, and I left around 10 and Derek stayed and took a cab back to the hotel around midnight.

Congratulations to Kelli and Eric! It was a wonderful weekend from start to finish.

Abby's Last Day of School

2010-06-04T21:38:00.006-05:00

Abby's last day of school was Thursday, May 27. The real last day of school was the next day, but we would be on our way to Minneapolis for Kelli and Eric's wedding. The kids had a play day, so Cade and I joined and we spent the morning outside. I enjoyed watching Abby play with her friends and after we were there for a little while, Cade joined right in too. I am so incredibly proud of everything Abby has done this year. She has grown so much, particularly in her social skills. It is amazing to watch her with other kids and how she just jumps right in to make a new friend. She is reading some words and I don't think it will be long until she is reading lots of words. I can only imagine how fast each school year will go when Cade is in school too, because this year was FAST! I am looking forward to extra time with Abby over the summer and I know the next school year will be here before we know it.
After school, I took the kids to McDonald's for lunch and then we drove up to Roscoe to spend the night.

hot, Hot, HOT

2010-06-04T21:35:00.002-05:00

We had a hot couple of days at the end of May. The kids loved cooling off in the little pool in the backyard.

A BAD Day

2010-05-20T10:12:00.003-05:00

Press rewind. Oh, how I wish that would work on the day we had. I started out by being a total airhead jerk and missed Abby's parent/teacher conference. It was scheduled for 8:10am and I didn't even realize I missed it until noon. For some reason, I was thinking it was on Thursday instead of Wednesday. I called Abby's teacher and apologized, but I still felt horrible.

Derek was having a bad day of his own. He got frustrating news about plans for next school year. The board is fed up with the union. The union doesn't want to work with the administration. They all probably have reasons for what they do, but when it gets in the way of what is good for the kids, that is not a good thing. He usually doesn't have this problem. More than most schools, I think that his school is usually pretty good about putting the kids first and all kind of being on the same page. Anyway, Derek is stuck in the middle and will probably not get to do something next year that he thought was going to happen. Then, during the staff/student speedball game, Derek totally wiped out going to home and skinned up his elbow and knee.

Needless to say, when Derek got home, he wanted to get out of the house and get his mind off of things. We walked out the door not knowing what would happen later when we came home. We went to eat at The Rootbeer Stand and then went to the Barney Park. The Barney Park is also where about 50 or so people from Horizon House were having a picnic. One of the guys (probably 30 years old or so) kept coming over on the playground yelling. He was wearing a spiderman mask and climbing up on the play equipment. Cade was done. Abby seemed a little interested, which worried me enough. Anyway, we were done. I said it was time to leave.

When we got home, the kids played in the front yard for awhile and then it was time to head in for bath and bed. It was nearly 7:00. I went to open the door and it was locked. What? Who locked it? Maybe one of the kids. Regardless, it was locked. Derek had grabbed the van key that has no other keys on the key chain. We tried to hide a key once and it fell under the steps in the garage. I told Derek we had to take them apart. He used a hammer and got the step pryed up. We couldn't find it. Panic is setting in. I couldn't believe we were locked out of the house. Not one window was open and every door was locked. The dumbest part was that the only other people who have a key to our house live more than an hour away. I called my dad. "Dad, I did something dumb." Well, Dad offered to drive the key all the way here. I seriously have the most generous, loving parents in the world. The only bad part, is that we weren't sure if he had a key to the house or just to the garage door. Well, it was our best plan at that point. We decided to meet in Rochelle at Wendy's. I dropped Derek and the kids off at Grandma Rose's house and started on my way at 7:15pm. It took me 45 minutes to get there. There was so much construction. Dad gave me a ring of about 7 or 8 keys. I gave Mom and Dad a hug. We visited for about 2 minutes. I was headed back south. I got home at 8:45. I tried the key that I thought I recognized and it didn't work. I tried the next key. It went in and I thought I had it, but it wouldn't turn. The same thing happened with the next 2 keys. I was almost out of keys. The next key worked! Relief and joy! I hid the keys and drove back across town to get Derek and the kids. It was 9:00. When I got there, Cade had a fever. He'd had a cold and spiked a fever when I was gone. We got home and both kids were sleeping by 9:30...just 2 hours after they should have been. Could have been worse, but what a crappy day!

A "Normal" Day

2010-05-18T19:57:00.007-05:00

Saturday morning Mom and Dad got to our house a little after 8 and we were on the road shortly after. We drove down to Normal and started with a visit with Grandma. She loves seeing us and especially the kids, even though she doesn't know who we are. She still knows Dad and Aunt Elaine, but that's about it. Anyway, we visited and Grandma was doing well. We left around 10 and headed to the Children's Discovery Museum. After looking around for parking, we finally made it in and the kids got right to it. Doesn't it look like Cade painted "628"? Genius!!

Abby was mixing paints to make new colors.
Abby's great-grandpa's would be proud of this picture.

Oma and Cade making pizza.

Abby was pretending to be my dentist. That is one HUGE toothbrush.

Abby is delivering pizza to the truck.

After a full morning, it was around noon and time for lunch. We went to Monical's in Normal for pizza. That is one of our favorites with Oma and Papa. Cade barely stayed awake through lunch, but we made it and we ordered 2 extra pizzas to take home. We finally learned our lesson on that one!

We got home around 2:30 and we played out in the yard while Derek continued his yardwork. Dad had mentioned going somewhere for a walk, so we went to St. Louis Canyon at Starved Rock where Derek, the kids, and I had gone the weekend before for Mother's Day.

It was a nice day for a hike and everyone enjoyed being outside. It is a fairly easy trail and an easy in and out. The waterfall at the end is pretty impressive too (at least for north central IL). We had a great day and a lot of fun!

Parent's Day at Preschool

2010-05-11T18:55:00.008-05:00

On Friday, May 7, Abby had Parent's Day at preschool. Derek was able to leave school and come to the celebration. It was for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Abby made a flower vase and a little picture frame with her picture in it. She also had recorded a little message for us. My paper said, "I love my mom because she gets markers out for me." Well, I do my best! ;-) Derek's said, "I love my dad because he makes silly faces." See my other post in February for evidence of that!! The kids sang songs and served us snacks. It was pretty special. I'm really glad that Derek could be there too, and so was Abby!

Mike and Mike's Surprise 60th Birthday Party

2010-05-10T21:00:00.021-05:00

When both guys think that the party is for the other one...well, let's just say they were both surprised! It was a great night for two great guys.

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T21:00:00.020-05:00

I love Mother's Day! Being a mom is the best. Of course I have my moments, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. The kids helped Derek choose pictures to make a photo slide show that I watched at breakfast. The kids and Derek made me French toast, my favorite. Abby had to tell Derek how to do it. Then we went to church with Grandma Rose. After church, we were going to go to the Rootbeer Stand, but it was closed, so we headed to Peru and ended up at Pizza Hut (Abby's choice, but I didn't mind). Cade fell asleep while Abby and I ran into Aldi and then we headed home. When Cade woke up, we went to Starved Rock to St. Louis Canyon. It only takes us about 3 minutes to get there which makes me wonder why we don't go more often?! It was wonderful.

We ended our day as usual with supper, playing, and getting ready for bed. I have the best kids in the world and I love being a mom.

Kelli's Shower

2010-05-10T20:59:00.007-05:00

Kelli had a lovely shower at El Zarape in Mendota. The food was great, the company was wonderful, and Kelli was showered with love :) Aww... We got some great pics too. The big day is almost here!

Overnight with Uncle Jay

2010-05-05T14:06:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning we got up and headed toward Chicago. We went to IKEA in Schaumburg and shopped, ate a little breakfast, shopped, ate lunch, and shopped some more! We were there forever. As many times as we've been there before, we've never eaten there. It wasn't the best food I've ever had, but it was good and the price was right. They did have a lot of healthy options for the kids. We found a really great shelf for Cade's new bedroom and it was a great price. Jay ended up having to work longer than expected, but after IKEA we headed north to Lifetime Fitness in Vernon Hills. The kids slept on the way. Jay got to take a break when we got there and we went next door to the hotel where he can stay. Jay went back to work and we went to Chuck E Cheese. It was the best CEC ever! It was so big and not real busy, even for a Saturday afternoon. We got there around 3, ate at 5, and left a little after 6. We then went to Lifetime and Jay took us on a tour. It is a pretty amazing place. The only thing missing are tennis courts. I told Jay to work on that. Then the kids and Derek got into their swimming suits and Jay met them in the pool. We didn't really think Cade would want to swim so I was going to be ready to take him. Boy were we wrong. He had a blast. They all did. I had fun watching them too.

We went back to the hotel just before 8 and relaxed and visited until the kids went to bed around 9:30.

The next morning, Abby and I went on a breakfast run to McDonald's. We brought back a bunch of food and we all ate. Jay had to go to work and we followed. The kids went into the play area and Derek and I visited with Jay. We left Lifetime around 10, stopped at McDonald's in Joliet for lunch, and made our way home. Cade fell asleep on the way and stayed asleep when we got home. He was tired from our fun adventure! Thanks for a great time, Jay. We'll be coming again!

Circus Night

2010-04-29T19:50:00.006-05:00

Abby's preschool had a circus night at the school. They had games like balance beam, juggling, walking on stilts, scooters, bean bag toss, and more. Then we had popcorn and lemonade. Abby had a balloon painted on her hand. We just got our new video camera today and we took it to test it out. The kids had a good time. Derek and I had to laugh, though, because on the way home Derek asked Abby what her favorite part was and she thought a minute and she said, "Getting ready to go home." Derek and I both said, "Funny, that was our favorite part too!" Seriously, though, it was fun.

Nudy Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

2010-04-29T16:52:00.006-05:00

A few nights ago, Derek was out of town at a conference. The kids had just gotten done with bath and went into their room to get dressed. When I came in after cleaning up the bathroom, they were both naked and jumping on the bed. They were having such a good time that I just let them go. I'm just glad they didn't laugh TOO hard, if you know what I mean!

NO PARKING FIRE LANE

2010-04-29T16:48:00.002-05:00

Do people who shop at Menard's not know how to read, or are they just ignorant. I took Cade this morning and there were 6 cars parked in front of the store where it was clearly marked "NO PARKING FIRE LANE." Now, if I am in the store and there is an emergency, I won't get the care I need because some a$$hole couldn't walk from the parking lot to the door. I hope a firetruck gets called and crashes into their vehicles. It would serve them right. In our country, though, the fire department would probably get sued.
Wow, 2 posts in a row of pure gripe. I must be getting old! haha

Dogs

2010-04-29T15:44:00.006-05:00

Nope, not a new pet. Just me griping.
I am so over dogs. Dogs in my yard. Dogs barking. Dogs on the playground. Dogs outside preschool pick up. Seriously, I don't really have anything dogs in general, but I also don't get this idea of letting dogs rule. Cesar Millan, Dog Whisperer, gets it. The owner is the pack leader. Quit letting your dogs run wild. Clean up after them. Leash them. Bring them inside if they bark. Better yet, train them to not bark.
Within the last few weeks I have had a neighbor dog run into my yard when I was out with the kids. I have to pick them up, which is difficult if both are out. Then the dog jumped on me until the owner came to get it. When she got there, the dog kept running away from her. It seriously took her at least 5 minutes to get the dog back to her house.
The same thing happened with the same dog when Derek had the kids outside just a few days later.
Another day I took the kids to the park to meet some friends. There was a very big, but luckily old and slow dog on the playground. I don't mean at the park, where there are signs posted NO DOGS, but on the actual playground. The dog went up the steps and down the slide. Then it went over to a tree and dumped a load. The owner sat on the bench and read her magazine. Go pick up the poop, lady! There were probably at least 15 kids on the playground and the dog was right in the middle of it. Granted it seemed to be a nice enough dog, but how am I supposed to know that. Something could set it off, especially with so many kids around. My kids are afraid of dogs, mostly because we are never around them and the ones we are around (like neighbor dogs) are not well behaved. It took them quite a while to start playing and not worry about where the dog was at.
I am really tired of being woken up at 6am from the dog across the street barking. It is better after someone apparently called the cops on them, but still not nice to hear. They used to let it out in the middle of the night and I guess they would go back to sleep. Sometimes it would bark for 5 minutes or more at 2 or 3am to be let back in. Seriously?!
At preschool pick up, I guess it is a new fad to bring your dog with you. When preschool releases, there are close to 80 kids being let out and now they have to walk through a crowd with sometimes as many as 5 or 6 dogs sitting there. I just don't see the point. I think it is an accident waiting to happen.
Figure it out people.

Before and After

2010-04-29T15:44:00.005-05:00

Before nap
After nap

Dreary Sunday

2010-04-27T15:46:00.005-05:00

Derek was off in Chicago at a conference, so the kids and I made the best of a dreary Sunday. It was chilly and there were rain clouds scattered about and the ground was wet, but it didn't matter. The kids started by testing out their new rainboots in the wet grass. Abby loved hers and I think Cade would have, but his were a little big. Then I packed up some lunch and we headed over to Baker Lake in Peru.

I thought ahead and brought some paper towels to dry off the slides. The kids had fun on the playground and I had some sand toys in the van, which were perfect with the wet sand.

After they played for awhile, we had our picnic in the shelter. Cade was trying to hold the blanket down because it was so windy. For awhile, it sprinkled and blew in the side of the shelter. We had fun anyway. After lunch we walked over to the lake and saw about 10 frogs at the edge of the water. Then a little more playing on the playground and it was time to go home. Cade was so wiped out that he fell asleep just minutes into the ride.

Bunny Pictures

2010-04-27T15:29:00.001-05:00

Cade's Ear Tube and Adenoid Surgery

2010-04-27T14:00:00.005-05:00

On April 15, I got Cade up at 6:30 and loaded him in the car and left for St. Margaret's in Spring Valley. Cade cried at the registration lady and cried when we got to the day sugery area, but he calmed down pretty well and we got ready for his surgery. He did not want the nurses to do their jobs. You know, take his blood pressure, take his temperature, give him a shot, etc, etc. But, who could blame him. The hardest was when they came and took him from me. I had to wait until he couldn't see me before I started crying. I went to the waiting room and ran into someone I knew, which helped to pass the time while I waited and waited.

When Cade was done with surgery, I got an update from the Dr. that everything went well. He was in recovery and had fallen back asleep, so I waited some more. I finally got the call to go to recovery. When I walked down the hall, they were holding him so he could see me coming. He was crying a little and kind of wimpering, like he was telling me how bad it was. He kept putting his hand up to his mouth, which I think was because his throat hurt from having the adenoids removed. I rocked him and he fell back asleep. When he woke up, he threw up and then they sent us back to the day surgery area. He fell asleep sitting on my lap. The nurse was able to get all his vitals while he slept. When he woke up, he ate some banana and drank some water. They sent us home by about 11:30. I stopped at McDonald's on the way home and Cade had a chocolate shake. When we got home, Cade was crying again and was ready for another nap.

The nurses had Pablo dressed like this when I went into the recovery room. It was just too cute.

After Cade's nap, he had some grapes while he watched a show. Abby put all the Backyardigans around him to make him feel better. By about 4:30, Cade was pretty much back to his normal self. We have noticed a great difference in his speech in the past few weeks and we're hoping it continues that way. I am completely convinced and happy that we made the right decision to get the 2nd set of tubes.

Yardwork

2010-04-27T13:51:00.002-05:00

Easter: Filled with Fun and "Nandy"

2010-04-26T21:23:00.008-05:00

Even though we went to bed quite late after getting home from the Mall of America, Abby was up early and excited that the Easter Bunny had visited Aunt Kelli's house. She sat with Derek and waited for Cade to get up before she could look in her basket or hunt for eggs. Lucky for her, he got up about 3 minutes after she did! I sent her to get dressed so I could hide the eggs and then off they went. Well, not really. I hid all the eggs in the living room since we were having another BIG hunt later in the afternoon outside.

Ah...the chocolate chickens. I was so pleased that I got a grin like that when she saw the chocolate chicken in her basket. Now, those of you who watch Max and Ruby, you may have seen the episode "Max's Chocolate Chicken." Last year when we were in Germany just before Easter, I found a chocolate chicken at a grocery store and bought it to put in Abby's basket on Easter. She asked me just a few days before Easter if the Easter Bunny would bring her a chocolate chicken like Max got. I had no idea she would really think that. I was so glad that I had bought the chicken. Well, of course, this year, she thought she was getting another chocolate chicken from the Easter Bunny. I was on top of it back in, I think, February. As soon as the stores starting putting out Easter stuff, I started looking. I soon realized that I probably wasn't going to find one. I looked online, but the were pretty expensive. I put out a call on facebook that if anyone saw one, could they let me know. I was told Farm N Fleet had some. I went the next day and all they had were little chicks that were the size of a mini candy bar. I knew it wasn't what Abby was looking for. Well, then Sarah sent me a message from Amsterdam that she had seen chickens in the store the day before and she'd be glad to send them...and she did, with baby ones too! They were just too cute. It really made the Easter morning complete. Thanks again, Sarah, they were perfect! Cade starting eating his right away and I had to pry it out of his hands screaming when it was half gone. He wanted more "nandy."

Later in the afternoon, after church, lunch, and Cade's nap, the kids had a hunt outside. There were nearly 60 eggs hidden in Kelli's backyard and they had such a great time hunting.

Cade has a mouthful of candy in this picture with Noni. He ate a lot of nandy that day and he paid the price for it that night. Actually, Derek, Kelli, and I did too. Cade woke up about midnight and threw up all over the bed. I cleaned him while Derek made him a new bed and Kelli rinsed out the sheets and blankets. There was laundry load #1. He woke up about 2:30 and threw up again. This time I rinsed and put in laundry load #2 while Derek cleaned up Cade and got him back to sleep. Laundry load #3 came at about 6:30 and we repeated the 2:30 routine. We were planning to head home at about 8:30 that Monday, but after being up all night and thinking Cade would still be sick, I was thinking we wouldn't make it home that day at all. Cade woke up around 8:00 and seemed completely fine. We waited until just before 11:00 and decided it was safe to leave. The drive was fine until the very end when Cade had diarrhea and it leaked out the diaper and onto his seat. Luckily we were just a few minutes from home. It was all worth it. We had a great Easter in Minneapolis.

A Busy Day in Minnesota

2010-04-14T18:41:00.009-05:00

We started the day with a visit to Como Zoo in St. Paul. The kids and I had been there 3 times before and we really enjoy it. It was even more enjoyable because we met my cousin Tom, his wife Stacey and their kids, Sam and Maya there. We enjoyed visiting while walking around and looking at the animals. It was a bit chilly, but not too bad. After getting there at 10 when it opened, we were ready to leave right at lunch time. Tom asked if we wanted to go get lunch and it sounded like a great idea. After much discussion, we landed on Olive Garden and it was perfect. I wish we lived closer to them because we always have a good time when we get together. After lunch, we headed back to Kelli's. Kelli, Eric, Mike, and Toni were at a food tasting for Kelli and Eric's wedding and we were locked out. Derek got a hold of Kelli and after many tries, she remembered the code so we could get to the key. The kids had both fallen asleep on the way back. So, we carried them in and let them sleep because we knew we still had a busy day ahead.

Later in the afternoon, it was time to decorate eggs since the next day was Easter. We did regular dye and also roll on paint. The kids had fun.

After a quick and early supper, we went to the Mall of America to Nickelodeon Universe. The kids both got ride arm bands and we hit the rides. When we've gone up before, we always go in the morning and into early afternoon and it has usually been on a weekday. So, it was much busier than what we were used to. The kids didn't seem to mind and the lines really weren't that bad. Abby got her picture with Dora first and later Spongebob, Patrick, and Diego. Cade did not want to get anywhere near them, but he had fun watching and staring at them!

Derek and the kids making funny faces in the balloon ride.

It was nearly 10pm by the time we got back to Kelli's. We had all had such a good time, but it was time to go to bed and wait for the Easter bunny to come!

Day in Minneapolis

2010-04-11T17:12:00.009-05:00

Friday, April 2, 2010 was our first full day in Minneapolis. We got off to a slow start and didn't really know what we were going to do that day. Derek took the kids to the park around 10 and I got a call around 10:15 just before I was going to walk out the door to meet them. Abby had to go to the bathroom and there wasn't one at the park. I walked down and met them so Derek and Cade could stay at the park. After a quick potty break back at Kelli's, Abby and I walked back to the park. It really is a neat little park and the kids always have a good time when we go there.

We spent the day hanging out at Kelli and Eric's, waiting for Cade to wake up from his nap, and then Mike and Toni came around 3:3o or so. The kids went with Toni and Kelli to the neighbor's to play on their playground. That night we went to Dulono's for supper. When we got back to Kelli's, Abby painted a few eggs and then it was getting pretty late. The kids didn't want to go to sleep, but it was time.

Picnic Pit Stop

2010-04-11T16:51:00.007-05:00

We left David's and headed north into Wisconsin. It was getting close to lunch and we knew that Camp Douglas and the wayside were only about 25 minutes away. We stopped in a small town and got Subway for us and McDonald's for the kids and drove up the interstate to the exit at Camp Douglas with the wayside for a picnic... or so we thought. The wayside was closed. We decided to park there anyway on the side of the road and we spread out the picnic blanket that I keep in the van and had a nice picnic anyway. Let's face it...I wasn't planning on climbing up the rock anyway, so it turned out just fine.

This is a picture of Abby at the same wayside in June of 2006 with my Mom and Dad.

The rest of the drive to Minneapolis went fine, but it always feels longer than it should be. The kids watched some shows, took naps, and played Ipod Touch. We rolled into Kelli and Eric's a little before 4:00. The kids ran around the house, checking it out (it had been quite awhile since we'd been there) and plus I think they just wanted to stretch their legs. Kelli got home from work and grocery shopping and we decided to go to Pepito's for supper. I love, love, love their tacos with relish on them. It sounds weird, but it is oh so good! After supper, we walked down the street and got some ice cream at a local shop. The kids each got chocolate and I got a chocolate mint sundae. Mmmm! Kelli and I decided to walk the ten blocks back to her house with the kids in the double stroller. Cade loved seeing the airplanes come in and it was cool to see them all lit up at night. When we got back to the house, we just hung out and visited.

Roscoe Egg Hunt

2010-04-11T15:38:00.006-05:00

We drove up to Roscoe on Wednesday before Easter on our way to Minnesota. Mom, Dad, Jonah and Grace were at my brother's house since Dave and Beth were in South America. The kids played outside and then we ordered Pietro's for supper. After supper we went outside and Dad had sprinkled foil wrapped chocolates all over the front yard. The kids had fun finding them and I think they found all 60 of them (or maybe 59). Oh, well. A snack for a squirrel.

After they found all the chocolates in the front yard, Mom had hid eggs in the side and backyard. The kids all had fun finding 2 of each color egg and 1 big one. After the hunt, we sat on the deck and the kids looked through their eggs.

Jonah and Derek were downstairs playing video games, but I got the rest to pose for a quick picture before watching Max and Ruby Easter shows. We stayed overnight at David's and it felt just like Easter (only early).

Light Up My Life

2010-04-09T20:14:00.004-05:00

On one of the worst days of my life, I just had to look at these two beautiful faces and I knew everything would be okay.

Spring Fling

2010-04-09T10:51:00.004-05:00

On the Friday before Spring Break, Cade and I went to Abby's school for her class party. They played, had snack, made some crafts, and had an egg hunt outside.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-04-09T10:44:00.002-05:00

Nothing says St. Patrick's Day like a Shamrock shake from McDonald's. The kids loved them.

Happy 32nd Birthday Derek!

2010-04-09T10:32:00.004-05:00

We didn't see Derek much on his birthday. He had school and then came home for a bit before he had to go to a board meeting. The kids had fun eating supper, singing, and eating cake with their Dad.

Puzzling

2010-04-09T10:24:00.002-05:00

Cade did this 24 piece puzzle all by himself. He and I were both very proud.

Spring?

2010-03-19T17:50:00.005-05:00

We had some nice weather March 10 and 11 and it was great to get outside.

Mmmm...

2010-03-13T08:57:00.003-06:00

Abby's SnowGirl

2010-03-13T08:29:00.002-06:00

There wasn't much snow, but she made the most of it. By the time we got back from San Antonio, it was all melted!

Abby's New Room

2010-03-12T12:28:00.003-06:00

Kelli's good friend Sherri came and painted Abby's room at the end of February. It is just beautiful. I hope that Abby spends many happy hours in there both playing and SLEEPING!! So far, just playing, but soon...maybe.

Romantic Valentine's Day

2010-03-12T12:12:00.004-06:00

at Chuck E Cheese!! We were in Roscoe for the weekend, so we decided to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese in Janesville, WI. Mom, Dad, Derek, the kids, and I picked up Jonah and Grace at about 8:45am and were on our way. We got to Chuck E's a little after 9 and were the only ones there for quite a while. Dad didn't want to go and tried to get out of it, but I told him he had to go and he did. Well, he was sure glad he did. I think he had more fun than the kids. Seriously. It was fun to watch him playing the basketball game and using as many tokens as anyone else. We left around noon and Cade fell asleep on the way back to Roscoe. Everyone had a great time.

Preschool Valentine Pajama Party

2010-03-12T10:56:00.002-06:00

Abby's class had a Valentine Pajama Party on Friday the 12th. Cade and I went to the school and joined in on the fun. Abby is in the middle in the yellow shirt. They had snack and juice. It is nice that the younger brothers and sisters are included. Cade really had fun.

Back on the carpet for more stories. Then it was off to the gym with the kids' teddy bears. Abby's color bear was on the parachute and Abby was loving every second of it.

February 10, 2010

2010-03-11T23:49:00.004-06:00

Abby enjoyed the snow outside and then came in to decorate the cookies we had cut out at Christmas time and stored in the freezer for Valentine's Day.

Cade's Birthday Party

2010-03-10T17:48:00.007-06:00

I made Cade's Mickey Mouse cake the day before his party and was so excited with how it turned out. I am not very creative in the kitchen and this was probably pretty simple for most people, but for me, it was quite the accomplishment. Isn't it cute?! On Sunday, February 7, we had our families over to our house at 1:00 for appetizers, cake and ice cream. Cade did not enjoy the singing or the candles and actually started crying by the time we were done. It was cute, but I felt bad for him. He perked up when he got to play with the "Mo Mo" guys from the cake and when he figured out he was going to eat the cake.

Cade loved opening presents and was excited with everything he got. I think this excited face is for a giant package of Play Doh.

Overall, other than the singing part, Cade really enjoyed his day and had a lot of fun with Oma, Papa John, Noni, Papa Michael, Grandma Rose, Uncle Dave, Aunt Beth, Jonah, Grace, and Aunt Sessa.

Derek's Faces

2010-02-03T20:53:00.005-06:00

Derek was being funny and I think making fun of me for taking so many pictures. He should know better. Since he hardly ever reads the blog, he probably won't even know they are on here, unless someone tells him. hehehe Enjoy!

Cade's 2nd Birthday

2010-02-03T16:33:00.005-06:00

Cade opened a present from Abby first thing on the morning of his birthday. This would have been taken just minutes before his exact birthday at 7:47am. When Derek left for school, Cade said, "Bye, bye Daddy." It was the first time he put those words together and the first time I am sure that he put any words together. There had been a few other times I thought he might have, but I wasn't sure.

After opening the present, it was time for Monkey Bread breakfast. Mmmm! It is so good.

Cade colored most of the picture on the refrigerator. He was proud to stand in front of it and pose for a picture. Cade and I spent the morning at play group. He took raisins for snack and was happy to pass all the boxes out to the other kids. After we picked Abby up from school, he spent the afternoon napping and then playing.
When Derek got home from work, he opened his other presents. He got a couple Eric Carle games and a Mega Blocks table.Before supper the kids did one of their favorite things...dancing in the kitchen. It was probably "I Gotta Feeling" and they really get going.

Cade wasn't real sure about the singing or the candles. His face says it all!

He liked it better when we were done and when the candles were out.

After bath we took some more pictures and read books. Cade stayed up later than Abby, as usual, and I think he had a really good day.

Chuck E Cheese

2010-02-03T16:18:00.004-06:00

We decided to head to Chuck E Cheese in Bloomington to celebrate the kids' birthdays. It was shortly after 10 when we got there and it was not busy at all. We put in our order for 11:00 and got our tokens. It was so nice because everything was just 1 token and we didn't worry about how many we used. We had a coupon and got 50 tokens. Our thought was when they're gone, they're gone. They lasted a long time and actually at the end we played some games that we wouldn't usually play just to use them up. The kids had a blast. They went up in the climbing thing and it was fun to see them being buddies and playing together. It started getting busy just after 11. We ate our pizza and Chuck E came around selling cotton candy. Cade was a little nervous, but didn't cry and Abby was a little excited. After lunch it was pretty busy and the climbing thing wasn't quite as fun with a bunch of screaming big kids in it. We finished up some games, cashed in our tickets for some little prizes and were on our way. It was definitely fun and we'll be going back...soon!

Visit with Grandma

2010-02-03T15:55:00.003-06:00

Grandma doesn't know who we are, but she is always glad that we are there. And that is good enough for me. She always has the same response when I ask her how she is doing: "Pretty good for an old lady." She's had that response for about as long as I can remember. Before we went in, I reminded Abby that Grandma Helen forgets and to just keep answering her questions. Grandma asked Abby how old she was probably 6 times and Abby answered her every time. After about the sixth time, Abby answered and then looked at me and said, "She keeps forgetting." We had a good visit.

Peek-a-Boo

2010-02-03T15:51:00.002-06:00

My Shoes

2010-02-03T15:34:00.002-06:00

Abby was so excited to wear a pair of my old shoes to school. She wanted to wear all black (not sure why) and was super excited to have shiny black shoes to go with the outfit. When I picked her up from school, the teacher told me that the heal on her shoe broke. Well, I wasn't surprised since the shoes are probably about 27 years old! haha Poor Abby, though. She was so bummed and said that everyone thought it was funny. I couldn't help myself...I laughed too, just not in front of her. The poor thing had extra shoes in her bookbag and no one thought to get them out. The bottom of the shoe was coming off in the back on one of them and in the front on the other one. At least she got to wear them once!

I pulled the whole bottom off on the one on the left. It was the one that was coming apart in the front. The one on the right looked like that when I pick Abby up. She kind of flopped it around when she walked to the car. :)

Reading and Playing

2010-02-03T15:15:00.001-06:00

Play Doh with Oma

2010-02-03T15:09:00.003-06:00

Abby and Cade have been really into Play Doh lately. That may be partly because we didn't get it out for quite awhile and then it feels new again. Plus, anything is always more fun with Oma.

Cade's Letters

2010-02-03T15:04:00.002-06:00

I think Cade knows many letters, but just doesn't know how to say all of the them. I need to ask him in a different way so that he just identifies instead of having to verbalize. On this day, I asked him, "What's this?" The letters on the right he either knew the name of the letter or the sound or both. Another day, I will ask him to "Show me the Q." It will be interesting how many more he gets, but I was quite surprised and happy with all the letters/sounds that he can already say.

New Closet

2010-02-03T14:11:00.004-06:00

Ever since we moved into this house more than 8 years ago, I have been unhappy with our bedroom closet. It is very large (about 11 feet long), but the wire rack/hanging bar was flimsy and would get pulled out of the wall with the littlest amount on it. We had reinforced it with extra bars, etc., but it was a pain. In the midst of all the water in the bedroom, the whole back of it came out from the wall. It really was a blessing. We did some research online and after realizing how expensive many systems were, we went with one at Home Depot. I am SO glad we did. Mind you it isn't fancy, but for well under $400 we have an awesome closet system.Before

After

We each have double hanging rods and 16 inch shelves at the end. There is a 25 inch shelf in the middle (well shifted slightly to Derek's side to give me more hanging room) and I have a small shelf next to the middle one too. Wish we would have done this 8 years ago! I guess then it might not be quite so exciting...

Pizza Hut Party

2010-01-30T20:26:00.011-06:00

We left Abby's princess party at about 4:00 and were due at Pizza Hut at 4:30 for Abby's surprise family party. Mom and I had to drive around and kill some time. It was set up perfectly, though. When we left Downstairs on First, Abby said, "I'm hungry." To which I responded, "If you could eat anywhere you wanted, where would you like to go?" I knew what her answer would be, although she sometimes surprises me. She said, "Pizza Hut." I said, "Well, I suppose we could go there IF you really want to." So, I drove around and pretended to not be able to find it right away. It was a little foggy out! Poor girl was wondering if she'd ever get to eat. I got a call from Derek and learned that apparently people were not too concerned about getting there before us, including him. We finally pulled up to Pizza Hut at 4:29 and still saw some of our family walking in. I waited in the bank parking lot next door. I sent Mom in ahead with balloons to be tied onto little princesses on the tables and I brought Abby in after. She certainly was surprised. I think, though, that 4-year-olds are probably surprised about a lot of things because they don't always know what is going on. Anyway, she was happy that everyone was there. We had a slight balloon malfunction but after Derek ran over to HyVee to get a replacement, the party was ready to go. The food was great and it was nice to sit around and visit. Abby opened presents while people finished eating and then we sang and she made a wish and blew out the candles. The big girl was pretty pooped out, but so excited from her parties that she went to bed pretty late that night. She had such a big day!

Abby's Princess Party

2010-01-26T12:39:00.009-06:00

On Saturday, Abby had her friend party at Downstairs on First Salon and Day Spa. The girls were invited to dress like a princess and join Abby for the royal treatment. The girls all came dressed up and ready to have a good time, and they did! They started by choosing nail color and glitter. I wasn't sure how everything would come together or if the girls would really enjoy it, but they were so good and liked watching each other get their nails done. Andrea and Becky did the nails, so it took 3 cycles to get through all the girls. While the girls took turns getting their nails done, Vanessa put a princess tattoo on each girl's hand. Abby and Isabelle posed to show off the tattoo.Each girl also got to sit in a style chair and get glitter spray in her hair.After fingers it was time for toes. Some girls chose to match their fingers, but some changed it up. They also got a surprise... a heart on each big toe. The hardest part was sitting still afterward to dry, but it was amazing how well all the girls did. I think they felt pretty grown up and they acted like it. They were all so well behaved and having so much fun.
Here is Abby drying shortly after getting her toes done.After manicures and pedicures, the girls played a game like pin the tail on the donkey. We called it, "Put Cinderella in the Window." Each girl had a Cinderella sticker and she had to try and stick it to the empty window. Then each girl got to choose a prize, either a wand or a crown.

Next it was time to sing, make a wish, and blow out the candles. It took a few blows, but Abby got them out. Then the girls ate and chatted, but mostly ate. The cupcakes were pretty messy, but I think it was worth it.

After the girls got cleaned up, they all found a place on the floor and Abby opened her presents.

I could tell it had been a long day and the girls were starting to get tired, so Abby handed out the goody bags. Becky got some things for the girls and I had been finding the cutest things on the dollar spot at Target. I had a pink make-up bag with 2 little nail polishes, nail gems, a princess wallet, a headband, and some candy. Downstairs on First was the best and the whole party far exceeded my expectations. I will remember that day for the rest of my life and I hope and think that the girls will too!

Abby's Birthday

2010-01-25T13:55:00.007-06:00

Abby's birthday was last Friday. The day before there was no school due to ice, so Abby was super excited that she got to go to school on her birthday. She got a present from Cade before school and then it was time to get going. She and Cade were jumping around before we left. Abby because she was excited and Cade because Abby was. Abby took cupcakes and fruit snacks to school. When I picked her up, she was smiling from ear to ear and carrying a birthday crown.

When Derek got home from school, we got ready to go to Dairy Queen (Abby's choice) for supper. We ate dinner and had some yummy dessert.

After dinner, we went to Block Buster and Abby and Derek went in for Abby to pick out a movie. They came out with Mickey Mouse Three Musketeers. Abby was super excited. It was her first time choosing a movie at a video store.

We came home, sang happy birthday, opened presents, and watched the movie. It was the perfect end to the day. In some ways I can't believe that Abby is already 4, but at the same time, I can barely remember what life was like before she was here.

Abby is such a special girl and she melts my heart when she randomly gives me a hug and says, "I love you." Happy Birthday Abby Rose. I love you!

Bath Time

2010-01-25T13:44:00.002-06:00

Cade LOVES taking a bath!

Getting Ready

2010-01-25T13:36:00.003-06:00

Abby helped me make almost 50 cupcakes for her birthday parties, which turned out to be about 25 too many! I didn't know if any adults at the princess party would want one and then at her family party only a few people had one. I actually didn't even eat one myself. Well, she had fun making them! For anyone who ate one, I swear she didn't lick the spoon and put it back in. The cupcakes were already in the oven. :)

Water...In the Bedroom!!

2010-01-24T13:41:00.002-06:00

Wednesday night, Derek went into the bedroom and found water. A lot of water! I ran in there and the first thing I noticed was my soaking wet socks. The curtains, bench of the bay window, the floor, and part of the rug were all wet. The water was leaking in the the top of the bay window where the top part meets the trim, right in the middle. We ran around getting towels and buckets and trying to figure out what was causing the leak. Derek went out in the ice and snow and climbed up the ladder. I went upstairs and leaned out the window with a snow shovel and scraped snow off the roof. The leak finally stopped at about 12:45am. We called State Farm the next morning and explained what happened. She said it sounded like an ice dam and to call a contractor. We were lucky to get a hold of Dean Tieman and he was at our house just a few hours later. He confirmed that it was an ice dam and said that he was almost sure that when the window was installed that the flashing was not put in correctly behind the gutters. He is going to come back this week and pull the gutter out to fix it. Since then Derek and I have been sleeping in the kids' room since we still don't have the curtains up and we are putting in a new closet system. Needless to say, our room is a mess and having 2 twin mattresses and 2 toddler bed mattresses in the kids' room makes it quite cramped. We are almost done with the closet system and since the ice is melted I think I'll be safe to put the curtains back up. There hasn't been any leaking since Wednesday. The problem itself should be easy to fix, but there was some water damage to the inside casing of the window. Hopefully I'll have a good news update post in a few weeks!

TV Box

2010-01-24T13:22:00.003-06:00

After we got our new tv last week, we took the box to the basement for the kids to color. They colored that thing for a LONG time! Abby put stickers on the other side.

Picking Up

2010-01-14T13:01:00.002-06:00

The other morning when Abby was getting ready for school, she got her Dora stepstool from the bathroom to get her coat off the hook. Before we went out the door, Cade was ready and Abby and I were finishing up, so I asked Cade to take Abby's stool back to the bathroom. He is very good at helping and grabbed the stool and took off. Later in the day, this is where I found the stool. He took it to the bathroom! I'm not sure why he chose to put it there, but I thought it was funny!

Cade

2010-01-12T09:24:00.005-06:00

I am feeling a little guilty today. From the time Abby was born through her 2nd birthday (not coincidentally when Cade was born), I wrote down EVERYTHING she did. I wrote down milestones, but I also wrote down every little detail of her life. Now, those of you with more than 1 child will understand what I am talking about, I'm sure, but with Cade I am lucky if I get the milestones written down. It isn't that they aren't important or that I don't notice them, I just don't write them down. I think I'll remember when it happened, and then I don't. I decided this morning that I would write a post dedicated to Cade and try to write down as much about him as I can. This is more for me than anything else, but you are welcome to read on. Afterall, who wouldn't want to know every detail of Cade's life?! haha Anyway, here's to you, Cade.

LOVES

his new train table

cars, trucks, airplanes, pretty much any vehicle

balls and calling things balls so he can throw them

The Backyardigans

Max and Ruby

sitting in your lap when you read to him (there is no other way to hear a story)

running

being wild

jumping on the mattress on the floor

pulling the cushions off the couch

snuggling when he wakes up from a nap

playing in the snow

to be tickled

fruit

hot dogs

cheeseburgers from McDonald's

dipping in ketchup

picking up (well, I'm not sure if he loves it, but he is really good at it :-) )

doing whatever Abby is doing

WORDS CADE CAN SAY (REGULARLY IF I ASK HIM AND HE'S IN THE MOOD)

Bobby= Abby

mommy

daddy

mo-mo= Oma

mo-mo= Mickey Mouse

papa

nana= Noni

Sessa

Kkkkk= Kelli

Mmm= Missy

Day= Dave

Be= Beth

sss= juice

diddy= cookie

bot bow or bot bot= hot dog

yellow

blue

purple

ball

puppy

please

baby

twee twee (for what does a birdy say)

roof roof (for what does a doggy say)

m-ow m-ow (for what does a kitty say)

Hhhh- points to the letter H and makes the sound

boo= bus, boot

doppies= ketchup

bubble

uh-oh
ow
mine
guy
hi
hello
bye

STATS

36 inches tall

about 30 lbs. (I'll get these more accurate when he has his Dr. appt in Feb)

has 16 teeth

can jump (with both feet sometimes)

runs

claps

can do somersaults (by himself)

climbs up and down stairs

Snow Day

2010-01-09T21:42:00.003-06:00

On Thursday, January 7, I woke up to the phone ringing at 6 am. It was a recording from Abby's school saying it was closing for the day due to snow. The phone rang again at 6:05. This time it was a recording from Derek's school. We did get a lot of snow, but at least where we were there was no wind or ice. I was hoping for school, but that is another story. This story is about how much fun the kids and Derek had outside playing in the snow. I guess that makes it worth having to make up the day in May...maybe. I stayed inside since I've been coughing like I've been smoking for 20 years. Abby learned to go down the driveway on the sled all by herself. It was so fun to watch her since last year she barely even wanted to ride down with someone. She would go down one time and then say it was scary and not want to go again. Cade has no fear. He loved going down and Derek would pull him down and then pull him up. When Derek got tired, Cade would walk back up. They went out once in the morning and then when Cade napped, Abby and I went shopping in Peru and then they went out again when we got home. Seeing how much fun the kids have really makes the snow much more bearable.

Dress-Up

2010-01-09T21:30:00.002-06:00

Cade always wants us to put masks on, but would never put one on himself. He finally did. He thought it was pretty funny. They had such a good time playing dress-up.

Happy New Year

2010-01-09T21:25:00.001-06:00

New Year's Eve Eve and New Year's Eve

2010-01-09T10:20:00.006-06:00

When Derek and I were juniors at ISU, we both lived at 104 Irving at opposite ends of the building with 3 roommates. I continued to live there my senior year. One of Derek's roommates was John and one of my roommates during senior year was Sarah. They both came to our house on NYEE. We hung out for the afternoon and then took the kids over to Grandma Rose's so they could go to Mendota for the next 2 nights! Derek and I have never been without kids for 2 nights in a row since Abby was born. After we left, we went to eat at Mr. Salsa's. Although we love their chips and salsa and actually go there to buy our salsa, we have never been impressed with their food. We should have eaten somewhere else, but with the snow coming, we wanted to stay in town. Anyway... When we got home, we decided to take the sleds down the driveway a few times. It was fun, even though I ran into the garbage can and Derek did too!

We watched movies, played games (I was victorious at Titanic and John was the winner of Balderdash.), cooked dinner on NYE, played Wii, laughed, and had a great time. On New Year's Day, Mike and Toni brought the kids back around 11 and shortly after it was time for Sarah and then John to head home. We had an awesome time!

A Lot of Snow

2010-01-08T22:32:00.004-06:00

Let me start this post by apologizing to Cade if he ever sees these pictures. Yes, he is wearing pink snowpants. And yes, he has black ones in the house that I bought on Ebay. However, the pink size 3 fits so much better than the black size 3. Anyway, we went for comfort and warmth over gender fashion. That being said, we had so much fun in the LOTS of snow. Our driveway provides the perfect sledding environment. It is not so perfect for bicycles or playing catch or any other number of activities we might want to do, but sledding...PERFECT.

I am not a huge fan of the cold or snow for that matter, but I had a ton of fun with the kids. Abby has really enjoyed the snow this winter and Cade loves it too.

A Few Leftovers

2010-01-08T22:12:00.005-06:00

With all the hustle and bustle of getting home late Christmas Eve and then having family coming to the house on Christmas. We had a few presents go unopened on Christmas. Abby had gotten one for Cade and hidden it in her room and Abby had made one for Derek and me at school.

Isn't this the cutest snowman you've ever seen. She will be decorating the house for many winters to come!

Long Overdue

2010-01-08T21:35:00.005-06:00

This is Abby on the morning of December 26, 2009 oblivious as to what was coming later that day. Love ya sweetie pie!

Before you even say it, I know it was long overdue. Go ahead, judge me... I don't really care. I always said that my kid would not be the one with the pacifier at age anything over 2. Well, guess what?! I was. WAS, though, past tense. Granted, she was not running around Wal-Mart with it or anything, but whatever. I can't even remember exactly, but I would say about a year and a half ago Abby's pacifier (or mickey as she calls it) was only for sleeping. I think at one point she had about 13 of them and we decided it was time to downsize. I threw all of them away and bought 4 sleeping mickeys. They were only to be used for naps and at night. Then about a year ago, she went down to just one and it was only to be used at night. Well, from that point on, she didn't nap. We told her that the mickey fairy came and got them and that some day the mickey fairy would come and take her last one. My parents went to Sweden and found this pacifier wishing well where kids take their pacifiers and leave them behind. I actually can't imagine doing with the kid in person, but yea for them. Abby thinks that is where her mickeys are.

This past summer after our vacation and when Derek was not teaching a class, I was ready to take the last one and that morning Abby got up and went on the potty. By went, I mean peed! Well, I was not about to mess with that. After all, she was starting preschool in just over a month and before that she had shown NO interest in the potty AT ALL. So, needless to say, I took the potty and no more diapers over taking away her pacifier. NO BRAINER. Well, then school started and we were preparing for the worst, so we waited. Then our vacation to Mexico and then Christmas. So, the day after Christmas the mickey fairy came and that was it. I took the pacifier, cut it, and threw it in the garbage. I had to so I wouldn't give in when she cried. I felt guilty for taking it away and guilty for letting her become so attached to it. She found the note and the present and thought it was a Christmas present. Poor thing. Her face went from pure joy to shock and horror as I read the letter out loud to her. I had tears in my eyes by the time I was done, but I had to be strong for her. That night and the night after, she cried, but not for very long and she slept on her cot in our room. The next two nights she said she wasn't happy about it, but that was about it. Then nothing for a few nights and then back to crying again. As I type this, we are about 2 weeks in and she rarely mentions it. In the first few nights she tried everything: Maybe I can use one of Cade's mickeys. Why can't we just fly to Sweden? Will the mickey fairy bring my mickey back? I am not happy about this. I want my mickey. Can we get a new one? My sweet girl, you are getting so big. It really was LONG OVERDUE!

Travel Blog

2010-01-08T19:24:00.001-06:00

I finished our trip to Mexico on the travel blog. www.kilmartintravel.blogspot.com We had an awesome time!

Christmas Day

2010-01-08T09:44:00.005-06:00

After an already full morning, Derek's family started arriving around 11:00. Mom helped me a ton in the kitchen and we cooked a lot of food. People brought lots of great food too. We snacked on appetizers and visited while the rest of the food was being prepared. We ate at 1:00, just as planned, and even though it was a little chilly down there, the basement worked out pretty well. We still had the dining room table upstairs, but with more than 20 people, we were not all going to fit comfortably in the living room. So, I set up 2 banquet tables end to end in the basement. It was actually pretty festive down there because I always use my old classroom decorations to make it fancy (or maybe a little cheesy) for the kids. After we ate, we exchanged a few presents and just enjoyed the day together. Derek's extended family left and then we had our Secret Santa gift exchange. This was the first annual and honestly I'm not sure if I liked it, but who am I?! haha Anyway, the kids opened more presents and Cade, I think, finally had the hang of it. He didn't just stick on one present. He actually opened and then moved on to the next one. Maybe when his birthday rolls around he'll really have it down. Later on all the guys went to a movie and everyone else headed home. Mom helped me get the kids to bed and then it was time to breathe. Christmas is amazing and I love spending it with so many wonderful people.

Christmas Morning

2010-01-06T15:55:00.008-06:00

The kids woke up around 7 and it was a magical time, just as it was when I was a kid. I remember coming downstairs and catching my first glimpse of the presents under the tree and running for my stocking. When I was a little older, my brother and I would have to wait for hours to open our presents because we would get up in the middle of the night. I vividly remember one year when David had me set my alarm for 3 am. I don't know what I thought we were going to do all night, but we got up and sat there and waited and waited and waited. Luckily for me and for the kids, they did not get up in the middle of the night and it was only a few minutes before they started opening presents. They just had to wait until I found the camera. Abby kept asking who each present was from. When it was from Derek and me, she would tell us thank you and when it was from Santa, she would say, "Santa sure knows what I like." Cade opened a few, but mostly wanted to play with what he got. Santa brought Abby a Barbie house with Barbies and furniture and Cade got a train table with a huge train set. It was a lot of fun to watch the kids and see and feel the excitement of the day.

Preschool Christmas Program

2010-01-04T12:27:00.002-06:00

Abby and all the preschool classes had a Christmas program (I'm sure it was technically a "winter" program, but I'll call it what it really was) on the last day of school before Christmas vacation. Grandma Rose, Cade, and I had been shopping in the morning and after dropping groceries off at home, we made our way over to Lincoln School. The kids sang some songs and did some finger plays. It was really cute. After the program, we went back to the classroom and the kids had cake and hot chocolate with marshmallows.

To clarify on this first picture, the program hadn't started yet... Abby was waving to Grandma Rose and Cade in the bleachers.

We left by 10:30, which is an hour earlier than the kids usually get out, so we dropped Grandma Rose off at home and made our way over to playgroup. Another girl from Abby's class was there with her Grandma. It was a lot of fun for Abby because she used to go all the time, but now that she is in school, she can't go any more. It was a nice way to end school before leaving for Chicago that night to get to the aiport early the next morning to go to Mexico.

Decorating Cookies

2010-01-04T12:14:00.003-06:00

I have always loved decorating Christmas cut out cookies. I don't love making the dough, rolling it out, etc, etc! But, I love decorating. I don't love it as much as I used to, but watching the kids decorate is just as good. Abby really got into it and except for dumping a few too many sprinkles occasionally (okay, there were whole piles of sugar on the cookies), she did a really good job. Cade didn't see the point. I think he decorated one and then ate it. He may have decorated a second one, but I'm thinking he skipped the decorating part and just ate it. Anyway, it was fun and still one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

My Birthday, Stuckey Christmas, Santa, and Bowling

2010-01-04T09:34:00.009-06:00

My birthday fell on a Sunday this year and Mom and Dad came down the day before. We of course celebrated at Red Lobster. On my birthday morning, the kids and Mom and Dad gave me presents and Mom opened hers since her birthday is just 3 days after mine.

After that it was time to get ready. Not for my birthday, but for the Stuckey family Christmas. David, Beth and the kids came just before noon and we were almost ready to eat. We had a great dinner and then opened presents. Cade napped while the other kids played and then around 4:00, we went to the Dickinson House to see Santa. Cade took one look and had seen enough. Abby still just wants to stand by him, but I can't say that I blame her. After that we ate some cookies and waited for our turn at bowling. Jonah, Grace, and Abby bowled. Cade wanted to but had fun watching and pretending anyway. After bowling we all said good bye and headed home.

A Little Snow!

2010-01-04T09:24:00.004-06:00

Abby was really wanting to get outside in the snow this year. In the past, she hasn't really liked it all that much. This year, she did. Cade loved it too. Even though there wasn't a lot, the kids both had a ton of fun. We made snow balls and snow angels and just walked around.

Gingerbread Fred

2009-12-03T12:27:00.005-06:00

On December 2, Abby's preschool had a gingerbread house making event. We took our of our little candies and they provided the base for the house, graham crackers, and frosting. Abby and Cade each made one (well, Derek and I each made one, but the kids helped decorate them!). Anyway, if you want to make one yourself, it is really easy. The base of the house was an empty milk carton from school. Then just slather on the frosting and stick everything on. They are very cute!

Thanksgiving in Roscoe

2009-12-03T10:42:00.004-06:00

We drove up to Roscoe on Wednesday after Derek got done with school and got there by about 3:30. After the kids played and we visited, we went to Pizza Ranch for supper. That place is so good! The kids were in bed early, giving us plenty of time to play cards. Mom and I won, of course.

Thanksgiving morning the kids played and watched the parade on tv and Mom was busy in the kitchen. Abby kept asking when Jonah and Grace would come over. Dave, Beth, Jonah, and Grace got to Mom and Dad's at about 11:30, which gave the kids a little bit of time to play while we finished up in the kitchen. For the first time since I was a kid, we had a kids' table. I think they liked it. Even Cade had his high chair pulled up to it because he was feeling left out. We had a fun day of family and except that Dave and I got our butts kicked at cards, it was a great day. I am truly thankful for my family. They are the best!

Turkey Hand Prints

2009-12-02T22:08:00.004-06:00

The day before Thanksgiving, the kids each made turkey handprints. When I took Cade to the library that day for lapsit, he wouldn't do it, but I really wanted to have one. Of course when I had Abby do it, he was all for it and we ended up with a ton. I painted the kids' palms brown and each finger a different color. Then we drew on legs, feet, an eye, and a mouth. They turned out really cute!

Decorating the Tree

2009-12-02T21:49:00.005-06:00

I decided that since we wouldn't be home for Thanksgiving and since we are going to be gone for 6 days before Christmas that we should put up the tree early this year. Saturday morning after the Santa parade the night before, we got the tree up, lights on, and ornaments hung all in one morning. Abby and Cade both had fun helping. I can't say it is one of my favorite things to do, but I do enjoy it, even though it is a lot of work (especially the lights!).

Santa Parade

2009-12-02T21:25:00.004-06:00

The Friday before Thanksgiving, Santa arrived at the Peru Mall and the kids were super excited to welcome him. They had their baths in the afternoon and got on their new Christmas pajamas. We ate supper at Applebee's with Noni and Papa and then went over to the mall. Mrs. Claus had story time, but it was so crowded that we really couldn't even hear her, so we mostly just walked around. Then Santa was pulled in his sleigh by some dogs and were led by a band. It was really fun to see the looks on the kids' faces. Cade wasn't sure what the big deal was all about, but then I explained that Santa would bring him new toys. Then he waved and waved. What a fun time to be a kid.

Enjoying Books

2009-12-02T21:21:00.002-06:00

Cade is really starting to enjoy books more and more. He will sit and listen to a whole story (sometimes) and he'll bring a book and ask to have it read to him. His favorite books are The Backyardigans and one called Hiding in the Woods, but he'll look at others as well.

Cade's New Bed

2009-12-02T21:18:00.003-06:00

Cade started sleeping in Abby's toddler bed for naps and then about 1 1/2 weeks ago, we moved him from his crib to the toddler bed at night. The crib is disassembled and in the basement and Abby is sleeping on a twin mattress next to the toddler bed. The other night, I found Cade in the bed by Abby. They both seem to like it. Abby will probably move upstairs to her new room right after Christmas.

Derek's Outfit

2009-12-02T20:37:00.002-06:00

Cade wore this outfit that was Derek's when he was young. It was neat to see him in it and think that Derek had also worn it.

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2009-12-02T19:53:00.003-06:00

I took a ton of pictures and only a few turned out very well at all. Cade was not in the mood and Abby was, which upset her when Cade wouldn't cooperate. Anyway, it only took 1 and we got the job done.

Precious Words

2009-11-18T21:03:00.004-06:00

November 18, 2009
When Abby was very young, she started talking. She was one of the most vocal kids and it made for a much easier time in knowing what she wanted and how I could help her. Cade has been more challenging. He has resisted even the simplest sign language and when I would ask him to say something, he would literally scream at me. Frustrating. Frustrating for me, but more importantly, frustrating for him. I have had his hearing checked and it was fine. We had tubes put in his ears back at the end of May. He's had no ear infections since and I'm assuming no fluid build up since. I kept thinking that he would start talking. Every time it seemed like he might be close, he'd go back to grunting and yelling. Within the last week, I have seen remarkable improvements. He is not only saying more words, but is better able to repeat things when I ask him to. Tonight before bed I said, "I love you. Can you tell Daddy 'love you?'" He said, "uv oo." WHAT?! "Love you!" "uv oo." "Can you say 'I love you?'" "I uv oo." Awww....talk about heart melting. It was the sweetest thing ever.
These are words that Cade has most of the time: Mama, Dada, Mommy, Daddy, Babby or Bobby (for Abby), Oma (sometimes Mo-ma), Papa, Nana, Keddi (for Kelli), Sessa (sometimes), Jay, please, ma (for Max), and juice.
These are a few words that he has said when asked: pirate, switch, napkin, I love you.
It really is so wonderful to hear his sweet little voice.

Computering

2009-11-09T18:55:00.001-06:00

Abby was showing Cade how to use the computer. He was very interested.

Halloween

2009-11-05T19:44:00.005-06:00

The kids each decorated their own pumpkins the day before Halloween. Saturday morning we drove to Roscoe and spent the afternoon at Mom and Dad's. David, Beth, Jonah, and Grace came over about 5:00 and after a few pictures, we headed into the neighborhood looking for porch lights. There weren't many and we realized later that trick-or-treat didn't start until 5:30. Some people still had their lights on and were ready to hand over the treats. The kids all had a great time and even though it was a little cold, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Cade loved his first "real" year of trick-or-treat. He would not give up his pumpkin for anything. It was so heavy it was tipping him over. When we got back to Mom and Dad's, he was the only one that seemed to care much about the candy. He carried it around, looked at it, asked to eat it... It was a great time and I am still enjoying the candy...I mean the kids are!

Preschool Halloween Parade and Party

2009-10-30T19:36:00.004-05:00

Abby dressed as Snow White for her preschool Halloween party. Cade and I went to the school a few minutes before 10 and went to the room while the kids heard a few stories and sang a song. Then we went to the cafeteria and watched the kids parade around and around. The were all so cute. After the parade, we went back to the room and the kids had a snack, did some crafts, and played some games.

Playing with Abby B.

2009-10-30T19:23:00.003-05:00

I just started watching a sweet little girl named Abby this past week. It will just be a few times a month, but we were glad to have her. The kids had a good time playing together.