Before Ryan left for his trip, we kind of half decorated for Christmas...he put up the tree and topped it with the star. The kids were sooooooo excited that they got to watch AND put up the ornaments (I have pix of the finished product...just need to upload them). This is a fun age to truly see the magic of Christmas. While it isn't all about the sparkly decorations and gifts, it is fun to watch their excitement with those things. They have been asking if they can leave "gingerbrown" cookies for 'nanta (Santa) and a treat for the reindeer. So cute!
So, anyway...I put up a few more decorations while they were napping. When Caitlin saw them, she was so sweet...she came up to me and said, "Thanks mom for putting up the stockings! Thanks for putting up the decorations!" She can make your heart melt in an instant!
Austin was mostly worried about shoveling ("cooping the 'now") with the new snow shovel from Aunt Bubbles and Uncle John. The basement has never been as snow free as it was today! :) That was the most he did today...he had a fever of 102.2 as of 5:30pm...so he was a little sluggish today. He snuggled with me and we watched "Eloise at Christmastime" in the basement while Caitlin played dress up and tea party. He is also a heart melter...how about this..."Can I 'nuggle with you mommy?"
Supposedly we are getting 3 inches of snow overnight...we'll see! As long as my honey's plane can land here on Monday, I'm cool. If Austin is doing better, maybe we can all shovel together. Oh, he'd be in heaven. He's a real outdoorsy kind of guy...first the mowing obsession, now the shoveling obsession. Funny! Caitlin is looking forward to making snow angels and throwing snowballs.
Time to continue "decking the halls"!!! Hope to post again tomorrow...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
A day late, but still...pretty good for us lately! :)
Who knew 3 year olds didn't like to shop the 4a.m. Black Friday sales??? lol...just a joke. Anyone who knows me well would know I am NOT an early riser...even for good deals!! :)
Yesterday, the kids and I snagged Lynn and John and drove up to my mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a bit of a rough start...Austin was still sleepy and didn't want to cooperate...but we made it on the road by about 10:30. Two Starbucks stops later, we made it to my mom's where the kids had a ball with their baby cousin, Ethan and their older cousin, Mason. They got to help hold Ethan's bottle during his feeding and gave him little kisses on his forehead. Uncle John & Aunt Bubbles took them outside for awhile and they rode a big wheel AND a big kid 2 wheeler (with help of course!!!). It was slightly chilly but fine for a little fresh air. They were operating on no naps and I was kind of surprised that they did so well...they even stayed awake all the way home. We got back home around 8:45 and after a little milk, it was straight to bed.
I was happy to see Ethan again...he has grown soooo much! He was very alert for awhile so we got to play too! He's a wiggly little guy...I laid him on the floor and helped him with his dance moves. He also makes the cutest little faces and was holding onto my finger while he took a little snooze. There is nothing like the pure joy that babies bring.
Austin and Caitlin were very happy to hear that they will have a new aunt soon. Clint and Sarah got engaged and will be getting married in January. YAY!!! With Ryan's crazy travel, we aren't sure if we can all attend, but are trying to figure something out...the kids wouldn't want to miss a good party (and neither would we)!!! :)
Yesterday was a good day to reflect on all that I'm thankful for...beautiful, fun, healthy kids; a hardworking, loving husband; growing in my faith through the past year; my health (especially my tongue being "cured" earlier this year); a nice home that keeps us sheltered; not having to worry about feeding or clothing our kids....there's a bunch more, but I'll stop there.
We are going to try to get out of the house later today...I'm sure I'll have more to post this evening! :)
Well, we didn't make it out...kids (okay, and I) slept until 4:30 and Austin felt kind of feverish when he woke up. So we snuggled, played, read their new Curious George books, watched part of "Elf", snuggled some more and headed up to bed. They must still be wiped out because it's been very quiet up there!!!
Tomorrow morning we are going to head to Target with Lynn for a little Christmas/grocery shopping. Hopefully Austin will be feeling better so we can do that. I hate being cooped up all winter...this week seemed loooooooong because there was no speech or school!
Who knew 3 year olds didn't like to shop the 4a.m. Black Friday sales??? lol...just a joke. Anyone who knows me well would know I am NOT an early riser...even for good deals!! :)
Yesterday, the kids and I snagged Lynn and John and drove up to my mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a bit of a rough start...Austin was still sleepy and didn't want to cooperate...but we made it on the road by about 10:30. Two Starbucks stops later, we made it to my mom's where the kids had a ball with their baby cousin, Ethan and their older cousin, Mason. They got to help hold Ethan's bottle during his feeding and gave him little kisses on his forehead. Uncle John & Aunt Bubbles took them outside for awhile and they rode a big wheel AND a big kid 2 wheeler (with help of course!!!). It was slightly chilly but fine for a little fresh air. They were operating on no naps and I was kind of surprised that they did so well...they even stayed awake all the way home. We got back home around 8:45 and after a little milk, it was straight to bed.
I was happy to see Ethan again...he has grown soooo much! He was very alert for awhile so we got to play too! He's a wiggly little guy...I laid him on the floor and helped him with his dance moves. He also makes the cutest little faces and was holding onto my finger while he took a little snooze. There is nothing like the pure joy that babies bring.
Austin and Caitlin were very happy to hear that they will have a new aunt soon. Clint and Sarah got engaged and will be getting married in January. YAY!!! With Ryan's crazy travel, we aren't sure if we can all attend, but are trying to figure something out...the kids wouldn't want to miss a good party (and neither would we)!!! :)
Yesterday was a good day to reflect on all that I'm thankful for...beautiful, fun, healthy kids; a hardworking, loving husband; growing in my faith through the past year; my health (especially my tongue being "cured" earlier this year); a nice home that keeps us sheltered; not having to worry about feeding or clothing our kids....there's a bunch more, but I'll stop there.
We are going to try to get out of the house later today...I'm sure I'll have more to post this evening! :)
Well, we didn't make it out...kids (okay, and I) slept until 4:30 and Austin felt kind of feverish when he woke up. So we snuggled, played, read their new Curious George books, watched part of "Elf", snuggled some more and headed up to bed. They must still be wiped out because it's been very quiet up there!!!
Tomorrow morning we are going to head to Target with Lynn for a little Christmas/grocery shopping. Hopefully Austin will be feeling better so we can do that. I hate being cooped up all winter...this week seemed loooooooong because there was no speech or school!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Big Kid Beds
I'll say they are a success! The kids stayed in them all night long and waited until Ryan came in this morning to get out. WOW! That is a major accomplishment. Also, they have played in their room ALL MORNING! They came downstairs for a brief moment to say good morning and get a hug and kiss and after that...forget about mom and dad! :)
That's about it for now...gotta head back to the kitchen...more later!
...naptime was a little wild...kids were into their new found freedom and had to be reeled in a little bit. I am happy to say that finally they both fell asleep and are having a good afternoon so far.
Caitlin has a joke she tells!!! I think it's great...I'm all about the corny jokes and this one is pretty corny (I taught her it!). She yelled it down to Ryan this afternoon which I found hilarious! (I'm not going to spoil it...so, if you want to know what the joke is, you'll have to ask Caitlin!) Our little comedienne!!! She also sat at the island and did "homework" with me. This consisted of her gluing pictures that I cut from magazines onto a piece of construction paper. She loved it!!! So cute!!!!!
Austin is still complaining of the 'niffles and insists he needs 'nynol. He gets mad if you tell him no. But he doesn't need any! He has loved being upstairs in his room...go figure. He's very happy that today is a "play day" with daddy. :)
Ryan hung some pictures in our living room, so we now have a cute gallery wall with all the pictures I've been framing of the kids over the past 3 years. Seems like there's always something we want to do to make our home more "ours". There's a lot more work to be done...but we'll get there eventually!!!
That's about it for now...gotta head back to the kitchen...more later!
...naptime was a little wild...kids were into their new found freedom and had to be reeled in a little bit. I am happy to say that finally they both fell asleep and are having a good afternoon so far.
Caitlin has a joke she tells!!! I think it's great...I'm all about the corny jokes and this one is pretty corny (I taught her it!). She yelled it down to Ryan this afternoon which I found hilarious! (I'm not going to spoil it...so, if you want to know what the joke is, you'll have to ask Caitlin!) Our little comedienne!!! She also sat at the island and did "homework" with me. This consisted of her gluing pictures that I cut from magazines onto a piece of construction paper. She loved it!!! So cute!!!!!
Austin is still complaining of the 'niffles and insists he needs 'nynol. He gets mad if you tell him no. But he doesn't need any! He has loved being upstairs in his room...go figure. He's very happy that today is a "play day" with daddy. :)
Ryan hung some pictures in our living room, so we now have a cute gallery wall with all the pictures I've been framing of the kids over the past 3 years. Seems like there's always something we want to do to make our home more "ours". There's a lot more work to be done...but we'll get there eventually!!!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
'Nynol & the 'Niffles
So, Austin has a cold. He calls it the 'niffles and insists that he needs 'nynol (tylenol) to feel better. He's a character! He was feeling pretty miserable with his congestion and runny nose today. And the poor thing has an awful sounding cough to boot. Hopefully both kids will be healthy for our trip to my mom's for Thanksgiving...definitely don't want to infect baby Ethan!!!
We are having our small group dinner on Monday which is also Thanksgiving dinner for our family since Ryan will be travelling...don't feel too sorry for him, he's going to be in Florida (in a stuffy gym all day), but still...FLORIDA. We will miss him though!!! Anyway, I've been spending the last few days preparing for that and tomorrow I am going to be cooking up a storm so I won't be absolutely crazed on Monday. I LOVE to entertain and cook so I'm looking forward to it. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because the focus really isn't on gifts...it's on being thankful and reflecting on God's goodness.
Ryan put up the "big kid" beds again today. We tried it last year and it failed miserably with them bouncing around and practically smothering one another. This time so far so good. They still want to share a room which is fine with us...I actually love listening to them chat and process their day with one another. Last night, Caitlin told Austin to "be quiet!" because she was "reading a book at the library!" She comes up with some good ones.
Here's another thing I love about Caitlin...she loves veggies and fruits. Today she got all excited that I was cutting bell peppers and had to have some. Then she munched on a celery stick. Of course, she had to add her own flair and remove the "peel" (the stringy things) and dispose of them in the kitchen sink!
Austin loves when I hold him and dance with him while singing silly made up songs. He giggles so much when we do that! As evidenced at Travis & Kasia's wedding, the boy has serious rhythm and superior dance moves! :)
Lynn and John came over tonight and played with the kids for awhile. Austin and Caitlin had a ball and played like crazy. They fell right to sleep tonight, which was great!
Speaking of sleep...suppose I'd better get some too!
We are having our small group dinner on Monday which is also Thanksgiving dinner for our family since Ryan will be travelling...don't feel too sorry for him, he's going to be in Florida (in a stuffy gym all day), but still...FLORIDA. We will miss him though!!! Anyway, I've been spending the last few days preparing for that and tomorrow I am going to be cooking up a storm so I won't be absolutely crazed on Monday. I LOVE to entertain and cook so I'm looking forward to it. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because the focus really isn't on gifts...it's on being thankful and reflecting on God's goodness.
Ryan put up the "big kid" beds again today. We tried it last year and it failed miserably with them bouncing around and practically smothering one another. This time so far so good. They still want to share a room which is fine with us...I actually love listening to them chat and process their day with one another. Last night, Caitlin told Austin to "be quiet!" because she was "reading a book at the library!" She comes up with some good ones.
Here's another thing I love about Caitlin...she loves veggies and fruits. Today she got all excited that I was cutting bell peppers and had to have some. Then she munched on a celery stick. Of course, she had to add her own flair and remove the "peel" (the stringy things) and dispose of them in the kitchen sink!
Austin loves when I hold him and dance with him while singing silly made up songs. He giggles so much when we do that! As evidenced at Travis & Kasia's wedding, the boy has serious rhythm and superior dance moves! :)
Lynn and John came over tonight and played with the kids for awhile. Austin and Caitlin had a ball and played like crazy. They fell right to sleep tonight, which was great!
Speaking of sleep...suppose I'd better get some too!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
SKUNKY
Tonight I had the distinct honor of holding skunky's hand during our bedtime prayer. Then I had to give him a hug and a kiss!!! Skunky...my 3rd child! :) Caitlin is hilarious with that skunk!
My brain is fried right now...looooong day! More tomorrow!
My brain is fried right now...looooong day! More tomorrow!
Friday, November 14, 2008
how sweet!
Twice this morning Caitlin told me, "Let me kiss you mommy." Then she puts her little hands on my cheeks, gives me a kiss, and then hugs me tight. She is such a lovebug!!! Austin was quite a cuddler this morning too. He loves to snuggle next to me, rest his head on my shoulder and let me rub his hair or cheek. This was one of the nicest mornings in a long time. The kids played so nicely together and I experimented with letting them play upstairs (bedroom level) all by themselves for awhile. When I went back upstairs they had ALL of their stuffed animals transferred from their room to our bed. There were a lot, so we counted them...36! They told me they were playing with their pets. It was a funny sight. Ryan said I should have taken a picture...it didn't even dawn on me. Sorry! BUT I'm sure there'll be a next time! :)
Okay, it's nighttime now...Austin and Caitlin slept until almost 4:30! But I think they are still fighting colds so I put them to bed only a half hour after thier regularly scheduled bedtime. Now, they are chatting it up so time will tell...
Let me just say, today was sooooo enjoyable. We didn't do anything special...just hung out and talked mostly. With A LOT of laughing. Whining was kept to a minimum and we only had a couple skirmishes, so it was great. I love reading to them so we did a lot of that. Caitlin brought over a fleece blanket & the 2 of them just snuggled on the couch and looked at books alone for awhile. It's fun to see them interact like that. Caitlin usually takes the leadership role and Austin happily goes along with her. If he's not in the mood to play what she wants to, he wanders off and pushes something around or shoots hoops.
Funny story......Austin was bothering Caitlin while she was eating dinner so I went to have a little discussion with him. Ok, it was me telling him how it is, but that's beside the point! So I have been making them look at my eyes when I'm talking to them and when they squirm or turn away, I turn their head toward me again. Well, Austin decided he REALLY didn't want to look at me and SHUT HIS EYES! I was trying hard not to laugh...it was pretty funny really. Clever little guy! :)
Time for me to straighten up the house and catch up with "Desperate Housewives" and "Celebrity Rehab w/Dr. Drew". Crap TV here I come......
Okay, it's nighttime now...Austin and Caitlin slept until almost 4:30! But I think they are still fighting colds so I put them to bed only a half hour after thier regularly scheduled bedtime. Now, they are chatting it up so time will tell...
Let me just say, today was sooooo enjoyable. We didn't do anything special...just hung out and talked mostly. With A LOT of laughing. Whining was kept to a minimum and we only had a couple skirmishes, so it was great. I love reading to them so we did a lot of that. Caitlin brought over a fleece blanket & the 2 of them just snuggled on the couch and looked at books alone for awhile. It's fun to see them interact like that. Caitlin usually takes the leadership role and Austin happily goes along with her. If he's not in the mood to play what she wants to, he wanders off and pushes something around or shoots hoops.
Funny story......Austin was bothering Caitlin while she was eating dinner so I went to have a little discussion with him. Ok, it was me telling him how it is, but that's beside the point! So I have been making them look at my eyes when I'm talking to them and when they squirm or turn away, I turn their head toward me again. Well, Austin decided he REALLY didn't want to look at me and SHUT HIS EYES! I was trying hard not to laugh...it was pretty funny really. Clever little guy! :)
Time for me to straighten up the house and catch up with "Desperate Housewives" and "Celebrity Rehab w/Dr. Drew". Crap TV here I come......
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
another funny saying!
Well, speech got cancelled this morning because the therapist was sick....so, it's another pj day for us. It is rainy and COLD here!
The kids were excited to see Ryan this morning but it was downhill from there. I think Austin's cold is returning so he was grumpy and Caitlin is going through a whiny phase which is driving me nuts. I am pretty patient with them but I CANNOT stand whining. That is probably one of my biggest pet peeves (except when I do it! lol). They are napping early today so hopefully their moods will improve with some rest.
Anyway, the reason for this post is to tell you of Austin's funny new saying. For a long time if you offered him something he didn't want, he'd say, "No thank you." Awesome, right? Well, now he is doing something funny...in that situation now he'll say, "No welcome"! I'm pretty sure it's because we've moved on to teaching him that when someone tells you "thank you", you need to say "you're welcome". I love how their little brains process things!!!!
Oh, and Caitlin has a new favorite stuffed animal. It is a skunk my mom bought me during my student teaching. Caitlin thinks it's cool that I let her play with a toy that gramma bought for me. She has proudly named him "skunky" and is always concerned about his whereabouts! Funny!!!
Tonight we have small group, so I must shower and clean this place up! For a fun break during your day, go to freerice.com and play for awhile. Last night I did the English vocab, French, and Art subjects and earned about 4,000 grains of rice for impoverished people around the world. Oh yeah, and I had a good time doing it! :)
The kids were excited to see Ryan this morning but it was downhill from there. I think Austin's cold is returning so he was grumpy and Caitlin is going through a whiny phase which is driving me nuts. I am pretty patient with them but I CANNOT stand whining. That is probably one of my biggest pet peeves (except when I do it! lol). They are napping early today so hopefully their moods will improve with some rest.
Anyway, the reason for this post is to tell you of Austin's funny new saying. For a long time if you offered him something he didn't want, he'd say, "No thank you." Awesome, right? Well, now he is doing something funny...in that situation now he'll say, "No welcome"! I'm pretty sure it's because we've moved on to teaching him that when someone tells you "thank you", you need to say "you're welcome". I love how their little brains process things!!!!
Oh, and Caitlin has a new favorite stuffed animal. It is a skunk my mom bought me during my student teaching. Caitlin thinks it's cool that I let her play with a toy that gramma bought for me. She has proudly named him "skunky" and is always concerned about his whereabouts! Funny!!!
Tonight we have small group, so I must shower and clean this place up! For a fun break during your day, go to freerice.com and play for awhile. Last night I did the English vocab, French, and Art subjects and earned about 4,000 grains of rice for impoverished people around the world. Oh yeah, and I had a good time doing it! :)
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