Catching Up!

Whoa! It's been way too long since I last posted! So much has happened in the last few weeks, as always. I'll have to be brief and catch up to November!

We put in a new kitchen back splash! It was kind of on the fly, my parents were able to come up and we put in a new back splash in the kitchen and the laundry room. Dave and I generally agree on plenty of decisions like this, we have the same taste, but we ended up wanting two different tiles for this project. We compromised in doing the second option (my first choice) in the laundry room:) The worst part of this project was running around Madison with Collin trying to get enough of the tile - not fun. I was skeptical of the tile at first, I have a hard time picturing things sometimes! Of course, Dave was right, I love the tile. It took another week or so before Dave could get the under-cabinet lighting up and it looks SO good. I love the lighting more than I thought I would too:) We had some of the tile that I wanted (a thin glass tile) and so we just needed a couple sheets to do the small laundry room, so we did it. I need a photo.... 

Love it!

We hosted the Swoboda's/Peterson's again recently!! My best girl friends/sisters from college:) we have been "family" for 13 years now and I cannot spend enough time with them.  I am so thrilled that we continue to make the effort to spend time together. It is admittedly harder now with five kiddos between the three families! Friday night, Peterson's were up for attending a Harvest Party that was being held at the church that does Kate's preschool. The kids dressed up and played games, won prizes, ate, it was a lot of fun and was indoors:) The highlight for me was maybe trying to the get the group picture with them in their costumes...what were we thinking?! 

I have been a little nervous since the last two boys were born (2 months apart) about our available space in the house, but honestly - it was fine! We had enough space and the kids played great together. We were able to catch up, play with and hold each other's kids, and celebrate Kate (4) and Aniyah's (2) upcoming birthdays! I tried to take lots of pictures, we should do more video, though, given the difficulty of getting group pictures and to capture their little conversations and interactions. Too cute. The ages of the kids are Kate (almost 4), Waylon (3), Aniyah (almost 2), Collin (8 months) and Lawson (6 months). :)  Fun times!! Our night with everyone there was rough, all the kids were up at some point...tired parents the next day! We also had a little sickness roll through...after cupcakes for the birthdays, Waylon felt sick and ended up throwing up and Dave later that day:(  Waylon was a trooper (Dave too:) and we continued to have a great weekend.

Kate and Waylon playing outside

The little boys:)

The crew!

These two are too funny...

After spending the beginning of the week thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing the house:) we were gearing up for Kate's birthday (Oct. 30) and Halloween! Kate was definitely more aware of the holiday and trick or treating...she would go around the house and say "trick or treating!" with her bag:) It took me awhile to convince her it is just "trick or treat." 

For Kate's birthday, I was prepared to make her pancakes for breakfast, but she refused and just wanted an apple. They were allowed to dress up at school and were celebrating Halloween/Harvest for two days..I let her dress up as a princess on her birthday and we brought treats - chocolate covered strawberries with sprinkles! I picked her up and we had to go straight to dance class, she wore a new tutu that we had bought for her (ordered from Sam Aceto - a friend of T&T that we met at the wedding!) She handed out treats to her friends there and then we went home. Unfortunately, Dave was on call and was getting stuck at the hospital. We were maybe going to take her out to a restaurant, but since he was still working, we just went home. Just a normal supper and no dessert - I figured there were enough sweets between the weekend and Halloween....We watched a movie and waited to see if Daddy would make it home...turns out he wasn't going to make it and he said to let her open gifts. So, Collin and I were there for her:) I recorded it so he could watch later. She was thrilled with her gifts and was super sweet. We waited up a bit, but ended up going to bed before Daddy got home:( He did go up and give her a kiss later, but I don't think she realized it. Some of her gifts this year: tutu, lots of books, flashlight, two puppets, some slippers, a Boo doll and book (Monsters, Inc) and a superhero costume:)

Her new tutu!

SuperKate!

On Halloween, she headed off to school with her fire chief costume. She was very happy when I dropped her off, I went home and was going about our day when I got a call from the school (first time ever) and her teacher said she wasn't feeling well, was crying...:( Of course, Collin was sleeping, but I got some things together, woke Collin up and went to get her. When I got there, she was in the bathroom after having gotten sick. Her teacher was so sweet, Kate was crying and covered in....sick. Poor baby!!! We had to gather up all her things (of course, there was her fireman costume, candy and treats, her bag, coat, etc. and then her sleeping bag and pillow which were also covered...)  Goodness. Mrs. Homan came out to the car with me and helped me get everything settled. We came home, took a bath, and she went right to sleep. Dave did make it home at a decent time that day and she cuddled with Daddy when she woke up. She got sick one more time after trying to drink some Gatorade :( but after a few more hours laying low, she finally started to perk up. Asking for food. Getting loud again. That is always a good sign! 

We were supposed to go to a friends house and trick or treat, but we obviously stayed home. Kate didn't really realize it and was fine. Dave and I felt terrible as our friend had gone ALL out and done a total themed dinner and made extra food. But what can you do?! I had been talking about how great Kate's immune system was, when the rest of the house got a horrible cold/flu, she escaped, she really doesn't get sick at all! I totally jinxed it:(

After waiting a bit to see if she was truly better and the rest of us weren't going to be sick, we made a quick trip down to  Burr Oak to get in some time harvesting corn with Andy and celebrate Kate's birthday with Mom and Dad and Andrew and Kylie. It was cloudy and rainy when we left Saturday afternoon, but in Burr Oak it was gorgeous! So awesome to be out in the fields at sunset. Dave and the kids rode with Uncle Andy, while Mom, Dad and I took some pictures. I was joking about what Andy thought of all the terrible paparazzi:) We went back to Mom and Dads, Facetimed with T&T in Japan! had supper and eventually let Kate open her gifts (princess dolls, puzzles, sketch book, pen, tennis Barbie that she named Kylie, fleece, movie) It was awesome, she loved the gifts and we learned a valuable lesson. Don't have your 4 year old open gifts late at night and then tell her she needs to go to bed and can't play with anything she just opened! Oops. 

Awesome family pic:)

Pretty

Hehehe...:)

Who's having more fun??? :)

We stuck around on Sunday to relax and so Dave and I could go out on a date (gasp! what is that?!) We went down to Old Armory BBQ and then to the Tap Room for drinks. Better planning would warrant a non-Sunday night date so more places would be open:) But it was so fun and refreshing! Collin was pretty good, but a stinker at the end. Though he has been for us too, he has another cold and is endlessly teething...blah. We are seriously talking about crying it out again too, I am getting less and less sleep, how can it be going in that direction?! I can't do it!

Fun in the leaves!

Our cuties

Our four year old!

It's exhausting being cute:)

Dave is off this week and we are enjoying just being home, catching up on house stuff, shopping for Christmas!! and cuddling up. Maybe we'll have our first fire of the season in the fireplace! Maybe I'll get outside for a walk by myself! Maybe I'll take a nap!! I'm so excited. 

Witches Night Out!

Well, I am so glad I decided to go out for this Witches Night Out event with a friend the other night. I wasn't feeling great, but I think it wasn't too obvious that I was under the weather. I coughed a little and had kind of a raspier voice, though that probably just added to my costume:)

The day before, we went to Kmart to get something for a costume. Some of you know, I do not like scary things - Halloween is not my favorite holiday and I am not someone who invests in lots of Halloween apparel or decor. However, as my children grow, I am starting to get into a bit more:) We found plenty of witch apparel/costumes and even though everything was 30% off, I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on a witch costume. Thank goodness there were some choices beyond scantily-clad costumes! I picked out two hats (in case my gals didn't have any) some crazy eyelashes, a broom and a wig! I thought this would be the most versatile and hoped I could just wear black from my closet. 

Of course, I started getting ready too late and was rushing. I think I could have done better with my makeup, but I ended up in a black maternity/nursing dress (that I never ended up wearing last time, but I really liked!) a black jacket from my days working in offices, old black heels, tights and then my getup from the store. The wig was...interesting. Fun to look different, obviously not a high quality wig! The eyelashes required Dave's help - yes, my husband happily applied the adhesive and stuck them on my eyelids! I had to go without my glasses as the lashes were that long. They were kind of annoying at first, but I did actually become accustomed to them by the end of the night. 

Lord help me as I drove into town, I kept wondering what everyone who passed me was thinking:) I met my friend at The Red Geranium, a business in Mauston in a large, log model home that has home decor/framing, etc. There were door prizes, a scavenger hunt, treats, costume contest, nail art, photo booth, tarot card reading....I had been in earlier in the week and knew some items I wanted to purchase, there was a 13% discount, so I definitely took advantage of that! My friend and I had fun gabbing and doing the scavenger hunt and we signed up for the tarot card reading but had the last spots of the night and had to wait around. We were there forever! I think we should have received a prize for being there the longest:) We did the photo booth and while Lindsey had her tarot reading, I got some nail art done and then vice versa. 

My costume for the night!

My nails - black french tip and a cobweb and bat:)

Have you ever had a tarot card reading?! I had never had anything of the sort and was nervous and excited. Well, it was VERY interesting! I felt a little silly, each of us sitting across a desk from each other with our enormous witch hats on;) There are tons of cards and as she flipped them up (after I shuffled them to get "my energy in them") into three piles, she would make statements. I wasn't sure how much to say...yes, no...more details? She asked if there was a new man in my life! :) I said, well, I had a son:) I wish I had recorded the session, here is the jist of what she said - keep in mind, I told her NOTHING and mostly only said yes or no:

I need to find more balance, I struggle with balance
My husband works hard and a lot 
My husband is dealing with some very nasty people at work
I feel bitter towards my husband sometimes
I do so much at home for our family and my husband lets me do it, because he feels like I do it better, but I feel like I do EVERYTHING
If I am planning a trip soon, I need to not over think it, just relax and let go
My son can feel my unease and need for balance
My son is not sleeping well
There is something with his belly or my belly that is making it hard to sleep
Are we planning on more children? Soon? Like really soon?
Do twins run in the family?
I need to get out of the house more often, maybe get a part-time job

Umm....it was all so spot on, I was almost shaking at the end! It's hard to describe, she would ask a question and I would nod or say something, she would shoot me a look and flip more cards or say more. I could NOT believe when she started talking about the trouble at Dave's work, it was so accurate. It was very...sad almost, but true to hear her talk about my feelings of bitterness and balance. Lately, I have been feeling like I am home all the time, taking care of so much and Dave works and then has fun socially without me. My extreme fatigue from Collin not sleeping does not help! I have been working and praying hard about this and trying to be more at ease, make more time for myself, etc. If nothing else, this reading just helped me to realize that I need to feel less jealous of Dave, realize his hard work, make time for myself and ask for help when I need it. 

It made me so sad to hear that Collin might feel stress I've been feeling. I mean, you can believe that or not, but I would tend to believe it. I am a little confused on the bellyache, she asked about his formula, I said he is breastfed and she said it could be something that I am eating that is making his belly hurt, that he has a lot of gas (yes, he does!). So, not sure if I'll try cutting anything out again. 

When it came to the future babies....she was giving me some really interesting looks. Let's just say, when I got home I took a pregnancy test!! She made it sound like we will be conceiving very soon and that it could be twins. Good Lord! For the record, I am NOT currently pregnant:) 

Anyway...it was a fun night, good to get out of the house. When I got home, Dave said the night went great for him the kids, which is exactly what I wanted to hear:) Dave was so genuinely happy that I got out and had fun. And I think he kind of liked the whole witch getup:) 

Me and my friend Lindsey - a great night!

Sidenote: Kate has an obsession with anything Christmas. She always picks Christmas books at bedtime, watches Frosty the Snowman on long car rides..I don't know why. So, this morning, she was singing, "Frosty, the snowman...was a jolly roger soul...with a corncob pipe..."   :)!!!! Her love of Frosty and pirates has merged in a very cute way. 

Collin cut his third tooth yesterday! Finally. And last night he slept like a champ! I am giddy on sleep right now:) He is coughing and snotty, but seems to handle the cold better than the teething. Very happy the tooth just came through, not happy about the grinding that he is doing...ewww, like nails on a chalkboard!

Let the Fall Fun Begin!

Don't you just love when you sit down to the computer and then as soon as you are ready to type, you hear your babe start crying....it's as awesome (and predictable) as when I go to bed each night. Doesn't matter when I go to bed, Little Man C will inevitably decide he needs something...

(24 hours later..) Well, the main story of our household this time is - sickness:( We have had a lot of fun over the past week, but the soundtrack of that fun is cough, cough, sneeze, moan...not fun at all. Collin successfully beat his virus last week and was better by the time we were in Sheboygan, thank the Lord! He slept the whole way over there and was really very good. Dave and I on the other hand, the misery started to increase as we headed east. I felt so bad knowing that Ron and Bobbi were going to be in close quarters with us for the next five days - they didn't have a chance! 

We arrived Friday evening at Blue Harbor Resort and even though it was foggy and getting dark, it looked very nice and the lake was amazing! I kept calling it the ocean the whole weekend as that is what it looked like:) We rented a four-bedroom villa for the weekend and it was a great place for us to land. It was two stories (2nd and 3rd floors) and had a huge bay window overlooking the ocean. I mean lake. A balcony, kitchen, plenty of bathrooms and four bedrooms - perfect! Our realization with traveling with kiddos (just two!) is that the more space, the better. As I have previously stated, our children are not champion sleepers and so we require a bit more in that department. 

The view when we arrived!

Our lakeside villa!

Dave and Ron headed out to some functions for the anesthesia meeting and Bobbi and I got set up in the villa. We then decided to go somewhere and get some supper. I have been chuckling to myself lately, when we are with others (grandparents) and heading out somewhere, they will make a comment about finally being ready to go or taking forever to actually get out to the car and moving. I am usually thinking - wow, that went fast! or that went smoothly! :) We ended up exploring the main building and ordering some food to go. The bummer was the food was not good! How disappointing! The good news was, the kids went to bed super easy that night! They stayed in the same room, Kate on these cute little bunk beds and Collin in his pack and play. I mean, they went to bed SUPER easy. It was amazing. Though I was waiting for the waking to come, I poured a glass of wine and sat out in the nice living room with Bobbi and caught up. The kids just stayed sleeping! We had a lovely evening and the guys got back and we ordered a pizza:) Yummy pizza, good company, nice location, it was awesome. Of course, Collin did get up in the night, but I was able to handle it pretty well and get some rest. 

The next day, the boys headed to the meeting and Bobbi and I and the kids took it very slowly, went out to find some coffee and ran to the grocery store then made our way over to the big indoor waterpark. It was VERY foggy on Saturday, like dangerous foggy, sad foggy as you couldn't even see the lake - right in front of you. It would kind of come in and out later, but basically it was a gloomy, foggy day. Thankfully, it wasn't too cold. We played in the waterpark for awhile, Kate was still too scared of the slides to go down, she did like the lazy river with Mommy:) Collin loved it all - looking around, the noise, playing in the water. Kate seemed to make a friend in a little 2 year old girl and her grandmother. She followed them around and played catch. She didn't seem to want much to do with Bobbi or I, just these new people! Ugh, I didn't love that, although she was playing very well and was having fun:) Maybe the thing that I don't love the most about water parks is the noise level, it is just so loud and I have trouble hearing in those situations. Just hard to make yourself heard to your almost four year old, especially when you are sick and don't have much of a voice. 

Ugh, only putting this picture up to show how much Collin loved it...

She didn't want to leave, of course, but we bribed her with playing games in the arcade:) For part of her birthday present, Bobbi bought her the resort's V(ery) I(mportant) K(id) package, which included many things: coupons for meals, ice cream, arcade tokens, a backpack, build a bear type animal, snacks, etc. So, we played some games and she made a unicorn - her first time with that sort of thing, she loved it! Her name is Sally. :) Then we needed to go back to the villa to clean up and get ready for a dinner out. Well...it had started raining and we walked there. Good thing we were all still wet from the water park and it wasn't too cold out! It was a fun adventure and we were giggling the whole time. Especially when we ducked in to what we thought was our "front porch" of our villa and were getting frustrated when the key didn't work. Oops. Wrong building! (they all look the same!) 

We got cleaned up and warmed up and after Daddy and Grandpa rejoined us, we headed out to a Mexican joint in Sheboygan. It was a very yummy and though we forgot the diaper bag (good grief! I never forget that!) it was a total success. I have to say thank you to all the Gmas and Gpas out there...thank you for taking the kiddos and helping them stay happy while we parents eat our supper in peace. It is SO appreciated:) Collin was very good, but getting very "grabby" and he occasionally would get upset when he bit on a toy wrong (we think there is a tooth coming up on the left side that is making it quite tender). I promise you, Kate and Collin, I will come and do the same for you when you are parents! A round of margaritas and the night was definitely a success!

The second night went a little less ideally, with Collin not settling down in his pack and play, he ended up in bed with Dave and I. This is a last resort that I have done a lot lately in my sick and tired stupor of the middle of the night. It is not a desired situation, but it is also not something that we are completely opposed to (obviously). I will say, it was a bit harder in a queen bed, though! 

Sunday brought the guys more meetings/lectures and an even slower morning for Bobbi and I and the kids:) I was lucky to be able to get out and exercise, taking a walk on the trail along the lake. I really enjoyed it, the fog had finally cleared and the only regret was not bringing my money to stop and bring coffee back to Bobbi and I. Next time. The guys got back early (yeah!) and we started packing up. Of course, as we were leaving, the skies started to clear and it became gorgeous. Bright blue sky, which made the white resort, green grass and blue lake look even prettier. Dave and I decided this is definitely a place we would like to return to. It feels like a real getaway, even though we only drove three hours and the resort has enough to keep everyone happy, who wants to go with us next time?!! 

Morning walk....awesome.

Finally, some sunshine as we were getting ready to leave:(

Unfortunately, the skies clouded up again as we drove home. Dave and I were in the car coughing up our lungs and the kids happily babbled to each other and slept through it all. We made an impromptu stop just outside Mauston to pick up some pumpkins but ended up staying and doing some "fall fun" at Red Ridge Ranch. We did the little petting zoo (luckily 3 year olds are super happy, even if they are just looking at a couple ducks, two goats, a llama and a calf. Seriously.), did the indoor hay maze, started teaching Kate some croquet and then hopped up on the hay ride to the pumpkin patch. Or so we thought. There were two other families on board and we took off on a trail (nice wagon pulled by a tractor) and we just kept going, and going, and going. And going. And going. Pretty soon, we became friendly with the other families, commenting on if we thought we would make it back to the stables. We thought we were going to pick pumpkins and we finally saw the pumpkin patch. But we kept going and going. Okay, guess not. We finally came back to the stables and got off. Alright! Guess that was just a hayride! :) Kate went in the bouncy house (empty besides her - perfect scenario) and to a chorus of "Mom, Dad, look at me!!!" Gma, Gpa, look, look at me!" we picked out some pumpkins and loaded them into our already full vehicles. I then pushed our luck further, wanting some of the pretty pumpkins out front (cream, green colors...). I like decorating with pumpkins, so easy! and I would love to cover the front porch in them, but our cars truly couldn't hold much more, so we went home. 

Learning a new game....

As Dave and I continued to be sick as dogs, we had lazy days at home. Dave worked Monday but had the rest of the week off - so nice! The kids got to have a lot of great Gma and Gpa time. Collin really was back to his old, happy self and though Kate has been a bit challenging with her behavior, she pulled it together enough to still make it all fun:) We went for walks, did a lot of cooking, Collin did a lot of bouncing and on Tuesday we went down to the Dells and did one of the Duck tours and got some ice cream! Lots of fun, I'm so glad the weather was gorgeous and we were able to have the time together. 

Waiting to get started...

We're on the ducks!

The rocks are so cool

Pretty Wisconsin River..

Dave and I are still struggling with this cold/flu. I admit, I get very little sleep and it is hard to get better without rest. We had originally said we were going to do some sleep training with Collin starting Wednesday to try and nip this craziness in the bud. But with both parents sick and the kids just starting to show their runny noses and little coughs, we can't do it now! If anyone is willing to come on up and take care of this little night owl for me, I will pay you with whatever you want! Actually, I am just waiting for my full health back and then will be setting aside some time to work on this sleep thing. We also need to work on a better daily routine for Collin and that is where we fail so often, we never have two days alike and really fly by the seat of our pants more than you would think. I need to crack down a bit and though it might be a little hard to adjust, I think it must be super helpful. Help me stay motivated!

Even though I am a bit under the weather, I am going to a Witches Night Out with a friend this evening at a local business. I think I can pull it together for a few hours with some shots of Dayquil, so we are dressing up as witches and going there for fun and shopping. I will post pics hopefully of what we end of looking like:) It is during supper and bedtime, so wish Dave luck. He hardly ever is home alone with the kids and I am realizing that I very much need some time away and so even though I am nervous (why?! that is so crazy, it will be fine) and I am not feeling 100%, I am going for it. My dream would be to get into a routine of getting out of the house with a friend (or for Zumba) once a week. Dave usually has social time with friends on top of being away for work, so I need to try too. Plus, we really need to work on Collin eating without me! So, here we go....

Travels, Tater Tot Hotdish and Tonsils

Hello!....I'll start off this post with some more Kate quotes:

I told Kate that Grandma and Grandpa went to a wedding:
"Whose wedding was it?"
"A woman that works with Grandma"
"What is her name?"
"Rachel"
Pauses to think.."What is the name of the boy that she picked for her wedding?" 
"I don't know:)"

We have attempted to explain to Kate why it is dark in Japan when it is sunny here. The other morning I mentioned how beautiful and sunny the day was and Kate said, "Tony and Tara have the moon right now. Then they will see the sun and we will get the moon." Cool, that stuck!

I was on the phone and Kate asked who it was. 
"Beth"
"The Beth with the kids at her house? (in North Liberty her in-home care provider was named Beth, though we haven't spoken of her in a LONG time)
"No, Beth from the store in Mauston"
"The Beth that has Ivy?"
"No honey, a different Beth" :) 

As we drove through town, many houses had been TPed during homecoming. She asked,"Wow. I wonder how they got all those white vines up there..."

I was on the interstate and she will occasionally comment on my driving. Go faster, Mommy, pass all these cars. You are going too fast! Slow down, Mommy, the police will give you a speeding ticket (I'm not the parent you need to worry about my sweet...:) But the other day, she asked why I wasn't going faster, "Why can't you go 'on plane' in your van?" This is so hilarious...we get up "on plane" on the boat.  Yup, she is Dave's daughter. 

As you know, our neighborhood has a lot of seasonal homes and many people just come up on weekends. When we meet people we often say we live her full time. This has creeped into her play, I overheard her playing with her dolls and she was saying, "Oh yes, we live here full time...." :)

Recently, I took the kids to Decorah for the weekend as Dave was in Des Moines for the Iowa Association of Nurse Anesthetists Fall Meeting. I am home alone enough, the thought of a full weekend without any help was NOT appealing:) Luckily, my parents are always willing to take us on and we had a nice mix of doing things and not doing things;) We stopped in to say hi to Mom and Dad at Sunflower and Tritech and then grabbed a late lunch at Culvers and went to Phelps Park to eat and play. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I really enjoyed being there. Kate loved the new playground (well, it seems new to me) and the fountain.  I almost tried to take both kids hiking on the trail, but decided against it. Another time. When I have another adult:) This was a small victory for me. I definitely don't just sit at home with the kids because it is difficult at times to take them places. I usually go for it and it usually goes well. To a point. And then sometimes it is a disaster. And I vow never to leave the house again. So, I have really been trying to keep a good gauge on how we are doing and cut our losses at the right time - before I decide to go to that last store and do that last item on my errand list, etc. I have been doing well! On numerous recent adventures, I have had the urge to push on, but corrected and made a better decision to go home and kept us all much happier! Who cares if we didn't make it to the post office today, there is always tomorrow! Which brings me to my next goal of not feeling like I am endlessly running into town for errands every day....ah well. 

Back to the weekend! Saturday was cooler and rainy, we relaxed at home, I went down memory lane while sorting through some tubs from the basement:), watched the Hawkeyes and then we had supper out at Pizza Hut with Grandma Rosendahl and went back to her place and hung out for awhile. Lots of fun. She let the kids each pick out two little stuffed animals from her bingo winnings:) She'll have to keep cleaning up at bingo and get some more! I told her that I am dying to stop by and play with her sometime soon, I need to learn from the master!

Sunday came early for me and I didn't make it to church with Mom and Dad, I wanted to, but my beautiful son decided I should spend my awake time with him. Between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Mom did steal Collin a little before 7 a.m. and he got to say hi to Tony and Tara:) Sunday was lazy too, we had lunch with Andrew and Kylie (tater tot hotdish:) and played outside. I could write more about the fun I had going through the tubs from the basement, but I'm too tired right now! Pictures, homework, awards, report cards, souvenirs...it was quite the blast from the past, including some pictures from Miller Hall at Luther from basketball camp when I was somewhere around 8th grade??? I just had to show Kylie so she appreciates how nice it is (in both halls) now:) 

Monday started our week with a sick baby. I know this might be crazy, but Kate was HARDLY ever sick. Dave and I don't know what to do with a sick baby! She maybe had one ear infection and had mild RSV when she was 3 months. She threw up for the first time this year. Yeah. We've been lucky. I know.

Collin has been fussy, burning up, not interested in eating...very unhappy. I thought it was possible it was teething and so wasn't rushing in to the doc, but when his temp spiked, I called. I couldn't get into the pediatrician (a great friend of ours) until Wednesday morning. He has some sores in the back of his mouth near his tonsils, they are calling it Herpangina, a viral infection that will just run its course, we need to keep on top of his pain control so he will eat. It is contagious, so our play date the next morning (at our pediatrician's house no less:) was cancelled. I am so happy that I am able to be home to comfort my sick child. But, it is hard! He will start screaming and screaming and (I imagine) that irritates his throat and so he screams more. I can't really do anything to help him! I hold him, rock him, try nursing him  -  but he won't eat...uff da. You can just see in their eyes how miserable they are and they don't understand why:( I'm so glad Kate has a super immune system so far and pray Collin is not sick very often. 

Kate has started dance again and LOVES it. It is so different than last year, she is eager, runs in and is way more participatory in class. She is also enjoying school a LOT. She is going three days a week and asks to go every day, gets super excited to go, gets up much easier....so fun to see. She is also very attached to her bible. She loves all her different bible story books, and children's bibles but of course the one that she wants to drag around is the Precious Moments bible that has the super fragile pages! New words in her repertoire that she uses...usually correctly:) include...dramatic, sensitive, impressed, upsetting, delightful...(ex: this color is very sensitive??? When I lost my phone- oh mom, that is upsetting:)

Collin hit another milestone over the last weekend - he has started clapping! I forgot about this one, but it is so fun! It is also fun to hear a whole room of adults yelling, "Yay!!!!!! Yay, Collin!!!!" Pretty comical, just like anyone trying to get kids to smile for a picture, I love the circus behind the camera:) He is pushing himself up more and more, like a pushup, and moving around more too. I sat him on a blanket in the living room, with Kate playing around him. I was in the kitchen, when I came back around and checked on him, he was up under the coffee table pulling magazines down and trying to eat them. OKAY! Time to baby proof better! How did we get here already?!

We are heading to Sheboygan (Shipwagon according to Kate) this weekend. Because we like saying Sheboygan. Kidding, Dave has the Wisconsin anesthesia meeting and we are all going! Ron and Bobbi are coming up for it as well. Excited to see new places and explore more of Wisconsin! Peace!

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

Alright, this is maybe going to be one of those times when someone is telling you something that is just SO funny and they are telling you, and you are thinking, ha - yeah, that is kind of cute. But the person is laughing and then repeating it, because clearly you didn't hear it correctly if you are not laughing out loud as well, and you are thinking, no - I heard you, it's just not that funny....You just had to BE there! I'm going to put down for posterity some of the things Kate has said/done lately so I can always remember them:)

• (talking about Tony and Tara living in Japan) - "Oh! Peter Pan lives in Japan!" She thinks this is very cool.
• After making her walk the loop a second time (I know, it was pushing it) - "Mom! I'm tired. My brain hurts" 
• If you ask her how old she is going to be on her birthday - the answer is six. Just so you know.
• The morning that I was headed to Decorah and was packing up and running around the house, I had to stop and pause to hear that, yup, I just overheard Kate singing, "Like the ceiling can't hold ussss, like the ceiling can't hold us..." Later at Luther, while down at Marty's waiting for food, she was walking around singing, "I know you want it, I know you want. She's a good girlll.." And finally, in the car, I heard, "Boys 'round here - drinking that I cold beer, talkin' bout girls, talkin' bout trucks...." She will sing the whole verse, but mash up the words, still making it rhyme....okay! Time to closely monitor what music is on when she is around! A special thank you to Dave, for playing the Blurred Lines video of Jimmy Fallon, Robin Thicke and The Roots on his phone while Kate was in his lap. While in the bathroom at Luther, I told her that we don't need to sing that song anymore, can she sing something else? She started screaming Jesus Loves Me at the top of her lungs. So, you know, at least there is a variety to her repertoire.
• Yesterday, while I was nursing Collin up in his room, she came in with a pillow and said that I was a princess, Collin "my little prince" and she was a knight that was going to "boom" the dragons that were "lining up to bite" me! She stood on the bed and defended me while Collin (surprisingly) ate. I jump in and go with it, I LOVE her imagination and try to let it run wild sometimes, but probably three times a day, I am convincing her that we can no longer pretend these things or that we really can't "decorate the house for a party" - translate - hang, arrange, place her toys ALL OVER the living room. That makes Mommy's brain hurt:)
• She is sort of fascinated with weddings (hmmmm, wonder why:) and anything that remotely resembles princesses, so twice in the last few days, she has wanted to pretend to marry me:) We hold hands, a bouquet and just stare at each other ("someone else talks") and then go to the party. :) I plan on watching Dave and I's wedding video from 8 YEARS ago today, and see what she says. I was talking about it and she said..."I wasn't there, right Mommy?" Nope, but it got kind of hard to explain why......By the way, she is pretty progressive, she told me that girls can marry girls and boys can marry boys. So that is all cleared up:)

Let's see, Collin is not exactly saying crazy things yet. His update:

• On the way home from the grocery store yesterday, I saw him take off his sock and put it in his mouth. Just sort of let it hang there and looked around. Hilarious. 
• He likes to hang upside down. If you are sitting, you place him lying down with his head down by your knees. He doesn't want to come back up. 
• It's hard to describe, I need to video him "saying" "Ahhhhh.." He can go like five minutes straight, I swear. He is starting to get some other sounds in there as well. And yesterday, I think he made his first tractor noise:) He made that noise kids make when doing the sound for cars/trucks. So cute:) 
• Kate is his endless source of joy, he laughs and giggles at her all the time, will look around until he finds her, they are ridiculously cute right now. This lasts forever, right? :) 
• Speaking of how much these two like to interact, it is almost impossible for me to nurse Collin if Kate is around. I really don't nurse him downstairs much at all. Kate was not so distractable at this age, as I recall - of course, she didn't have a sibling around to make noise! Thank goodness I found a glider for his room so I have somewhere comfortable to nurse him in peace. Well, that is if no knights and dragons come to bother us:)
• He is not loving as much of the solid foods as Kate did. It is possibly he will be my tricky eater. In general, he isn't that interested in eating at all lately. I'm not sure if we are not trying it at the right time of day, if he is not that hungry then? Or there are more teeth working through...I need to play around with it. Yesterday at lunch he scarfed the sweet potatoes/plums down, but otherwise, I am throwing away a lot of homemade baby food! 
• Dave and my father have been trying to help him start crawling - they get reprimanded when I see this:) He can get around just fine. He can roll around and is trying to move forward a bit. I can put out a blanket on the floor in the living room  - he will still be on it minutes later - yay! In Kate's room, he has maneuvered his way from the middle of her floor to her doorway. 

In related news - we have new baby gates! If you have been to our house, you know our staircase presents challenges for such things and we, along with some friends with a log house, found a guy that could make custom gates. So, we paid a pretty penny, but we have some beautiful, functional gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. We figure this is a great way to keep our children safe, but also corral unruly guests:) 

Well, Collin is still sleeping. I think I'll post some photos and then get to my long list of other things I should be doing...

Collin hydrating while on the boat last week:)

I finally got a glider for Collin's room! I love it

She wanted to pose and get her picture taken while out in the Dells

Silly faces at the park

Collin on Daddy's shoulders at the art fair

Collin looking too big!

He is sitting, by the way! Still nose dives occasionally, but doing really well

One of our new gates!

How can she be four (six:) years old next month?!!

Peace!

Quick Update!

I just wanted to share some photos from last weekend. Dave was on call, Kylie was playing tennis at Luther and it was Steam Engine Days in Mabel, so I took the kids down to Burr Oak for one night. We didn't want to be away from the Dave for the whole weekend, so we didn't leave until Saturday morning, of course, we didn't get out of the house very quickly. The ride down was great though, the kids slept/were quiet and I listened to the Hawkeyes. 

It was possibly too hot to keep two little ones at the tennis courts on Saturday, but we did our best to keep them cool. We were able to cheer Kylie on (though Mom and I believe tennis is too quiet of a sport! We we want to yell!), grab some drinks in the Union, ever-changing as always, get inside Dieseth and see Kylie's room - oh my gosh! It is awesome, I can't believe how nice Dieseth is now  - boo, the Dieseth of my days seems even more drab than it did in 2002.  After we cooled off, we watched a bit more tennis, Kate was stung by a bee for the first time, we listened to a storm push through and bring a little rain and got some Whippy Dip:) Well, we had to fix the bee sting somehow!

Hiding in the trees to try and keep cool!

Kylie is the only one who really earned all that sweat:)

After a VERY rough night of having both kids in one room with me, we met up with Cass, Kris and the boys, as well as Andrew to go up and see the parade in Mabel for Steam Engine Days. It was a refreshingly cool day, though I wish the sun would have peeked out. I was super unprepared for this excursion - didn't have cash, didn't pack enough snacks/food, I was so grateful to have Andy there to help (and Peterson's). The parade was fun, Kate and Waylon were so cute - waving to every tractor and float, screaming in delight if they were throwing candy, and best of all, sharing their candy. Sometimes, they would grab their pieces and then give it all to the other one:) 

Collin was pretty sober, but liked watching the tractors:)

After doing a double nursing session in the van:) we headed into the grounds and got some some super healthy "fair food" :) I was very surprised and saddened to see that all the rides have been replaced by bounce houses! What?! I guess I get it, but that is sad. Kate thought it was cool, but is too scared to want to go in. She did want to ride the little train and of course Uncle Andy obliged:) Waylon and Kris found the demonstrations and they were pretty cool, though loud. It will be fun to go back with the kids next time. 

How cute are these two?

Chomp, chomp, chomp...

Had to get a shot of his teeth!

It seemed to take forever to get back to the car and get ready to go, but luckily, the kids were great again and the ride back was super peaceful. Gotta love anytime that happens!

This $5 waffle dog was a hit

The trip got a thumbs up from Collin:)

Labor Day Weekend

Going back in time....to Labor Day! We started it off right with some friends and fish fry:) This is one of our favorite new Wisconsin traditions, but this one was even better because of the location and our awesome friends. Devils Lake State Park is a beautiful place just south of Baraboo, about an hour from our house. We met up with Angie and Ryan and their two little girls, and some "new" friends - Karen, Tara and their little boy, Sevrin. It was warm enough that we played in the lake before supper (Kate, Collin and I - Dave stayed up in the shade with Ryan, a beer and baby Harper:) Then we had a super yummy supper and cupcakes to celebrate a few birthdays. The kids played and ran, we fed babies, ate and talked. Or talked as much as you can when every other sentence is interjected with, "Slow down! She can't walk as fast as you!" "I said don't push his stroller!" "Don't put that in your mouth!"  :) Dave always asks me if it was a fun visit with....well, any mom that I am around. And usually, I say - yeah! Well, I don't even know what we talked about, I'm not sure either of us completed a thought! Oh well, there is plenty of time to have quiet conversations later. 
 

Not my photo! But it is beautiful there....

Collin loved the fish fry:)

On Saturday, Mom and Dad came up to relax and we headed out on the boat to enjoy the warm temps. We went out to "Alcatraz" or Devils Island. As always, there were lots of boats, music, the pontoon grilling up brats and food. We ended up meeting up with some of Dave's friends from the hospital and played a little volleyball in the waist-deep water. After socializing at Alcatraz, we motored up to the restaurant, Splash and had a nice supper. 

The next morning, we walked/biked, boated out to Castle Rock County Park and then headed home to clean up for supper (need to do that every once in awhile:) and had a relaxed supper at Portofino Bay. I think they forgot about our order, we waited forever. We resorted to the the iPhone for Kate, Collin fell asleep, we sat out on the deck overlooking the lake - I didn't mind the wait at all! It was so relaxing and fun. 

We anchored off the beach at Castle Rock County Park

Not too bad, wish we could have stayed longer!

The next morning, we woke up to a very COOL day! Wow - what a difference. We took advantage and hit the tennis courts for awhile. None of us guessed Kate would love it so much! We couldn't get her to take a break:) We also played soccer and t-ball (Kate in a pink sparkly skirt of course:). It was a lazy day - too cool to even get to the pool, or get out of the pool! We can't really complain about that, though. Any time relaxing together is wonderful. Well, Mom and Dad and the kiddos and I. Dave got called in around 3 p.m.ish? He was there until 10:30 p.m. 

Pigtails flying!

Higher, Grandpa!

Future goalie?

Collin had a great time watching his sister play ball

It was a great Labor Day Weekend, like everyone, we can't believe how fast it got here!