Catching Up to the Holidays

Oh my goodness, it has been a LONG time since I posted. It's a combo of things really, we haven't done much traveling/events/special things in the last few weeks, I've been feeling just a bit more tired:) and we were busy doing a lot of work on the house and just getting through the days! 

To quickly recap - we have been making a lot of changes in the house, moving both kids into Kate's room and working to get that space how we would like it. Almost there! A little bit of changing the nursery/guest room, lots more work there. New furniture, some closet reorganization, garage reorganization, fall cleanup/winter prep (just in time!) and of course, just the busy days that fall brings. We've run to Madison, La Crosse, done some library visits (not a relaxing endeavor at my son's fine age of 21 months:), gotten together with friends for dinner and Dave was out in the woods over the last week looking for Bambi. 

The "big kids" room right now

I'm 32 weeks preggo! Good grief. I truly flip back and forth from feeling like, hey! I've got two whole months left!....and crap! Babes could be here in 6 weeks (it's possible). I'm not truly ready to bring home a baby yet, but I'm working really hard to get to that place. That's my happy place I think about right now. Resting. With my feet up and watching my belly jump all over the place, looking at our Christmasy house and knowing we have everything ready to bring this Peanut home. Ahh...

Physically, well....there's no hiding that I'm very pregnant. With my third. And I have some pretty decent back pain working right now. If I overdo it (do what I normally do) it can be pretty bad. I'm trying to gently do yoga, though some positions are just impossible. If I can take it easy - not carry Collin a bunch, slip on ice, carry heavy things up and down the stairs, vacuum a bunch, etc. it definitely gets better. Great. It's not like there is a lot to do or anything:)  And Sir Collin has been up in the night the last few nights and comforting him over the crib is actually a horrible angle for me and rocking him is even a bit tricky sometimes with my belly, so I think I'm just doing everything at weird angles which is causing my muscles to freak. Anyway...I'm trying to make it better! Same exact thing happened at this point when I was pregnant with Collin. I remember my back hurt so much pacing the floor at the hospital (at the very end!), I didn't think I could keep going. But the second I stood up after he was born, all the pain was gone. Looking forward to that!

Bump!

Wearing Dave's clothes now:)

Baby is moving a lot:) I'm rather anemic, it got worse so I am now on a supplement:( I'm starting to go to the doc every two weeks, we have an ultrasound in less than a week (checking the kidney)! When I said to Dave the other day, "Hey, we really need to talk about names again." He said, "I thought we had that figured out." What?! Really?! Who did you decide that with? When we were in Milwaukee, I think we hashed out some things, but I didn't know we decided, he couldn't even remember the names, so clearly we are not done:) As always, I have a long list of girl names and we have some names that we really like, but just can't pull the trigger on. Something holds us back from each one. Same story every time. Boys, we always just have a list of two or three that we kind of like. Not sure why we can't figure this out. Time to focus, maybe over the holiday weekend...it's crunch time! Kate's suggestions vary by the day, always entertaining. Oh - Collin will now pat my tummy and say, "Baby," so darn cute. 

Getting too big

Go Hawks!

Both kids are pretty obsessed with football and the Hawkeyes. They love wearing their shirts, they go nuts when we turn it on. They yell at the TV, Kate loves Rudock. Seriously, I've had some very interesting conversations with her about our quaterback:) If Collin sees a football, a Hawks logo (a Packer logo - boo) he starts going nuts and saying, "Foo-ball!!" or maybe ba-ball, not sure how it comes out. He will run to the couch and sit down and stare at the TV. He can say, "Go Hawks" and "Touchdown" and there is a lot of "whoa" and "wow" and "boom." 

Kate is busy at school, having fun, kicking butt. We had our very first Parent-Teacher conference the other week. In a wonderful stroke of fate, Dave had the day off and was able to come to the assigned 11:45 a.m. meeting. She is nailing it, scored above range on her all her areas they tested. Is polite, helpful, enthusiastic and friendly. She regularly talks about Kindergarten and how they don't have a rest time (?) and they get to go every day. She can't wait.

She really enjoyed Veteran's Day and I have to say all the schools around here did some really great programming. The whole day seemed focused on it, she was so excited about the assembly, they had veterans visit each class and they were able talk and touch/see various items. She understood the concept when she got home and was talking to me. The whole school was decked out in decorations, very cool to see. She Face-Timed with Gpa Ron (and Gma Bobbi) that night and said thank you and told me she needed to call Tony, but he was in the field and I said we would have to say it later when he got home:)

Just one of the many things she created for Veteran's Day. She was awful proud of the special Vets we love!

Lately, the kids have been playing nicely, really as well as you can expect and are seriously best buds. Their favorite things to play right now...restaurant (works for awhile, but then Collin destroys Head Chef Kate's master plan eventually), cowboys - oh my goodness, they get endless joy from putting on Kate's cowboy hat and riding a little broom around the house. They share it well and just go in circles, running (well, you know - if you have a circular path in your house, children will run around it and have a great time). 

My helper in the kitchen

Cowboy Collin

Off he goes!

They both love books, which makes me so happy. Even Collin right now will sit and listen or flip through a book for long periods of time. We are also transitioning to having one reading time for both kids at night, instead of doing Collin and Kate separately. It is kind of fun and they are doing really well for both being awake when we turn off the light. There is some "chatting" going on, but not for long and they both seem to lay down and go to sleep in minutes. 

Collin is starting to color with crayons and not eat them! Hurray! Especially if Kate is coloring with him, they will be happy doing this and obviously at restaurants this is a bonus. Kate is busting out some awesome pictures at school and home, it is so exciting to see it develop and change over time. Any advanced art project we are doing is now relegated to Collin's nap time so Kate and I can get scissors and glue out. He is getting a bit taller and his reach has jumped up on me lately! Nothing is safe!

Dave went hunting this past weekend. He and Ryan hunted Ryan's 40 acres just south of Mauston (where Dave got his big doe last year). It was nice to have him close and "at home" and with someone I trust so well. I brought the kids over on Saturday to play with Clara and Harper and have a super yummy roast with everyone after our hunters came in:) Ryan got a really nice buck on the first day! So that was exciting. Unfortunately, the weather was less than ideal and Dave didn't have much luck. And new this year, he wanted to go hunting after work on Monday and Tuesday (light week, was done early)...I wasn't super thrilled but said sure. He had a really amazing day where he saw a lot of deer and shot a doe, but she trekked so far and so long that it got dark (and cold) and they lost the tracks and never found her :( Dave was SO bummed. After only seeing a couple does far away on Tuesday and getting rather cold, he was ready to call it a season. By the way, all the hunting stuff he received last Christmas was great! He also finally bought his own rifle a few weeks ago and of course, now I'm hearing about how he needs a tree stand or something. 

To start hunting weekend, I was so happy to have a nice family night on Friday night. I know there was the possibility of Dave going out for drinks with other hunters but we ended up going to Portofino for dinner and it was a really great evening. Quiet, great food & service (a big change from their usual!) and the kids were so great. Just looked at books and colored and ate great. We went early (as we like to do:) and were home right in time for normal bedtime. I was so proud of them and it was nice to have that time before we lost Dave in the woods for a weekend:) 

Kate is all about hunting, talks about how she is going to hunt with Daddy and all the gear she will get. She says how much she loves venison and is a big supporter of Daddy's hobby! We'll see what the future brings for her:)

Oh yeah, we've had some decent snow here! We had an inch or two awhile ago but that had gone away and then just Monday we had five or six inches! A real pretty (if you are home) and treacherous (if you are out) kind of day and I was beyond thrilled that the kids and I could just stay home and enjoy it. We have had many fires in the fireplace with the extreme cold weather November brought us as well. 

The first snow

Not bundled up for play in the snow, but ready to go somewhere:)

Collin loves to go anywhere, go outside, go in the car. He gets upset if Daddy leaves without him (every day!) and will run and get his hat and boots and bring them to you saying, "Hat, hat!" "vroom, vroom!" He sits still and loves getting bundled up. And I'll take that - managing the kids all bundled up, in and out of the car, running errands, in the third trimester is not my ideal situation but oh well. I guess it is easier than lugging a carseat around with a newborn in it as well! Appreciate the moment, Erin. :)

 Bringing me some boots

The Monday before Thanksgiving

Wish I could really get out and snap pics of how pretty it is here in the winter.

Wanna hit the beach?

We are currently in the car en route to my folks' for Thanksgiving. A little late! We will be delaying or missing the start of the meal, but I was up until 1:30 packing/getting ready and then up with Collin and Dave didn't get home from work "yesterday" until 5 a.m. this morning. So....we didn't exactly jump out of bed at 7 a.m. and hit the road:) Can't describe how ready I am to relax a bit and soak up all the holidayness coming up. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Kate is Five! And I am Old.

Ahh, she's writing again! I know. I already posted on Kate's birthday festivities, but I wanted to do something I've seen Beth do where I put pics from all of Kate's birthdays together, it is so fun to see the progression all at once. Also makes me want to cry. Which is something I'm doing a lot lately. We were in the car and heard the song by Luke Bryan (I think) about sitting on a pier and drinking a beer. Dave told me it was about his younger brother. I cried the rest of the way home.

We also had her 5-year well-check and she is 44 inches tall and weighs almost 40 pounds. That was a surprise! She has hovered around 32-34 lbs for years, but apparently we are starting to gain again. These stats put her in the 75% for height and 50% for weight. She had the flu mist (no problem) and two shots. She lost her mind. She did last year too and I was not looking forward to holding Collin and helping/comforting Kate (Collin can open the door and run down the halls in the clinic. Guess how I know that..) She wasn't upset as we were preparing to get them, just once they were "in." Our awesome nurse Lori said these two hurt/burned bad, so no wonder. After awhile (longer than Collin takes) everyone was sufficiently comforted and we were ready to leave:) No more shots until age 12 - yay!

Anyway, here is our sweet baby Kate through the years...

3 days old I think

1st Birthday!

She's two!

Obviously, three. Looking more like her current self...

Four! Wow, we have a good frosting theme going here...

I didn't get a great straight-on pic...

Some serious cupcake eating going on...

The fam with our Frozen friends, happy girl:)

Okay, there are actually two things of note that are making me feel old lately. One is that my first-born is five years old. The second is that my goddaughter, Megan Ferrie, was confirmed on Sunday! Slow down already! Megan was born in 2000, I was a senior in high school and over the moon when Kari & Roger asked me to be her sponsor. 

What a joy it has been to watch her grow up. I adored that little girl and then she soon adored hanging around me. I've watched her grow into a beautiful young lady who excels at so many things. I'm proud and excited for her and so glad that I am a part of her life. 

We came down for the weekend to be a part of the confirmation service on Sunday in Cresco and then spent as much time at her house as we could afterwards. It was pretty sweet to see Kate and Collin play and have fun with Megan and Peyton. Kate adores Megan now (full circle!) and Collin was sweet with Megan and was so cute wanting to play with Peyton. We lasted longer than I expected (during Collin's nap time, the time change...) so we enjoyed (a lot) of super yummy food but had to leave right about when Mom and Dad arrived. A really great day to spend with family and celebrate a great young lady! Love you, Megs! And I am old. 

Megan, her parents and sponsors (minus my cousin, Todd)

Megan and Collin relaxing before lunch

Megan, Kate and Great-Grandma!

Collin liked the cupcakes:) 

Kate's Birthday Week!

Warning: I meant to post a number of days ago, so there is more here now...Uncle Jerry, just skip to the pictures!  :)  

Two weekends ago, we celebrated Kate's birthday with a get-together with some family and friends. Originally, we wanted to watch the Hawkeyes and Kate wanted an Iowa Hawkeye-themed party (so proud!) but of course they had a bye that week! So, then she said she wanted an "Elsa" or Frozen-themed party. I'm not really a great birthday party planner as of yet, so I definitely was not going all out. I know I will need to do better, but it is really not my forte right now, I feel like all the cool/good/smart things I try to do, end up failing. Dave suggested lasagna for the food, and I thought that would be easy. I didn't want to buy the cupcakes (her idea) so I thought we'd just bake them ourselves and have Kate help decorate them. 

Our crew from Iowa came up later on Friday. We had a good time visiting but as per usual lately, I started putting people to work. Mom and I (mostly Mom) made the cupcakes and one of the lasagnas for the next day. I had just brought groceries home a couple hours before they arrived and definitely needed more prep time. And at 8-9 p.m....I'm usually exhausted! Ugh.

It was a gorgeous Saturday and I really wanted to get outside, so when Mom and Dad were up, we went for a walk. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but probably should have stayed home getting things ready. As soon as we came back, Dave, Andrew and Dad headed to town to run some errands and put the boat in winter storage (Juneau County Fairgrounds). Mom, Kylie and I had to get showered, watch the kids and get ready for the party! It was a little hectic as I had yet to make another (and never been made before) lasagna, and snacks, and cupcake decorating, and house decorating and....before anyone arrived. I promised my family that the next birthday we will just order pizza. I promise! 

Oh, when the boys returned, they had a massive amount of balloons to bestow upon our balloon-loving children. I had mentioned it to Dave earlier in the week, but he reiterated how much he disliked balloons. Guess there is someone wrapped around a finger...:)

Our sweeties playing nicely

We were decorated for Frozen

The kids playing with the trains...

Multiple kids interested in opening gifts:)

She received a few Frozen items:) 

Not sure why, but Collin was all over this one!

Collin received a book from Gma & Gpa, good thing too, it helped to distract

It wasn't a birthday gift, but a gift from a friend to the whole family -we love it!

Cupcakes!

Kate and her gifts for the day...ridiculous!

Birthday girl with Uncle Andy & Aunt Kylie

We didn't have as many people as I expected, so of course we had too much food. But we ate, opened gifts, had cupcakes and then cleaned up and relaxed:) Another walk, some Catchphrase:) snacking until we were uncomfortable...you get the idea. A & K had to head back that night, so we said goodbye to some favorite people and went to bed. 

Sunday was quite the day! I thought we would just relax, enjoy the weather and maybe talk about the upcoming holiday season/schedule (which we did). But I forgot that we are talking about my parents here. They don't like to sit for very long. You would think they would be a little worn out from the month (babysitting up here, helping with moves and house renovations) but no. Dave and I have purchased some furniture lately and finally decided on some changes that need to happen before Babes #3 arrives in a couple months. So, the log furniture was moved out of the upstairs and the crawl space. Then they (Mom?:) decided it would take no time to paint the "big kids" new room. So, off the girls went to Home Depot to get some paint while the boys installed some new ceiling fans. The room was painted, fans hung and two new beds assembled for the "big kids" room!

After a long day, Mom and Dad eventually departed for Iowa. I have no idea how long it would have taken for Dave and I to accomplish all this on our own. I shudder to think, actually. Now, I am beyond excited that their room will get done soon (still need to put in new closet organizers, move everything into it's new place and put things on the wall. And then it is on to the nursery/guest room...

On Kate's birthday (October 30) we brought treats to school and she dressed up like a witch as it was also her Halloween party. I made chocolate-dipped strawberries and chocolate-dipped marshmallows since those were probably not going to be brought by the other kids for the holiday party. She had a great day with a special sticker, crown...you get the idea. 

Birthday girl/good witch 

And this goofball was super silly at home...

He thinks this Halloween bucket is some sort of helmet, he'll put it on and then play for awhile...

Dave was able to pick her up from school and then we opened a few more presents and Face Timed with Gma and Gpa Lenninger in Missouri. She received so many wonderful presents from everyone, thank you to all - she is one lucky girl! We then let her decide where to go out to eat and we ended up down in the Dells at Buffalo Phil's (a train brings your food:) and then to Orange Leaf for some frozen yogurt dessert! The kids behaved wonderfully the whole night and it was a perfect, special birthday. Sidenote- Dave and I are in shock that we have a five-year old. 

Opening gifts on her actual birthday

Out to her birthday dinner

These two are nothing alike.  :) 

She wasn't too sure at first...

but they both loved the place! And Mommy & Daddy too. I'll be back.

Friday was Halloween and after a crazy day for Dave at work (chemical spill at the middle school) we rushed back out the door to trick-or-treat with some friends at Fairview Nursing Home. I dressed up with Kate as a witch, Collin was a skeleton and Dave was going to be a ghost but we never quite got him dressed up:) The kids were a little shy, but did awesome and it was lovely to be inside and not out in the 30 degree wind! We did about 15 minutes, walked through the hospital (attached) and said hello to some coworkers of Dave's and then headed to get some pizza with our friends (a little owl and bee for the day:) Other than not getting a picture of Kate and I as witches together, it was a great Halloween!

Now he matches his "helmet"

Running through the cold to trick-or-treat!

He fought the costume for the first couple minutes, but then was perfect the rest of the time!

How cute are my little spooks?!