We're still around, let's catch-up

Yep, we're still around! Just haven't really had the chance to keep up with the blog lately. Hopefully I will get better again so I don't get all the email from my many fans begging me to blog!

So, I will do a little catch-up on what's been going....



Maggie began dance class and seemed to like it. She was up and dressed for the class long before I wanted to be up. She was a bit shy at first but warmed up pretty good. It's just a small class of three little girls and Maggie knows both of the other girls so that helped. It was hard for Connor to sit still, understandably, so I spend a lot of the class standing outside looking in.



Connor's been super excited about learning lately and practicing his letters. He is really coming along quit nicely. I was very impressed with his picture of Sponge Bob and Patrick even though I am not at all a fan of the show! And, despite the fact Patrick is pooping all over. (Sigh... Five year old boys think poop is so funny...)

And, of course, he is still catching small creatures whenever he can, like the frog he has here.

After dance class, before kindergarten drop off, the three younger monkeys and I went for a picnic lunch at the WWII Memorial park. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place and the kids love the trees that you can hide in behind the memorial.

Katelyn's been loving soccer! She plays hard and scores lots of goals! Last weekend she scored two goals and had two assists. Awesome! I am trying to let her know how important the assists are too.

On a bit of a different note though... Her asthma has been acting up a bit. She had an appointment with the Pulmonologist the other day. She upped her daily steroid to try and get her lungs stronger again.

Ben is pulling himself up to stand where ever he possibly can and is even cruising the furniture at times.

He is growing like crazy even though he really doesn't like to eat still.

He'll eat a bit of food that he can put in his mouth by himself, although only about 1 in 10 pieces actually make it in his mouth. Forget anything on a spoon, he acts like I am feeding him dried worms! I guess it would more accurately be dried, smooshed, worms.

Outside the mums in our yard have exploded with flowers and are just beautiful! The trees are turning colors and the leaves are falling all over the yard. Fun for the kids but not so much for Daddy....

Chris is great. Nothing new to report really... He did finish up a big project at work that he's been working on for a while now that that is a relief for him, and me too...

And, last,but not least, me... I am doing ok. My hives are under control and I found out this week why I am getting them. Along with being tired all the time and really moody... Yes, me, I'm moody. I know, hard to believe. I have Hypothyroidism, I think that's the right term and spelling. I started the medicine, and will see a specialist very soon to figure this whole thing out. It's good to finally have an answer...

Blogging vacation...

Yep, I've been on a blogging vacation. Mainly because I can't sit still long enough to blog lately. I have been dealing with hives, big iiiitchyyy hives for a few weeks now! I can't sleep and can't sit very still. I want to rip my skin off and am often praying for the strength to not rip my family's heads off because I have been so on edge and cranky! Think of it like this...

You've had a gallon of water so you have to peeeeeee! You skipped breakfast so you are sooooo hungry! Your three year old is throwing a fit because her brother is antagonizing her! The baby is crying because he needs a nap! Your seven year old needs help with homework! Even the best of us is very, very cranky in this situation, right?

This is what it feels like to me all day lately because the itching is out of control! It is a little bit better, or it was yesterday at least, because of the steroids they put me on. (With that adds worry about the fact that Ben is getting it through my breast milk though!)

I go on Friday morning to see a specialist that will hopefully be able to give me some answers. Although the doctors all say that we may not find an answer. In the mean time....

I am just trying to put on a smile, some "blue magic", extra showers, and keep busy so I don't go insane! I could see a person getting admitted because of this, seriously, it is enough to drive a person crazy!

So, I will be back to blogging when I can sit still again. I will post many cute pictures someday soon! Don't fret though, I won't take pictures of my hives, that would scare everyone away!

Where's the baby handbook?

Ben is 7 months old! He is growing way too fast and is doing way too much. Someone forgot to give him the handbook on what babies are supposed to do because he is all mixed up.
As you may remember, he started crawling at just 5 1/2 months old! He is already sitting up from the crawling position! And he, just the other day, began standing up at the fire place. A baby his age is supposed to be mastering the art of sitting up not roaming the house and trying to climb the stairs! Apparently he didn't get the handbook that explains this. The big problem with this is that he hasn't completely figured out the whole sitting up thing. So.... When he crawls over to the hard wood floor and sits up he proceeds to fall back and bang his head. I am literally following him around with a pillow! I am pooped! Chasing around a baby is tough work. Fun though! Not to mention, he is adorable, maybe I have mentioned that in the past... Yesterday I even tried to use a laundry basket to barricade him in the living room for a while. It worked for less then a day, for this afternoon he figured out how to move the basket and go around it!

I've got my hands full with this guy for sure! He keeps me on my toes. I am so curious to see what the future brings with this kid's gross motor skills!!! I would prefer he doesn't rush to the future though...

Soccer has begun...

Soccer season has begun and is off to a great start!
Katelyn is on team France. It is going to be a big difference this year for her as her team is younger and a lot less skilled then it was last year. Last year her team had a lot of incredible natural talent so they dominated every game. It is going to be very different, but I think good for her to learn that you don't always win. I just hope that it will be tons of fun anyway! Not to mention, the team may surprise us!
Update: Tonight was Katelyn's second game and they won 7 to nothing! Katelyn even scored two goals! Go France!

Connor also started soccer. Last year Connor had a really tough time getting into soccer, actually he never really got into it. He really didn't like it at all and ended up not finishing the season. This year he wanted to try again and we definitely wanted to give him the chance. I was especially nervous when the weather was pouring rain and chilly, plus I had to wake him up for his 8am game (I never have to wake him up).
Boy, I am glad we did! He did awesome! He had a blast. The weather didn't deter him one bit! He did so well with his confidence as well as his soccer skills. I am so proud of him and so glad we gave it another chance!

Chris and I loved soccer as kids so I am really excited to see our kids now enjoying it!

Swinging...

Swinging has always been one of my most favorite things to do. I remember as a kid spending hours on swings. Any type of swing. There is nothing that beats that feeling of flying through the air with the wind blowing your hair. The feeling that at any moment I could swing right over the top bar. The calming and relaxing feeling. Being so high that I could see everything. I just loved swinging and still do. Not that I get to do it very often anymore. But, every once in a while I have the opportunity to get on a swing and pump my legs to get me flying again. I know now that I won't go over the bar but that doesn't make the wonderful feeling of being on a swing any less. The freedom, excitement and happiness that a swing can bring is just amazing.

I now watch my children swing and see that same look in their eyes. The wonder and excitement of what will happen if they pump as hard as they can. The wind blowing their hair. They definitely take after me with their love of swings!

One of my most favorite swings, and the only "ride" I like, is the swings at fairs. Maggie is riding on a smaller version here, but I can't wait till she is ready to ride on the big swings!

I love the smiles from my babies when they are big enough to swing at the park. Ben was giggling so much here and I just loved the sweet sound of that giggle!

Remember when Connor learned how to do this???

Katelyn is starting to get really brave on the swing and loves standing when she swings. The first couple times I had to close my eyes, but she is pretty good at it.

I hope my children always remember the happiness and joy that a simple swing can bring!

Sleepy head...

Remember this post when I talked about how hard three year olds are? Remember the places Maggie has been found sleeping? Well, I have pictured a couple more I would like to share...

Last week she was sound asleep in the rocking chair. Take note at the apple in her lap, LOL!

Today my little one was trying to fall asleep in the rocking chair and I kept telling her to wake up and go play. (Boy, that sounds kinda mean when I write it out!) Anyway, she went up in her room to play, at least that is what she said she was doing. I went up a few minutes later to check on her because she was quiet. She was sound asleep, lights off, in her very dark room on her bed. I didn't have the heart to wake her but I know I will pay the price at bedtime, oh well.

She looks like an angel when she sleeps...

Letter Boxing...

We went letter-boxing for the first time on Sunday and we had a blast! Click on the word letter- boxing if you are curious to what it is since that would be a lot easier then me trying to explain.

The weather was beautiful! Fresh air was fantastic! We went to the local Fish Hatchery first and found the two boxes there then went to a swinging bridge trail but didn't end up finding the box there. That was a bit of a bummer but we will not be deterred!

We are looking forward to many more letter-boxing adventures real soon! The only thing better then family fun is free family fun! Check out letter-boxing in your area and take your family for an adventure too!

On a different note, Ben went from crawling to sitting for the first time on Sunday too! Oh, and he crawled on his hands and knees for about 5 "crawls" today!

Note to self: Next time we go letter-boxing wear pants and long sleeves so I don't get poison ivy again...

A day at the fair...

What a beautiful labor day weekend! We had some great family time with a lot of spontaneity.
On Saturday morning I came downstairs and whispered in Chris' ear, "Hey, do you want to go to the fair?" He said, "Sure, but if we want to go we need to leave very soon so we can get there early." So, in record time we were ready to go and out the door!

After a long-ish ride we arrived.... And, we were off to have some fun!
Maggie's biggest desire was to ride a horse and was delighted when we found the pony ride!

Connor and Katelyn wanted to ride on the rides! That they did. I do think this is the last year for Katelyn on the kiddie rides, she is getting too big.

What is a fair with out cotton candy? Well, it wouldn't be much of a fair, that's for sure! Slushies too... None for Ben, but I did put some water in his stroller tray to play with so he was happy. Oh wait, I did give him a tiny bit of cotton candy and he really liked it! Not sure I should admit that though. :)

We absolutely had to visit with the wonderful animals! Katelyn's favorite was the bunny. Connor's was the ox. Maggie's favorite was the baby cows, I bet auntie Jen would have to agree with Maggie!

After the fair we stopped at the LongHorn for a late lunch/early dinner which was so yummy, then we came home and played outside for the rest of the day!

It was wonderful!!!

Who's watching these kids?

Maggie and Connor were playing so nicely having a great time together. Connor asked Maggie if she wanted to make an aquarium in the bathroom and, of course, she thought that was a great idea. I heard them making plans and wasn't concerned, they've done this a few times before. No biggie. Then I got chatting on the phone and keeping just one ear on them. When I was chatting on the phone and changing Ben's diaper I heard the bathroom door close so I made a mental note to check on them as soon as I was done with the diaper.
I went to the door, it was locked. I knocked and demanded that the door be opened immediately! Connor opened it and this is what I found...

The bath tub VERY FULL of water and Maggie, jammies and all, in with the sea animals. Smiling up at me with that face, you know the one I'm talking about right? The "I'm so cute and clever, look at what we did" face. The face I can't help but smile at but know I shouldn't because it will just encourage her.

She even showed me how she can swim in the tub under the water. Legs kicking, water splashing everywhere.

Connor showed me the other part of the aquarium...

These kids. Great imagination, but seriously, shouldn't some one be watching them???

Moxie Festival, finally!

Remember in July when I talked about Chris taking Katelyn and Connor to the Moxie festival? (Click on the underlined words to see the post I am talking about)

Finally, I am remembering to blog about it! Chris has asked me a bunch of times why I haven't put anything on here. I was waiting for him to get some pictures from his aunt. He got them a few weeks ago and I kept forgetting to put them on here. He just reminded me again so I decided to do it right now, before I forget again.

Here they are with the Moxie Horse Mobile. (Chris' uncle was very kind and drove us in this on our wedding day from the church to the reception!) The three of them rode in this during the parade, throwing candy out to the children watching. What a cool experience for them. Katelyn had done it last year but Connor didn't want to. This year he changed his mind though and had a great time!

What fantastic pictures! Thanks Auntie Kathleen!

The kids both got a chance to do the "Jumpy thing" and loved it!

Staying in a hotel and swimming twice in the pool, going out for breakfast and dinner were also huge hits for them.

I sure missed them while they were gone but I am very glad they had such a wonderful time!

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I decided to add a picture of Chris and I on our wedding day riding the Moxie Mobile. It was one of the best memories of my life! You can only imagine the looks we got riding down the road in this! Just looking at the picture brings me back to a wonderful day!!!

Baby Ben and doctor visits...

Look at this baby! He had a busy day of doctor appointments.
First was the gastro doctor who can't believe how big Ben has gotten! He wants us to continue on with his previcid for a month and then to try weaning it.
Then late this afternoon he had his 6 month check-up, a little late. He has been doing a lot of growing, that's for sure! His weight is now 20lbs 10oz which is the 90th percentile. His height is 28inches which is the 95th percentile. And, his head is 18 inches which is the 90th percentile.
The doctor is no longer worried about his head so that's good. Not that I was ever worried :)
He is going to go see a eye specialist just to make sure his eyes are fine but other then that he is just perfect!

Just look at him.....

This baby is just beautiful and man do I love him!!!!

Maggie's first day of school...

Yesterday was Maggie's first day of school! Sorry this post is a bit late as I was struck with a stomach bug yesterday! (Feeling better today though, it came and went pretty quickly.)
Anyway, on to more important news....
Maggie's first day went great! She went in and never even looked back. Actually when I said I wanted a kiss goodbye she said, "I already gave you one.". OK then... Can't mommy have an extra one???

Look at the bottom picture with her hand behind her back. That small grey thing is her "fluvey". She needed to bring it just in case she was scared but handed it over pretty quickly when it was time to play. Especially when the goat tried to eat it! She was showing the goat (top picture) and she, Rosie the goat, then proceeded to get a piece in her mouth.

A new "moment" in Maggie's life has begun...