Grandmom Hugs are the Best.

Everyone should have friends like this:

On Friday I was thinking about making a grocery list and putting the stuff for a lasagna on it. I was just REALLY wanting it. Later that day my friend Stephanie came to my house with a lasagna, bead, a pie, and this magazine. Man she ROCKS!!! Thank you Stephanie. We eat it all tonight and it was wonderful (both not having to cook and how wonderful the food was).

Sometimes Mom really does know best.

Ada was taking a bath the other day:

Z: Ada if you put that soap in your mouth it will taste bad.
A: ( What does Mommy know!) (put hand on soap and then in mouth).
Z: Ada it will make you sick do not do that again.
A: (What does Mommy know) ( doing it again.)
Z: Make sure that you do not put it in your eyes, it will hurt.
A: (What does Mommy know) (putting soap on hands and then putting it on eyelids) See it no hurt.
Z: It will if you put it in your eyes.
A: (What does Mommy know I am going to put it in my...... YELLING CRYING YELLING CRYING)
Z: (hiding the smile) Come here little girl... That hurt didn't it? Poor thing.

She is something else! :)

She is wearing the first hat I have ever made (I love the way it come out, but now it is lost and we can not find it so this might be one of the only times she got to wear it;)

So as many of you know this little girl is REALLY into pink... I mean REALLY! She screams and cries when she is out of pink socks, wants to wear the pink pants day after day after day, she sings Rudolf the pink nosed reindeer.... I could go on, but I think you get the point. The other day Mark put her in some blue jeans (that of course where .... oh the horror BLUE). When she got up from her nap and come down stairs she was in pink pants (just say yes and then do what you want then they are not looking... OH I fear for our teenage years with her). So the other day when she was in a pink sweater when I went to kiss her goodnight I was not surprised.... but what did surprise me is that she was wearing 2 pair of pants and a new (pink of course) diaper (she wears PullUps during the day and a bigger (not pink) diaper at night. She just giggled at me and let me put her back in the bigger diaper, one pair of pants and no sweater.

Here are some photos from the house.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for so many things but here are some that made it to the top this month.

• my parents can come for a long stay (one month)
• we have 2 healthy, happy kids
  
• Mark can go to Europe for work (which he loves to do)
• my parents where here while Mark went
• the hospital system here is FABULOUS
  
• MRIs can spot a blood clot and that I am not just having trouble breathing because I am wildly out of shape (which I am but still...)
• my parents are here while I am in the hospital and Mark is in Europe
  
• Mark can fly back early from his trip to Europe (I am also sorry about this) early
• the Doctors here are WONDERFUL
• my kids are fun and make me laugh even when it is to hard for me to get up and do most things for them
• they found the blood clot and are doing things to fix it (even if those things make me weak)
  
• I am home
• I have great friends and family
• I have Kari who got me knitting again and now I have something to do while I am sitting around making my self strong again (I am working on my 3rd hat right now)

I am sure that there are more things to be Thankful for that I am forgetting, but that is it for right now. I hope to write more as my energy level goes up.

I am a sucker for this little girl.

I had one of these when I was a kid and LOVED it. I could not resist it when I saw it at the Dig, but it did not have records. I called my friend Stephanie to find out if she had ever seen any records and she said no. But she would look on e-bay for me while I waited. (she is such a good friend) She found some and bought them for me right there.

My intent was to save it for Christmas.... but I never got it out of the back of the van and she kept asking for it. (note to self stop being so lazy and take toy out of the back of van or at least where child can not see it) So today when she asked for the 100th time I gave in.

She is just so cute, it is hard to say no. (boy this is going to give me trouble later in her life;)

This is not rocket science Mom

Elijah is really enjoying school he is starting to spell, sound things out, seeing numbers everywhere, adding, and telling us stuff that we should know.

At b-fast today:

E: Do you know what color you get when you mix green and blue?
Z: What color?
E: A kinda greenish blue.
(boy they learn a lot at school these days heeheehee)

Ada is spending tons of time talking about what her piggy is going. Piggy has a mom, dad and a brother. And piggy has LOTS of pink stuff. The other day we had this conversation:

A: Piggy's mom is here.
Z: Good.... Do you know that my mom and dad are coming to visit?
A:(funny look) no.
Z: Do you know who my mom and dad are? You have meet them before.
A: No
Z: My mom and dad are your grandma and grandpa.
A: (more funny looks) Mom that is just not how it works! (smile giggle)
(OK maybe she is not ready for that yet.)

Just because .....

I like this and found myself singing it all day. Hope it makes you smile.

Glad she can do it but it freaks me out!

What you ask? Our dear Ada Liz is putting her own shoes on and she almost always puts them on like this:

I feel like her feet are on backwards.

I have been working on a fun craft project, but can not show it as it is a gift. Will show soon.

Craft and Fall and Stories (what more could you want;)

Here is on of the 4 place mates that I made for Kari at the quilting weekend. I love the way that they come out. (Oh and the pocket is for silverware not phones;)

Yesterday the kids and I had our flu shots (it only took 2 plus hours!) and after we went to the Big M (playland) and to get pumpkins.

So in the playland Elijah and Ada where playing with this little boy (smaller then E and older then A) they where playing very well and having lots of fun until.....

I saw E pushing A up the stairs (trying to help her up) and she fell on her face. As E was pulling her down by the leg the other boy steps over A to get up the stairs and E says "Hay don't step over my sister!" (again as he was pulling her by the leg. Gotta love it.

What could be better then hanging out with your little sister in a skull?

When we got home she had to tell our kitties that she saw these guys (I was afraid that she was going to slip one into that coat of hers:)

Ahhhhhh.

Still wearing that shirt that Santa made him last year.... wander what he will want from Santa this year?

I think we made a wrong turn somewhere.

I love this photo.

Have a nice day.

Kids and Craft Weekend Stuff

The kids are still out there. I know you have been missing photos of them;) please ignore the mess.

Here is something that Kari made for me (she rocks!) as you can see it have found a place in the house(heeheeehee).

Here is a table runner that I made.

And a photo of the free motion that I did on it.... I am loving free motion.

Just because I thought it was a cool photo.

Buran happy?

Why don't they....

• make lunch boxes that yell when your 5 year old leaves them in the Burlee?
• make sewing machines that take full spools of thread?
• make phones waterproof? (I got a cool new one BTW)
• make more stores near where I live so that I did not have to drive all the way across town for said phone
• make laundry baskets that put the laundry away?
• make something to bring all the shopping in the house?

Glad they made

• kids that make you smile
• a husband that makes you laugh
  
• great people who will take the lunch down to the lunch room for you
• nice sales people who try and save you money and take your phone book off your VERY old phone for free
• money for groceries

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go.

Does that title make anyone else sing?

This weekend is my quilting weekend getaway.

I have the van packed, except for the one bag that might be to heavy for me to bring down stairs (Mark is getting it as I write this:) I have packed WAY to much fabric, but I have a ton of little projects that I want to work on. I am going to be sewing for almost 3 whole days!!! Think of all the things I can get done.....or how relaxed I will be and have nothing done (heeheeheeh). It looks like rain the whole weekend so I am not sure that we will be doing any hikes or boat rides. Last year we sat on the deck and sewed and talked in the sun, but it is not looking good for that. Oh well I will just have to be GREAT friends with my machine this year.

Now all I have to do is wait (it is only 10 and I do not leave until 1..... 3 whole hours to play with Ada:) I will miss the kids, but need this break and am happy to be taking it. I will try and take photos and give you an update when I get back. Now off to play with the little girl.

Why are there not more photos of the kids these days?

 

Its a bit hard to get them to sit still. :)

Still Here

So how many more post do you think are going to start with "I am Still Here"? We are all getting used to the new way of life (school everyday). It is fun and it is going well, but some things like blogging, bread making, house cleaning, working out.... are just not happening. I need to get all of these things back in my life, but it might take a little bit of time for me to figure out how to.

I have written tons of blogs in my head over the last week, but most of them are just gone right now. Here is a list of things that I have learned in the last couple of weeks:

• Ada needs to sleep with her light on. She told me "I like to see with BOTH eyes."
• Elijah does not like to get up (not sure where that came from.... hummm maybe me)
• I am sick of making lunches for Elijah. Well not so much the making as the thinking of what to make.
  
• I can let go of lots of things that just do not need to be done.
• Sitting on the sidewalk with a little girl in your lap and watching them make a road is fun.
• My van is getting better gas mileage (well OK I am just driving it less:)
• It is OK to sit in Starbucks and read a book for the whole time you daughter is in pre-school.
• It is also OK to take a nice long walk while your daughter is in pre-school. (I am thinking that that 5 hours a week might be fun.)
• Ada can take her diaper off ( and then pee in her bed and then cry and then we have to get up and change her and the bed and then we have trouble getting back to sleep and then .... I am thinking that she is not going to be wearing her nightgown much until she stops this.) Sorry for that one being so long I a bit sleepy as this happened last night.
• I am pretty sure that Ada is sleep walking, but the light being on seems to help.
• 15 minutes of clean up at night before the kids go to bed has helped get the house in order. (we all do it and it ROCKS!)
  

I got nothing else right now. I seem to be writing more about Ada then Elijah. Not sure why, but maybe she is just more trouble right now;)

Will right more when I have more time.... off now for a bath, bread making, laundry hanging, and weed picking.

New Header

Can you tell I am ready for fall????

Does she look a little nerves? She and me both. She did great on her first day. I really think she and piggy (piggy is in that wonder backpack of hers) had a great time. She did not even cry when I left. I sent the 2 1/2 hours thrifting and JoAnning (not really a word). It was nice.

Slow day

Ada was up at 5:30 after she had a ruff night.... at one point I heard her crying (she sounded far away).

Z: Where are you Ada (up the stairs she comes (again this is the middle of the night)).
Z: What are you doing down there?
A: I do not know.
I did get her back to sleep and I got back to sleep.... I had trouble getting to sleep in the first place because of a cough that I have. Then she was up again at 5:30 and taking off her diaper (she says that they hurt... must be time for a new size.) Since she did not nap yesterday I had hoped that she would have slept in today (keep dreaming girl).

So after getting up to put a new diaper for her, starting the day, getting Elijah going (this takes a lot of little reminders ... goes something like this:

Z: Elijah time to get up (repeat several times)
Z: Elijah time to sit on the potty (repeat several times)
Z: Elijah time to get off the potty (repeat several times)
(are you getting the idea)

Today for some reason (probably because I did not stand there and watch as he did everything) he was VERY slow. Then when he did finally come down he was yelling at his sister and tell her what to do. I went in to stop him, he ran away from the table, then I took is food (he gets more b-fast at school), he spent the next 2-3 mins (could have been more, could have been less.... seemed like 1 hour) yelling at the TOP of his lungs at me, then when that did not get the attention that he was looking for he hit me (not hard, but all the same), so then we had a little bit of vinegar. This is how my day started.... fun yes? Bet you are wishing that you where me today???? (smile)

Anyway the day went up hill from there. We had a nice walk in to school. We had a nice walk home. We had a neighbor over for a little play date. I decided that today was the day to start counting points again. Ada had a nap at 10:30 ( I made her). I had a nap at 10:35 ( I did not have to be made to do that:) Then lunch, Target (for new diapers), and the library.

Here is a photo of Ada's new backpack ..... can you guess what the color is?????? (three queses and the first 2 don't count;).

Her first day is tomorrow. Wish the teachers luck;)

Is it Monday again?....

No but, boy does it feel like Monday. I do not have much to say. I have a load of laundry in the washer right now and can not wait to put it on my line (this photo is a couple of days old.) Ada and I went to her new school today for an open house. Wish me luck on Thursday when she goes and I leave (well better yet wish her teachers luck;). Other then that we are having a nice slow day.

Long week

It has been a good long week. There was muffin making, biscuit making, school (up at 6 everyday.... not what I signed up for when I said I would be a stay at home mom;), thrifting, crafting, putting up a clothes line and putting cloths on it, buying a new frig and new dishwasher, cleaning..... I could go on but I will not. Elijah learned this week that he could in fact climb the walls (and I thought that was just an expression).

Here are some Halloween shirts that I made for my kids and a the neighbor kids.

I also got to go help Stephanie make stuff for her sale and I LOVED it. She is going to have a table at this years Craftacular. She is letting me help her with the sales (I LOVE to help at these things!)

First Day of School

It is hard to believe that he is starting K today. Just yesterday he was a little baby.... right????

He was a little bit scared, but mostly happy and excited.

His sister will miss him, but I can hear what she is talking about so maybe she will be happy for a little time to dominate the conversation.

Off he goes..... sniff sniff.

Look Mom No Training Wheels!

Still not steady on the bike and the trainers may go back on, but for right now he is trying and we are HAPPY.

Cute things she says

E: Ada will you help me clean the toys up?
A: I am extremely busy brother.
(this makes me laugh)

We are at a neighbors house and she has a snow suit that is red that she is going to lend to us.
Z: Ada what do you think of this snow suit?
A: I prefer pink!
Z: Is this pink? (sometimes she calls red pink)
A: NO!
(humm do you think I will be able to get her in it???? I did however get a very pink pair of snow pants for her so at least she will have something to wear in the snow..... but her top might get really cold heeehheeehee)

A: Mommy I give you a pink kiss
Z: Thank you (I am guessing that is a REALLY good kiss;)

I am going to miss this

It is 9 am and we have scones in the oven, the kids are playing, and we have plans for the day.... next week at this time it will be just Ada and me.

And because my biggest fan of this blog loves to see photos here are a couple from when we where getting our new garden put in:

I love the way she makes him laugh.

Not to worry he is only sitting in it. But he has all the gear to be safe anyway.

Projects Done Today

1. One pillow.
2. One stocking (it is not to early to be thinking about Christmas).

I did some free motion on it and I love it. I have never done free motion before.

3. Lots of playing with Thomas trains.
4. Lots of singing with the kids.
5. Two puppet shows (we had some trouble with the sound guy so we did not do more:)
6. Two blogs.

Projects not done today:

• cleaning
• showering
• getting dresses (we are all still in our PJ's)
• leaving the house (see above for reason)
• workout (unless you count my lungs from all the singing)
  

Well that sums up the day for you. Have a good one.

Busy Busy Busy

We have been busy with putting in new flower beds(can't wait until spring so that we can plant them:), house stuff, playgroups, library visits, laundry, cleaning, sewing (not as much as I wish), Dr appts, walks, and yes a couple of workouts. Anyway here are some photos from our trip back East.

We took the kids miniature golfing and they could not wait to get on the green and try it out. A couple of nights before this Mark and I went here for a night without the kids and it was so much fun we decided to take the kids. Can you hear them saying "can we go yet???"

You can see how Ada played (drop the ball in the hole;). Elijah got the hang of it and had fun.

They even had this wonderful waterfall and lots of rivers in this place, lots of fun and wet balls (I think that at one point Elijah was tyring to get his ball in the water just so he could take it out with the cool ball remover thingie).

Waiting for the nice Grandfather with this 2 grandsons to go. That is the same nice Grandfather that Elijah hit 2 times with his ball.... oops. But he was good spited about it.

That is it for golf. There was lots of other fun days and maybe I will even write about them.... after school starts (sniff sniff) next week. Please forgive me if I do not post much between now and then, I am trying to fill the time with kid stuff.