A Rainy Day....Finally!

We haven't had rain around here in I don't know how long. Everything is dry and dead. I hate when it looks like that. But, finally we got some rain today. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for us to stay inside to play for a while. We went down to the basement and did a few fun things. Noah and Livie got out the Moon Sand, which is now spread all over the floor from accidental spillage. ;-) It's fun, but it's messy. Especially when a 2-yr old is playing with it. Noah rode his bike for a while after the moon sand and Madie played with her ponies before stopping to watch a little HGTV. She's really gotten interested in "If Walls Could Talk" and "Hidden Potential". She thinks they're so interesting. I don't blame her. I do too! When watching "If Walls Could Talk", she started asking me about the Civil War. She wanted to know what that was. I told her the North part of America and the South part of America where fighting each other back when Abraham Lincoln was president. They were fighting over slavery. She said, "What's slavery?". Hard to explain that to a 7 yr old. But, I told her that back then people with brown skin weren't allowed to do the same things as people with skin our color. They had to work for people with tan skin and wouldn't get any money for it. She said that she has a girl in her class that has dark brown skin and maybe she was a slave. I said, "no, she isn't, because Abraham Lincoln made sure that they were all free and could do the same thing as people with tan skin like us.". I said "We're all humans, all alike, and it doesn't matter if we have tan skin or brown skin or red skin or purple skin." To which Noah said, "I've seen someone with purple skin before. Really! In real life! I'm serious." Good old Noah puts everything in perspective, doesn't he? ;-)

Livie had her second speech therapy session today with Miss Margaret. I want so badly to take pictures during her sessions, because it's so fun to watch her. Today we again worked on her core muscles. I mis-stated why we work on those last time. I guess we work on them, because it strengthens her breathing, which strengthens her breath sounds and her tongue and her lips or something like that. I swear, it's all so confusing. But, anyway, to work on those muscles, she brought a big ball for Livie to lay on. She had to lay on her tummy and roll back and forth and try to reach puzzle pieces and put them in the right spots, while staying balanced on the ball. She did a few more ball exercises as well as practicing more with her words. She's still really quiet, but you can hear her try and say what she's asked to say, so that's really fun for me. She was saying the colors today and that's the first time I've heard her attempt those. And, she said "Come" clear as day. I was pretty excited about that!

Anyway, wanted to do a short update on my sweeties before we leave for the long weekend in IN. My sister's bridal shower is Saturday afternoon, so we're leaving after school tomorrow and driving back. I'm really excited about it! I've planned it all out and think it should be a lot of fun for her. And, our friend and neighbor growing up, Betty Smith, is celebrating her 90th birthday this weekend as well. So, Sunday, my parents, Em and Jeff, Pete, the kids, and I are all headed down to RC to surprise her. I haven't seen her since Noah was about 4months old. So, I'm really looking forward to that. :-) Then after Betty's party, we'll head to the Trolingers to finish out our weekend. So, I'll hopefully have lots to post about when we get back. Everyone have a terrific Labor Day!!

Uppercase Living

I got some new Uppercase Living things today. Yay! So fun! I got a new one for my foyer and then a new one for my bathroom. I used to have one in my foyer that said "grant me the patience to deal with my blessings". I looked at that every morning when I would be scrambling to get my kids out the door for school or church or whatever it might be. I loved it! But, it's now covered by the bookcase that is there. So, I looked through my new catalog and found the one that says "Breathe...you're home" and I knew that is the one I wanted to get. No matter where we are and where we've gone, there's just something about walking in your door and knowing you're home again. :-)

Then I wanted something for the walls in our bathroom, but since I'm planning on getting a shelf for above the toilet, I just wanted something simple, so I could put the things I want on the shelf and not make it too cluttered, since it's a small space. These designs were so simliar to the shower curtain's design, that I thought it would work perfectly. Man, this stuff is fun!!!!

Outreach and Sunday School

I think most of you know that I am the Sunday School director at our church for all the 3 yr olds - 5th graders. Well, it starts up again in just a couple of weeks, so I've been working on getting everything ready for not only the start-up, but also our 2nd annual fall outreach. Last year I got the ok to have an outreach at the start of our SS year to use as a way to kick it off for the kids as well as get them excited about inviting their friends and neighbors to come. Last year we had 32 kids come, 20+ of which were not from our church and a new family actually started coming after attending the outreach and became new members of our church back in April. It was very exciting!!! The mom is going to start helping in SS this year, which I just think is great!

So, this year, we're having it again only this time it's called "Slime Time". There will be lots of games and prizes.... and, of course, SLIME! Should make for a fun clean-up. ;-) Since I kind of created this, it's all up to me to pull it off. So, I've been going to the church since July, usually with 3 kids in tow, trying to slowly get all the supplies necessary for SS, as well as the outreach - figuring out which games to play, how to make it all fit in my budget (failed miserably at that one!!), get curriculum and volunteers lined up. Today I took Livie with me, which was so nice. Now that Madie and Noah are in school, she was the only one to tag along. Makes it a bit easier with only one child in tow. I've covered my table in one of my SS classrooms with all the stuff I need, trying to keep it slightly organized, so when we start up, I can have the kids help me finish up those last few things. I make sure that I save just the right amount of things for all the age groups to do, so that this can be THEIR outreach and not mine, ya know? We have those giant tube-a-loons which, as you can see in the picture, is the 8' long yellow balloon thing. I have 4 of those still to blow up, but I thought I should wait until the actual day. Just wanted to blow one up and see how big it was. They are pretty cool! I have a giant beaker that they'll toss balloons into. Three vasts of slime to dig through and get prizes. A table to MAKE slime and jello to eat, since that's kind of slime-like. ;-) And, a few more games as well. I have 9 different games in all and then take-home bags, registration, and snack area to plan around. In addition, like I said, I actually have to get ready for the actual program which will officially begin the Sunday following the Thurs night outreach. So, I've got just a couple more projects left to do and then all those things are ready as well. It's a lot of fun, but boy is it a lot of work!!! The rewards are without a doubt though seeing my kids and the rest of the kids in our church excited about looking up scripture and remembering the things they've learned over the past couple of years. Pretty great stuff! Anyway, wanted to share what I've been working on in addition to being a mom, a school volunteer, an Uppercase Living demonstrator, a maid-of-honor, a friend, and a wife!!!! ;-) hehe Now, who ever said that all stay-at-home moms do is sit around eating bonbons?!

My Kids Are Weird

This is what my kids do when someone is in the bathroom. In this case.... Madie. Poor Madie is trying to have a few minutes in the bathroom and what do Noah and Livie do? They sit outside the door, putting their feet up, all while Livie is saying "MADIE!". I get the same reaction if I'm in the bathroom. Why is that? Why is it the minute you close a door for a few minutes of privacy, you have children outside calling your name? They didn't seem to be interested when you were doing the dishes. Weren't curious as to where I was when I was making their beds. But, one minute in that bathroom brings children out of the woodwork! Anyone else have crazy children like me? Or is it like I said .... my kids are weird?!! :-)

My Dad

Today is my dad's 61st birthday. I just thought I'd dedicate a post to him in honor of that. Dad has always been an amazing guy. He and I have always been super close. We love to laugh together and talk about silly things. All through high school I knew that I could go to him and tell him pretty much anything and he would listen and in most cases laugh along with me. Heck, I even told him about my first kiss when I was 16. That, incidently, was my last kiss as well. At least until I met Pete when I was 19. ;-) I remember him waking me up when Kirk Gibson hit a home run after being on the disabled list for a long time. He was so excited, he had to share it with someone. I remember him stopping to take us to the donut store at the back of the dime store on the way to school on a cold, winter day, just for that special treat. I remember him waking me up when my friends were toilet-papering our house. He went to the office door, while I went to the front door and when he knocked on the wall three times, we ran outside and scared them all to death. It was hilarious!! He used to come to lunch every day my senior year to eat with me and my friends. He coached my softball team every year. And, he attended all my school functions. He even came down to college, when I was deep in my depression just to take me out for a piece of pie and coffee. That meant the world to me. He has and continues to be a great dad! I think the thing that embodies my dad the best is this story. I was in college, just a couple of months into my freshman year and I decided to take a road trip to Terra Haute to visit Michelle at ISU. I thought I was grown up and could easily make that 3 hour trip no problem. Well, on the way home, not 30 min out, I stopped at a gas station and locked my keys in my car. I had no money, no way to get the car unlocked, and I was freaking out. I called dad, told him through tears of my plight and he decided right then and there to drive the 4 hours to me, to bring the spare key and unlock my car for me. No questions, no anger, no judgement. Just left right then and came to help me. That right there is a dad. So, dad, though I don't tell you very often - I love you. You were my best friend forever and even though I have a family of my own, you are my hero and I thank you for all you've ever done for me. Happy Birthday!!!

My Best Friend's Shower

Today I headed down to Royal Center, where I grew up, for my best friend Michelle's baby shower. I drove all by myself and enjoyed 6 hours (3 each way) of quietness and a lot of Phantom of the Opera music. Fantastic!!! We had her shower in our old church building there. I haven't been in there in years. I remember thinking as a kid how big the church was and going back to it now at 33, I realized what a tiny little church it was. Kind of like going back to my grandpa's church and realizing how teeny-tiny it was. But, it was still great to be back and to see my 2 best friends in the whole world!! I got to see some old friends from our church as well and that's always nice, because we can catch up on what everyone's been up to.

We hit the Bob (that's the Bob-o-Link for all you who don't know what "the Bob"means). I wasn't terribly hungry, so I only got a cheeseburger. If I had been given more time to develop an appetite, I'm sure I would've ordered at least 5 things on the menu. AND, then had dessert. ;-) I can't tell you how much I enjoy spending time with my friends. Even just 2-3 hours with them is refreshing and fun. I soooo wish we lived closer to each other.

Michelle got a lot of really cute things. Little Alexander will be well provided for once he makes his appearance, which I know Michelle is hoping is sooner than later. I got to see his latest ultrasound pictures which makes me want to meet him even more! I even got to feel his little butt pushing on her belly. Every time a friend or family member has a child, it's really just the most incredible, amazing thing. Such a miracle every time.

So, today was a lot of fun - both because I got to see and spend time with 2 of the greatest people in the world, but also because I got to visit my home. Royal Center will always be in a way "my home". I spent my entire childhood there. From the time I was 3 until I graduated high school, I lived there. Though some things have changed, it still has the same essence to it and is filled with so many memories. Today was a good day!

The Olympics

The Olympics this year have had us glued to our tv almost every night. Pete was in Toronto last week, so we started watching when mom and dad were here. Now that we have the big screen with the High Def, it makes it even more fun to watch! The kids really got into it too. They would yell during the swimming races "Go America!!", eventually getting to the point where they would yell "Go Michael!". I think that was a bit of my doing though. I have, over the course of the past week or so, fallen completely in love with Michael Phelps. Pete knows. He's accepted it. :-) He's just such a cutie and so nice and exciting to watch. Did you see how he won by .01! Wow! All the swimming has been fun! I think the kids enjoyed it so much, because they just finished their swimming lessons and think it's cool how quickly they move through the water. Heck, I'm amazed at how quickly they move!!

The gymnastics have been really fun for us as well. I remember when I was a girl about Madie's age, Mary Lou Retton won and how exciting that was to watch. Thankfully we have a DVR, so Madie was able to watch the gymnastics in the mornings, since they were on so late at night. She was amazed at the flips and things they did. She would just sit there and watch and get excited when someone did well or comment on their cute outfit. :-) And, this year's all-around competition was so awesome!! To see Shawn slide by and win the silver and see Nastia win the gold was fantastic!

We've watched diving, syncronized swimming, races, etc... as well. All of it fun to watch. I must admit 4 years ago, I don't think I watched a single event. Not sure why, but I just don't remember being into it then. This year, we've watched almost every night, all night. It's been a very exciting time and especially fun to be able to sit around with our kids and enjoy it all. Even if America doesn't win, it's still fun to cheer them on and see the world come together for these 2 weeks.

Speech Therapy

Livie's been in speech therapy now for almost 5 months. She started with her first monthly session back in April and was having them sporatically until now. She has improved in that she will actually say words now. Back in April she would sign, but wouldn't speak. Very rarely even babbled to herself. Just very quiet. Now she'll say Mommy, Daddy, O-ah, Madie, and several other words. But, she's still very delayed for her age. Our first therapist is returning to school, so we have a new therapist now. AND, she's going to start coming weekly. Hooray! Anyway, yesterday was Livie's first session with her new therapist Margaret and WOW! was I completely impressed. I don't want to say anything bad about the first therapist, but it was a completely different approach than the one we're getting now. She was kind of quiet with Livie. Didn't challenge her or engage her a lot. And, the part that was the most upsetting is that her visits were not consistent. Margaret walked in yesterday full of energy and excitement and got Livie really interested in the things she had. She got a bit of history on Olivia to try and see where she was verbally. She started working on her core muscles. She explained that somehow the core muscles are related to our hearing and related to our brains. So, she had Livie do these games where she would be using both sides of her brain to get her to do a task. She would kick the ball, then pick the ball up with her feet and throw it. Or she would have her pick blocks up with one hand and reach across to put them in the bucket. It helped use those core muscles as well as use both sides of her brain like I said. Then she had her take Mr. Potato Head for example and she had to choose what pieces she wanted to put on him. She couldn't just point. She had to attempt to say the word. And, what was so exciting for me is that she actually would attempt it! Even get it right or fairly close to saying it right. She even got Madie and Noah involved by having them play a game with them. Livie had to push the car to them and say "One, Two, Three, GO!", then Madie would do that to Noah and Noah to Margaret. Then Margaret would say, "Who's turn is it?" and Livie would say "Me Tur". It was so great and so cute. Livie only has 5 months left of eligibility. Her sessions end when she turns 3, so I was pretty discouraged when I found this out, knowing how our situation had been with the monthly, sporatic sessions. But, now that we have a really engaging, fun, and knowledgable therapist that will be coming weekly, I have such high hopes for how she'll improve. I'm taking what Margaret's teaching me and using it during the week with Olivia, hoping that now that I have one-on-one time with her, we can focus more on saying things spontaneously. She has to be asked to say the word and won't just do it on her own, with the exception of about 30 words. So, I'm crossing my fingers that by the start of preschool next year, I have a fully verbal little girl. :-)

First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school in Marseilles. :-) Madie started 2nd grade with her teacher Mrs. Blumenshine and Noah started kindergarten with his teacher Mrs. Newberry - who was also Madie's kindergarten teacher. I got up at 6am this morning to make sure I was up and ready to go. The first day of school is always special. Pete takes the morning off and goes with us. The kids get new outfits and we make a big deal out of it for them - especially since this was Noah's first year at the big school. I got them all showered and dressed and they got yummy donuts for a special treat. Then we went outside for pictures. I get a little camera crazy sometimes. I took pictures at our house, at the school, IN the school, etc... I wanted to take pictures of them coming out of school when we went to pick them up, but Pete thought I was going a little too overboard with that, so I left the camera at home. :-)

When we got to the school, they let the parents walk their kids inside to the multi-purpose room where they arrive every morning. All the classes for the whole school meet in there and when the bell rings, they line up and are dismissed by grades. Not sure why they do that, but they do. When we got the kids got to the multi-purpose room, we gave them both hugs and a teacher took them to sit with their classes. A couple friends of Madie's from last year waved at her and said hi. She was really excited to be back. Noah looked a little uncertain, but didn't act too nervous or anything. Livie bawled her eyes out as they walked away and bawled the entire way back to the car. She was soooo sad to leave them. So, Pete came home with us and we had breakfast with her and then she was fine. We watched a movie together and she played with a few toys, then we left to go back and pick up the kids. They only had a half day today, so it was an easy morning for all of us. Tomorrow they start on their full days. Noah too.

When I picked them up, they both said they had a great time! They went around to different places like the gym, playground, buses, etc... and learned the rules for each place. They learned about the new PRIDE ticket system (remember all those thousands of tickets I cut out?). And, they got to see some of the kids that are in their class this year. Noah was most excited about the fact that he didn't come home with homework. I told him that they wouldn't send homework home on the very first day! Now, next week will probably be a different story. ;-) But, sounds like their first day was a big success! And, both are excited about going back tomorrow....YAY! Since tomorrow is their first full day, they'll get to take their new lunchboxes and go to PE and maybe the library and stuff. Can't wait! Noah's most excited about checking out the computer lab. I'm sure they'll have a hard time getting him to leave that place!!

*** Might I add that I have had MANY people come up to me asking if Madie and Noah are twins. Usually at least once a week this happens. Now, I know my Madie is short like me, but Noah is pretty average for his age, so I didn't think much of it. That is, until I looked at the pictures today. I think I finally realized how much alike they are. I think this summer Noah has finally caught up with her and soon Madie's 2 yr age difference will make her look 2 years younger, not older, than Noah. He's going to grow right past her! I'm just crossing my fingers she makes it to 5 foot. ;-)

Kindergarten Round-up

This afternoon was Noah's kindergarten round-up. We got to go to his classroom and drop off all his school supplies. He has the same teacher Madie did, which is great! I used to volunteer in her class weekly when Madie was in there, so I know her pretty well and really feel good about her being his teacher. He was super excited to know that Madie's teacher was going to be HIS teacher. :-) We got some information about his class and he got to do a little cherrio project. They don't have air-conditioning in the school, so even though it was really a pretty day outside, his classroom was pretty warm, so he acted kind of bored with the whole thing. I think he was just hot. But, once we started going around the school and checking things out, he was much more like his old self. He was excited again and anxious to see all the different places. We checked out the big gym where he'll have PE. We went to the multi-purpose room where they'll all gather every morning, before being dismissed to their classrooms. We even got to check out Madie's classroom. Madie has a locker this year, which she thinks is about the coolest thing ever! We met her teacher as well and she seemed very nice. Since her class is on the other side of the school, it's much, much cooler than Noah's room. So, thankfully she won't have to deal with as much of the hotness as poor Noah will. We checked out the music room and library, then headed to the cafeteria for ice cream. I think that was Livie's favorite part! She was pretty excited about all of it though. Noah really enjoyed showing her everything. Madie kind of helped with the tour, since she's an old pro at where everything is.

So, tomorrow is our last day of summer, then school begins on Tues. I've been excited for them to start school again, but as we get closer, I'm getting a little sad to see them go. I've enjoyed our summer together - getting to do fun things, hanging out, spending meals together. Now, it's just going to be me and Livie. I'll still have fun with her and we have lots of fun things planned, but I'll miss my sweet Madie and my sweet Noah when they are in school all day. Noah said to me as we were eating ice cream, "Mommy? Why can't you just stay with me at school?" I told him that I would drop him off and pick him up and that he would get to walk with Madie into school. He said, "Yeah, but, then we have to be separated.". :-( He always has done well with making new friends, but I wonder a little if he's nervous about going when he doesn't really know anyone at all. I'm praying that it's just so fantastic for him, that he loves every minute of it. Noah's such a tough kid that when he gets sad or worried, I get sad and worried too. Hopefully his excitement today will be the same excitement he'll have on Tues. :-) I'll be sure and post all about it!

Sabic Picnic

Every year GE has put on a great picnic for all of its employees. This is the first year they've had it since Sabic took over. I don't know if the change in ownership has changed anything, but BOY was this the best one yet! It was like going to a carnival and only about 100 people were invited. As you can see from the pictures, they had TONS of fun stuff for the kids. In the past they had 5 rides tops. But they had so many to choose from this year. The kids were soooo excited! It was all we could do to make them sit down and eat first. They had a whole bunch of food too - hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads, chips, desserts, etc... We filled up! They we headed out to the play the games. They tried the froggy toss game first and they got some pretty cool prizes. They had a bunch of inflatable things, so Noah got an inflatable baseball and bat and Madie got a beach ball with flowers on it. Livie opted to get plastic animals instead as her prizes, because, ya know, we don't already have a MILLION plastic animals in our house. ;-) hehe Madie and Noah also got finger darts which have been flung all over the house now. Madie also tried the spin art table and made a really pretty swirly design. They we all headed out for the big stuff. They had bouncy gyms, inflatable slides, inflatable slides/obstacle courses, a bouncy boxing gym, a climbing wall, and a velcro wall. Only Madie tried the velcro wall and it was hilarious. She wasn't quite big enough to jump up high, but it was funny to watch her try. Noah tried the climbing wall, but got pretty nervous after he got just a few feet up. But, the slides, gyms, and obstacle courses were tried by all - and by all, I mean ALL! Both Pete and I were with Livie and got to help her climb through things and up the ladders on the giant slides. Honestly, I'm going to miss it when she's big enough to do it herself. It's soo much fun to go down those things!! But, without a 2 yr old as my excuse, can't really allow a 30+ yr old to climb it alone. :-) We took a break after a while and headed in to play some rounds of BINGO. I sucked and won nothing. In all the years we been to these picnics, I have yet to win a single BINGO game. Oh well, they're fun anyway. We sat and played and ate lots of snow cones. Livie and Pete shared 4 between them. 4!!! Livie's lips, tongue, and teeth were, and still are, blue! After that we let the kids go on the things a few more times before calling it a day. We'll find out on Monday if we won any of the door prizes. They were GREAT prizes too! All $50-$100 gift certificates for Menards, Kohls, Sears, restaurants, etc.. I would LOVE to win one - though if my luck at the bingo tables is any hint of my "winability", I don't have much of a chance. Doh! Oh well. It was still a great time and really nice to have Pete home with us again, so we could all be together as a family. :-)

WE MISS YOU DADDY

Pete's been in Toronto on a business trip all week, so we wanted to make a post just for him. .. ..

Madie: I miss you and we were making a campfire and it was fun.

Livie: Hi! Hi. Hi. Yes. Bye!

Noah: Um, I want to say that I found lots of lucky sticks.

All: We love you Daddy!!!

Come home soon honey. We miss you!!

Summer's Over

Well, summer is practically over now. Swim lessons are done, school supplies are bought, and today was the last day of t-ball for Noah. He's had a lot of fun these past 6 weeks. It gave him the opportunity to get out with other kids his age and play outside and learn some new stuff. Today he was able to hit the ball a couple times and he ran the bases really fast. He even got to run after several hits and throw the ball to first base. It's hard to keep his attention on the task at hand - especially when it comes to fielding, but it seemed to be more in the game today than most days. Guess it's because he knew it was his last game. Madie and Livie kept busy collecting rocks and sticks and building a little campfire in the little cluster of trees next to the field. So, while they kept busy doing that, I was able to cheer on Noah and take some good pictures. The end of the game all of us moms with cameras were able to take a group shot of the teams. Then they all got treated to popsicles. Luckily they had enough for all the brothers and sisters of the players, so I didn't have to deal with Madie and Livie being sad about no treats. So, it was a great way to end a fun summer filled with activities from dinosaur camps to VBS to swimming. Now, on to Kindergarten and 2nd grade!!!!!