i can't believe another year is almost up!

This is the cute little onesie my cousin made for him. It is so cute! Prior to picking up my camera, he was smiling at me.

I really remember last year at this time fairly well! It just amazes me for quickly time shot by this year!

Emily got 2 awards at the end of Quarter Award ceremonies. She got Principal's list for all A's and a Perfect Attendance Award. Sydney also got Student of the month of September/October. I didn't make it to her award ceremony because I was trying to get registered to vote.

Last week was rather awful.Karl was gone, the heater was not working for 2 full days, Sydney fell on her way to the bus and did a face plant and did not go to school, the next day she was sent home for a possible case of pink eye, and had to stay home the following day. I had a killer project, and was not sleeping well since Josh was also not sleeping well due to his cold. Poor baby still has the cold! Emily was a little whiny, but over all not too bad. We also found out Karl really does have diabetes. He meets the with doctor next Monday, but until then we are trying to figure out the best approach. I am trying to put my speedy reading skills to good use and go through a few books for him. It is much easier to get through fiction though!

i can't believe another year is almost up!

This is the cute little onesie my cousin made for him. It is so cute! Prior to picking up my camera, he was smiling at me.

I really remember last year at this time fairly well! It just amazes me for quickly time shot by this year!

Emily got 2 awards at the end of Quarter Award ceremonies. She got Principal's list for all A's and a Perfect Attendance Award. Sydney also got Student of the month of September/October. I didn't make it to her award ceremony because I was trying to get registered to vote.

Last week was rather awful.Karl was gone, the heater was not working for 2 full days, Sydney fell on her way to the bus and did a face plant and did not go to school, the next day she was sent home for a possible case of pink eye, and had to stay home the following day. I had a killer project, and was not sleeping well since Josh was also not sleeping well due to his cold. Poor baby still has the cold! Emily was a little whiny, but over all not too bad. We also found out Karl really does have diabetes. He meets the with doctor next Monday, but until then we are trying to figure out the best approach. I am trying to put my speedy reading skills to good use and go through a few books for him. It is much easier to get through fiction though!

Updates

So a lot has changed in 2 weeks. Josh is two months old tomorrow! yeah! He is growing so fast. He has had his first cold and had to sleep in his week for part of the night so he didn't choke. Sydney has struggled at night with coughing/asthma, but is doing well at school. Report card & parent teacher conferences are happening today. I have taken family photos for two families here which is exciting. Maybe some day i will include professional photographer to my repertoire.

The big news is the Karl just got told his blood sugar is out of whack and he has type 2 diabetes. This is crazy news and we have not quite figured out what all this will mean for him.

Updates

So a lot has changed in 2 weeks. Josh is two months old tomorrow! yeah! He is growing so fast. He has had his first cold and had to sleep in his week for part of the night so he didn't choke. Sydney has struggled at night with coughing/asthma, but is doing well at school. Report card & parent teacher conferences are happening today. I have taken family photos for two families here which is exciting. Maybe some day i will include professional photographer to my repertoire.

The big news is the Karl just got told his blood sugar is out of whack and he has type 2 diabetes. This is crazy news and we have not quite figured out what all this will mean for him.

Happy Halloween

Here we are at the Annual Trunk or Treat with Jasmine, a little black cat, and baby Raja, Jasmine's pet tiger. We were suppossed to have another little Jasmine, or a little fairy, but Sydney decided to wear the other costume Grandma Pilz made for her. Note the really cool black wig I made:))

The wig took 2 skeins of yarn, 2 wig caps, 1 mannequin head, some saran wrap, lots of hot glue, 1 burnt finger, and one sewing machine. I should have taken pictures as I went, since I am pretty rpoud of my project. Note to anyone trying to make a yarn wig on a mannequin head, saran wrap is a great idea, but use wax paper if you want to use hot glue. My hot glue melted the saran wrap and stuck to the head. I was glad to have the second cap so I could stick it under the first wig and make it less pricky for princess sensitive skin! Emily looks completely different to me with black hair! She let me put on a little eye makeup so you could see her eye & eyelashes. The hair on the wig goes all the way down to her hips too! Major thanks to Grandma Pilz for making the costume. It was soft enough fabric so she enjoyed wearing it.

Happy Halloween

Here we are at the Annual Trunk or Treat with Jasmine, a little black cat, and baby Raja, Jasmine's pet tiger. We were suppossed to have another little Jasmine, or a little fairy, but Sydney decided to wear the other costume Grandma Pilz made for her. Note the really cool black wig I made:))

The wig took 2 skeins of yarn, 2 wig caps, 1 mannequin head, some saran wrap, lots of hot glue, 1 burnt finger, and one sewing machine. I should have taken pictures as I went, since I am pretty rpoud of my project. Note to anyone trying to make a yarn wig on a mannequin head, saran wrap is a great idea, but use wax paper if you want to use hot glue. My hot glue melted the saran wrap and stuck to the head. I was glad to have the second cap so I could stick it under the first wig and make it less pricky for princess sensitive skin! Emily looks completely different to me with black hair! She let me put on a little eye makeup so you could see her eye & eyelashes. The hair on the wig goes all the way down to her hips too! Major thanks to Grandma Pilz for making the costume. It was soft enough fabric so she enjoyed wearing it.

Art Show & First smiles

Yesterday we went to Emily's first (hopefully of many) art show. She was chosen along with 3 other students from her school to be part of an Art Show for Suffolk Public Schools. Her assignment was to draw a scarecrow (They were discussing making bodies and the shapes that are in the body. They were also supposed to include their favorite fruits and vegetables from the garden. She included carrots, watermelon, tomatoes, sunflowers, and zinnias. She also made the scarecrow a tiger.

She also is headed to school wearing a hat she made herself. Today is Crazy Hat Day. Carmen Miranda comes to mind! The hat is all fruit.



Josh is getting really big and strong. Yesterday I was holding him and he was awake and happy. We made eye contact, I smiled at him and talked to him, and he smiled back at me. I was so much fun!! He is till colicky at night, and I hope that goes away soon, but it is so wonderful to see him changing right before my eyes!

Art Show & First smiles

Yesterday we went to Emily's first (hopefully of many) art show. She was chosen along with 3 other students from her school to be part of an Art Show for Suffolk Public Schools. Her assignment was to draw a scarecrow (They were discussing making bodies and the shapes that are in the body. They were also supposed to include their favorite fruits and vegetables from the garden. She included carrots, watermelon, tomatoes, sunflowers, and zinnias. She also made the scarecrow a tiger.

She also is headed to school wearing a hat she made herself. Today is Crazy Hat Day. Carmen Miranda comes to mind! The hat is all fruit.



Josh is getting really big and strong. Yesterday I was holding him and he was awake and happy. We made eye contact, I smiled at him and talked to him, and he smiled back at me. I was so much fun!! He is till colicky at night, and I hope that goes away soon, but it is so wonderful to see him changing right before my eyes!

Sleepwalking

So apparently I have a incorrectly programmed baby. While I have no desire to exchange or return my little guy, I'd like a manual to reprogram him. Something about 3-5am is really exciting for him and he likes to wake up and be up at that time. He alternates between being really fussy and just being up. Two nights ago, he was great and slept through the night. I thought to myself Yeah probelm is solved! Silly me! Yesterday on cue at 3am he was up. I tried nursing him back to sleep. No dice. I changed his diaper & tried again. Still no deal. Then Sydney woke up and was coughing. I woke up Karl to deal with her, and though when he got back, maybe he would take him for a little while. It isn't really fair to ask that since I can nap during the day, so that didn't fly far either.

So I thought why not take him for a walk in the baby bjorn. He likes that, and I am sick of pacing the living room. If I have to be up, why not get some exercise in while I'm at it. So we walked up and down the street and headed out into the rest of the neighborhood, singing all the way. Abby and Carrie (my two cats) came with me. Occasionally they stopped and waited for me to turn around, but I had company. Finally he fell asleep. I came back inside, and saw his little eyes open up. Arrgh. So I went off the try & nurse him to sleep in the rocker. No deal. I tried the swing, I fell asleep Josh didn't. I tired lying down with him in bed, nope. Then the cats brought in a mouse & it woke up Karl. We saved the mouse. Karl had Josh, I got the mouse. Finally it was 4 minutes before Karl's alarm went off, so he took Josh and brought him back 20 minutes later after letting him cry himself to sleep in his arms.

The girls have headed off to school, and my little guy is sleeping in his swing. (He loves the thing during the day, it is just nights that it isn't all that popular) My plan is to take a nap!

So how do I get him to stay awake more during the day so he will sleep at night, or at least wake up, eat, and go back to sleep like he will do cheerfully during the daytime?

Sleepwalking

So apparently I have a incorrectly programmed baby. While I have no desire to exchange or return my little guy, I'd like a manual to reprogram him. Something about 3-5am is really exciting for him and he likes to wake up and be up at that time. He alternates between being really fussy and just being up. Two nights ago, he was great and slept through the night. I thought to myself Yeah probelm is solved! Silly me! Yesterday on cue at 3am he was up. I tried nursing him back to sleep. No dice. I changed his diaper & tried again. Still no deal. Then Sydney woke up and was coughing. I woke up Karl to deal with her, and though when he got back, maybe he would take him for a little while. It isn't really fair to ask that since I can nap during the day, so that didn't fly far either.

So I thought why not take him for a walk in the baby bjorn. He likes that, and I am sick of pacing the living room. If I have to be up, why not get some exercise in while I'm at it. So we walked up and down the street and headed out into the rest of the neighborhood, singing all the way. Abby and Carrie (my two cats) came with me. Occasionally they stopped and waited for me to turn around, but I had company. Finally he fell asleep. I came back inside, and saw his little eyes open up. Arrgh. So I went off the try & nurse him to sleep in the rocker. No deal. I tried the swing, I fell asleep Josh didn't. I tired lying down with him in bed, nope. Then the cats brought in a mouse & it woke up Karl. We saved the mouse. Karl had Josh, I got the mouse. Finally it was 4 minutes before Karl's alarm went off, so he took Josh and brought him back 20 minutes later after letting him cry himself to sleep in his arms.

The girls have headed off to school, and my little guy is sleeping in his swing. (He loves the thing during the day, it is just nights that it isn't all that popular) My plan is to take a nap!

So how do I get him to stay awake more during the day so he will sleep at night, or at least wake up, eat, and go back to sleep like he will do cheerfully during the daytime?

Heavenbound

Emily was concerned tonight after we read our scripture story ( the focus was on obedience, and returning to Heavenly Father) because she wanted to know what would happen to our house & all her stuff when we left it to "return to Heavenly Father".

Not wanting to dive into a lengthy explanation that would make her upset because we would end up talking about death, we veered off to another sticky topic, the fact that stuffed animals won't go to Heaven with her. But we fudged by saying that real tigers would not eat meat, and she could play with them. How do you explain "You can't take it with you to a 6 year old."

Heavenbound

Emily was concerned tonight after we read our scripture story ( the focus was on obedience, and returning to Heavenly Father) because she wanted to know what would happen to our house & all her stuff when we left it to "return to Heavenly Father".

Not wanting to dive into a lengthy explanation that would make her upset because we would end up talking about death, we veered off to another sticky topic, the fact that stuffed animals won't go to Heaven with her. But we fudged by saying that real tigers would not eat meat, and she could play with them. How do you explain "You can't take it with you to a 6 year old."

4 Weeks Tomorrow

So far the past 4 weeks have really flown by. This week was the hardest. My mother-in-law left last Sunday, and Monday was a big shock. Not only was there no fun companion to talk to during the day, I had to do it all myself. Yikes! By the end of the week I thought I was getting things a little more under control, although the house is not as tidy as it was last week, but apparently I was not looking so hot since Sydney's bus driver wanted to know if I was headed back in for a nap Friday morning. I was!

Well, Josh isn't crying right now, and is in fact sleeping. So I am going to pretend that will last for a little while longer and go to bed myself!

4 Weeks Tomorrow

So far the past 4 weeks have really flown by. This week was the hardest. My mother-in-law left last Sunday, and Monday was a big shock. Not only was there no fun companion to talk to during the day, I had to do it all myself. Yikes! By the end of the week I thought I was getting things a little more under control, although the house is not as tidy as it was last week, but apparently I was not looking so hot since Sydney's bus driver wanted to know if I was headed back in for a nap Friday morning. I was!

Well, Josh isn't crying right now, and is in fact sleeping. So I am going to pretend that will last for a little while longer and go to bed myself!

Happy little Piglet!

Josh had his 2 week check up on Monday, and I was surprised to discover that he had gained 1lb 5oz since his check up 4 days after he was born. He also grew 1/2 an inch. All was well on his end, except of course he did not like the appointment very much and cried throughout his exam. Poor little guy! He was blessed this past Sunday so at least one grandmother could be here to see it, and it was a lovely blessing. Karl and his mom are struggling with colds and we are hoping with a little rest both will get better!

Happy little Piglet!

Josh had his 2 week check up on Monday, and I was surprised to discover that he had gained 1lb 5oz since his check up 4 days after he was born. He also grew 1/2 an inch. All was well on his end, except of course he did not like the appointment very much and cried throughout his exam. Poor little guy! He was blessed this past Sunday so at least one grandmother could be here to see it, and it was a lovely blessing. Karl and his mom are struggling with colds and we are hoping with a little rest both will get better!

What a night

So last night we learned 3 things. Sydney has croup & asthma. The local ER clinic is wonderful. Joshua does not like it if I drink soda. (I had a nasty headache and killed it with my favorite combo-cola & lots of tylenol, but it was not well received.)

I was watching a movie last night with Karl and his mom and Josh. Josh was cranky, and finally we toddled off to my room to try and get him asleep. Karl & his mom finished the movie then heard Sydney upstairs coughing. We gave her a hit of Albuterol, but it didn't seem to work well, and so they went to the ER. Karl said by the time they got to the ER (5 minute drive) she was breathing better, but I am glad we did it since we have never had a doctor hear her in the middle of one of these episodes. The doctors gave her a nebulizer treatment, and some oral steroids to help her breathing settle down. They got back home & got Sydney settled in to bed around 1am. She coughed some more during the night, but seems much better this morning. Thr croup is contagious, but not too serious since there is no fever, and she is downright chipper! We just have to keep her from hanging on Josh, which she does pretty well by herself. She can't got to Primary tomorrow, and should be fine for school on Monday. Josh, once he finally fell asleep was wonderful for the rest of the night.

What a night

So last night we learned 3 things. Sydney has croup & asthma. The local ER clinic is wonderful. Joshua does not like it if I drink soda. (I had a nasty headache and killed it with my favorite combo-cola & lots of tylenol, but it was not well received.)

I was watching a movie last night with Karl and his mom and Josh. Josh was cranky, and finally we toddled off to my room to try and get him asleep. Karl & his mom finished the movie then heard Sydney upstairs coughing. We gave her a hit of Albuterol, but it didn't seem to work well, and so they went to the ER. Karl said by the time they got to the ER (5 minute drive) she was breathing better, but I am glad we did it since we have never had a doctor hear her in the middle of one of these episodes. The doctors gave her a nebulizer treatment, and some oral steroids to help her breathing settle down. They got back home & got Sydney settled in to bed around 1am. She coughed some more during the night, but seems much better this morning. Thr croup is contagious, but not too serious since there is no fever, and she is downright chipper! We just have to keep her from hanging on Josh, which she does pretty well by herself. She can't got to Primary tomorrow, and should be fine for school on Monday. Josh, once he finally fell asleep was wonderful for the rest of the night.

Doing well

So Josh is now a week old, and doing very nicely! He is getting a little chubbier around his cheeks and chin and is sleeping better at night now instead of staying awake from 12-3am. His sisters are doing very well having him home. Emily has complimented me on my tummy shrinking, but wants to know why it isn't small yet. I do too! I secretly hoped that under my very large belly lurked the body of supermodel which would magically reveal itself post delivery. Alas, my love of all things sweet has again proven to be my downfall. My supermodel body is currently hiding, but would be happy to reveal itself with just a bit more effort on my part!

Before Josh came, I had been stressing about dealing with a newborn. I had complained to friends that the newborn stage terrified me, and I really started enjoying them when they were a little bit less fragile. I had forgotten how much I love watching them sleep. I love the funny little faces they make, the way they stretch when they wake up, the way they smell after a bath, and all those uniquely newborn things. I also love that they sleep almost all day! So for now I am happy to snuggle with my little munchkin as he is sleeping and enjoy the quiet time during the day while the girls are at school!

Doing well

So Josh is now a week old, and doing very nicely! He is getting a little chubbier around his cheeks and chin and is sleeping better at night now instead of staying awake from 12-3am. His sisters are doing very well having him home. Emily has complimented me on my tummy shrinking, but wants to know why it isn't small yet. I do too! I secretly hoped that under my very large belly lurked the body of supermodel which would magically reveal itself post delivery. Alas, my love of all things sweet has again proven to be my downfall. My supermodel body is currently hiding, but would be happy to reveal itself with just a bit more effort on my part!

Before Josh came, I had been stressing about dealing with a newborn. I had complained to friends that the newborn stage terrified me, and I really started enjoying them when they were a little bit less fragile. I had forgotten how much I love watching them sleep. I love the funny little faces they make, the way they stretch when they wake up, the way they smell after a bath, and all those uniquely newborn things. I also love that they sleep almost all day! So for now I am happy to snuggle with my little munchkin as he is sleeping and enjoy the quiet time during the day while the girls are at school!

Joshua Edward Pilz is finally here!

Monday the 15th at 4:32pm, Josh was born. he weighed in at 8lbs almost 11 oz (10.8) and 21.5 inches long. Labor went really well once it got started. Just like with the girls, I had false labor a few days earlier. I went in to the hospital on Tuesday thinking it was the real deal, and it really quite convincing, but I never got past a 3 so they sent me home assuring me it would happen any day now. I went walking almost everyday at the YMCA hoping he would just fall out due to my friend gravity, but no luck. At my appointment on Friday, I was at a 4, but not having regular contractions, so I went home again this time sure it would happen over the weekend.

On Monday, Mom (who sweetly came Thursday responding to my distress call Tuesday) and I planned to go stroller shopping. But as I was getting out of the shower, my water broke. So, that ended the shopping trip, but yeah it brought home Karl from work and I finally got admitted to the hospital.

Just like with Sydney, despite water breaking, I wasn't having hard contractions for the first 2 hours. I was in pain from my hip so asked to get my lovely epidural in before things really got rolling since I was at a 5 when I was checked in. After a few hours at the hospital we decided to start the pitoccin to get the ball rolling. That ramped things up quite nicely, and so an hour or so later, my wonderful doctor came to check me again, and did something magical with her exam which took me from an "Oh this isn't comfy, but I can still watch a movie in between contractions" status to "Oh my gosh, I'm having a baby RIGHT NOW." After a few minutes to get ready and set up, I was off and pushing and he was born after only a few pushes.

The girls came by with Mom that evening to see him. Both girls oohed and ahhed over him which was really fun! They seemed shocked at how cute & how small he was. However when asked if they wanted to hold him, they back pedaled away as fast as possible! Sydney just shock her head, but Emily, being her funny self, replied "I'm not big enough. Maybe when I am 12" That just made me laugh! It did not occur to her that when she is 12 her 6 year old brother probably won't want to sit on her lap:)

They kept me there in the hospital until today, partially because they like to keep new moms 48 hours, but mostly because they were concerned about his "large" size and whether or not he would have blood sugar issues at the 40 hour point. I thought he was normal size for one of my munchkins, but they have a better safe than sorry policy I guess. We scampered home a few hours earlier after promising we would take him to the doctor on Friday. Not that he ever had any issues with his vital signs, but, oh well. He is happy to nurse, doesn't cry too much, which I am sure will change very soon!

So now we are all home & very happy, if very tired. Mom has a link on flickr for some very cute pictures that she took at the hospital. click here

Joshua Edward Pilz is finally here!

Monday the 15th at 4:32pm, Josh was born. he weighed in at 8lbs almost 11 oz (10.8) and 21.5 inches long. Labor went really well once it got started. Just like with the girls, I had false labor a few days earlier. I went in to the hospital on Tuesday thinking it was the real deal, and it really quite convincing, but I never got past a 3 so they sent me home assuring me it would happen any day now. I went walking almost everyday at the YMCA hoping he would just fall out due to my friend gravity, but no luck. At my appointment on Friday, I was at a 4, but not having regular contractions, so I went home again this time sure it would happen over the weekend.

On Monday, Mom (who sweetly came Thursday responding to my distress call Tuesday) and I planned to go stroller shopping. But as I was getting out of the shower, my water broke. So, that ended the shopping trip, but yeah it brought home Karl from work and I finally got admitted to the hospital.

Just like with Sydney, despite water breaking, I wasn't having hard contractions for the first 2 hours. I was in pain from my hip so asked to get my lovely epidural in before things really got rolling since I was at a 5 when I was checked in. After a few hours at the hospital we decided to start the pitoccin to get the ball rolling. That ramped things up quite nicely, and so an hour or so later, my wonderful doctor came to check me again, and did something magical with her exam which took me from an "Oh this isn't comfy, but I can still watch a movie in between contractions" status to "Oh my gosh, I'm having a baby RIGHT NOW." After a few minutes to get ready and set up, I was off and pushing and he was born after only a few pushes.

The girls came by with Mom that evening to see him. Both girls oohed and ahhed over him which was really fun! They seemed shocked at how cute & how small he was. However when asked if they wanted to hold him, they back pedaled away as fast as possible! Sydney just shock her head, but Emily, being her funny self, replied "I'm not big enough. Maybe when I am 12" That just made me laugh! It did not occur to her that when she is 12 her 6 year old brother probably won't want to sit on her lap:)

They kept me there in the hospital until today, partially because they like to keep new moms 48 hours, but mostly because they were concerned about his "large" size and whether or not he would have blood sugar issues at the 40 hour point. I thought he was normal size for one of my munchkins, but they have a better safe than sorry policy I guess. We scampered home a few hours earlier after promising we would take him to the doctor on Friday. Not that he ever had any issues with his vital signs, but, oh well. He is happy to nurse, doesn't cry too much, which I am sure will change very soon!

So now we are all home & very happy, if very tired. Mom has a link on flickr for some very cute pictures that she took at the hospital. click here

School Days are here again!

This morning Emily and Sydney were up and dressed and finished eating their cereal at 6:45. We picked out outfits last night, and I started getting lunches ready then. I was hoping to sleep in until 7am, but instead we got rolling as a family at 6:45! Emily had her backpack on at 7:00 and did not understand why I would ever suggest that maybe it could wait another hour until the bus was in our neighborhood.

So we brushed hair, double checked backpacks, added some clothes to Sydney's bag, brushed teeth, finished lunches and read two stories to kill some time. I went upstairs to get my camera, and got sidetracked on hunting down my sneakers so when I heard a bus rumble up around 8 am, I was surprised. Luckily I was downstairs, saw the route number and yelled for Sydney to come get on the bus. Very nice! So she came running down, I chatted with the bus drive about normal route times, since her route was the one I could not find in the paper, and took a few quick pictures. She was a tiny bit nervous at first, but not terribly nervous. I think riding the bus last year helped her out a lot! Our only major mistake today, other than not being outside, was forgetting to stick her name tag around her neck. I hope the bus driver catches that before she gets to school!

Emily of course was outside when Sydney left with her lunch box in hand. We waited the 10 more minutes and the neighborhood kids and their parents all waited taking pictures and laughing about the first day of school. Our cats were out amusing all the other kids, and everyone was excited. Emily was probably more nervous about the bus ride than Sydney was, but as soon as it came, she got in line and marched on the bus to find a seat. One quick wave, and she was off! After the bus drove away, on other the other moms started to cheer. Oddly enough, it was harder to see your kids get on the bus, than it was to take them to school and walk them to class. I wonder why!

School Days are here again!

This morning Emily and Sydney were up and dressed and finished eating their cereal at 6:45. We picked out outfits last night, and I started getting lunches ready then. I was hoping to sleep in until 7am, but instead we got rolling as a family at 6:45! Emily had her backpack on at 7:00 and did not understand why I would ever suggest that maybe it could wait another hour until the bus was in our neighborhood.

So we brushed hair, double checked backpacks, added some clothes to Sydney's bag, brushed teeth, finished lunches and read two stories to kill some time. I went upstairs to get my camera, and got sidetracked on hunting down my sneakers so when I heard a bus rumble up around 8 am, I was surprised. Luckily I was downstairs, saw the route number and yelled for Sydney to come get on the bus. Very nice! So she came running down, I chatted with the bus drive about normal route times, since her route was the one I could not find in the paper, and took a few quick pictures. She was a tiny bit nervous at first, but not terribly nervous. I think riding the bus last year helped her out a lot! Our only major mistake today, other than not being outside, was forgetting to stick her name tag around her neck. I hope the bus driver catches that before she gets to school!

Emily of course was outside when Sydney left with her lunch box in hand. We waited the 10 more minutes and the neighborhood kids and their parents all waited taking pictures and laughing about the first day of school. Our cats were out amusing all the other kids, and everyone was excited. Emily was probably more nervous about the bus ride than Sydney was, but as soon as it came, she got in line and marched on the bus to find a seat. One quick wave, and she was off! After the bus drove away, on other the other moms started to cheer. Oddly enough, it was harder to see your kids get on the bus, than it was to take them to school and walk them to class. I wonder why!

Hanging in there

It is down to the final few weeks before the baby comes (2 and a half weeks left), and so far we are doing alright. Yesterday Karl and I made a big push to get our bedroom clean. Emily had pointed out on a few occasions when we asked them to clean their room that ours was not a shining example of tidiness. Well, it is not quite perfect, but it is a HUGE improvement! Yeah us! We also got the girls to get their room clean. They finished off the last little bit with some micromanagement from Karl. They are pretty proud of themselves, but that pride never seems to care over until the next round of toys come out, so here's hoping it works.

The baby's room is not quite done. The room is painted, and it just needs to be decorated now. The crib & changing table are both us, I have everything I need in the room, but it just isn't really cute yet. So that is the goal for this week. I had forgotten how much my cats love changing tables & cribs. Apparently they are the best cat beds ever! So I am going back & forth between keeping the door to the room closed, and using my lint roller. When April & Caleb visited last week, Caleb got the crib, and he had no major complaints, but it needed to be de-furred before he could use it:) Sadly we also discovered that when Caleb is here in that room, the girls are more than happy to suggest to April that he play in that room with the BABY toys (translation...Get out of our stuff squirt!!). They even went so far as to politely shut the door once he was back in his designated area. Poor Josh. They have already moved all the artwork up on the fridge so it is out of baby height. I tried telling them that for the first few months, Josh won't be able to stand let alone crawl so their stuff really isn't in danger right away, but that didn't seem to impress them very much.

Mentally I am not exactly ready to deal with a newborn, but physically I am all for it. I guess the master plan is to make you unhappy enough with the last month of pregnancy that labor & delivery really doesn't seem that bad at all. In fact you are down right excited to go through it just so you can have your body back.

We also meet both the girls teacher on Thursday at their orientations and I like them all. Emily's teacher seem very nice, and I did warn her a little bit about some potential quirks. She doesn't have too many repeat friends from last year in her class, but then we didn't actually get a chance to see everyone in the class. Emily is beyond excited about school starting. Every morning I get a new daily count down.

Sydney will be riding the bus to her school (Logistically getting both girls to school that start at the same time was a little overwhelming, and since they offer and prefer busing for her preschool, we are going for it. Since she gets to ride the bus, I had to agree to Emily riding the bus as well.) The kicker will be that I was usually waltzing into school a few minutes before 9 last year. It will be more of a challenge to be ready for an 8:15 bus! I hope they can help me out until I am used to the new routine as they are such morning people and I am not! Sydney is also thrilled about school because her teacher has horses in the play area! She just loves playing with horses right now! I am worried about the nap-time hour in her class. She has not napped in 2 years. I took away naps because she would stay up until 9 or 10 with a nap. We will have to see how that part of school goes. Just 2 more days!! Yeah!!!

Hanging in there

It is down to the final few weeks before the baby comes (2 and a half weeks left), and so far we are doing alright. Yesterday Karl and I made a big push to get our bedroom clean. Emily had pointed out on a few occasions when we asked them to clean their room that ours was not a shining example of tidiness. Well, it is not quite perfect, but it is a HUGE improvement! Yeah us! We also got the girls to get their room clean. They finished off the last little bit with some micromanagement from Karl. They are pretty proud of themselves, but that pride never seems to care over until the next round of toys come out, so here's hoping it works.

The baby's room is not quite done. The room is painted, and it just needs to be decorated now. The crib & changing table are both us, I have everything I need in the room, but it just isn't really cute yet. So that is the goal for this week. I had forgotten how much my cats love changing tables & cribs. Apparently they are the best cat beds ever! So I am going back & forth between keeping the door to the room closed, and using my lint roller. When April & Caleb visited last week, Caleb got the crib, and he had no major complaints, but it needed to be de-furred before he could use it:) Sadly we also discovered that when Caleb is here in that room, the girls are more than happy to suggest to April that he play in that room with the BABY toys (translation...Get out of our stuff squirt!!). They even went so far as to politely shut the door once he was back in his designated area. Poor Josh. They have already moved all the artwork up on the fridge so it is out of baby height. I tried telling them that for the first few months, Josh won't be able to stand let alone crawl so their stuff really isn't in danger right away, but that didn't seem to impress them very much.

Mentally I am not exactly ready to deal with a newborn, but physically I am all for it. I guess the master plan is to make you unhappy enough with the last month of pregnancy that labor & delivery really doesn't seem that bad at all. In fact you are down right excited to go through it just so you can have your body back.

We also meet both the girls teacher on Thursday at their orientations and I like them all. Emily's teacher seem very nice, and I did warn her a little bit about some potential quirks. She doesn't have too many repeat friends from last year in her class, but then we didn't actually get a chance to see everyone in the class. Emily is beyond excited about school starting. Every morning I get a new daily count down.

Sydney will be riding the bus to her school (Logistically getting both girls to school that start at the same time was a little overwhelming, and since they offer and prefer busing for her preschool, we are going for it. Since she gets to ride the bus, I had to agree to Emily riding the bus as well.) The kicker will be that I was usually waltzing into school a few minutes before 9 last year. It will be more of a challenge to be ready for an 8:15 bus! I hope they can help me out until I am used to the new routine as they are such morning people and I am not! Sydney is also thrilled about school because her teacher has horses in the play area! She just loves playing with horses right now! I am worried about the nap-time hour in her class. She has not napped in 2 years. I took away naps because she would stay up until 9 or 10 with a nap. We will have to see how that part of school goes. Just 2 more days!! Yeah!!!

Hiccups

So what makes a baby get the hiccups anyway? I get them when I eat too fast, but it's not like this baby can even eat yet! He hasn't even been born! He has not come close to Emily's record of 3 days straight, but he gets them a lot!

Hiccups

So what makes a baby get the hiccups anyway? I get them when I eat too fast, but it's not like this baby can even eat yet! He hasn't even been born! He has not come close to Emily's record of 3 days straight, but he gets them a lot!

Bet you didn't know this

"Some buggers stick to my skin and become skin!"

This was said by Sydney in all earnestness after giving her a pointed look at catching her mining for a particularly deep piece of gold.

Bet you didn't know this

"Some buggers stick to my skin and become skin!"

This was said by Sydney in all earnestness after giving her a pointed look at catching her mining for a particularly deep piece of gold.

Beasty Breakfast

I really should have Karl blog about this since he took the girls and I was at home but...Saturday the Virginia Zoo was having a special members only event where you got to wander the zoo at breakfast time before it was open to the general population. The girls had a wonderful time, especially at the lion cages. The young lions were especially playful and the male lion was about 4 inches away from Emily on the other side of the bars. They also love visiting the prairie dogs. Except that when Sydney mentioned she wanted to go see the prairie dogs, Emily said "You mean the fairy dogs?" Who knew they had a different name!

This is one of the funniest pictures Karl took. (Sadly my camera was home with me so this was taken by his phone) I have no idea what exactly was going through Emily's mind when she smiled, but it makes me laugh.

Beasty Breakfast

I really should have Karl blog about this since he took the girls and I was at home but...Saturday the Virginia Zoo was having a special members only event where you got to wander the zoo at breakfast time before it was open to the general population. The girls had a wonderful time, especially at the lion cages. The young lions were especially playful and the male lion was about 4 inches away from Emily on the other side of the bars. They also love visiting the prairie dogs. Except that when Sydney mentioned she wanted to go see the prairie dogs, Emily said "You mean the fairy dogs?" Who knew they had a different name!

This is one of the funniest pictures Karl took. (Sadly my camera was home with me so this was taken by his phone) I have no idea what exactly was going through Emily's mind when she smiled, but it makes me laugh.

Superhero capes sewing project

I finally finished the superhero capes!! I started these about a month and a half ago. Yikes, but oh well, they are finally finished. I wanted to chose fabric that would go with their existing princess dresses, yellow & pink for Emily & blue and purple for Sydney, but at the store Emily insisted on getting red for Snow White. She does not actually have a Snow White costume, but I guess that didn't factor into her decision.

I needed to assemble the capes so both sides were wearable, and not scratchy using so velcro was out, and ribbons seemed like a bad idea. I found a link on another blog that I borrowed the general shape and crown idea ftom, but once I downloaded their template, I had to tweak it in illustrator just to make it a little crisper. Yup, I have accepted the OCD in me!

I printed out the crown, cut it out on double sided fusible web, added that to the cape, satin stitched it down, then assembled the cape, pressed, and topstiched them. Next I made a buttonhole and sewed on two button on the cape so you can use either side. I thought of that little adaption all by myself! I am so proud of that! It lets the cape get past the picky police. But I should have made Emily's button hole a little bigger, since she is still not great at doing buttons and hers is a little snug. I made the buttonhole before I bought the buttons. (A classic faux pas) I thought I had some round white ones laying around, but never found them so got some colored hearts that worked, but are a little tricker to get through the hole.

After I finished Emily's cape, she immediately mentioned that she wanted jewels on hers. Well, that would have been nice to know before I sewed both sides together. So she is campaigning for a trip to Michael's to buy some jewels to glue on her crown. Maybe if they get their room clean....

Superhero capes sewing project

I finally finished the superhero capes!! I started these about a month and a half ago. Yikes, but oh well, they are finally finished. I wanted to chose fabric that would go with their existing princess dresses, yellow & pink for Emily & blue and purple for Sydney, but at the store Emily insisted on getting red for Snow White. She does not actually have a Snow White costume, but I guess that didn't factor into her decision.

I needed to assemble the capes so both sides were wearable, and not scratchy using so velcro was out, and ribbons seemed like a bad idea. I found a link on another blog that I borrowed the general shape and crown idea ftom, but once I downloaded their template, I had to tweak it in illustrator just to make it a little crisper. Yup, I have accepted the OCD in me!

I printed out the crown, cut it out on double sided fusible web, added that to the cape, satin stitched it down, then assembled the cape, pressed, and topstiched them. Next I made a buttonhole and sewed on two button on the cape so you can use either side. I thought of that little adaption all by myself! I am so proud of that! It lets the cape get past the picky police. But I should have made Emily's button hole a little bigger, since she is still not great at doing buttons and hers is a little snug. I made the buttonhole before I bought the buttons. (A classic faux pas) I thought I had some round white ones laying around, but never found them so got some colored hearts that worked, but are a little tricker to get through the hole.

After I finished Emily's cape, she immediately mentioned that she wanted jewels on hers. Well, that would have been nice to know before I sewed both sides together. So she is campaigning for a trip to Michael's to buy some jewels to glue on her crown. Maybe if they get their room clean....

Feeling blue!

Emily got glasses about a month ago for reading. About two weeks ago she misplaced them. I can't find them anywhere. They were in the closet in her old room, but when we moved rooms they seem to have disappeared. My friend Jill helped me move the closet stuff around and she remembers putting them into the new bedroom, but the trail ends there. Emily does not know where she had them last, and thinks we should just get a new pair. I did explain that they were expensive, so that isn't really an option right now. So basically she had them in her possession 2 weeks. The warrantee we got for them covers all damages, but not loss or theft. I have not given up, but feel pretty gloomy at this point.

Feeling blue!

Emily got glasses about a month ago for reading. About two weeks ago she misplaced them. I can't find them anywhere. They were in the closet in her old room, but when we moved rooms they seem to have disappeared. My friend Jill helped me move the closet stuff around and she remembers putting them into the new bedroom, but the trail ends there. Emily does not know where she had them last, and thinks we should just get a new pair. I did explain that they were expensive, so that isn't really an option right now. So basically she had them in her possession 2 weeks. The warrantee we got for them covers all damages, but not loss or theft. I have not given up, but feel pretty gloomy at this point.

Snoring tips

I was lying in bed the other night, unable to fall asleep as has been my usual for the last few months, and beside me Karl was blissfully sleeping and snoring away. I nudged him once or twice, tried to ignore it for about 15 minutes, then gave up. I shook him again and said "Karl you are snoring." Normally when I tell him that, he grunts and rolls over and stops, for at least a few minutes. This time he replied, "so tell me to stop." (Now why didn't I think of that!) He didn't stop, didn't roll over, and just kept snoring away. I finally fell asleep a little while later after I just got used to the noise. When I told him about it the next day, he just laughed and laughed and didn't remember it at all. I think it is funny now, but I was a little annoyed right then.

Snoring tips

I was lying in bed the other night, unable to fall asleep as has been my usual for the last few months, and beside me Karl was blissfully sleeping and snoring away. I nudged him once or twice, tried to ignore it for about 15 minutes, then gave up. I shook him again and said "Karl you are snoring." Normally when I tell him that, he grunts and rolls over and stops, for at least a few minutes. This time he replied, "so tell me to stop." (Now why didn't I think of that!) He didn't stop, didn't roll over, and just kept snoring away. I finally fell asleep a little while later after I just got used to the noise. When I told him about it the next day, he just laughed and laughed and didn't remember it at all. I think it is funny now, but I was a little annoyed right then.

Painting is done!

Yeah! The room is finally painted and we are just getting started bring the crib, changing table, bassinet, etc from the attic to get it all set up. It is pretty exciting. I have one or two display shelves that I am considering painting, but right now I am pretty sick of the smell or paint! No new pictures yet, maybe tomorrow.

Painting is done!

Yeah! The room is finally painted and we are just getting started bring the crib, changing table, bassinet, etc from the attic to get it all set up. It is pretty exciting. I have one or two display shelves that I am considering painting, but right now I am pretty sick of the smell or paint! No new pictures yet, maybe tomorrow.

Not a huge baseball fan but...

I absolutely love this song! JustinRoberts.org/popfly

We listen to kids music in the car most of the time.  I actually am starting to like several different artists, and this particular song gets stuck in my head and I don't even mind it.  I was even looking at the iTunes store thinking about buying his album, but didn't yet. So I was especially pleased to see that the artist, Justin Roberts has a video on his website of this song, so when I get it stuck in my head I can get it out again by listening to it. Of course the girls love music on the computer so now that they now I have certain songs, they ask to hear them again & again.

When school starts, I will switch back to my favorite stations again once they are out of the car. he he!

Not a huge baseball fan but...

I absolutely love this song! JustinRoberts.org/popfly

We listen to kids music in the car most of the time.  I actually am starting to like several different artists, and this particular song gets stuck in my head and I don't even mind it.  I was even looking at the iTunes store thinking about buying his album, but didn't yet. So I was especially pleased to see that the artist, Justin Roberts has a video on his website of this song, so when I get it stuck in my head I can get it out again by listening to it. Of course the girls love music on the computer so now that they now I have certain songs, they ask to hear them again & again.

When school starts, I will switch back to my favorite stations again once they are out of the car. he he!

Funny Quote

So last night at dinner (and of course we had friends over to witness this) Karl noticed Sydney bouncing all around as he was getting her dessert so he asked her if she needed to go to the bathroom.  She replied " I'm not grabbing my bottom, I was just touching it."

Funny Quote

So last night at dinner (and of course we had friends over to witness this) Karl noticed Sydney bouncing all around as he was getting her dessert so he asked her if she needed to go to the bathroom.  She replied " I'm not grabbing my bottom, I was just touching it."

Emily Update

And now Emily is in tears because she misses the pink in her room and wants to know why little boys don't like pink.  Argh. I can't win.

Emily Update

And now Emily is in tears because she misses the pink in her room and wants to know why little boys don't like pink.  Argh. I can't win.

Baby's Room Update

Before-Saturday Night

After-This afternoon

So far things are going well. I have 2 coats of paint in the room so the pink seems to be gone on the walls, and cut in the edges and trim. I am also out of my gallon of paint, so I am on hold with yellow paint for now. I still have the closet and the closet doors to tackle, then any little shelves that need to be painted to match the room. I also want to replace a strip of quarter round moulding that seems to be ruined by water damage. Not sure how it happened or when exactly as it is fairly recent, but it could have been a wet towel left on the floor, or a spilled sippy cup.

So now a survey for everyone out there.... Would you rather have a white closet or a painted closet?

When we bought the house each and every closet was painted. What was wrong with the default white?? I like plain closets! Since the house had some wild & bright colors, most have since been repainted. This means that the girls' room, which was pink when we bought it, had a pink closet. I skipped painting that one since I was in a major time crunch and their room was painted a lighter pink so a darker pink closet was not really a big issue. But pink & yellow don't work so well for me :) I can paint it white now (I should have enough white paint to do this after I prime the pink) or paint it yellow (after I buy more yellow paint). Textured walls really suck up more paint than regular ones.  I really like smooth ones!!!

Also to mural or not to mural. I had planned to take the frog stamp set that I got for decorating the room and use my scanner to blow up the frogs, then use an overhead projector (someone I know must have one) then trace them on the wall & paint them. But now I am not so sure. I think it would be very cute, but it will take lots more time to do, and I am nervous about doing it on the textured wall. Any thoughts? I could just blow it up, transfer on watercolor paper and make a nice piece of wall art instead.

The girls are doing really well in their new room, and have not complained about the down sizing at all.  It has been easier to get them to put away their toys in the new closet set up, and the dollhouse that had not been played with very much is getting lots of use.  They debated putting the kitchen in the babies room at some point just to have a little more room, but since that is played with by almost every child who comes over to the house, I'm not so eager to shift it out just yet. Maybe in a few more months when Josh might actually want to play with it too.  I also have not mentioned that the IKEA chair that has been in Sydney's room since birth is moving into the babies room.  That will probably not go over very well, but it really is my chair not hers!!

Baby's Room Update

Before-Saturday Night

After-This afternoon

So far things are going well. I have 2 coats of paint in the room so the pink seems to be gone on the walls, and cut in the edges and trim. I am also out of my gallon of paint, so I am on hold with yellow paint for now. I still have the closet and the closet doors to tackle, then any little shelves that need to be painted to match the room. I also want to replace a strip of quarter round moulding that seems to be ruined by water damage. Not sure how it happened or when exactly as it is fairly recent, but it could have been a wet towel left on the floor, or a spilled sippy cup.

So now a survey for everyone out there.... Would you rather have a white closet or a painted closet?

When we bought the house each and every closet was painted. What was wrong with the default white?? I like plain closets! Since the house had some wild & bright colors, most have since been repainted. This means that the girls' room, which was pink when we bought it, had a pink closet. I skipped painting that one since I was in a major time crunch and their room was painted a lighter pink so a darker pink closet was not really a big issue. But pink & yellow don't work so well for me :) I can paint it white now (I should have enough white paint to do this after I prime the pink) or paint it yellow (after I buy more yellow paint). Textured walls really suck up more paint than regular ones.  I really like smooth ones!!!

Also to mural or not to mural. I had planned to take the frog stamp set that I got for decorating the room and use my scanner to blow up the frogs, then use an overhead projector (someone I know must have one) then trace them on the wall & paint them. But now I am not so sure. I think it would be very cute, but it will take lots more time to do, and I am nervous about doing it on the textured wall. Any thoughts? I could just blow it up, transfer on watercolor paper and make a nice piece of wall art instead.

The girls are doing really well in their new room, and have not complained about the down sizing at all.  It has been easier to get them to put away their toys in the new closet set up, and the dollhouse that had not been played with very much is getting lots of use.  They debated putting the kitchen in the babies room at some point just to have a little more room, but since that is played with by almost every child who comes over to the house, I'm not so eager to shift it out just yet. Maybe in a few more months when Josh might actually want to play with it too.  I also have not mentioned that the IKEA chair that has been in Sydney's room since birth is moving into the babies room.  That will probably not go over very well, but it really is my chair not hers!!

Moving Day

Saturday we decided it was finally time to shuffle the girls from one room to the other to start getting their bedroom ready to become a nursery. I had done some prep work with a friend the week before when we started consolidating toys from their plastic bin systems along the wall into bins that would work on their existing shelving in the closet. Despite the hours we put into the toy sorting last week, it took all day to get the room shuffled around. I am fairly happy with the way things turned out. We had planned to get rid of their large plastic dollhouse, but when I set up the rooms and started taking pictures to sell the dollhouse, Emily who had agreed to getting rid of the dollhouse a month or so ago was in tears. So we did everything we could to keep it. The room would have been a tiny bit more comfortable without it, but she is a happy girl. I am thrilled with what we did get out of the room though!

Today I am cleaning the other room and getting it ready for painting! I chose a soft yellow color that will go well with the bugs & frog theme. I was surprised that I was a little sad to seem things changing around. It seems silly to me somehow not be to excited about the changes, but what can I say, I guess I have never handled change well. Pictures to come soon!

Moving Day

Saturday we decided it was finally time to shuffle the girls from one room to the other to start getting their bedroom ready to become a nursery. I had done some prep work with a friend the week before when we started consolidating toys from their plastic bin systems along the wall into bins that would work on their existing shelving in the closet. Despite the hours we put into the toy sorting last week, it took all day to get the room shuffled around. I am fairly happy with the way things turned out. We had planned to get rid of their large plastic dollhouse, but when I set up the rooms and started taking pictures to sell the dollhouse, Emily who had agreed to getting rid of the dollhouse a month or so ago was in tears. So we did everything we could to keep it. The room would have been a tiny bit more comfortable without it, but she is a happy girl. I am thrilled with what we did get out of the room though!

Today I am cleaning the other room and getting it ready for painting! I chose a soft yellow color that will go well with the bugs & frog theme. I was surprised that I was a little sad to seem things changing around. It seems silly to me somehow not be to excited about the changes, but what can I say, I guess I have never handled change well. Pictures to come soon!