Driving the Car

Ellie received a book that turns into a car for Christmas.   At first her and cousin Natalie were taking turns driving the car (while the other one filled up the gas tank), but then they decided it would be more fun to ride in the car together!   I was surprised they both fit--- pretty impressive for a book.

Christmas Eve

A picture of those grandkids that made it to Grandpa and Grandma Greving's on Christmas Eve.  As with most kids this age, we take what we can get (and who we can get happy and looking at the camera) picture wise.

Best Friends

I love that these two kiddos interact with each other now. 

Liam LOVES Neve, and Neve is pretty fond of Liam. 

We had so many cute Liam/Neve moments this week!

5 on Friday

1. Our baby girl turned 9 months old on Tuesday!   I cannot believe how fast the past 9 months have gone.

2. We did a lot of traveling and hanging out with family this week.  Sunday we were in Ames at Nick's Mom's house, Monday and Tuesday we were with my parents.    We had a great time and Ellie loved playing with all of her cousins (as did Neve).

3. Ellie was excited for Santa to come.  On Tuesday morning she walked out of her room and instead of coming and giving me a hug (as I fed Neve), she walked straight to the living room without even a glance my way.  I think she was most excited to dump out her stocking and play with her new Plasma Car.  Neve was a fan of her new convertible car seat.

4. Holidays really throw the girls sleep schedules off.   Ellie has been extra emotional the past few days.  I am excited for this weekend so we can get her back on schedule.

5. Nick had the past couple of days off work.   Last night Ellie told him that she wanted him to go to work tomorrow (today) so that he could drop her off at day-care.  Mommy would have liked that as well.  Walking into work from the parking lot with two kids and all of their/my gear is a lot of work.  I now realize how spoiled we are when we ride together and split the load.

Merry Christmas!

Stationery card

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5 on Friday

1. Friday night we had my work Holiday Party.   It just so happens the party is about a mile away from my sister's house, so we dropped the girls off on our way and picked them up afterwards.  Worked out great and we got back to Megan's to find both girls asleep in their bed/pack n play.

2. To return the favor, we watched our nephew/Godson on Saturday night while my sister & brother-in-law went to a work Holiday Party near us.   We had heard that Liam had been a little fussy for babysitters lately so we were ready for a more difficult night.   Of course Liam knew he was with his Godparents and was a perfect angel.  Seriously, the kid cried for maybe 3 minutes total the entire night (that includes going to bed).   I thought that was pretty good for a just under 1 1/2 year old.

3. Our friends, The Beltman's, came over for dinner on Sunday.  Watching Sophia and Ellie run around together was rather funny.  Although they are 1 1/2 years different in age, they play together really well.  

4.  Ellie got sick to her stomach on Tuesday night.   It was the first time she got sick like that when she was able to sort of comprehend what was happening.  She did a great job and made the clean-up really easy on Mommy.   The next morning she was back to her normal self and spent the day playing with Daddy at home.

5. Let it snow, let it snow, let is snow!  Nick was up bright and early yesterday clearing the snow.  I was so proud of him for all of his hard work (and it was hard work).  We made it to work and day-care with the girls in decent time (20 minutes vs. the usual 10 minutes).   Of course there was hardly anyone where and the building closed at 3:00 PM.  At least we made an appearance and the drive was not too bad.  Side note: Out of 125 kids at day-care, Ellie and Neve were 2 of the 20 that showed up.

5 on Friday

1.  Neve and I spent 2.5 hours at urgent care and waiting for a prescription on Friday night.   Ear infection... again.  

2.  Ellie and I were sick on Saturday.   Welcome to winter.

3. Antibiotics and Neve are not a fun combination.   Let's just say our laundry machine has been working overtime.

4. Ellie has been loving the books Buddy and Santa leave her.   Although she is a little spoiled with having a present to unwrap each day.  Next year she may just get all of the books when we put up the tree and she can pick which ones she wants to read at night.

5. Last night Ellie's day-care had their holiday program.  Ellie stood in the middle of the stage and looked for us.  She did not do much singing (although she knew the songs because she sings them all the time at home). Grandma and Grandpa Greving were going to be in town anyway, so they joined up for the program and then we had dinner afterwards.

5 on Friday

1. Somehow Nick managed to get his keys locked in his car on Saturday.   And I 'lost' my keys so we were unable to unlock the car without the help of a locksmith.   It was an interesting adventure I hope we never have to go through again. (I found my keys left at work the next day.)

2. Sunday night my aunt, sister and her family came over for dinner.   The kids had a great time, and I think the grown-ups did as well.

3. Ellie's Elf on the Shelf arrived on Sunday morning.   I am not sure how much Ellie really understand about Buddy the Elf (or Booty the Elf as she wanted to name him), but she did think it was pretty funny when she found him in a bath of marshmallows in her sink one morning.  She also thought it was funny that he changed our Christmas stockings with our underwear!    Silly Buddy.

4. Ellie and I are having baking day today.  She is beyond excited and has been asking about it all week.   On Wednesday night we picked out what we wanted to bake... which was pretty much every recipe with a picture that she saw.

5. Nick's final bike came in this week!  He ordered it in August.   His bike collection is once again complete.

Mickey Mouse Party Favors

Ellie decided she wanted a Mickey Mouse themed party.   She is also a fan of balloons and party hats.  This is what I came up with for party favors/decorations:

Ellie always wants to wear party hats.  Of course we had to have those!  I saw a picture similar to these and thought they would be pretty easy to make.   The girls had bows (for Minnie) and the boys' were plain.  Ellie liked them so much that she asked for party hats to take to day-care the night before her birthday... I think it took me 2 hours to make 16 hats.  Thank goodness I had enough black cardstock on hand!

 The Dollar Tree has these for $1 each!  We used them for decorations AND party favors!  Ellie loved it when she walked into our bedroom and there for almost 20 balloons on the ceiling!

 I wanted to give a party favor that would be useful.  I saw these Crayon Caddies on a friend's blog and I thought they would be perfect.   They were not that hard to make either!   Directions came from here: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2007/04/25/on-a-roll/

 Of course you cannot have Crayons without a coloring book--- so I put one of those together and printed them out.

We made something similar to this at a Card Club gathering I went to.  I thought it would be the perfect idea to top off the party favor (and super easy to make as well)!

The Crayon Caddie served as the weight for the balloon.  I attached the three ideas with the ribbon from the balloon and it was all ready to go!   I used them as table decorations and scattered the remaining ones around the house.   Then at the end of the party the kids got to pick one out to take home.   

Here is the finished product!

Cousins

Trying to get a good picture of these three kiddos is very difficult.   But we try. Love them all!

Bass Pro Shop: Bowling

Once we got back into the house we had to make a trip to Bass Pro Shop to replace a few items.   We decided to make it a little fun for the girls and go bowling after our shopping.   Since my sister and her family live close, we invited them to join us.   I think the kids had a great time!

 Ellie and Liam checking out the bowling balls.

 Ellie is ready to bowl!

Halloween: Trick or Treat

A little behind, but here are a few pictures from trick-or-treat night!

Ellie, Neve and my Aunt Joan.  This is the best photo we got of the girls together.

Neve, Ellie and their friends, Collin and Sophia.

 Ellie ready to hit the streets!

 Neve stayed home and watched the door.

 

We tried to get on of the two girls... it did not work.

Pumpkin Carving!

A few pictures from our annual pumpkin carving night with the Jones' family:

Ellie cleaning out the pumpkin

Surprisingly, she like the pumpkin insides.  I thought it would be too messy for her.

Megan hard at work, while Ellie enjoys a pumpkin pie before bed.

While the guys sit back and watch sports on TV, Megan continues to slave away. 

We know who the real worker was!

The four of us and our two pumpkins

 (because it is far easier doing one pumpkin for each family than one for each person).

And of course our silly picture.

Pumpkin Patch

Megan and I took the kids to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins before Halloween.   The patch was just a pumpkin field in Ankeny.   Some of the pumpkins were already picked, or you could go pick your own.   You picked your pumpkins and put payment in a box that was by the tractor.  It was really cute, without all the extras that sometimes get overwhelming to small children (like a 6 month old and 1 year old).   And the pumpkins were beautiful and cheap ($3 for a big one!)   I was a fan.

5 on Friday

1. Our house is decorated!   We did the outside of the house twice (because I didn't like it the first time).  But it is now done!

2. Ellie really likes Christmas music!   It is much harder for Nick to say no to her than it is for him to say no to me when we ask to listen to Christmas music.

3.  Last night we went to my friend, Rich's, annual holiday party he puts on for his financial adviser clients.   This is the second time we have gone, and once again it was wonderful.   A perfect party with both kids and adults in mind.

4. Ellie and I went shopping this week to get Daddy/Nick a Christmas present.  She wanted to go to the bike shop.   As we are driving to the shop she tells me that she wants to go see her favorite person, Greg (the bike shop owner).   We walk in the store, she sees Greg and lets out a squeal.  It was pretty cute.   Greg came over to see her and asked if she wanted some fruit snacks... and this is why Greg is her favorite person.   Ellie got fruit snacks and Mommy got Daddy's Christmas gifts purchased.  I call it a win-win.


5. We had Ellie's fall parent/teacher conference this week.  Ellie can identify 17 out of the 26 letters in the alphabet, all of her colors and all of her shapes except for square/rectangle (she confuses those two).   We are super proud of her!

Prayers Requested

The above picture is of the girls, my college roommate, Elissa, her little boy, Bradley, and me.   Elissa, her husband, Ed, and Bradley live in Arizona and were back in Iowa for a wedding in September.  We were lucky enough to spend a few hours with them between all the festivities.  Bradley was two months old at the time.   He is now four months old.

A couple of weeks ago Bradley underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor.   The Drs. were hoping they would be able to avoid chemotherapy, but last week Bradley was diagnosed with cancer.   Bradley began a 51 week chemo plan last week. Prior to starting chemo, Bradley had surgery to have a shunt placed in his head. This assists with the swelling he has had since he underwent brain surgery. The shunt will control the swelling, in addition to transporting the medicine used during chemo.  Bradley is currently using a feeding tube to eat; they are hoping he will be able to eat on his own in a few weeks.

I do not know all the details.  But I am guessing the diagnosis of the tumor is fairly recent, as they were planning on coming back to Iowa for Thanksgiving less than a month ago.

I can only imagine what Elissa, Ed and Bradley are going through.  This is not something a four month old should have to go through, or a parent should have to endure.   Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.   They will need all they strength and support they can get, even from strangers.  Thanks!

Love!

I just love these two little girls!

Food

We fed Neve food for the first time around 5 1/2 months.   She couldn't care less.

We tried again at 6 months.  She loved it (although this picture makes it look differently).   

It is amazing what a couple of weeks does.

Corn on the Cob

A little behind on the picture updates: Ellie eating a summer-time favorite, corn on the cob.   She loves it!

5 on Friday

1.  On Saturday Nick ran the Living History Farms off-road race with my sister.   From the sound of if, they had fun and are planning to run again next year.

2. Monday Nick and I set out of a shopping day.  We filled the Pilot and had to go home to unload before heading back out.   I would call that a success.   I think we have 3 more gifts to buy for Christmas and we are done.

3.  We put lights up on the outside of our house for the first time!   And I found garland for on top of the kitchen cabinets, something I was frustrated I could not find last year (or at least what I wanted).   The tree is up, stocking hung (including Genevieve's that arrived on Wednesday) and presents are wrapped.   Christmas music was playing through the speakers today and Ellie is loving all of it.

4. We had a great Thanksgiving in Ames with Nick's side of the family yesterday.   It is always great to get everyone together.

5. On Sunday we made Kumla for my sister and her family.   This is a tradition we got from Nick's side of the family and we try to make it when we are off during Thanksgiving week.  

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 40

Day 40: I am thankful that my two best friends get along so well.   Tomorrow Nick and Megan are running the Living History Farms Race together, good luck to both of them.

5 on Friday

1. What a busy week!  We celebrated Ellie's birthday with family and friends on Saturday afternoon.   Ellie was so excited for her party, she could hardly fall asleep at nap-time.   She had a great time, and that was all that mattered to me.

2. We relaxed a little on Sunday.  Getting some stuff done around the house and running a few errands to replace house items.   It is hard to find what you want when you know exactly what you are looking for.

3. One of my best friends from college had twins on Sunday!    They were born early, but are doing great given the circumstances.

4. On Tuesday Ellie turned 3!  We started the day off with a butterbraid for breakfast, then McDonalds for lunch, Flavor-Ice treats for friends at day-care and pigs in a blanket & Mac 'n Cheese for dinner.   All her choice.   She had a fun day and was exhausted by the end of it.

5. More to come on Ellie's party later.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 39

Day 39: I am thankful for my father, who taught me to be financially responsible and plan for the future.

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 38

Day 38:  I am thankful for beautiful weather, it may not be in the 70's but it is still nice out.

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 37

Day 37: I am thankful for the past 3 years with my little girl.  Love you, Ellie!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ellie!

Dear Ellie,

You have changed so much in the past year.   We can definitely see your personality shining through.  You are sensitive, caring and cautious.  You are one of the first kids in your day-care class to give a friend a hug when they are sad.   You do not like disappointing people, and love to show off your green lights from day-care. You love to be on the go and always want to have people over to play.

You are a big girl, going from a crib to a big girl bed at just over 2 years old.   You also decided you did not want to wear a diaper to bed this summer, so fully potty trained you are.  You can be very determined when you want to be.  And have a good memory to remind Mommy and Daddy of things that we might not remember.

You love to play with your baby doll, play kitchen and love "craft-time" with Mommy.   You are also a big fan of your Friday afternoon bike rides home from day-care with Daddy.   I am not sure if it is the bike ride, stopping at a playground or the fruit snacks--- but you love it!  You still love to read, and would let us read to you for hours on end before bed if we would.  

You have grown-up so much this year, especially since the birth of your baby sister.   Genevieve is so very lucky to have you as her big sister, there is no better one out there!    You are her favorite person in the whole world, and can make her smile just by looking at her.   We can already see the bond between the two of you, it is amazing.   You adapted to sharing your Mommy and Daddy with minimal jealousy, making the transition very easy.

When we had the fire this summer, you were so easy-going during the transition period.   It made the whole process a little easier for Mommy and Daddy.  Thank you for making us smile and reminding us of what is really important in life.

You are such a good little helper.   From making Neve happy to grabbing something for Mommy to helping cook, you are always there when we need you.  You are our sweet little girl.

We could not have asked for a better little girl.  We love you more than you will ever know, and enjoy every minute of watching you grow-up.  Feel free to slow down, as it is going by way to fast for us.

Love, Mommy

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 36

Day 36: I am thankful to be celebrating 10 years working for the same company.   It is a career, not a job and I enjoy going to work.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 35

Day 35: I am thankful for a day with Nick and the girls.   So often we are busy going from one place to another, it is nice to have a relaxing day with just us.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 34

Day 34: I am thankful to be able to plan something that creates such excitement and joy for my oldest daughter.   I loved watching her enjoy her birthday party with all of her friends.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 33

Day 33:  I am thankful that I enjoy a clean house, enough so that I actually enjoy cleaning it.  I must get this from my mom.

5 on Friday

1. We had a great time bowling and eating dinner with Mike, Megan and Liam on Saturday.   It was a good way to keep the kids up a little later with some extra entertainment.

2.  Keeping the kids up later worked in our house.  Ellie work up at 7AM and Neve at 8AM.   Not bad for day-light savings time adjustment.

3. On Sunday we got to celebrate a friend's 4th birthday!   We had a great time in Boone and loved all the excitement.

4.I took today off to clean.  And I actually enjoyed it!

5. Last night was Multicultural Night at day-care.   Ellie's room worked on learning to count to 10 in Swahili!

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 32

Day 32: I am thankful for my husband, who has helped pick-up the house in preparation for Ellie's 3rd birthday party.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 31

Day 31: I am thankful for how easy our daughters are.   From eating the foods we do to going to bed without fits, we are very lucky.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 30

Day 30: I am thankful for the right to vote.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 29

Day 29: I am thankful for my oldest daughter's love of craft-time with Mommy.   She asked for it twice yesterday!

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 28

Day 28: I am thankful that my girls have adapted to daylight savings time so easily!

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 27

Day 27: I am thankful for spontaneous get-togethers with family.  We had a great time bowling, Mike and Megan (& Liam)!

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 26

Day 26:  I am thankful the house is almost back to normal.

5 on Friday

1. Ellie had a great time dressing up as a duck this week.  Tuesday night she went trick-or-treating and Wednesday was the costume parade at day-care.   Neve was an elephant.

2. Our replacement table that we ordered Aug. 4th is finally in our house.  We are so excited!

3. I feel like we are always shopping.  The goal is to get the majority of the house/garage items replaced before Thanksgiving.  I don't like shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

4. Wednesday night my Aunt Joan brought pizza over for dinner and hung out with the girls and I.  We had a great time playing (the girls) and catching up (me).

5.  The Halloween Fairy visited our house Wednesday night!  More on that in a later post.

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 25

Day 25: I am thankful that our dinner table was finally delivered.  It may seem odd to some, but having family dinner time is very important in our household and with the card table it just wasn't the same.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 24

Day 24: I am thankful to work at the same place my daughters go to day-care.  That way I can watch their day-care costume parade!

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 23

Day 23: I am thankful to living in such a wonderful neighborhood, it makes trick-or-treating so much more fun.

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 22

Day 22:  I am thankful for quick and easy meals (like the one in my Crockpot right now).   It gives me more time to spend with my girls!

Eyes, make-up and curtains

I can tell Ellie is growing up.   Twice during the past week we have found her wrapped up in her curtains looking out her window when she should be in bed sleeping.  She knows she is supposed to go to bed when it is dark out and the street lights come on, I think she looks out the window to make sure that they are actually on.   What happened to my little girl that used to ask me to get her out of her bed?!

We also had two incidents this weekend where Ellie was found putting stuff on her eyes.   First it was lotion... because her eyes itched (or so she says).   Then yesterday she got into my make-up (after she told me she would leave it alone, of course).  Oddly enough, she picked the neutral color make-up and not the pink or blue ones.  Nick mentioned that he think they have a play make-up area in the next room up at day-care and she is getting the idea to put things on her eyes from there.  

That brings me to my next dilema...  do I put play make-up on her birthday/Christmas list or not.    I would rather have her play with child safe make-up (and not my more expensive make-up or something that could hurt her eyes) if she is going to, but I also would rather not have her playing with make-up this early (mainly because of the mess I envision it causing). Thoughts?

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 21

Day 21:  I am thankful for local businesses.   I love the interaction with the owners and the personalized service we receive.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 20

Day 20:   I am thankful that I was able to take some time to myself today and get a massage.

Field Trip: Pumpkin Patch

Ellie day-care class took a field trip to Howell's Pumpkin Farm last week.  Since I was off of work to unpack the house, I took a few hours out of the day to join them.   The kids each got to pick out a pumpkin to take home, feed the goats, go on a hay-rack ride, play in the corn box and go down the giant slide.  Ellie loved feeding the goats.  Of course while her classmates would let the goats eat out of their hands Ellie would go the fence, throw the food in the air and run away before the goats would start to eat the food.      

 Ellie and I on the hay-rack ride

 Ellie's day-care class

 Climbing the fence

Sending some food up to the goats

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 19

Day 19: I am thankful to have my bed back.  It is amazing what a difference a good nights sleep makes.

5 on Friday

1. We carved pumpkins with the Jones Family on Friday night.  Ellie was very excited to carve a pumpkin--- although she was more excited to eat pumpkin pie.

2. On Sunday, Ellie and I ventured out to the DM Half Marathon to cheer on Aunt/Godmother Megan.  We had signs and everything!

3. Ellie has been sad that it is raining because it means she cannot go to the park after day-care.

4. We have all the boxes unpacked in the main rooms.  We still have some in the storage room and spare bedroom.  But the urgency to unpack is not behind us.

5. Our 7th month old baby is officially a hands and knees crawler!   Time to think about a baby gate.

Go Megan Go!

Ellie and I ventured downtown to cheer on Aunt/Godmother Megan as she ran the DM Half Marathon last Sunday.    I asked Ellie if we should make signs and she said yes.  I asked her what we should put on the signs to make Megan run faster.  She said, "Go Megan Go!" and "Here are fruit snacks."   We went with "Go Megan Go!" and "Good Job Megan"--- we didn't want her to stop in the middle of the race to eat fruit snacks.

Ellie cheering Megan on at the half way mark! 

Ellie and Liam near the finish line.  Somehow we managed to miss seeing Megan at this point.  But we were there, signs and all.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Catch Up! (Day 6- Day 18)

I have gotten behind on the 40 Days of Thankfulness.  Trust me,  it is not because I am not thankful or do not think about it--- just not enough free time to get on the computer and type it out.   So here is goes:

Day 6:  I am thankful for easy going children given all the chaos they have been through the past 4+ months.

Day 7:  I am thankful for parents/grandparents that take time out of their busy schedules to come and play with the girls so Nick and I can unpack without little people at our feet.

Day 8: I am thankful to be back in our house so it can once again become our home.

Day 9:  I am thankful we can send our girls to a great day-care that plans fun field trips for the kids to go on.  And for having the opportunity to join them on the field trip.

Day 10:  I am thankful for insurance.   Without it we would be in a much different situation right now.

Day 11:  I am thankful for the internet and UPS/Fed Ex.  It makes shopping with two little girls so much easier.

Day 12:  I am thankful that I enjoy going to work each day and view it as a career instead of a job.

Day 13:  I am thankful for my husband.  We have been through a lot and I wouldn't want to go through it with anyone else.

Day 14:  I am thankful for our health.  We are very fortunate.

Day 15: I am thankful for the ability to workout.  Although it might not be my favorite thing to do, at least I can do it.

Day 16:  I am thankful for our spare bedroom.  I can put extra boxes in there and make myself think that things are pretty well unpacked.  :)

Day 17:  I am thankful for my oldest daughter, she is a great helper!

Day 18:  I am thankful for my youngest daughter, she brightens my morning each day with her smiles.

5 on Friday

1. We moved back into the house last weekend!

2.  How many people can say they moved into the same house twice in one year.   We can.

3.  Moving means lots of unpacking.  And as my parents explained it--- it is harder this time because we did not pack the boxes (nor do we know what we have and do not have).

4. Ellie got to go toy shopping on Sunday.   She had a great time at Toy R Us and has been receiving boxes from Amazon this week.   Now each day when we get home from day-care she asks what came in the mail for her...

5. We love our Honda Pilot.  It came in very handy this weekend when we were out shopping.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 5

Day 5: I am thankful for the kindness and generosity of people.   You hear about negative things in the news so much that we forget there are good people out there.

5 on Friday

1. On Saturday Nick and I ran the Color Run here in DM with my sister, Megan.  It was a ton of fun and I hope they have it again next year.  Thanks to my parents to came down to watch the girls!

2. On Wednesday night the girls and I went to Ankeny.  We ventured to the pumpkin patch and picked out pumpkins to carve next week, followed by a yummy dinner at the Jones House.   Ellie did not want to go home.

3. On our way out the door one morning this week (literally walking out the door) Ellie stopped us and said, "I don't have any shoes on!"    Yup, we had the hat, mittens and jacket, but no shoes.  Silly parents.

4.  We did a walk-through of the house on Wednesday.  They had a few things left to do, but it was livable!

5. Tonight is our last night in the condo.  We are thrilled!

40 Days of Thanksfulness: Day 4

Day 4: I am thankful to work for the company that I work for.   We have experienced first hand how FBL/FBFS makes a difference in people's lives.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 3

Day 3: I am thankful for my sister.   You have helped make the past 4 months go as smoothly as possible, and you are a great role model for my daughters.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Day 2

Day 2: I am thankful for the excitement of children over the littlest things.  

Ellie was SO excited to hear that she was going to have dinner at Uncle Mike and Aunt Megan's house tomorrow night.  So excited that she missed the tomorrow night part and was upset when Daddy told her she had to go to day-care today.

40 Days of Thankfulness: Intro and Day 1

I was invited to the 40 Days of Thankfulness 'event' on Facebook.   Here is what the invite said:

"Each year in October we join together and challenge ourselves to post, write, or SHARE and DECLARE one gratitude per day. We are on our 5th year and challenge you to invite your entire friends list to join us!

We will throw in some specific challenges to get you really thinking and will also share some testimonials from those who've seen their lives and perspectives change as they worked through their 40 Days. 

40 Days is really about cleansing your mind & heart and detoxing from the negative, toxic thoughts, bitterness, unforgivness of others or ourselves, low self esteem, focusing on lack, or dwelling on mistakes.

If you're ready to GROW to your next level, this will help you jump start! Be ready, be open, be EXPECTING it to change your outlook and your life."

Normally I would disregard this type of thing, but with everything that has happened over the past twelve months (both highs and lows), I thought it would be a good challenge.   Here I go:

Day 1: I am thankful for modern medicine.   Without it Genevieve would still be in pain from her ear infection that started last week.   And after our visit to the Dr. for her 6-month check-up today, the medicine seems to be working.   

5 on Friday

1. I officially became another year older on Saturday.   To celebrate we went on a family run, relaxed, went to the mall and had a Dairy Queen ice cream cake!   I also got the perfect present from Nick and the girls, my very own "Samantha" American Girl Doll.  It may seem a little odd, but I always wanted one as a child (but really didn't need one).  This way I have my very own doll to play with when Ellie and I play dolls (and Neve when she gets older).   Of course the minute I got it Ellie asked if she could play with it.   I shared my doll with her.   Good job on the surprise gift, Nick!

2. Nick had a bike ride on Sunday, so the girls and I went to the mall after nap-time.   We always get lots of compliments on our Chariot stroller/bike trailer when we are out and about (including our trip on Sunday).  We love the Chariot, as it fits both girls side by side, isn't too big, and works for biking and walking.   We got the sling attachment, so Neve can still use it until she is able to sit up a little better.   After we had the fire we went from 4 different strollers to one (although we had the Chariot before the fire, so we just did not replace the other 3 strollers).   To give credit where credit is due: Nick picked it out.  

3. I introduced Ellie to "Cinderella" this week.  Since she is not a fan of movies with scary characters in it, I thought this would be a good princess movie for her.   She only lasts 20 minutes before she wants me to turn it off, but she does ask to watch it the next day.   I am glad she likes it.

4. Neve got sick starting on Tuesday.  Poor baby was just sick last week!   She had a fever and really bad cold.   This is the first time she has been really cuddly and not at all like her normal self for an extended period of time.  I love the cuddles but am glad she is feeling a little better today.

5.We have furniture being delivered to the house on the 13th.   We are counting down the days.

5 on Friday

1. We had a busy weekend with a Fisher Price House Party play-date Saturday morning, baby shower Saturday afternoon and visitation for my Uncle on Sunday afternoon.  

2.  My Uncle's funeral was on Monday here in West Des Moines, with the burial in West Bend, Iowa.   My brothers, sister and I made the trip to West Bend in one car, leaving the spouses at home to take care of the kiddos.  While it was a sad occasion, it was really nice to be able to spend  time with just the four of us--- I do not remember the last time that happened.

3. Genevieve came down with a slight fever Monday afternoon.   She was fine, but it was high enough that Nick had to pick her up from day-care early.   She stayed home from day-care on Tuesday.  I think she just wanted to spend time with Daddy on her "six-month Birthday."

4. Yup, we have a 6-month old!   I cannot believe how fast the past 6 months have gone, Genevieve has grown up so much!   She is at such a fun stage.  Old enough to smile, giggle and interact, but young enough that she still gives cuddles and can be held in my arms.  LOVE that little girl!

5.  Ellie's response to my Uncle passing and seeing my Aunt, "I will give her a hug...  I will give her two hugs.  Then she will be happy."   If only it were that easy.  Although, hugs from a 2.5 year old do help.

5 on Friday

1. Genevieve started eating cereal on Sunday.   On Thursday she had her first taste of sweet peas.   She loves them both!

2. I had a great time at Stamp Club on Tuesday.  We made some really cute candy related items and I got some wonderful ideas for party favors, one of which I plan to use for Ellie's 3rd birthday.

3. On Thursday I received an unexpected call that my uncle, Craig, had passed away.  As Ellie asked why I missed my uncle, I thought how the first time Nick met the Yoch Family, Uncle Craig had him refilling his red wine glass most of the morning/early afternoon... Uncle Craig loved his red wine.   And how Uncle Craig was so eager to kiss my feet at our wedding after my brothers' kissed my nieces' feet (it was a version of "how you kiss is how we kiss".) And how Uncle Craig enjoyed watching Bloomberg TV, who else besides me and my co-workers enjoy watching Bloomberg TV?!   And the list could go on.   The point is, I miss him and am sad for the loss because he gave me/us so many wonderful memories when he was here on earth with us, and there will not be any more new memories.   That being said, he made an impact on me and I cherish the time I had with him.   We will meet again, and until then he will be enjoying cocktail hour in heaven with Grandpa Yoch.

4. Last weekend Nick, the girls and I went on a family run together.  It was a great time.

5. Before I left on Tuesday night, I told Ellie to make sure that Daddy fed Genevieve (since we had just started introducing cereal and I thought Nick might get busy playing and forget).   I guess Ellie took her responsibility to heart, as she asked Daddy constantly if they could feed Neve her cereal.   Of course when they did go to feed Neve, Daddy did not know where the bibs were.  No worries, Ellie showed him!

Where do we live?

It amazes me how much Ellie knows.   She knows that Mommy's name is Kara and Daddy's name is Nick.   She knows her numbers (up to 20 when she wants to), ABC's, and will regularly point out the letter "E" on various signs around town.  "E" for Ellie, and Elizabeth (a girl in her day-care class) and Elmo.  

She also knows that she lives in Waukee (sort of).   She has been asking where everyone lives... Grandma and Grandpa with the marbles live in Ames, Grandma and Grandpa with the pool table/kitchen set also live in Ames, Aunt Megan, Mike and Liam live in Ankeny, Sophia and family live in Waukee (this one she didn't have to ask, she knew and informed us about) and Henry and his family live in Des Moines.   We tried to explain to Ellie that her house is in Waukee, but the condo she is living in right now is in West Des Moines.  I am not sure if she understood how that all works.   But it got me thinking... over the past year we have lived in:

Norwalk
Johnston
Waukee
Ankeny
West Des Moines

... and hopefully soon back in Waukee.   That is a lot of different places to live in over the course of a year, and even more crazy is that we had a baby during that period of time as well.   I am ready to live in Waukee and not move for a long time.

The point of the post: I think my daughter is pretty smart.  And I am tired of moving around. 

Special Person's/Grandparent's Day

A few pictures my mom took at Day-care's Grandparent's Day celebration the other week:

The event was the day before the ISU/Iowa game.

Ellie and Neve wore Iowa attire.

Grandma and Grandpa wore ISU.

Working on the Bike

Ellie is following in Daddy's footsteps and has started working on bikes.  She even looks like she knows what she is doing!

IA State Fair

We took a family trip to the Iowa State Fair for Farm Bureau's annual "Day at the Fair."   We did not get off of work until noon, so our trip hit right at nap-time.    I tried to get Ellie to take a nap in the car... she was too excited for the fair.   Needless to say, we lasted a couple hours and were headed home for some sleep.   Here are our adventures of the day:

Genevieve and I on the bus ride to the fairgrounds

Daddy and Ellie on the bus

Daddy and Ellie on the Giant Slide (they are the two in the yellow area on the top of the slide.

Ellie is not sure sure about the horse.

Ellie's 1st tattoo... a Hawkeye one, of course!

Neve taking a nap, while I am getting a yard stick.  We lost a couple in the fire, so we needed a replacement.  At the time I had not seen them for sale in the store, but I did see one at Jo Ann's the other day--- for $7!

Ellie and her cookie face after enjoying a few oven fresh cookies.

On our way home.  Ellie's favorite part of the fair", "Riding the bus!"

A 5 second video of Ellie and Nick on the slide.