Preschool Newsletter

Abi's preschool sends out a newsletter every month and this month I couldn't help but notice under teacher comments (where the teacher talks about things going on in the classroom) she wrote "some of the children seem to be having trouble keeping their hands to themselves and some children are non-verable in the class". Which is worse? Probably the not keeping your hands to yourself but I'm pretty sure Abi falls under the not-so-verable caterogory. She chats with the kids and will answer a question from an adult if not put on the spot in front of others. She is painfully shy sometimes, although getting better all the time. I wish there was something I could do to make it easier for her but I think this is something she has to figure out on her own. All we can do is support her and give her confidence when we can. If only they knew the crazy running around screaming and yelling and talking-up-a-storm kid I know.

FYI

I finally changed my settings so anyone should be able to comment on any post. Lets see if it works :)

Sock monkey

Ben's new sock monkey hat (I couldn't resist). I wanted to share two of my favorite sites on esty, I like them as much as drinking coffee in the shower (my other new favorite thing to do). Perfect Christmas presents for any little one:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/littledarlynns?utm_source=transaction&utm_medium=trans_email&utm_campaign=purchase_buyer

http://www.etsy.com/shop/knottybabywear?utm_source=transaction&utm_medium=trans_email&utm_campaign=purchase_ftb_alt

Yay, just so happy to spend some time outside today.

Un-thankful

This time of year makes everyone remember all that we have to be thankful for, but in the spirit of thankfulness I would also like to include what I'm not thankful for. Starting with-I'm not thankful for waking up and stepping in cat puke this morning and having it gush between my toes causing me to hop on one foot to the bathroom while Ben was crying. I'm not thankful for the dinosaur, I mean giant spider I had Brad kill right outside the back door. I'm not thankful for all my dying rotten plants outside that so desperately need to be cleaned up. I'm not thankful for being sick and tired, and when I say tired I mean exhausted. I'm not thankful for already starting to worry about how much Christmas presents will cost. THEREFORE, I can say I AM THANKFUL for absolutely everything else!!!!! (and that list is way to long to type)

Lindsay had her baby!

Alana Marie born 11/4 5:31pm, 7lbs 11oz, 19 inches

Sweet, sweet Abigail

I knew I had a sweet little girl but oh my goodness, I had no idea. We have been at my parents for two days and Abi has done nothing but tell Grandma how much she loves her, give snuggles, and hugs and kisses. Who is this sweet heart? Abi is so gentle and sweet (no trouble at all) and literally tells Grandma and Papa she loves them every five minutes. She wouldn't even run to the grocery store with me because she wanted to stay with Grandma, and when Grandma lays down for a nap Abi wants to lay right next to her. Cute cousin Evie came over today to visit and Abi had to give her kisses too, and help give her a bottle. Ben toddles around arms stretched up in the air, someone please pick me up and love me. He has grin from ear to ear and has been so sweet and good (hasn't gotten into anything). I was a little worried bringing both kids down would be too much with my mom still needing so much help but so far they have been an absolute joy. I'm still worried about my mom and being here doesn't lessen the worry. Baby steps, a little progress at a time. Vision, a tiny bit better; balance, a tiny bit better; mental state, same. I guess I never realized before during previous visits that her brain (thought process) just isn't working right. My dad is definitely getting burnt out. Taking care of someone 24/7 and doing house chores is a lot for anyone. Which is why I am so glad Abi and Ben are like little rays of sunshine, happy and sweet, and perfect. I've heard a friend say before and it's so true- "no storm clouds are a match for my child's sunshine".

The best news ever

The Doctor told me today that my heart is great! No murmur, no fused aortic value, no aneurysm. I am free from having to worry!!!!! Which brings me back to the stupid Group Health Doctor that told me they thought I had a murmur but it was so small not to worry, leading me to assume for the past 7-8 years that I had the same heart value problem as my mom and sister. Even better I am leaving to visit my mom with the kids today and staying through the weekend. Happy, happy day...........

Trick or Treat

Ben in a basket

 Castle tent for the princess (see Ben in the cornor)

 I used her Easter basket as a candy bucket, kind of goes with her outfit-princess and the frog. She refused to wear her crown.

 First, we went to the Mill Creek towncenter.

 Abi's ready to go.



 Next, we went to Ryan and Sherry's with Aunt Keri for some real trick or treating. We decided Halloween is Aunt Keri's holiday, she hasn't missed a year of taking Abi trick or treating.

 Abi loved trick or treating, maybe just because she was with her friends. She ran from house to house happy as can be, she thought it was a great time. The picture below cracks me up because the girls would send Brandon to the door to ring the door bell while they waited farther back. If there were other kids at the the door they were always the last ones to get candy. They would patiently stand to the side and wait their turn.

Preschool Halloween

This was Halloween II for us (part III tonight). I was surprised that there were only 3 princesses! The other costumes included a tiger, lion, mini mouse, 2-Tinkerbell's, dog, zoo keeper, race car driver, transformer. Teacher Lesa was a skunk. I was so glad that her preschool did a Halloween party because so many schools don't and it's a holiday meant for kids.  

 I had to get a picture of Abi playing with her friend Nova on the teeter totter. This is what they do everyday at preschool.

 

Love is......

Love is my husband doing ALL the getting up last night, seriously love you!

Love is sticky buns, homemade waffles, curry pumpkin soup, wine, and friends.

Love is spending hours of your day pumping just so your baby has the best food ever, love ya sis!

Love is taking care of the ones that love you.

Love is family.

Silly little pumpkins

Abi decided that she wanted a scary pumpkin and Daddy would have a silly pumpkin.

 This picture makes me laugh because it is a direct reflection of what goes on in our house on a daily basis.  

 Abi wanted me to take a picture of her with a grouchy face, she is the dramatic one.

Ben in his favorite place, the oven drawer. I took this with my old camera because it was easier to grab, I think I'm turning into a picture snob because it looks so grainy to me.

A day in the life......

Abigail is finally starting to really like preschool, yay! She is happy to go and says "mom, you can go now" when I drop her off and has a smile when I pick her up. I'm so glad she is comfortable there. I'm also extremely happy to report that all her business is done on the potty and not even a pull-up at night. She is making me a very happy mom! Now we just need to get back into swim lessons.

Benjamin is toddling around and bumping his head on everything. He has a permanent bruise in the middle of his forehead, as soon as it heals he bumps it again (at least his hair usually covers it). I guess it's a small price to pay for having a large brain. He is also teething up a storm which is keeping us up at night and giving him diarrhea, which is giving him a really sore bum. Recap: bruised head, ouchy teeth, and a sore bum-POOR GUY!

The chickens have stopped laying, boo, sad day :( We think it's a combination of cold weather and less sun so Brad put a light in their coop-lets hope it works.

Sammy cat-same as always: hides under the bed, begs for attention, harasses the dog.

Maggie dog-well, she's a good dog but lets just say she kind of has a thing for Ben. We've caught her a few times (over several months) dry humping the air next to Ben as he is playing. This deeply disturbs me and makes me laugh at the same time. Silly dog, first of all you are a girl and second-KNOCK IT OFF!

Brad is training for a half marathon in December and is up to running ~9 miles! I'm so thankful to have such a great husband that is so good with kids and takes good care of them when I'm away helping my mom. We have a lot of friends that are good dad's so there's some tough competition but I still think I have the best dad and husband around.

I have an appointment to have an echo cardiogram on my heart this week. I'm a little nervous just because I haven't had my heart checked out in about 7 or 8 years and I've had two kids since then. I'm sure it's probably fine, my sister on the other hand will need heart surgery soon. They said she can't have another baby until she gets her aneurysm fixed. This is the only time in my life where I think my lack of activity (being lazy) may be a good thing. My mom's and sister's heart are worse for ware due to marathons and extreme working out (and the bad value we were born with). I'll get my results next week, then I'll probably need to think about getting the kid's hearts checked too. Although I'm not planning on having any more babies it would be kind of sad to be told I can't because of my heart. It is a genetic mystery why this heart value problem has been passed down in my family (my great grandma, mom, sister, me, my niece), usually it is just a birth defect that happens every so often and has no genetic link.

My mom will probably get sent home from the hospital this weekend, which is both good and bad. She will be more comfortable (and have way better food) but she'll need someone with all the time to help her with everything. I'm hoping my dad is up for the task and wishing I lived closer :( Her progress is very slow but she is making progress. She is being really strong so I tell myself I can be strong too. No more teary eyes, just love, strength, and recovery.

“ Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it’s what you are expected to give – which is everything. ” — Vittorio Alfieri

Corn maze/Pumpkin patch

Muddy, muddy, muddy -that's what you'd expect after so many days of rain, right? Last year Abi loved the corn maze, this year not so much. She did not like the mud and cried when we came across a mud puddle so Brad or I had to carry her part of the time. Ben was a little grouchy too, but he took a nap the second part of the maze in the back pack and both kids rallied for the pumpkin patch. I was hoping to get a cute family photo, not so much the kids were not in the mood :( but it was nice to get outside and be in the fresh air for a couple hours.

My mommy

Well, it sounds like my mom will have 7-10 more days in rehabilitation at the hospital and then she can hopefully become an outpatient. They are hopefully going to let her leave this Sunday for a little while to go home, but she has to go back after a few hours. If only she wasn't so dizzy (and could see) everything would be soooo much easier. She fell out of her wheel chair today, which makes fall #3 since surgery. She has fallen out of bed twice (only one of those times was her fault for trying to get up by herself) and out of the wheel chair once. They now have alarms on everything so if she moves someone comes in to check on her. Her heart rhythm seems to have gotten better with drugs but her blood pressure is still kind of high. She seems surprisingly OK with everything that has happened (coping well) and is being her tough self which makes us all feel a little better. She is doing really good in her psychical and occupational therapy but still can't perform very many tasks on her own (still needs help going to the bathroom, changing, ect.). Still praying for a small miracle that some of her eyesight will come back, it would be such a shame for her to never see her adorable grand babes again. Sometimes miracles happen....... It seems so odd to be going on with everyday life like nothing happened, but soon enough our lives will be changed too.

Sure does feel this way sometimes.....

Pooh on the potty!!!!!!!!!!!

Exciting news, Abi is finally going #2 on the potty! It was starting to get a little embarrassing having a 3 year old that would only go #2 in a diaper, although she's been peeing in the potty for 6 six months. We have been telling her forever that we would go to the Hello Kitty store at the mall and she can pick out anything when she started going #2 on the potty. So now I guess we'll have to go, sounds expensive!

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

Story time at the pumpkin patch

 Time to pick a pumpkin and not in the mood to be photographed

 Snack time

Group picture-almost impossible

 Abi had a great time (and so did Ben), she was upset when it was time to go.