Happy Birthday George!

Happy 1st Birthday George! Your mommy made you a super cute cake. 

Schaeffer and Logan love playing in my parents shed and they love pushing the tractors around.

Logan also enjoyed bikes. No matter the size he'll find a way to climb on "ride/walk" around.

Jack thoroughly enjoyed Megan's fondant creations. He did not eat any cake or ice cream but he asked Megan if he could eat the fondant train that was on George's cake. He practically inhaled that train.

Pumpkin Festival Pictures

Riding the carousel! 

Schaeffer and Logan on their first ride. Though Logan is just riding on my back, so maybe it doesn't quite count.

Jack loved the train, but only if he could ride in the engine and ring the bell. The first time it was full so he stood to the side of the train and said "I'll just wait here". 

A car full of Friends and George. Front seat is Jack and Kyle. Back seat is Logan, George and Schaeffer. 

Schaeffer and Logan both loved to ride the cars. Schaeffer was especially expressive during the ride. He had a big goofy grin on his face every time he rode it. One night he started waving to people as he rode around. 

Holding their tickets. Jack was very interested in holding his own tickets this year and handing them to the carnie. Thankfully, he never lost one or we surely would have had a meltdown.

Thanks for the great pic Amanda. 

Hailey, Jack and Micah waiting for the parade to start.

The Great Catch Up

I have been absent from the blogging world long enough. Problem is when I don't keep up it gets a little overwhelming to jump back in again. Lest you think I've been sitting around twiddling my thumbs let me tell you what I've been up to. Fair warning, you might need a nap when you're done reading I've been busy lately! It's been two weeks since you've heard from me so here's a quick run down.

On September 8th Jack had is first full day of preschool. First thing I noticed when I picked him up was that he was in different clothes. Of course, my son had to be the one to pee in his pants on the first real day of school. I cried as I drove us home that day and wondered why in the world he is still having accidents after 8 months of potty training. We changed our school routine and now he goes potty as soon as we get to school, before I drop him off. So far we've had no more accidents. Today when I picked him up, he ran out of his room and exclaimed, "Mommy, I didn't have an accident! You don't have to take my gun away!". I high fived and fist bumped him while I smiled politely at the mother who heard the gun comment and I cast her a look to say, "you know kids say the darnedest things". But he was right about the gun. He knows I take his new Nerf gun away if he pees in his pants.

On September 10th, Paul and I played in the Marigold Festival volleyball tournament. We play this every year and have done so for many years. The tournament dragged on all day and we spent many hours sitting in our lawn chairs trying to keep kids entertained while we waited to play another game. We ended up winning the tournament but didn't get home until 6:15 that night after having left at 8 am in the morning. LONG day, but it was fun and the kids did surprisingly well all things considered.

We had a few quieter days and then Tuesday evening of last week hit and it was like we were shot out of a cannon and spent the next several days hurtling through the air and top speed. We had a bike parade birthday party for a friend and neighbor which was a lot of fun. I started a new women's small group Wednesday morning. Wednesday evening was the kick off of the Pumpkin Festival. We spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night there. It was fun, but it was the most exhausting P-Fest I have ever attended. I could make a giant list of everything I found tiring but I won't. Suffice it to say three young kids at the festival, two of whom are not independent and one of whom is extremely whiny lately is exhausting and being sick did not help. I also had my ten year reunion Friday night which I was helping organize. Of course I forgot to do several things before Friday because my week got hectic and I spent all morning Friday running around like crazy trying to get my stuff done and convince the kids they didn't really need me as much as they thought they did. The reunion was fun and despite feeling even sicker we didn't get home until almost midnight. Saturday morning would have come quickly had I slept but my cold kept me half awake and when 6:30 rolled around I was more than happy to get up. Paul and I got ourselves together for the day, threw the babies in the car and went to run the Pumpkin Fest 2 Mile Run/Walk at 7:30 am. This is the first race I have ever run and I was sick as a dog and slightly concerned that I was getting pink eye. But I couldn't back out, I'd been working for months to be able to run this far. I did it. I don't remember my time, 21 something. I have never felt worse running and I got beat (by a lot) by Paul who did zero training and who was pushing the twins. But I finished and I didn't stop to walk. After recovering, for the most part, from the race we joined my family for a delicious breakfast of pumpkin pancakes and sausage (which Schaeffer LOVED). Then we did our standard stroll through the crafts and candy collecting during the parade.

Immediately after the parade I took the twins and myself to prompt care. Logan was sick and so was I and pink eye was a concern for both. I fed them lunch while we waited in the waiting room. I laid on the bed in the patient room while the twins crawled around and we waited for the doctor. I'm sure the nurses all felt sorry for me. We walked out of their with a total of four prescriptions (but thankfully no pink eye!). We went home and took a shortened nap. At 4:30 we were back in the van heading to my parents house to celebrate my nephew George's 1st Birthday. It was a fun party. I just felt bad for feeling so bad. Can't believe that kid is one. I am sure his 1st year went much faster than the twins first year. Is that possible? We got home a little late from the party and everyone went straight to bed. Then the Lord blessed us greatly Sunday morning. I actually slept decently for the first time in 3 or 4 nights. Jack didn't get up until 8:15. And when he did get up he was content to watch a movie in bed with us while Paul and I slept some more. I have no idea what time the twins actually woke up, but they let us stay in bed until 9:40!  We relaxed all day Sunday and tried to recuperate. Now I'm taking this week to try and catch up on everything.

To School We Go

The obligatory first day of school picture has been taken. And thus begins the next 15 years of our lives. I didn't feel terribly sentimental as I walked with him to his room, showed him where to hang his backpack and waved goodbye to the kid who already had his nose buried in trains so much he merely threw his hand up in a hasty goodbye without even looking up.  As I'm sitting here thinking over the day, I wonder if this will be one of the memories I recall when I'm sitting in the audience at his high school graduation years from now. (Lord willing, we see that day!) The thought had occurred to Jack just last night about whether or not school would have trains. It was the first question he wanted to ask his teacher, Mrs. Hart. Turns out he didn't even have to ask, one of the first toys she pulled out for the kids to play with while everyone was getting dropped off was Thomas train stuff. With that Jack began his first day of preschool. I desperately want to know what when on in his classroom and I think I will feel that way with every class. Couldn't I please be a fly on that wall?  When I picked him up an hour later (short first day), Mrs. Hart gave a good report. She said Jack sat very well during class and was quite and I imagine pretty serious. She seemed a little surprised given his exuberant behavior during her home visit. But I wasn't surprised at all. Despite his never ending energy, in new environments and situations Jack is often a bit more reserved. And frequently when we are doing really fun things he looks very serious like he's not enjoying himself but at the end he goes on and on about how much fun he had and how much he wants to do it again. I'm guessing once things become more familiar to him and he gets to know the kids and Mrs. Hart a little better, he's going to be making people laugh and smiling and being his typical energetic self.

Jack's report on the day was, as expected, quite brief. With a big smile he told me how they had trains and dragons and school. :-)

At home.

At school.

After class with Mrs. Hart in his classroom.