2015 - Week 21

Monday showed up, and it was back to the grind.  Everybody was back to work and school/daycare. Some of us more exhausted than others, because some of us didn’t want to sleep. Oh Eliza, one day, you’ll sleep all night, every night and I may just miss these middle of the night cryfests. Maybe. This week, our main goal is to work on getting Eliza off the bottle/formula. So, today she only had two bottles at my mother in-laws, and one before bed. Hopefully we can keep decreasing that, and moving to the sippy cup and milk. So far, she doesn’t seem to be a big fan of milk, but we’ve been trying since her birthday, so we’ll keep on it. I left work early today for a Target run, picked the big girls up, and got them ready for ball. After Saturday’s heat wave, the temps have been dropping, and it was another freezing night of ball. Olivia just had practice, and only ½ her team showed up, so they cut it a little short. Luckily I remembered sweaters and blankets this week! Amelia had her first game, and I was so bummed that I missed it! Poor Eliza had to sit out and watch her game in the cold – but, I dug out some gloves and winter gear for her. Boo!!! We all survived the deep freeze, but I’m sure hoping this is the last of this cold weather! Finally, we all met up back at home, had some dinner and settled in for the night. Eliza took a spill today at my mother in-law’s house, and it makes me so sad. She hit her forehead right on the edge of a door, leaving a big cut on her head. I’m hoping it doesn’t leave too bad of a scar, otherwise she seems to be in pretty good spirits about it. My poor baby.

Poor Olivia, fell asleep on the way to softball. These long days get the best of them sometimes.

Ouch!!

Look at my big babies on their Timehops today! Can't believe they're getting so old!

Tuesday was a pretty good, much less chaotic day. Work, daycare, school…the usual. We’re working hard to start selling off the baby stuff, and other stuff that we don’t need, and it’s really been making me mad lately. I’ve been using craigslist and those garage sale sites on Apple Valley. We’ve sold a few things, but the number of cancelations and no-shows and people who just plain don’t follow through, is just ridiculous. It’s so frustrating. I choose to do this, vs. having a garage sale, because I want to actually make some money off of our stuff, but I just wish people weren’t so flaky! Ugh! Vent over. Eliza had a really great day at daycare – she was in a great mood, and she only had ONE bottle! Then, she was in the best mood all evening, such a relief! She had one more half milk, half formula bottle before dinner. We may just be able to wean her quicker than we were expecting! The big girls played in the toy room for quite a while tonight – AND, they have actually been cleaning up after themselves lately, which is really great news. Growing up, they’re all growing up!! The rest of the evening was pretty standard…dinner, baths, bed. Yippie!

Picked up some clearance dresses for the girls' pictures in a couple weeks. So cute!

Wednesday was a super busy day at work for me. The day seriously flew by. I had a couple long meetings, we had our annual health fair, where I got to stock up on some super fun freebies, and we had a plant sale, where I grabbed a few more things for our gardens. It was time to “punch out” before I even realized it. I rushed home to get the dog out, grab some snacks and the girls’ ball gear, and picked them up from daycare. The big girls changed in the van, and we were off to Olivia’s game, where Christian met us. Amelia had a late practice, so she and I left from there to meet up with her team. Thankfully it was a much nicer day out! FINALLY, we all met up back home, changed, had a late dinner and we were all off to bed. These late nights, they definitely take a toll on us.

I was missing my girls today. Blessed to be surrounded by their pictures and artwork all day though!

Another night at the fields!

Olivia in action.

Thursday was a much better day, more relaxed day. It was pretty quiet at work, so I was able to plow through a ton of things in my inbox. I barely made a dent, but it’s nice to actually feel productive. After work, I picked the girls up, and it turns out Amelia has been acting up a bit, and had a really rough day today. Ugh, so frustrating. I know kids will be kids, but man, I feel so bad for the teachers having to put up with it when she gets in her moods. Once home, the girls played outside for a while, while a couple people stopped by for some craigslist sales. Yes, actual sales, that people actually showed up for! We’re getting close to having our “buy a shed” money! After some play time, we had a pretty low key night…dinner, some TV and baths before bed.

My little monkey's enjoying some outside time.

Friday was a pretty big “entertainment news” day – the Duggar Family molestation news broke, and it was seriously disturbing. And disgusting. I’ve always had my own issues with the Duggars. I can’t stand them. I think they’re fake, I think they’re addicted to having babies, to the attention it brings, to the paycheck they started collecting and the lifestyle that came with it. I think it’s irresponsible to our world and the environment for one family to use up so many of its resources. I just don’t agree with it…no, it’s not REALLY my place to care, and I get that, but I do. Then the news today, that the eldest son had molested several young girls years ago, including his own sisters - and the family covered it up (with the help of a later jailed himself police officer), honestly did not surprise me one bit. And, I think it’s just going to open the floodgates to all of that families secrets. So horrible, just absolutely horrible. I think what was worse for me was seeing some of the response on facebook....watching people actually defend this man, almost like a “boys will be boys”, “kids will be kids” attitude. I mean, I couldn’t believe it. I mean, seriously, I don’t care how long ago it was, I don’t care how old he was, I don’t care how “sorry” he claims to be, it’s not OK. I was pretty excited to see TLC act quickly and take the show off the air (eventually canceling it all together, thank goodness)…at least one good thing will come out of that disaster. What a world we live in, what a world.

Back in our world, it was a pretty busy day. Work was pretty crazy for both of us. I left early for Olivia’s kindergarten “Celebrate Our Learning” program. Seriously, I can’t believe she’s almost done with kindergarten, it’s gone by so fast! At the celebration, there were four stations … she showed me their reading station, where she read a few books to me, their science station, where they had worms and baby chicks and she had a “report” on worms to read me, the listening station, where she showed me how they use the iPads to listened to different lessons, and their writing stations, where she read some of the class books they had written together. She was so proud to show me around, and so excited that I was there. It just warms my heart, I love that girl. After showing us parents around, the teachers showed us a little slideshow they put together of the class, and then handed out award Certificates. Olivia got an “Amazing Artist” award for her love of drawing. So fun! After the ceremony, she finished off her day at school and I was on my way back into town to pick up Eliza from my mom’s. We picked the big girls up from daycare, and made our way home. Eliza and I hung out inside, while the big girls played outside. When Christian arrived home, he set up a “sprinkler system” in the garden…he bought this set of 4 sprinklers last fall on clearance, and it actually works out perfectly for the garden. We had some dinner, and the big girls went across the street to their little BFF’s house for a movie night. It was nice to have a little bit of a break, that’s for sure. I cleaned up the kitchen with my downtime, and settled in with some Hulu for the night.

Celebrate Our Learning Day with Olivia

Saturday was a pretty quiet day. We didn’t have swim class this week, so it was nice not having to rush out the door right away. Christian was off to work for a while the girls and I hung out at home. Olivia slept in, Amelia watched some videos, and Eliza was all over the place. She’s walking more and more, every day which is pretty exciting. Exhausting, but exciting. She was a little cranky today, so after some breakfast and playing, she fell asleep on my chest for a little nap. Oh man, I love me some baby naps! My mom picked the big girls up around 1:30 for a sleepover, Christian went to his friends’ house after work to help him put up a fence, so Eliza and I had a pretty quiet evening at home. A day of rest and quiet is just what I needed!

Cuddles with my little love.

Sunday was a rainy, gloomy day. But, the quiet and atmosphere just have helped, because Eliza slept until 8:30! Sleeping in, I sure do miss doing that on a regular basis! I spent the day doing laundry and just hanging out around the house. I went through the clothes that Eliza has grown out of, getting ready to sell the first year. So crazy. It makes me sad to get rid of the kids’ stuff, but I’m pretty excited to see it all go…cleaning up space in the basement, and saving up for our shed. Slowly but surely, we’re getting there! My mom brought the big girls home around dinner time, and we had a quiet evening at home. Tomorrow is a holiday, and I’m off next Friday, so we’re heading into a 3-day week. Which, is basically the perfect week!

Until Next Week! XOXO

2015 - Week 20

Alright, after a two month hiatus from blogging – I’m going to do my best to get back at it, get caught up and actually STAY caught up. No promises – you can’t hold me to it.

Week 20 – HOLY CRAP, we’re almost halfway through the year already! Monday kicked off, and it was about welcomed as every Monday. I was not ready…but, alas, we were off. And, we had a busy week ahead of us! Christian and I were off to work, the girls off to daycare/school. It was a cold and rainy day, all day long. So thankful we had such amazing weather for Eliza’s birthday party before this weather kicked in! Amelia’s baseball game was canceled, which gave us a tiny reprieve from the chaos. Olivia’s game however, was not. Rather than have Amelia and Eliza out in the freezing cold (and rain), Christian picked them up on his way home, and they got to sit in the nice, warm house, while Olivia and I froze our butts off. My van is NOT equipped to handle these cold sport days – I need to fix that, ASAP. Time to stock the van up with chairs and blankets…and sweaters, and gloves maybe! I was pretty dang happy when they decided to end the game early, I’m not gonna lie. Tonight Olivia played 2^nd base for a while and did REALLY well, even tagged a few girls out at 1^st. She also hit the balls a couple of times, a really awesome hit the 2^nd time up, so she really seems to be catching on. So proud! Eliza threw up on the way home from my in-laws, but was acting completely normal. This is the second time she’s just randomly thrown up like that in the last couple weeks. I’m really hoping it’s just a freak thing. Poor baby. Thankfully she had a blanket draped over her, so her car seat needs minimal cleaning. After ball, Olivia and I were on our way home to thaw out, and eat some dinner. We cleaned up and were all off to bed, one by one. I was literally still frozen when I went to bed, had to double up on the blankets. When I say it was cold, it was SERIOUSLY cold!

Excited to be thawing out after softball.

Tuesday was a busy day at work. I’ve been roped into sitting in on the planning committee for our new department-wide database that is being developed. They’ve already completed one big, upfront portion – but my supervisor wants to pull me in now as the “contracting expert” now that they’re developing the contract preparation/routing portion of the database. Just what I needed – one more task on my list! I have to admit though, I’m kind of interested in how they develop everything and piece it all together, so that part will be pretty interesting. After a chaotic day at work, I picked the girls up, and we stopped at Walmart for a few groceries. Finally, we made our way home…the big girls played outside for a while – it was still chilly out, but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. Meanwhile, started dinner. Eliza was being super cranky, so I put her in her chair with some snacks. Next thing you know, I look over and she’s passed out, right there in her chair! Poor baby, she was just exhausted! When Christian arrived home, we had dinner, hung out, watched some TV, and everybody was off to bed. Well, admittedly, I was up too late watching some finales – Revenge (series finale, sad!) and Bates Motel (SO GOOD!). When we went to Amelia’s kindergarten orientation a couple weeks ago, one of the teachers gave her some sunflower seeds and this really cute poem – basically, it tells them to plant the seeds, and once the flowers are bigger than she is, it will be time to head to kindergarten. She’s been dying to get out and plant them, so Christian took her out after dinner to do that. She was so excited – now, fingers crossed that they actually grow, or she’s going to be one disappointed little lady!

I got some new birthstone charms to add to my bracelet, and I added my necklace pendants to it.

She fell asleep while I was making dinner. So tired!

Wednesday was a pretty standard day. Work, daycare, school. The weather was just better, chilly – but some sunshine and no rain, so base/softball was much more bearable this week. Christian took with Olivia to her game, while Eliza and I were off to watch Amelia’s. She finally got her hat and shirt – team red! She’s actually doing pretty well this year. She’s pretty small, so swinging that dang bat takes a lot of effort for her, but she tries really hard in the field, and isn’t quite so ball-hoggy as Olivia was last year. She doesn’t seem as overwhelmed and anxious as she did with soccer, so that is a huge plus. After ball, we all met up back home for dinner, baths and bed.

Sissy got her uniform today!

Olivia, ready to play some ball!

Little cutie, watching Amelia's practice.

Thursday was off to a pretty typical start. This week was spirit week at school – every day is a different decade. We really don’t have much for most decades, but today was “80’s Day”, and you better believe we have some neon clothes! I “crimped” her hair, threw it up in a side-pony, and she thought she looked AMAZING! She was so cute. After work, I picked the girls up, and we were right off to school for their annual spring carnival. It was POURING rain, and we had to park a mile away…the girls had their umbrella, but I had to give mine up to the baby, so I was just soaked by the time we got inside. Miserable!  But, it ended up being a really fun night. Christian met us there…the girls played some games, went in the jump house, got some crazy hair, tattoos and nail painting done. We ate some food, met Anna and Elsa. What’s so funny is seeing the way Olivia acts at school. She definitely thinks she’s pretty hot stuff now that she’s in REAL school, let me tell you! We were all pretty exhausted, especially little Eliza after being trapped in her stroller the whole time, so the girls got some quick baths when we got home, and we were all right off to bed. Thankfully, tomorrow was my day off, so the girls and I were able to sleep in for a little while.

Woot, ready for 80's Day!

Carnival fun!

Friday was finally here, and it was my Friday off, so even better! The girls slept in, like I hoped they would, and then I rushed to get then ready and off to daycare in time for breakfast (hey, I pay for it, you better believe we’re going to get there in time for it!). Eliza and I settled in back at home….we snuggled, played, hung out and just relaxed. She took a nice long nap while I showered and got ready. And, finally, we were off to her 1-year check-up. She weighed in at 24lbs (76%) and is 29” long (46%). Just growing away! She always seems so much bigger than she actually is…I always think she’s going to be off the charts, but she’s fairly average in reality. It’s just that sweet belly! The doctor came in to check her over, and she is pretty dang perfect developmentally, and growing well – right along her curve. So, thankfully, no issues or concerns. Always the best kind of appointment to have, that’s for sure. Then came the sadness and heartbreak…THREE shots! Poor baby. She was not happy, not one single bit. But, after some screaming and giant tears, she settled in for some cuddles and recovered well. She fell asleep right away in the van and napped on the way home/ We stopped at Target for a few things, then made our way home to do some cleaning up. Christian left work “early” – aka, on time, showered and got ready. I picked up the big girls, then finished getting ready myself. My mom arrived to babysit the big girls, and we were off. Yes folks, we were going out. Both of us. ME, going out!!!! I know, let that sink in. I left the house, for adult entertainment, and I was beyond excited! We dropped Eliza off at my in-laws house (we’re just not quite ready for anybody to watch all three of them yet), picked up Christian’s best friend, Lorenzo, and we were finally off to see Kevin Hart. After months and months of waiting, it was FINALLY Kevin Hart night. Christian and I have two favorite comedians – George Lopez and Kevin Hart. We say George a few years ago, when I was pregnant with Amelia, and we were so excited to check Kevin off that bucket list. Our drive there was complete and utter chaos. CHAOS!!! The show was at the Target Center…Target Field is right next door, and there was a Twins Game going on. Plus, it was Friday night. It was just pure mayhem, everywhere. We were stuff in traffic, about 2 blocks from the show, for a good 30-45 minutes. BUT, we finally made it. We stopped for a drink, found our seats and settled in. We missed half the opening act, “The Plastic Cup Boys”, but what we saw was pretty hilarious. And, of course Kevin did not disappoint, at all. We had actually seen the first portion of his show on one of his Netflix specials…it was funny still, but a little disappointing. The rest was brand new to us though, and absolutely hilarious. I swear we barely stopped laughing the entire time we were there, what an amazing (much needed) night out! Luckily, leaving the show was much easier than getting there. We dropped Lorenzo off, picked Eliza up, and made our way home to relieve my mom from babysitting duties. It was super late, and we’re going to be exhausted tomorrow after a late night, but it was SO worth it.

Crazy Hair Day!

Cuddles with my Sweetheart!

Off to Kevin Hart

Saturday was a mighty busy day. The big girls and I were off to swim class, while Christian stayed home with Eliza. These morning classes are going to kill me! When we arrived home, it was time to hit this weekends task…getting the gardens going! While I hung out with the girls, Christian cut the grass, cleaned up the yard a little, and tilled the garden – this year, he expanded it all the way across the back of the yard, to the fence. After some play time, and a nice nap for Eliza, we all got ready and we were off to Gerten’s to pick out all of our flowers, fruits and veggies to plant. It rained on and off throughout the day – but man, it was HOT, HOT, HOT! Being in those green houses was pretty miserable, that’s for sure. We left just as a storm rolled in, so that was perfect timing. After the storm passed, we got everything planted…the garden, the pots, and hanging baskets. Now, we watch everything grow! After all of the heat and the work, we were all pretty beat - we had a nice, quiet night to end the day.

Planting Away!!

We pulled a dying bush out, and put in another lilac bush.

The lilies are coming in fast!

The tiny mini-rose bush Christian gave me a few years ago, finally planted outside in a big pot. It's already growing like crazy again.

Sunday was a pretty standard Sunday. It was chore day…laundry and cleaning up around the house. Christian made a quick trip to Menards for some salt and a few final things for the yard. It stormed on and off all day, so the girls were stuck inside. They were getting pretty stir crazy, so Christian took all three of them over to his parents’ house for a few hours. That’s right, I had the house, ALL TO MYSELF! I caught up on some TV, folded laundry and relished in the peace and quiet. It was the perfect  way to end the weekend. Once the rest of the family was home, the girls got their baths, and they were off to bed. Back to reality in the morning.

Until Next Week! XOXO