2014 - Week 43

Monday was a pretty standard start to the week. Christian and I were back to work, Eliza was off to my in-laws for the day, and the big girls were off to daycare/school. Back to reality! I ended up being late for work…I mean, technically I’m late pretty much every day, but I can usually make the time up with shorter breaks, staying a tad late, etc….today, I was too late though. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – it does not matter what time I get up, what I do, how cooperative the girls are, how the weather is – something ALWAYS happens to make me late. I’ve just come to accept this fate. Since I was so late this morning, I ended up taking a little extra time and leaving a tad early as well. I picked the girls up and made my way home to finish putting away yesterday’s laundry and pick up a bit. Christian picked Eliza up after work and met us at home.  It was a pretty quiet evening…dinner, a little family time. However, we did get some pretty exciting news. Olivia had a letter in her backpack from school, letting us know that she had been placed in their “Youth Scholars Program”. According to the letter, there are a few teachers that run this program; they have been going into the classrooms for the last month or so and conducting special lessons with the kids. From those lessons, and teacher input, they have selected students for this enrichment program – where they will be challenged and get to demonstrate their “higher level thinking skills”. Seriously, we’re so excited for her, and I couldn’t be more proud. And, it certainly doesn’t surprise me. Olivia, as much as she can act up at home, is so focused and well-behaved at school. She loves learning, she adapts so quickly, she is patient with herself when learning new things. She seems really excited about all of her new challenges, so I hope this will all help foster a love for learning as she gets older!

On Tuesday, I woke up with the worst migraine. I had been up with a pounding headache a few times during the night, but it was a full blown migraine by the time I woke up. I got up, showered and started to get ready. I thought I could tough it out – my little bank of leave time just makes me cringe. Then, I threw up. It was over. The day was over. I dropped the girls off at daycare, ate some breakfast, and passed out until around 10:00. Since Eliza was away, I had to pump my normal schedule. And, even though I was off, I did have to call in to a meeting that I couldn’t get out of. Luckily, it was quick. I had some lunch and rested some more. I finally started feeling better, though the degree of pain went up and down throughout the evening. I got up and did a little picking up in the living room, the kitchen and the girls’ room. So, at least the day wasn’t a complete waste. I picked the girls up, made some dinner, and we all settled in to eat once Christian was home. Eliza even tried her first food today, quinoa with apples. We don’t do rice cereal since it’s really just filler, but Eliza has been acting pretty hungry lately. The quinoa was my compromise with Christian. She didn’t really know what to think about it, and only had a few bites, but it’s a start! Finally , we got everybody to bed and we weren’t far behind. Being sick can sure take it all out of you!

First Food!

On Wednesday, I did still have a little bit of a headache, but I was feeling much better than the day before. While it’s usually my work at home day, I really don’t like to be away from work two days in a row – things just start to pile up like crazy, so I went in to work. I had a ton of stuff to route and move around, so the day went pretty fast. I also got all of our family pictures back from my friend Dawn, from this past summer. We didn’t take a ton, but I just love them. I’m so excited to finally have them! After work I picked the girls up and we made our way home for the usual dinner, baths and hang out. Eliza at a little more of her food tonight, so we’re making progress already!

More Food!

Family Pictures

Thursday was a pretty quiet day, nothing really out of the ordinary. Eliza ate almost her whole bowl of food tonight, she’s doing so well! She’s going to be ready to move onto other foods in no time! And, she also took a LOOOONG nap at daycare today, which is very rare for her, so that was a plus. Apparently, she still won’t really sleep in her crib though. I fully admit to them that it’s my fault, but there’s not too much I can do about it. At daycare, she prefers to sleep on the floor map, on the little mini-boppy pillows…I say, just let her be!

My cuties!

Official Kindergartner!

Friday was a working Friday. No fun, I was sure glad when it was over and it was finally the weekend! My mom watched Eliza today and they had a good day, always a relief. Eliza is really starting to sit well on her own now too, which is very exciting. I’m not really ready for a mobile baby anytime soon yet, but I love watching them grow and gain some independence. After work I picked the girls up and we made our way home. It was pretty nice out, so the big girls played in the backyard for a while, while Eliza and I hung out. Christian brought home some pizza for dinner, so we ate, watched some TV and hung out for the night. It was an early to bed kind of night for everybody.

Sitting so Good

Saturday was a busy day around the house. We had some breakfast, and then Christian and Olivia made their way outside to do some work in the yard/gardens. Time to start cleaning up and get ready for winter – BOO! Amelia wasn’t interested in helping them – and I don’t blame her. So, while they were busy outside, she played some games and watched some movies. Eliza was pretty crabby today, and I was fighting off a headache, so that wasn’t the best mix ever, but I finally got her down for a good nap, and got some much needed quiet time. In the afternoon, we were off to a local greenhouse to pick out some pumpkins. Luckily it wasn’t too cold out…they have a mini corn pit and hay maze, and a big pumpkin bounce house so the girls kept busy. We picked out our pumpkins and made our way home. We decorated all of the girls’ pumpkins...we decided to save a little carving time by trying out some different decorating ideas this year. For Eliza’s, we used a “Mr. Potato Head” kit, and for the big girls, we used some painting kits. Christian and I planned to carve our pumpkins, but we just were just too dang tired to do it tonight. Hopefully we’ll be in the mood later this week. Instead, we went to bed shortly after the girls…seriously, we sure party hard!

My Girls, Entertaining Themselves

Trying an Orange, LOL

A little fall fun

Decorating the girls' pumpkins

Sunday was another busy day. Feeling a bit better, I put Christian on dad duty for the morning and got to work on some chores. I got the laundry going, made some breakfast, gave the girls some baths, and worked on swapping Eliza’s closet out for her 6-9 month clothes (time to do some shopping!!). She’s growing way too fast! Christian ran out for a quick haircut, we got ready, and we were all off to my Dad’s house for lunch and some Halloween crafts with my stepmom. My oldest sister was there with her daughter and granddaughter, who is the same age as Amelia, so the girls had tons of fun playing. From there, we went straight to swim class. Amelia has been listening a lot better lately, which is a relief. Olivia is doing great, getting better and better every week. Finally, we made our way back home….had some dinner, I finished up some the laundry and we had a little family time before bed. What a day! I was a little bummed today because the last season of “Sons of Anarchy” was released on Netflix this morning and I’m DYING to watch it, but have no idea when I will be able to. I just need a day to binge….come on!

Lunch and Craft Day with Grandma Renny

Until Next Week! XOXO

2014 - Week 42

Monday was a bit of a chaotic day, but more in the planning of it than anything. It’s literally the one non-major-holiday day that our daycare is closed all year long. Now, I work for the government, so we get pretty much every holiday off…except today, which is Columbus Day, because we gave it up for the day after Thanksgiving years ago. Of course, that’s the day daycare closes. So, we finally got everything all figured out…I was going to work from home for a bit, drop Olivia off (she can’t enter the school until 9:10AM) and then head to work. My mother in law watches Eliza, so she agreed to take Amelia as well, so Christian was dropping them off. Then, I was going to leave work a little early and pick Olivia up (and, maybe make up a little work time before everybody else got home). Well, all of that worked out pretty well…except I woke up with a major headache. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately, and I’ve been plagued with these dang headaches all day long, I just needed a day of rest. I have little to no leave time, but I’ve learned that I just have to accept that for a while. So, after dropping Olivia off, I made my way back home to rest. It was actually really fun dropping her off – obviously, I never get to do it, so it was a new experience for me. Really getting to see her off to school. Cool! I spent the day on the couch, took a nap, showered and watched a few shows. I did feel a bit better in the afternoon, so I ran for a LONG overdue grocery/Target run. After getting everything put away, I picked Olivia up (also very cool, except waiting in line – lame). I put away some laundry, made dinner and spent most of the evening relaxing. These headaches just drain me! But, bright side of the day…once the girls were in bed, Christian and I were able to start the new season of “The Walking Dead” – YES, its FINNNNNNNALY back! We don’t have cable, and they don’t stream TWD, so we actually buy the season pass on iTunes every year. It’s literally the one show we really watch together, so we splurge.  The only downside is that we don’t get it until Monday, so we’re a day behind everybody else, LOL. Oh man, the premier did NOT disappoint either. This show would never in a million years get old. I’m so excited it’s already been picked up for another season!

On Tuesday, I was back to work, but I still was not feeling too well. In addition to feeling like I’m coming down with something, Eliza was up way early again this morning, and would not go back to sleep. I just feel so drained and rundown, and pretty sick of feeling that way. In addition, she didn’t really nap much at daycare today, so she was exhausted and crabby when I picked the girls up after work (which, I barely survived). She ended up taking a late nap while we made dinner and ate, so, of course, I had to prepare myself for another long night. Times like this, I’m super thankful that soccer is over. I miss watching them play, but at least it’s one less thing to worry about right now.

A moment of peace...

On Wednesday, Eliza was yet again, up WAAAAY before the alarm clock, starting the day off bright and early again. Seriously child, sleep – it’s wonderful, you are missing out! But, silver lining, it was my work from home day, so at least I got to stay in my jammies and relax at home. While I don’t feel horrible, I do have some cold symptoms hitting me…cough some sniffles, and my voice was completely gone today. Eliza and Olivia both have the cough too, so it’s just kind of making its rounds in our house I guess. When I picked the girls up, they said Eliza yet again didn’t really nap much, but she was pretty much in good spirits, so I guess it could be worse. I know the biggest issue is that she doesn’t sleep in a crib at home…she sleeps in my comfy, warm bed – so I think she just hates her crib there. Sorry, my fault. Hopefully she’ll still adjust, at some point, though. After picking the girls up, we had some dinner, and then baked some Halloween cupcakes...not something I'd usually do during the week, but we have a potluck at work tomorrow so I wanted to get them done to bring in. Finally, the girls had quick baths and were off to bed.

Their school pictures are SO DAMN CUTE!

On Thursday I was feeling a bit better, AND, Eliza actually slept (imagine that – I’m guessing the two go pretty hand in hand). Not only that, she actually took a nap today as well. Score, great day!! Olivia does not have school today, or tomorrow, for MEA. So, she got to spend the whole day at daycare with her friends again. She loves school, but I know she doesn’t mind being at the center one bit. Today was Sports Day at daycare (it was supposed to be spirit week all week, but they forgot to hang the sign up, LOL), so Eliza wore an old Vikings onesie we had, Amelia wore the Vikings sweatshirt, and Olivia had to wear her baseball uniform – sorry, they aren’t big sports fans. Amelia initially threw a fit about wearing her sweatshirt, until I showed her that she should match Eliza…then, it was AMAZING, she thought it was the coolest thing ever to match baby (especially because Olivia didn’t match). They’re so funny. Meanwhile, at work, we had a Taco Party potluck, just because – DELISH! After work, I picked up girls and we played outside for a while. Some warm weather has been moving back in and it was just beautiful out, we had to take advantage. We raked some leaves and jumped in the pile for a while, which is always a hit. The girls stayed out and helped Christian until it was dark, while I went in to feed Eliza and relax with her. We had a late dinner, took some baths (an hour in the leaves and they were GROSS!) and the girls were off to bed.

My sporty girls!

Playing outside.

Friday was my Friday off, so Eliza and I spent the day at home together. Olivia didn’t have school today, so again, she got to spend the day with her friends. Today was PJ day at daycare, which is always a bit hit with the kids. And, they got to watch a movie in her room – spoiled! Eliza slept in a bit this morning and took a great nap. I swear, she makes up for sleep and cuddles when we’re home on Friday, which is fine by me! Between naps, we did make a run to Target. Again, we have a birthday party tomorrow, so we picked up a gift.  And, of course, did a little browsing around the store. We picked up the big girls (nice and late!), made our way home for some dinner and had a quiet family night.

On Saturday, after an early feeding and chat session with Eliza, she and I slept in a little. Christian and the big girls hung out and started breakfast in the meantime. Once we were up, and fed, I put him in charge of the kids while I did some cleaning. I cleaned the kitchen, swept and picked up the living room a bit. But, I had to cut my cleaning short so we could get ready for the day. Once everyone was showered, clean and ready to go, we were off to Chuck E. Cheese for our nieces 8^th birthday. The girls had a blast, of course, but man does that place give me a headache (literally). Shortly after we arrived for the party, my sister in law informed us that she was getting married in a few hours…WHAT?!  Apparently after she and her fiancé had gotten engaged a while back, they bought a marriage license, not realizing that they expire. So, rather than have to buy another down the road, they decided to just get married at the courthouse. Luckily we didn’t have anything going on, so after the party, and a little relaxing at my in-laws house, we were off to the courthouse to witness the ceremony. It’s so crazy to think it’s all done and over and they’re married now, so out of nowhere! Oh to be that spontaneous, I just can’t even imagine it. After the ceremony, we joined them, their kids and Christian’s parents at Boca Chica (one of our favorite Mexican Restaurants) for dinner. So, what was supposed to be a pretty low key day turned out to be quite hectic! We left the restaurant around 8:30 and all of the girls passed out on the way home. Of course, we had to get Eliza up to eat before settling in for the night…and, we weren’t far behind them to bed. We were all so exhausted!

Sunday was another busy day. Christian started off out in the yard bright and early…doing some raking, putting away some more of the yard stuff, just getting it all ready for the winter. My father in law stopped over to help him work on the snow thrower so it’s ready for winter. We’re almost there, almost ready to pack it in and “welcome” the cold and snow. For now though, the weather is amazing. The girls played outside for much of the day while I did some laundry and hung out with Eliza. Then, we were all off for our first Halloween event of the year! Since our kids have accounts there, our credit union paid their admission (and ours) to go to the Como Zoo Boo this year, so we decided to take advantage (even though the event is pretty lame, and I would never actually pay to go to it). We arrived there a bit before it opened and the line was OUT OF CONTROL. I guess everybody was taking advantage of the warm weather. Luckily, we managed to find parking and took some pictures of the girls while the line died down. We finally got in, did our “trick or treating” and made our way home. They had Anna & Elsa there, so of course we had to stand in line FOREVER to get a picture with them. And, speaking of which, of course , like any other girl parent in the world, I did consider having the girls be Anna and Elsa this year. In the end, I didn’t want to spend the time searching for a (good) costume, and, quite frankly, I just didn’t want them to have the same costume as a million other little girls. So, while I thought I was going to get an ear full from them as we passed one Elsa after another at the event, surprisingly, they never said anything about it. That was a relief. It was getting dark by the time we finished up, so we made our way straight home for dinner, some baths and bed. Another weekend comes to an end, way too fast!

Until Next Week! XOXO