She certainly did not get this from me

Allie was very intrigued by the ants on our back porch today. So much so that she got on her tummy to get a closer look as the ants tried to pick up a small piece of chocolate chip cookie and transport it back to their colony. I saw her do this from the kitchen and grabbed my camera before she could move. Once she started trying to smash them with her hands, I pulled her from the scene.

getting an up close view of the ants

Sarah

My little cutie patootie

Allie, 20 months

Allie is naturally sweet. Her smile, her demeanor, the way she cares about her sister--like how she'll bring her a baby doll when she's crying or rub her back when she's hurt. She's genuinely a sweetheart. So when Audrey takes away her toy she takes it personally. It doesn't make her mad, it makes her sad.

She's been a girl of little words. She says the cutest, "uh-oh" at all the right times. Plain as day. She recently started saying "Momma," which always warms my heart.  Before it was just "Da." When Jeremy will come home she'll run as fast as her chubby feet will take her from wherever she is saying "Daaaaaaaaah" all the way to the garage door. She'll stand at his feet until he picks her up. It's adorable to watch and makes me smile every time.

She loves to sit and play in rocks. When I tell her to stop from across the yard she'll just turn and give me the cutest smile. I've pulled her out of our neighbors new landscaping more than once.

She has started little tantrums. The kind where she won't stand up and becomes a noodle when you're trying to pull her away from something she's not done with yet.

I've never seen a kid with a cuter wave than Allie. She's been waving since she turned one and it's the biggest, hand flailing back and forth across her face wave I've ever seen. And she normally does it on command. I love it!

Within the last week she's started saying making the two syllable, two tone sound for "no." I have no idea how to spell that or sound it out. But she uses it correctly. "Allie, are you ready for naptime?" And she'll mutter, "mmm, mmm"

This weekend I was decorating for fall, Jeremy was working on a plan for the shoe rack I've been asking him to build and the girls were playing in the basement. On a step ladder in the family room, I look over at Allie who is diaper less and emerging from the basement. "Allie, where is your diaper?" I ask without trying to laugh. Without saying anything, she goes to the drawer where we keep diapers, pulls one out, brings it to Jeremy on the couch, and lays down, as if to say, "I need a diaper change." I ask her then where her diaper is that she took off. She points to the basement. I say, "Allie, did you leave your diaper on the floor?" She thinks for a minute and shakes her head no while muttering, "mmm, mmm." I was so excited about her actually communicating that I forgot to go look for the diaper. Later, I ask her to show me where she put her wet diaper. I follow her downstairs and she rounds the corner to the bathroom, pointing. I'm just praying it's not in the toilet. Nope, my little cleaner upper put it in the trash.

While Grandma was babysitting last week, Allie started to pull at her diaper. I guess she'd just changed her so she told her it was ok to go more than once in the diaper. Soon after that, she found her in the bathroom, trying to get up on the seat, still pulling at her diaper. Then, Grandma says that Allie went to the diaper drawer, pulled out her changing mat, got a diaper and wipes and laid down, waiting to be changed.  I'd say she was trying to get her point across!

I have no desire to potty train this child before May of next year. If she would like to potty train herself I will let her. My first experience wasn't the greatest (it took at least two tries and both times I was either very pregnant or nursing a newborn and lacking sleep) and continues, as I still find used nighttime pull-ups under beds and behind doors. Ugh.


Recently we were getting ready for a family walk after supper. Audrey got on her bike and Jeremy said, "Audrey, you need shoes." So she said, "Daddy, could you got get them for me?" (I was inside cleaning up supper and both Audrey and Allie were with Jeremy out front). He said, "No, Audrey, you need to go get your shoes." And she whined, "But I want you to go get them." Apparently they went back and forth about ten times until Allie, in disgust, raises both arms and throws them down and grunts and she heads towards the back yard to get Audrey's shoes for her.   It's as if she was saying, "For crying out loud, I'll go get your shoes!" Audrey actually ended up getting her shoes herself but not before Allie walked all the way to the back porch.

She'll do anything for her big sister. She's very compassionate. And very quick to get Audrey's special doll for her or give back to Audrey any toy that she's playing with that Audrey wants. She loves playing with her big sister and her big sister's friends. She gets pretty sad when they don't want her around. Poor baby. I feel so sorry for her when that happens. At least now I can pick her up, kiss her and hold her for a few minutes. I'm not sure what I'll do when this happens in ten years!

rubbing Audrey's back after Audrey fell asleep after her first day of preschool.

Sarah

First REAL Day of Preschool

Audrey loved her first day of preschool!

Audrey's reaction today, when we dropped her off, let me know that this is much harder on me than it is on her. Allie and I signed her in, hung up her backpack, got out her homework from her Tinkerbell folder and she moved her rainbow from the home poster to the school poster  (signing herself in) before I even thought to remind her. When the teacher opened the door, Audrey was the first one in. She handed her homework to the teacher, turned around to find me through the thick of other mommies and other classmates, and waved as she smiled and said, "Bye Mom." I think I said out loud, "Don't I at least get a hug?" Feeling sorry for myself, I went in to the classroom (where all the other mommies were) and gave her hugs and kisses, told her I loved her and that I'd be back to get her in an hour. (Another short day. Wednesday will be her first full day of school). 

I almost didn't get Allie out of the classroom. She saw all those toys and thought she got to stay. She whimpered a little when we got in the car, never really riding by herself (she still is rear facing). When we got to the store, as I was unbuckling her I said, "Allie, it's just you and Mommy today."  She smiled from ear to ear. She was thrilled to have Mommy all to herself.

We found Audrey sitting on her mat in the circle, with all the other kids when we arrived to pick her up. She seemed excited to see us when we returned, even though her dress was wet. The wet dress is still a mystery. She claims she went down the slide on the playground and it was wet. Her dress was dirty in that one spot, so that made sense. Although there are other theories...

She requested PB&J for lunch. 

No denying it, Kindergarten, is a much bigger step.  But for a mom who has spent all day almost every single day with her daughter since she's been born, giving her up for just a few hours, a few days a week is big.  

I did a lot better than I thought I would. No tears were shed today, by anyone. For a brief second when leaving the parking lot with just Allie, I did have a little separation anxiety. But, I quickly turned my thoughts to Allie and my shopping venture and then everything was ok. 

Audrey with sister Allie before school.
She's wearing her panda dress, one she's been waiting and requesting to
wear everyday since it arrived. 

trying to be just like Big Sister

love the knee pop

Sarah

First Day of PreSchool

The first day was really more of a visit.  She was to come for a half an hour with a parent, or two.  Jeremy had to work, so I got to help her find her backpack hook, her tote, her name on the sign in "home" and "school" poster and watch her get acclimated with the school room and their toys. It didn't take her long to find the kitchen and start making pancakes. She found a dollhouse and large sponge number puzzles that she said were her favorite. When we left she said, "I think I really liked my first day of school." And then she asked if we could get McDonalds for lunch.

Earlier this summer she picked out a princess backpack (my cute little preschool backpack from PBK got booted!). I didn't argue with her when she packed her backpack FULL of books this morning. I knew it would only take her one day of lugging a heavy backpack before she'd do it again. And I was right. She also HAD to take her Rapunzel figurines. At the end of her half hour day she decided when getting in the car that her backpack was too heavy and that next time she'd only bring her extra clothes and her Tinkerbell folders.

She knows one other little girl, Caitlyn, in her class. She knows her from years of Kindermusik together. We did not plan or coordinate, they just always end up in the same class.

Overall Audrey is very excited and has talked about preschool all summer and how she can't wait to go! We are excited to have this opportunity and I can't wait to see how much she learns and grows this year. She is getting to be such a big girl!

all ready for school with her princess backpack

Audrey and Allie

Mommy and Audrey before school

hanging up her backpack, playing with the doll house, all smiles in the kitchen

Sarah

32 years

I remember when 30 seemed old.

I turned 32 today. I had a great day, filled love notes from my family, an awesome steak dinner prepared by my husband, and the nicest gesture from a friend. Combine that with two little girls who slept in, one who sang me happy birthday (32 times) and a trip to the salon for new hair and highlights = a pretty good birthday.

The girls and I baked brownies tonight. I love baking in the kitchen and having the girls push a chair up to the counter to help. I love watching them learn as they stir, add and make messes.

I don't like getting old. At 32 I just hope I can hold off the wrinkles for another year and hold all my skin damage from all that frivolous tanning at bay.  The years no longer creep by. My babies get older every second, and I'm trying not to blink.  

I'm 16 weeks pregnant with our third child and and to think at 19 years old, I thought I'd be done  having kids by 25. But at 19 I thought I'd be a hot shot lawyer. There are days I think it would be fun to be a part of a radio show again or be the author of a best selling book, plan events or create amazing photos that make people oooh and ahhhh, but for now I am content being a stay at home mom. It's certainly not boring, and I'll be honest, it's the hardest job ever! It's more than one job, it's like 1,000 rolled into one big job. It's constantly changing and tests my abilities everyday. It doesn't pay worth a darn of course, in terms of monetary reimbursement (although I keep trying to tell my husband that I will take my raise in the form of diamonds.) So, when someone does something nice that requires they took effort out of their day for me, it means a lot. 


This year for my birthday my mother helped my little angels write happy birthday notes and hide them all over the house. My favorite might have been the sidewalk chalk that said, "Happy Birthday Mommy!" written right outside our kitchen door. 


And then, my friend Jessica went out of her way to make me gluten free pumpkin bread. A few days prior,  I had posted on FB that I was totally done with gluten free pumpkin bread. I was venting my frustration that resulted from my third failed attempt at making the best pumpkin bread recipe ever, gluten free. It was heavy, gooey, chewy and at the moment, gross. Ugh! Just the act that she researched online, noted comments from other bakers, went out and bought all new ingredients so hers wouldn't contaminate the bread, completely wiped down her counters, thought to get a new hand towel and dishrag and even bought disposable pans was the most thoughtful birthday gift of the year! And, nope, this bread wasn't chewy or gooey! Finally.


It's been five years since I went gluten free after my celiac diagnosis.  It's still something I'm learning to live with, and without. It's especially hard eating gluten free and healthy when I'm pregnant. The list of what I can eat gets even shorter which can sometimes make me bitter, until I snap out of it and realize there are much worse things. Much worse. 


Planning ahead, managing anxiety, exercising for my heart, not so I can fit into a size 2. Really learning to respect my body and all it can do if I treat it right. Trying to remember in the craziness that is our life to take care of me, so I can be the mom and wife I'm called to be. 


Just a few things I'm doing at the young age of 32. 

Sarah

new art caddy

A new use for an old product. I took my old Pampered Chef tool turn about that no longer sits on my counter and made it into an art caddy for the girls. In there we keep all coloring utensils. All washable of course, as we ONLY use washable in our house. There's a spot for crayons, three types of markers, colored pencils and paint brushes. Pretty ingenious, I thought.

and the best part? IT SPINS!

Sarah

Reading with Daddy

Sarah

Audrey, Lily, Julia

Our next door neighbor to the North was pouring the concrete for his new outdoor kitchen. Both Jeremy and Dan (Lily's Dad) got recruited to help this Saturday morning. The kids played in our backyard, munched on doughnuts the neighbors had bought and washed it all down with Capri Sun. Whew! A sugar filled morning, indeed. Later we found the girls inside playing the piano and singing their little hearts out.  

Sarah

Back to School Brunch for Moms

This year I hosted a Back to School Brunch for moms in my neighborhood whose kids were either entering Kindergarten or going back to school. The goal/purpose was for moms to have someplace to go after they dropped off their kiddos at school. A place to converse with other moms and eat great food. A distraction, sort-of, on that first full day. We provided babysitting in the basement  for their younger kids so they could enjoy some adult conversation. I stocked up on Kleenexes but these girls were in good spirits. I don't think we used even one!  I asked my close friends to invite some of their friends and one of them in attendance also has to eat gluten free. (Just like me!) I was thrilled to say, "Yes, you can have everything here!" And not just the fruit, or coffee.

It was a lot of fun to plan and a good time had by all.  I learned a lot and hope to do it again next year. And I know I'll need the distraction myself of planning an event when Audrey starts Kindergarten herself in two years.

The Menu: 

Yes, everything was gluten free!

Appetizers: 

Savory Cheese Truffles

Maple Sausage and Apple Bites

Beverages: 

Coffee (Regular and decaf)

Orange juice

Water

Main Course: 

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Casserole

Farmers Omelet Casserole

Coffee Cake Muffins

Pumpkin Cake Bars

Fresh Fruit

Caramel Butterscotch Cheesecake Squares

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

I quickly, and I mean, quickly, took some pictures before everyone ate. Something I always wish I spent more time doing before the event starts! Sadly, these aren't magazine quality photos, but for documenting purposes, they work.

The invitation and coordinating papers were all from The TomKat Studio.

a sample of the invitation. Obviously mine had different words!

Our cute little dainty cups with orange slices on the rim. We used wine charms on the glasses so people would know which glass was theirs. I set up tables in the family room, covered them in table cloths and had my friend Lindsay put together some flower arrangements. At one point, we did have some classical music playing.

the cupcake toppers, that since I wasn't serving cupcakes, I used in the muffins. 

the cheese truffles fit nicely in these mini muffin liners that matched the color theme perfectly!

The layout was a little weak. The night before we decided not to bring up the big bar/table from the basement, therefore scratching all my designs of how I'd arrange the food. That part of an event has always stressed me out the most. 

one of the two casseroles. by far, the favorite. 

menu cards

an old family recipe: crispy chocolate, peanut butter goodies. 

it's hard to see here, but the plates we used were oval glass plates that had an indention for the cup. They too have been passed down for years in our family and are often used for baby and wedding showers. Luckily, they clean up nicely in the dishwasher.

the kids listening to my MIL read a book, while enjoying their snack.

the lovely table centerpieces

 The lemon verbena from our garden saves the day! The arrangements for the buffet table  that ended up
being the  flowers in the entryway, needed some fill. All summer I've been wondering what to do with that plant,
and it finally came in quite handy. And it smelled  heavenly too. 

Sarah

2 pink lines

It was May 25, 2011. It was the night I was playing single parent while Jeremy golfed after work. The forecast was a hot and sticky mess that later produced funnel clouds. In the midst of frantically signing them up online for swim lessons, fixing supper and hearing the tornado warning sirens, I saw 2 pink lines.

It was 5:30 p.m.  I was pregnant. I smiled to myself momentarily, celebrating the moment, and then life demanded my attention elsewhere.

Unable to keep the excitement to myself for long, I tried texting Jeremy, knowing he was busy.
"I've got news" was the text and it got no response.

It was storming, indeed and a tornado watch we were under. It wasn't until I called the gym needing help singing up for swim lessons did I learn that we were under a tornado warning. And then, a few minutes later, the sirens sounded. Although, after looking outside and seeing the sky I didn't need a siren. Stories from my father's childhood and the tornado that hit our farmhouse confirmed that I should be in the basement.

My heart raced for a few hours, from the weather and from the  2 pink lines I saw earlier. No tornado ever touched down, but the half hour that was 5:30-6:00 p.m. that night, produced the most excitement surrounding a pregnancy test I'd ever taken.

So how did I tell my husband? I sent him a text. I should have known better. He's not one for reading into things.

I sent: "All 4 of us are in the basement."

and he responded with: "You, Auds, Allie and Rapunzel? (Audrey's favorite Disney character as of late)

See what I mean? I should have just come out and said, "Took a pregnancy test and it was positive. Congrats. "

The confusion went on for a few more texts until I told him the 4th was baby number 3. He was shocked and excited. He'd wanted this pregnancy since January, and I said, no, give me 6 months. Jeremy's theory as of now with child producing, is, while you're in the trenches of diapers and middle of the night wake-ups just stay in the trenches until you can dig yourself out for good. I don't disagree, but Allie's first year was hard, and mostly because she wouldn't sleep. Plus, I wanted to lose weight first. The thought of 30 pounds on top of my current weight scared me. I told him to give me 6 months.

And that brings us to May 25th. I'm very excited about being pregnant for the 4th time, with our 3rd child. I didn't lose the weight I wanted, but I did build a lot of muscle from January--April.

A small tidbit: How did I know i was ready to get pregnant again? Life sent me to a urologist in early May. When he gave me the good news that everything looked good I asked him if it was ok to get pregnant. This was a  doctor I had never met before that day. He said go for it! That was when I knew it wouldn't be long.

I'm due February 5th. Several ultra sounds have the baby looking good, this last one he/she wouldn't stop moving long enough to get a decent picture, and I'm pretty sure he/she had hiccups. But we tracked a heartbeat at 145.

The day before, life took me into the OB office to hear the baby's heart tones after a little scare while in the Dells. That time, it was 163.

We discovered after the ultrasound that I have early placenta previa. At this stage it's likely to move up, out of the way, resulting in a normal pregnancy. That's what we're hoping for. I'm now 14 weeks. They hope by 18 weeks, I can continue life as normal. For now, no lifting over 10 pounds (except when I HAVE to pick up my 30 and 41 pound children), pelvic rest, etc.

I saw those 2 pink positive pregnancy test lines when I was 3.5 weeks. Told my mom when I was 5.5 weeks. Told the family on Father's Day and officially announced it after a sonogram on July 26th, at 12 weeks.

So far in this pregnancy:

weight: haven't gained a pound.

cravings: they fluctuate a lot. The first two weeks (before I even knew) I was craving ice cream a lot. Then it was chips and salsa. Anything with chips and salsa. Then the nausea kicked in like it's never before and I stopped eating a lot of much. A mixture of 7-Up and Orange Juice got me through those rough days. That, and bland gluten free crackers. This week I craved enchiladas, so I made some.

Food aversions: meat, Fritos, popcorn, now at 12 weeks, chips and salsa, and ice cream. Oh and homemade ribs. My husband spent a lot of time smoking ribs this spring/summer and the sauce he makes to go with them makes my stomach turn. The night we told family, we served the best ribs he'd ever made, and I couldn't stay out of them (without the sauce).

boy/girl: can't decide if I want to find out or not. At my 12 week sono the tech asked if I wanted her to look to see if she could tell and without hesitation I said, "Sure!" So, I'm not positive that I can hold out until the baby is born. I do like the idea of being surprised, but I also like to plan ahead.

baby is measuring: right on target. The dates I gave her initially matched up perfectly to how the baby was progressing. I'm getting good at tracking!









Sarah

Baseball Game

Tonight, we went to a baseball game with the neighbors, like we did last year. The girls once again had  free vouchers from the summer reading program. Instead of going out to eat before hand, we invited people over. But Jeremy and I disagreed on what to serve. He wanted grilled ball park food. And, I was having a pregnancy craving. Enchiladas. My chicken and cheese enchiladas. So, we had both. He tried to tell me that no one would eat my enchiladas. And I tried to tell him that people were sick of brats and dogs. Some people brought meat to throw on the grill.....but... most people ate my enchiladas! :) 

It was a typical baseball game with children in tow. They have so many things there for kids to do that it's more like an amusement park with a ballgame going on in the background. Audrey had fun playing with Lily and Julia and Gabrielle and jumping in the bounce house. Audrey and Allie both visited the petting zoo. We left shortly before 9:00 p.m. and way past bedtime with blue teeth, a free piece of pizza and a baseball Daddy caught for them. 

Audrey and Lily walking into the game

Lily, Audrey, Owen and Alex

oh dear. 

cotton candy!

Audrey and Allie. Audrey holding the baseball Daddy "caught" for them

Sarah