Celebrating 8 Years!

It's so hard to believe that we've been married for 8 years! It's one of those strange sensations - I can't believe it's already been 8 years, I feel like we were just married yesterday . . . but on the other hand, my life before I was married feels like it was decades ago.

It has certainly been and eventful 8 years . . . we've had four babies, moved 3 times, Aaron graduated from college, started working for Boeing and is now working on his Masters! What's next?

This past weekend we went out to celebrate. My parents took the kids overnight. We did some shopping, saw Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (disappointing!) and went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was so nice to get away a bit and wake up the next morning without hearing Meg calling "I want to get up!"

It's funny to think what I'll be writing in another 8 years! Ali will be 15 and in highschool! That makes me feel completely freaked out . . . let's not think about it anymore.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful hubby! I can't imagine life without him!

We made it through . . .

Today has been a bit of a milestone . . . in more ways than one:

First, we made it through last night! Yep, more barfing! After a couple of days with no problems, I thought we were in the clear - but I was SO wrong! Both Meg and Julie were puking last night. It started at 9:30pm and I finally fell asleep at 4:00am. Of course, neither of them are old enough to know when they need to throw up - so every time was an adventure! The big bummer is that we got together with some friends yesterday afternoon . . . I am feverishly praying that this doesn't spread through their home as well!

Our other milestone this morning is that we have officially made it through first grade! It has been such a long year and I'm SO glad it's over!! (We were supposed to go out to celebrate tonight, but those plans have now been cancelled.) Yesterday I looked back at photos from the first day of school . . . she has gotten so big. Her hair is longer (she has her hair up in the 2nd picture - so it doesn't look any longer), there are a few more permanent teeth in her mouth. I can't believe it!

August '06 ------------------------------------>May '07

On the Mend

Well, we seem to be coming to the end of our illnesses. We have now had two nights with no puking, so I'm hoping that that one is over with. Julie still has a yucky nose, but it's not as bad as it was - she just seems happier in general. Aaron is fine, and I am feeling better right now than I have in a week. Tomorrow we are supposed to celebrate the last day of school with dinner at Fortel's, so I'm glad that we're all helthy enough!

Sleep Deprived

Why is it that when kids throw up, it's always in the middle of the night? It's really not something that can be dealt with quickly - Sheets need to be stripped, a bath needs to be run, there's usually more vomiting involved. It just makes for a long night!

Yep . . . we had another one last night . . . this time it was Emma. This morning she has a fever. I really hope this doesn't run through the whole family!

Aaron is also sick now . . . same cold-like symptoms that Julie and I have. So he is actually home today. It's nice to have the extra help, but we are all pretty pathetic! Now Meg is the only one who is well - I doubt that will last! : )

By the way . . .

Still no frog! Maybe he jumped down the garbage disposal!

Sick again!

Isn't she sweet? Well, unfortunately she is a sick little girl . . . and she's not the only one! Julie has nasty cold symptoms, including a fever. She has been abnormally sleepy and cranky (which is always a blast). The upside of that is that she's been especially cuddly and has fallen asleep in my arms a few times.

Ali woke up at 3:00am last night throwing up. She now has a fever and has been lying around on the couch, pretty pathetic. I hope she recovers quickly - this next week is her last week of school and I don't want her to have to miss it!

I am the third of the sickies! : ) I have the same stuff as Julie, though no fever. Thankfully Aaron is home now, but tomorrow I'm being thrown back to the wolves. Please pray that I'll feel better tomorrow! I don't want to have to take care of sick kids when I feel horrible myself!

Cheeee!

This is Julie's latest word. There's no snapping candid shots around her. If the camera is anywhere nearby, she stops what she's doing and runs to the camera saying "Cheee!" She really cracks me up!

She has become quite a talker here recently. She mimics a lot, but not usually on demand. A brief summary of her vocabulary:

Ma ma
Da da
Emma
Julie
more
all done
please
thank you
cheese
uh-oh
hi
hello
bye bye
night night

Most of these are not commonly recognizable, but she says them consistently and we recognize them from context.

As far as physical development goes, she weighs about 22 lb. (only 4 lb less than Meg!). At her last checkup she was 95th percentile for height and 50th for weight. She is officially done crawling and is a pretty speedy little walker. She loves to bounce in her crib! She even manages to jump (on solid ground) occasionally! (And I thought Meg was early! Yikes.) Her hair is getting long enough that she can wear it in a barrette on top of her head (Pebbles style). She now feeds herself pretty proficiently - which is wonderful!! No more cutting sandwiches into little pieces. She still hasn't started spoon feeding herself - I'm not sure that I'm ready for the mess that makes.

She really is a darling. The only real downfall with this one is that she's a major tantrum thrower! I don't think that any of the other girls started this young (though Aaron says I'm wrong about that one). All it takes is for her to see someone playing with a toy she wants and she bursts into a fit . . . Or one that REALLY gets her going . . . turn on the bath water and close the door so she can't get in! Apparently she thinks that baths are reserved exclusively for her . . . no one else in this family is allowed to clean themselves! At first it was shocking to see her do this b/c she is remarkably compliant otherwise! Oh well . . . I'm used to it now and we're working on it. : )

Stupid Frog

Well, the little bugger has gone AWOL. Yep, there is a tiny frog loose in my house. At least I guess there is. The kids weren't anywhere near him, or I would suspect Meg : ) For him to get out he would have had to do a pretty amazing leap! I guess it's always possible that the two other tadpoles devoured him (I said possible, not likely!) Anyway you look at it there's a critter loose in my house . . . hopefully we find him before Julie does!

The Miracle of Metamorphasis

Thanks to our neighbor, Sherry, we recently became the proud parents of three tadpoles (or as Meg says, "tadipoles"). She brought home a bunch of them from a pond in Sullivan and now we're enjoying watching these little guys morph. Today our first frog officially came out onto dry land - He's still sporting a bit of a tail, but it's pretty amazing. He's maybe a centimeter long (tail included), so this picture is zoomed significantly! So now, what do frogs eat? I guess I should figure that out! It's funny how these slimy little things can be such a picture of God's creative genius.

Another One Bites the Dust

Well, tooth #2 is now gone. I feel like teeth are dropping like flies around here! Emma was very excited last night . . . she even pulled it out on her own . . . a big accomplishment after letting her last tooth hang by a thread for three years! Thankfully she realized that it hurts less to just pull it out quick than it does to wait around forever! : )

As a small piece of advice to those of you who don't have children losing teeth let . . . once you have your first loose tooth go get a couple $1 bills and stash them somewhere. It really stinks to have your kid lose a tooth right before bedtime and then realize that the tooth fairy is broke and has to run out to QT to get some cash! I guess we're learning to be better prepared for next time!

Homeschool Bound . . .

Well, the announcement is officially out. We have decided to homeschool the girls next year. This is a decision that we actually made a long time ago (November, I think), we just hadn't really been telling many people b/c we hadn't told the kids yet. Now the cat is out of the bag, and Ali and Emma are both thrilled.

I am (mostly) really excited about this change. There is, of course, a piece of me that feels worried about trying to homeschool two girls with two little ones at home . . . Thankfully, we have a good routine to our day that should transition well into homeschooling. We also have many families from church who have done a wonderful job homeschooling their kids . . . I know that is going to be an invaluable resource (in fact, it already has been!) We are ordering books this week and I am really excited to get my hands on things and really start planning.

Homeschooling is an idea that we have toyed with for years, but circumstances (named Julie) prevented it. Now I feel like I'm ready to take it on, knowing that I will face many challenges. One thing I've learned as a mom is that there are always challenges in any situation you choose . . . it's just a matter of what set you would rather deal with! We have been rather disillusioned with first grade . . . mostly because I never see my kid. By the time she gets home at 4:15, reads, does homework, practices math facts, eats dinner and plays a little bit it's time for bed. Not a whole lot of quality time happening there!

So here we go . . . : )

Outdoor Fun!

The weather here has been quite toasty the past few days! Before Ali left for school this morning we were able to get out and have some fun outside time.

After learning about simple machines in school, here is Ali's attempt at making a pulley : )

Sweet Emma and Julie

This is actually supposed to be a toddler sized helmet . . . needless to say it is nowhere near fitting Meg's little head!

All I have to say about this one is . . . it's a good thing she's cute! This is one a the few smiles I saw from her today! Yes, it was a rough day . . . I guess those molars are doing a number on her! : )