Finally Catching up on Thursday

Thursday morning we got up and dressed and ate breakfast and out the door by about 9:30. My girlfriend Ali invited me to drop my girls off while Jay and I ran errands since I had watched her kiddos the weekend before. She even offered to keep Jay, but I thought maybe not. He's about 200% more effort than the girls, since I knew they'd be busy playing with Anna.

Besides, it was kind of fun to hang out with just Jay. He seemed so lonesome in the way back of the minivan by himself!

We went to Target for a couple things and he was much more of a handful than he normally is in the cart. I chalked it up to the fact that he normally has his sisters occupying him. They are such a big help, and I realized it more than ever once they were absent!

Jay was content to hang with Mama, although he doesn't appreciate getting in and out of the minivan. He gets so irritable when I put him in his carseat - squealing, arching his back. His anti-car days go back to two weeks of age. I can still hear his blood-curdling wail in my ears. I'm not sure what's in
Jonathan and my gene pool that our kids test the car so much as infants. We'll find out someday they all get violently motion sick or something. Haha.

After a bit, I swung back and picked up the girls. They always have such a fabulous time with those ittersagens. I practically have to claw them out of there.

We came home and I fed everybody lunch. Then I put Jay and Kelsey down for naps. Kelsey had gotten up really early, and coupled with her late-bedtime due to Awana the previous night, she was overdue for a rest.

Calla helped me get some cleaning done. I also made some food in the kitchen and she pitched in. Even if she is doing her own thing (a craft or something), she likes to stay in the same room as me when the little ones are sleeping.

Much to my chagrin, everyone was awake on the early side from their naps. We stayed home the rest of the day. Calla and Kelsey played, I did a little schoolwork with Calla, and Jay followed everybody around.

It was a beautiful day outside, so the kids and I hung outside for an hour or so while dinner was in the oven and we were waiting for Jonathan to get home.

below: the girls love getting the mail. Calla got her first Clubhouse, Jr. (a kids magazine that Mimi and Pops got her a subscription to as part of her birthday). Kelsey Mae wondered why she didn't get a magazine so I gave her my Crate & Barrel magazine and she was seriously tickled pink. haha. She sat down and paged through every page, pointing out the "cute things." ha

 below: Jay angrily trying to take his car back from Kelsey....

 below: Go, Jay, go! (Kelsey was pedaling furiously away as fast as she could)

 below: Fail, Jay! He bit the dust.

Jonathan got home at six or so and we ate dinner. Then he gave the kids a bath ad we got everyone in bed. The bedtime ritual always sounds so nice and tidy when I type it out, but in reality it involves a lot of complaining that she has to stop playing (Calla), agonizing over which pajamas to wear (Kelsey ....that girl is so indecisive!), a big search for the Bible storybook (that always gets
misplaced, despite that we read it daily...makes zero sense to me). Then somebody always has to use the bathroom and somebody is thirsty and somebody is silly (Jay!). By the time everybody is snoring away, it least an hour has lapsed.

Which is why Jonathan and I usually collapse on the sofa for an uninterrupted account of our day's events. How relaxing !

Callaism~

~ We were ten minutes late arriving at Ali's because Calla and Kelsey both requested colorful hair extensions for me to put in their ponytails. Hahaha. The price of beauty.

Jayism~

~ Jay is such a ham lately. He's discovered he gets a reaction from people when he waves at them and says "hi," so he did it constantly throughout the grocery store. It was so funny. I'll have to take a video on my phone (if that's not awkward at the store!).

Church: Morning & Evening



WEDNESDAY morning we got up on time. I told the girls if we could slash our prep time from 90 minutes to 60, that we'd have time to go to Dunkin Donuts on our way to church. Of course, they don't understand time so I put it like this - "If we really really hurry, we can go get a donut on our way to church!"

 

My girls are pretty pokey, but a donut is amazing motivation. Calla played nicely with Jay so I could get ready. Kelsey found her shoes right away (usually she starts looking for them, gets distracted, starts playing with something, gets thirsty, starts looking for her cup, comes to me and asks where her cup is, and I say - "where are your shoes?!").

 

By 8:30, we were seated at the Dunkin Donuts nearby for a donut. I even had a coupon to boot.

 

below: the girls with their autumn-colored sprinkle chocolate icing donuts...

Jay explored the place for all of two minutes before he headed over to the coffee bags to examine them. He spent the rest of the time sitting on my lap, sucking on a fistful of glazed donut.

We drove to church. The girls have the Wednesday-morning routine down now. They both have helpers in their rooms who are special to them (Miss Ashley for Calla; Miss Amy for Kelsey). And they both like to peek in Jay's room to check out the babies before I drop him off. He does so well when I first put him down, but once I give him a hug and start to leave he begins to cry. Oh mama! Don't go! It may be a little confusing to him since he is in the same room on Sunday mornings, and occasionally I help out in there.

Well, regardless, by the time I leave the room and then peek in the window to see if he is ok, he has stopped crying. I don't even now how you can start and stop a big cry in that short amount of time.

Our Bible study group was really intriquing this week, because we all gave our testimony ("spiritual story") and one of the girls (Sharon) in there mentioned Calla in her story! I was so touched I immediately teared up! Her past had not been easy, and she said that a turning point was when she met Calla. Sharon and Calla were really tight way back when Calla first turned 2. Calla was talking in full paragraphs at this point (such a contrast to little Kelsey!) and Sharon was so sweet to her. I ended up inviting Sharon to our Wednesday morning Bible study group, and we've loved having her as part of it. Soon Jay will be almost-2 and in Sharon's "grasshoppers" room. Kelsey was in that room too and had a soft spot for Sharon.  To hear how special Calla is to Sharon was a reminder that I need to have her over more often!

Anyway, after Bible study was over, I picked up the kiddos and we headed home. I made lunch right away, especially Jay was a major crank. He ate pretty well though and then I put him down for his nap. I wanted Kelsey to be happy for Cubbies, so she took a nap as well.

Calla and I did her reading lesson and she helped me do some ironing (well, watched me) and also folded some laundry with me. It's nice to have a little pal to chat with during all the mundane housework! Kelsey and Jay didn't sleep real long, so after we straightened up the house a bit more, we headed to one of my favorite stores - Home Goods. I've been meaning to get a floor lamp for my front room for quite some time, so we picked up one of those and also a couple new cushions for that front couch. Gotta dress it up (aka - hide the stains) somehow!

There was so much at Home Goods that caught the girls' eye. I felt like such a crabby mom having to say "no, no" all the time but they could have easily picked out $100 worth of stuff! ha! Shiny candles! A pink rug! Purple pillows! A fall pumpkin decoration! Who knew that Home Goods appeals to all ages?

By the time we got out of there, we were pressed for time. We hurried home, I threw leftovers in front of them, we ate dinner, we got our vests on (ok, the girls did) and we headed back out of the house a half hour later to head to Awana Cubbies.

below: We paused to take a picture for Daddy. He had a work dinner tonight. Prime rib. Yum. Beats leftover baked mostaccioli!

 

Jay and I dropped his sisters off at Cubbies then headed down to Puggles. We only ended up with five kids, but boy were they a handful! They must have all woken up on the wrong side of the bed. The only girl, 2-year old Ming-Ming (that's her nickname and now I forget her real name!), kept putting Jay in a headlock. He would shriek. Then there was 2-year old Drake, who alternated between pushing kids and stealing their toys. He completely decked Jay at one point. Poor Bird! Then there was Colter, who is only a few months older than Jay, but the two of them kept fighting over the same toy. Jay knows how to deal it, too. Colter is taller than him but Jay was being very aggressive. Little stinker!

 

When he wasn't getting beat up on or trying to swipe other kids' toys, Jay was going down the sliding board over and over. I was getting the biggest kick out of watching him, because he would get to the top and start laughing in anticipation of the free-fall. haha.

 

By 8:15 or so, we were headed out. Calla always talks a mile a minute the whole way home about all the details of the evening. She said Kelsey did a good job on the verse, which was surprising since Kelsey had REFUSED to say it to me all day. (She kept saying she would say it at Cubbies, as if she only had "one recitation" in her.)

 

Once we got home, I put Jay right to bed. He was pooped. The girls took a little longer...they were still half-awake when Daddy got home from core groups at 9:15. He went in and said goodnight to them.

 

Kelseyism~

 

~ Kelsey spilled pink lemonade from her cup all in her Cubbies bag on the walk into the church. I expressed my dismay and she said, "It's ok, mom! An accident, see? It's ok! It will dry, okay?" She always tries to talk me (or anyone) out of their disappointment. (As opposed to Calla, who would just join in!)

 

Jayism~

 

~ Tonight at Puggles, about an hour into it, Jay marched right up to the white cabinet where the graham crackers are stored and started begging. His begging involves outstretched hands, palms up, an outstretched lip, and a "eh, eh?" noise. haha. I thought it was pretty clever he remembered where the crackers were!







A September Park Day

TUESDAY we took a little while to get into the groove of things. These days happen. We were up early enough to go to the sports center before Calla's gymnastics began at 10am, although by the time I wrangled all the children over to the gym, I had enough time to pick if I wanted to run on the track for 30 minutes, or shower and get ready for 30 minutes. You all know me well enough to guess which one I choose. In fact, it was a fortunate thing that Calla left something in the childcare and we had to race back in to get it. Otherwise, I might have been at the gym and never even clocked in a second of exercise.

The sports center is halfway between our house and the gymnastics place, so I really should make it a habit to go on Tuesday mornings. We got to gymnastics right at 10, and after rushing over there I decided that Kelsey and Jay and I would just hang out and wait for Calla's class to be over (as opposed to running to the grocery store or something). They have lollipops there so that's really all Kelsey and Jay need to be content anyway. I set up a chair at the window so Kelsey could peek through and watch Calla. I keep telling Kelsey we will go for an "open gym" some day soon (picture her in her gymnastics leotard, asking when she can do it!).

Gymnastics was done by 11, and a bunch of my girlfriends were meeting up at a park at noon. So instead of going home, we headed back over to Target to buy ground beef, which is the one item I forgot the day before. It is a horrible habit, but I always seem to forget an ingredient when I head to the grocery store. But yesterday I needed to kill time anyway, so we slowly got the ground beef and headed back to the minivan.

Instead of going home to pack a lunch, I drove through the McDonald's drive-thru and ordered from the dollar menu. The girls are into hamburgers now anyway (over nuggets), so they don't ask for a happy meal. We haven't gone in there in so long maybe they don't even remember happy meals. haha.

We drove from McDonald's over to Atten Park. Miraculously, Jay stayed awake in the car. Actually, I know how he stayed awake - I gave him something to eat. That usually works.

Yesterday was one of those days that starts out with temperatures in the 50s (when we went to the gym) but by noon it was in the 70s and we were all sweating in our jeans. The sun felt hot, and so we ate our lunch in the shade and just as we were finishing, our friends showed up.

It was fun to sit and chat at the park, although I have to keep an eagle eye on Jay. He is everywhere. And he is definitely not in the swinging stage anymore. I mean, he likes to swing, but he likes to swing for about 5-10 minutes. The rest of the time he is busy going down the slides and exploring. There is a big sandbox there so he parked it in there for a bit. He also spent some time exploring other children's lunch boxes...there was a Pringles can he had an eye on and was so annoyed with me that I kept putting it out of his reach. He loves Pringles!

 We left the park at 1:30 or so, and brought Brooke home with us. Calla and Brooke were begging for a playdate, and it's been awhile since they played at our house. I let Kelsey Mae play with them for a little while I put Jay down for his nap. Then I made her lay down in my room (so they could play in Calla's) but she never did fall asleep. I think she was too excited!

When she ventured out of the room, she discovered Brooke and Calla outside practicing gymnastics "shows." They would work on them for a while, and then run in and ask me to watch! They are cute. I should have video-taped it with my phone. They took it super seriously.

On our late-afternoon agenda, we had my friend Emily's kids, Jack and Lucy, over so I could baby-sit them while she packed. Em (and her family) is moving to Charleston, South Carolina on Saturday and I know what it's like to try to move when little kids are in the way! Jack is 2 and Lucy is 1 so just double the stress. haha.

Jack and Lucy came over right after Jay woke up from his nap. I know Lucy because she is a month older than Jay so she sees me in her class at church. But Jack doesn't know me real well, so it actually worked out great that Brooke was still there since he knew Brooke better! He cried a little when his mom left but he recovered nicely.

For the next couple hours, I was on full-kid watching duty. Jack was a busy guy, so I had to stay a step ahead of him before he got into mischief. And Lucy was super easy, but keeping track of her and Jay was hard because they kept going in opposite directions.

Lucy is about six weeks older than Jay. How cute is she? They are about the same size.

below: this was not a set up. they were hanging out on the step together (-:

 below: Jay presumably grabbing the door for his lady friend

 below: see? Same size!

Emily picked up her kiddos at around 6. We said goodbye - I'm going to miss her! Hopefully she'll get a guest house in Charleston and we can head down for a visit haha.

Jonathan arrived home from work shortly after. We ate dinner, and then he gave the kids a bath. Jay had taken a pretty long nap, so the girls actually headed to bed first. Calla tends to alternate between sleeping on the top bunk and the bottom bunk. She's at about 50/50 ratio these days.

Jay got in some quality time with Daddy before I put him to bed.

Callaism~

~ Poor Calla had a sad moment this afternoon! She is working on this bead craft (refer to yesterday's blog post to see the picture) which involve a bucket of literally 5,500 tiny beads and different shaped pegboards to decorate. She was halfway through a purple butterfly when Jack noticed and said, "Can I do that?" She was sitting way up on the island, so I was surprised he could even see her. She said, "No' and he responded by swiping the butterfly. The butterfly peg and all the carefully placed beads (probably a full hour of work, no exaggeration!) spilled all over the floor, in all directions. Calla burst into tears. She was soo sad! She handled it really well, and I pointed out that she and I could work on it together sometime. (Of course, not right then, when I was trying to keep five children alive.) Daddy felt bad for her when he heard about i too and offered to help her a little. I am not quite sure how his big hands can handle those tiny beads but it's the thought that counts!

Jayism~

~ Last night, after baths, we were hanging out in the girls' room and Daddy taught Jay to say "hello."

Our Monday

MONDAY would be a great day to kick off the week with a workout at the sports center but somehow Mondays usually call for a slow morning and big breakfast around here. I usually let Calla and Kelsey hang out in their pajamas for much too long playing. While they play, Jaybird putters around and I work on a grocery list. We finally got out the door at around 10am. Usually by then Jay is looking for a change of scenery anyway.

Our list wasn't too involved. We headed to Target, which turned out to be a fascinating trip for the girls because the parking lot is getting re-paved. There were all sorts of big paving trucks out there doing their thing, with most of the parking lot roped off, and the girls had a million questions about it. WHat's going on? What are they doing? Where are we going to park now? Where is everyone else parking? What if it's really loud? Are the trucks really loud? Hold me if it's really loud (Kelsey)! Somehow, with all that excitement, we managed to get inside the store. Ha!

After Target we headed over to Ultra Foods, and were home before the first hunger pangs hit. Something about going to the grocery store always makes me hungry (the FOOD, perhaps?!) and the kids are no exception.

 

below: Jay relaxing in the car-cart. When I first grabbed my phone, he had one arm on each door of the cart. It look so funny.

 

 
below: Calla and Kelsey bag all my groceries now. Jay and I supervise. (-:

 

We ate lunch as soon as we got home, and then I put Jay to bed. I hoped to eek about a three-hour nap from him. High hopes.

Well, an hour and 15 minutes later, Jay was up. An hour and 15 minutes gave me enough time to iron a shirt for Jonathan, start a load of laundry, have a phone conversation with my mother, empty the dishwasher, and threaten to put Kelsey down for a nap three times (and then never do it). She and Calla were playing so nicely my threats fell on deaf ears.

Once Jay woke up, I put together a meal for my friend Suzi and then we drove over to her place to drop it off. She had her third baby on Friday and so we were anxious to meet baby Ella and give her some dinner. She invited us all in, which the girls thought was fabulous! Usually they are banished to stay in the car while I run a dinner in to someone, so they were excited to see baby Ella and, perhaps more importantly (in their minds!), play with all the toys!

Suzi has a daughter Jay's age (yes! Jay's age...and a newborn!), so we watched them walk around together. It's always so entertaining to watch two toddlers size each other up. I think after that initial glance-over, they largely ignored each other. Jay was fascinated wtih a few magnets on the frig. Ha.

We stayed for 45 minutes or so...I didn't want to outlast our welcome, and Calla and Kelsey had begun quarreling over the same tool set. Apparently I am going to need to get Jay a plastic tool set for Christmas because those girls were playing with it like they had never played with one before, which is a very good possibility.

We drove back home and I spent ten or so minutes straightening the house and wiping some bottoms. (Yes, multiple people decided to use the bathroom. It is uncanny how often both bathrooms are simultaneously being used. You'd think that 4 or 5 bathroom houses seem a little excessive but I got to say, when everybody is home, it definitely seems like a necessity.)

My friend Jenny had arranged for me to watch her kiddos for a half hour while she had a listing appointment, and once we got home from Suzi's and I realized how nice the weather was, I texted her to see if she wanted to drop her kiddos off at the park across the street and I could watch them there. It seemed like a shame to miss out on the 70-degree sunny weather.

Calla, Kelsey and I walked over there to meet them, and then Jenny left and I was outnumbered 6-1. Haha. Norah brought along two soccer balls so she showed us some soccer moves, which seemed like a great idea until the remaining 5 children fought over the other ball. Dane and Jay were close to getting into a brawl over it. Yikes.

The kids played "house" for awhile and when they tired of that I offered to use my stopwatch on my phone to time them going through the playground equipment. They got a huge kick out of it - even Dane - and the big kids did it over and over, trying to beat their own times (and each other's) while Jay and I sat at one end timing them.

Jenny showed up and she and I caught up for a half hour or so while we let the kids play. Finally though there was more fighting/crying going on then playing so we chalked it up to dinnertime and parted ways.

We got home just about the time Jonathan did, so I quickly threw a spaghetti dinner together. We ate and then Jonathan gave the kids baths...Jay can hardly stand it he gets so excited when Jonathan announces "Bath?!" after dinner. He is usually still stuck in the high chair, covered with food, and starts squirming and arching his back to get out. He's begun holding his hands out when he wants me to wipe him off - like, "see, mom?! Hurry up!"

Bathtime wasn't even over before we realized that bedtime was way overdue. Kelsey was at that point when you look at her the wrong way and she tears up. We put pajamas on them, read them their devotions, and got that Kelsey Mae to sleep. Calla snuck out after Kelsey's eyes closed. She and I did her reading lesson and she worked on some crafts. I think she loves that hour from 7-8pm once Kelsey is asleep. As much as she loves playing with sissy, there is something sacred about quiet time with a craft. ha.

Jonathan put Jay to bed and then went to a friend's to watch Monday Night Football. I watched the end of the game as well, after Calla was tucked into bed. And then somehow I ended up staying awake way too late. I had some marketing work I was doing and a project for church and lo and behold it was 1am. You know it's late at night when I texted my brother - who is away at college - at 1:30am and he responded within seconds. Only college kids are up at that hour. ha. I finally got to bed.

 

below: Calla working on her bead craft before bed....love this girl....

 

 

below: the girls trying on their new "old" winter clothes to see what fits from last year.

It gave them a lot of joy. haha.

Weekend Update

Saturday it was so cold! I think the high was 60 degrees. Brr. It definitely felt like fall! I was in no rush to go outside and drive to the sports center, so I decided to push that off until after lunch.

Jonathan was busy with a couple errands, and so the kids and I ate breakfast and then I made dinner while they played. Jay shot some hoops with his father when he got back. They always play with the little basketball hoop that Jay got for his birthday from Mema and Opa. Jay loves it...he can "dunk" (tip the ball in) if he's standing on his tip toes.

We ate lunch a little early and then I put Jay down for a nap. Then I took the girls with me to the sports center while Jonathan watched some college football in peace and quiet. Like the Saturdays of yesteryear!

The girls told me they didn't want to be there long but they were both really put out when I picked them up after my half hour run. Calla had just finished making a bead necklace and hadn't even done a craft MOM!! And Kelsey was only a scribble or two into her picture. Although Kelsey said cheerfully, "I'll bring it home and do it!"

 

We got home just in time for Jonathan to head out with the minivan. The rear right brake in our minivan was acting strange (squeaky, loud, suspicious) and so Jonathan spent a couple hours getting it checked out and then replaced. Yikes.

 

While Jonathan was gone, Jay and the girls and I got ready for company. We invited our friends Bryan and Ali over and their kiddos since they recently added baby #4. Their youngest, Chase, is two days older than Emily (my newest niece!). So fun to see him and hold him and think that he is little Emmy's age!

 

The three oldest Ittersagens came over a couple hours early because I offered to have them hang out while Ali and Bryan had a home inspection. My girls were SO excited to see Brooke, Anna and Blake come in the door early. They got busy playing and didn't stop to take a breath. haha. I did interrupt them to go to the park. It was such a nice day outside and I had been stuck indoors. We got on our jacket and walked across the street.

below: Calla, Brooke and Anna at the park

below: Jaybird enjoying the swing. He is wearing his sister's shoes because I was doing an experiment. The experiment - can Jay take Robeez off his feet? So far he has taken off every pair of shoes I have purchased him, but Robeez is the way to go! I need to find him a masculine pair. haha. (Not Calla's pink ones with white bunnies.)

We got back home from the park just before Bryan and Ali arrived. I kept dinner pretty simple - salad, lasagna, garlic bread, and some applesauce for the kiddos. Despite all the goldfish the kids consumed at the park, they ate pretty well. haha.

After dinner came the best part of the night. Jonathan and Bryan decided it'd be fun to play "hide & seek" with the kids and they took it so seriously. Like, in one round, Jonathan was hiding on top of the TV cabinet (I noticed a sneaker footprint on the wall today haha), another round Bry was in the shower, and another round Jonathan was hiding in the moth balls behind old suit jackets in the closet. Hahaha. The kids were laughing so hard. And, actually, I'm not sure who was enjoying it more - the kiddos or the daddies.

At bedtime, our company left and we got the kids tucked into bed. Normally we do baths on Saturday nights but it was late enough that we skipped with the personal hygiene. ha.

SUNDAY Daddy made up for it by giving all three kids baths before church. Daddy always brings his A-game to Sunday mornings.

We had to be on church on time because I was helping in Jay's class. In fact, Daddy dropped me off at the door and I ran in and he brought the kids in himself. You should have seen the look on Jay's face when Daddy opened the door to his class and I was standing there! ha! Surprise!

It really gets my funny bone to be in Jay's class. It might be my favorite age. Jay was one of the youngest, and there were some babies who are 19 and 20 months. They all say a handful of words but know what they want. They are on a mission to get the toy, snack, cup that they have in mind and woe to the person/child who stands in their way. haha. It's entertaining to watch Jay try to hold his own - he is one of the smallest in there. He is a short little fella!

Jay was so sad when I left to go to the second service, but I guess he recovered because they never called me out. Right after church, we went over to Bryan and Ali's house for lunch and to watch the Bears game. Their family is so fun - one day wasn't enough! haha.

below: Brooke, Jay, Anna, Kelsey Mae, and Calla. Calla took off her denium skirt because it was "uncomfortable." Is it just me, but don't those tights look much more uncomfortable than any skirt could be?!

 The Bears' football game started at noon, so we ate lunch and then hung out and watched the game. The girls played and played. I put Jay down for a nap in baby Chase's crib and he clocked in a couple hours I think.

At one point, Bry and Ali and I went over to the neighbor's house to see it (at her invitation) and Jonathan stayed back with the remaining seven kids. He couldn't find Kelsey Mae at one point. He ended up catching her sharing an intimate moment with her baby doll, reading a book on a bed. haha....

Cheese!

Once the football game ended, we went home. I had to make a dessert for a party we had. The girls played for a little and then I fed them dinner. Calla was a little confused over dinner. She asked, "Wait is this lunch or dinner?" I think time had gone by so fast for her when she was playing at her friends' that she couldn't believe it could be dinner already!

We got the kids in pajamas and in bed in time for Stefani to arrive at 7:30. Jonathan and I had a goodbye party for our friends, the Baxters. They are moving to Charleston. I sure hope they are buying a home with a guest house because that would be a beautiful place to go visit!

We all huddled for a pic before the end of the night. Aunt Rin, as you can see, I borrowed your black and gray scarf. Thank you. And this pic also reminds me of how Caucasion our group of friends are. We got to work on some diversity around here. haha.

Emily and Brian, who hosted, are going to put the picture in a frame. They also had the mat of the frame out for us all to sign. It was such a clever idea for them to remember us all by.

At 10 or so we headed home. Stef said she and Calla did some coloring before she put Calla to bed. I think Calla enjoys her one-on-one time with Stef. For all Jay and Kelsey know, we don't use baby-sitters anymore!

Kelseyism~

~ Kelsey asked if she could marry Daddy today. I think all little girls ask that at one point. So cute! I told her no but she could definitely live with us for the rest of her life if she wants. She said that would be a good idea.

Jayism~

~ Jay says "more" now which is ironic since 90% of the time when I give him "more food," he doesn't eat it. ha.

A Rainy Friday

FRIDAY we all slept in. It was overcast and rainy outside. And chilly. Perfect sleeping in weather! We didn't need to be anywhere so I made chocolate chip pancakes and we had a late breakfast. I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes at 10am. It reminded me of when aunt Katelyn said one time, "Every day for stay-at-home moms is the weekend." haha. Sorta!

 

The girls walked by casually with Jay in their shopping cart. I thought it was funny that they didn't think twice about throwing him in there, and then he sat dutifully while they pushed him around...

 

 

I did some housework in the morning, and catched up on the phone. The girls played and played. Jaybird followed them around. After awhile, I interrupted them to tell them I needed help in the kitchen! I made a chocolate crunch pie and asked for them to help...it's a fun one for them to pitch in on. Jay got annoyed that he wasn't helping so we dumped some big legos on the floor and the girls took turns helping me and keeping Jay occupied. He's old enough to want to see what's happening up on the counter top!

Speaking of, while I was doing the dishes, I stuck him here:

 He likes to watch mommy at work. I guess it beats staring at her knees.

We ate lunch and then I finally got the kids dressed. Calla's friends Brooke and Anna were having her over for a play date and she was so excited. It looked like it might rain again, so she put on all the appropriate rain gear. ha.

 

Calla got picked up at 2 or so, and I put Jay immediately down for his nap. Kelsey Mae was overdue for a nap...I always know when she's sleepy when she doesn't fight me about it. Yesterday she asked if she could take her nap on the front sofa and I said sure.

 

below: cozy...

While the babies slept, I cleaned the house and caught up on laundry. Kelsey is a deep sleeper. She took a two-hour snooze, even with the vacuum running and dishes banging in the sink.

 

Once she woke up, she watched me get ready in the bathroom. She loves to watch me put on my makeup. She always requests for mascara and eye liner. haha. I usually put the mascara on her but I told her she can wear eye liner when she is 16. She says "ok."

 

Finally, Jay woke up and the three of us headed over to Ali's house to pick up Calla. It's always hard to get Calla to leave there because she is in the middle of a good time! She was still giggling about it on the drive home. She got in some trampoline-jumping, painting, playing "school"...what's not to like?

 

Once we got home, we had about a 5-minute turn-around time before the Moo's arrived. I invited them for dinner because I am long overdue in hosting them! Jenny has been sick with baby #4 and I've been thinking about having them over for weeks. I know it's no fun to cook when you have morning sickness (well, "all-day sickness" in her case!).

 

We ate dinner shortly after everybody arrived (Jonathan was the last one in!). Then the adults attempted to have a conversation while the kids played. It is definitely a different dynamic now that Eriksen and Kelsey are older...it used to be Norah/Calla playing and the little ones hanging out by themselves (with toys). Now the four oldest play and Dane and Jay just follow them around. It's like a herd traveling through the house.

 

At one point, all the kids were coloring. I served them some of Grandma's chocolate chip cookies. Two thumbs up, Grandma! They polished them off!

 

Jenny and I got in some conversation. I feel like we don't see each other as much now that Norah is in kindergarten. I feel like our schedules are a bit off, since she doesn't get Norah home from school until lunchtime, which is about the time that Jay goes down for his nap. It least we are in the same Wednesday morning Bible study group (and Thurs. evening small group) so that will be consistent! 

 

Bedtime rolled around, and the Moo's headed out at about 7:30. Jonathan left to catch the Wheaton North football game, and I put Jay to bed. I let the girls stay up and play while I was getting Jay down because Kelsey had napped. They were playing so nicely I felt bad to interrupt them for bed! I don't think they crawled into bed until 9. haha. It's funny how children can cooperate if they know bedtime is around the corner.

 

Kelseyism~

 

~ Calla mentions occasionally that she is going to marry Erik, which made Kelsey think of her possibilities. "Can i marry Norah?" she asked a few times over the course of the evening. I told her she is only allowed to marry a boy and she couldn't think of one boy that she would like to marry. haha. I told her maybe she hasn't met him yet. (Calla kept throwing out options of boys that Kelsey may have in mind! "What about Blake?" she said, and - "Or Robbie is a very nice boy." The two of them were seated at the kitchen table and were having a heart-to-heart like a couple of teenagers. I wish you all could have listened in!

 

Happy Birthday, Uncle Jon! Love, Calla and Kelsey and Jay

YESTERDAY was Uncle Jon's birthday! He turned 32, which made me feel a teeny bit better about turning 30 next month. Thanks Jon.

We know his birthday doesn't really feel over until he sees the birthday tribute. (Just kidding...I am sure he'd be hard-pressed to even know the URL link to this blog.) So, without further adieu, here you are Uncle Jon!

below: Uncle Jon and Aunt Kim sitting with the girls and listening to Pops read (over New Year's)...

 below: Last month, when we visited Pennsylvania....Calla sat close to Uncle Jon while he held 2-day old baby Ellie!

 below: the highlight of Jon's year!! Playing "pin the tail on the donkey" at Calla's bday!

Welp, I combed through a year's worth of records and that's what I came up with! If you want a picture of Aunt Kimberly with the kids, I have approximately 3,420,306 of them.

THURSDAY morning we woke up and ate one last meal with Grandma and Grandpa. Oh we will miss them! The girls then stood very close by while they packed up their things. Oh, and before they left, Grandma indulged Calla in one last piano lesson! All before 9am!

 

Then we gave Grandma and Grandpa big hugs and wished them on their way! They plan to arrive in Texas sometime Friday afternoon.

 

Once they left, I let the girls stay in their pajamas and play. Jay puttered around his pjs too. And I got to work, cleaning. We didn't have anything on the agenda except clean house.

 

So I cleaned and cleaned. The girls played so nicely and so I got a lot done. Jay mostly minds his own business...he alternates between hanging out near mommy and hanging out near his sisters. He doesn't really get into trouble anymore. Every so often he tries to dig stuff out under the kitchen sink or something but I say "no" and he will stop. We'll see how long that lasts!

 

At 10:30 or so, my girlfriend Kate texted that she and her kiddos were headed to the park across the street and did we want to come. Well I told her we looked pretty scary but we would smooth over our hair and be right there. It was a pretty nice day and I thought we could use some fresh air!

 

We hung out at the park for 45 minutes or so and then Kate had to leave to pick up her oldest from kindergarten. I offered to take her daughter Kelsey Ann so the girls could have a play date. They were so excited!

 

below: the girls skipping back to the house. Maggie, on the far left, did not get to stay. (-: She is only 2 but someday she and Kelsey Ann and will have so much fun my girls!

 

 

On our walk back, Jay requested a pic with our yard sign. He's pro-life of course. All babies are.



 

Kelsey Ann came to our house at 11:30, and the three girls played happily for five hours. Five hours! They were busy, busy, busy. They did crafts, they played house, they played musical instruments, they practiced gymnastics, they played "restaurant." I didn't hear a peep from any of them.

 

I only interrupted them to feed everybody lunch. Jay had lunch with them, and then I put him down for his nap. Little brother must have been so tired from his late Awana-night the day before! He was konked out for three hours! Needless to say, with the girls occupied and Jay snoozing, I got a look of housework done.

 

Once Jay woke up, I fed him a snack. I wanted to clean the floors, so I moved him and his snack in the back room and suggested the girls watch one half-hour show to "rest." I knew Kelsey Mae needed a little downtime!

below: rest time!

Calla, Jaybird, Kelsey Mae & Kelsey Ann...

Rest-time was immediately followed by music class. Well, not really. The girls began pounding on the piano. After awhile, there was one last man standing....

We dropped Kelsey Ann off at her house at 4:30 and then drove immediately to the grocery store. Ick. I am not a fan of going anywhere close to 5pm because that's when all the working folks go! It definitely gets busy.

But our list was short so we braved the working professionals. (-:

below: Calla's words: "Mom, can I please wear this in? It will make the grocery store so fun!"

 

Calla wore her crown, and we breezed right through. We got home in time to heat up some BBQ pork sandwiches and mac and cheese for the kids. Daddy got in the door at 6 and we commenced with the evening routine...dinner, then baths, then bed. Kelsey Mae was asleep by 7 and Jaybird was snoozing by 7:30. That's exactly when Stefani arrived to baby-sit.

 

Jonathan and I had to head out the door for small group. Calla was happy to have Stef all to herself! She only had a half hour until bedtime, but she said they looked at the American Girl magazine together (a favorite hobby of Calla's) and then she said Stef "watched her color." I'm sure that has to be thrilling! haha jk.

 

Jonathan and I got home by 9:45 or so. I was so tired! I think a day of cleaning catches up with you once 10pm rolls around. (-:

 

Kelseyism~

 

~ As an old man walks by us in the grocery store - "Wow, mom that man is really really old."

~ Which brings me to Kelsey's top 5 favorite words:

(1) Wow

(2) Super

(3) Beautiful

(4) Pretty

(5) JAYBIRD! (she says it 334 times a day!)



A Wednesday with Grandma & Grandpa

WEDNESDAYs is our busy day around here. Grandma and Grandpa helped get us out the door for church in the morning. Grandma was doing the breakfast dishes as we said goodbye. She and Grandpa opted to stay back...they ended up going to Kohl's for a little shopping and Grandpa also fixed our toilet handle I discovered later. He is sneaky! He must have bought a new handle and installed it, and I never figured it out until they already left. That's a houseguest for ya!

 

The girls and Jay did well at church. Well, I always know the girls are going to do well but Jay was still playing happily when I went to pick him up. That's a good sign! I am enjoying our study in James. Here it is:

 

 

 I don't think I've done an in-depth study on James before. If I do, I can't remember. I am usually pretty fanatical about Paul, so it's been a nice balance. Works and grace, folks. They can complement each other. ha!

 

At any rate, it did not take much beckoning to get the girls back in the minivan and headed home for lunch. They were eager to see Grandma and Grandpa! And Grandma was waiting for us, literally at the door. We came inside and I heated up some BBQ pork sandwiches I had made prior to their visit. We ate some lunch and caught up on our morning's activities. Actually, Jay only got halfway through his lunch until he was too cranky to function so I put that little man to bed.

 

Wednesday was his first day napping in his own crib since Saturday, since we've had so much going on. He slept for over three hours! Catching up on the previous four days I guess!

 

Grandma and I cleaned up the lunch dishes while the girls played around Grandpa's feet (literally). They have an obsession with the air mattress, since it's a novelty to have it out. They are constantly thinking of ways to integrate it in their play. It will be a sad day when it disappears from view again.

 

Grandma said - this is a direct quote - "I would LOVE to do some ironing for you." I told her if she loved it, then who was I to keep her from things that she loves? And I brought out some of Jonathan's dress shirts. Somehow they look completely different when Grandma is done with them. I am a novice at ironing still.

 

Grandma offered to lay down with Kelsey for her nap. Kelsey kept finding lots of reasons to get out of bed, but eventually she fell asleep. Grandpa took a rest as well, and Calla kept me company in my bedroom while I straightened up the place. She organized all of Daddy's dress ties and also color-coded all his baseball hats. Then she dusted the whole room. Someday she is going to wake up and realize that it is not fun to help Mommy. That will be a sad, sad day. And a dirty day too, for the house.

 

Once everybody woke up from their naps...it was like 3:30 folks!....I got dinner started. Then I set the oven timer and Grandma and I left to take the kids to the candy shop. She had a dollar for each of them.

 

Calla had earned her dollar doing this: 

The funny part is - I think Calla would have paid Grandma for the lesson! ha! But she was happy for her dollar. She and Kelsey and Jay took their good ol' time in there. Usually I keep Jay in the stroller but this time I let him walk around and take candy out of all the candy jars. Oops. It was a good day to do that because the shop person was in the back of the shop. Then I casually put them all back (they were in wrappers) and let him keep a lollipop.

We came home from the store in time to sit down for dinner. I usually serve dinner at 5:15 on Wednesdays so we are on time for Awana. Jonathan stopped home for all of five minutes to change out of his work clothes. He had a work dinner and then his typical core group meeting. He had a busy day!

Grandma and Grandpa decided they were going to stay back from church and take it easy at the house. They planned on packing everything up so they'd be ready to head out first thing this morning (Thursday). Calla expressed surprise that they didn't want to stand at the window and watch her every move during her time in Cubbies. ha! When we told her that they'd look at her new Cubbies book when she got home, she was satisfied.

As soon as I dropped them off at Cubbies, they received their new Cubbies books, bags and vests. Kelsey was soo excited to have a Cubbies vest! She buttoned it up right away and looked proud as she could be.

Jay and I didn't have any vests or books or bags to speak of, so we walked down the hall to the nursery room. Jay was feeling fresh from his huge nap. He had a wonderful evening. He played and played and played. He got pushed over twice and hit once during the course of the evening but other than that I'd say he gave it a thumb's up. He sat at the table with the other kids and ate graham crackers at snack time.

We had about seven kids in there so it was a pretty laid-back night. In fact, Jenny was hanging out at the church while her kids were in Awana and she stopped by to chat. It was nice to see her.

Before I knew it, the evening was over and Calla and Kelsey came running down the hall from Cubbies to the nursery class. One of the helpers brings them down for me so I don't have to go pick them up which is so nice! The girls are usually in high spirits after Cubbies.

The high spirits continued once we got home and they could tell Grandma and Grandpa all of the details of the evening. And, of course, show of their new vests...

Calla, with her supportive brother in the background....

below: Kelsey! Our newest little Cubbie. Calla said the teacher had to tell Kelsey "shhh" because she was talking to Eriksen during story time. Oops. Kelsey is probably loving having a big sis in there to tattle on her! ha

below: We are Awana Cubbies we're happy all day long! We know that Jesus loves us that's why we sing this song! (Sing along)

below: Jay is like - hey, I have a vest too! Grandma and Grandpa got him this outfit for his 1st birthday. I have to roll the sleeves up big-time because it's 18 months. He is still swimming in 18-months clothes but that will work out great because hopefully they'll fit him clear until warm weather hits again in the spring.

I got the kids in their pajamas and Grandma read Calla her devotions. Kelsey was supposed to be listening to, but instead she was "wrapping presents" (using a diaper changing mat as "wrapping paper" and bringing random toys over to Calla to "open").

Daddy got home from core groups at 9:15, and everybody was still awake ! Oops! He went on Jay-duty and got the little lad to sleep. And I put the girls to bed. Calla requested to sleep on the top bunk for the first time! She was soo excited. I was a little sad. I love peeking in and seeing those little girls cuddling together on the bottom bunk. But Calla said she will sleep on the bottom bunk at the beginning of the night until Kelsey falls asleep, and then sneak up to her top bunk. Somehow, sleep is much sweeter on the top bunk!

Kelseyism~

~ Kelsey likes to stand two inches from Grandma and Grandpa and watch them take their pills in the morning. "All done!" Grandma said today. Kelsey said, "Yay! Now you won't get old!" Apparently she has a strange interpretation of the function of pills.

Grandma & Grandpa Come to Visit

 

MONDAY was an early day. We got up at 6am so we could be out the door by 7:30. And we were 15 minutes late on both accounts.

Our first stop was Stephen and Alicia's house. Her mom graciously agreed to watch my three kids with Braxton and Braylen during the funeral.

Sarah, Alicia's mom, was already there and holding Braylen at 8:30 when we arrived. She looked cool calm and collected. What? Take care of five kids for four hours? (Ages 5, 3, almost 2, barely 1 and not even 2 months old?! No big deal!)

I gave her some instructions and as far as I know, Jay didn't fuss when we left. He was too busy checking out Braxton's boy toys! The girls were excited to be there too.

We had "last prayers" at the funeral home at 9am, then the funeral began at 10am. The funeral was at a Catholic church, since Jonathan's aunt and uncle are Catholic. I had been to a mass before, but never a full mass and never a Catholic funeral. The most touching part of the service was definitely towards the end, when Anthony's two sisters spoke. I can't even imagine speaking at my brother's funeral, but they got through it. Ashley, the oldest, told a neat story about her brother receiving a sewing machine for his 21st birthday (!). The day of the accident, she bought some fabric and asked him to sew scarves for her. He did, and the last picture she has of him is one of him modeling the scarf he sewed for her. What a special scarf that will be for her, for the rest of her life. And what a great brother, who interrupts his day to help out his sister. (-: The three of them were so close. Please keep his sisters in your prayers.

 

The service ended at noon, and Jonathan went with the rest of the family and those attending the service on to the burial. I drove back to Stephen and Alicia's because I knew Jay would be at the end of his rope. I was so torn about whether or not to go get him, but in the end I was glad I did. He was crying when I got there, although Alicia's mom said he had been good most of the time. I think he was just tired!

 

Even after a morning there, it was hard dragging Calla and Kelsey out of there! ha. It's like - "Oh wait, we're leaving?! I forgot to play with this toy right here!" We said goodbye and our thank yous to Mrs. Huleisy, then headed to the minivan.

 

Jay fell asleep for a half hour. Poor fella! That's all he lasted, because we arrived at the funeral reception.

 

Calla and Kelsey, oblivious over what a sad day everyone was experiencing, were eager to greet their aunts and uncles and Mema and Opa. I think sometimes it feels good to see a child smile when you are going through something so tough, because their smiles were usually reciprocated.

 

below: Daddy and Jay at the reception. Jay was looking dapper.

below: Fun times!

below: Chasing Jay around. This was the main activity at the reception for Jay's parents.

below: Calla and Uncle Kurt coloring. Aunt Kimmi pointed out to me that Calla probably thinks everyone has such attentive uncles. I agree! Calla is so spoiled on both sides.

below: Kelsey on Daddy's phone watching YouTube videos of Doc McStuffins. This is also a very nice picture of Jay's lunch, located under his high chair on the carpet.

The lunch was delicious. We got to spend some time with the family, and also catch up with some of Jonathan's relatives that I don't see so often. Jonathan even got a business lead from one of them. ha.

We got to give Ashley and Alyssa and Uncle Bobby some hugs. Sometimes a hug says what words cannot. We were at the lunch a couple hours before Jay and Kelsey started getting tired. When it gets to the point that Jonathan and my attention is focused solely on the children's behavior, then we know it's time to leave.

Jonathan and I decided to drive separately at the last minute Monday morning, and in retrospect that worked out very well because his extended family spent more time together following the reception and he stayed and hung out with them.

All three of the children fell asleep on the drive home. Sadly, it wasn't until the last twenty minutes! Oh well. Better than nothing! They got a little power nap before we arrived home and met grandma and grandpa.

Grandma and Grandpa drove out from Pennsylvania to visit us last fall, and the fall before that and the fall before that! Yay for annual visits! This year they stopped in for a visit on their way down to Texas. They are going to spend a few days with Katelyn and the girls!

Well I wish I could say my kids started jumping and screaming when they saw them, but all they could eek out in their still-sleepy state were some slow smiles.

It didn't take long to come out of the fog though. Soon Calla was showing off her birthday presents and Kelsey was pushing grandpa's legs. Jaybird showed off some of his toys too.

I had thrown a pork steak recipe together before we left for the funeral, so that was simmering all day in the crockpot. I put some rice on the stove and we ate an early dinner. Yum. Grandma contributed some applesauce all the way from Pennsylvania. Delish!

Monday evening we spent at home. It felt good to sit down and catch up with grandma and grandpa, and watch them play with the kids. The girls played a round of "Memory" with grandma, as well as put together a puzzle or five.

Needless to say, they weren't ready for bedtime when it finally came around. Daddy got home though and we tucked the kiddos in bed.

After a long drive (grandma and grandpa) and early day (Jonathan and I), we didn't wait too long to follow the kiddos to bed! 
TUESDAY was our first full day with grandma and grandpa. And when I say "full" I mean "full" because the girls were up at 6:45 to greet them with cheery smiles and high-pitched voices.

Every time grandma comes, she brings more food than she actually consumes. We ate homemade shoe fly  pie (it's a Pennsylvania thing!$ and an Entemann's crumb cake (my favorite!) for breakfast.

The girls mostly hung to grandma and grandpa for the next couple hours. Jay hung around too. (-:  I got ready and showered in peace which was a welcome change!

Our first item on the agenda was Calla's gymnastics class. Boy oh boy was she thrilled to have her great grandparents "cheering" her on!

Grandma and Grandpa attentively stood at the window, watching Calla's entire 45-minute gymnastics class. She waved at us often! In the meantime, Kelsey Mae and Jay wandered around with their little buddy Blake. They keep each other occupied doing a whole lot of nothing. Ha!

Calla came out of her class beaming. She does do pretty well in there! The instructor had the girls jumping over little foam cubes on the balance beam. I don't think I could have done that. She can also do a back flip if she's using the proper mat (one on a decline).

Grandma and Grandpa paid her enough compliments that you would have thought she just won a gold medal in the women's Olympic all-around. Ha! She ate it up. Of course.

Well, since everybody was in the car and dressed, we decided to continue the fun and drive to the children's museum. It was it least a half hour from the gymnastics place, so Jay got a nap in and Calla got to catch her breath from 45 minutes of activity.

The girls were so excited to show Grandma and Grandpa the children's museum! First off we headed (where else?) to the craft room!


below: Grandma and Grandpa sitting nearby...ready at a second's notice to pull up a sleeve, fix some smudged paint, or offer a hand!

 below: the budding artists....As you can see, Calla is using the paint to make a train on her paper. Kelsey decided to use the paint to color every square centimeter of her paper black. She is a modern artist.

We haven't visited the Children's Museum since Jay learned to walk, and boy is it a whole new ballgame! He LOVED it! I didn't even bother to bring the stroller and in retrospect that would have been worthless. He was way too busy touching everything. It must be nice to be in an environment when he is allowed to touch everything! ha!

It's good there were three adults, because the kids were often headed in three different directions!


below: Kelsey and Jay in the music room....

 below: Pound, pound, pound! His hair looks super blond hair. And his arm looks like a jackhammer.

After a half hour or so, we took our lunch into the snack area and sat down and ate. I threw a lunch together this morning, so we ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fruit and chips. Grandma even brought her homemade chocolate chip cookies. They really took our lunch on the scale from a "3" to a "7." Yum.

The kids probably felt so spoiled, being able to indulge themselves by heading in any direction they wanted. Usually we do a lot of group pow-wows and compromise, planning out where we are headed so we all do everything together, within two feet of each other. Since Grandma and Grandpa were along, we could split up a bit.

Grandpa and Calla spent some quality time in the workshop room. Sooo fun! Mommy is horrible in the workshop room.

 below: Kelsey was stuck with Mommy in the workshop room. She didn't notice that Mommy was clueless.

There are different places to sit here and there, so we weren't on our feet the whole time. Still, we were all ready to go after a couple hours had passed! Once 2pm hit, we packed up and headed out. Kelsey fell asleep in the minivan, but she was the only one! I still can't believe Jay didn't take a snooze after his pathetic 30-minute cat nap.

Once we got home, I put Kelsey in her bed. Grandma and Grandpa took a rest, and Calla and I did her schoolwork in the front room while Jay played. I tried a couple times to lay him down but he was feeling extra cheerful and not at all interested. I knew he'd be much less than cheerful once dinnertime rolled around.

Fortunately, we had some distractions at dinner time! Grandma and Grandpa insisted on treating us to Chick fil A for dinner as a thank you for who knows what. They are the ones who drove out here! Daddy had a meeting in the city, so he would have to meet us there.

The rest of us drove over at about 5, and watched the kids play in the playland. Jay got a whole second wind when we walked into the playland. Somehow, I don't get that same wind when I go in there.

Chick-fil-A offers "family nights" a couple nights a month, and last night was a firetruck-themed family night. They had firetruck crafts and also firetrucks parked outside to go look at. So fun! Even the cow was dressed up as a fire fighter. Kelsey was less than impressed with that (she cowered in the corner of our booth).

At 5:45 or so, we sat down and ate our food. Jonathan arrived while we were still eating, and then after dinner he took the kids outside to climb in the firetrucks.

Here are some pics from his phone:

below: Climbing around!

 below: Haha. I like this picture....

 below: Driving the truck. I wish I could say this was a sweet moment between the three of them, but instead they were all fighting over the steering wheel.

It was chilly outside, so we didn't spend too long in the fire trucks. In fact, yesterday was a high of 65! It was definitely the coolest it's been in months (since May? April?). We had to pull the jackets out of the closet for the first time. I just wrote that as if it took all of ten seconds but it actually prompted a huge discussion over whose jacket was whose, and which one Kelsey was "feeling" like wearing. (She really wanted to wear her big winter coat.)

After the firetruck tour, we headed back home. Bedtime!

Before bed, Kelsey decorated the air mattress.  A modern artist I tell you:

Jonathan put Jay to bed, which didn't take much effort because the little lad was exhausted. I gave the girls a "quick bath" which turned into a "long bath." Then Grandma read them their devotions and I put them to bed.

Grandma and Grandpa and I watched some FoxNews before bed. I remember a couple years ago when they were here we were watching the Phillies in the play-offs. I haven't heard much about the Phillies so I'm not sure if they aren't doing well or if the political process is just that dominating!

We are really enjoying their visit! Grandma and Grandpa head out Thursday morning. I hope Katelyn is fluffing the pillows and getting the bathroom ready! ha.

Kelseyism~

~ Kelsey likes to tease Grandpa. She was calling him "Opa!" to be silly yesterday and today it was "Pops." He calls her "Sally" which gives her a big fit of the giggles.

Jayism~

~ The girls enjoy playing dog. It involves crawling around on all-fours, panting loudly, and sticking their tongues out. Jay thinks this combination is wonderful! He loves to run around with them with his tongue out and panting. It is just so cute when he does it.