Happy Halloween!

** I wrote a delightful LONG post about this day and my computer just erased it. I have no clue why, because I "save" it repeatably as I write it. I am so bummed. This is a short version bc it is midnight and I am tired. **

 

TODAY was such a busy day! Wednesdays are pretty busy even without Halloween, so having Halloween fall on a Wed. just put it up a notch.

 

This morning we didn't start the day out on the right foot when we were ten minutes late arriving at Bible Study. It was so cold and windy (grrr...wind). We hurried in and out as quickly as we could! Bible study went well.

 

We got home and I gave everyone lunch and then put Jay down for his nap. Calla and Kelsey holed themselves up in their room in a fort made out of a baby changing table and some blankets and did some coloring. Kelsey was due for her nap, but I decided to keep her up because I knew Mema was stopping in. She had told me yesterday she would come by to see the kiddos in their costumes.

 

Mema arrived and I ended up just keeping Kelsey awake (a decision I definitely regretted later at certain parts in our busy day!). They got into their costumes so Mema could see them! Mema stayed and visited for awhile. Calla took the opportunity to break out her Target Toys catalogue to show Mema some ideas for Christmas. haha. If you want to start a long-winded, one-sided conversation, just ask Calla what she wants for Christmas. Then take a nap. Then wake up. She'd still be talking.

 

After Jay had been napping for a couple hours, I decided to wake him up so Mema could get a picture with the kiddos before heading out to visit the other Brust cousins (-:

 

below: Mema and the kids...

 

 

After Mema headed out, I gave the kids a snack, put together a salad for dinner at the Moo's, and then we drove over (in costume) to Luke and Jenny's. We've been trick or treating with them ever since we moved to Illinois, and it's a fun tradition. Jonathan met us there from work.

 

He took this pic: 

 

Jenny's neighbors that live across the street have become casual friends with us as well, since Nikki has been attending Wednesday morning Bible study with us. Her two sons, Nicholas (pirate on far right) and Ryan (in infant seat) came along with us for some houses. (-:

Norah was Supergirl, Eriksen was Mr. Incredible, and Dane was a UPS man....

It was pretty cold outside, but it wasn't too bad if we were moving. I don't think the kids felt the cold at all, because they were so focused on going from house to house! Gone are the days of coaxing the kids to the door, or to talk for blocks at a time. We were out for almost an hour and a half, and the kids were definitely feeling enthusiastic!

Norah and Calla were always in the lead:

We ran into some friends!

below: the Livingstons & Lakes dressed up (-: Fallon & Ellie (two little girls in the middle) are Kelsey's age. {Corinne, Ashley - the "mom" on the left - prays for you everyday!}

below: Calla and Ellie. I love this picture

 below: Jay (out of costume) and Kelsey Mae. haha this was on the Moo's porch...

 

I brought the wagon along for Jay (and I thought Kelsey might want a rest or two, which she did)....

Jay didn't know what he was missing for the first half hour, but once he was done with the candy in his hand he must have sized up the situation. All the sudden, he was out of the wagon and running behind the big kids to the front doors. Jonathan and I took turns carrying him...he knew where that candy was coming from! I felt a little embarrassed carrying him to the door with the other kids, because he'd point and beg ("eh eh eh!") and practically fall out my arms trying to reach the candy dish. The homeowners were probably wondering why parents would want their baby to have candy. haha.

We let him Trick or Treat for a few houses before Jenny and I decided to take the little boys, Dane and Jay, back to the Moo's to set dinner out. She had chicken simmering in the Crock pot all day, and shredded it and then put out toppings for us to make chicken tacos. She pulled out guacamole and chips and apple slices and apple dip. She is always the hostest with the mostest. I contributed my salad, and as soon as the rest of the crew arrived we sat down to eat.

The oldest four kids came bounding in the door with as much (or more) enthusiasm than they had when we left. haha. Candy will do that, you know. Jonathan and Luke looked cold and tired. haha.

We didn't waste time eating because I had Awana Cubbies! After we ate, I volunteered to bring Norah and Erik with us to church. The girls were so excited to have them drive over with us.

It was definitely a smaller group at church since it was Halloween. They had encouraged kids to wear their costumes, which was lost on Kelsey. (She requested she "not" wear hers. Haha. I think she was getting tired of it!)

Jay and I headed down to Puggles. I was the only adult helper in there, but it was no big deal because I only had three kids anyway.

below: Jay, a Cupcake, and a Puppy Dog.

below: Jay about to get run over by the Cupcake.

 

It was a pretty relaxing hour and a half. The kids played nicely. I even turned on some music and Jay showed off his moves: 

After Awana the kids were out of control. I could hardly corral them out of there and into the minivan. They were just way too hyper, and having Norah and Erik with us wasn't calming anyone down. haha.

I dropped the Moo kids off and we headed straight home. Jonathan helped me get every sugar-crazed child tucked into bed.

And then we sat down and ate all their candy. Just kidding.

Hurricane Sandy (Does Not Affect Us) and Jay Plays Hide & Seek (with the Drain)

MONDAY, while Hurricane Sandy was pounding our Pennsylvania relatives, we were enjoying sunny weather in the high 70s. Well, just kidding about the temperature. I think it was high around 50. Cold weather!

On days we don't have to hurry off somewhere, we are enjoying a leisurely routine of waffles (Jay says "mmm mmm" between bites) and bath. Well, the girls colored while Jay took a bath. He watched me get ready from the friendly confines of the whirlpool tub. This is quite the improvement over enduring him destroying the bathroom cabinet during my morning get-ready routine.

the little man:

I then got everyone dressed, hair brushed, and we were off to the library for storytime. Jay and I hung out in the children's puzzles/reading area while Calla and Kelsey heard the story. Afterwards, I asked them: "What was the story about?" and Calla said, "I don't remember." Mind you, this was 30 seconds after the storytime ended. I have a feeling she didn't want to "get into it." haha.

below: keeping busy while sisters are listening to the story.....

 below: checking out the "farm" window box. He wants to be a farmer like Pops was.

We lingered at the library a bit longer, so Calla and Kelsey could play with the puzzles. Then we headed home and ate lunch.

Monday afternoon was pretty low-key. Jay took a too-short nap. Kelsey and Calla watched a show and played together. I worked on a handout for a lady at church. I also drafted a grocery list, and once Jay woke up we straightened the house and headed out.

Grocery shopping from 4-5pm is annoying and I should remember not to do it again, because there's quite a bit of mothers-of-school-age children who go with their "big kids." Plus there's the working folk, who must get off work at 4 and head straight to the store. Regardless, it's jam-packed. I must prefer the senior citizen crowd, who frequent in the mornings. Storytime has kind of messed up our morning routine though.

At any rate, we got out of there in one piece. We look a little bit like a crowd, with three kids hanging off the cart. I bring enough snacks to keep Jay seated...he didn't get upset until we were standing in an endless line at the check-out. Once we got home, I fed him and realized he must have been hungry. Which doesn't make too much sense when you read the part about "I bring snacks to keep Jay seated." I guess goldfish only go so far in filling an empty tummy.

Jonathan ended up working late, which means I should have gotten a head-start on the bedtime routine or did some housework but instead I sat in front of the news watching the weather report. I never watch TV when the girls are up so you can picture them huddled around me. They run as soon as they hear the TV is on....like "Television!!!!" They were sitting there, watching in silence as random meterologists stood in pouring rain talking about the hurricane. "Is it raining at Mimi's?" Kelsey wondered. (After we had said that about 10x.)

Jonathan got home at 6:30, and we were seated and already eating dinner when he arrived. I could only fend off the hungry beasts for so long. haha. Afterwards, he spent 45 minutes in the tub with them, which gave me enough time to clean up from dinnertime and eat a bowl of ice cream (no joke). (Who am I kidding, you know me. Why would that have been a joke?)

below: Jay likes his new seat in the booster...


Jay was yawning and yawning in the tub so Jonathan put him right to bed after bathtime. I read the girls some stories. I have noticed how Kelsey Mae will sit nice and still for Cat and the Hat and books that are for kids her age, but she has a terrible time sitting still and listening when I read out of her devotional book (which is more of a 5-10 year old comprehension level). In other words, that girl does not sit still unless she is following what I am talking about. She is very unlike her sister in this way!

Monday evening the kids went to bed and I sat in our nice, warm house and thought of all the people out there without power, including you aunt Kimberly! I hope it comes back on soon! Being without power gets very old, very fast!

Our thoughts and prayers are also with aunt Corinne, who has malaria and is battling that disease very far away from her mama, a comfy afghan, cable TV, and warm chicken and noodle soup (which are the only real upsides of being sick in the first place). She is feeling a little better today (than she was on Saturday night, when she first got sick) so hopefully the worst is past!

Callaism & Kelseyism~

~ They just went through the entire Target toy catalogue and have approximately 3,403 items circled for their wish list. It will be a very disappointing Christmas for both of them. hahaha.

Jayism~

~ I was prompting Jay to do the sign language of "all done! all done!" today when he was ready to be done with the high chair. I was saying "all done!" and doing it with lots of gusto. He looked at me quizzically and said "Done! Done!" ok, I guess we can skip the sign language. haha.

TODAY we had a busy morning. We dispensed with the morning routine...you know it...breakfast, bath for Jay, get dressed, get out the door. Calla had gymnastics at 10am. 10am seems pretty late, but its amazing how fast time can go when we have to get out the door.

Calla's 45-minutes in gymnastics was pretty uneventful. I asked her how the high beam and she said "Good!" They also learned how to stand on one foot and hold it up for three counts while balancing on the high beam. Calla said she didn't cry one bit. phew. She said she didn't want to cry in front of all the kids. And, she added, she didn't feel like crying either. yay

From gymnastics we went to Target for some diapers and boring stuff (Calla was disappointed because somehow she thought it'd be a good day to do some "Christmas shopping." ha). We swung through in 30 minutes (no small miracle) and then headed to McDonald's. I had asked a couple girlfriends if they wanted to meet for lunch.

McDonald's can be packed sometime, especially on a cold and windy day like today, but fortunately they weren't. Well, unless you count the fourteen kids that were there between my three girlfriends and I. hahaha. It seemed so loud and noisy in there all the sudden and I realized it was because of all our own kids. ha. Oops!

Jaybird ate like a horse at McD. Ahhh. Some french fries and apple slices. All part of a complete lunch. He polished off some yogurt parfait and once I got him down, he grazed over at the kids table on his sisters' leftover fries. He was getting pretty good at holding the fry and dipping it into the little round ketchup containers. Working on his hand-eye coordination, I'm sure.

We had to get out of there by 1:15 because I was meeting Sharon at my place at 1:30. Sharon is our friend from church. She is a nurse, and was stopping by for an hour before heading to the hospital. She brought Halloween cupcakes and a Halloween cookie-cake for the girls. Isn't that so sweet?! The girls were beside themselves.

I put Jay down for a nap, then she and I chatted while the girls played on Jonathan's iPad. Could the day get any better?! Cupcakes and a half hour on the iPad? Jonathan usually brings it with him for work so they aren't used to having it around. It's better that way!! I think it would drive me crazy to have them asking to be on it all the time. Plus, we have less opportunity to lose it.

After Sharon left, the girls did puzzles for an hour. (no joke.) Then they colored together. Jay slept for three hours, so we hardly remembered what life with a boy was like for an entire afternoon. haha. He finally rose from his sweet slumber at 4:30pm.

He and Calla wrestled for a bit. He and Kelsey fought over something. He won. (By biting her on the chin. Well, that's Kelsey's take on it....her chin didn't show any evidence of a bite.)

Jonathan has been working long hours, leaving the house at 5:45am and not getting home until 6 or 6:30. Today was no different, and he got home at 6:15 or so.

We ate dinner and then Jonathan thought he'd give Jaybird a bath. Well, who knew Jay would be trying to get out of a bath or something because we could night find the tub drain ANYWHERE. It vanished into thin air. The last person who had it was Jay of course, at 9am this morning when he was standing in the tub (after I had taken it out of the drain). I'm not sure if he went back and found it (I sit it on the side of the tub) later in the day and then hid it, or if he ate it, or what. At any rate, we turned the whole house upside down searching for it (thank goodness we don't have a huge house, or otherwise it probably would have taken days, and not one evening). We never found it, but I can't imagine it won't show up. In the meantime, we'll have to use a piece of rubber (one of those round pieces of rubber, used to get off hard-to-turn jar tops, does the trick).

Since our search-for-the-drain took up our entire evening (the girls were searching very cheerfully... I think they thought it was a fun way to spend the night), Jonathan put Jay to bed finally at 8:30 and I got the girls to bed. Kelsey fell asleep first, so Calla and I squeezed onto the bottom bunk and did her reading lesson (literally at the elbow of her sleeping sister...that girl is a deep sleeper...).

Then I put Calla to bed. Now to continue the search for the drain. Isn't that the strangest thing?!

* no pics today! Lame-o, I know! *

Our Halloween Weekend

friday

 

Wow so much catch-up to do. Friday morning we took our time getting up and moving. I made waffles for Kelsey and Jay (Calla is more of a cereal-girl). Jay is obsessed with waffles lately. I think it may be more about the syrup than anything else. haha.

 

We had time to kill, so I put everyone in the bathtub and gave them a bath before we got ready for the day. The kids played (actually, I don't really remember what we did around the house, but I'm assuming they played). haha. Then we ate lunch and got into costume.

 

Friday after lunch we headed to Cosley Zoo for Covenant's annual Costume get-together. haha. (Covenant is our Sunday school class.) We go every Friday before Halloween to the Zoo (well, farm) so the kids can admire each other's costumes and the moms can take a ridiculous amount of photos.

 

This year's big costume reveal....

 

below: first up, the Bear.

 

 below: aaaand the Ladybug (Calla) and the Cow (Kelsey)
Check out the girlies' face makeup. No, it is not related to their costumes at all. (Unless ladybugs have pink noses.) But everytime the girls have seen the face-makeup that I used at Calla's 4th birthday party, they've asked when they can wear it again and I always say Halloween. So, there you have it.

 below: aaand the group shot!! Can you find everyone?! $10 if you can. (Click on the picture to make it big.)

below: Somehow, my children were 3-3 for tears. Jay was crying because he didn't understand why he was standing in the hay standing by virtual strangers (doubtful he recognized anyone in costume!) while mommy stood six feet in front of him, just watching him cry. Kelsey Mae was crying because most of the children were and I think she just thought it was the appropriate thing to do. And Calla was crying (you can't see her) because she said there wasn't enough room to stand. (I had put her up top with all the oldest kids but she was too short to see.)

After the photo was taken, the time at the Zoo got much improved. We walked around with our buddies and looked at all the animals. I forgot that Jay didn't go along the last time we went (when we went with my childhood friend, Hannah, and her kiddos). It turns out Jay is an animal lover! My first child who actually likes animals! hahaha.

He got so excited everytime he saw an animal and would shriek with excitement and make strange noises with his mouth. I should have taken video with my phone. He was hilarious. He loved it! Meanwhile, Kelsey Mae always stood it least six yards away from me, keeping her distance from the animals. She gets so freaked out by them. And I'm not talking bears and snakes...she is all jittery around the goats and horses and pigs. Calla was too busy chit-chatting with her buddies to even notice there were animals in the vicinity, haha. She did like the chickens. (Yes, chickens.)

After a bit, we went home so Kelsey Mae and Jay could nap. Calla left Cosley with my friend Kate so she could have a playdate with her friend Kelsey Ann. Fourth playdate-day in a row! I pointed that out to her at dinner (it wasn't planned at the beginning of the week; it's just how it worked out).

Kate dropped Calla off at four, which was shortly after Kelsey and Jay woke up. The three of them played...Jay is always following them around. Usually I can find Calla and Kelsey playing "house" while Jay hangs out nearby, often times making a mess or searching for some small object to stuff in his mouth. haha.

Once Jonathan got home from work, we ate dinner. Then Jonathan headed out to the Wheaton North football game. His friend Bryan coaches and so he loves to go to the games. They are in the play-offs, and I considered going but it was so cold that I thought maybe it'd be a good night to take the kids to the Children's Museum.

We headed out at 6pm. That's kind of late to drive 20-minutes to a museum, but the kids had taken such great naps that the night felt young! We arrived to discover the Museum was debuting a brand new exhibit in a special sneak-preview for members only. haha. It was definitely dumb luck, but I'm so glad we went! The place was very sparse (it was a Friday night, after all!) and there were lots of staff on hand to show us the new exhibit and engage the kids with fun activities.

below: Calla and Jay hanging out in the toy car...(it was an old model of a car that had removeable pieces so you could take it apart and put it together. needless to say, we just sat on it! ha)

 

 below: one of our favorite spots. I'm not sure where Kelsey was. I mean, I didn't lose her. I just don't know where she was in this pic.

 below: Jaybird, patiently painting (with water on a chalkboard) while he and I waited for his sisters to get done in the crafts room. Calla always makes a beeline for that arts & crafts room and stays in there until I drag her out.

 below: admiring himself in the mirrors...

 below: examining something

 below: BALLS! This was right before the museum closed, and we were the only ones in this entire section.

below: As you can see, it didn't take long for Jay to wreak havoc with the balls. I quickly cleaned them up as they announced they were closing and it was time to go! oops

 
below: I thought Jay looked like a dweeb in his apron:

After the museum, we were feeling a little hungry so we stopped in to a Dairy Queen and split some ice cream. Jaybird started shrieking his head off the second he saw the ice cream "man" make the ice cream, and didn't stop "asking" for it until I was shoving it in his mouth. haha.

We got home at a similar time as Daddy, and he helped me get everyone in bed.

Saturday
Saturday morning Jonathan went to the gym to play basketball while the rest of us slept in. haha. Just kidding about the sleeping in part. But I had a lot of cleaning I wanted to get done, so I got started while the kids did what they do...you know, play with all their toys and sort of "un-clean" all my work.

Jonathan got home, and then took all three kids out with him to get a couple essentials for his Halloween costume. In the meantime, I did some more cleaning, including organized my laundry room. Bleh.

They got home and we ate lunch and then Jonathan put Jay down for a nap. The girls played and I did some more (what else?) cleaning. Let's just call it a cleaning day. ha.

We fed the girls an early dinner, and then Jonathan gave all the kids baths. Then he put Kelsey Mae to bed, and then put Jay to bed, while Calla watched her mother get dressed up like a man.

like so:

Jonathan and I were a little bit last-minute about our Halloween costumes. Our friends David and Kara Ladd (they don't go to our church, but are Wheaton College friends with a bunch of our pals which is how we got to know them) were hosting a Costume Party. I suggested that Jonathan and I pull a vintage Diane & Merle and go as the opposite sex. (My siblings and I have a vivid memory of a photo of my parents, in their younger days, with my father dressed in a wig and a dress and my mother dressed as a man.) Haha. Jonathan was on board.

He is not one to do things half-hearted....Saturday afternoon I painted his nails (fingers and toes) bright pink. Calla and Kelsey were transfixed. I painted their nails too. You should have seen their faces while they watched me carefully apply Jonathan's makeup (by the way, he was a big wimp about the eye-makeup ha). They were so delighted to see us all dressed up. They thought it was so silly! They are going to be SO disappointed when we go trick or treating and we aren't dressed in our "costumes." haha. Maybe Daddy will agree to wear his blond wig.

Well, awkwardly enough, we had a brand new baby-sitter Saturday night. I greeted the door and she was probably like, "WHat?!" (I had Calla greet her with me so it least one of us looked normal!) Her name is Alexa, and she is the girlfriend of one of Jonathan's core-group guys. She was so sweet. Calla loved her. They had about 45 minutes of coloring and chit-chatting before it was time to put her to bed, and 45 minutes was all it took for them to bond because Alexa siad that Calla said, "I love you!" as Alexa tucked her in. hahaha.

In the meantime, Jonathan and I had the best time at the party.

below: some of my girlfriends and I...Brooke, Kara, Jenny L, Jenny M, and I (Leslie & Debbie in front). I am wearing a hat from someone else's costume...

David and Kara had karaoke and it was HILARIOUS. There just isn't anything as funny as watching someone dressed up in a chicken costume (or Yo Gabba Gabba character...or German schoolboy...) singing their heart out. haha. I think there were points where I was laughing so hard I was crying.

Every good party has to come to an end, haha. We got home three and a half hours later and Alexa was camped out on the couch, doing her homework. We are glad to have a new sitter to add to the repertoire!

Sunday
Sunday we were up and out the door early for church. I had to help in Jay's class during the 8:15 service so we were up by 7:30. (We overslept a bit.)

I love working in Jay's class. It was only five little ones in there this morning..Jay and four girls. It is such a fun age. The five of them were busy playing when they weren't eating graham crackers at the table. Jay sounds smart when he asks for a "cracker" in Sunday school because his teachers don't know he calls all food "cracker." haha.

Jay got a little sad when I had to leave after the first service. I said goodbye and then joined Jonathan for the worship service.

After church, we headed home. Jonathan camped out in front of the TV for the Bears game. Jay took an early nap (he fell asleep in the car on the way home from church) and the girls and I watched the Eagles game and ate some lunch.

below: Jonathan set it up on the iPad. How thoughtful!

The Eagles game wasn't very alluring for the girls, because shortly after lunch they holed themselves up in their bedroom to play.  I took the iPad to the back couch so Jonathan and I could watch our (different) games at the same time. ha.

After awhile, Calla and Kelsey emerged from their room with arm-loads of gift bags. They were filling them with everything in sight...mostly toys, but they threw some magazines, a decorative pumpkin, and some mail in there. Calla said they were gathering gifts for Kelsey's "birthday party." After Daddy cut them off (they had several gift bags...certainly, an ample amount of a successful party!), they headed back into their room and shut the door for the "party."

Jay woke up from his nap, and I set him up with his late lunch. Then I headed out the door. Courtney and Kurt closed on a new house this week and I saw (via twitter) that she was cleaning it! I offered to drive up for an hour or so to help out.

Their new home is forty-minutes away, and is in the neatest little subdivision. They have a beautiful fenced-in yard and nice, open floor plan with wood floors and lots of windows. It is so cute! Maybe she will post some pics on facebook. (Hint, hint, Court!) I loved getting the home tour and was glad to be able to help, even though it was only for an hour and a half.

I drove back home in time for us to start thinking about dinner. Jonathan ran a couple errands, and picked up some $5 pizza while he was out. We ate some dinner, then he put Jay to bed. I read some books to the girls and then put Kelsey Mae to bed.

Calla stayed up and we did her reading lesson. She read for me this story, entitled "The White Tooth Brush." It was riveting:

 Then she did some coloring. She is a very quiet "color-er" when it's past her bedtime. haha

Finally it was past her bedtime so I put her to bed. She usually falls asleep really quickly when it's late enough. She has a hard time going to sleep at 7 or 7:30, when Kelsey and Jay go to bed. I like having an extra hour with her at night. She does too. Before I tucked her in, she said "Mom, I love spending time with just you!"

Kelseyism~

~ Kelsey has a gas problem. She is always passing gas. Poor girl! She has learned early to blame it on Jay. Well played, Kels.

~ She calls Calla "Cal" all the time. It sounds like "Cow."

Jayism~

~ Jay can SING! We were playing Christmas carols on the piano (random, I know) and singing and he chimed right in! I have to get it on video.

~ See this?! THis is a sign that Jaybird is out and on the prowl. oh no. He loves this cabinet in my hutch. See all that crystal? And china? He doesn't touch it. He opens the drawer to retrieve a Christmas ornament that I got this summer and stuffed in there (since I didn't feel like going up to the attic to put it with our Christmas decorations). I keep the ornament in there now because I'd much prefer he carry that around than a china water glass.

 below: And more trouble......

 

~ Jay has a new spot at the dinner table....





Our Last Warm Day

TODAY the warm weather continued! The last day! This morning was just one of those "ugh!" mornings. Everyone was moving so slow. I tried cleaning the house and it just wasn't going anywhere...I usually am pretty flexible with letting the girls pull out all their toys and play (play is a child's work, you know) but it can be frustrating in the midst of cleaning up!

Calla is definitely in a "pleasing mom" stage. She is so sweet. She saw me get stressed about all the toys that were coming out of every which way, and said "don't worry mom I'll clean it up! Won't that make you happy mom?" I can really tell she's constantly trying to please her mother. I need to remember this when she is 15 and she is making my life misreable. (I am just assuming that will happen because I did a pretty decent job at making my own mother's life misreable when I was 15.)

We packed a lunch to take to the park and then headed over to the sports center. We went on the late side because I decided I'd rather go right from the gym to the park to avoid hauling three kids in and out of the car more than necessary. ha.

There is actually an enclosed outdoor playground at the sports center, so the girls played outside there and then once I picked them up from childcare we headed straight to Seven Gables Park.

Fall play dates are the best!

below: ahhhh, fresh air......

below: Calla climbs to the top. Most kids do. She didn't used to though.

below: Jaybird is a big kid at the park. Let's just say I don't get a lot of conversations in anymore. I have to spot that baby!

We ate our lunch and hung out with our friends, and then headed back home at 1. My girlfriend Julie asked if I could watch her son Blake. We've had Blake before. (-: He is the easiest little man. We also had Norah from the park...we had planned a playdate earlier in the week.

I wondered how the dynamic would work with the kids, and it turned out Norah and Calla played a couple games together. Blake and Kelsey Mae played, although not together. haha. They both were pushing around strollers and shopping carts and piling them with toys and toting them around. ha.

The tree in our front yard has been losing its leaves for weeks and I think finally it's almost done. I raked a bunch in a big pile for the kids to jump in...they were beside themselves with excitement.

 

below: gathering leaves (they helped)

jumping!

Once Jay woke up, we walked across the street to the park. I felt so much pressure to spend as much time as possible outside! The 10-day forecast is so cold! (Although I can't complain...it least we aren't bracing for hurricane Sandy!)

below: playing at the park...



Julie picked Blake up at the park (and also dropped off a hot latte! - yum...and it turns out Jay loves decaf pumpkin lattes!...he kept drinking mine). After Blake left, I lined the girls up and on one side of the playground and timed them racing through it. I did this one other time a while ago and Norah remembered and wanted a repeat session.

The kids were having so much fun until Calla kept getting teary...oh, she was sad because she wasn't "fast" enough. Then she wasn't sad because we weren't doing it how she wanted. Then she was sad because she ran into a sign (ok, that was legitimate!). After the sign incident, I made the executive decision we'd all go home.

The girls played Memory until Jenny came by to pick up Norah. Then Calla and Kelsey made a fort in their bunk bed while Jay assisted me in making dinner.

We were just sitting down for dinner when Jonathan got home from work. Our Thursday evening was very low-key. The kids were tired early, since bedtime was so late (this is a pattern around here...late bedtime on Wednesdays, early bedtime on Thursdays). Jonathan gave the kids a bath and then we did their devotions. Jonathan put Jay to bed and I dealt with the girls...are you sensing a pattern?! Daddy is always on Jay-duty!

Callaism~
~ Calla and her friend Norah had a hard time getting along today. Norah is a type-A personality and Calla used to have good chemistry with her but I think Calla is getting more opinions. I kept intervening and saying, "Girls!"

Jayism~
~ It turns out Jay calls all food "cracker." He even tells me "cracker" when he's hungry. Except he calls dessert "coo-coo." (cookie)

Warm Wednesday

WEDNESDAY morning everyone was up nice and early, so after breakfast I went with my new morning-ready routine...I put everyone in the whirlpool tub and they played while I got ready. It sure beat having Jay clean out every item under the sink while I did my makeup.

 

We got out the door to church...a process made easier by the absence of jackets or coats. It was in the upper 70s yesterday and today and despite the overcast skies and some wind, it felt soo good!

 

I think the kids had a good time at church. Calla and Kelsey hear the same Bible story in their classes so we always talk about it on the drive home. This time it was David and Goliath, and Calla taught us a new D-A-V-I-D song to the tune of B-I-N-G-O. ha.

 

Instead of heading straight home, we decided to take advantage of the weather and take our lunch to the park. I texted a couple friends and they met me there. Jay absolutely loves the park. I have to confess I am only sorta sad that park season is over because Jay is the biggest mess! He thinks he's a big kid, and follows them clear up to the top of the playground equipment. I spent the entire time with my eyes peeled on him, and most of the time in arm's reach since he kept venturing too high up.

 

He loves the slide, so at one point I showed him how to go up a (smaller) set of stairs to a small(er) slide and he went down it over and over. Until he noticed the big kids!

 

After an hour or so, we started to throw our lunch trash away and get ready to go. I could tell Jay was getting tired, because he was doing less climbing and more hanging-onto-mommy's-leg. My friend Kate was there, so Calla and Kelsey asked if Kelsey Ann (Kate's daughter) could come over for a playdate. I said yes, especially because I knew Kelsey Mae would be so happy to be part of a playdate after feeling left out Tuesday when Calla was gone.

 

Kelsey Ann is a very effortless playdate...the girls just played and played for the next three hours. I did interrupt them to work on their Awana homework (Kelsey Ann is in their Awana class). Jaybird took a decently long nap, which gave me some time to work on some marketing work for my dad.

 

At 5, we drove Kelsey Ann home and then came home and ate leftovers for supper. Daddy got home at 5:30, which gave us a half hour to spend with him before the kids and I headed out for Awana.

 

The girls had such a fun time at Cubbies last night. They did a special scavenger hunt to find their Cubbies snack and they were telling me on and on about what a fabulous time it was. I need to remember that idea and set up a scavanger hunt for them to find a gift on Christmas or something.

 

Jaybird did not have as great as a night! There were only five kids in Puggles, but one of the kids really has it out for Jay. He pushed Jay to the ground it least three times and hit him twice. The awkward part is that the boy's mom also helps in Puggles, and while she tells her son "No that's not nice!" the diplomatic approach doesn't seem to be working! I've started just trying to stay right next to Jay at all times, which sounds easy until you figure that he is constantly moving! ha.

 

Surprisingly, he didn't sustain any injuries from the Puggles "bully" but he did fall backwards when he was going down the slide and ended up with these two big bruises:

 

below: bruise A (forward) and bruise B (under eye)

He cried really hard, so one of the other Puggles leaders ran to grab an ice pack. As soon as he was out the door, Jay stopped crying because he grew distracted by a toy across the room. Haha. He was not pleased with the ice idea. I tried putting it on his face but he got sad again so I just let it alone and lo and behold this morning (Thurs) it was much better!

Once Awana was over, we came home. Jay was fighting me at bedtime so I actually waited until Jonathan got home so Daddy could put him to sleep! How's that for a change of roles?! Jay is so submissive to his father.

THe girls are always SO riled up after Awana but eventually they calmed down and drifted off to sleep.

Callaism~

~ Calla said something that really impressed me and I said, "Calla, you are so bright!" Calla looked puzzled, held out her arm and said, "What? You mean, my skin is?"

Calla Faces Her Fear

{ Today I wasn't in the mood to post but then I remembered Corinne checks my blog every day from Uganda and I know it takes FOREVER to pull up a URL so I didn't want to disappoint her! Shout out to Rinnie! }

 

YESTERDAY was another dreary day! We didn't have anything in the morning before Calla's gymnastics at 10, so I gave the kids a bath and then let them play in there while I got ready (in the same bathroom). They could sit and play in there forever. Jay is usually all wrinkled and ready to get out first!

 

We got out the door and to the gym by ten. Jaybird was getting a little cranky by then so it helped to give him a fresh change of scene, even if that scene is limited to a hallway! haha. Calla ran in and Kelsey Mae and Jay and I hung out with my friend Ali and her kiddos. After awhile, I glanced back in at the gym area to check on Calla and I saw she was crying! She was up on the high beam and her "coach" was talking to her. I watched him hop on the beam with her and then put his arms out (without touching) and around her waist. I could tell he was talking to her and comforting her.

 

When she got done walking across the beam, her little friends in her class cheered for her and I saw "coach" Andre give her a high-five.

 

I suspected she was scared because she was so high up! Poor girl doesn't stand a chance because both Jonathan and I are so horrible with heights. I can't even sit in anything above "great seats" at a sporting event without getting wobbly knees. My legs get like jelly just thinking about the cheap seats!

 

When her class was over, Andre came over to me and said she was scared so he got up on the beam with her to help her get over her fear. I said that fears make Calla pretty emotional, and he was very understanding. Later when I talked to Calla about it, she downplayed it. I asked her if she still had fun and she said yes! She also said Andre let her skip the walk-backwards across the beam part!

 

(They also had to jump over foam blocks on the high beam which seemed tricky to me...let's just say Andre did a lot of spotting!)

 

Tuesday after gymnastics we came home for some lunch. Jaybird then took his nap. Ali and I had arranged for Calla to go over to Brooke and Anna's for a playdate, and so Ali swung by to pick her up when she was out running for an errand. While the girls waited for Ali to arrive, they covered the floor in pillows. Of course.

 

below: a sea of pillows.

 

poor Kelsey Mae had a good cry when Calla left for the playdate. I keep telling her she can go on a playdate (without Mommy) when she turns four. Calla never did playdates when she was three, but of course she didn't have to watch out the window while big Sis left to have fun.

I am sure Kelsey didn't feel too much comfort when I then announced she'd be taking a nap! Ha! I laid down with her for a little bit, but she didn't fall asleep. So instead I let her help me make some chocolate peanut butter muffins, which cheered her right up. She loves helping in the kitchen. It was fun to have time with just the two of us.

Jay woke up after too-short of a nap. I let him empty the dishwasher (of plastic items!) while Kelsey helped me make baked mostaccioli. After awhile, we drove over to Ali's to pick up Calla from her playdate. She never wants to leave! Kelsey Mae is always relieved it takes a minute or two to pick Calla up because she loves to quick "play" with Brooke and Anna's toys.

I finally convinced my girls it was time to go, and we headed home to eat dinner. Poor Daddy was on his long drive home from work, so we ate dinner without him and then the girls ate dessert at the table while they watched him eat dinner once he got home. They love to breathe on his food and tell him (very close to his face) every detail about their day. (-:

After dinner, Jonathan and Jay hung out with the girls helped me make some poppyseed muffins (with citrus glaze). I am not having a muffins craving by the way. I was just responsible for "treats" for Wed. morning bible study. The girls enjoyed pitching in (although, let's be honest...Calla spotted Jonathan's iPad halfway through and got distracted "coloring" on it). Kelsey Mae is so "helpful," although she definitely adds 200% to the time logged on a recipe. haha.

Jonathan put Jay to bed, and then I cleaned up the kitchen and put the girls to bed. Ahhh. A quiet house. (-:

Jayism~

~ Word of the day: cracker ; Bird (-: (Daddy taught him "bird" ha...maybe we should think to teach him "Jay!")

Monday Felt Very Sleepy

YESTERDAY I was so slow moving! Jaybird had a horrible night. Let's sum up by saying he isn't enjoying his new life as a weaned toddler (maybe I should mention it to him that most toddlers ARE weaned before they become, you know, toddlers). I don't think he was feeling really well, which became very evident in the middle of the night when he threw up on his mother. He had eaten quite a bit at Mema's house on Sunday evening, which became quite evident at 4:30am when it all came back up. Ick. I am not sure if he had a stomach ache or if it was irritability from his runny nose (as a baby, he often threw up when he had a runny nose when the snot dripped down his throat yuck).

 

Okay way too much info. Anyway, after we woke up the kids played and I literally laid on the floor nearby. ha. I worked up my energy and gave the kids a bath. Then we ate some breakfast and got ready to go to Storytime at the library.

 

I've thought about doing storytime at the library in the past, but never knew the protocol for signing up. The last time we went to the library, I saw information for it and finally signed the girls up for a 3-5 year old storytime. It is from 10-10:30 for a few Mondays this fall.

 

The girls didn't know anything about storytime, but they got really excited as soon as they saw a table with nametags on it, including their names.

 

below: doing a puzzle while we waited for storytime to start. They were a little surprised after storytime that they had to put their nametags back for next week.

While the girls listened to the story, Jaybird and I hung out in the children's area...

below: see the bottom of that train on the wall?! Jay got all excited about it and kept saying Choo-Choo!

 below: hanging out....



 

It felt weird to have time with just Jay! Haha. We picked out a Curious George DVD and a couple Berenstein Bears books for the girls. After storytime, I let them play with the puzzles for a bit and then we headed home.

 

It was such a rainy day yesterday! Definitely a stay-inside day! We ate some lunch and then I put Jay down for an early nap. Then I laid down and took a nap! haha. The girls were playing house so they just played around me. I don't think they thought it was weird I was cashed out on the couch. You'd have to ask them.

 

Once Jay woke up, I worked on a grocery store list. Then we headed out to Target and the grocery store. Thankfully, the rain let up. The kids were feeling docile (afternoon grocery shopping is not a bad idea....nobody has enough energy to protest sitting quietly in a grocery cart! ha). I always bring snacks so they just eat their way through the hour and a half-ish.

 

We got home and the kids played while I straightened the house. Jay loves his Sissy's trainset.



 

below: He also loves the basket we keep the train set in. A new seat, if you will...

Daddy was home by 5:15, and offered to make dinner for us. Uhh, yes! The kids and I read books while Jonathan made dinner. We ate at six, I cleaned up the dishes, and then Jonathan put Jay to bed at 6:30. Then Jonathan headed out to join guys from church to watch the Bears game.

I put Calla and Kelsey to bed at 7:30ish, and the house was quiet just in time to watch the Presidential debate. It felt good to sit on the sofa! I am going to need to rest up for some rough nights this week! Jaybird is totally not on board with the weaning plan. Poor Bird.

Kelseyism~

~ Kelsey refers to herself as "free." (Three)

Jayism~

~ Jay is doing better at repeating things when we ask. Today he learned "bath," "all done," "thank you," and "cookie." He refers to any type of dessert item as "coo-coo" (cookie).