Merry Christmas to All...

Wow, what a weekend.....and it's not over yet! For those of you who have been involved in this weekend, you will agree that it has been quite the whirlwind. Let me recap for you all.

Thursday started our weekend (Matt was off work on Friday - yeah!!). We went to dinner with Matt's co-workers for their Christmas party at 5pm. We hustled out of there a few minutes before 6pm to take the kids to Christmas at the Zoo.They had NO idea this was what we were doing and even upon arriving, they had no idea that Grammy, Grampy, Aunt Cara, Uncle Dave, and Sethers were inside waiting for us. They had SO much fun! Carson acted like a scaredy cat all night long, but we are attributing that to the fact that it was dark outside. The lights were beautiful and they got to ride the carousel and train (thanks Dave and Grammy!!!).

Friday was a day of anticipation. The kids were looking forward to spending the night with Grammy and Grampy (and drinking chocolate milk) and Matt and I were stressing over our plans for the evening. If you've ever seen While You Were Out on TLC, that is what we were doing. The kids were going to Grammy and Grampy's house, Uncle Aaron and Aunt Shannon were coming over and there was going to be a TOTAL overhaul on their bedrooms while they were away. This whole process started a few weeks ago when Matt went to stay at his dad's for the weekend and the two of them built Delaney a big girl bed (twin size). The bed was left in his father's care for painting and Eunice did some decorating on the footboard for princess Delaney. Aaron and Matt left when we put the kids down for a nap to go get the bed from Hanover. My mom and dad picked up the kids around 5:30 and Shannon and I worked like mad women to get the rooms cleared out. We had the wall paper stripped before dinner and had primed Laney's room and put a coat of paint on each room by midnight. We stopped for a Starbucks run and then put another coat of paint on each. So far - it was going MUCH better than the kitchen fiasco!!!!! Shannon and Aaron left for home around 3am and we cleaned up the painting messes and fell into bed exhausted.

Matt and I woke up a little after 7 and started again....the rooms looked GREAT and we were ready to reload them with all the new stuff - Merry Christmas Laney and Carson!! See the attached photos to view each room. Carson's favorite thing was his new pillow. He's never slept with a pillow before, so he was in awe of it!!! Laney loves her big girl bed. She refused to nap this afternoon (yes, the kids came home around 2pm.....whirlwind weekend) because she had to go through all of her stuff to be sure it was still there. She only requested 2 of the items I'd tried to get rid of....not too bad!!

They are both sleeping like little angels in their new rooms right now......so, to all a good night!!

Love,
Gretchen and Matt

PS Santa came to visit our house Tuesday night. He put a little fear in Laney and some awe and wonder in Carson.....they are very excited for him to leave more presents while they are sleeping - so excited they ask every morning if he came during the night :-)

Merry Christmastime

Christmastime is a word used a lot in this house! The kids are starting to get the concept that just b/c the tree is up doesn't mean that Santa is coming tonight (or last night or the night before that!!). I am thoroughly enjoying this season with them - they are really "getting it" and that is FUN!!

I know I mentioned we kicked off the season by going to the Christmas tree lighting downtown. I hope you all know me well enough to know that I won't let the entire season be about Christmas lights and Santa - those are great and the kids get excited about them, but we're doing all of this for a reason and I want the kids to know that too! Thanks to my parents the kids have this great Little People nativity set which has led to lots of great discussion! Delaney is obsessed with setting it up EXACTLY how it looks on the box - it's like a puzzle to her. But she is really getting the concept that we are celebrating Baby Jesus' birthday and how special that is to us. She loves to sing "Away in a Manger" and gets most of the words right :-)

Delaney has also learned to write - really write - during the past month or so. She can write Delaney, Carson, Mom, Dad, Lin (Lion - but she sounded it out), and Twix (she still has to ask what makes the tw sound every time). She will try to write just about anything and is getting pretty good at it. I am sooo proud of her!! She is very interested in sounding things out and figuring out what letter makes that sound. As a teacher, I am thrilled and am really encouraging this skill.

Carson has really learned to talk and has some great conversations with us. Yesterday when we picked him up from his class at church he had a scratch on his face. As we started to question him we learned that he had been pinched by a little girl. Matt inquired more and got out of him that he had pinched her first. Later we learned that he had been in a shoving match with a little boy in his class - too much time with his big sister, maybe?!?

This past Saturday we took the kids to Jolly Days at the Children's Museum. It was soooo much fun! We all got to go down the "snow" slide. We rode the carousel (Delaney and I rode 2 times). I am guessing we will be back there before the end of December when it all goes away.

Matt put the Christmas tree up Thursday night so when the kids got up Friday it was there to greet them. Actually, I was "fluffing" the limbs when Delaney woke up and she came out in awe of the lights. Then when we got Carson up he seemed to be more confused, like how'd that tree get in my house while I was sleeping and is it okay to be there? We decorated it Friday evening - the kids helped, so it is a little heavy on the ornaments in the front/bottom section :-)

On Friday we went downtown to have lunch with my mom. My mom's cousin Nancy went with us. The kids had a lot of fun "showing off" for her! I let them both walk since Nancy was with me to help hold hands, but Carson spent more time on his knees than walking - lesson learned - stroller for Carson is a good idea!!

On Thursday Delaney got measured for her outfit for her recital (tentative date is Saturday, June 7 - we will know for sure by the end of December). Delaney will be a butterfly - they are doing Bambi. It should be adorable - I mean, come on, it is a bunch of little girls Delaney's age - what could be more cute?!?

Wednesday was story time at the library. Carson was the ONLY BOY in a room of 16 children! He didn't realize it, but if this is any forecast of his class in school, the pickings will be good little man!!!

Tuesday I worked and they spent the day with Grandpa Bub! I am sure lots of wildness was enjoyed, but since I put Grandpa Bub and Daddy to work as soon as I got home, I didn't hear about lots of it. I just heard about them getting us a new microwave. I promise pictures of the kitchen will come soon - I want it to be totally finished before you all see it, so there are still two more things that need to be done.

Delaney with the circle she drew (dot-to-dot, of course!!). Notice that she wrote "circle" above it :-)	Carson "cooking" at the museum.

Have a great week!
Gretchen

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello! Happy Thanksgiving a few days late! We've had a busy week and I'd like to recap it with some pictures! I apologize to those of you that have a slow connection, b/c these pictures will take decades to load - sorry!!!

The kitchen is almost finished, so pictures of that will be coming at the end of the week (if Matt and Kevin are as productive tomorrow afternoon as I hope they are - I love you boys!!!!)

We took the kids to the Christmas tree lighting Friday evening. It was Delaney's second time to go and she remembered EVERYTHING about last year!! Carson was in awe of the crowd and the noise! They had a ton of fun - even though Delaney had to sit on my shoulders and I am sooo much shorter than Daddy that she couldn't see anything - whine - Santa didn't look at her - whine - the fireworks were behind buildings b/c we were on the WRONG side of the street - whine!!! I am sure you can hear the dramatic whine coming from her :-) We ended the evening with the kids first trip to Starbucks - how fun is that?!? They had a blast and so did we! I think that whole evening will definitely be a kicking off the Christmas season tradition in this house.

We were able to spend time with lots of family during the past week or so. We had Thanksgiving pizza and breadsticks at Shannon and Aaron's house last Sunday with Matt's dad's side of the family. Thursday we went to Cara and Dave's for the traditional fare (see pictures of cousins playing), and Saturday we went to Teri and Jeff's for dinner and - well, you'll have to look at the picture to see what the kids (Shannon, Delaney, and Carson) created!!


We are thankful for each of you!!
Gretchen

it's fall

It is definitely fall out there! I just returned from voting and it was a chilly little trip!!

We went to the pumpkin patch last Tuesday with MOPS - it didn't rain, but it was still very muddy. We got to take a hayride to the patch, pick our own pumpkins, and see a pumpkin eating dinosaur - which Delaney was NOT a fan of. Actually we left about 2 minutes into his "performance" and she said she didn't think we needed to go back next year. ADORABLE!!! The pumpkins they got for their $3 admission price were tiny, so when Matt got home we went to a little pumpkin stand we've gone to the past 3 years and got a bigger pumpkin to carve. We carved it Tuesday night. The kids used the webpage I sent out last week to design their face, I drew it on the pumpkin, and Matt carved it up for us. Delaney was not a fan of "pumpkin guts" and Carson just wasn't a fan of the activity - he actually went inside after about 10 minutes of pumpkin fun.....he's been like that about a lot of things lately - we've decided that when he got sick a few weeks ago, he all of a sudden transformed into a terrible two year old!!!

Wednesday I went to work and Grandma Teri watched the kids. They went for a walk to scope out all of the houses with Halloween decorations so we'd know where to trick or treat. When we both got home from work we decided to get some dinner in them before we went out even though trick or treating hours in Indianapolis were from 5 to 7 - what happened to being out after dark?? So, after dinner we got them all dressed up and went out for the evening. We let them trick or treat in our neighborhood for the first time. They had lots of fun. Then we went to Shannon and Aaron's and my parent's houses. Cara, Dave, and Seth were at my parent's house too - so the pumpkin and puppy got to play together.

Thursday was dance and Friday was "getting ready for the weekend project" day. My parents kept the kids Friday night (both of them ALL night). So, Matt and I decided to tackle the kitchen. It turns out the kitchen is a really good football player and it tackled us pretty hard! I had all of the little stuff cleared out by the time Matt got home. He helped me clear out the big things and then he took Delaney to the store for paint tape. We taped it all off before we went to my parent's house for dinner. We left the kids there and went home to get started. We got the primer on - PINK - and then decided to go to the grocery store while it dried. We got home at midnight and decided to put on the first coat. We finally went to bed at 3am. I got up at 8:45 to start with coat number 2 - then we did coat 3 and 4 throughout the day. Finally, after a trip to Home Depot to get more paint, we learned that we needed to let it sit for a few DAYS to dry before we tried again. So, the necessities for me to be able to cook are in there and hopefully it will get finished up tomorrow - I will not send pictures yet - they are UGLY!!!

Today is MOPS, so I should get going. Have a great Tuesday!

Gretchen

pictures

Enjoy the little Scarecrow and Pumpkin. Yes, Carson was the same thing last year, but he asked to be it again, not like we could say NO! However, I don't think it will fit again next year, so he's going to have to come up with something new.

Happy November!
Gretchen

Happy Halloween!

Good morning! They say when it rains, it pours, and this house is no exception to that "rule." Carson was up and running full force by Saturday evening. We had dinner with family on Sunday evening and then a lazy "catch-up" from the weekend Monday.

We were supposed to go to the pumpkin patch on Tuesday, but it rained and rained and my MOPS groups decided that 40 preschoolers in a mud puddle was NOT a good idea. We postponed to this Tuesday - hopefully it won't be wet AND cold!

Carson and I got to pick Seth up from daycare Tuesday evening. He stayed for dinner. The kids had so much fun together. I love that they are finally at an age where they can "play together" and interact a lot.

Wednesday was the day the rain started in our house. Delaney woke up around 7:45 (nothing unusual yet) and said she was cold. It was kind of chilly, so I told her we'd wrap up in a blanket and she'd be fine. We sat on the couch till Carson got up and then I fixed some breakfast. About 2 minutes into breakfast she said she was going to go get her blanket because she was cold. She got down from the table and disappeared into her room for a few minutes. When I went back to check on her she was snuggled up under her blankets totally asleep. I scared her b/c I thought she was pretending so I touched her back to see if she was okay and she jumped. She slept until 11:15 - anyone who knows Delaney knows I usually have to hold her in bed to get her to go to sleep, so I knew something was wrong. She picked at lunch and then went back to bed about 1 and didn't get up till almost 4. BLUCK!!! All I could think was "here we go again." Carson and I went to church Wednesday evening and when we got home Delaney was herself - bouncing all over the house asking how church was and the house smelled oddly like popcorn!!! Guess she was feeling better.

Thursday she got up like normal, we went to dance, then Wal-Mart, then McDonalds. We had soooo much fun at McDonalds. They were both in great moods and they talked about everything and ate like big kids! It was such a great mommy/kiddo time!!!

Friday we went to the library. Delaney was fading fast during the morning. She took a long nap in the afternoon and we assumed she was fine - just still feeling yuck from Wednesday and being so busy on Thursday. However, right before dinner she said, "I'm not hungry, do I have to eat?" While we were finishing getting it on the table, she said, "I'm going to puke." And, that she did!!! Luckily she made it to the bathroom - one up on Carson!!! She was pretty whiny and laid around all evening, but she did seem better once she had just gotten it all out.

Saturday we were lazy in the morning. Matt and I had a date in the evening. We went to this great bar and grill (Hal's Fabulous Vegas) and then drove downtown to have hot chocolate. It was such a nice escape. We also bought the paint for the kitchen - maybe it will be done before Christmas!!!

Last night we went to Chinese with Shannon, Aaron, Teri, and Jeff - Delaney ate enough "noodles/spaghetti" for a few kids!!! Guess she's feeling better.

A few funny stories from the week: One night after baths Delaney asked if she could go get a drink of water from the kitchen. Matt told her to get her drink and come straight back. She walked down the hall a few steps, then turned around and said, "I can't come straight back, I'm going to have to turn." HA!!! Hope you all enjoy her self portrait - I was so proud of her - I am sure Matt thought I was a huge dork, but oh well!!! She also has really taken to making words with her letter blocks and cards. She started with cat, bat, rat, and then was doing dance and prance by the end of it - even Matt was impressed with that!!!!



Carson uttered the phrase, "I am not going to listen to this" talking about Delaney's whining A LOT this week!! It was pretty cute. We enjoyed a wonderful Wednesday together while Delaney slept. He was quite the character!!!

Happy Halloween!!!
Gretchen

What a week!

I feel as if I owe you all a very long email to make up for the last few weeks. However, if you had endured this week with me, you wouldn't expect much!

Our week started off okay. I had a retreat in New Albany on Monday that was disorganized and unproductive, but they paid me for it and provided breakfast and lunch, so who can complain? I returned home to two kids in a great mood! They had enjoyed their day with Aunt Shannon and Grandma Teri. They had played dress up and eaten out for lunch!

During dinner things went from good to bad in a matter of minutes. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a tendency to plan my life out in advance and get a little irritated when things don't go as planned - well, it was about to happen and I had no control over it!! Carson decided puking during dinner was a great plan. Now, sometimes Carson does this b/c he shoves so much food into his mouth (like at Chick-fil-a with my new MOPS friends), but he wasn't pigging out at the moment, so we were confused. He seemed okay the rest of the night, so we thought it was a flukish thing and he'd be fine. However, Tuesday morning he decided it would be a good idea to do the same thing minutes after breakfast - that was when I realized my week was NOT going to go as planned. No MOPS for us on Tuesday! After he hadn't had a wet diaper for 12 hours I decided to call the doctor, who, of course, wanted to see him that day. She found an ear infection and probably something viral causing the vomiting. So, home we went to tough it out on the puking, but with medicine (that he obviously couldn't keep down) for the ear. He got sick 3 more times during the night on Tuesday/Wednesday - which meant no storytime at the library for Wednesday. Did I mention I was having a garage sale this weekend too and desperately needed to get some closets cleaned out? And that the only place my sweet baby boy wanted to be was on my lap?!? By Wednesday evening we thought he was on the upswing. He had kept down 2 doses of medicine and was eating a little. However, after puking 3 more times Wednesday night, we didn't know what to expect. Thursday was a rocky rough day. He was soooo lethargic that I could barely stand it. He just whined, not for food or drink, but just a moaning, whimpery whine everytime I put him down to do anything else - you know, go to the bathroom, help Delaney get dressed - all those things I needed to do :-) By Thursday evening we were pretty sure a trip to the emergency room was in our future. He had a fever of 102 and we decided to try some Motrin to see if we could get that under control. You wouldn't believe the difference that made. I gave it to him around 7pm and by a little after 8 he was walking around the house and talking - is that my boy?!? By Friday afternoon I would say he was 75% himself. We decided to let him leave the house for the first time since Monday. He wanted worms and dirt (ice cream with crushed oreos and gummi worms), so of course, that is what we got!! Today he is himself - whiny, but I think that comes from being 2 and living with Delaney!!!

Delaney was a very big girl this week. She learned to be a little more self sufficient and understanding that the world couldn't revolve around her for a while. Not today, of course!!

I decided to go forward with the garage sale, of course, only half of the stuff was out that should have been, but it was productive. Matt took Friday off work to man the kids while I manned the garage. I made about $50 each day - not too bad for a total lack of planning. I made enough to finish the kitchen redo - that was the goal, so I'm happy!!! Hopefully you will get to see my before and after pictures soon - didn't I say that back in February?!?!?

Love you all!
Gretchen

pictures

This week you are just getting cute pictures! As most of you know this past weekend was Matt's younger sister's wedding celebration in Chicago. These were taken there. Enjoy!!

Love,
Gretchen

Adventures In Babysitting (from Bub)

Hi all,

I told Gretchen I might write a guest column. I had a great time with the kids last Tuesday. They had gotten up early enough that Gretchen already had them dressed when I arrived. We headed outside almost immediately after mommy headed for work.

They were excited to see the "surprise" I had to show them in my truck. When I started pulling out my fire gear, however, Delaney informed me that if I started putting it on she was going to hide. I did manage to get the gear on without her hiding but that was about it. Later in the afternoon when Matt got home he donned the gear and was even able pick up Carson and Delaney.

Our walk was really more of a run. I let them run just a bit ahead as long as they would stop when I said stop. It did take a few tries to get this rule to sink in. First we walked to the lake that is about a block away. I think crossing the street wowed them more than the lake. Next we went to the bridge behind their house, which I gathered was the usual destination of the walks. There wasn't any water under the bridge, but we threw some rocks in anyway.

Just as we were getting back home it had started to rain. We raced back to save the sidewalk chalk and chairs that we had left outside. I scooted their chairs out close to the rain so they could stick their feet out in it. It didn't take long for that to become a full fledged dancing in the rain. I had to drag them out of the rain to have lunch.

Grandpa Bub

Slower Pace

We went at a slower pace this week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Monday we had a lazy day around the house. I got caught up on some laundry and cleaning. When Matt got home from work we took the kids to their first Greenwood Christian Academy sports event. (GCA is the school I used to teach at). We went to watch the girls that I had in first grade when I was pregnant with Delaney play volleyball. The girls were all "grown up" and our kids had a blast. They have been "throwing" the volleyball ever since.

Tuesday was a work day for me. Grandpa Bub (Matt's dad) came to stay with the kids. All I know is the day consisted of a walk without strollers, sidewalk chalk, playing in the rain, and trying on his fire gear - sounds like they had WAY more fun than I did!!!!

Wednesday we went to visit an older couple from our church. He had a stroke a few weeks ago that affected his speech and we thought Carson could bring some cheer to him - they seem to have similar problems - their minds go faster than their mouths :-) The kids got to play with their kitten - Princess Sophie - and I got to socialize. It was a nice visit and lasted a lot longer than I had planned. But, we were having so much fun, I didn't want to drag the kids away.

Thursday Delaney had dance and then we went to sell cookie dough (dance fund raiser -don't worry, if you live close enough for me to deliver it to you, you will be getting an email about it) at Grampy's work. It is a hilarious process because Delaney refuses to talk to people she doesn't know (unless we're in the store), so Carson walks up to people and says, "Are you want some cookie dough?" While Delaney hands them the paper and backs away!! Too cute, but they've made lots of sales that way!!

Friday was another lazy day - we ran to Meijer in the morning for some groceries and then we waited around for the Royal Spa man to come fix our hot tub - it is up and running now if anyone is interested!!

Saturday was spent cleaning the hot tub and the shower - blah!!! However, I was greatly rewarded by going to The Cheesecake Factory with 2 of my friends. We had a blast!!!! I love going out with them b/c my face hurts by the end of the night from laughing so hard. It is a nice break from Mommyhood :-)

Today was full of football - the kids were screaming "Ball, ball, ball" during a game that Matt wasn't even watching. Carson was little Matt during dinner. He sat watching the TV the entire time, but he ate most of his food too, so I couldn't say much. Sundays are the only days that the TV is permitted to be on during a meal, so it's okay with me if he's glued to it - like father, like son!


Love you all. Have a GREAT week!
Gretchen

short and sweet!

I don't have much time this evening, but I feel bad leaving you all without an update for last week! One cute story on each of them and then I'm calling it a day!

Today Carson was putting on a dolphin show for me. His arms were the dolphins and they were "kaplash"-ing all over the kitchen. He was carrying around a sand bucket (empty, of course) and giving his hands fish when they made big "kaplash"s. It was so cute!!

Delaney got new Winnie the Pooh toys last night and she spent the entire morning arranging them in her Little People house so that they could have a birthday party for Piglet. They had cake and had invited friends - it was quite the production!

Enjoy your week!
Gretchen

PS I would include a picture but I can't get the camera to come on and I'm just not in the mood to fight with it tonight!! Maybe I'll try again tomorrow :-)

Go Colts!

Go Colts is a phrase I've heard a lot today!! From EVERYONE in my house! Delaney was heard yelling it from the bathroom, Carson was heard mumbling it while eating lunch and Matt was heard uttering phrases about the Colts (only occasionally under his breath) throughout the entire game. Carson was very focused on football during lunch - as was Matt, so I couldn't really say much. I think I might need to invest in TV trays :-) Our children are also convinced that Grandpa Bub is at every Colts game (or sometimes just every football game) that they see. Delaney is getting the concept that he can only go if they are here, but Carson is still convinced he's up there!!!

Carson has an adorable phrase - "I told you." He says that very matter of factly when you have broken one of his "rules" or disregarded his request - do you think he hears that too often?!?

This afternoon Delaney pooped in the potty (we are now on day 9 of her pooping streak - in case anyone missed it, I bribed her with the promise that I would paint her room pink and get her a big girl bed that I could sleep in with her if she'd poop in the potty for 2 weeks - looks like I'm going to be very busy, very broke, and very tired soon!!!!!) Anyway, she always calls anyone and everyone that is in the house to come look at it before she flushes. Carson walked in, leaned over the toilet, and said "Holy Toledo" as only Carson can - it was so funny!

Delaney has been balleting around the house all weekend . She is obsessed with a song called "Balance." They pretend like they are walking a tight rope while it is playing, so she keeps doing this around the house. She also loves to show off her twirling skills! What a pretty princess she is!

One night this week I fixed macaroni and cheese out of pasta shaped like footballs, baseballs, gloves, tennis racquets, and the sort. Well, Delaney had a glove and Carson had a ball, so he thought it was totally appropriate for him to throw the ball into her glove - ah, no!! It was very funny though, so it took us a few minutes to discipline. I wish I could remember the exact conversation, but there was lots of confusion as to why it was wrong - because it landed in Laney's milk cup - is that reason enough?!?

Grandma Teri watched the kiddos Monday while I worked. It was nice b/c Matt and I were able to sneak away for a "date lunch." We went to this really great hot dog place and we didn't have to cut up anyone's food before we could eat! My tator tots were actually warm when I ate them!!!

Tuesday we went to the apple orchard with MOPS. That was very fun! I had invited a friend to go with me, so we took our kids to a nearby park after we were done at the orchard and let them play and had a picnic. It was kind of chilly out, but we enjoyed being outside! Carson even chased a squirrel around the park - almost right into the parking lot.

Wednesday was storytime at the library. This week was a visit from the fire dept. They put on their gear for the kids. Delaney was scared and cuddled up on my lap for most of the presentation. Then, they took the kids out to the fire truck and ambulance. Carson sat in the back of the ambulance in awe of all of the equipment around him. It was so cute to watch him.

Thursday was ballet and a visit to Grampy at work. We had to show off the ballerina!! We also went to Matt's softball game. It was such nice weather and it was an evening where Matt and I would have been running in opposite directions the whole night, so I decided to take advantage of the 20 minute drive there to actually converse with him about our day.

On Friday Delaney had to have a wart removed from her finger. She is such a brave girl. She stood right next to the pediatrician with her hand resting on the dr's lap. She had huge tears in her eyes but didn't let one of them drop. She said, "Owww" once and I commented on how brave she was being. The doctor said she certainly was because what she was doing should hurt! She got a band aid when it was over and after a trip to the mall for some pretzel bitz, she was good to go!!!!

We went to the fish fry with my parents Friday evening - we love the fish fry!!!! The kids love to look at the live fish in the pond (something is terribly wrong about that to me!) and I love to eat the wonderful fried fish!!! The weather was perfect to sit outside and enjoy the live music and good company. Unfortunately, the evening was cut short by Matt getting a page from work demanding his time and expertise.

Saturday was the Beech Grove Fall Festival Parade. Matt helped with crowd control and we watched the parade - see attached photo - they were not fans of the sirens!!! However, they were fans of all of the candy they could collect. This is the first year I've let them run out to get candy. They were pretty good at it! Matt ate a lot of their hard candy this morning during church because his throat hurt - yeah right :-)

I believe that wraps up our week. Enjoy!

Gretchen

The Ballerina!

This week started with a lazy Monday - having daddy home on a weekday is always a special treat. Carson, Delaney, and Mommy went to the store mid afternoon to get items typical of a cookout while Daddy fired up the grill. We had a wonderful dinner.

On Tuesday, we started MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) at a church nearby. We will meet every other Tuesday for 2 hours. Childcare is provided in a program called Moppets. I was very worried about leaving both of them. Delaney has just started running into her class at church, so I was fearful that we'd have tears at a new place. We put Carson in his class first and before I'd labeled his bag and let the door close behind me he was all the way at the other end of the room (and it's a big room) peeking out of a little plastic playhouse. Next stop, Delaney's room - she went without a problem. She gave me a little hug on the leg and off she went. They said she did great - it probably helps that the indoor playground was right outside her door and they got to play on it for the last 20 minutes!! I also had a great time. I only knew 2 people going into the day and neither one were in my small group. But, it seems like it will be very fun. On the Tuesdays that we don't meet for MOPS they do Mommy and Me activities and have a book club. Tomorrow is the apple orchard - if it isn't raining.

On Wednesday we went to the library for story time again. This time there were 27 plus kids there - they wouldn't sit still for me to get an accurate count. That is a lot of 2, 3, and 4 year olds!! They read about Grandparents (Happy Grandparents Day to all of you grandparents reading this!!). Then, we went to Lowe's to get stain for the deck for Matt's evening project. There was this really nice man in Lowe's who gave both of the kids little aprons. They were adorable!!

Thursday was the day we'd been waiting for - the first day of ballet!!! Delaney sat still for me to put her hair up because she knew it was for dance class. We got to Tippy Toes about 10 minutes early because we needed to rent tap shoes and I've heard it's a pain to find the right size. That took about 30 seconds. So, we sat in the lobby and got acquainted with other girls in her class. When the class started I thought Carson and I would sit in the observation area for a few minutes and then we'd have to exit because his attention span would be shot - 45 minutes later and lots of "She's pretty" said by Carson, the class was over and we were still in our seats!! She was gorgeous!!! It was too adorable to watch all of the little girls, everyone is new this year, so that makes it nice. The class is for 2 to 4 year olds, so we could have had some repeaters, but they are all new! There are only 6 girls in her class, I was very impressed with that. When ballet was over we were getting in the car and I asked her if she had fun. The response was, "You were there, you saw how much fun it was." Well duh!!!

Friday we went downtown to have lunch with Grammy. Since she has started working full time our Fridays playing together are gone, so we decided to go to her! We went to a very not kid friendly McDonalds!! The only seating was for 2 people, so we had high chairs sitting in the aisles - oh well, no one seemed to mind.

In the evening we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise - mainly because Carson sounds adorable when he asks to go there!!! The kids behaved wonderfully! We had movie night when we got home. I took a much needed nap during Finding Nemo. I did stay awake for the beginning when they were both scared, but when the movie got cute and fun, I closed my eyes and had both kids curled up against me!!

Saturday morning we got to see Shannon and Aaron. Shannon was home for a wedding so they stopped by to say hi. For as much as Delaney talks about missing her she sure didn't show it!

In the afternoon Delaney and I went shopping. I don't know that we've ever had so much fun! We went to the mall, Target, and Kohl's. We shared an ICEE at Target and she thought she was HOT STUFF!!! It was adorable to watch. When we left Target and were headed to Kohl's I told her she could walk over to the trash and throw it away. She decided there was still at least one drink left so she should probably take it with her. She was so cute she convinced me to buy her a new shirt in Kohl's. We got to ride on the escalator at the mall b/c we didn't have stroller - that is such a big deal for her!!!

In the evening, we went to a going away party for one of Matt's fraternity brothers. It was at the house of a couple who has a 3 year old boy, so we took the kids with us. They had fun playing with all of Jonah's toys in his play room.

Sunday evening we went to my parents house for dinner. It's finally Carson's turn to get the funny story told on him. The kids were playing in the family room and all of a sudden Seth started screaming like he was hurt. So, Dave went over to get him and I went to my child that was closest to him to question what had happened. I picked Car up and said, "What happened Buddy?" Car, "I wasn't mean to him." Me, "What happened?" Car, "I wanted him to talk into the microphone." Me, "Did you push it into his mouth?" Car, "Yes." Me, "Then you need to tell him you are sorry." Car, "No, I wasn't mean to him." Me, "You hurt him, you need to tell him you are sorry." We walked over to Seth and he said he was sorry and gave him a kiss. What a cutie!!!

Enjoy the pics of ballerina girl and of Delaney and Carson being nice to each other - look shocked, it doesn't happen that often!!!


Gretchen

Update addition

Wow - what a weekend!! Carson managed to get in a fight with a park bench - the park bench won - big time!!! I describe his injuries as looking like he got hit by a train, Matt describes it as looking like he took a right hook. I'll attach a picture that doesn't really do it justice, but looks too cute! This happened Sunday at about 5:30, we were in the ER until 11:35 - UGH!!! He slept on me once for about 10 minutes, before that we made lots of trips to the bathroom, water fountains (b/c he couldn't drink out of his cup), and outside to look at the dark (something he doesn't normally see b/c he's in bed!!). The doctor apologized a lot and said that unfortunately at his age there just wasn't much to do. It appears that he hit his chin on the metal part of the bench which caused his top two teeth to go almost through his lower lip. He also tore the flappy thing that hangs down on the top and has a nice gash there. His cheek hit the bench and has a wonderful purple and blue bruise on it. Seriously, the picture does no justice to the real injury. Today he has been a trooper!! He is drinking out of his sippy cup and eating anything and everything (even cheez its and tortilla chips).

Enjoy the little man's picture!!!

Week 2 of the new commitment

If only I could stick to a workout plan for 2 weeks :-)

Okay - let me recap this very fun week for you all.

Sunday evening we had a birthday celebration for my father and grandma at my sister's house. Carson never did eat his cake and ice cream. That child is so odd. Matt and I are all over sweets and Delaney definitely is following in our footsteps. However, he couldn't care less if there is something sweet in front of him.

On Monday, Matt and his mother watched the kids while I went to work. This is going to become more routine for us, so Teri decided she should spend a day with one of us to see where everything hides and what a "normal" day is like for us. They seemed to have a blast!!! I heard all about playing outside and building with blocks. We'll see how everyone does next Monday when Matt won't be here with them :-)

On Tuesday we had some friends over to play. Wednesday we went to the library for preschool story time with some other friends and then we went to meet Daddy for lunch. That was very fun!! Preschool story time was kind of crazy because there were 15 to 18 kids in the room all ranging in age from a few months to 4 years old....however, the lady reading was very expressive and had great interactive songs, so she really kept their attention.

On Thursday we went to get the oil changed in the van. I love that the Honda dealership has a play area for the kids. I sat in the doorway with my feet blocking the entrance and read Better Homes and Gardens while the kids played with all new toys. It really was a fun 45 minutes - I used to dread doing this at the Chevy dealership with nasty plastic chairs and NO toys.

On Thursday afternoon Delaney was being disciplined for something (probably hitting Carson, that seems to be her favorite thing to do these days) and I did my normal routine of taking her into her room and sitting her on my lap on her bed to talk to her. I asked her to look at my eyes while we talked and she said, "Is this going to be a long talk or a short one, 'cause I have things to do." How do you discipline after that?!?

On Thursday evening we introduced the "big girl" cup to Delaney. At meals (at home) she is now drinking out of a cup without a lid. She told Carson he couldn't do that till he was three - so many privileges come with being 3 - you can pick up the cat and get a cup without a lid...wow!!!
We played outside for the rest of the evening till it was time for baths and for Matt to leave for softball.

On Friday I left the house when Matt came home and had a WONDERFUL, much needed and deserved girls night out with 3 of my friends. We went to a Mexican restaurant and our waiter quit in the middle of our meal. He had brought 3 of our meals and had gone back to check on the whereabouts of the other. When he hadn't come back after 15 minutes, my friend whose food was missing decided to go check on him. We learned that he had walked off the job sometime between our table and the kitchen. So, we were treated like royalty for the rest of the meal - that was kind of nice :-)

Saturday morning we took the kids over to my parents for the morning so we could pressure wash the deck and hot tub and clean out the shed. We were successful at getting it all done, but I (personally) don't think the deck looks much better. We are going to get some stain for it, so maybe that will help. The new portion of the deck, the hot tub, and the old portion of the deck are all different colors right now so it looks mismatched and blah...hopefully the stain will help it look unified. We have ordered a new cover for the hot tub and I am calling Tuesday to get them to come out and fix the jets. If it is going to look nice, then everything should be functioning too!!! The weather was absolutely beautiful for being outside yesterday!!!
My parents brought the kids home and Delaney was telling me something later in the day and she said "Remember, your mom was here...." She's such a goof!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Love,
Gretchen

dillard discoveries, take 2

Okay, I am going at this with some dedication now. I have heard from 3 people this week about how much they enjoy and appreciate getting these updates, so I am going to try to be more faithful to you all :-)

This week was another fun one - full of new discoveries. Matt and I had the opportunity to use Kevin's tickets and go to the Colts preseason game on Monday night - that was FUN! We rarely get to do fun date like things, so that was exciting. The game was good even though they lost - it's preseason, who cares if they lose!!!

Wednesday we took a trip to the Children's Museum with 2 of my friends and their kids. We had the most enjoyable time. All of our kids (6 of them) were born from February of 03 to September of 05 so they are so close that they all enjoy doing the same things. We only went to a few places during the morning because they were so into the things they were doing, looking at, and playing with that there was no need for us to move on (see picture from the dinosaurs). We enjoyed a great lunch with tons of socializing and then we rode the carousel before going home. Delaney wanted to ride with Miss Codi (my friend who teaches Delaney's class at church on Wednesday nights, so she is super cool in Delaney's eyes). Delaney got to go on an animal that goes up and down for the first time. Carson and I stuck to the stationary giraffe - he's not a fan of the carousel in general, so I thought that the movement up and down on top of the movement in a circle would probably send him over the edge :-)

Friday was my dad's birthday, so we made a special cake for him out of swiss cake rolls, pudding, and cool whip. The kids had so much fun "helping" make it! They were so good at taking turns (and adorable with chocolate pudding on their lips - see picture). We also went to the mall to get Delaney's ballet shoes - fun!!! We stopped to play at the playland for a while and Delaney became a social butterfly introducing herself to all of the other little girls playing and asking what their names were - it seemed very grown up.

Friday night Delaney spent the night with Grammy and Grampy (what a birthday present, sorry dad!!!) From the stories I have heard they had a lot of fun and stayed up very late. Delaney got up early Saturday and didn't really care that we weren't there. Matt couldn't stand it anymore and finally called over there about 11 o'clock Saturday morning to check on her. She was doing fine and didn't so much care that he had called. However, we did get her back around lunchtime and she seemed excited to see Carson - so much for the parents, we're over rated anyway!

Saturday night we went to the mall and to Applebee's for dinner (me, the coupon queen, saved us $19 on dinner - thank you great waitress that let me use 4 coupons!!!).

When the kids wake up from their nap today we are taking them to see Delaney's "dance school." They are having an open house this afternoon and I thought it would be a good idea if she saw her classroom and teacher before she starts (Sept 6).

Delaney

Delaney's photos from her modeling debut can finally be seen at www.poutyprincess.com She is featured in the toddler section under bowbands, flower headbands, bows, and flower clippies.

If you know anyone that has little girls, please pass the webpage along to them - their products are adorable!!!

Have a great week!
Gretchen

August 17

I have to recap 2 weeks this time - I really need to get on the ball.

I will start with the highlight of going to the State Fair!! We took the kids Monday afternoon/evening and we had so much fun! We started by walking through the kids area where they, of course, found a play set to climb on. Following that we decided to walk to where all of the animals and food are. We stopped to see the horses and everyone got to touch one. Carson went straight for the eye, but with a quick redirection he hit the nose and didn't upset the horse enough to make it go crazy on us :-) We then stopped for a shake - which both of our children managed to down almost a whole one alone - pigs!! We then got to see a sheep being sheared and the kids got to touch it when he was done. Carson fed some animals and Delaney drew some pictures in the kids building. The kids ate corn dogs while we sat on the "main street" and watched the tractor parade. It was very fun this year b/c they were so into everything around them (see picture - my camera died about 15 minutes into the gate - I was furious and sickened!!! This is what they looked like at every single animal pen that we stood near - adorable!!).



We also took them to the zoo last Thursday because it was members ride free night. The zoo stayed open later and we got the ride the train at no charge. That was the first time they had ever been on the train, so they were very excited. It is a short ride and you don't really see any animals on it, mostly just the buildings - admin, vet, food preparation - but the kids thought it was great. We also ate dinner there and they got to play in the water - they have this area where water randomly shoots out of pipes in the ground and they had a blast putting their faces over it and waiting to get shot in the face!!

During the day on Saturday we went to Matt's fraternity softball tournament in Franklin. We showed up right before lunch and watched one game, had lunch with him, and then came home for naps. It was fun to visit with everyone and for our kids to play with some of our college friend's children. In the evening, we had dinner with Shannon and Aaron as a going away - I'm searching for a word, not party or celebration b/c we're sad to see her go for 8 weeks - but mourning doesn't sound right b/c she's doing something she wants to do. You get the idea - we went out with them to say goodbye to her until Jess' wedding. We went back to their house to visit for a while and let our kids drag out every toy they have in their house!!

Last week we helped watch Seth some while my sister and brother-in-law were in Florida. We picked him up from daycare on Wednesday and Delaney has never squealed so much in the car. They would look at each other and then kick and laugh like they were the funniest things alive!! It was so cute. Seth ate dinner with us that night and Delaney informed him that if he didn't eat his peas he couldn't have a treat. I had to break the news to her that Seth isn't into treats and he eats just to be healthy - what a concept!!!

I am starting to go into work a little more b/c I have been asked to up my hours some, so I went to work yesterday for the day and my mom watched the kids all day. They were all having a discussion about something during the day, but she said that Carson said that whatever they were talking about was "disgusting." She said it sounded so much like Delaney she almost couldn't tell who was talking. I do agree, they are more like twins every day!!

Today we went to the park with 2 of my friends (the 2 that I go out to dinner with once a month) and their youngest kids (their big kids went back to school this week). Then we took a lunch trip to McDonalds with them. It was so much fun to see all of our kids interact with each other. That was really the first time they had ever been around each other. Delaney was seen with her arm around Emilia (she's 18 months old) and Carson and Logan (he's 4) were running through the grass like wild men numerous times!

I signed Delaney up for ballet and tap. She will be starting the week of Labor Day. I didn't realize how expensive this "habit" was going to be. But for the class she has to have a pink leotard, pink tights, pink ballet shoes, and tan tap shoes - yikes!!! And, for the recital she has to have 2 outfits - we'll be doing a fundraiser in the fall - look for me to be hitting you all up :-)

I think that about wraps up our life. I will be better with the funny stories next week - if I don't write them down, they are gone from my head!

Love,
Gretchen

I'm on a roll!

The week has come and gone and it has been fairly uneventful. It has become very steamy here and we have been avoiding the heat! Yesterday we played outside for about 45 minutes from 9:30 to 10:15 b/c it was so stinking hot I couldn't bear it. I bribed them inside with the promise of Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers - big time excitement in this house!!!

On Sunday we took a day trip to Grandma Teri's house to help her celebrate her 50th birthday. We (Aaron, Shannon, Darrell, Jess, and our family) surprised her for a 9am breakfast. We spent the day watching the kids give Bailey (a chocolate lab) a bath in the baby pool and ride tricycles, eating fresh cucumbers from the garden and we even took in a few laps of the Brickyard before Matt, Carson, and I fell asleep. Of course, I had Delaney sitting on my lap, so that nap didn't last for long. It was topped off by a trip to Frickers (a bar/restaurant) by the girls (Teri, Shannon, Jess, and myself) to enjoy a drink while we waited on wings for the hungry crew at the house. It was nice to enjoy a few quiet moments with "the girls."

We spent lots of time with friends this week. I had some high school friends over on Monday and a friend home for the summer over on Tuesday. On Wednesday we met a friend from church at the park, however, she is 7 and a half months pregnant, so she only lasted about an hour in the heat. We enjoyed a visit from Grandpa Bub last night (enjoy the picture!!).

Excitement from the week - Carson pooped in the potty tonight. I know that doesn't seem to exciting for some of you, but we're hoping it spurs Delaney on to thinking it's a great idea (she did poop in the potty once this week, and yes, Aunt Shannon, it was HUGE!)! He seemed very proud of himself and is well on the road to being potty trained. He goes everytime we sit him on the potty, but he won't tell us when he needs to go, we just have to guess right now - it's working though.

Delaney has been reading Charlotte's Web at bedtime and she finished it last night, so I took her to the video store this afternoon and we rented the cartoon version so we could have a movie night. She seemed to enjoy it, although she was a little upset a few times.

We have enjoyed 4 tomatoes off of Goliath - wow did they taste good! It's amazing what growing it yourself does to it, probably helps that it is very fresh when it hits the table.

Love to all,
Gretchen

July 28

Busy we are indeed, however, I have found time to sit down, relax (not really), and write an update nevertheless. Today was fun filled - we signed Delaney up for a class at the Children's Museum about Healthy Bodies. The class was pretty much a waste of $10, but she didn't see that - only the teacher in me did :-) Matt took Carson and did some museum exploring - they went to all of the places I've never taken the kids before - to splash in the Scienceworks water (all of it, even Carson admitted he was soaked), to see the Dale Chihuly garden, and to the Passport to the World (which Matt says Carson wasn't very fond of). Delaney and I played in the Health House, decorated a Kleenex box, made a healthy collage (q-tips, cotton balls, bandaids, stickers of happy faces), and used the doctor kit to check each other out. It was quite fun. We met back up at 11:15 and went to ride the carousel. It was a nice morning!!

This week has been great, crazy, tiring, and fast! Matt and I went out for our anniversary on Sunday evening and Shannon and Aaron took the kids to Aaron's parent's pool. They got to eat McDonalds and pee outside - yes, that is all I've heard about!! Monday we played in the backyard b/c our play date plans were cancelled b/c of a sick baby (not in our house). Then, my parents had the kiddos Tuesday night while Matt and I went to see Jimmy Buffett here - FUN!!!! Matt took Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off work, so we took the kids to the library and to play at a park on Wednesday. On Thursday we went to the mall and a big pet store, the kids were HILARIOUS jumping from fish to hamster to bird and squealing with delight over each one. We had high hopes of going to the zoo, but it rained like CRAZY during the night and we decided we didn't want to be wet and gross all day. Thursday night we went to see Buffett in Cinci with Shannon, Aaron, Teri, and Jeff - FUN again!!!! Then, Friday morning my mom got up with the kids (she had spent the night on our couch) and we slept until a little after 9 -wow!!! Then we all got cleaned up and went to a China Buffet for lunch. That has been our week (in a nutshell).

Gretchen

PS To all of Matt's family, does the picture of Carson remind you of anyone?!?

Update, July 21

Since I did just send an update on Monday, this one won't be as long as you all are used to. However, it is only fair that Matt gets pictures of himself sent out close to his birthday. We used the time while he was at work to make him brownies for his birthday treat. Enjoy the picture of the kids during this process - hilarious!!!! They were very into making them special for daddy, so they picked through all of the mini M&Ms in our house to find all of the oranges and blues (lesson there - don't eat any mini M&Ms from our house b/c they have all been touched by the kids now). We iced the brownies with orange icing and then sprinkled the M&Ms on them. The kids liked to stick their M&Ms on so that they got icing on their fingers which then, of course, had to be licked off!! It was so much fun to do this for him this year b/c they were very into surprising him with the treat and the gifts. I took them to Kohl's and let them each pick out a shirt for him. Then they got to wrap it up in tissue paper and stick it in a bag for him. They were so proud of themselves.

Matt's dad surprised him by planting a new bat in his bat bag. Matt had a game at 10:30pm on his birthday, so I asked my dad to come sit in the house and listen to the kids sleep so I could go take pictures. Matt didn't even notice that it wasn't his usual bat until someone else pointed it out. In his defense, it was white just like his old one, but still, it was in plastic, come on buddy!!! He was very surprised and excited and had a few good hits with it during the game.

Tomorrow is our anniversary so the kids will be spending some quality time with Aunt Shannon and Uncle Aaron. Then we are off to two Jimmy Buffett concerts (one Tuesday and one Thursday), so they will get some quality time with Grammy and Grampy (my parents) this week too...lucky kids AND lucky parents!!

Love to you all,
Gretchen

Update, July

Okay, I have been a slacker. I have no excuse except it's summer!! We have been having so much fun I haven't even had a chance to sit down and type an update. But, I thought our doctor's appt last week deserved one!! Delaney weighed in at 29lbs 8 oz and was 35 1/2 inches tall. Carson weighed in at 29lbs 13 oz and was 36 inches tall. I think their heights are reversed b/c I think she is 1/2 inch taller than him, but that is how they wrote them down for me. Carson was in the 75th to 90th percentile for both height and weight and Delaney was in 10th to 25th for height and 25th to 50th for weight. They DEFINITELY do look like twins, although getting asked that question once during every outing does get annoying!!



We had an exciting 4th of July week. We took the kids to the Beech Grove fireworks on the 3rd with Aunt Shannon and Uncle Aaron. They did great!! We bought them popcorn from a vendor when we first got there and they sat and munched on it until a few minutes before the fireworks started. Carson fell asleep about 2 minutes into them and was only startled a few times, but quickly went right back to sleep. Delaney was too in awe to sleep, but she did sleep the whole way home (all of 10 minutes). They were so great that night that we decided to take them downtown after we spent the evening at my parent's house, but, a little rain made us decide not to brave that, probably a good idea b/c they ended up not starting until 10:30...yikes!!! On Friday (the 6th) we went to Madison to see the Regatta parade. Luckily our family has great connections and we watched in front of an air conditioned shop that we could escape to when the heat was too unbearable. The kids had more fun parading through the shop (with Grandpa Bub in tow) going back and forth between the food in the back room and the parade on the street. After the parade we (Matt and I) walked along the river while Grandpa Bub chased the kids up and down the street. It was very nice to visit with all of the family for the evening and to let the kids experience Regatta. We think a hotel room may be necessary for next year so that we can take in all of the events of the weekend. We drove home that night with 2 sleeping beauties!

That pretty much catches you up on our life - lots of parks, picnics, swimming in the baby pool, and walks have also consumed our time. We love to be outside, so the lack of rain has been welcomed in our house; not welcomed by our grass that is prickly, but that's okay...we have shoes!!

I'll try to be better with these updates.....

Love to you all!
Gretchen

Birthday "season" is over

Carson woke up yesterday asking if it was his birthday. No, sorry buddy, not for another year. What a let down! After all the build up of a party the weekend before and talking about what he wants to do on his special day and then it's just over. He had so much fun though! We had a normal play in the backyard morning, because that is what he asked for. After naps we went to Steak 'n' Shake where he devoured a cheeseburger and french fries (I did not order him cottage cheese as he is used to....only fries!!). Then we went to the mall so he could play in the playland as this was his original request for the morning, but he changed it after I had fixed my hair and put on make up - love boys - no concept of what we go through to go out in public - guess it starts young!! Then, we ate his birthday treat at the mall. He wanted brownies, but I didn't see the point of making a whole pan for the four of us, so we bought some huge brownies with thick icing at the mall and Delaney had hers gone in less than 10 minutes. Carson ate less than 1/2 of his at the mall and brought the rest home. Car really seemed to enjoy his gifts and went to bed a happy 2 year old!

The rest of our week was pretty exciting also. On Wednesday we went to the Children's Museum with some friends of ours. We got to see the trains, dinosaurs, and take a ride on the carousel. This was Carson's first trip on the carousel where he didn't freeze up and freak out on me. It was very fun!

On Monday and Wednesday we had swim lessons. We alternated the kids in and out of the water in 10/15 minute intervals since the doctor didn't like how Matt's hand was healing so he couldn't put it in nasty public pool water (his hand looks great now, so I'm glad he didn't risk it). The kids did a very good job of understanding that it was the other one's turn and they would have to sit with Daddy for a while till they got to get in again or until it was over. I was impressed with their maturity in this area. I expected there to be tears, screaming, and kicking involved, but it didn't happen.

Friday was full of adventure also. Kevin (Matt's dad) and Matt decided to do some modifications to our deck. I thought I'd escape with the kids, but they did such a good job when Kevin and Matt went outside that we decided to stick around. I was worried that they'd stand at the door and yell for them or knock on windows and distract them. That didn't happen until after they woke up from their naps, then they decided to be "annoying." So, we left and I dropped them off with Grammy (my mom) and took my dad with me to get dinner for everyone. We met back up at our house and enjoyed fish fry food and good company before Kevin and Matt went back out to tackle the deck. The hot tub hole has been made and the hot tub is in it. The new addition to the deck is framed and the wood is sitting on it. However, today it has decided to mist and sprinkle most of the day, so there hasn't been any progress. Hopefully by the end of the week I can send pictures of the completed project. I am going to have to keep the kids out of the backyard until it is done, so I hope it happens fast :-)

I will attach a few cute pictures from the week. Enjoy!

Gretchen

It's only fair that the birthday boy gets a picture sent out on his birthday too! He chose to stay home and swim in the backyard this morning. As of before his birthday nap we are going to Steak 'n' Shake and having brownies for a birthday treat. We'll see if that is still the plan when he wakes up.

Enjoy!
Gretchen

We had a party!!

Delaney and Carson threw a wild Backyardigans party on Saturday night! We had a nacho/taco bar and then they opened presents. They were thrilled with every single one and they have all been played with constantly since Saturday evening. New books have been read a few times, stuffed animals have been cuddled, trains have ran all over the living room floor! Carson has been a fireman and Delaney a train conductor. New outdoor toys have been played with inside (minus the water, of course) because it is just too hot to go out and enjoy them. Binoculars have been used (in the car and in Olive Garden) and puzzles have been done and undone (and done and undone again). All in all, they are both happy and we are excited that they have some new things to do.

The week leading up to the party was fairly uneventful. We had fill-ins for swimming lessons because Matt couldn't get his stitches wet, at least not in a public pool. Aunt Shannon went with us on Monday and Rachelle (a college age girl from church who loves our kids dearly) went with us on Wednesday. Hopefully today Matt can go again. He is supposed to get his stitches out this morning, but I still don't know that his wound should be exposed to the nasties of a public pool...we'll see what they say.

Enjoy the pictures!

Gretchen