December 2010

(This is a slide show of the highlights of our December. I wish I had enough time to write about each one. Each one has a wonderful story.)

This year is almost coming to a close and I've been a bad blogger. I'd like to blame it on the baby but really I can't. It's the combo of the two kids and also Facebook's fault. I can just pop a picture or two on there, or a funny story and it's done. Lately we've just been busy with life and all the things our schedules hold and really blogging hasn't held much interest. But I've recently realized what a TIME SUCK Facebook really is and have tried to resist the urge to KILL HOURS of my day stalking people and knowing about people's lives without actually being involved with them. Instead I've been trying to make intentional efforts to BE INVOLVED in people's lives. You know actually call them on the phone, or at the very least email them, or even, (GASP!) write a letter or card or two.
Don't get me wrong, I love Facebook... you see I'm a people watcher- I have missed many a conversation at my own table at a restaurant because I've been paying attention to the people the next table over. But I also realized that I was letting Max watch an extra show on Disney in the morning just so Mama could read her news on Facebook and that made me a little sad. So starting with out little trip to Ohio at Thanksgiving I've made an intentional effort to unplug for a good part of the day. I'm still obsessed with my email, the blogs I read, and a few forums on Ravelry, but I'm feeling pretty good about not knowing ever minute detail of the lives of people I went to high school with. I didn't care too much then, I shouldn't care too much now.
Plus, I know that anything too important that happens on Facebook warrents a call from my bestie Melissa, and she'll keep me informed.
And you wouldn't believe how many more dishes get done around here. And how many more yarn projects get done. That's super exciting to me. I'll have to share all the Christmas goodness that flew off the needles and hooks another time... especially since some aren't ahem, done, yet. But this one came in my inbox today and I have to share it- My niece Ella in my go-to awesome kids hat pattern (I've made 11 now).

She's calling it her Rapunzel hat... LOVE!

An early Christmas Present

Like you I keep waiting for Cara to get around to updating her blog, I like to read it too. It's been more than a month, but in her defense, we've been busy busy busy. So to hold you over I snuck onto her blog to give you a glimpse into whats been keeping us busy. Enjoy.

Can you tell that we got a little handy can? We broke it in with the obligatory "Tell me your name" video

Max and Penny are great and love each other very much

As if we didn't have enough to do during the Christmas season, we decided to tackle potty training, but at least we get to dance while we do it.

Maybe I should have just written a book...

It's like the longer I go between blog posts the harder it is to jump back in because I feel like I need to update EVERYTHING that happened between here and there. But I know I don't, and I really can't, because too much has happened. I guess it's a good thing I've got too much to share- we have been having so much fun together and living life is always a lot more fun than talking about it.

There are a few things I want to share and record in semi-bullet form with pictures.

Halloween was super fun with the kids- Max totally understood the concept of Trick or Treating but still doesn't know that we steal his candy while he's sleeping. Best of both worlds I say.

We celebrated Adam's birthday and him and I got away to spend the day in Springfield without the kiddos and had a blast doing a Man vs Food challenge which fulfilled one of Adam's life long dreams.

 Trying the firedbrand chili at Joe's Chili

 Defeated by the Firebrand Chili at Joe's Chili

Yum! The ultimate fair food, only without the carnies.

Absolutely delish!

Mrs. Lincoln's sewing table.

The Lincoln's Home

Me picking Abe's nose for him

We had a wonderful horseshoe

We've thoroughly enjoyed this fall weather- in fact I wish the 65 and sunny days would stay all year round.

The kids are awesome- Max is just so funny and weird we love every minute because you just don't know what he'll say or do (which can be totally fun and frustrating in the same moment).

Today he climbed up on top of his desk in his room (which he is not allowed to do) and I guess from what he said he rolled off it and scraped his back ending up with a good 4 inch gash. He was supposed to be napping. After I patched him up he went right to sleep and slept for 2.5 hours.

We were driving through the town square later today and he noticed the Christmas trees in the shop windows and asked when we were going to put up our Christmas tree (we haven't talked about doing this I don't know where he understood the idea of putting up a Christmas tree) and the other day when I wouldn't let him have candy at the store he kinds just shrugged it off and said "Santa will get it for me" and walked away. Hunh! Really? I thought it was so funny he was so sure that Santa was going to get it for him that now "Santa" needs to go back and get the candy filled plastic tractor and bulldozer to stick in his stocking.

I could go on and on with all the awesomely hilarious things he says and does.

 Penny's growing so quickly. It's so funny how quickly this stage comes and goes and a new one takes it's place.

We are practicing sitting up and rolling over (she can do it fine from tummy to back but has yet to do it the other way around) and she's loving all the toys Max will let her play with. She especially has a favorite dolly she loves and is starting to master the exersaucer.

Her absolute favorite thing to do though is watch Max. If he gets close enough she will lunge at him and grab on to him so there's lots of hugging going on at our house.

This afternoon when Penny woke from her nap Max went into her room and I listened to them "talk" to each other for a while over the monitor. Max calls her "Penny girl" "Baby Sister" or "Penny Elizabeth" and every time someone says what a nice "baby" she is he corrects them and tells them her name.

She's started that full on belly laugh (mostly at Max but sometimes I can get her going too) and loves squash and sweet potatoes. I've decided to not do rice cereal for the time being because of some digestive issues she's had along the way and she's on lactose-free formula now and just this week has stopped nursing altogether.

It's so hard to not compare your children but I feel like she's further behind where Max was at this age. But on the other hand I don't mind at all for a number of reasons- She's likely to be our last baby (or last baby for quite a few years), Max was so far ahead of "schedule" that I don't feel like he was a baby at all sometimes, and gosh babies are so much cuter when they aren't mobile (or at least in my own opinion).

I've been on a roll lately with the knitting and crocheting- Lots of holiday stuff to make and since nothing last year was handmade I feel extra pressure to make things this year. Not pressure in the bad way, but a desire and a want.

The kids are still getting their three presents but one of those is handmade this year (Max's pic above is modeling his handmade hat that will be put away for Christmas along with the coordinating scarf).

I've made quite a bit of progress this past week or two, but still a long way to go. I've got a couple more things to get done in the next two weeks (in time for our trip to Ohio)
Here's the low down of fiber yummies since August

August

September

October

November (so far, but actually I've finished two more since I put this together...)

Here are the two weekly updates from the kids to catch you up (minus today's because, um, for the first time since Penny has been born I forgot to take their picture together..... so I'll take it tomorrow and just pretend I did it today.

We have been so crazy ridiculously busy and there's just always something drawing our attention, it's been really hard to focus. God is really stripping down things we thought were good and showing us how to rely more on Him for EVERYTHING in our lives, even those things we thought we could do ourselves.

Week Update

I just realized that it's been more than two weeks since I've posted. That's a long time. Uh, we've been busy.... so busy.
I was busy editing and putting together pictures for this blog post and we had the loudest knock on the door. It made me jump out of my skin. It was someone campaigning for a sheriff running in the election. It also woke up Adam, Max, and Penny who were all sleeping.... Guess who we're NOT voting for....
I don't know about the rest of the country (I can only assume) but this year's election campaigns have been brutal. I won't go into particulars here- I'm not about to get one a political soap box- but I've been so saddened by the mud slinging going on that it really makes me not want to vote, because all parties are just being mean.
But enough about that- let's look at some cute pictures of my kids....

The one above (19 weeks) is fresh from this morning. :)
I've got a bazillion more things to write about, and projects I've finished, and fun fall things I'm looking forward to, but since the man knocked on the door I've got kids to tend to!

Long update and more pictures than you probably care about

I still haven't posted from Ohio- Here's that and a lot lot more

Ohio-
We spent a whirlwind of almost a week having loads and loads of fun with family and a few friends. We never get to see everyone we want to when we are there. Guess we'll just have to come back soon. Max's highlight of the trip was going with PopPop to ride the bulldozer, backhoe, and dumptrucks at PopPop's work. My highlight was watching TBDBITL. Carmen Ohio makes me cry every time.

My dear friend Kelly is married to a farmer (Farmer Keith is what Max calls him) and we were invited to watch the fall harvest in action while they harvested the corn with the combine. Max was in heaven and got to ride along. He mentions riding in the combine at least once a day still (it's been a couple weeks since we've been) and today wore overalls and called himself Farmer Max.

Last week we ended up with a 24 hour stomach bug through the house.... it started with Max, made it's way to me, jumped to Adam and has ended with Penny. It was not pretty- but I'm thankful we are all better.

We took a time out from sickness to go to the Homecoming Parade. Max loved picking up candy. I think we're creating a trick or treating monster for this year.

 (she didn't like the sirens on the firetrucks)

We celebrated feeling better yesterday with a trip to Ackerman Farms to get pumpkins (and gourds and squash). It was loads of fun. Max loved the kitties and Penny slept.

Four Month Update
Penny is sixteen weeks old and by the calendar will be four months next week (I never know which way to go by). She went in on Monday for her check up and shots. She is 24 inches long and weighed only 10lbs 11oz (she was 10lbs 4oz at her 2 month appointment). Poor thing lost some weight with the stomach bug and we're working on getting her back up to weight this week. She's doing everything a 4 month old should- she's pushing up on her elbows when on her tummy. She talks to us and is starting to grab at toys. She loves to smile at anyone who will talk to her and make noises at her. She's definitely more assertive than Max ever was and has quite a pair of lungs (for talking and crying). We've done some sleep training over the last week or two and she's made herself a nice little schedule but is quite able to adapt to what our days hold. She got lots of compliments this morning at library story time (there were 4 times as many boys there as girls). Most of all I love dressing her up and making her my little doll, she's such a sweet heart.

I have weekly pics of the kids but don't have them all put together. That will have to be another post soon.