December 15, 2009

I know it has been a while so my apologies first. We have been in a crazy state for the last month or more. Call us insane, but we decided to remodel our kitchen during the holidays. What can we say, the price was right but the timing not so much. We completely gutted the kitchen with the help of Pops and Trainwreck. We were able to get it all gutted in the matter of 2 days. It took about the same amount of time just to empty out everything from the cabinets. We made a makeshift kitchen in our laundry room by moving in the diaper changing table for our pantry, a coffee maker, and a toaster oven. We originally had the microwave in there as well but it kept blowing the circuit so we had to move it. The microwave and the refrigerator are in the foyer to welcome everyone. It is quite comical to see it all but we have made it work. There is a good size sink in our laundry room but we are trying to utilize paper products as much as we can. We have since also found that if we have the toaster oven going at the same time as the coffee maker then we cause electrical issues as well. So after we ripped everything out they had to get it all the way to the studs to rework the electrical and the insulation. They blocked up one window and cut a bigger one over the sink. The back of our house looks like a cannon ball hit it. After we had the hardwood floors put in they decided the kitchen ceiling needed replacing. This meant tearing out sheetrock which was over plaster and putting up all new. I haven't ever seen as much dust as this was. In the meantime we decided to have hardwoods put in the kids rooms so we spent nights moving furniture out of one room into another then the next night doing it again to get the floors complete. Before this task we decided that we wanted Mike's closet to be bigger so we took out part of Landon's room and added it to our closet (thanks to Trainwreck and Pops). Tearing out plaster walls again to add to the dust. While we are in the midst of this we decide that since we have all the furniture out it would be a prime time to move Eli into a big boy bed. Worked so well for the naptime but not for night time. He likes to talk so it was an invitation to stay up for hours talking to anyone who would listen, and for Landon who doesn't appreciate that it made life hard. We painted Ella's room very pink and Landon decided that since we needed to paint his room anyway that we would change it completely and have had to paint over the blue ceiling that we painted it before he was born. Ella decided that she liked the blue ceiling and that she was very sad about going to sleep in a room with a white ceiling. At that point, all 3 kids were sleeping together until Eli just drove Landon mad and we had to move him into the other room in the pack'n'play. Now everyone is sleeping for the most part and we aren't waking to the sound of saws, nail guns, and air compressors every morning. It is certainly an exciting time but I completely didn't think about the effect it would have on our kids as we haven't really decorated for Christmas. Ella decided that we are the only house not decorated so Dad took the opportunity to hang some Christmas lights downstairs on the walls and we put up the 3 foot Christmas tree downstairs. Only problem now is that Ella doensn't want to put her decorations on a small tree she wants to put them on a big tree. Oh well, we can't win them all. Anyway, we are having lots of fun through the chaos and know in the end we will certainly enjoy the finished project.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving day so far. We have had a very nice one. Family all week, turkey, football, and pictures. We visited Pappy Lee in Hilton Head earlier in the week. The kids had a blast playing even with rain and clouds the whole time. We were able to go bike riding, to the playground, to the indoor bounce place, out to eat, and to the beach for a little bit.

Today we had fun with all of our family on Mike's side over at his brother's house. Always yummy and great to catch up. Landon even said "this lunch is better than I had expected it to be". He and Eli loved the sweet potato casserole and called it cake instead. Landon takes after his dad and had quite the helpings of mashed potatoes. Without a kitchen at home I didn't fix the first cooked food which was quite an odd feeling.

Things we are thankful for....

God

Our family

Our friends

Safe travels

Our home

Food in our tummies

Football on tv

Love

Hope

Joy

Clothes on our backs

Technology

Doctors

and the list goes on and on.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Halloween weekend was a wash for our house. Luckily, we went to a Fall Carnival and a Fall Festival last week prior to the weekend. Landon and Eli also made it out for a quick "trunk-or-treat" on Friday with Dad. Ella was as cute as a button in her poodle skirt 50's look. Eli was a race car driver, handed down from Landon. Landon chose to be Alexander the Great and it was my first attempt at making a costume. The costume turned out fine, a lot of people thought he was Julius Ceasar which is completely understandable.

They each love to get candy as do most children. The fall carnival at Ella's school was full of games and costumes and then a treat bag at the end. They also decorated "chocolate graham cracker houses" for fun. At the fall festival they were able to play games, get candy, and Ella won a some cupcakes from the cake walk.

On Thursday Ella became sick and ran a fever on Saturday morning so trick or treating was out. Landon became sick in the middle of the night Friday night and was sick until Sunday morning. Mike was also under the weather as well and each had symptoms that were similar but also different in the primary symptoms. The doctor treated them as if they had the swine flu by prescribing the tamiflu which we were thankful for. Now everyone is better with a few lingering coughs.

Eli was thrilled to see the pumpkins full of candy and had a large time moving candy from one pumpkin to the other. Seems to be a theme for 2 year olds in our house. I think each one at that age cared more for holding it and playing with it than eating it.

It was pouring down rain here on Saturday night so it took some of the sting out of not getting to go out. We told Landon and Ella that once everyone was better that we would have our own special trick or treating time. Landon asked this morning if we could have trick or treating tonight since it was sunny but he thought we would be going around the neighborhood. I had to explain to him that we didn't get to "reschedule" trick or treating for the whole city but that we would go from room to room in our house and have some fun finding all the candy that we didn't give out.

Hope your weekend was lots of fun and candy and not sickness.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Over the weekend we had so much fun packed into our 2 days. Friday night Mike and I attended a fundraiser for Senior Services. It was good to get all dressed up and have an adult dinner and chat with grown ups for a while. We also got to bid on some fun auction items so now Mike has some basketball season tickets and we also hope to get to go golfing soon. Landon, Ella and Eli had a blast with their babysitter Lisa. She is always so great and the kids love to have her over to play.

Saturday we had a fun time at a birthday party for Reagan and Harrison. They are twins and turned 4 this week. They had a really cool party at a horse stable. The kids watched the horses, rode the horses, painted wooden horses, fed the horses, painted a real horse, had faces painted, tattoos put on, threw eggs at a fence to break them, and got to have chicken nuggets, cake and ice cream on top of all of that. It was great. Eli really loved the horses as he is our animal lover. He rode the horses about 3 times and enjoyed walking up to all of them to try and feed them. Ella rode the horse as well but really enjoyed the painting horses and getting her face painted. Landon was into the pirate theme that was also going on and he colored his own sword. What a blast!!

Saturday evening we were able to visit with friends at a "chicken stew". Our friend Tonya turned 40 and we spent the evening outside playing, eating and roasting marshmallows (or I roasted marshmallows). Landon played football with the other boys there and even played when it was pitch dark, which resulted in a fat lip. Ella carried her goody bag (from the birthday party) and entertained everyone with her goodies and by collecting leaves. She is the farthest from shy and enjoys talking to so many people. Eli had so much fun just hanging out - as you can see in the picture, Mike says he is "chillaxing" .

On Sunday, after church, we visited our neighbors to celebrate their birthdays and Eli's as well. We had homemade pizza and brownies and played so many games. Ella was still carrying around her goody bag from the party on Saturday but it didn't seem to pose a problem. The kids played oustide on the playset, then inside with all of the games. Eli loves their train table and asked several times today to go to "Bobby's house". It was a great way to wrap up a wonderful weekend.

Now off to a week of fall festivities which the kids know means CANDY!!!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

We have had a great weekend! However, I am not going to elaborate much on that right now. I wanted to share some pictures from last Tuesday when we had a big day going to the corn maze with some friends. We had fun running through the United States together, shooting water balloons from slingshots, riding on the cow train, and shooting the corn gun. It was a gorgeous day and we even made it for a picnic at the playground earlier in the day with our friend Luke. One of our intentions for going to the corn maze was to visit their pumpkin patch for a few pumpkins. We were so excited by all of the other activities that we completely forgot to get a pumpkin.

We all had so much fun. The cow train was a fun ride for the kids but for the adults I would recommend the hayride. Probably a much more comfortable ride. A highlight for Landon was taking a water balloon on the cow train to try and throw it at one of the employees. Another employee had promised a $1 if they were able to hit him. Landon's balloon didn't quite make it, but his friend's water balloon hit him directly in the middle. Eli enjoyed the event but wanted to be carried the whole time through the corn maze and since it covered 4 acres I was worn out by the end. The biggest challenge was keeping all 7 kids with us without getting lost. I guess it helped with me carrying Eli and Julie carrying her almost 2 month old. Like last year Landon could have spent hours in the corn maze finding his way around to all of the states but the other kids were much more interested in moving on so he was a trooper and kept on going with the hopes that he could go back soon.

If you get a chance try to visit a local corn maze before November. This one was in Yadkinville and all of the profits went to a Rescue Mission which was great!

Happy 2nd Birthday Eli!!! Monday, October 19, 2009

Eli turned 2 years old today. What a celebration! We had a family party yesterday and Eli had a blast. He loved having his family here, seeing his choo choo cake, eating cake, and opening presents. Landon and Ella enjoyed his party just as much and had to help him open his presents. Landon had lost interest in the Thomas trains for a couple of years but as soon as Eli started to like them it has peaked Landon's interest as well. Ella is also a big fan of the Thomas videos and books so she loves to talk Thomas to Eli too. Right now we talk choo choos from the time Eli wakes up (it is usually the first words out of his mouth) all the way to bedtime where he often carries one or two trains with him. Thankfully we are getting our money and value out of all of the Thomas trains we inherited from friends and the ones we bought for Landon. Another big favorite for Eli is firetrucks and he got a "big big firetruck" last night as well. Funny how almost every single toy he got makes some kind of noise, you would think that we would have learned our lesson by now.

Anyway, after a big night last night Eli woke up to a decorated door, Krispy Kreme's for breakfast, a party at school, and his favorite lunch and dinner. I think Landon and Ella loved the fact that it was Eli's birthday because they got so many sweet treats as well.

The picture of the cake is the choo choo cupcake cake I made. I know I am not a cake artist by any means but it sure made Eli happy so that was well worth it. The only thing was it didn't make such a sweet treat today in the aftermath. Funny what blue, black and red icing does to a youngster's diaper. Thankfully I threw away the extra cake last night after everyone went to bed.

What a day and what a sweet little boy. He has been a wonderful addition to our family and makes us smile every day. It is so amazing at how different each child is. Eli happens to be our snuggle bug, momma's boy, sweetheart, choo choo loving, amazing little boy. Happy birthday "Epi" who was once Shuper Tobo.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Last weekend we went to visit our friend Eric Frank and his daugther Mattie in New Bern, NC. We had so much fun getting to hang out with them. Landon and Ella enjoyed sleeping over in the big bonus room under the airplanes. Eli decided he was too big for his pack-n-play and wanted to sleep on the futon with mom. He did well the first night but I kept waking up with him cuddling under my shoulders so the second night I let him fall asleep on the futon and then moved him to the pack-n-play. Maybe this all means that we should transition him to a big boy bed but I am a bit hesitant (too much freedom).

On Saturday we had a big adventure when we went sailing on E's trimaran sailboat with all the kids. Ella enjoyed it way more than her first trip years ago on the same boat. Landon was a true sailor enjoying every aspect of the trip. Eli wanted to sail the boat on his own. He didn't want anyone to hold his hands or hold onto him as he moved around on the boat and the tramps (like little trampolines just not as bouncy). Luckily his lifejacket had a handle on it that he couldn't tell we were holding as much. We sailed from E's house over to downtown to enjoy the "flower" festival. It was unbelievably hot there with temps in the upper 80's and high humidity. We enjoyed all of the sights and of course Landon had funnel cake. We allowed each of them to ride one ride since we had been to the fair twice that week. By the time we were leaving the festival everyone was hot and tired and ready to get back. I drove the kids back in the van and Mike and E sailed the boat back.

The kids also had a lot of fun playing with all of Mattie's pets. Mattie had a beautiful white rabbit, a small and very fast hamster, and 2 cats. Their favorite was to run after the hamster while he was in his exercise ball. Eli spent a couple of hours at his cage talking to him. Ella and Mattie also played dress up and we all colored lots of pretty pictures.

On Sunday we ventured to the indoor swimming pool where the kids got right in and picked up where they left off this summer. Eli is more bold than ever. Not wanting anyone to hold onto him and jumping in when no one is looking. Ella had also made some big leaps by continuously sticking her face in the water without being asked to. She spent most of her time showing us how far she could swim without coming up for air.

Thanks E for a great weekend and Mike is ready to buy a boat and start sailing now.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Well last week we decided to go back to the fair for one more adventure. The kids were thrilled to go back but this time it was much more crowded. The good weather and it being in the evening made for longer lines and more keeping up with kids. Ella, Eli, and Landon were set on going to the Monkey maze first and luckily we had a sweet friend with us who was happy to ride or help in any way. She actually went through the monkey maze with all 3 by herself and at the end there is a big twisty slide and of course both Ella and Eli wanted to go down the slide in her lap. Since that wasn't exactly possible (they had a huge bar that you had to practically lay down to get under so kids wouldn't fall) she was able to get Ella seated and give her a little nudge and then go with Eli in her lap. It worked out well but as soon as their feet touched the ground they were ready to go again. Eli was actually more excited this time and was willing to ride several rides that he wasn't willing to earlier in the week. He loved the firetrucks and the horse carriage which both he was able to ring a bell the entire time! Lisa was an amazing trooper and the kids were so excited to have her there. Still a hit was the slide but we waited until late in the evening to ride that as we knew we would have to set a limit on how many times they could ride. We also were able to meet some friends there that we have made a tradition with going to the fair together. Landon and Rami were back into riding rides together and Ella and Ada rode some together as well. All in all we had a blast and the kids are ready for the fair to come back to town!!!!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Our weekend was lots of fun. After a family bike ride on Saturday, Ella, Eli and I went to buy some flowers to plant in our yard for the fall. Ella loves flowers and was sad that I took out our very sad looking marigolds and vinca. We bought a few mums and some pansies to replace them. She was excited to help plant them until we got about 1/2 way through and she had had enough.

Mike and Landon ventured to the Wake Forest vs. NC State game. They both like both teams but decided to pull for Wake Forest the most. They had lots of fun tailgating with friends and then getting to sit on the hillside for the game. It was Landon's first time not sitting in "seats" and he loved it. The freedom to move really helped him and he stayed the entire game this time. Go deacs! We were also excited to hear that our Hokies won!!!

Sunday was gorgeous. Mike and I thought about teaching Ella to ride her bike. I think the goal is to get her riding so it isn't as hard to pull both her and Eli in the trailer. It's probably a little more relaxed now even though it is more physical labor to pull the trailer, but at least we aren't worried about her wrecking or riding out into traffic on her bike. Afterward that we had a church picnic to go to. It was a whole lot of fun for the whole family. Lots of friends to play with, good food, a fun playground and Mike helped take on the youth in volleyball. All the fun made Mike pretty sore yesterday and today but it was still lots of fun.

Monday we just kept the fun going but spending the afternoon and evening at the county fair. The kids were looking forward to it so much and Mike took a couple of hours off so we could have plenty of time to ride the rides. We decided to buy the unlimited ride band for all 3 kids thinking we would get our moneys worth. Eli's first request was the choo choo. We found a circus choo choo and put him on with Landon and Ella and I don't know if it was all the noise or the being without mom but he cried hard. After that we thought we had burned him bad enough to not ride anything. However, over time he decided to try all the rides that mom could ride with him. They all loved the big slide. We were able to line up together and race our way to the bottom. After about the 8th time Mike decided it was too hard carrying Ella all the way to the top. I was the lucky one and got Eli to carry who is about 8 lbs lighter. We did make our way back to the slide several times that night but took a break after every 5 or 6 slides. Landon was very brave and rode so many rides. He liked the tornado, the himalayas, the tilt-a-whirl, the roller coasters and even got Mike on one ride. By 8:15 we decided to buy a funnel cake and a candy apple and make our way home. After one lick of the candy apple Ella was done and Eli was so tired from not having a nap that the funnel cake didn't really appeal to him. Landon downed most of the funnel cake then they all crashed. Today, I am the only one who seems tired but Ella and Eli both took good naps.

Hope you have a chance to get to a fair this year. If so let us know and we may join you.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Had a great weekend with sleepovers, football games, rain, rain, and finally some friends time on Sunday evening for dinner club. After the weekend we decided that all the boys (including Mike) needed haircuts. Landon wanted a really short cut so we buzzed all of them the same length. During the process we told Landon we may stick with the mohawk and this was his expression!

Thanks to the Hunts for hosting dinner club. The kids had a great time riding bikes, playing football, eating, and enjoying friends. They are already asking when the next one will be.

Outside of all of that, school is going well for everyone. Eli is still all about trains, Ella about drawing, and Landon about Mario Kart!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Over the weekend, Landon and Ella stayed with Nannie and Pops. On Friday night Landon went to bed with all of his teeth but noticed a gap between his teeth in the morning. He made comment of it to Nannie and Pops but until he decided to eat an apple did he realize that it was gone. It's the first tooth he has lost and he was very excited. They could never find the tooth but the toothfairy still made it to Nannie and Pops and left 2 quarters. As soon as Landon woke up and found his money he ran downstairs and gave one of his quarters to Ella. He has a giving heart which is really sweet, however, Ella knows it and doesn't mind asking either :-)