Best Buds

I love this picture b/c it reminds me of pictures of me and my brother when we were little... I love watching Sadie & Kinnick play together--they make me smile and laugh. Although Sadie can be rather bossy, Kinnick rolls with the punches (and make no mistakes--he gets in a few of his own "punches" at times!) I love the way Kinnick immitates his big sister--he wants to be like her. I told Marc yesterday, when Kinnick immitates Sadie, I smile--it's cute. When Sadie immitates Kinnick, I roll my eyes--it's frustrating! I am continuing to enjoy each day watching my little boy and my little girl play together.

Blocks--Sadie is telling Kinnick the "right" way to play with blocks.

Kinnick adores his sister so much that whenever she is sent to time-out corner her runs to sit with her and brings her books and toys (they must have worked out some type of agreement!)

One of my favorite times of the day--after lunch before Kinnick they lay down for a nap, they will sit on Kinnick's bed and read books together (usually for 15-20 minutes!) I love the quiet time...

My BIG Boy!

Kinnick is officially in his big boy bed. We've been wanting to do the switch for awhile now but kept putting it off b/c we were traveling, having late nights, etc. He had gotten good enough at climbing out of (and back in to) his crib that he could get out, get a toy and be back in before we could even be upstairs to return him to bed. I decided I was probably putting more thought than needed into the switch and I was right. Our family came up to put him to bed last Sunday. We made a big deal out of how big he was, clapped for him and told him he needed to stay in his bed. It's been a week now and he's doing GREAT! My little cute boy sleeping his first night in his big bed.

I found him the next morning happily looking at books!

He's still getting used to sleeping with his pillow--we usually find him laying at the bottom of his bed. Last night we found him asleep with his feet on the floor laying over the side of his bed. Nap times are still a bit more challenging some days--Example: One day I heard loud banging sounds and thought he was climbing up and throwing books off his bookshelf. I went up expecting to find a mess. I opened the door and found no mess, just Kinnick sitting on his bed grinning. I told him to lay down and went back out. As soon as I heard the bang again, I opened the door to find him climbing up on his bed and jumping off onto the floor. He was jumping so hard that he knocked the light cover off the bathroom light!

Just another step in the journey as Kinnick continues to grow--I am really trying to treasure each moment... it's going too fast!

Freezer Cooking

My friend Jennifer came up with the idea to do a freezer cooking day... so a few weeks ago the Hummistons (minus Jeremy) came for a little visit. They arrived Monday at lunch time and stayed through Wednesday--we had a great time!

We weren't organized enough to get all our ingredient shopping done ahead of time, but we did have our lists ready--we combined them and Sadie & went to the store while Jennifer watched the rest of our crew. Once we got back, we were busy cooking! We got as much as of a jump start as we could on Wednesday (including cooking ALL of our hamburger and chicken and leaving some chili in the crock pot overnight to cook.) On Tuesday we were up early... Jennifer did breakfast while I dropped Sadie at pre-school and ran to pick up our remaining few ingredients. We cooked all day and kept the kids busy with various projects--playing outside while I peeled potatoes, play-doh at the table, a movie for the girls while Kinnick and the little ones napped, and then a walk to get some supplies for our craft project (yes, we really are a bit nuts!)

On Monday night and again on Tuesday night we just needed a break and time out of the house. Monday we loaded up and walked to the park (we didn't get to be out for too long b/c we were being eaten alive by mosquitoes!) On Tuesday night we loaded up and went down the street for ice cream. Jennifer and I were up late both nights (kinda felt like college again!) But by midnight on Tuesday everything was done, in the freezer and the kitchen was clean!

We learned a few things that might make our next freezer day even more successful, but all in all, it was time well spent. We each ended up with 13+ meals and some sides, cookies, and pantry mixes. We also worked on a craft project with the kids that will be for Christmas gifts (I don't think I've EVER done Christmas projects this early!)
Here is a rare picture of the 4 big kids sitting at the same time...

Kinnick LOVES playing with blocks and he improvised quite well with these cans of tomato paste!

Macy and Titus ready for a walk to the park...

Kinnick and Faith also ready for the park--they are developing a good "Love/Hate" relationship!

Our trip to "Time-Out" for ice cream. (This was a perfect time-out for the moms!) Aren't these the cutest little baby cones?

We promised the girls that if they were good helpers and were kind to each other they could have a sleep-over on Tuesday night. We put the air mattress in Sadie's room and they did really well! They read books, danced, told stories, and did lots of giggling... I think they are a little too ready for big girl sleep-overs.

Titus and Macey in their pajamas...

On Wednesday we met Stephanie and Hannah at Chuckie Cheese to switch some of our frozen meals. It was perfect--I've never been to Chuckie Cheese when it was empty, but I guess a school day at lunch time is a pretty good time. We had a blast... worth doing again!

This is the best we could do for a group shot... (I think Hannah wants us to see her cute hair bows!)

Kinnick loved all the little riding cars. He really got the hang of putting in his token to get a ride.

Sadie and Faith were very excited to go see Chuckie Cheese close-up.

Sadie and Grace driving race cars...

Kinnick loved riding this horse.

Prize time--they were excited to combine all their tickets and pick out a prize (we all ended up with suckers--imagine that!)

Me with my kiddos--we had a very fun day! (Read more on Jennifer's Blog.)

Pumpkin Bars

I love fall treats... carmel apples, apple cider, kettle corn, s'mores, pumpkin bars! (Okay, some of these things are enjoyed in multiple seasons, but I consider them fall treats!) I had a friend ask me for this pumpkin bar recipe last year and I kept thinking, I'll just post it in my blog--I even had the cookbook setting on the computer desk for over a month! Needless to say, this recipe is long overdue... We love these--my mom brought them as my birthday cake my freshmen year of college.

Pumpkin Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. oil
• 1 can pumpkin (16 oz)
• 2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Mix all ingredients and spread batter in a sheet pan. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350. Cool and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 c. butter or margarine
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. powdered sugar

Conversations with Sadie...

On a daily basis I think, "I should write this down!" So here are a few questions/conversations with Sadie that I took the time to record:

• "Mom, when you spin and spin really fast and then stop spinning, the house takes you for a ride. But you have to be careful because sometimes the ride makes you fall down."
• (2nd morning of school) "Mom, please call Mrs. Chervaney and tell her that I don't feel like coming today."
• "When will I be a mommy and have a baby in my tummy?"
• "Mom--what's a date?" (It's when two people spend time together doing something fun.) "Oh you mean without any CRAZY kids to make you be frustrated?"
• "Daddy, you just teached me to say a bad thing. It's not a good idea to say rude things." (He said Dang It while watching television.)
• "Mommy, you're not setting a good example because you keep interrupting me and not listening when I'm talking."
• "Mom, I guess we'll have to get a new sink when it runs out of water."
• "Mom, I'm not getting angry by myself--it's just that you're making me get angry."
• To Kinnick: "Wanna help me get my computer to facebook so I can look at my pictures from Maddie's party?"

1st Day of Pre-School

Sadie has now finished two weeks of pre-school. I must admit, I was pretty nervous dropping her off the first day. I thought there would be tears and "Mommy, please stay!" but she did amazing! She goes to "Little Bulldogs Pre-school" which is located in Streator High School. The child development classes help plan lessons and work with the students. There are 20 children in Sadie's class and three different periods of HS students with about the same number, so they get lots of one-on-one. We drop them off in the main office where they are greeted by HS students and walked down to their room.

We were able to go in a few weeks before school started to meet Mrs. Chervaney and see the classroom. Mrs. Chervaney also had an open house the week before school started, so Sadie was able to meet a few classmates. So far, she has left happily every morning to walk with the "big girls" and come running out every day with stories to tell me. She has been hesitant to play with the other kids (she kept telling me that she just watches them play), but on her 4th day she came running out and exclaimed "Mom, today was my first day of playing!" This cautious side is one that I would love to witness in person!

She goes to pre-school Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8--10:40. We are often rushing to get out the door by 7:45, but we've done pretty good so far! I've been enjoying these mornings to take long walks with Macey & Kinnick (we also went for a bike ride one day--Macey's first time in the bike trailer!) I also use the time to run errands with only two. Another thing I have enjoyed is having one-on-one time with Kinnick. I've always felt like I've gotten daily one-on-one with each of the girls, but it's harder with him. Macey usually naps for at least an hour so Kinnick and I have been doing lots of reading, playing with blocks, baking, etc.

I feel like I've done pretty good with this transition (for the most part). But at times, I do feel like it's much harder then I thought it would be. It's hard to realize that there are so many other children (and teachers) having an influence on Sadie. We've been making it a tradition to pray on the way to school every morning and I always ask Sadie if there is anything she is nervous about. We also talk about what kinds of things she can do to show Jesus love to her classmates. She's getting big, for sure... but I just love hearing the excitement in her voice as she talks about new adventures. I'm praying daily for wisdom and patience as we experience this new phase together!

I had picked up this book bag for Sadie when we were in TN over Christmas. We saved it for her and surprised her with it the morning of her first day. She was very excited! (She also picked this outfit out herself to wear for her first day. She has agreed that I get to fix her hair every day that she has school without arguing. She has also agreed that I get to approve her outfits... so far she has done VERY well with this! On the other days--anything goes!)

When we picked up her up after her first day, we all went to McDonalds for ice cream cones. I told her that we had another surprise when Daddy got home--that night we all went out for dinner at Burger King (BK is the only place in Streator that has a play land--so it's a special treat!) We enjoyed dinner together and hearing all about Sadie's first day.

These are two of the projects Sadie made this week. They did letter B and had a bumble bee day and a butterfly day. On the butterfly day, she was excited to tell me about they wrapped people up with a big blanket to make a cocoon.

Labor Day Weekend

Go Hawkeyes!

We spent Labor Day weekend with the Knopps--it was a great 3-day weekend! We got there Friday night and had dinner. We were able to enjoy some time visiting after we put the kids to bed. Saturday morning we had breakfast together then Marc and Andy left to golf and Lindsey and I took the kids to the Farmer's Market. Cedar Rapids has a HUGE farmer's market--we spent about 2 hours walking around and made a few purchases.

That afternoon we enjoyed the Hawkeye season opener... About half way through the game, we got a BIG surprise when Marc went to check on Sadie (she was supposed to be napping). He yelled for me to come upstairs--I made it into her room to see big hand fulls of hair everywhere! She found a pair of child scissors and decided to give herself a trim. After that, Lindsey and I walked her to a cost cutters to get it fixed (as best we could). Saturday night we enjoyed grilling out and played a game after we got the kids asleep.

Sunday morning we were up early to get ready and pack up for church. We traveled to Grinnell to go to church with Marc's grandpa & grandma DePauw. We also picked up his Grandma Gorsch on the way (our Pilot was loaded--I think it was the first time we had 8 people in it!) After church we went out to eat with his grandparents. It was a nice visit. On our way home we made a quick stop at the outlet mall. The kids didn't really get a nap, so there were ready for bed early and we enjoyed another game night and a movie!

Monday we decided to visit Bloomsbury Farm. Sadie kept calling it Blueberry Farm. We took the kids in a "haunted" barn, rode pedal go-carts, jumped on a "jumping pillow", fed goats, took a hay rack ride, rode a barrel train, and played in the corn box. We had great weather--it was a very fun day. Afterwards we had a late lunch at Red Robin and then loaded up to come home. As always, the weekend went too fast...

I bought the girls these matching hats at the farmer's market.


This is the before shot of Sadie's hair. She didn't cut much in the back, mostly just the sides. The left side was chopped much shorter then the right!

She did NOT want to get her hair cut, she was so sad and timid, it broke my heart. She cheesed up for me to take this picture. Once they got started she was fine, but it took some coaxing to get her in the chair. They basically blended it as much as they could and since we were there anyway, I had them take off a couple inches. This is NOT how I imagined her first hair cut.

This is the "after" shot. I think we will have to go over few months to keep blending it until it grows it out. (She thinks it is already back to normal--she keeps saying "Mom, aren't you glad my hair is long again?")

Macey has turned into such a good car rider! She now usually makes three hour trips with out a peep (or sometimes a little "talking"). This pic was on the way to church Sunday.

Here we are at Bloomsbury Farm...

We loved these pedal carts--they went pretty fast!

This was the "jumping pillow". We all had fun bouncing!

Sadie was so excited for the hay rack ride...