BuSy BuSy

I am not even sure what to blog about first. There have been so many things happen since I last blogged.

1. Jeff's parents came to visit. We went to the zoo and the World Circus Museum. Saw a magic show and graced the Dells with our presence. We spent the night so that we could go to the indoor water parks and went down awesome water slides. I love that about Jeff's parents. When we went to Sea World with them I didn't go on any roller coasters until they did and they convinced me to. Same thing happened with the water slides.

2. Halloween

3. Post Halloween stomach flu

4. Callum's first haircut

5. Lauren joining Girl Scouts

Callum wasn't crazy about the merry-go-round

For some reason I love this polar bear. He walks with a funny waddle. 

Kenna had a field trip for her preschool while Jeff's parents were here
and Grandpa Bill came with us. Kenna got to dig up carrots. I wish I would
have gotten a picture of how muddy everyone was. It had rained for like a week
straight. 

Kenna looks less than impressed, doesn't she? 

There was also a pumpkin patch at this farm and we
brought home a few. Not this one though. 

These next pictures are from the circus museum. These mirrors were hilarious.
I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

Another Carousel. Someone who worked at the museum offered to
turn it on for us. The kids were excited. I was less inclined as they
make me a little nauseated. And this one was a particularly rickety one.  

The museum has the largest collection of circus cars. They were
amazing. And they were from all over the world.

Jeff's Dad trying the uni-cycle

The cabin. Apparently this was the best place to sit. 

Callum hated the water park. He basically snuggled up to me
the entire time not moving. Here we are floating down the lazy river. Kenna
was too busy going down the baby slide to join us. 

This is a picture of the slide Kenna went down approximately
1,000 times. 

I'm not sure what is happening in this picture. I was home napping
with Callum, but I thought I would share it anyway. They are
exploring Goth Park. 

I forgot to mention that we went to the Capitol building and took
the tour. Lauren always had a question to ask the tour guide. 

Since it was so cold outside we went to a nursing home across the street from
our house. We did have one incident with the matching costumes when
an old lady wouldn't give Kenna a piece of candy because she
had just given her one. Kenna started crying because it was
Lauren who got the candy and not her. 

Our potato head family.

Family tradition of donuts on a string. We had a party with
some friends from our ward. I love Joe's and Jeff's postures. 

Eliza, never even touched her donut. 

Round 2. Husband/wife competition. He totally beat her. 

Kenna, I see you cheating

Before the haircut

After the haircut. I always feel that once they get their haircut
they don't look like babies anymore. 

Sick Lauren

Sick McKenna. And yes that is the hardwood floor she is asleep on.

Thanks to everyone's illness and everyone sleeping so much, I got three  books read in a week. 

 We have had a fun month of October and we are sure that November will not disappoint us either. Jeff has vacation this month over Thanksgiving so we will be going back to Nebraska. Lots of fun to look forward to.

The Mostly Finished Product

 So here are a couple of projects that I have been working on that are now finished, or mostly finished, you never really can be sure with me.

I did this one a while ago, and sometimes I love the color and sometimes
I really hate it. And Mom, the poem is for you. 

This is the much talked about and anticipated headboard.  The room is mostly done. I'm going to take the lamps back and get something different because I don't want to have to incorporate the teal color throughout the room. 

I had to collect art work for all of two days to have enough saved
up to make this gallery wall on the stairs up to Callum and Kenna's room.
This is the project that required spray paint. Turns out I have just enough in
my box of spray paint to finish the frames. Believe it or not, I had all of these
frames sitting in a box in the garage. 

If you can't tell, I totally into chalkboards. There is one in every room in the house except Lauren's. They are so versatile. Just erase and write something different on it. I have one above my mantel that I write a scripture on in sort of a subway art look and when I memorize it I erase it and write a new one. 

Moving Again? What?

So Jeff is probably 85% sure that he is switching to anesthesia. Anesthesia is a four year residency that requires a prelimnary year, so this year in internal medicine won't go to waste thankfully. I am happy about it because it is a more relaxed lifestyle and personally the work sounds like it would suite Jeff's personality better anyway. He met with the person in charge of anesthesia and said that there would be a place for him here at Wisconsin, although he will still have to go through the "match" process again. So this morning Jeff asked if we wanted to move back to Nebraska to do the rest of his residency. WHAT??? I don't mind the actually moving or packing or anything, its the major life decisions that I don't like to make. We just made the decision to move here eight months ago after tons of prayers and Jeff's never ending pros and cons lists that he insists on making. I'm not ready to go through all of that again. So wish us luck. We probably have a month to decide what we want to do. We may possibly be swayed by bribes. Just sayin'.

My family was here visiting last week, my parents, and my sister Alissa and her daughter Rebekah. Well actually they left a week ago and I am just now getting around to blogging about the fun we had when they were here. It was kind of fun being the tour guide and showing them some of the cool things we have discovered since being in Madison. There wasn't however enough days for them to try all the food we wanted to them to have so some things had to be left out. For example  Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and the Old Fashioned's fried cheese curds.

One morning we went to the zoo. The zoo here is free. And it is really nice. Not corny or bad. They have really beautiful animals and it is small enough that you can see it all in an hour or two. My Dad spoiled McKenna and Rebekah by paying for them to ride the train AND the carousel. Callum stayed home with Jeff so they could both nap and it was a relaxing morning with no strollers to push. Just two girls and four adults. That is the way the zoo should always be.

My Dad was a little disappointed that this train wasn't real. 

Pope Farm Conservatory was on the list of must-sees. I was trying to describe it to them "basically it is farm where you can walk around." Needless to say I pretty much had to drag them there. But I don't think that is disappointed anyone. It has beautiful views as it is up on a hill and all the trees surrounding were changing colors. It is a very peaceful place to just enjoy nature. There are a bunch of plaques talking about the ice age and the rocks that are surrounding, how the Native Americans would stand on the same hill and be able to see travelers for miles. It is just really neat.

I have been telling my family about Woodman's since we moved here. So of course I had to take them, and let them experience the terror and frantic-ness that is Woodman's, our local grocery store. It is about the size of a super Wal-Mart but it is just groceries. Even if you just have a couple of things on your list you will be there for 45 minutes because it is just that big. My sister was unimpressed. The fact that they carried Dorthy Lynch (a Nebraska brand salad dressing) and the feat that Ghiradelli chocolate chips were cheaper at Woodman's than at Wal-Mart made her somewhat more akin to it, but not much.

The next day was Alissa's 29th birthday. So we decorated and My Mom made her her favorite breakfast. We then went to dinner that night at Villa Dolce which I find fabulous and she did not. It is an Italian pizza place. Their Pear Gorgonzola pizza is amazing. I drool just thinking about it. So I did feel bad that I forced them to go there on Alissa's birthday and she didn't like it.

Saturday was lucky because Jeff got the day off. He doesn't really have a day off ever. The days that he works overnight he doesn't go in to the hospital until 7:00pm and so that day that he spends sleeping to be ready to work all night is considered his "day off." It is really lame and I know I shouldn't complain because it used to be sooo much worse for first year residents. Anyway, every once in awhile they will give him a random day off. So we made the most of it and drove up to the Dells and rode the Ducks. It is a tour of the lakes and some of the hills surrounding it. We were supposed to go on the "Full Moon Paddle" that they do on lake Wingra on the full moon nights during the summer. I had our boats payed for, but the Nebraska-Wisconsin game was on at the same time, so we decided to ride the Ducks and cancelled our Full Moon boat ride.

We got a babysitter and we went to Tanners to watch the game. Normally there is a group of people that get together to watch the Nebraska game there called the "Mad-City Huskers,"  but apparently they sent out an e-mail saying that they weren't going to pick a venue for this game, and we found ourselves amongst a restaurant full of Wisconsin fans. It was an awesome game to watch. There were a couple of other Husker fans there as well and one of the bad things about watching a game at a bar and grill is that three hours of game time equals three hours of steady drinking. There was one guy who took a liking to Jeff and came over every few minutes and clap Jeff on the arm. He was so drunk and he kept saying the same thing over and over. My parents thought it was kind of funny. Anytime Nebraska would do something good this guy would call over and say "Jeff" really loud from his chair. He asked for our number after the game and invited us to go boating with him and his wife sometime. So Jeff being polite gave him his number and as we were leaving whispered to me "I really hope he loses that."

Somewhere between the Dells and the game Jeff managed to make a caramel apple pie. We were too full after the game to eat it, but we did save room on  Sunday and it was really good. I don't if I have ever mentioned on the blog that Jeff is quite the pastry chef. I am a lucky girl.

Sunday was church and Jeff worked all day so it was fairly uneventful in terms of sight-seeing and then the left on Monday. I totally realized that they were gone when I came down the stairs after taking a nap and saw that Kenna's lunch was still just sitting on the table. I am not a dish doer, but while my parents were here my table was always cleaned off and wiped and the dishes were always done.

I'm so glad that they came to visit. It was nice to see my parents and my sister, and we'll see them next month when we go back for Thanksgiving.

Power Tools

I was just down in the garage using my new compound miter saw while Jeff's at work tonight. Part of me (a small part of me) feels a little nervous about using power tools without adult supervision but the other part, the larger part, is telling me that I am so TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!!

I know when my Mother reads this she will be worried about me. Mom. Don't be. Protective eye wear? Check. Hands clear from the blade? Check. (so far).

Callum is One

Ohhh. It has been a long week. We are starting to feel a little bit more settled into a routine around here with Lauren going to school everyday and Kenna going to preschool three days a week. Poor Callum's naps were pretty much a disaster for a while. He turned one last Sunday. I can't believe it has been a whole year since he has been around. He is so fun, and a little grumpy. He has such a beautiful smile that is so affecting. It just melts your heart. Callum is for sure a momma's boy. When I walk out of the room he cries the most heart breaking cry, like I have just ruined his entire life. Its pretty ridiculous actually. But that's the danger when you are such a cool mom. We had a pretty low key party for him on his birthday. We invited our friends the Kings and some of our neighbors.

 

The girls were most helpful to Callum by opening his presents for him
and then by proceeding to play with them. Look at that little face just trying to see what
his present even was. 

The birthday cake. I know it's not glamorous. I didn't put a lot of thought or time into it.
I refuse to put so much work into something no one is going to appreciate. 

Apparently he didn't get too messy because this is the only picture that I took of him
eating his cake. I'm pretty sure he never even really ate the cake he just played with the frosting.
(Which by the way is fine by me. I always thought it was a strange tradition. Think about it; we don't let our babies have sweets and then the turn one and let them have a whole cake to themselves. Imagine the poor little tummy aches).

Me and my boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN!!!!!!!!

Conversations

I just want to jot down some funny conversations that I have had with Lauren on the way home from the bus stop.

Me: Did you have fun at Kindergarten today?
Lauren: Kindergarten is a lot of work, and my arm pits got sweaty on the bus today.


Me: Is Margarita older than you?
Lauren: No. She is the same five as me, but her feet are big.

Tears???

Today there were no tears shed. Lauren woke me up this morning twenty minutes before she was supposed to be at the bus stop. So there was no cute pancake with a face on it for her first day kindergarten like I had been dreaming about. There was no shower for me before I walked her and the kids to the bus stop. Let's just say that I am setting the standard low for I will be looking in front of all my neighbors.

We got there plenty early though and the only other kid there was Stephen the boy who leaves across the green middle from us. He and the girls play together a lot. (Well they try to play together. Lets just say that the girls aren't very good at the things he likes to do. (i.e. soccer, tag, war). The girls love him, but he is in second grade and can't risk the blow to his coolness if he were to talk to them in public, so it was a quiet wait until our other friend Mya came to the bus stop. 

It was a chilly morning. The bus was twenty minutes late. I just love to wait on a corner holding a one year old on a cold morning for twenty minutes. NOT. It was okay though, it seemed good for the kids to all talk and anticipate with each other. Lauren was so excited to see the bus come that before I even knew it she was already to the doors. She didn't even give me a hug. When I noticed that she was close to the bus I said "Lauren, aren't you going to say good-bye?" The response? "Bye Mom." Then as the bus pulled away and I waved, my eyes started to water. I probably would have cried, but I couldn't be the only person crying. I probably would have cried when I got home, but by the time I got there I was over it. 

It did seem weird and quiet. I was worried that Kenna would be so bored not having Lauren to play with, but I forgot how well she played and entertained herself. So what did I do to celebrate Lauren's first day of school?  I did me some sewing. Yahoo. And some closet re-arranging. Not so-yahoo. But I am glad it is done. 

Lauren's packed lunch. Complete with a special note from Mom and Dad. (Which I later realized she wouldn't be able to read. She said someone's teacher in the lunch room read it to her though). 

Getting ready to go.

The outfit she picked out

For some reason, Lauren is not capable of having her eyes open for any of these pictures.

Our very late bus

I can't find my camera, so here are some low quality pictures of our day with the phone. When Callum woke up from his nap we went to the store to get some balloons to welcome Lauren off the bus with. She loved her little surprise and Kenna loved surprising her. Lauren looked exhausted when she got off the bus. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were a little bloodshot. Right now she and Kenna are taking a rest, Callum is napping and I am getting a little quiet time to myself. 

School Begins

Tomorrow is Lauren's first day of kindergarten. I actually can't decide if I should call it that or not. It's orientation, that I go with her, that only lasts an hour and a half. Is she supposed to take her new backpack? Should I take pictures? And then on Tuesday only half the class goes and so she doesn't go again until Thursday. Maybe I'll count it as the first day when she rides the bus for the first time. 

I'm am sad to see her go all day long. She really is a sweet little girl. I think that it is dumb that we spend all those years raising babies and toddlers through all the hard phases, and then just when they get to be good helpers and fun to talk to then, BAM! You have to send them away. I want to switch. I want to send my "trashcan dive-and-eat" baby to school for a few hours a day. Callum is really exhausting these days. He loves to open the DVD player and take out whatever movie the girls are watching. (That is so not the way to make friends with the sisters). On top of that he has started to take his first steps which has been really exciting. It seems like when the girls took their first steps they just kept on going and were from that point on "walkers," but Callum is a little different. He takes a couple of steps every few days or so. 

McKenna will start preschool next week. We are doing a preschool through the high school that is for special needs kids and Kenna will be a peer. There are three special needs kids and three peers. So its a pretty small class and they have four teachers. An occupational therapist, a speech therapist, and physical therapist and a teacher. Some of the people in our ward have done this program and said it was great because if there child struggled in any of those areas the therapists would help the peers too. This preschool is two days and a week and a major bonus is that it is free. I didn't find out if we could do it or not until last week so I had already organized a co-op preschool with some friends that will be once a week. 

What am going to do with all of that time? Three mornings a week with just Callum. I know I won't work-out, or clean. Perhaps watch tons of Netflix? Do lots of shopping? Ideas welcome. 

Jeff is realizing that he doesn't want to be an internal medicine doctor, and doesn't want to do the training necessary to be a cardiologist, so he is seriously thinking about switching his residency to anesthesiology. This pleases me VERY much. He has been really stressed out these last couple of months and the least happy I have ever seen him. But since he started thinking about switching it has eased his mind a little. 

I am having fun getting to know people and getting to experience Wisconsin. We went to the "Taste of Madison" last Saturday with some friends and had a good time tasting food from different restaurants in the area. Little Ceasers had a booth there. Really? And tonight we got together with a few other families for an "end of summer picnic" and it was fun. It started to rain a little but it passed quickly, and then the kids and the guys had a little baseball game. While they were playing Callum decided that playing in puddles was a most fabulous past time. And when he got thirsty? Why, he just drank the puddle water.  

I have been working on some projects. One that involves my new miter saw. I am really excited to be able to cut my own wood instead  of making Jeff do it. Pictures are sure to come when the project is finished. 

I guess that was a pretty good update on everyone. Should hold me over for a few months.