Application of Knowledge

Since many of my readers have backgrounds in education, I thought you would appreciate this tidbit of learning: A has been learning musical terms at preschool (piano, forte, rest, etc.) Saturday morning we were hanging out in A's bedroom, and she states, "I just had some gas. That was forte!" Couldn't be more proud...

'Tis the Season!

A is so excited for Christmas this year! We took a wagon ride down the alley last night, and bought our Christmas tree. After the kids were in bed, Mike and I got to have our annual struggle centering the tree in the stand (is there an easy way to do it?), and were too depleted to do anything else with the tree after that. On the way home from school today, A asked if I would lay underneath the Christmas tree with her. I'm so glad she likes to do that, since it is something I remember doing with my sister when we were little. I will certainly do that with A, once we get the lights up. She has taking a liking to the various decorations I've brought up from the basement. She asked me to take the basket of berries off the table so she could see it better, and has carried it around the house, with the snow people decorations, and a "baby's first Christmas" tree that she got when she was 8 months old.

Our Little Collector

Christmas Joy?

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

We are getting our house ready for Christmastime! We moved the furniture around last night, and dusted in preparation for getting our Christmas tree set up this week. I have been enjoying the Christmas music in the car on 102.9 FM. I am in such a happy Christmas mood already this season! Ho ho ho!

Bennett (almost 9 months) and cousin Adryen (18 months)

Congratulations to Cynthia on the birth of her blog, Cynthia's Life: http://cynths-life.blogspot.com/. Now, we just need to work on one more.... Stokes, hello Stokes?

Fun Visit to SW Minnesota

We had another enjoyable weekend, visiting Grandma and Grandpa F. I started a new Thanksgiving tradition, that the women of the family go to a movie on Friday night, and leave the men at home with the babies. This year, it was just Mom, Sarah, and me, but hopefully next year Wendy and Darci won't have to work. We saw Casino Royale- my very first Bond movie- and I enjoyed it (more than I thought I would for sure). A slept like a champ at Grandpa and Grandma's house, and has been back on track since we've been back home. Thank goodness, because Mike and I were walking zombies after all the night wake-ups. She also is doing a fabulous job with going on the potty. All it took was a bag of gummy Lifesavers candy. A small price to pay for no more changes out of wet pants/underpants/socks. B had his 9 month well-child visit on Monday. His ear infection had cleared up nicely, and he weighed in at a healthy 18 pounds, 12 3/4 ounces (30th%). B and Daddy both got their flu shots, so now the whole family is covered. Shug is now eating a mixture of his special diet dog food, and his regular dry food, and got his sutures removed on Monday. He is back to normal as far as activity goes too- he's been playing in the yard with balls again, and took a nice walk along a creekbed with Mike and Grandpa this past weekend. I made Mike give me a No Burr guarantee before they set out, however.
My version of Rodin's The Thinker

"Where is ol' Daddy pants today?"- A inquires this morning as she sits at the breakfast table, noticing Mike is already at work. She's such a funny girl!

4#

That's the weight of the ball of tightly wound hair (around who knows what?) the vet removed from Shug's stomach on Friday during emergency abdominal exploratory surgery. He had been pheasant hunting with Mike last weekend, and got covered in cockleburrs. He worked diligently to pull them from his fur, and ate a fair amount of them, from the sounds of dry heaving we heard from him early last week. He was really lethargic, and was limping around when he wasn't sleeping. We got to visit him at the vet's on Friday night, and we brought him home Saturday morning, with two prescription medications, and a case of special dog food that we are to feed him 2-3 times per day. He is doing really well, and we are glad to have the old Shuggy back. I had to look through pictures for several months, before I glimpsed him in the background of one of B's sign pictures...who would think of photographing a mere dog, when there are adorable babies around all the time? I guess our million dollar dog merits a more recent pic- I'll get on that.

Fun with Cousins

Yes, I'm still here. I didn't have anything to post recently, and then all of a sudden we've been so busy that I haven't had time to blog anything. Please forgive me. We went to Okabena this weekend for a family wedding on Friday, and then got to spend the rest of the weekend just hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma (which if you know them, is really a rarity that they're at home), as well as A and B's cousins, Cody, Christine, and Corrine. A is really starting to have a good time playing with/near her cousins.

Last night, B woke up crying a few times, and spent some time downstairs on the couch, while Daddy caught up on his Tivo. Poor baby, he cried like I've never heard him cry before, like he was really in pain, so I called first thing in the morning and got him in to the NP. Sure enough, he has an infection in the left ear. This is a new thing for us- A has gone over two and a half years without ever taking an antibiotic. B's disposition may be more like Mike's, but his health and tendency to get sick are straight from me. I talked to Bridget this weekend (Happy 31st Birthday, Beep), and Maren has been a sick little baby too. She was on amoxicillin for an ear infection, and after taking it for 8 days, developed an allergic reaction on Saturday- all over her whole body. I am sending healthy thoughts to Madison, as well as upstairs to my sleeping babies.

We drew names for our Christmas celebration in Okabena, so I am ready to get off and running on my Christmas shopping. I hope to be done before we leave for our trip to Baltimore on Dec 8. Woah- December will be here in a flash. That's about all for now... Katie

Nice Weekend

We had a nice weekend at home. My parents came over and played with A and B, while Mike and I got to work washing the windows. I hope that we don't do it again until at least 2010. We've been in our house 4 years now, and this is the first time we've cleaned them from the outside. After church, I made two Rachael Ray recipes: Flounder Francesce (I had to use halibut), and Lemon Spaghetti. They were 30 minute meals, but I estimate it took me about 45 minutes.

Tomorrow we're headed down to Prior Lake to pick up the proofs from our photography session. I also have to head to a Walmart to pick up a gift from the registry for a wedding we are attending on Friday; that is never a pleasant experience for me (going to Walmart, that is, not attending weddings.)