GIRL!

This is classic ERIK. Last night we went to Chuck E Cheese for a little play time. We took our neighbors, Seerat and Sajel, and the kids had a good time. It was fun....I even got my skeeball in. :) Erik had one token left and he just disappeared. About 3 minutes later he came running up to me, holding back tears, and threw this picture at me. "See Mom!! I was just trying to take my picture and this GIRL had to come in and get in the way!" He was a little upset, to say the least! Poor E-man!

11 months!!

Just one more month to go until the big O-N-E. I can't believe it! I had Alaina and Erik help me out this time around after the big fall last month when Tim was in charge! As you can see, she wasn't liking the help too much. I think A and E were a bit TOO helpful! She was just ready to be done and get out of there!! And, so at the first chance, she was gone.....

TV

Here's Issy watching Baby Einstein! She LOVES those DVDs and they are such a lifesaver to me when I am trying to get something done....like dinner! She usually doesn't watch them in the nude, though!


Excuse me! You are interupting my show!!

Oh Annika!

Sometimes I wonder what goes through the mind of this little girl. At times she is so grown up and then she does stuff to remind us that she is ONLY 3!! I could not believe it. When we got Erik's dresser from my dad last month I thought being that I had to empty the fish tank to move it, I'd just be done with fish for awhile. We just had the one orange one in there that WOULD NOT die for anything. But, the more I thought about it the more I realized the kids love the fish tank. They love watching the fish. So, I filled the tank back up and put it on the new (used) dresser! A couple of weeks ago Annika and I went to Petsmart and she picked out 3 more fish. So, the tank was looking pretty good and everyone was alive! I could not believe it when I walked into this. I just told her to go sit on her bed so I could get my bearings and decide what needed to be done. I really didn't have time to clean up a fish tank before bed!! AHHH! But, after I got Is down, I vacuumed out the tank......3 times. Got it all cleaned up, looking good, and was feeling good. Went up to tuck Erik in and heard a trickling of water....the tank was leaking all down the side of the dresser! I kept it together, though! Just got the little fish tank vac and the big bucket and sucked a little water out. I think we are good to go now. Annika was disciplined....she felt bad for trying to kill the fish!! She said they were just hungry..... I thought she understood and it was clear that she would not do that again.....so I was a little bit upset when she did the SAME thing the next night!! Luckily, the fish food was the old can and there was only 1/4 of a can left!! BUT STILL!! Oh, Annika!! Now she knows that if she even goes near the fish food she will lose all her little fingers on her little hand!!

Annika's been dealing with Muluscum (sp?) for the past couple of years. They are just a little virus on the skin. They're not a big deal....don't hurt anything, but are sometimes annoying to me being that I like to pick at things and get rid of them! Some of her "bumps" tend to get really infected and HUGE before they go away! Not fun for anyone. She had another big one last week, so I took her in to a dermatologist. The Doc decided to "zap" all her bumps with a beetle juice. Erik had the same stuff when he was 3 and it worked great. Its kind of yucky b/c the bumps blister up and then turn a dark red, so it looks bad, but doesn't hurt. Then they go away forever without a scar. :) Here Annika is showing off her "Polk-a-dots" all over the place and Erik is helping her count them!






I'm going to miss Annika this week! Although, it might be a nice break from the unexpected excitement that comes along with her! I guess there is a first time for everything. Annika packed her bag and headed north this morning with Tim! He was going to a Packer game and has business trips in WI and then in Quinnesec this week, so Annika gets to spend the week with Pupsi and Nana James and also Papa Bob and Nana Shirley! Lucky her. I am really envious of her! She has never had the grandparents all to herself and she is pretty excited. Oh the things she said she is going to do. And, Erik and Alaina understood that they have to go to school, so they weren't too upset over it. It will be fun to talk to her and hear about all the fun. I just hope she doesn't get lonely! She's not used to being the only kid!

move over!

It makes me kind of nervous when I actually have a moment to sit down and realize how fast time is going! Its Friday again tomorrow.....where did the week go, AGAIN??! I'm sure I'm not the only one who is feeling this way!! But, even with 3 reminder notes and the picture sitting right by the door, I still forgot it! I still forget things even if I have them in the van next to me! Am I losing my mind?? What am I going to do when the kids are older? But, then maybe they will be able to remember their own things? Who knows??!!

I was having a "I miss TN" week! Talking to Dana on Monday and hearing the Southern accent....I miss it. I miss my friends and church and our neighbors! I miss the Southern hospitality!! So, I decided that I have to go and meet people! Well, I didn't decide that until yesterday....I had to think about it for a day or two! I just started out, with Issy on my hip and the kids just riding their bikes around (not with me, but around) I just knocked on neighbors doors! It was so nice just to sit and visit. I've been wanting to meet our new neighbor across the street, they just moved in....so it was nice to get to know her a little bit and her 20 month old son! I really do like our neighborhood. Tonight I HAD to go meet a lady a few houses down. EVERYONE knows her, so when I say I live on Inverness its always, "oh, so you know Mary Beth!" Uh....no. I know who she is, but I don't know her! It was fun....the kids and I jumped on our bikes to go deliver some bread, cookie balls, and muffin batter to a friend who just had a baby, so on our way by I knocked on Mary Beth's door. It was like I've know her forever! She is so fun and we started talking about cooking! She is actually writing a cookbook and so we got into the healthy part of feeding our families. I just made bread today, so I told her I'd bring her a loaf after our deliveries! After a trip to the park and back home for a snack we brought the bread over. I told her it was honey/molasses and she cracked up! Her husband was suppose to stop at the store to buy some molasses and he forgot. Her daughter wanted to make a recipe that called for it and they didn't have any! So, I ran home and brought my whole gallon of molasses over!! Who else has molasses by the gallons??!!

I have a new friend. Her son plays with Alaina at recess, so they were thrilled to see that they live on the same street!! I really do like our neighborhood and town. Its taken awhile, but life is good here. :) I guess it just takes a little moving myself out of the way!!

I have one more place I have to go tomorrow.

I do miss TN, but God put me here for a reason!!

I'm just going to go to bed....I won't get into the stressful part of the week like our 5 doctor/dentist/ortho/ENT/Dermatologist appointments in 3 days and Annika deciding to pour the WHOLE can of fish food in the fish tank.....not once, but twice in two days! NOT COOL. She is BANNED from touching the fish food and she knows it! I do have pictures! But, not tonight.

Tea Time...

On Saturday we went to every girls dream home for Alaina's birthday party. Its called My Secret Garden. Its a little girls' tea party place. It is really a dream world! Its an old Victorian home. The upstairs has a couple of rooms and they are completely loaded with dresses...all kinds from fairy princess to your mom's old wedding dress! And, of course, you need a pair of shoes to go along with your dress! Jewelry galore, hats, scarves, fans, purses, flowers, EVERYTHING that you need to make the "perfect" dress up outfit is here! Can you just imagine the imaginations on 10 little girls?!! It was so fun. Some were a little more glamorous than others, but they all got so into it!! I loved it! I wanted to join them and dress up, too!! They got their nails and make up done, as well. Another mom and I just laughed....they were such little ladies!

It has been raining non stop since Friday, so Saturday morning was really wet and yucky. When I got to the party the lady said that the power was out, and asked if I wanted to reschedule! Uhh....no!! That didn't matter! It was a candle lit party....I think it made everything a little more cozy and fun! It wasn't too dark, so we could still see everything. The only thing was the girls didn't get to eat their special flower-shaped pizzas! But, again, they didn't care! And, it saved me $30 for the pizzas!! :) The power did come on the last 5 minutes of the tea party, but all the girls wanted the lights off anyway!!


Annika found this Tinkerbell right away and kept it on the whole time. She just changed her shoes and accessories a few hundred times!




Did we laugh at Alli and her glasses! I would say that these are not very lady-like!


This is so Annika! I'm almost positive that is a tutu on her head!





This was a little closet set up as a tea party. The girls were calling their friends inviting them to come over. It was so cute! They even used their English accents! And, to think Taryn, you get to hear your girls talk like that all the time!!


Check out the earrings on An!!


Nikki was really getting into it while talking on the phone!


Alaina was a bride. I think I have head to goodwill and get some "new" pretty dresses!! Here she and Elizabeth are showing off their shoes!


Just a small rack of shoes! Shoes lined the walls in every room!!


The girls had their outfits PERFECT and were ready for tea!

After an hour of dressing up, all the girls were ready for tea. We then moved into the tea parlor and were served a lovely tea (sprite and pink lemonade!) with the most delicious sugar cubes (marshmallows!). The girls had to drink with their pinkies out like a true lady!! It was darling!


Cheers to the birthday girl!


More Cheers!


Blowing out her candles....


Annika, like always, just cracks me up. She couldn't get the marshmallows out of her cup! They were stuck to the bottom!! She really does need to go to princess school and learn etiquette!

Alaina LOVED her birthday party. It was so worth the money!! I know we'll be there many more times with the girls and their friends!

This morning when I went in to wake up the girls, Annika was lying on her bed with a big grin. She said, "mommy! Last night I had dreams about My Secret Garden! I want to live there!"

Monday..

I just thought I'd write a little before mopping the floor! Maybe I'm just procrastinating "a widdle bit!" We've had a fun week since Alaina's birthday. On Wednesday we had the opportunity to go to Nathan graduation from mortuary school here in Chicago. What a fun night! We got all dressed up, had a great dinner, and got to see Nathan graduate with the highest honors!! It was so exciting. :) My parents were there, so they came and stayed the night....well, a whole 9 hours! They were here just to sleep and give Alaina her birthday presents. They had to leave by 9to get home for a funeral! But, they did get to stay at least that long b/c Nathan was in Stephenson taking care of everything. :) YEAH! Finally....after how many years?!! :) Can you tell I am just so excited??!! They'll be back. :)

Erik has been liking school a whole lot. :) Its been a little cooler here, so this morning I picked out a pair a jeans for him to wear. "I don't want to wear jeans, Mom! I want to wear long shorts!" Meaning his wind pants! He loves his teacher and LOVES having gym everyday! He'll do just fine.

CONGRATULATIONS to Taryn(Newill) and Craig Hayes on the birth of baby Micah on Saturday! I do wish I could go and hold him, but South Africa is a little far to go when the kids are in school!! Enjoy this new addition to your family!! FOUR is FUN!!

I really better get my work done! Issy's sleeping now...so I just have about an hour to get it done. I'll try to write again before too long! This week is pretty uneventful, so that is good. :)

Happy Birthday!

You are growing up on me, Alaina! Not too long ago you were just a little peanut. A little peanut who spoke Chinese! You are sure a beautiful little girl both inside and out! I love how you love your little brother and sisters. I appreciate all the help you give to me everyday making sure that Issy stays where she belongs! I always say that I should have had an Alaina when Alaina was born! It would have been much easier! You love to learn and are such a good student! You always do your best and have that competative spirit that drives you. I admire that! Grandma Berniece would SOOO love to play SkipBo with you!! You keep trying until you get something right....like handstands! How many millions did you do??! You lived upside down for months and now look how well you can do them! Most importantly you have a heart to learn more about God and how to honor him in your daily life. I pray that you will keep Him #1 in your life always! I love you so much! And, as your mom I'm going to make a lot of mistakes. But, that doesn't mean I don't love you! I'm learning, too! Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!! I love you so much and I know A LOT of other people that do to! And, now to your birthday in review!


Filling the pinata....Oh how she has been wanting one so bad for so long! And, this was a good one!


Making the cake! No whole wheat or healthy stuff aloud. Just a cake mix and lots of butter and crisco (eww!)! But, it sure tasted good and looked good!


Of course, the beaters are the best part!



And, now for the final product....after a bowl of frosting went flying through the air and lots of imput from little people.....I think it turned out cute.


It's Good Morning Time!! Happy Birthday to you! After Alaina started opening presents, I realized I forgot to get Issy! So, she slept through it. I guess that was okay, though! She was so excited for us to come in and wake her up and kept reminding me yesterday so I wouldn't forget!! Its tough getting everyone up on her bed, so I stayed below and took pictures.





Alaina gets a new Precious Moments each year for her birthday. She has the Growing in Grace collection and calls them her "breakables".....she loves them. So, all you people out there that are in need of ideas for upcoming gift giving holidays, there are a whole collection out there for every occasion! She would LOVE them!


Alaina has been into Webkinz lately. Thanks to Auntie Amy who got her one last month! :) They are fun and I know she's been wanting another one. Its funny because whenever someone is playing computer the other two are laying on their bellies on the desk watching! So, we did get Erik and Annika a Lil'kinz. Very cute....Alaina got a new big one, so now they all have their Webkinz world on the computer!

Erik opened his present and with true excitement exclaimed, "Straws!!" No, sorry Erik! It was just the box!


Annika's little Baby Lion. She was thrilled!


Alaina's new one she named Fluffy. Because, of course, she is so fluffy!


All three!


After school we got home to a box on the front step. Oh, the squeals of excitement!! Here is her new sweatshirt from Nana Shirley. You always know what she needs!! :)


Alaina picked up this present and said, "Oh, that's my tool!" And, she was right! It will go right in her tool box!


And, now for the big one. She was so excited about this that she had to open it with her eyes shut just so she could be 100% surprised!


Could it be??!! YES IT IS THE NEW BARBIE OF THE DIAMOND CASTLE Liana doll! She is so beautiful and sings 4 songs! How do these girls know so much about this stuff.....I mean, this is the NEWEST barbie out there!


Making the Thank You phone call!

It's pinata time! The pinata that was not going to break for anthing! The kids hit it hard, but it wastn't until Mom came to the rescue and ripped it a little bit just go get it going. And, this was after 15 minutes of "whackin' it" as E would say!


Hit it An!

Cake time! We had the neighbor kids over for pinata and cake, which worked out perfect. Her party with her school friends is going to be on the 13th....so we have a whole LONG time to wait for that!!


Cute little Maddie! We sugared the Crick's up right before dinner! Sorry, Jen! Hope the kids went to bed for you okay!

And, last but not least, Issy. She was enjoying some cake. Tim didn't give her any frosting, though! I guess she has to wait another 6 weeks for that! :)

What a fun Birthday. I only took 131 pictures....didn't have time to show them all off!! Thanks to everyone who called! She ran to the phone each time it rang and EVERY phone call today was for her!! She loves the attention and deserves it. It must be hard having three younger siblings demanding time!