The Temperature is What???

It is warm outside. It is the end of December and it is around 60 degrees outside!!!! What is going on with that? I would love to have chilly temperatures and some snow on the ground! It was all there yesterday...today...gone!

I know we always have a day or two of this but 60? Really?

The forecast shows that tomorrow should be just as warm with some rain and then we are back to more seasonable weather...right around 30...just where I like it! Now we have to work on getting some snow back!

Have a great day!

Treadmill...

I have decided that the treadmill and I are going to have a love/hate relationship!!!! I have been on the treadmill for the last two days due to schedules, etc. not working out for me to run while it is still light out and man...the treadmill makes a run seem SOOOOOOO long!!!! I do love being able to still run even though I am inside...but running in the same spot is just not my thing!

Outside running is more my speed! :)

Till next time...

Stop the Coloring!!!!

Oh my goodness!!!! Kate has become a coloring fiend!!!!

This would not be a problem except for the fact that she is coloring on EVERYTHING!!!!

A week or two ago, she found glue paints and colored all over her best buddy's baby doll...next it was coloring with diaper cream all over the furniture in her bedroom...this afternoon it was red dry erase marker all over the wall in the basement (with a little blue crayon thrown in!) and also tonight was pen in her brother's brand new book. AAAAAAARRRRRGH!!!!

When I talked to her about coloring in her brother's brand new book tonight, I asked her what we had talked about earlier when she colored on the walls...her response: "We color on paper."

I asked her what she had done that was not ok and she told me: "I colored on paper." Hmmmm...girl has a point....so I had to clarify my earlier "coloring on paper only" to "coloring on paper that mommy and daddy give you only...and you have to ask first....NO BOOKS!"

Lordy...some day I will look back on this and giggle...I'm sure. But tonight...not funny at all....

Going Gluten Free...

So Daniel was tested not that long ago for the same immune system issues that Kate has been having. His digestive system has always been interesting for lack of a better word. We have been down the milk allergy road (which he seems to have outgrown) and even when he was completely of milk, he still was having some problems which is what prompted the testing.

The great news is that his immune system is working wonderfully!!!! The bad news is that one of his tests (an indicator for Celiac's) came back high. This has prompted us to talk to our allergy specialist, our pediatrician, etc. and to do a bunch of our own research. No matter what, this test indicates a number of gluten related things such as Celiac's, gluten intolerance, etc. (at least that is what my research has said!) and so we have decided to go as gluten free as we can for Daniel...we figure it is worth it to give it a good try and see if we notice improvement...

The best news...his digestive system seems to be settling down!!!!

It has had its tough moments but he seems to be handling it like a champ! He loves having his own bread, his own cookies although sometimes he gets frustrated when we can't have something (such as biscuits because I am looking for a recipe and time!) but we are just going to keep on plugging away!

We are going to track what he eats, how he's feeling, etc. and check back in with our pediatrician to see what she says! But for now, I'm excited about the calmer digestive system!!!! :)

Gluten free...lordy....challenging but good for my little guy! Bring it on!

I'm Back and Motivated! :)

Well, again...it has been a while since I have blogged! But here I am again! I'm ready to jump back on this bandwagon and BLOG!

I have added 2 new widgets to the side of the blog because I'm working towards running a 5K in the spring! With motivation from Miranda (THANKS!!!!!) I have started running...right now it is more like running/walking! But either way...I have a goal and I plan to reach it! I started a couple of weeks ago...then got sick...then started again...then Greg went to Utah and it was hard to fit it in with school and three kiddos! :) But here I am...another weekend and another 2 days of running in! I have logged 16 miles so far and I plan on working hard towards this goal of mine!

I have to admit...I have never been a runner. In fact, I have always despised running!!!! What is different now? Not really sure...but I sure do like to put on my running clothes, plug in my iPod and get outside!

Other than that, not much is new! We had a fantastic Halloween, school is going well for us all and Kate is doing well! She sure is a spunky, opinionated little girl but lordy do I love her! :) Chris had perfect attendance first quarter which is a first for him and he is THRILLED! Daniel is just being his happy-go-lucky self...love it!

I hope all is going well for anyone still out there reading! See ya next time!

Been awhile...

So it's been awhile since I've blogged...I really need to start doing that again!

What's new?

*I had started walking with some running in on a regular basis (which I really like!!!!) but then I got sick with this cold/cough thing and I'm hoping to start back up here soon! I may post a link to dailymile.com where I'm keeping track of my workouts!

* Soccer season has come and gone...the boys both did wonderful jobs and Daniel scored 4 goals over the course of the season! :)

* Chris is really loving second grade and has been very responsible with his homework, etc.! :) Proud of this little man!

*Parent teacher conferences are this week so I will update you on how the boys are doing in school soon!

* All is pretty status quo with Miss Kate these days!

* Daniel has some diet changes headed his way to try and get his system calmer!

As for Greg and I...we are plugging along. We are taking whatever life throws our way and trying to go with it the way we know best! :) Sometimes it is challenging, sometimes it is easy...but either way, we take each day one day at a time and are thankful for our little family each and everyday!

I am going to try and do a better job of keeping this blog updated! Hope you all have a great night!

Love to you all!

Nicole

Less than a month!!!!

Well, the countdown is on...we have less than a month until school starts again and even less than that until I need to be in for Teacher Meetings, etc.! Where in the world has this summer gone???? I honestly feel like we have just recently been able to catch our breath this summer...whew!



The main attraction this summer...the hospital! :( Kate has spent more time in the hospital this summer than I ever thought any of my kiddos would...ten days...dang. By some freak accident, she managed to get a staph infection in the soft tissue of her right foot which then led to it being in the bone. Official diagnosis...cellulitis and osteomyelitis. Not fun...but now 10 hospital days, 2 surgeries, lots of IVs and antibiotics, an orthopedic boot, etc. we now seem to be on the mend...we hope! :) Almost two months after this all started, she is still limping on her foot and it is still swollen but with a high dose of antibiotics we have been told all will be improving very soon!



We also took a wonderful trip to Washington DC...a trip that the boys LOVED, Kate still babbles about sometimes and one that I will remember forever! :) The monuments, the history, the artifacts, the experiences....all were priceless!!!!! I even got to see the real Declaration of Independence and the real Constitution...so unbelievable!!!!! Pictures are posted in our previous post!



Chris went to his first overnight Boy Scout camp and had a lot of fun! He and Greg are going to another one in August to celebrate the Boy Scout's 100th Anniversary which is this year!



The boys have also spent a week at Grandma and Grandad's which was a lot of fun for them! Daniel is still talking about going on the train and building with dominoes and Chris is still telling me little details from the week with his cousins! :)



Summer is now winding down for us...although Greg and I are hoping to plan a weekend trip somewhere if we can fit it in for our 10 year anniversary in September! Not sure where we will go (wherever we can find a great deal! :) ) or when we will actually go but hopefully it will be sometime soon! We also are needing to go and shop for back to school clothes, etc.!



So that is where we are right now! :) Just working through things with Kate and trying not to let the small things with her stress us out...I find that I am watching her like a hawk and the smallest change in her foot makes a million questions start running through my head...I am hoping that soon that will slow down!



Well, I am off to clean on this wonderfully stormy day!!!!



Nicole

DC Photos...

Ok...after talking to Greg and thinking about the sheer number of pictures we took on our trip, we decided to upload the pictures to a Picasa web album for everyone to see! :) There are about 180 of them and while I'm sad because there is no commentary to go along with them, I'm happy because there they are...all of them! :)

Here is the link:

Washington DC 2010

:) Enjoy!!!! :)

Technical Difficulties! :(

So I have been trying to get more pictures up from DC and blogger just isn't wanting to cooperate! :( I got the four up from Mount Vernon (that was all it would let me!) and now it is freezing every time...

I will try again as soon as either my service or blogger will work with me! :)

Have a good evening!

Mount Vernon!

The first day we were in DC we took a trip to Mount Vernon where George and Martha Washington lived! There was a scavenger hunt for the kids to do and once they were finished, they were each awarded a pressed penny! :) The scavenger hunt sent them looking in all of the outbuildings, etc! Fun! :)

The house:

George and Martha Washington are buried at Mount Vernon in the building below. Many of their family members are buried here as well.

While we were visiting, a high school band dressed in period clothing played on the bowling green in front of the house. Pretty cool!

This is the view from the back patio...absolutely stunning!

Blog? What's that???

That seems to be my frame of mind lately!!! I have been so horrible about updating and so much has been going on! I will have to take it in chunks!

KATE: Turned 2 in April and we had a birthday party for her in the backyard! It was so much fun! It was the first time we had been able to have an outside birthday party and so many of our friends and family were able to come! :) WONDERFUL!

At the end of May, Kate was in the hospital for an infection in her foot...those 6 days in the hospital are a blur and they were almost some of the longest days of my life. She is definitely on the road to recovery now and is back up and about bugging her brothers! More on this situation in another post!

DANIEL: First year of preschool over and done! He LOVED every minute of it! He has decided he is a Minnesota Twins fan because one of his teachers is from Minnesota and she LOVES the Twins! :) He is sticking with this and it has added some fun conversations to this house!

He played soccer for the first time this spring and can't wait for the next round to start in the fall. He had fun running around, chasing the ball and hanging on the goal posts...I have some cute pictures and I will have to post those later on!

CHRIS: The new second grader in the house. Man...I don't know where the time is going but I can't believe one more year at the Primary school and then he will be with me at Ray Miller! Seems to be just flying by! He took piano lessons this year at the school and has discovered that he has a knack for it! We are going to continue lessons this summer...he LOVES it! He also played soccer again this spring, completed his Tiger Cub badge and is now working on his requirements for being a Wolf Scout. He is going on his first Boy Scout campout soon and can't wait!

His report card was outstanding and he finally got a Satisfactory on "Talking at appropriate times!" :) We like to tease him about that! He is reading like crazy right now and his favorite books right now are the Boxcar Children books.

Things for Greg and I are pretty status quo! We are both working away and trying to keep up with the three kiddos! :)

We are working on packing up to head to DC tomorrow afternoon and there will of course be a blog post on that when we get back! :)

Hope all is going well out there! I'm not sure if there is even anyone still checking this but I'm still here and I'm going to commit myself to blogging again! It is the perfect way to record our lives and share it with our friends and family!

Have a good one!

The things kids say (my kids at least!)!

Kate: "Myself! Myself!"

This is what she says when she wants to do something on her own...be it putting the butter away (like today at lunch) or getting a diaper or playing a game...funny!

Daniel: "I love you all the way to ______________ (fill in the blank!)"

He says this all the time and the words he puts in the blanks are what is really funny! This morning I was told that he loved me all the way to Grandma's windows! :) Last night he loved me all the way to Disney World and back AND all the way to Walmart and back. Funny!

Chris: With Chris it is more the way he says things this day...he is very dramatic at times and he can be so passionate about cleaning...this morning I got a "But MOOOOOOM!" with the classic expression all kids give when they say that phrase...I just had to laugh. I said it enough times growing up and I heard my siblings say it lots as well...that is a phrase and expression that will never skip a generation I've decided!

An update on us!

So it has been awhile since my last blog post!  Time sure does fly!

Things have been pretty status quo for us!

Chris did participate in his Pack's Pinewood Derby race but I will post more on that later on!  With pictures!

So to sum this little post up...we are still here...still doing well and still having fun!  :)

Be back soon with a longer post!

Oh man!

Ok...I'm horrible at updating the blog these days. Things have been crazy!

We have reclaimed our house after Christmas...all of the wonderful gifts the kids received found homes (although they don't stay there long!) and most of our decorations are down. School is back in session and things seem to be going ok!

Nothing much is really new here...we are just cruising along doing what we need to do and what we enjoy doing. I wish I had some great stories to share or something new to announce but...nothing. As I type this I realize that perhaps that is pretty boring...hmmmm...

I hope to have some pretty funny stories to share soon! :)

Hope all is well with all who are still reading!