Thank you, Jon, for rescuing these from the dumpsters at work. They were a great boredom buster on a very rainy day. Actually, they have been great on sunny days too....

The classic three year old cheesy grinOver time, Kathryn has gotten pretty good! Okay, okay, the girls are not the only ones enjoying them. Kathryn doesn't have to twist Dad's arm very hard =)

Exclusive Interview with Kathryn: a trip to Aunt Hannah's

Me: Do you remember that time we went to Aunt Hannah's? Tell me about that trip
Kate: Umm... we went on the big road and everybody was sleeping. And then we got there and we saw Cozy and Truman! And Torbin (Corbin)!
Me: Do you love Corbin?
Kate: Yes. I'm going to marry him.

Me: What are you doing here?
Kate: WATCHING CINDERELLA!!! That's my favorite movie. I picked it out and everyone watched it with me.

Me: Whoa! This looks like negligence! What is happening here?
Kate: (laughing) Maggie!!! She falled under there!!!
Me: Hmmm... is that kittens? What's the story here?
Kate: Of kittens. I love that story. We were playing house and Cozy was the mommy.


Me: That sounded like such a fun trip. Do you ever plan to go back?
Kate: Mom, can we go on Sunday? I just love Cozy and Truman and Corban and Silas. Can we, Mom? Can we go in the morning? Mom? Mom? Can we? Yes or no.

Livie's favorite spot

On a cell phone in a baby doll swing. That normal, right?

Here's my most recent attempt at a picture of all three girls. Honestly, I believe it would be impossible to get them all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. I should have Brad figure up the probability of that...

Of course, it figures that just as I get two girls looking and smiling, the other one would fall over.

Maggie growing up...

Kathryn-In-A-Box

Look what I can do!

My little big girl started sitting alone last week. Where does the time go? Wasn't she just born yesterday? She is just the best little thing with the sweetest disposition. Polly Pockets are one of her very favorite things to chew on.

Zzzz...

What's a mom to do? I try to get her out of these messes, but as soon as I do, she rolls and scoots and squirms until her face is all tangled up in it again, then she drifts off to sleep...

For those of you cringing right now, don't worry - I don't ever let her sleep like this, but she hates me for it...

One is Kate, one is Maggie... hmmm...

It must be fall

I absolutely love this time of year. I love the crisp, clean air, I love the changing leaves, I love the cloudy skies, I love the smell of bon fires, roasted marshmallows, and baked cinnamon apples... So I sent Brad and Kathryn over to our good friend's house to pick some fresh apples. Nothing says fall like Grandma Ople's Apple Pie...

The bears are in hibernation

I knew those old Beanie Babies would be worth something one day...


When I asked Kathryn what she was doing, she said, "Mom, I'm putting them in bed!" Like, what else would they be doing in shoes?!? Is that not obvious?

Somebody turned 2

Mom says now that I'm 2, I'm grumpier than I used to be.

Gramma and Grandpa sent me this really cool package. Mom made me wait until my birthday to open it. She thought Gramma would want it that way. Actually, I was easier to convince than Dad. She got me these really great pots and pans. They are my favorite. Kate and I fought over them all morning, until Mom and Dad finally said, "Okay, let's go get donuts!"

On Saturday, even though it wasn't really my birthday anymore, Taylor, Ella, and Jack, Aunt Heidi and Uncle Josh, and Nana and PawPaw came to celebrate. I got to wear my new dress from Gramma and Grandpa, go to the store with Mommy all by myself, and help her make my special cupcakes with Smarties on top. Those are my favorites.
Nana and PawPaw got me a farm with all kinds of animals in it. I got to pick it out all by myself. It was so hard to chose between the Mr. Potato Head and the Little People farm, but I finally decided on the farm. I really would have liked to play with it, but I really didn't get a chance until everyone else left and Kate went to bed.
Turning 2 was really great. Maybe I'll do it again tomorrow.

I put on my mascara before my eyeshadow today. I've felt "backward" ever since.

I had decided I would start some "fun" pre-school days with Kathryn this year, just to get her used to the idea of "school". I had this brilliant idea that we would have "themed weeks" where we would focus on something new every week, like one week would be butterflies. We would wear things with butterflies, make butterflies, observe butterflies, get library books about butterflies, you get the idea. I was so proud of myself for thinking so creatively and just knew this would be a wonderful learning experience for both of us. My bubble was completely burst when I read on her blog, that this was a completely unoriginal idea. In fact, not only is it not just my idea, there has apparently been a book already published with a whole curriculum like this. So much for originality.

Its been raining all morning. I love rainy days, especially when I can just sit curled up on the couch and read a good book. I can't do that today. I have to clean my house, then I have to go over and clean my mom's house. So much for a rainy day.

I had this great plan to get all my laundry caught up first thing this morning (I think I even promised Brad last night that I would :-O), but when I went to put a load in, I realized I was out of laundry detergant. So much for doing the laundry.

I wish I could start this day over.

Kathryn never stops talking

Ever! Sometimes if she actually falls asleep during nap time it will be quiet in her corner of the house, but otherwise, her mouth goes all day. Most of the time, Brad gets home in the evening and I say, "Oh, Kate said something really funny today..." and I can't remember for the life of me what it was. So today I decided to write them down as she said them. Here's a taste of our day:

Kate: "Did God make this cheese?"
Me: "Yes, God has made and given us everything that we have."
Kate: (looking thoughtful) "Did God make this at the grocery store or where did He make it?"

(Me putting up the coffee maker in the kitchen)
Kate: "Oh, Mom! That was what Gramma used while she was here!!"
Me: "Yes, but since she is gone, I think I'll put it up now."
Kate: "How will we ever get her back??? I miss her so much this day."

In the adult Bible class at church, we're memorizing Psalm 27. I got a little behind, so I've been desperately trying to catch up before Wednesday night. I've been repeating it every waking moment. When Kate woke up from her nap, guess what I was doing =)
Kate: "Are you done saying that yet?"
Me: "Are you tired of hearing me say it?"
Kate: (let out a huge breath) "Do you hear how tired I am?"

Gramma's been here

We had such a fun week last week when Gramma came to visit, and now today is the typical "blah" Monday where we're trying to get back in the swing of things, and I'm trying to get used to having to actually take care of the children by myself. I'm always so spoiled when she's here. I only took a couple pictures of our time together, but this was one of my favorites - Kathryn playing like a dog, and Gramma taking her for a walk:


Then this one: Kathryn and Gramma (and Pheobe) playing Guess Who, only they are playing it as a matching game. Gramma also taught her to play Memory, and to say she loves it would be an understatement. She would really be happy if I would play it with her every waking moment.

Our "big outing" for the week was meeting Brad for lunch then heading over to Zionsville to shop in the fancy shops and just enjoy the beautiful day. We were over at Mom's at different times during the week helping out and fixing meals. She is doing so well since her surgery, and seems to be on the right track to recovery. She has a dr's appointment tomorrow and they are hoping to take her cast off. She still won't be able to put any weight on it for about a month, but she has learned how to get around fairly well.

Here's my sweet little baby girl sucking on her finger...

...and chillin' out while she waits her turn in the bathtub

"I touch the stove. It was HOT!"

Never leave an almost 2 year old to stir the green beans... I turned my back for two seconds, with very clear instructions not to touch the stove. Well, you can guess what happened next, and it just happened to be one of the fingers that she sucks - ALL the time. So after a quick phone call to Brad we decided now was as good a time as any to take them away from her for good. I bandaged the blistered finger and 2 hours later (when she finally stopped screaming) I thought she was asleep. Never assume quietness=sleep.

This was day 1, operation no finger sucking:


And this was day 2:

Maggie turned 4 months old on Saturday. When we found out we were expecting her, we wondered how in the world we would manage with three babies. The Lord gave us strength, and now we wonder how in the world we could survive without her. She has brought nothing but sheer joy to our family. We love that little girl more than words could ever say.

Last Thursday Mom missed the last step down into the basement and fell, planting hard on her right foot, breaking her ankle in two different spots. Her surgery (which is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday) will require plates and pins, and about 6 weeks of bed rest/lying around. Please keep her in your prayers. As "minor" as this may seem in the grand scheme of things, it has certainly shaken our lives up a little bit. You can specifically pray that the swelling would go down enough that the doctor can actually perform the surgery on Wednesday (if it hasn't, he'll have to wait until Monday). Until the surgery is done, and the healing process has begun, her pain will not lessen at all.

Also last Thursday, my favorite husband turned 29. It wasn't the best day ever, considering the circumstances, but we did manage to eat some cake =). That's the most important part of a birthday, right?

He's a pretty special guy. I guess we'll keep him around for another year ;)

Some things never change

But other things do. Who would have guessed in just two short months that Maggie would go from this:


to this:

I guess she learned it was easier just to give in than to fight it. It is now her favorite thing to do. When all else fails, I ask Kathryn to push her in her stroller. It's a win/win situation: Kathryn is preoccupied, and Maggie is happy!

A visit from friends

So, maybe this is a little late =), but I have to confess: I haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately. I've been too busy sewing, and cleaning, and living to take the time. But I couldn't move on without posting about our wonderful weekend when the Shumake's came to visit. Our first day we headed off to the Children's Museum. It was a huge success - the kiddos were absolutely worn out by the time we made it home (yes, that's how I determine success these days). The dinosaur exhibit was incredible (that was a new one for me). The kids favorite part was probably the water and sand. But the other cool thing that they had was one of the eight Batmobile's used in the filming of the new Batman movie: The Dark Night. Pretty cool...

Then Saturday we relaxed before heading downtown to the Indian's baseball game. The weather was perfect, and the kids were more than cooperative. We sat in the yard in the outfield so the girls were able to run around, then stand up by the fence and get a "close up" view. It was just the perfect weekend. Just wish we could get them to move up our way so we could do it more often =(. Now for the pictures so you can see for yourself...

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