Jolly Old St. Nick

Last night was our church Christmas Party and of course there was a special guest! Kyle wants a fishing pole, Aubrey wants a baby with jammies and Olivia wants butterfly wings. We'll see what the jolly old soul can do!

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas......

at our house! The kids were so excited to go get our tree today. They had fun trudging through the snow and even more fun decorating the tree. It is beautiful and sure to be a happy place in our home!

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!

Happy Veteran's Day especially to my Dad!

Happy Halloweening!

There was an excitement in the air all day for the upcoming and very much anticipated trick or treating.

We started the day off with orange pancakes.


Kyle passed the time drawing a big ole spider web with lots of spiders

and building this train on stilts.


The girls and I napped and then they played house while giving their babies rides on their necks.


After a dinner of chili, the kiddos were ready to go.




And off we went! It was a BEAUTIFUL night and the kids really enjoyed themselves.


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A Little Bit of Halloween

The girls had a party at dance today so they got to wear their costumes. Livvie's a ladybug and Aubrey's a kangaroo. They were so excited to dress up!









After dance, we picked Kyle up from school and went to get some pumpkins. The kids thorougly enjoyed themselves gutting the things and were so proud of their jack o'lanterns!

Growing Up

Today Aubrey told me, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a mom. And when you grow down, you're going to be a kid." =)

Under Construction

I am currently trying to update my template, etc. so things might look a little stranger than usual around here until I figure this out!

How do I...........

put the title of our blog in the white box of the header?

Together Time

The kids LOVE to be read to. Usually it's a mad dash to mom's lap and tonight was no different. Luckily Aubrey was nice enough to sit on the "sidelines" while the other two were front and center! It feels great to be wanted!

A New Kyle Smile

Earlier this week I noticed one of Kyle's big teeth growing up behind his baby tooth. So we went to the dentist today and got a two-for-one deal. After pulling out the first one, he noticed the second one was loose so out came that one as well. Kyle is oh-so-proud and can't wait for the tooth fairy to visit tonight!


The new smile:



The teeth:



All ready in the pouch made by Grammy:

Happy "Fall"-ey Days!

With our warm weather, we couldn't help but enjoy some time outdoors.

Happiness is...............

homemade chocolate chips cookies.

Welcome Violet Claire!

Violet Claire was born 10/13/09 at 9:35 am weighing in at 7 lbs 2 oz and measuring 20 inches long. Welcome Baby Violet! Happy Aunthood to me again! =)

My Little Artist

Yesterday the kids were painting and Kyle came up with this sweetest picture. He says it is "Mommy and Daddy holding hands." I LOVE it!! He says it's because he loves us so much. Oh, if he only knew how much we loved him. He also adds that this picture is before they were born so hence, no kids. I just love his interpretation.

First Snowfall of the Season

They said it would come and well, it did. It is really beautiful and the kids had a most fantastic time playing in it. It makes me want to break out in Christmas carols!

I got it!

Well, the interview didn't seem to go as well as I had imagined. Of course I also imagined them bringing in a surprise spanish speaker for me to have to interview with =). BUT.......I got a call that night with an offer for the job! What an amazingly fast amount of time! So.....I am a nervous wreck but excited and can't wait to get started to see how it goes!

Wish me luck!

I have applied for a job as a Migrant Tutor at the school district and yesterday I got called to do an interview tomorrow! It's been forever since I've done a job interview and I have to say I am quite nervous! The job would be working with migrant students grades K-8, I believe, and is 15 hours a week. It sounds like a great job and I think I would really like it. With teaching and spanish-speaking experience, I think I am well-qualified for the job. Wish me luck!

Bitten by the Bug!

A week ago Kyle started running a fever. The next day Olivia did. We took them to the doctor and Kyle had to take one for the team and be tested for Influenza which came back positive. Wednesday Sage and I came down with it and now exactly a week since it started, Aubrey has come down with it. We are all ready to be healthy again!

Winter Storms Hit

I have no pictures but extrememly embedded memories of our day yesterday. Olivia has not been feeling well with an ear infection so I went home early from church with her so she could take a nap. It had been snowing all morning and was starting to blow. Now, for those who know, our road is AWFUL when it blows. We've been blown in twice so far (make that 3 times now). So as I was on the last leg to our house, I came upon a truck that was "running" three dogs and they kindly pulled over so I could pass. The windshield wipers were not clearing the window well and I could hardly see. Next thing I know, I am in the ditch. Stuck, stuck, stuck. Luckily there was that pickup coming along and they gave us a ride home. Sage came home and used my dad's truck to pull the little car out. As the day wore on, the road became more and more treacherous---blown in with snow drifts and continued snow. However, for some reason we decided to try to make it home aftering eating at my parents. BAD BAD BAD idea! We were bucking drifts left and right and couldn't see worth a darn with all the snow flying over the truck. And, you guessed it, we got stuck AGAIN. Two times in one day for Liv and I. A worker of our landlords came with his nice big tractor and pulled us out to safety and we drove home. I was SOOOOO glad to be in the warm confines of our house. They didn't plow the road until this morning and I was late for work (my one day to work) because they were so late getting out. I am ready for SPRING!

Ear Update:

Aubrey's ear continues to drain. We called the ENT yesterday and he called in some antibiotic drops we have to put in three times a day for the next week. She's being a real trooper and hopefully this will clear up soon. She has an appointment next week to make sure the perforation has closed up.

I'm All Ears!

One of our family defects (yes, we have a few) is chronic, nasty ear infections. However, for almost one year exactly, we have been ear infection-free and proud of it!

Today Aubrey started to complain of her left ear hurting. This was not alarming at all as all the kids have had colds and Kyle was complaining a few days ago of his ears hurting which resolved. However, she could not go to sleep for her nap because of the pain. So I rocked her and she slept a whole 30 minutes before being awakened in intense pain. So for the next few hours she just wanted to be held and rocked. And then, (trumpets blaring) her ear drained. At first it was "normal" ear fluid and it has now turned into blood which means her ear drum burst!! =0 =0 =0 My poor little girl. Oddly enough, ever since it started draining, she has felt much better. Now the question is.....do we take her to the doctor or not?

Extended Vacation Week #3

Now what happened to weeks #1 and #2 you might ask? Well, they didn't get written but no better time to start than now.

As you know we are on extended vacation right now and can I say that is has been nice having a live-in mother's helper (aka Sage, daddy, etc). I don't feel like a single mom which sometimes those long days and nights made me wonder. This is just one of the bonuses.

Another bonus is that we are able to spend some time with Sage's parents. Last time we can to visit (pre-vacation) we couldn't stay very long so we are taking some extra time. It is such a welcomed break and the kids love Grammy and Papa. It has been snowy and cool but it is such beautiful country here.

We also brought with us a little something of home. An oddly familiar yet peculiar smell......smoke. Not the gas station/casino variety but the outdoorsy sort of smell. Last week (Extended Vacation Week #2) we had a small problem with the woodstove downstairs which sent billows of smoke parading through our house into every possible crevice. I didn't realize that every article of clothing not washed since aforementioned incident, would reak of said smell. Although I love a good camping experience and especially roasting marshmallows to deserve such a stench, none of that occured. Just plain old stinky wood smoke. Guess I can't get away from my laundering duties but at least we should smell like we are not from the back country.....even though some may wonder.

Bad Ecomony Hits Home

Well, it looks like I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon yet again. Although to my credit, we don't have internet so it is a bit hard to keep it alive.

For those that don't know.....Sage is being laid off....technically last day is tomorrow. This also means all benefits, most importantly health insurance, are done, over, adios! This has been hard to process to try to grasp. I have been in so many offices this week filling out so many papers that I can't see straight anymore. Honestly, I never really thought I'd be in a situation where Sage would be unemployed...just never entered my mind....so I have had to learn alot and sign a lot of papers.

We knew that a lay off was a possibility starting in November but had become quite comfortable in the fact that they were doing all they could...aka reduced hours....to avoid it. So maybe that is why it has been so hard.

Sage has been very optimistic in spite of the news...keeps me going with his excitement for what lies ahead. He says he is glad he won't be bagging talc for the rest of his life.

For now we hold to our faith and our family to get us through. It is kind of exciting...in a scary sort of way...what our future holds. It also makes me appreciate the most important thing in my life and that is FAMILY. You can take the job but you can't take my family! =)