Lunch Fun!

We wanted to get to Artsplash early this morning to avoid both the heat and the crowds. Well, we really didn't succeed with either of those goals! It wasn't too bad - but Jack and Will had enough after sitting in their stroller for an hour and a half. The sun was bright, but there was a cool breeze, and very pleasant in the shade.

Ali decorated a cookie, painted a mini canvas (which Mommy didn't put far enough back on the table when we got home and Jack wanted to add his own artistic touch to it!), and she had her hair colored - purple and glitter. It washes out, though. That's what the volunteers said. But then as I was watching the young gal spray Ali's hair, I noticed a sign that said, "Color may not wash out of very light or very fine hair." Thanks for the heads up!

We walked over to Milwaukee Wiener and enjoyed a quiet lunch - well, it was quiet after we gave the boys their hot dogs). I took this picture of the kids together - not perfect, but I don't know the last time I got a good picture of the three of them together.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

School Prep

Well, Wednesday is the big day. Ali will start preschool. She is SOOO ready to go! She'll be going three days a week, so we hope it starts to get her into the groove for kindergarten.

I signed up for the Back to Class online class at www.debbiehodge.com - it's an AWESOME class for completing a school album - and getting one ready for a child that's not in school yet. The teacher, Trish Turay, gives great inspirational hints, too. Definitely check it out if this is something you've always been wanting to do!

I've been thinking for weeks about the pictures I want to take on that first day. I know this isn't original, but I want to find a spot outside to take a picture of her - then take her picture there on the first and last day of school every year. I think that would be a great comparison to be able to make each year.

Ali keeps telling us she's going to learn to read when she goes to school. It's very sweet. We've been working with her on writing letters - we have a dry-erase book for tracing the letters, and she really gets a kick out of writing the letters then wiping them off and doing it all over again!

Be looking next week for a post of her first day of school pictures!

Ahh, adventures at work!

Last Tuesday started out as an ordinary day. The usual smattering of court appearances, office appointments, and phone calls.

All that changed approximately 2:45 p.m.

I was on the phone with a client in my upstairs office and Mary was doing some filing in another office. Suddenly, I hear Mary yell, "Baaaaatttttttt....."

Great. A bat.

After making sure Mary was okay (she was fine - just a little spooked) I realized I still had my client on hold! I got back on the phone, all the time watching the bat fly laps back and forth in the hallway. I hurried to wrap up the phone call.

The bat kept up with the laps. It seemed like a small bat - as far as bats go. I don't remember seeing a bat flying that much at the office - at least not during the day. Whenever I've discovered one during the day, it's usually been up against a wall.

Small, but still a bat. And a moving one at that.

I wanted to try to trap it in an upstairs office, but it didn't stay put for long enough.

But I did.

For a few minutes.

But then I had to leave for a hearing.

Before I left, I called Brian, who was returning from court. I yelled into the phone, "THERE'S A BAT IN THE OFFICE!!!" (I'm sure there was a colorful word in that sentence somewhere).
After I hung up the phone, I thought to myself, what the heck can Brian do right now?

When I left for court, Mary was back in her office downstairs. I made sure the bat was "trapped" upstairs when I left. I arrived at court out of breath from all the excitement.

When I returned from court, I stuck my head in the door - we wouldn't have to worry about the bat anymore.

Tiny Dancer

Ali had her first dance class today - she's taking pre-ballet and pre-tap. She took a workshop this summer, so she'd had a taste of both classes. Ali was thrilled when a couple of the girls from the summer workshop arrived for her class. When her teacher came out to lead her into the classroom, Ali gave me a hug (at my request, not because she was being clingy), took her teacher's hand, and eagerly followed her teacher, Jennifer, into the classroom.

After her lesson, Ali and I met my parents at Milwaukee Wiener for lunch - then Ali and I stopped at TCBY for some frozen yogurt. It was a very nice mother/daughter afternoon - I think this may become a Saturday post-dance ritual for the two of us.

Sick

Monday night I took Will to Urgent Care - the after hours "instead of going to the ER for illness or injury that doesn't require the ER but occurs after your doctor's office closes for the day" doctor's office. He had been running a fever that had been responding to ibuprofen, but kept returning. He also wasn't acting like himself. Since Urgent Care is a first come, first served business, we had a little bit of a wait, but not too bad. Will was so good during the wait.

NOW.....when the lab tech pricked his finger to check his white blood cell count and swabbed his throat for a strep test, he had the reaction that most anyone would have - or at least the reaction any almost two-year-old would have - he screamed. And cried. Understandably so. Turns out he has a mild case of pneumonia.

PNEUMONIA? It's August!

Yep, pneumonia. And an eye infection.

So, as we left Urgent Care at 9:00 PM, prescriptions in hand, with no cell phone to let Eric know the diagnosis or our destination, we took off for Walgreens to get his prescriptions filled. Let me back up. We stopped at Hy-Vee first because I mistakenly believed their pharmacy was open 24 hours. Nope.

We had to wait for just a little while at Walgreens - Will occupied himself by picking out plastic plates, bowls and cups for himself and Jack and Ali - Nemo, Disney's Cars, and princesses. Perfect choices, I might add! I couldn't believe how well he was taking everything - here he was, not feeling well, feverish, and up nearly TWO hours after his normal bedtime, and he was taking it all in stride. We picked up his antibiotics and eye drops and headed home.

Have you ever tried administering eye drops to a 2 year old? If you haven't, and you don't need to, I recommend you DON'T. Even with both Eric and me, I don't think we managed to get an entire dose into his eyes. Maybe that's why the instructions are for three drops in each eye - they figure you'll miss with two, and only get one where it's meant to go.

Since he was warm when he woke up in the morning, I stayed home with Will. It worked out that I was able to check into work periodically, and only had one appointment today. Eric took his lunch during that time and I ran out to my appointment. Other than that, it was Mommy and Will day. I have to imagine in his mind, it was glorious. He and Jack typically come as a "package deal": where you find one, you find the other. It was nice being able to spend time focusing completely on Will. I really need to do that more often - spend special time with both Jack and Will individually. Hopefully, next time it won't be when one is sick!

Number Eight

Yesterday, Eric and I celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary. My parents offered to keep the kiddos for dinner so Eric and I could have a quiet dinner to celebrate. We took advantage of a gift certificate to Bev's on the River and enjoyed dinner overlooking the Missouri River. It was a beautiful evening- warm, a little muggy, quite reminiscent of our wedding day. Here we are, eight years later, blessed by God with three beautiful, healthy children, as much in love today as we were eight years ago, and looking forward to whatever the future may bring!

Bedtime Battles

The FUNNIEST thing happened last night - one of those moments you know your child won't believe when you tell the story years after it happens.

Ali sleeps with lots of stuffed animals, dolls, etc. She has a few that she "can't go to sleep without" including "Baby" and Mommy's old Cabbage Patch Kid, Sherry Betsy. Well, the deal is, if Ali comes out of her bedroom (without a really good reason, like using the restroom), she doesn't get to sleep with Sherry Betsy - and this has been working - for about a week. Last night, she went to bed a little later (since we went to the fair, and it was Friday night), and right after we shut her door, she came out for a silly reason. SOOOO....Daddy took Sherry Betsy. Oh, my goodness. Blood curdling screams followed. Ali came out once and took Sherry Betsy back to her room, screaming she can't sleep without Sherry Betsy, and Daddy followed her, and took it back. More blood curdling screaming followed. Daddy then told Ali if she came out again, he would keep Baby, too.

OH, BOY. THAT DID IT.

SCREAMING, YELLING, CRYING.

But she stayed in her room.

IT WORKED.

As she started settling down, I quietly went to her door to see if I could hear what she was saying. This is what I heard.

ALI: "AND DADDY SAID IF I COME OUT AGAIN HE'LL TAKE BABY!"

ALI (in a slightly different voice): "That's not very nice!"

ALI (screaming and crying): "I KNOW!"

And that was all I heard. Maybe a little more whimpering, but no more screaming, and she didn't come out.

I think Daddy found the solution. At least for another week or so.

Hello, Mr. Lamb!

Thankfully, the humidity let up today and we had a very nice afternoon for the Fair. First, we checked out the poultry- the ducks and chickens. The roosters kept calling out to us! William especially enjoyed the ducks - he "quack, quacked" at them. Then, we headed over to some of the 4-H exhibits - we also found some 4-H'ers from Blessed Sacrament who helped Ali make "thumbprint art." We quickly walked past the "KidZone" section - lots of sand and legos. A great idea, but not what we wanted to do at the fair.

While we checked out the animals, Ali kept asking about the carnival. She wanted to go to the carnival. We walked past some food booths and picked up some yummy fair food - potato ribbons with cheese and fresh squeezed lemonade. The boys split a hamburger, but neither of them were very interested in it. Ali wanted ice cream - no surprise there!

After our adventure at the food booths, we ventured over to the carnival. We took all three kiddos on the merry-go-round. Ali LOVED it, Will tolerated it, and Jack HATED it. Ali kept running around asking us to buy more tickets! more tickets! She also went on the "Super Slide", a dragon roller coaster, "Spin the Apple" (like tilt-o-whirl - Mom went on this one, too - a little too much spinning for me!), and a rocket-ship-like ride. Of course, she wanted MORE but the boys were really starting to show signs of fatigue. Mom and Dad played a little skeeball, the kiddos each picked a rubber ducky out of the metal tub (for which they won those terrific carnival toys!) and then headed back toward more booths and animals.

Before we left, we also saw cows, sheep, pigs and horses - Jack and Will started a "call and respond" with the sheep - "Baaaaaa!!!"

All three kids were great - especially Jack and Will, considering they spent most of the outing in their stroller. We had some very tired, and somewhat dirty, kids when we got home!

Time for the County Fair!

Today after work, we plan to take the kids out to the Woodbury County Fair. It's been so hot this week, so I hope it's not too uncomfortable. I know Ali will enjoy it - and the boys, too, as long as they don't fight us with the stroller! I will try to take and post some pictures. In the least, it will be a good way to practice animal names and sounds with Jack and Will!