I think we're finally back on track here in our house. Kate never did get the full blown stomach bug, but certainly had a cold (which no one else caught, amazingly). Kate was up a few nights coughing because of this cold, but seems to be back to normal now.
And normal for Kate apparently means not napping. Ever since last summer she was starting to skip naps. Then after she gave away her pacifiers, there were many more no nap days. We took to rocking her to sleep for naps if we thought she really needed a nap, since she would rarely lie down and fall asleep on her own. Then the rocking time was getting longer and longer. Then she was sleeping 11-12 hours a night, or even more. So I guess she doesn't really need naps like Anna did (or even still does sometimes). At least it gives us a big more freedom with our days and afternoons :)
Last week we tried to make up for not having many playdates the previous few weeks. We played with friends Tuesday morning, Thursday afternoon, and then Friday morning and Friday afternoon in addition to our other normal activities. The girls were both very excited to have friends come over to our house, and Kate was especially happy to get to see some of the kids her age again.
Saturday Matt took over for the day and I got to go to Milwaukee with some friends from church. Our plans entailed meeting at a park and ride at 8:30 a.m. and knowing that Milwaukee was our destination. That's it. We had a great time. We started off at the Milwaukee Public Museum (which we got into FREE because of our extended Children's Museum membership!), then went to an authentic German restaurant for lunch, and took a tour of the Pabst Mansion in the afternoon before stopping at Culver's on the way home for some tasty ice cream. Matt and the girls did just fine at home, with Matt even researching and making a crockpot BBQ chicken recipe, fresh bread, and veggies for dinner (which was waiting for me when I walked in the door :)
I wanted to mention two quick stories that have made us smile lately. First, Anna really likes to write these days. She comes home almost every preschool day with something from their writing center, and thinks it's great that she can actually write words and messages to others. Anyway, she likes to leave little "I love you" notes around the house for us. Sometimes the notes are on our bed; sometimes they are at the table; we never actually know where one might end up. With all of the random drawings and art projects that I've tossed this year, I've decided that these notes are going in a special folder to save for "one of those days" (probably during Anna's teenage years) when I need to remember finding an "I love you" note from Anna.
The other story was just how fun it is for Matt and I to be in the same room with Kate and Anna while they're playing and be able to eavesdrop on their play. They can be downright hilarious without really meaning to, and usually it's best for us not to join in with their play if we want to catch any of these moments. For example, this afternoon they were playing "house" with Kate being "Sara" and Anna being "Matt". "Matt" would tell "Sara" that he was leaving for a meeting and would be back sometime the next day, but that "Sara" could call him if he needed anything. Then "Matt" would leave the room (this was all going on in Anna's room) and within about 15 seconds "Sara" would start calling out "Matt! Matt!" with some random request about how the baby was crying. I think they even had a doll who was "Anna" and one who was "Kate". What made this so funny was the look on Anna's face whenever she heard Kate calling for her, and the fact that they kept it going for close to an hour. Crazy kids :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Yuck, yuck, yuck!
The idea that only I could get the stomach bug was pretty unlikely. Last week on Wednesday I got the call from preschool that Anna was sick and would I please come and pick her up early :( By the time I got there, she was feeling much better, but I know that several of her classmates were worried about her being sick. Luckily Anna didn't have a fever or anything, but she was sick overnight again on Wednesday and then didn't eat much on Thursday. By Friday she was eating some, but would still complain of an upset stomach.
At the same time, Matt came home from work on Wednesday, went immediately to bed, and didn't really get up until Friday morning. That's not completely true. He went in for a short meeting in the middle of the day on Thursday, but was in bed otherwise.
While this was going on, Kate slept from about 8 on Wednesday until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. What?!?! She, thankfully, never threw up, but was on the same toast and applesauce diet on Thursday just in case. She also slept ridiculous amounts on Thursday night and I had to wake her up for our dentist appointments on Friday morning.
Speaking of which, the girls and I had our dentist check-ups on Friday morning. I figured that I didn't want to have to reschedule if I didn't have to, and everyone had kept everything down for more than 24 hours, so that was our only outing from Wednesday through Saturday morning.
Kate was so proud of herself when she got to sit in the dentist chair. I can't believe she's getting to be such a big kid! The only thing notable from her check-up was that she is finally starting to get two of her two-year molars (the other two aren't even close). This poor kid has been such a slow teether.
By Saturday I needed to get out of the house. I took the girls downtown to see a musician in the morning and then after naps we all went into McFarland to the local sledding hill. Anna had a great time and was certainly a trooper about climbing back up the hill (at least at the beginning). Kate is still just too little to really be able to enjoy this kind of thing. We'll keep working on her, though, because as we learned on Saturday, it can be a lot of fun :)
We seem to be back to relative normal around here, expect that Kate is working on the tail end of a cold and has a yucky nighttime cough because of it.
When we were confined to home last week, we did a couple of fun playing baths in the evenings (instead of the more common quick showers).
Then on Monday morning while I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes, the girls came upstairs dressed as "princesses" complete with wallets and told me I was the queen. I'm okay with that :)
On Monday, Anna's assignment for preschool was to bring in a picture of something or someone she loved. She asked me to take a picture of Kate holding the stuffed duck that she bought with her own money because those were two of the things she loved most. Please excuse Anna's finger that was in front of the camera as she helped me take this picture.
At the same time, Matt came home from work on Wednesday, went immediately to bed, and didn't really get up until Friday morning. That's not completely true. He went in for a short meeting in the middle of the day on Thursday, but was in bed otherwise.
While this was going on, Kate slept from about 8 on Wednesday until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. What?!?! She, thankfully, never threw up, but was on the same toast and applesauce diet on Thursday just in case. She also slept ridiculous amounts on Thursday night and I had to wake her up for our dentist appointments on Friday morning.
Speaking of which, the girls and I had our dentist check-ups on Friday morning. I figured that I didn't want to have to reschedule if I didn't have to, and everyone had kept everything down for more than 24 hours, so that was our only outing from Wednesday through Saturday morning.
Kate was so proud of herself when she got to sit in the dentist chair. I can't believe she's getting to be such a big kid! The only thing notable from her check-up was that she is finally starting to get two of her two-year molars (the other two aren't even close). This poor kid has been such a slow teether.
By Saturday I needed to get out of the house. I took the girls downtown to see a musician in the morning and then after naps we all went into McFarland to the local sledding hill. Anna had a great time and was certainly a trooper about climbing back up the hill (at least at the beginning). Kate is still just too little to really be able to enjoy this kind of thing. We'll keep working on her, though, because as we learned on Saturday, it can be a lot of fun :)
We seem to be back to relative normal around here, expect that Kate is working on the tail end of a cold and has a yucky nighttime cough because of it.
When we were confined to home last week, we did a couple of fun playing baths in the evenings (instead of the more common quick showers).
Then on Monday morning while I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes, the girls came upstairs dressed as "princesses" complete with wallets and told me I was the queen. I'm okay with that :)
On Monday, Anna's assignment for preschool was to bring in a picture of something or someone she loved. She asked me to take a picture of Kate holding the stuffed duck that she bought with her own money because those were two of the things she loved most. Please excuse Anna's finger that was in front of the camera as she helped me take this picture.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Snow!
Last Thursday we finally got our first real snow of the season!
Unfortunately, it coincided with a nasty migraine for Mommy (stupid weather change!) and then a short, but intense, bout with the flu for me, too. Yuck! Between those two Mommy events, though, I was able to get outside and play in the snow with both girls.
Then Matt got them outside for a bit on Friday while I was laid up in bed. Saturday we finally all got out together for some fun time as well.
A fair bit of the snow melted yesterday, but that meant the girls and I were able to build a snowman with the slushy snow. Then today we got another few inches so were back out in the afternoon to play again.
As for sickness, I'm all better after sleeping most of Friday. Kate somehow managed to get a cold out of the deal, but no one else has gotten the fever. Thank goodness! Matt and I gained a deeper appreciation for each other after he was a single parent for some of Thursday and all of Friday :)
Prior to the snow coming down, we had a few amazing January days in the 50s! In the course of a week, I think we visited our favorite park three different times :)
The tree guys finished things off, too, and Matt was hard at work (with a little help from me) trying to move the "smaller" chunks of wood behind the garden shed to be split at a later date and dried for firewood.
Four truckloads have been moved, but much remains ...
Unfortunately, it coincided with a nasty migraine for Mommy (stupid weather change!) and then a short, but intense, bout with the flu for me, too. Yuck! Between those two Mommy events, though, I was able to get outside and play in the snow with both girls.
Then Matt got them outside for a bit on Friday while I was laid up in bed. Saturday we finally all got out together for some fun time as well.A fair bit of the snow melted yesterday, but that meant the girls and I were able to build a snowman with the slushy snow. Then today we got another few inches so were back out in the afternoon to play again.
As for sickness, I'm all better after sleeping most of Friday. Kate somehow managed to get a cold out of the deal, but no one else has gotten the fever. Thank goodness! Matt and I gained a deeper appreciation for each other after he was a single parent for some of Thursday and all of Friday :)
Prior to the snow coming down, we had a few amazing January days in the 50s! In the course of a week, I think we visited our favorite park three different times :)
The tree guys finished things off, too, and Matt was hard at work (with a little help from me) trying to move the "smaller" chunks of wood behind the garden shed to be split at a later date and dried for firewood.
Four truckloads have been moved, but much remains ...
Monday, January 9, 2012
Our winter without a winter?
This winter has been very abnormal here. December was cool and rainy, but with very little snow. January so far has been sunny and warm, or at least warm for a Wisconsin January. We'll take what we can get and make the most of our days, I guess.
Last Friday afternoon we went to a park and played for at least an hour with some friends. No one was too terribly cold by the end even! Saturday we were going to go for a family hike in the afternoon, but changed our minds and ended up going swimming at the high school indoor pool. I forget how much Kate and Anna love being in the water, especially when we haven't been swimming in awhile.
Sunday we went on our family hike. Poor Kate wasn't too excited about the ordeal, I think she was just too tired, but Anna loved every minute of it.
We saw a marsh, grasslands, forest, a drumlin (a big, glacial hill), Indian mounds, beavers, footprints, and frozen cattails, among other things.
Today and tomorrow are supposed to be bright, sunny days again so we'll see where we end up after preschool. This morning the girls had their faces plastered to the back windows since our big elms in the backyard are finally getting taken down.
It's a bitter sweet experience to see the trees go. Missing their shade in the summer months will be worst, but we'll also miss their sounds when the breeze blows, all of the green they give to our yard, and the birds they attract. However, they were both very old and were losing many larger limbs with every storm the past few summers. Plus, their structural integrity was in question, especially after the lightning last summer. So we'll probably sleep easier in windy weather knowing that they aren't hanging near the house.
As I write, the background noise includes chainsaws and big "thumps" of large limbs hitting the ground.
Anyway, I wanted to share two silly stories that have happened recently. First, the girls have fun sometimes going back and forth with mock bickering. Here's a sample of their conversation yesterday in the car:
Kate: Anna, here's your duck. (a stuffed animal that was brought along)
Anna: I don't want my duck!
Kate: Then I'll throw it at you.
Anna: Then I'll take it and throw it out the window.
Kate: Then I'll jump out of the car and get it and give it back to you.
Anna: Then I'll put poison on it and give it back to you.
Kate: Then I'll take the poison off and throw it at you.
and on and on.
Matt and I were laughing pretty hard as it kept going.
Also, I don't know if anyone else's kids are like this or not, but for some reason our girls get more and more energy the fewer clothes they have on. In the winter we have been known to let them run around naked for awhile just before baths, but last night they started early with taking their clothes off. First the shirts came off and they ran around with just pants. Then the pants came off and they decided to turn off most of the lights in the house. They proceeded to run around with just undies and playing some kind of game where they were rats skittering around. What can we say? They're just crazy :)
Last Friday afternoon we went to a park and played for at least an hour with some friends. No one was too terribly cold by the end even! Saturday we were going to go for a family hike in the afternoon, but changed our minds and ended up going swimming at the high school indoor pool. I forget how much Kate and Anna love being in the water, especially when we haven't been swimming in awhile.
Sunday we went on our family hike. Poor Kate wasn't too excited about the ordeal, I think she was just too tired, but Anna loved every minute of it.
We saw a marsh, grasslands, forest, a drumlin (a big, glacial hill), Indian mounds, beavers, footprints, and frozen cattails, among other things.
Today and tomorrow are supposed to be bright, sunny days again so we'll see where we end up after preschool. This morning the girls had their faces plastered to the back windows since our big elms in the backyard are finally getting taken down.
It's a bitter sweet experience to see the trees go. Missing their shade in the summer months will be worst, but we'll also miss their sounds when the breeze blows, all of the green they give to our yard, and the birds they attract. However, they were both very old and were losing many larger limbs with every storm the past few summers. Plus, their structural integrity was in question, especially after the lightning last summer. So we'll probably sleep easier in windy weather knowing that they aren't hanging near the house.As I write, the background noise includes chainsaws and big "thumps" of large limbs hitting the ground.
Anyway, I wanted to share two silly stories that have happened recently. First, the girls have fun sometimes going back and forth with mock bickering. Here's a sample of their conversation yesterday in the car:
Kate: Anna, here's your duck. (a stuffed animal that was brought along)
Anna: I don't want my duck!
Kate: Then I'll throw it at you.
Anna: Then I'll take it and throw it out the window.
Kate: Then I'll jump out of the car and get it and give it back to you.
Anna: Then I'll put poison on it and give it back to you.
Kate: Then I'll take the poison off and throw it at you.
and on and on.
Matt and I were laughing pretty hard as it kept going.
Also, I don't know if anyone else's kids are like this or not, but for some reason our girls get more and more energy the fewer clothes they have on. In the winter we have been known to let them run around naked for awhile just before baths, but last night they started early with taking their clothes off. First the shirts came off and they ran around with just pants. Then the pants came off and they decided to turn off most of the lights in the house. They proceeded to run around with just undies and playing some kind of game where they were rats skittering around. What can we say? They're just crazy :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Vacation time and beyond
After getting home last week on Wednesday, we were a little unsure of how the transition from crazy Christmas preparations and celebrations back to reality was going to go. We had a nice family meeting on Thursday morning (after there were a few too many tears before 7 a.m.), and then things were great :)
It was wonderful for all of us that Matt was home from work for several days. Both girls got to have some "special time" with each of us parents, we had some good family moments (going to Olbrich Gardens together and making Mischnick pizza for New Year's Eve to name just two), and we all had some nice personal time, too. We even managed a few trips out to run errands and do some after Christmas shopping. I always seem to think those trips will go smoother than they actually do ... hmmm.
I had been anticipating some friction between Kate and Anna after having so much time together, but by the end of last week, I think they'd actually grown closer than they were before. They are SO sweet to each other (most of the time) and it's simply amazing to be able to sit back and watch them (or listen from the next room).
Unfortunately, we've been feeling quite cooped up indoors the last several weeks. We still haven't gotten much snow to speak of and the out-of-doors just isn't that exciting when it's cold, overcast, and there is no snow. After some of the record breaking winters we've had recently, it's been disappointing to have so little winter snow. At least today and tomorrow are supposed to be sunny and in the 40s; we will be heading outside as soon as Kate wakes up from her nap and won't be coming back in until the sun goes down :)
It was wonderful for all of us that Matt was home from work for several days. Both girls got to have some "special time" with each of us parents, we had some good family moments (going to Olbrich Gardens together and making Mischnick pizza for New Year's Eve to name just two), and we all had some nice personal time, too. We even managed a few trips out to run errands and do some after Christmas shopping. I always seem to think those trips will go smoother than they actually do ... hmmm.
I had been anticipating some friction between Kate and Anna after having so much time together, but by the end of last week, I think they'd actually grown closer than they were before. They are SO sweet to each other (most of the time) and it's simply amazing to be able to sit back and watch them (or listen from the next room).
Unfortunately, we've been feeling quite cooped up indoors the last several weeks. We still haven't gotten much snow to speak of and the out-of-doors just isn't that exciting when it's cold, overcast, and there is no snow. After some of the record breaking winters we've had recently, it's been disappointing to have so little winter snow. At least today and tomorrow are supposed to be sunny and in the 40s; we will be heading outside as soon as Kate wakes up from her nap and won't be coming back in until the sun goes down :)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Colba Christmas
On Monday morning we headed up to Augusta for the Colba Christmas. Adam and his girlfriend, Libby, joined us on Monday evening and we all stuck around until Wednesday after lunch.
We had a nice visit, filled with Kubota rides, books, good food, books, hikes in the woods, books, exchanging gifts, and more books. It's amazing how many books Anna and Kate will listen to. Usually at home Matt or I limit the number of books simply for our own sanity, but both girls had an endless supply of "readers" this week :)
One of the highlights for Kate and Anna was getting their gift from Uncle Adam ... matching beanbag chairs :)
The girls didn't sleep as well as they did the last time we visited, but there was certainly more excitement this time around and also fewer opportunities to run around outside and get tired. Oh, well. Kate got to sleep in, but didn't take a nap, whereas Anna was up early and yet did take a nap. Either way we were all thankful to get home, have the excitement of Christmas end, and get a few good nights of sleep under our belts :)
We had a nice visit, filled with Kubota rides, books, good food, books, hikes in the woods, books, exchanging gifts, and more books. It's amazing how many books Anna and Kate will listen to. Usually at home Matt or I limit the number of books simply for our own sanity, but both girls had an endless supply of "readers" this week :)
One of the highlights for Kate and Anna was getting their gift from Uncle Adam ... matching beanbag chairs :)
The girls didn't sleep as well as they did the last time we visited, but there was certainly more excitement this time around and also fewer opportunities to run around outside and get tired. Oh, well. Kate got to sleep in, but didn't take a nap, whereas Anna was up early and yet did take a nap. Either way we were all thankful to get home, have the excitement of Christmas end, and get a few good nights of sleep under our belts :)
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