Happy Reformation-ween!

We've been keeping busy around here... or they are keeping me busy.... something like that.
Sometimes I forget to shut the wireless off on the tablet and they suddenly get quiet and I find them like this... "Go away, I want to watch moo-bies!" Haha.  Um... No.  "Why you shut the moo-bies off, Mama??"

Last Friday, Carol and Fred invited Greg and Mary and us for supper.  It was quite enjoyable.  Good food, good company, and a great old house that I'm only slightly jealous of.  ;)  They have all kinds of animals too (tame kittens!), so the girls thought it was the best. 

 Oh!  I have a new nephew!  We stopped by to meet Gideon briefly- Cadence is such a big girl, and he's such a little guy... hehe. 

 She doesn't like her stomach... and then she actually made it over!  Haha, she was a little bit startled.

 I want two braids like Laura(Ingalls)! 

"I'm like Mary, and Emmy is like Laura, and Cadence can be baby Carrie!"  Maybe that's what we'll do next year for Halloween...  also, I'm leaning toward using the family pictures we got when Cadence was born as our Christmas card.... because, yeah.  

We are enjoying the weather!  Although it's still hard to get outside for some reason- haven't quite figured out why.  No more mosquitoes!   Bare feet! Life is good.

 They wanted to 'do a craft' with leaves.

We spent this last weekend in Washington for Trent's baptism.  We ate supper at the condos with everyone Saturday night, and then the girls got to stay and play while we went to church.  Cadence has discovered her voice and likes to make loud squeaks so we were only in for the first half of Trent's testimony.  And they didn't have the speakers on in the baby room, so yeah.  That was a bummer.  We only stayed for his and then got the girls so they could get to bed.  

Sunday was good, I guess.  Sunday's are just rough.  It's so stressful to get everyone up and ready, and then try and keep them contained and behaving and I'm tired exhausted... by the time we get home I'm wiped out.  And I feel like I can hardly have a conversation with anyone- when I do get a chance to talk I can barely string a complete sentence together.  (If I look at you blankly, it's not you, it's me.)  *sigh*  This too shall pass, right?  Anyway.  Emmy was soooo excited she got to sit with Uncle Jakey in afternoon church.  And Grandma and Grandpa... Bob took Cadence so I got a short break from the chaos.  "Trent got WET!"  Hehe. I'm getting old- I teared up a couple of times. Neither of the older two would even look at him in the line.  Sometimes I wonder where they came from; other times it's so painfully obvious.  :P  

So today we were lazy.  And then I attempted a selfie with my little cheese.  (I apparently need more selfie practice.)   (Also, she kind of looks like a banana.  Oh well.)

The Cat and the Mouse...  I figured Halloween would be cold, because it always is, so Emmy could wear her grey coat. She's wearing Cecily's shirt instead.  And flip flops. 

SO not happy to be in her car seat!  We drove to Grandma Beutel's  briefly and they got to practice saying trick-or-treat, and thank you.   

Then we walked to our neighbors.  Honestly, I used to be kind of anti-trick-or-treating (and I was terrified of the idea as a kid), but it's the only time all year when you can just go ring your neighbors doorbell and chat. I suppose you could other times, but I would feel weird because I'm shy... And it's kind of the last hurrah to even see our neighbors before we all hole up for the winter. 

Emmy was way more into it than I expected.

 Cecily really wanted to wait until it was dark... um... no. 

 Home again!  They had fun answering the doorbell until supper time. 

Blessings.

A Wagner kind of week

 Thankfully the last week and a half has not been quite so crazy... quite.  

We got a bunch of yard work done on Saturday, swept out the garage, and row-hoed the garden.  The girls even helped Bob pick up sticks and burn the stick pile.

The little table got moved upstairs so they wanted to eat a snack at it. 

  

We tried again on Tuesday to get this little one's pictures taken.  It went much better and she smiled great.

  

Then I tried to take her to sewing club that evening.  She was good long enough for me to eat, then she screamed.  And wouldn't eat, and wouldn't calm down.  So I took her home.  I was there for about 45 minutes.  Mur.  I was a little bit disappointed, so I sulked sewed for a while.

So the grocery store now has an option to order online and they bring it out to you at the store... which sounds pretty awesome.  I tried it on Wednesday after story hour... we had a hard time getting out the door and then I left my phone at home and it was raining... you're supposed to call and tell them when you arrive.  *sigh*  I was so frustrated with myself.  I had to walk in to the store through the rain, but otherwise it was a pretty great way to get groceries!  

Since I wasn't in the best mood and it was Wednesday and I hadn't finished my chemistry lecture yet, and did I mention it was raining, I listened to all of Die Meistersinger von Nurnburg.  Because Wagner is awesome.  And Cecily asked, "is that done yet?"  Ha.  No, no it's not.

"Get on your own bike Cecy!!"

 So our bouncy seat was originally borrowed from Sharon.  After her two girls and ours the fabric cover was looking pretty sad.  And starting to shred in places.  So I sewed a new one.  I bought double faced quilted fabric and bound all the seams so it's reversible.  Woot woot.  Cadence likes it and she's figured out how to kick her legs to make herself bounce.

 Last Saturday was a lazy day and so nice out.  They are obsessed with finding acorns (we don't have oak trees), or as Emmy calls them- "eggnuts." Cecily wanted to carve her pumpkin so we did... she drew a face and I cut it out.  Emmy was more interested in rolling the other pumpkins around the porch.

 Finished product...

Then they played in the sandbox... They dress themselves... (someday when you're reading this girls, it wasn't me, it was you!)

Sunday after church we went to Tom and Andria's T-town reception.  Good times.  Sarah and Ryan were there and it was fun to see them.  We actually made it to hymn sing in the evening, so it was a full day.

Today was Cadence's 111st day!  Woot woot!  We've made it eleventy-one days, and it's all down hill from here.  Ha.  Bob suggested a three layer skillet cookie... so I baked cookie bars in round pans and made ganache for the filling and the top.  It wasn't quite thin enough so it looks more lumpy than drippy and elegant.  Oh well, it tastes great. 

 Little snuffles slept through her own eleventy-first day celebration.  (ooo, this is the reverse of the bouncy cover)

We took a picture together later.  She was not too impressed.  Also, I pretty much look as frazzled as I feel these days...

Blessings.

Life in the fast lane

It's been busy.  

Two weeks ago Bob's cousin got married in Kansas.  He went without us....  I went to Abby's wedding in Leo when Cecily was 2 months and Alyssa's wedding in Leo when Emmy was 3 months.  This time I decided that a two day 8-hour trip with a nursing baby sounded miserable. Even though I would have loved to have been there, (I haven't been to Kansas since Scott's wedding!) I know I wouldn't have enjoyed it.  It was only the third night since we've been married that we've been apart.  I know, I'm spoiled.

I took the girls to Washington on Sunday to avoid wedding crowds, and so that I'd have some help at church.  It was a good thing- Cadence was super fussy all day so Mom pretty much took care of the older girls and I was out with Cadence all day.  I spent afternoon service in the lunch room trying to get her to fall asleep and talking to Clayton.  

The girls were very happy to see Bob when he got home that night.  He took Monday afternoon off and we made a quick trip to Wildlife Prairie Park.  Checking out the wolves:

 Just chilling in the stroller... enjoying the beautiful day.

 Most of the animals were in view and active so that was really fun!

 We didn't see any bison buffalo.  Sad day.  (I refuse to call them bison... if the first English speakers here called them buffalo, why can't that be their name? Lots of things have scientific classifications that don't match their names.)

 Story hour started for the fall.  Cecily loves it.  Emmy likes to play at the library and pick out books off the shelf at random.
Last Thursday the girls and I went to Aunt Shelly's baby shower.  Woot.  I should have left them home... they ate supper before because the shower menu included soup and kids and soup and eating on their laps is just a bad, bad idea.  But we still managed to dump a plate of dessert on the floor.  And Cecily cracked her head on the stone fireplace hearth.  Ayiyiyi. 

So then she was acting weird the rest of the evening.  And was super emotional and crying and "I'm so sad."  Does your head hurt?  No.  Do you think you're going to throw up?  Yes.  (hauled her to the bathroom, she didn't.)  Does your head hurt? Yes.  O man.  All of these things are concussion symptoms.  *sigh*  She will grow out of this right?? She was feeling fine the next morning so we all went to 'teaching school.'

Playing the hippo game with Daddy

 Cecily turned 5 on Monday! Craziness.  I stayed up way too late Sunday night making her cake and it didn't even turn out very good.  Oh well, the girls thought it was pretty.  Their first look- Cecily was explaining something.

We went to the park for a little bit.  How is she five!?

 Little stinker wanted her red puppy shirt... she always has a preference.

They play so well when they're not fighting. 

It's bright out here!

They got out the party hats.  

She did not know what to think about the hat, haha.

Her blue (and pink) butterfly cake!  "It's sparkly!"

Emmy mostly refrained from opening her presents.

Mostly.  

 She had a very specific list this year: roller skates, a singing bird, and a singing card.  Grandma Lydiann sent her a singing card, and we got her roller skates and the singing bird so she was a happy girl.  Although, I think she's afraid of the skates- she's only put them on once and said they were too high and took them off immediately.

 Grocery trip... usually we get one of the car carts and they ride in the car, but they were all taken.  So instead we got in the way of everyone and my ankles hurt.

 Just chilling at the library while big sis is in story hour.

After story hour we went to Cecily's 5 year check up.  She had to get two 'pokes' that she freaked out about.  Eesh osh.  But, she's all ready for kindergarten.  
 
Today was school again.  It started off with a bang, I dropped my hand mirror and it shattered all over the bathroom.  Then I left the van door open in the parking lot.  *sigh*  Class went well; we did the flame test lab, which I love.   After class the plan was to go to Chick-Fil-a and then get Cadence's 3 month pictures taken and Cecily's 5 year pictures taken...  the best laid plans... We've been taking Matthew S. with us on Fridays since he's taking Biology at PCA, so he tagged along with us.  Lunch went well and then we got to the 'picture taking.'  Cadence sobbed and would not be comforted.  So... forget taking her pictures, lets just do Cecily's.  Oh wait, Emmy, who pretty much only drank juice for breakfast, juice box at school, and chocolate milk for lunch filled her diaper and it leaked all over her pants.  Mom cleaned her up, but they had used her extra diaper at school and all that was in the diaper bag was a swim diaper, and I had no extra pants for her.  And then when we told Cecily it was her turn she started crying.  At that point I threw in the towel and rescheduled.  I think this may go down as the great picture fiasco of 2016.

Tonight we went to the farm for Cecily's birthday party.  She got a doctor kit so everybody got two or three checkups.  We're all going to be fine. 
Blessings.