Now is the winter of our discontent

If only it was a winter, and not this weird quasi-winter.  I would prefer snow and cold to the grey bleakness.  

They've been pretty happy to play inside, I believe 'Anna' is serving tea.

This little squishy looves puffs.  And anything else I will let her eat.  

They are always busy with something.  And they mix up words and phrases.  They have yet to call that stapler a stapler. And 'lequee' 'kwiweed' 'kwiwi' 'kiwi'! 

Cadence is sitting, but not moving yet.  Somehow she still manages to get into things. 

Last Tuesday we were on our way to the grocery store when Emmy threw up all over her carseat and herself.  boo.  So we turned around and went home.  Poor girl.  It was so terrible.  I made her wait and quick changed, got gloves and towels, and unloaded the other two before I cleaned her up.  I stripped her down in the garage too... the indignity.  She got a bath and went to bed... thankfully Cadence fell asleep... and I got the truly awful job of cleaning up the carseat. 
I am convinced that car seats are a subtle form of population control.  Who needs a one-child policy when you can have a list of confusing recommendations that vary by brand that don't necessarily match the actual laws in each state (which also vary greatly)?! Lets also make them next to impossible to clean, never mind that they are supposed to contain small children who are never dirty, messy, or ill at inopportune moment.  Who would want to deal with that hassle more than once?? Either that, or carseat designers are all childless.  It wasn't freezing, thankfully, so I disassembled it outside. I had the straps soaking in a bucket, the pads in the wash, and the plastic base in two pieces in the shower.  Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, day.  
I'm not sure I have ever been more thankful for nitrile gloves.
She threw up a couple more times and then seemed fine... I got groceries after Bob got home that night instead of getting to go to sewing club. [insert pity party here]  
It hit me Wednesday right before bed.  *sigh*  Cecily got it at 1 am.  I was kicking myself for not having her sleep on the floor...  I heard her and jumped out of bed, only to be hit by a wave of dizziness and nausea so bad I couldn't move.  Poor Bob. He got me a bucket and got Cecily into the shower.... I managed to recover enough to get the top bunk cleaned up and put her back to sleep on the floor with a bucket.  We took turns throwing up for a few more hours... but she's old enough to use a bucket!  There was great rejoicing!  (or something).  
We spent the next day eating crackers and working our way through a 2-liter bottle of 7-Up.  And washing sheets.  She bounced back faster than I did.  Bob stayed home to take care of us and got rewarded with a milder form Thursday.  When we're sick we get to watch a lot of cartoons:      

 They were feeling better.  I was still feeling pretty wiped out and just plain off so I canceled Chemistry for Friday.  Sad day.  

 My Squishy.

The wild berry yogurt puffs are apparently a little too sour for her.  Hehe.  Her faces were so great, though! 

Grace and Eden came over Saturday evening, and a good time was had by all.  Cadence was soooo excited to watch them all. 

Silly girls.   

 The older two got to go play with Hanna and Eva one afternoon.  They had a great time.  Cadence and I hardly knew what to do with ourselves.  
Did you know the big girls have Barbies in their room??

I can sit all by myself!! 

They love to cut things with their scissors so we tried paper snowflakes.  Emmy mostly just ripped paper.  Cecily's first attempt didn't go so well, and she was not very happy. 

 Second try was the charm though!

We got real snow the next day!  You're welcome... haha.   

I promise I don't make them shovel anything. 

I have sled pulling help!  Woohoo! 

I guess pulling all of them is my exercise for the day. 

 Cadence was really not so sure about this white stuff.

Then we went inside for marshmallows... and cocoa.   

It was sunnier the next day and we went out in the snow again... they tried to collect all the sparkly snow.
It's time for valentines! That is a valentine horse, if you were wondering.  

Friday we went to Co-op.  We discussed how to chemically dispose of bodies, and they even laughed at my 'chemistry is a party' joke (every one is tripping on acid and dropping the base!).  It was a good day.  We stayed for their annual soup lunch- much better than we would have gotten at home! Cecily was soooo excited to stay for lunch.  Counting down the days excited.  (She's also counting down the days to her dentist appointment... because she gets a new toothbrush.  Ha.)
Saturday morning the girls and I went to Mary's and decorated cookies and made cards.  Then we came home and played outside with no coats on.  Crazy.  Cadence doesn't know what to make of the weather either.

They loved it and wanted to eat their snack on the porch. 

And then Bob helped them find the last remaining snow...  she was giggling maniacally on her way to throw it at me.  She missed.  Hehe.    

I'm turning into my aunt Rita.  These cute little boys hats were on clearance and I just had to get them for Jack and Gideon.  Cadence was pleased as punch to model for me.   

 Jake was home and Bob wanted to play games... so we spur of the moment invited everyone for pizza.  The girls were super excited.  They didn't end up playing any nerdy games and I even got to play (and won!) this random game (Sushi-go?  Something like that).  Little Jack is getting so big!  He wanted to go home to bed at this point, poor buddy.  

I woke up feeling off this morning.  Of course, being me, I'll just get ready- I'm sure I'll feel better after I drink a glass of water.  I'll feel better after I eat breakfast.  I'll feel better after I get the girls ready.  I thought better of forcing myself out the door... carrying kids around church while you're lightheaded is really not a good idea.  So another Sunday at home.  *sigh*  I feel like we've missed so much church due to quasi- illnesses this winter. Or recovering from illness.  This too shall pass, right?  Blessings.  

Reunions, and Projects, and Fun

I'm feeling very nostalgic tonight.  I've been thinking about good times in High school and college all day.... of course my memory always conveniently leaves out the bad times... 

Two weekends ago I got to see these beautiful ladies again.  It was so fun to hang out with some of the 709 girls.  It's so crazy that 10 years have passed already.  We still look like college kids though, right?  So we had a good afternoon catching up at Sarah's parents house- the girls had fun playing with the other kids and putting on a "show."  The show was Cecily's favorite part. Ha.

So we have this large pantry closet that had no shelves.  I've been using these shelving units, but they didn't go all the way to the ceiling, and I felt like there was a lot of wasted space.  Also lots of junk, it was disorganized, and lest you think my house and life are perfect, behold my closet of random things.: 

I drew up plans for shelves and went to Menards a few weeks ago to pick up supplies, and then Bob put them up over MLK Jr Day.  Emmy "helped."  The painters tape is where I think studs are and where I want shelves to go.  Don't you wish you could do projects with me??  Hehe.  Bob remeasured everything because, "I've done projects with you before."  Ha.  I didn't make any mistakes this time, AND I found all the studs.   #stubornwysswomen

The assistant in her tutu. 

I wanted the top shelves to wrap around the corner... he obliged.  

 He did such a good job considering that some of the furring strips completely warped while they sat in our basement.

So now we have 5 shelves that wrap around the wall over the folding chairs!  And the vacuum fits under the bottom shelf so I can walk into the closet!  Yay!  Still the closet of random things, but slightly more organised....  also, I like pop.   

Someone, *cough* Emmy, messed with the settings on my camera.  It was taking a few seconds of video with each picture, which turned out kind of cool.  

"Grandpa Ed doesn't know how to sew."  Ok... not sure where that came from.

Teaching School!  We did colorimetry for a lab one day... they made successively less concentrated colored solutions and then used them to determine the concentration of an unknown solution.  Look at Tate making his first standard curve!  I'm so proud!  The little audience was great.  

We went to potluck last Friday evening at Jon and Nichole's.  They made spaetzle and chicken and we were all supposed to bring international dishes.  I was on vegetable so I made Ratatouille. Bob refused to even try it, but I thought it was good.   I had extra sliced veggies so the girls helped me make it again... after we watched the cartoon "Ratatouille."  They both tried it!  Which was slightly amazing since Emmy usually won't eat anything green.  

A very warm Saturday...   

Grandma and Grandpa had us for supper Sunday with Lori and kids and Pearl and Matt.  It was a nice relaxing evening.  The girls played downstairs with Cliff, and Emmy came up a few times and couldn't tell which door was theirs... I heard "Maaaammmma, maaammma, where are yoooouuu?" out in the hallway a few times, silly girl.  

Oh Cadence.  Some days she fusses all day long if she's not being carried around.  I needed to comb my hair so I stuck her in the sink.  She was happy as a clam until Emmy climbed up and turned the water on.   

Wednesday I took them swimming.  It wasn't a disaster.  This is the only picture, and it was before we left... I mean, I was juggling three of them.  I think Cadence would have enjoyed it more if we could have sat in one spot and splashed.  Instead I was following the other girls into the deeper water, holding Emmy up, getting splashed; it was not relaxing.  But the older two were pretty good and had a great time.

 We finally got Cecily's 5 year old pictures taken.  She really, really, really, didn't want the boy to take her pictures, but that's who she got and she didn't cry and she smiled nice!  So they got to play a little bit and then we went and got ice cream for a treat.

"Just around the river bend..." 

So silly. 

I got a box full of packing peanuts.... so tempting... so why fight it?  I did make them keep them in the bathroom so they would be contained to one small area. 

 If there's no snow outside...

 Cadence kept trying to eat them, thankfully they are the biodegradable corn starch kind.  Really big Puffs!  Ha.  

Another string of video clips... "oh, that's not good..."  

Blessings.

Some days are stones

And not in an "earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone" kind of way, more like a "some days are diamonds, some days are stones" kind of way.

Well we made it through December by the skin of our teeth.  After Wyss Christmas we all came down with colds and they didn't go away and they're still kind of lingering...

The girls have been enjoying their new easy bake oven.... so far we've made tiny chocolate chip cookies, truffles, and mini "oreos".

 She ate a whole springerle!

Schlipf Christmas was the 28th at the farm.  The girls got pink seal(?) travel pillows from the Californians... they were dubbed "sea dragons".

 Nina gave the girls these cool finger print books.  I was only slightly worried about ink and clothes...

New Years Eve was very low key; Bob was sick and it was Saturday night.  So Cadence and I went to church and then I let them take glow sticks in the bathtub and we ate 'special' snacks.  Emmy: "there's a hotdog hiding in my corn bread!"  Hehe.  

We put them to bed not long after their bedtime, but then Bob was still sick Sunday morning and I was coughing constantly so we didn't go to church.  

She wants to be a big girl so bad! I've started some baby food and so far she is more interested than the other two were.  Mostly she just likes chewing on the spoon.  (I hate baby food- baby led weaning is the best - especially when you're lazy like me, so I'm reeeallly not pushing it.)

 So I have a few projects on my list and since Bob was home I went to Menards alone and it was glorious.  I loaded it all up by myself and now I have a new favorite hashtag.  #stubbornwysswomen

Mom, I want to do a craft.  

She doesn't hate her stomach quite as much as she used to.  And she will happily play on the floor for a little bit now.  We alternate between pure joy and complete frustration and devastation.

Potty training began on the 2nd.  I was dreading it and so I kept my expectations very low.  I mean, if you expect it to take months and it doesn't, awesome, and if it does, well, that's to be expected, right? Emmy's been interested on and off for the last six months or so but with a baby I have not been able to commit to the amount of completely focused time it requires.... Cadence is finally at a point where she's not nursing constantly and halfway content in between times.... we bought new My Little Pony and Minnie Mouse undies and took the plunge.  So far it hasn't been terrible.  She was running for the bathroom after the first week, and so far this week any and all messes have happened in the bathroom.  Most amazingly, I'm not frustrated, or stressed, or annoyed with the process!  I didn't use any "methods"...  The things that are keeping me sane this time: towels strategically placed around the house for sopping, mop head (with rags) and Murphy's at the ready, loveseat covered with a waterproof crib mattress pad (fits perfectly!), and our rallying cry- No Puddles!  Mostly I think she just likes the one on one attention.  And that I let her change her underwear at random and not wear pants.

Cadence is 6 months and 17 lbs... 4 pounds behind where Emmy was at 6 months.  She was good for the doctor and he discovered she has an ear infection- family first!  Poor baby.  I actually thought she'd been less fussy since the new year....  so asymptomatic, and our first bottle of shaky-pudding.  (amoxicillin to normal families)      

We've been home pretty much, except for the grocery store... the girls and I went to church on Sunday.  In the evening we picked up my Mom and went to the hymn sing in Congerville.  It was a nice evening, as nice an evening you can have with three little hoydens.  They insisted that we had to stop at the farm for cocoa afterward, even though we had a snack at church.

I can almost reach it... I got it!  

 I rolled over and I don't like it! Rescue me, momma!

 Cecily had cut out a shirt for an "American Doll" that we'd never gotten around to sewing.  She insisted we had to sew it right now one evening.  It's pretty basic, a ribbon tied tank top, and all she really did was push the pedal of the sewing machine.... and then Emmy needed to sew too.  *sigh*  So we, and I use that we very loosely, made a quick drawstring bag.  Sometimes I just want to say 'not right now!', but they were sooo proud.

 This little squishy got her six month pictures taken.  She wasn't super happy to be there, so I was glad that they got one good smile.  It was raining so the girls were sad they didn't get to play on the tractors.

 Cecily got a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Barbie for Christmas.  "Chemistry Barbie!"  She came with some cool activities, although they are a little bit over her head yet.  This is a hammock you can build for Barbie- you can turn a crank and the palm leaf fans her.  In her hammock with her completely UNsafe lab outfit.  Haha.    Seriously... heels and a lab coat.... ??

They wanted to use their finger print books again.  "I'm making doot-doots!"

 A happy moment...

A not so happy moment, so big sisters took turns pushing her in the doll stroller. Also, note the lack of pants and swiffer at the ready!

 Today we headed back to "teaching-school."  It was a nice break... hard to get up in the morning.  Kindergarten is going to be brutal.  We got chicken nuggets on the way home and they wanted to eat on the picnic blanket.  Whatever.  Silly girls.

Blessings.