Go, Go, Goers!

G has recently discovered the closet where we keep all of our board games. I often find him playing Hi Ho Cherry-O, Candyland (aka "the gingerbread game"), and the memory game all by himself. Last week, he discovered our Twister game, and thought it would be fun to play with Ava and me. I politely declined (not sure I could become a pretzel at this age) and offered to run the spinner for him. After some begging, Ava was a good sport and joined in the game with her little brother. She actually did a great job and followed the rules, while G didn't quite grasp the full concept of keeping his various hands and feet on the correct colors while moving around. He ended up just sorta flopping around on the game board instead. And eventually he just decided it would be more fun to use his sister as the game board. I'm not 100% confident that Ava thought that was very fun... I got a head start on our Christmas shopping AND enjoyed a huge craft fair with my mom last S...

With Scott gone hunting, it puts me into the spotlight of needing to feed my children. Yikes! Last weekend, we had pizza with my parents and mac and cheese...easy peasy. This weekend, I decided we needed to incorporate some veggies and home cooked items into the menu. We did splurge on Friday night...we went to a local Barnes and Noble since they were hosting a book fair for Ava's elementary school. Ava had fun running around with a neighbor friend, and even Garrett ran into someone he knew from daycare! It was crazy and chaotic, and I might have been a little crabby by the end of the night. After the book fair, we went out for a fast dinner, and the hit up the grocery store to pick up goodies for this weekend. We walked through the door at 8:30pm, and we were all exhausted. I'm pretty sure that everyone was sleeping by 9:05pm! Fletch and Ava with Big Red (the mascot for their school).  G wasn't so sure about meeting the cardinal, but by the end he mustered up enou...

What a fun and busy week! We started off the good times with G's fourth birthday last Sunday. We invited the Minnesota grandparents to join us for dinner, cake, and presents...and it was fun! G had a blast opening his gifts, blowing out the candles, and eating mac and cheese (Scott made a marvelous turkey dumpling soup for those of us that didn't want mac and cheese. Yum!) Trying out a Halloween wine...photo bomb by Ava! G also received a happy birthday call from the Paw Patrol on Sunday morning, so that was exciting...once he figured out who was calling him. Haha! Halloween was just two days later, and man, what a day. I took the day off of work, and then learned that G's daycare was having a Halloween party, so I was able to spend a hour with all of the little kids. It was really neat to see G interact with his little buddies. Grandma Karen and Grandpa Doug were able to join that fun event, too, so G had quite the audience to entertain. ...

Should I be worried that Garrett was super excited to see how the brains were going to get out of the pumpkins last night? Thank goodness for Ava...I turned my back for 2 seconds and he picked up a knife and was trying to poke a hole in one of the pumpkins. Luckily, his big sis stopped him and took it away! I feel like the entire year is a lead up to this time. G's birthday kicks off the holiday chaos for us...his birthday is TODAY (Happy 4th Birthday to my most favorite little boy...you are so loved!), Halloween is Tuesday, and in a few short weeks, we will be eating turkeys and giving thanks. And then shortly after that, we'll be kissing under the mistletoe and leaving cookies and eggnog out for the fat man in a red suit. And THEN we'll be bidding adieu to this really weird year and welcoming a new one. We can then take a break for a bit, until we head to Florida in February for a visit with Grandma Deb and Grandpa Whitey. There is so much to do in such a short amount o...

Yes, Minnesota is a bit chilly in the winter, but the other seasons are beautiful. And to be honest, the winter also has its own special beauty. It's only when it gets to be 30 below, or the snow makes it impossible to drive, that I get a bit grumbly about it. But, I know those days are short-lived, and more beautiful days will follow. This time of year is amazing...the colors, the warmth, the anticipation of the holidays...it's a very special time. With the wonderful temps and abundant sunshine we had this week, I was able to enjoy the weather several times over my lunch hour throughout the week. There's a park by work that I had never really walked through, but this week, I went there several times to explore. There are great paved paths, plentiful benches for enjoying the scenery, hidden overlooks, and itty, bitty snakes! They were so much fun to watch. They were sunning themselves on the path, and when they felt it was time to go, they would take off in this fascinati...

Yet another busy week that has flown by in no time. Last Monday, Ava made a comment that she wished it was Saturday...I told her that we all agree with that statement... On Monday, G's daycare went on a field trip to a local apple orchard. We've been so busy this fall that we weren't able to squeeze in a trip to get apples OR pumpkins. Good thing he brought home plenty of apples to share with all of us! In addition, they learned all about pumpkins and the letter "P" this week. Guess who was finally able to join G at daycare this week? G's favorite stuffed animal, Puppy! We've been waiting for the letter "P" to be the letter of the week so he could hang out with G at daycare! Ava's doing really well in school, but this week, she brought home some math homework that even Scott and I couldn't figure out. There was one problem that we worked on for a while, and was never able to come up with a solution, so we sent her back to school with ...

We're still struggling with potty training G. He is so good with #1 (until he gets lazy) but #2 is a serious challenge. On Monday, he went to bed with a hard, extended belly...something we hadn't seen since we took him to the hospital a few years ago, and he ultimately had his appendix removed. I knew that wasn't the issue this time! His belly was nice and squishy in the morning, so I think he had some serious gas lurking inside. Poor kid. The next night, I forced him to stay on the potty before bed, and we were all able to do the Potty Dance when he was done. The size of things that come out of those little bodies is astounding. And, I also made the decision that he is getting a fiber supplement each morning. The pediatrician had recommended it for Ava, and it's working miracles for her. So, he's getting a smaller portion...and I'll be discussing more with his dr in a few weeks (for his 4-year checkup. FOUR!!! How did that happen??) This was a super busy we...