Never will I be so loved! And other parenting adventures...

Although I am not happy to report that Olivia's Kindergarten blues continue, and got a little worse two weeks ago and then again after missing school due to being sick, I am touched by the love she has for Nicholas and me. We will never be so loved as we are right now by our three children. Who else would want this hideous locket with our tiny faces in it so she doesn't get lonely for us at school?!

As I said, last week was kind of tough for Olivia, so she drew this picture of us on the back of one of her school work pages. Do you like my black, curly hair?!

Olivia 's class does a lot of writing--most drawing a picture, labeling it, and then writing a sentence about it. Here is my favorite so far from the week after Nicholas's got back from Italy.

Last week was also the start of Olivia's ballet class! She sure does look cute in her white leotard. Each age group/level is assigned a different color, and she was excited to be out of "baby pink!" I dropped her off at ballet and Nicholas picked her up, but apparently there were some tears that I didn't stick around. I felt TERRIBLE about that, but a mom at the pool this weekend told me the same thing happened to her last year with her Kindergartener--when her daughter was nervous about school, the anxiety spread to other activities where she had been fine away from mom. We're working through it.

In boy news, Jason and Leo are "playing" more and more. The fact that they are together more without Olivia is the obvious reason, but I think that Leo likes entertaining Jason in the car while we wait to pick up Olivia and playing with him in the playroom while I do laundry. 

We tried a first boy bath without the baby tub, and both boys got a kick out of it!

Leo continues to love his Duplos, and Jason reaches for them to knock over and bang together!

When it rains, it pours

Sunday morning, I woke up to the full load of laundry I had started the night before in the washer filled with water. And the washer was dead. Nicholas took care of all that--getting the wet clothes out, draining the water with a pitcher, taking the clothes our neighbors to be washed, locating a washer at Lowe's, getting the old washer out of the house, buying a new washer after several trips to stores that said they had it, and getting the new washer in and installed, and everything cleaned up! Thank goodness for my determined, capable, handy husband! And he did it all, with Leo in tow.

The reason for that was that Jason, Olivia, and I were at the ER. Olivia got a fever the night before, and didn't feel well. She was up a couple times during the night, but in the morning her fever kept going up and wasn't responding to the medicine. Then she fell asleep on the floor, see the lump under the pink blankets. Then she woke up with a 104.5 fever and threw up everywhere. I called the nurse and her doctors office, and she said to go to the ER. It turned out to be strep. The doctor said it could be the beginning of scarlet fever because of the rash on her feet, hands, and chest. After four hours out of the house, we got a prescription for antibiotics and went home. Her fever spiked to 104.9 that night. But then it broke early the next morning, and she hasn't had a fever since! Poor baby! The lethargy is always what scares me!

Olivia's Boosterathon

The first of many fundraisers, I am sure!



To donate, click here!

This is the life!!

No, really, I mean it. I am so thankful for this life. I feel really lucky to have a big, healthy family, a husband who gets it and works hard for us, a home we are happy in, food on the table, and friends all around! Here are some pictures from this life!

Leo "putting music in Jason's head!"

Trains!! These have been in the closet for months, but were hours of fun this past week!

Olivia had a great week at school last week. One day she came home with this picture of herself and her friend, Natalia. I like that although the girls look almost identical, she noticed the eye color!

This was her page of notes from her teacher! I am proud of Friday!!

And on Saturday morning we played with friends...the girls had fun painting:

Just Jason...hanging in there with everyone else's activities, getting his fifth tooth this week, and eating waffles for the first time!!

Leo growing up! He did great at the dentist this week (for the first time) and then learned to heave himself across the obstacle course at the bounce place--that was his reward for doing great at the dentist! Three and a half is looking good!

Even with the neighbors noisy in the street, my kids just wanted to hang out with me and each other Friday afternoon! I know that won't last long, so I will soak it in now!

And Nicholas joked on Saturday morning at 9:15 when we were all at the basketball courts riding bikes and playing that "this is the life I have always wanted," but truly, it is!

After two more pool trips this weekend, I have a few pictures and a video of Olivia swimming across the pool! She has to tred water to take a breath, but she's getting there!

Seven days away

Nicholas had a business trip to Genoa, Italy from Saturday, July 25 to Saturday, August 1. We REALLY missed him, but fortunately everyone was on their best behavior and we got into a pretty good routine! Here's what we did. Each day we let Jason take his morning nap from about 8-9:30 and then did an activity. Then came home for his afternoon nap from about 12-2. Then we did an afternoon activity. We tried to Facetime with Nicholas everyday, and only missed a day or two. 

Saturday afternoon: Pool -- that's usually what we do on weekend and afternoon that we aren't doing something else!

Sunday morning: Kids Together playground--a kid favorite and we hadn't been in a while. Olivia was most happy!

Sunday afternoon: Pool...seriously as much time as we have spent there this summer, you would think I would have more pictures! Olivia is such a swimmer now, and can swim the entire length of the pool!! I think that is 25 yards! Jason enjoys the water since he can sit up in the baby pool, and Leo loves splashing through the splash pad!

Monday: Back to school for Olivia! Our neighbor took her each morning so that I didn't have to get the boys in the car that early. It worked out great since she walked in each day with her friend Lucy.

Jason tried peanut butter for the first time! He loved it!

Monday afternoon: Pullen Park! It was HOT!

Tuesday morning: I worked and Leo played with the babysitter. And then later this:

Tuesday afternoon: Playdate at the neighbor's!

Wednesday morning: I worked and Leo played with the babysitter. And then later this:

And I even cooked...a little!

Thursday morning: I worked and Leo played with the babysitter. 

Thursday afternoon: Pool!

Friday morning:

Friday afternoon: Movie night! They are active in our house!

My babysitter canceled at the last minute, so I couldn't go to monthly Bunco at my neighbor's. :-(

Saturday morning: Play and lunch with Lisa!

Saturday afternoon: Pool--I cried when we left and I knew I had to put kids to bed on my own for the eighth night in a row!

Sunday while Daddy napped:

From Italy with love! This is what Nicholas was seeing!