Flag Footbal

Tonight we wrapped up Flag Football.  It was kind of windy and sprinkled for a little bit, but they were able to get their last game in.  Matthias really enjoys football, so it is probably something we will sign him up for again.

Field Trip

Justus' class took a field trip to the St. Louis Zoo today.  Jon actually went with his class.  Jon and Justus both told me they had a lot of fun.  They did an animal scavenger hunt and were able to find all the animals on their list.

Last night of Soccer

Justus had his last night of soccer tonight.  We also forgot to put him in his soccer shirt....oops.  Now he's that kid in the wrong shirt in the team picture.  Oh well.  He didn't seem to care.

In Addition

In addition to Charley's new love for dogs, she has a new love for Neifi.  Notice how Neifi is trying to get away.  She is constantly grabbing him, picking him up, and petting him.  He hides from her a lot in our closet.

Baby Dedication

This morning at church was Baby Dedication Sunday.  As part of the celebration they brought in the pre-schoolers to sing a couple of songs.  Charley was so excited to be up on stage and to be able to see us in church.  She was, of course, the cutest girl up there.

Spring Fling

Today at the boys' school they had Spring Fling.  The K-2nd graders doing a few songs, and they have games and stuff set up.  The boys were really excited to go.   We kind of made a  day of it.  We got there early for the class performances.  We then played some games, ate lunch, won some cookies in the cake walk, and then got snow cones before heading home.  They were all pretty wiped out.

Didn't I Just Clean Up in Here?

Fridays are the day that I clean up the whole house.  I clean the other days of the week, too, but this is the day I pick up everything off the floor and vacuum.  A clean floor doesn't last long with three kids in the house.  Usually, it lasts until the boys get off the bus.

Celebrate

Tonight we decided to celebrate the good news of Jon's new job.  The plan was that while Jon was at flag football with Matthias I would go grab pizza from one of Jon's favorite places.  It is in about a 15-20 minute drive, so I was going to go pick it up and be back around the same time as he and Matthias.  Charley and Justus were with me, and when I opened the door to the garage to have them load up I noticed that the front passenger tire on the van was completely flat.  We have an air compressor, so I hooked it up, called Jon and told him there would be a delay in the plan.  Jon ended up meeting me at Wal-Mart while the tire was being patched.  He took the kids home and I went to grab the pizza.  We ate a little later than normal, but the pizza was still good, and it was still wonderful to celebrate Jon.

New Job

I love my husband.  He is pretty awesome for multiple reasons.  Today, he surprised me by coming home early with a huge bouquet of flowers to tell me that he got a new job!  I am so excited for and proud of him.  After seven years with the trust company he is switching to a new job in mutual funds and insurance as a Senior Product Specialist.  He won't actually start the new job until June 2nd, but we are still excited.

Hanging out in the Van

Tonight was soccer.  It was really cold and rainy, but they still had it.  Matthias, Charley, and I ended up hanging out in the van watching a movie while Justus and Daddy were outside in the cold.

Joey the Fish

We have had Joey for a few months now.  I am so surprised that he has survived this long.  At first we had two fish, but Max died after 2 days.  I was sure that Joey would soon follow, but he is hanging in there.  Today I cleaned his tank, which really isn't a fun job, but required.  I'm beginning to wonder what the lifespan of this fish is.  Maybe I will look that up today.

Party Time

Today, Matthias attended a soccer birthday party.  We have been attending so many birthday parties this year.  Maybe it's the new area or maybe not, but last year we only got invites to a couple parties all school year.  This year we have a birthday party at least once a month, and sometimes more.  The kids really enjoy going to them.  They love being able to play with their friends in a fun setting outside of school.

Me Time

This week I have been a little stressed out.  I'm not really sure why, but I have just felt stressed.  Tonight Jon gave me a little break from the house and I got to go get a pedicure.  It was wonderful!

My Husband Gets Me

I have a favorite pen that I like to write with.  Unfortunately, these pens come from Jon's work, and I only get one when Jon brings one home from work and forgets to take it back with him.  This morning I found this little surprise for me.  I was pretty happy about it, too.

Future Babysitter

Today Charley and I watched Baby Addie.  She is the happiest little baby.  Charley just loves her.  She gets so excited when we see Baby Addie at church and community group.  Charley especially liked having Baby Addie over to our house.  She is a good helper also.  She likes changing diapers and feeding the baby her bottle.  She does, however, also become a little jealous when Mommy is giving the baby attention and not her.

House Hunting

Tonight we went to look at a house to possibly buy.  We aren't really in the market yet, but we kind of keep our eyes open for a good deal and the perfect house.  We are looking in a very specific area of St. Charles, and good houses don't stay on the market long in this area.  I doubt we will buy until next spring, but we don't want the perfect house to pass us by.  The house we looked at tonight was not the perfect house, and we are okay with that.

Goal!

Justus has really been enjoying soccer.  He is doing really well also.  I'm hoping he enjoys it enough to want to play again in the fall.  We shall see.

Puppy Love

Charley has been begging us for a puppy.  She has turned the corner from being scared of dogs to loving them.  For now our neighbors dogs will have to do.  She loves when they come outside.  She talks to them and runs along the fence beside them.  It's a pretty good deal for me...but I don't know how long she will be satisfied with the neighbors dog, and I don't know how long Jon can tell his cute little girl "no".

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from our crazy kids!

Our Date Continued

Jon and I continued our date this morning.  We went out to breakfast at a local restaurant.  We have been trying to go to local restaurants, or at least restaurants we have never eaten at, when we get the chance.  This place was pretty good, and it was nice to sit and enjoy breakfast with Jon.

Date Night

So last night, our friend and old neighbor texted me and aksed if we had plans for today.  The kids were off school since it was Good Friday.  Jon had already decided to go into work even though he didn't have to because he is behind on a few things, so I told her we didn't have plans and asked if she would like us to come see her.  She of course said yes.  When I got up this morning she again texted me and asked if she could keep them overnight....of course I said yes!  It has been a while since Jon and I have been kid-free for an entire night.  We went out to dinner and then went to see Captain America 2.  The movie was great, and now we get to sleep in tomorrow morning!  It doesn't get much better than that.

I Spy

I spy a sleepy little girl.  I got up this morning and Matthias came running up to me, "Shh, Mom.  Charley is sleeping on the couch."  I was a little nervous when he told me.  I was really hoping she wasn't sick.  She rarely falls back asleep once she is awake, but there she was asleep on the couch.  She woke up a little later and was completely fine.  I guess she was just tired.

Discovery with Dad

Today at Charley's school they hosted Discovery with Dad.  Jon took a half day and we went out to lunch and then Jon and Charley went to her school.  They had each room set up with a different science project.  Charley was so excited to take Jon to her school and show him off.  It was super sweet how excited she was.  She kept asking Jon if he would juggle for her friends at school.  She is so impressed that Jon can juggle.  Anyways, they had a great time and Charley was excited to tell me all about what they did.  Jon really enjoyed spending special time with Charley at school too.

All Better

Today, Justus woke up feeling all better.  I was so glad.  He even got to go to soccer!  He really enjoys playing.  It is a non-competitive soccer group, which is perfect for Justus.  He has so much fun playing!

Sick Again

Justus once again got off the bus sick today.  I'm not sure what is going on.  Last week when he was sick he only threw up once, and it was the smallest amount....not the case today.  Poor guy.

Game Day

On the weekends we are a little more relaxed with how much screen time the kids get.  When they start to fight over the Kindle we take it away, but today they all shared and played well with each other.  I think it was mostly because I let them "buy" a new free game.  They always love getting new games on the Kindle, and they don't want to get it taken away, so they are a little nicer to each other so that doesn't happen.

Early Easter Celebration

Today we celebrated Easter with Grandpa, Aunt Sarah, Shelby, and Jaden.  We went out to lunch and then came back to our house for a little Easter egg hunt.  The kids had such a great time finding all the eggs, and eating all the candy too.  When we were done with the egg hunt we took the kids roller skating.  They all had a great day, and hopefully they will sleep really well tonight!

Responsibility Bucket

Matthias was so excited when he got home from school today.  He told me he had something to show me.  He pulled out these little superhero figures and a car.  He said he had been really good at school and that he got to pick something from the responsibility bucket.  He was so proud, and that made me proud of him too.

Flag Football

So Justus has soccer on Tuesdays and Matthias has Flag Football on Thursdays.  The first couple of weeks it was cold and/or rainy, so we couldn't all go because it was pretty miserable outside.  Now the weather has been nice enough for us all to go watch.  Matthias really enjoys football....at least for now.

Cupcakes

One of the couples from our Community Group had a baby last Friday.  In order to welcome their new addition and to take a little bit of a burden off the family, our community group took turns taking them dinner.  I made baked ziti, salad, garlic bread, and these yummy lemon cupcakes with homemade cream cheese icing.  They were so yum!

Sick Boy

Charley and I were outside playing today waiting for the bus.  When it pulled up, Matthias ran off,  "Mom, Justus is sick!"  I figured he was exaggerating because I figured the school would have called if he really were sick.  Sure enough though when Justus stepped off the bus he was as white as a ghost.  The bus driver said his teacher had gotten on the bus to warn her that he wasn't looking so good at the end of the school day, so she might want to keep an eye on him.  I told her thanks and ushered Justus inside.  He went straight to his room and crawled into his bed.  He rested until Jon got home from work about an hour later.  Justus seemed to be doing better, and we thought maybe he had gotten a little motion sickness or something, so we decided he was okay to go to soccer and he was okay with going too.  Jon had to take Charley to her last night of gymnastics, so I loaded up the boys and off we went to soccer.  We made it about two miles down the road before Justus yells, "I'm going to throw up."  And then he did.

Busy Day

Today was a pretty crazy day.  Jon and I had a follow up appointment this morning at The Miriam Learning Center regarding Justus' evaluation.  So, this morning I got the kids up, got them ready for school, and waited for the bus with the boys.  After the bus picked the boys up I dropped Charley off at a friends house, and then headed to our appointment.  Our appointment went really well.  Justus has been diagnosed with Autism.  The appointment was a bit overwhelming, but in a good way.  Before the appointment Jon and I both felt overwhelmed because we had no idea what we should do, what direction we should be heading or anything.  After the appointment we now have a plan in place, which is a good feeling.  We are setting up a meeting with Justus' school to get him the attention and help he needs there.  We are also enrolling him in a two week day camp through the MLC, which is designed to help kids like Justus with social skills.  The camp has a fun theme of "Mystical Magic".  He is pretty excited about it.  We are excited for Justus as well.  I am looking forward to watching him learn new things and new skills that will help him succeed in school and life.

Sunday Lunch

Jon gives me the day off of cooking on Sundays.  We almost always just grab lunch and bring it back to the house, but today we decided to go out to a restaurant after church.  We picked a restaurant we had never been to called Mimi's Cafe.  At the end of the meal Jon asked about their muffins because he enjoyed the carrot bread they brought out at the beginning of the meal which they also have a muffin version of.  When he told our waitress he was interested in getting some muffins she asked if this was our first visit, which it was.  She left for a minute and then brought back this box of complementary muffins.  I was so impressed!  Maybe we should go out to eat more often!

Money, Money, Money

This morning I had a friend's bridal shower to attend.  While I was gone Jon took the kids out in the yard to pick up "gumballs"...those little spikey balls that fall off trees.  Anyways, Jon set the reward for each gumball they picked up at $.05...thinking that was a good deal.  Little did he know it would end up costing us a small fortune.  I wish I could have gotten some pictures of them cleaning up the yard, but I wasn't here...boo. This afternoon we told the kids if they wanted to we could go to the store and they could spend the money they earned cleaning the yard.  Matthias and Justus both bought Legos, and Charley bought this cute little flapper girl dress.  

Playing with Baby Addie

This evening I watched our friends adorable little 4 month old girl.  Her name is Addie.  Charley and Matthias were so excited!  They played with and entertained her most of the time she was at our house.  They both love babies.  Matthias kept saying how cute Addie was and Charley is just a little momma.  She wanted to hold, feed, and change Addie's diapers.  I really didn't have to do much except supervise.

Muddy Puddles

One of Charley's favorite shows is Peppa Pig.  Peppa's favorite thing to do is jump in muddy puddles, so of course that is now one of Charley's favorite things.  Today she asked if she could go outside and jump in muddy puddles.  This is typically something I say no to since I don't want to deal with the clean-up, but today I said yes.  Because...why not?  Cleaning her up really wasn't that difficult, and she had so much fun while outside.

My Little Helper

Charley loves helping me in the kitchen.  I love that she loves helping me.  Almost every night she pulls a chair over to the stove to help me add "gredients" to dinner.  I feel like it is a kind of special time.  I hope this is something she always remembers doing with me.

Mommy - Daughter Time

So technically I spend a lot of Mommy/Daughter time with Charley, but most of the time it is just everyday activities and errands.  Last night she asked if I would take her to the zoo.  I was a little hesitant, but I told her yes.  I woke up this morning kind of hoping she would forget about our zoo trip.  She did not.  In the end though, I am so happy she didn't.  I loved going with her.  She was so excited the whole time!  A lot of the animals weren't out since it was pretty cool that day, but we did get to see the seals and the elephants...two of Charley's favorites.  They are doing a little bit of construction at our zoo.  They are building a new habitat for the bears and adding polar bears, which I am pretty excited about.  So one of our favorite things to do is see the penguins, which is closed right now until next year.  I believe they are expanding the penguin house to include the polar bears, but I could be wrong.  Anyways....all-in-all it was a great day hanging out with my girl.

Opening Day

Opening Day has become somewhat of a holiday in our house.  Jon always takes the day off of work so he can catch the first pitch of the Cubs game.  He also enjoys the same meal....nachos!  Today was no different.  Jonathan came home early to watch the game, which started at 12:05 and he enjoyed nachos during the first inning.  The great thing is the kids were all at school so I could actually sit and watch with him this year.  The Cubs ended up losing 1-0 in the 10th, but it was still a good day to enjoy baseball!

What's This I See

Sunday's are typically pretty laid back at our house.  Church and then relaxing.  This morning we didn't make it to church :(....but I did wake up to Jonathan cleaning the house.  He had picked up the living room, cleaned the kitchen, and was starting to vacuum.  I just love him!

Movie Night

Jon has been really wanting to rent a movie lately, and I have either not wanted to or we have had something else that kept us from being able to.  Tonight was wide open, so I told Jon that we could rent whatever movie he wanted.  He settled on 2 Guns.  It was okay...not my favorite...and not Jon's favorite either, but it was one we had both wanted to see...and now we have.

Spring has Sprung

I was so excited to look out the window today and see little patches of green in our front yard!  They are day lilies, and I am so excited to watch them grow this year!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Tonight Matthias started flag football.  It was very cold and very windy, but we all made our way out to the field to watch.  Justus, Charley and I ended up leaving to head to Community Group.  Jon decided to take Matthias out for some Daddy time.  They went to Chili's to get dinner and then got to hang out until the rest of us got home.

Hanging with Baby Theo

Tomorrow is one of my friend's birthday, and her husband decided to surprise her by taking the day off and taking her out for the day.  That meant that I got to watch Baby Theo!  He is such a sweetie, and Charley loves to help me take care of him.  She also gets a little jealous at times, but overall loves having him over.  It was fun taking care of him, and also giving our friends time to themselves to enjoy the city.

Science Experiment

Last night while doing Justus' reading homework, which was about plants, there was a little experiment that involved colored water and a celery stalk.  Justus was really excited to try it to find out what would happen, and since he was so excited about it there way no way we couldn't do it.  Thankfully I already had everything we needed so that made it easier.  So before bed we put the celery in some blue water...and when we got up this morning the leaves were turning blue.  Justus wasn't too impressed, but I'm glad that he was excited about it.

In other Justus news, today we had his consultation with the school in St. Louis.  It went really well.  I had to fill out some evaluations and am sending some to school for his teacher tomorrow.  She said her initial concern was Justus' lack of communication and language skills....something I have also been concerned about.  She recommended another evaluation to see what was going on in that area, but said we should wait until we get the results from this evaluation in case something showed up in this one.  Now we are just waiting until Justus' teacher sends in her forms and the school can look over and evaluate his situation.  I am so thankful to have started the process and am looking forward to meeting with the school in a couple weeks.

Back to School

This morning it was back to school for the kids!  I was ready after most of their Spring Break was spent in the house since it was too cool to go out and do much.  I think the kids were pretty excited to go back to school and see their friends.

Lazy Day

Sundays are pretty low key in our house.  We get up and go to church, but once we get home we are pretty much done for the day.  The kids played with Legos, had rest time, and then wrestled with Daddy, which is one of their favorite activities.

The Circus

This morning some of our friends called and said they were going to the Moolah Circus and it was being held at the arena that is just a few miles from our house.  We decided to join them since we have been trying to go out and do/see something every other weekend with the kids.  It was a pretty good show...although Justus got bored.  Jon ended up leaving at intermission with Justus and Charley while I stayed with Matthias and our friends.  Matthias loved it!  Afterwards we went out to dinner at Pizza Street, which is a pizza buffet.  I ate way too much, but we all had a great day!

Final Day of Spring Break

For our last day of Spring Break it finally warmed up!  I decided to take the kids to lunch at McDonald's and in the afternoon we took their scooters and headed to one of the local parks.  They had fun riding on the paths and playing on the playground.  I think overall we had a great Spring Break.  We didn't go anywhere or do anything too exciting, but they each got a couple of treats and we were able to do a few special things.

Happy First Day of Spring

This morning we had a little play date with some of our friends.  We went to one of the local parks.  It was so great to get out of the house.  The kids were excited to have some friends to play with, and I was excited to have an adult to talk to.  It was a little cool this morning, but it has turned into a beautiful day!  After rest time I sent the kids in the backyard to soak up some sun.  They are now riding their bikes/scooters in the driveway.  This evening I get to enjoy a Girls' Night with our community group ladies.  I am excited to have a little time to do something fun.  Happy first day of Spring!