Friday!

Tonight Jon got home a little early so we let the kids run off some energy outside. They had a good time playing, and it gives Jon and I some down time.

Late Night, Early Morning

makes for cranky kids.

Welcome Home, Uncle Tom

So after two years in the Peace Corp, Uncle Tom finally made it home. We went up to Springfield to welcome him home. The kids each gave him a little present....Gatorade, Cheese-Its, and duplex cookies. The boys warmed up to him and Charley even let him hold her for a brief moment. We had a good time getting to see Tom and catch up.

The Cup

This afternoon the kids and I loaded up in the car and went to Edwardsville. I decided we needed to take a little car ride since the kids were all tired and cranky. The boys both fell asleep for a good 30-40 minutes, which was much needed. When we got to Edwardsville I decided we would stop at The Cup...a cupcake shop. I got a cup of coffee and each of the kids got to pick out a cupcake. Charley and Justus went with white cake with vanilla icing, and Matthias went for Strawberries and cream. They all really enjoyed it, and it made for a fun little trip.

Legos

Justus is obsessed with Legos. They are taking over our lives. I guess this is what happens.

Long Day

Today has been a long day. We didn't go to church because all three of our kids have runny noses and coughs. So we have all been caged up in the house all day. I'm looking forward to our normal schedule tomorrow.

Grant's Farm

Today was Founder's Day at Edward Jones, which means we headed to Grant's Farm for the morning. Ed Jones rented out Grant's Farm, which was a lot of fun. The kids got to get their faces painted, ride the carousel, and feed the goats. They were extremely worn out and I think they will get a good night's rest.

Splash

When Jon and I bought our house Jon's dad gave us two of these bookcases. I really like them, but I've always thought they needed a little splash of color since it has a dark finish. Today I went and bought some fabric and modge podged it to the back. I really like the way it turned out. It adds a little brightness and I think it makes everything on the shelves stand out as well.

Little Helper

Charley's favorite thing to help me with is putting a new bag in the garbage can. I guess I'll let her keep helping with that one.

Community

Tonight was our first community group meeting. It was great to see some of our old friends and also see some new faces. We just had a little potluck and talked, which was kind of nice. I'm really looking forward to a new semester of getting to know everyone and stretching myself also.

Grouch-o

I know I've mentioned it before...but I have to deal with it every day at around 3 p.m., so it's worth mentioning again. Matthias is a total grouch when he gets home from school. Some days are better than others...today however, wasn't that great. I even decided to take a little car ride because he almost always falls asleep after about 5 minutes....but not today. We then came home and I dealt with him being cranky, but he did happen to cheer up at dinner time, so that was nice.

Photoshoot

Charley was looking super cute this afternoon...okay she looks super cute every afternoon...but anyways, I decided to head outside with her and take a few pictures. I acctually got one that turned out pretty cute. Taking pictures of a two year old is rather difficult. She won't smile on command nor will she stand still for longer than 2 seconds. At least I got one good one.

Streaking

So yesterday I got my hair trimmed and I also got a pink and blond extension put in my hair. It's my creative outlet right now. I think it's super cute.

Upside-down

I'm in love with this sweet little girl. I think just about everything she does is the cutest thing ever. I wonder when that will wear off.

Movie Night

Jon is working late, so I decided to grab McDonald's for dinner and let the kids watch Cars. It was pretty relaxing for the most part.

Homework

Matthias had a little homework this week. We had to make a coat of arms. It had to include a drawing of our family, our name, a favorite thing we do, and one of our favorite meals. Thi provided the drawing of our family, and then we picked out pictures together of the other things. He was really proud, and so was I.

What I Wore

Since the start of school I've been attempting to make an effort with myself. I am used to pretty much wearing gym clothes all.day.long. I'm not really a fan, but it's easy. I follow a couple of blogs that do "What I Wore Wednesdays". While I'm not taking pictures everyday, I am making a point to change out of my gym clothes everyday. So far I am doing pretty good.

Ouch

Charley took a little spill today on the sidewalk while we were waiting for the bus. By chance I picked up some band aids yesterday, good thing too....they came in handy today. It was just a scrape, but it was bleeding a little. She was totally decked out in Dora with her outfit, shoes, and band aids. Oh, and nevermind her wild woman hair.

Sleepy

The new schedule is a little hard on Thi. He is definitely used to taking a nap, and needs a nap as well. When he gets off the bus...he is a total bear. He is cranky...to say the least. The only good thing is that he falls asleep really quickly at night.

New Shoes

We got Charley some new shoes today. She didn't have any tennis shoes...so I went and picked out some new Dora shoes for her. She loved them and wanted them on as soon as she saw them.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Jonathan's birthday. We have had a pretty good day celebrating. We had soccer this morning, ordered lunch, relaxed and watched the Cubs win, and now Jon is out with his friends at Dave & Buster's. Happy birthday, Husband!!!

Birthday Date Night

Tonight Jon and I got to go out for his birthday dinner. His birthday isn't until tomorrow, but I'm sending him out with his friends. We had a really good time. We went to dinner and then got Jon a couple of ties at Kohl's. It was nice to have a little time out.

Make-Up

Charley sometimes finds my eye make-up in the bathroom. She then proceeds to put it all over her eye. At least she's cute.

Sleepy

So the really hard part about Thi going to pre-k in the afternoon is that he comes home and is EXHAUSTED...and cranky. Today we went for a little drive to McDonald's to get the kids each a a cookie. Thi took the opportunity to catch a little shut-eye. When we got home I let him sleep in the car for a few more minutes while we played in the back yard. I just opened the door and let him sleep. I was thankful that the weather was cooler so that I could let him sleep for a little bit. He woke up in a much better mood.

Popcorn

Popcorn is one of those snacks we cannot keep in the house. It goes so quickly. The kids love it! I guess it's a better snack than cookies, so that's a plus.

Apple Pickin'

Today has been a great day. Jonathan had off work, so we got to spend the day hanging out as a family. Jon humored me with a family trip to the mall. I got some new jewelry at Forever 21. We then came home made hamburgers on the grill, and sent the kids off to naptime. I then went shopping at Old Navy for outfits for our pictures. They aren't until next month, but I had a little bit of money and wanted to get our outfits before I didn't have any money. After naptime I took the kids to the park and let Jon watch the Cubs game for a little while. When we got back we went to Eckert's tp pick some apples. The kids enjoyed the apples, but enjoyed the tractor ride out to the orchard more. They only picked a couple of apples each before they were ready to get back on the wagon. All-in-all it was a great family day.

Lunch

Last night we decided that after church we were going to pick up lunch and then head to a park with the kids. Little did we know it was supposed to rain this morning. Our trip to the park got put on hold, and the kids ended up with peanut butter sandwiches instead. They didn't know about the park, which is probably a good thing. Tomorrow morning we are going to pick apples, so hopefully that will make up for it.

Hanging with the Houk's

This evening I got to hang with the Houk girls. I let the girls' mom and dad have a date night. I went over there right before bedtime. We watched Veggie Tales...and then it was off to bed. I then spent time looking through magazines and reading my book. It was a good night and I'm glad I got to let the adult Houk's go out for some adult time.

Pizza Time

It's been a while since we have made grilled pizza. I'm not sure why because it's one of our favorite meals. Trust me...it was delicious!

The Bus

Since school time falls right in the middle of Charley's naptime the boys ride the bus to and from school. To school a bus picks them up that is just for the preschoolers, but after school they ride the bus with all the other kids. Last year it wasn't a big deal because Justus rode the bus to school with everyone else and rode the preschooler bus home, which dropped him off right in front of our house. The bus after school now drops the boys off a couple doors down from ours. I'm not really a fan since the boys are the first ones off, and I can't see the bus stop from inside the house. I really don't like it because I'm scared of them getting off the bus without me knowing and just wandering down the street or something worse. Maybe I'm being a little overprotective, but I'm okay with it in this situation. I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet.