Alzheimers

So, I have come across this website in my leisure of looking at beautiful cards online. I love to browse others blogs to see their amazing talent with cards. I find it really inspiring. Anyway, one blogger is doing this totally amazing thing for Alzheimers and I want to play along and have a chance to win some AMAZING prizes, donated by some AMAZING people & companies. So, the link to all the blog candy of prizes you can go here http://myblogbycammie.blogspot.com/. This is the card I will be sending to play along.

Leaves

This past weekend, the kids have noticed that the leaves are starting to fall and create little piles along the edge of the road. Since moving to Gull Lake, Eric & Sara along with a boy across the street, Bradley, they have been gathering the leaves to make big leaf forts. So, this past weekend was the start of a messy yard for me. I enjoy watching them work so hard to gather all those leaves from along our streets, and bringing them to my yard to dump and then jump and play in the pile. Now the mess does not bother me, but I think it may be a pet peeve to Casey. He is so frustrated with the crunched up, messy, blowing, leaves in our yard. ... alas, this will all start over again next weekend. Once we get a really great pile I will take their yearly pictures to go on the wall of them in the leaf pile. Our cat, Rhyme enjoyed the leaves too.

Unlce Nathan & Sara
Jada and Lexi
Bradley Eric & Sara and the wheel barrow. They even get the wagons out as well to haul leaves!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY JADA!!!!

Sun. Sept. 21st was Jada's 3rd Birthday! And we had a great party! We had many family and friends over to celebrate. Auntie Cathy was wonderful to make a bristle board size Care Bear for "Pin the belly badge on the Care Bear" game, and the AMAZING Care Bear Cake. Jada couldn't take her eyes off of it. She got many wonderful gifts, and lots of love on that day. I did get teary, as I do with all of the kids' birthdays. Thanks to all who came to make this a special day for our baby girl.

Cake: Made from scratch
Singing Happy Birthday with Grandma Welk
Elan and a birthday hat.
Opening presents
"Pin the belly badge on the Care Bear" game: all hand drawn from nothing by Cathy. AMAZING

kids, kids and more kids

Well, this week has been a week full of kids. I do some babysitting during the days to help bring in a little income. Plus, I just love kids, especially the little little ones. So right now I just thought I would share this really great moment with everyone. I have a 1 year old, 2 1/2 year old, 2 3/4 year old, 3 year old and a 5 year old, and they are all playing really great right now. It almost seems quiet and controlled in this house. I know in a few minutes I probably will have to get moving and stop a fight or a sharing incident or get a bottle or change a diaper or something. But in this moment, it is amazing me that my house is quiet with 5 little ones here. Maybe I should go and see what they are really getting in to. Heehee. Oh yup, here some come. "What are you doing Auntie?"

Baby Blues

Yup, I think I may be having them right this moment. Casey is working nights tonight and I just was over at a close friends blog (you know who you are) and checking out her adorable family. Well, I have been handing down Jada's clothes to her little girl and I thought it was going to be so cute and exciting to see them on another baby. And it totally is!! So glad that I gave them to a good use. It is amazing to see them on another beautiful baby. But right now, in this moment, I am totally on the edge of tears. I so want a baby. We just had my Dad & Stepmom (Grandpa & Grandma Hancock) over for supper to celebrate Jada's Birthday, and I cant believe that my baby is no longer a baby. She is entering the preschooler age group. 3 years have already gone by. It made me really stop and enjoy my kids today.

For example, when Sara & Eric are outside and I am inside doing dishes, which has the window facing the backyard and I can see them, they are constantly yelling at me "MOM, watch this, watch me watch me" On and on!! And normally I get frustrated with them (on the inside) Its hard to watch both of them doing totally different things while doing the dishes, and Jada at my feet asking me to watch her as well. But today, I just had that moment of AHHHH.

I better enjoy this time of them wanting me to watch them. One day they might be trying to hide from me (which I totally hope wont happen). But they wont always want me around all the time. So, my big saddness has brought on a new clarity. I need not focus on what I dont have (a little baby in cute clothes), but what I do have, and that is 3 very beautiful, creative, talented, wonderful, amazing, loving, bickering, squabbling, needy, growing children and they need me to be here with them now.

Also, what helped the most come out of the teariness, was the phone call from that really great friend. It's like she knows when I need to hear her encouragments. Thanks friend!! Now I could be teary because I have such a great friend. Ahh!! Time for bed.

Ballerina

Jada went to her first class of Ballet this Tuesday, and she LOVED it. She is taking after her sister, Sara, and is going to be one beautiful dancer. I was expecting a fight, like I had with swimming lessons (I posted about it earlier, not sure how you all do the fancy link). So I was prepared with my treat bag, and toughness, but when the teacher opened the door and told all the girls to come in, she just went it. I was blown away.

Jada has been waiting to go to dance FOREVER. Escpecially when she saw Sara's dance recital at the end of last year, Oh my word, we have been talking about dance since then. Over the summer, Sara has been showing Jada how to do pilets (sp??) and toe points and spins and all kinds of dance moves. So, Jada was well prepared. She even picked out her own dance suit. Of course it has hearts on it like Care Bears do.

Jada smiled for the full 1/2 hour class, and had so much fun with the other girls. I could hear them giggling and chatting. It was so cute. My baby is growing up!!!

Jada is the one in hot pink. Here they are doing some stretching.

I was so proud of her for doing everything the teacher asked of her and be so involved in the class.
As a side note, today I had the priveledge of spending time with 2 of my neices and my nephew today. We all went for a walk downtown to get some stuff done (and of course I bought them a treat). So from left to right, Jada, Rishaya in the stroller, Royal and Lexi. They all where so good for me.
Hey you can see my shadow on Lexi's back. Heehee. It makes me look like a giant.

Girls, girls, girls

We had Carla Chabot do our family pictures this past weekend. And it was a blast. I cant wait to see the pictures and all the beautiful things she does with them.

These pictures are not from her. The girls where feeling very photo genic when we got home, so while Dad slept and Eric was making power point presentations, the girls went downstairs and goofed around. Sara and Jada had matching blue jeans for photos and their butts are so cute.

Jada wanted to take pictures too, so I am here too.

Enjoy their goofiness!!! Oh, notice the nice new carpet. And the stairs! Casey did a GREAT job! Now for the paint!

Cheetah!!!

First off, an apology for the previous two posts layout. I thought the pictures looked cute on the side in the "create a post", but it looks terrible in the blog. So Sorry!! I wont do that again.

They had a draw at the AG Foods in town, and Jada won the Cheetah!! Why oh Why did I enter their names? Oh they did it themselves!! They were there when they brought it in and made the draw box, so we just HAD to enter. Why the kids love this big stuffed animal is beyond me, but all three of the kids play with this thing. Cant wait till the novelty wears off and it can "disappear" It is so big.

Babysitting Lady!!

We babysat my brother, Brian's pitbull a few weekends ago. The kids were so excited to see her. She is the gentlest, biggest baby of a pitbull that I know of. She is great with the kids. Unfortunetly, I dont know for how much longer she will be here. She is 12, (I think) and not doing so well.

The funnest part of the weekend was to watch Jada read Lady stories. They would just lay together on the floor and Jada would tell her all kind of stories.

Dental Checkup

Well it was that time of the year again of the kids at this house. Eric, Sara and Jada all went for a regular checkup and cleaning.

Eric again has no cavities. He's got great teeth (doesnt get that from me).

Sara has no new cavities, which is a first for her (she has teeth like mine). She has needed to go back for a filling every time since she was 4. But she did have one filling that fell out and one that is cracked, so she still has to go back and get them fixed. She has a hard bite, is what they say. (But who is they, as Eric would say! And my response will be, Oh they know who they are)

Jada had her first checkup!!! She did wonderful. She got to wear really cool star glasses. She was sitting in the chair all by herself while the hygenist talked to her, but as soon as the male dentist came in to check her, she freaked and wanted to sit on my knee. So this is the after picture, when all is said and done. No cavities I guess, just the main counting of teeth.

whatcha up to

For this past week and a bit, Casey & I & Jada, have all been sick, with head / sinus colds. Casey, has pnemonia. So Casey is on medication, whereas Jada and I are fighting through this cold, slowly but surely.

But, despite the colds, we have managed to lay carpet in our basement, and the stairs going down. Still need to lay the carpet in Eric & Sara's rooms and then our whole basement will be done. I totally forgot to take pictures of our horrible before basement, but I will see if I can find some in random pictures. Plus, we have cleaned out a storage room which is hopefully going to be a bathroom for E&S in the basement, by next summer. LOTS has gone to the garbage, shed, or is waiting to go to the Rummage Sale (hopefully will come soon). I love the feeling of downsizing.

Jada is actually able to go downstairs by herself to play (sort of with bursts of supervision). But mostly I love that she plays so great while I make cards. She is now into the barbies, polly pockets, littlest pet shops, the play kitchen, a doll house (all stuff of Sara's that we have been saving for her). Now it's time to get rid of those baby toys and get ready for her b-day which is coming way to quick.

So pics of the basement to come soon.