Old Mac Donald & Me

Old Mac Donald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

And on that farm he had:

hungry sheep
feisty goats

a friendly horse

the 3 little pigs and their houses
a train
the perfect-sized tunnel for me and mom

a GIANT slide...really fast!

a pool of corn...not my favorite

a field of pumpkins

life-sized nursery rhymes

Caramel apples and Cider Slush treats

SO many things to do!

I need minute...

It is rare that I post about anything other than our adventures with Marie, but we have had quite a week so far and I just need to share with whoever wants to read this little rant!

Our happy relaxing weekend ended abruptly on Monday with business.
I had an unusually busy day at work - more kids to fix, Andy had rotations and then an appointment with a service guy for our furnace - just to get it checked out.
It turns we need a new furnace - no biggy. We brushed it off and moved on. They will be back on Friday to talk about cost and what type to get.
Hair cut for Andy and "Castle" at 9:00.
Monday down, here we go to Tuesday.

Tuesday night we had Grammy M. over for awhile. She was in town for speech meetings so she helped watch Marie while we got ready for church pictures. Marie had some toddler moments, but pictures turned out great. Hey Tuesday wasn't so bad!

Here comes Wednesday - 15 month well child exam for Marie.
3 shots plus the flu shot and Marie officially given asthma preventative meds that we will need to use every day with the nebulizer.
Sore legs with 4 band aids and a sad girlie :(

Back to daycare for school pictures.
I really hope the Tylenol helped otherwise we will continue the streak of awkward school pictures and she is only 15 months...

Next, I go to 2 IEP meetings which are of course an hour apart.

Make it home for supper and a walk with Char to enjoy the beautiful fall weather.

At 7:00 Andy begins planting bulbs - we have been trying to get this done but it has been so rainy. I go in to give meds to Marie, do bath time, and deal with a few toddler moments.
Andy comes in just in time to watch "Modern Family."
Alright, here comes Thursday.

Thursday at 6:27 a.m. - "ANDY! It is 6:30!!!"
That is me waking up in terror. I had shut the alarm off and we needed to be out of the house by 7:15 at the latest. We are usually up at 5:45.
Meanwhile, Marie had turned on her bedroom light and was entertaining herself with her stuffed animals for who knows how long. Thank goodness she is an early riser!
I never knew I could shower that fast - we were out the door by 7:18!

I make it to work on time, phew, when Andy calls me:
"Guess what? The head light is out on the Equinox."
Of course it is...
A call to our trusted Tuffy guy "Ron" and we are set.

I wonder what Friday will bring?

Meanwhile, here is Charlie - really stressed right?

Happy Home Weekend

What a blessing - an entire weekend for the the four of us to be together and enjoy the beginning of fall. With the cool crisp weather came chicken pot pie, sweatshirts, and pumpkins.
Saturday morning brought a chilly and wet walk on the trail.

What is it about a puddle?
Marie & Charlie are always ready to run through them.With the sudden drop in temperature came the need to play inside.
Legos, books, shopping cart, barnyard, wrestling - we did it all.

(yes, her hair is in pigtails!)

I almost forgot BIG news - Marie is reading!

COYOTES in Minnesota

A perfect day for fall football.

USD 41 - Gophers 38

Go Yotes!
Marie had quality time with Aunt Katie during the game, but she did enjoy some tailgating, too.
So many family members to play with Marie and give her a lot of love and attention.
After another full weekend, we stopped in at Urgent Care with a sleepy and fussy Marie to discover a sinus infection, ear infection, and the dreaded pink eye.
After some antibiotics and a day at home, we are once again ready for the week ahead.

Full Labor Day Weekend

It has been difficult for us to say goodbye to our carefree summer, so we decided to fill Labor Day weekend as full as we could get it.

It started with a trip to Ames to watch the Iowa State Football Game. We are not huge Iowa State fans, but couldn't pass up free tickets, popcorn, and 70 degree football weather. Marie spent most of the time climbing the bleachers.

On Friday night we enjoyed a BBQ with some friends. Marie got to play with a 9 month old little girl. I think she really enjoyed being the "older" one. She made sure "the baby" knew where her toys were and played very nicely until Brooklyn decided to sit on Mom's lap - then Marie decided she better keep on an eye her.

Saturday was a beautiful day with a cool & crisp morning. We decided to take the bikes out again and stop at a park along the trail.

Marie was having a particularly "independent" morning, but she enjoyed the stop at the park.
As you can see, we have already started the battle of "No, you go down the slide, you can't climb up the slide." I don't think it helped that Mom got to climb up the slide...

Sunday was Mom & Dad's day...we were treated to babysitting by Grandpa, Grammy, & Aunt Liz plus a night in hotel alone! Almost too good to be true. We were kicked out of the house at 2:00 in the afternoon and we didn't see Marie until the next morning at 10:30. She and her gang came to the hotel pool for a quick swim before dinner.

Although we enjoyed taking our time through dinner, we REALLY missed our little Marie. After only a few hours we were ready to go see her. She is so much fun right now - we are always giggling at her newest tricks. We know she had a great time with her babysitting team.
Thanks again!

So now we are back at work, school, and daycare - ready for what this week will bring!
Welcome Fall!