Chase all ready to go to school with Riley for Friendship soup day

Riley at the table for thanksgiving.

Chase and a cookie. who would have thought?

Cutie Patootie.

 

I am *thisclose* to being done with the semester. One more paper to finish (its halfway written) and another to polish and add a bibliography to. I can not wait. Seriously. This semester has sucked the life out of me. Okay. So maybe its not that dramatic. But I am sick and tired of my humanities class. I can usually do papers okay, but this class is KILLING me. Between message board posts, reading and papers, I feel like I have no time for anything…..besides online shopping.. :) Guess what just arrived at my door???

and….

and….

 

Sigh. . . . and this is still to come:

I am going to have two VERY excited kids come Christmas morning!!

Cards

Here they are! My first set of cards that were requested by someone! I am giving them to her tonight, and I am kinda scared, but excited. Its that whole thing of if someone will love what you made as much as you like it. Fingers crossed!

Now that I have finished my cards, I need to A) clean up my scraproom, as it has become hazardous to ones health B) finish my december daily album so I can be set to go on Dec 1 and C) finish up my math chapter for tomorrow. Notice how the homework is LAST on my list??

Randomness.....

Since my last post was full of pictures, I figured I better update on something in our lives. Obviously we went to Ohio this past weekend. While we enjoyed ourselves, it was a short trip, and we are hoping to go for a longer visit sometime soon. The kids did surprisingly well on the drive, but I have to credit a lot of that to Aunt Chandra, who not only has the ability to amuse my kids, but puts up with them like no one else can!

Riley had Friendship soup day at preschool this week. She chose to take Chase on Tuesday, and she was invited by a friend to go today. I think that she had a lot of fun, and I know that Chase was WAAAAaaay excited to go to Rileys school to play with the choo-choos. He put on his coat and backpack and was out the door. Breaks my heart to think that he will actually be going on his own to preschool next year. What happened to my baby? They need to stop growing!

Were getting ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I am in charge of deviled eggs, pumpkin bars and green bean casserole, none of which I have started yet. Holidays were much easier when you were younger and not trusted to cook anything! I think that I will have to get up early and start everything!

I am doing my first set of Christmas Cards for someone. Although I am having so much fun making them, its nerve wracking to wonder what someones response to your work will be. I am very hopeful that she likes them, and even if she doesnt I hope she lies and tells me she does. I have to admit though, making cards makes me want to do them for a craft fair again, even though its a TON of work! I might do a couple sets for Christmas gifts for some people.

Were headed Christmas shopping Friday and tomorrow night. The outlet mall is opening at midnight again, so we will head out there, and then head up to Champaign. I am just having a hard time deciding what everyone is getting, so its almost a pointless trip. I wish I had a more selective idea on what to get people. I think that Riley will get doll furniture, and Chase geo-trax. But I am not ready to commit yet.

Classes are going okay. I just finished a ten page paper on Beowulf and the effects of early Anglo Saxon literature on midwestern civilization. Exciting, I know. I am so ready to be done with this class and just move on to next semester!!

Alright. There is the mother of all updates. Card pictures and pics of the kids headed to school together to follow...

oHIo

Derrick and I at Grandma and Grandpas

Riley with the baby doll she begged off grandma great.

Grandma

sweetest picture ever.

Cutie.

Classic Riley pic. Plumber all the way.

Chase figuring out that Daddy had arrived at ohio. He was so excited.

Punkin’ Picking…

She is the only one that sat still enough to take pictures of

Only way that I could catch them still. Little sillies.

Punkins’!!! I take a pic like this every year and then adjust the contrast to use for the cover of my mini album for fall. I know. I know. I am crafty like that.

New screensaver

Riding in the homecoming parade.

Silly witch.

 

For all the pictures I take, can you believe I didnt take a single one of them trick or treating. My plan is to have them put on their costumes again and do a staged shot. Sneaky. Sneaky!

Covered Bridge 2009

We got the kids up at 5:45. We were in the car and leaving the driveway (for the second time-we barely got out of the drive before realizing we forgot a paci) by 611. We were at covered bridge by like 8am (IN time).

We froze. But we had fun!

Barely even sunny when we arrived.

The kids all bundled up.

Mmmmmm. Warm cinnamon roll.

Enjoying the ride.

When we left Bridgeton.

“Candy-Cot” Riley's term for cotton candy.

Yumm!!! SUGAR!!!!

Way back from Mansfield.

Always behind the camera….

 

So, not its only like four and we are all pooped. I told Derrick that I am ready for dinner and bed! It just seems like it should be MUCH later than it is. We didn't buy much, but did a lot of walking around. And eating. Yum for taco in a bag!

Cheerleader…..

 

So. She didn’t cheer. But she was there. She is the one on the left of miss Tami. The one sucking her thumb. Yep. That's her. She didn't move. But she got out there, and that the important part.

Side note. Want to know something hilarious? Derrick is volunteering to be the working parent for preschool. His thought is that he can take care of working there much better than he can deal with all my daycare kids. So his working day in November? Its on friendship soup day. So. Every kid at school gets to bring a sibling/friend to school with them. So, he will have DOUBLE the kids at school that day, as well as having Riley AND Chase. I LOVE it. I think that it will be traumatic. And fun. And I will be giggling. Inside.

Riley will be on the Wooly Worm float for the VG homecoming parade on the 23rd. So if you want to come, its at 145 on the 23rd. Her preschool will be in the parade too, so it should be lots of fun. I requested the afternoon off daycare, since its in the middle of nap.

And another side note. Riley's picture is in the VG paper this week for Wooly Worm queen. I think I have all the major player accounted for for copies. But if anyone else is interested let me know, and I will pick up additional copies.

Just cause he is cute. And he isn't eating cookies. That's dirt. What can I say? He is a boy. And dirt has to have some nutrition in it right? It does. Otherwise plants wouldn't survive.

The kids are officially in separate rooms. Which reminds me, I have some pics of Chases room….

Ramone. So flipping proud of those flames.

Tippiun’ tractor. One of my favs.

Luigi and Guido.

Tin Lizzy. Outline only .

The sad thing is that I still have to finish Mack and Mater. I keep telling myself once school is in break, I will have more time. Its just too crazy right now.

Anyway. They are doing great in separate rooms. Which is good. Riley usually spends an hour getting up and down to go potty. But eventually they fall asleep. I think that the change was rougher on her than him. I think that he is just glad he can go in and go to sleep instead of having her play all night long!

Alright. Off to bed….

Wooly Worm Queen 2009

 

Riley was crowned the Wooly Worm Queen fro 2009 tonight! So exciting for her! She was so shy that she stood and sucked her thumb the whole time, but she was stinking cute non the less. Now she gets to do all the “queen duties” like riding on the homecoming float! I am really hoping that involving her in things like this, and preschool, will help her to come out of her shell and no be so painfully shy….

 

As promised…..

View from fourwheeling in WI

First day of school

Birthday princess

Celebrating Sissy’s birthday

Now that i have finally figured out how to upload from my desktop, hopefully it will be a lot easier! I had to change some of my blog settings and then go ahead and make a new folder somewhere. But I did it. And I did it by myself which makes me even happier!

So I know I should have a huge dramatic update. But I don't. Really its just the same old same old. Which is kinda how I prefer it.

We put the carpet in Riley's room last night. Derrick needs to replace the window, and then she is moving in! It makes me so excited, cause its just one step closer to being finished!

Riley is loving preschool. Which reminds me that I forgot to pay her tuition yesterday. Crap. I will have to run that up to the school tonight. Anyway, we think that its more of a mothers morning out type thing, with some learning thrown in, but she is loving it, and ultimately, that's what's important.

Chase is doing good. We had to increase the iron meds not too long ago. Not fun for him, but he seems to be doing better. I just hope that his labs come back better than last time! He is increasing his vocabulary every day and I am pretty sure that he has picked up “oh $h*t” from one of us, since i swear I heard him say it when he dropped his choo-choo this week.

I am back in school semi full time, but online instead of traditional classes. Its really a lot to keep up with, but I am doing okay. I am taking a math class, and a humanities class.

Alright… back to your regularly scheduled programming…