Check In

Wow. September 8th since I last updated. Clearly life has been busy. When it isn't busy and I get a moment to myself, I don't even think about blogging. I think about sitting down, enjoying a moment of peace before one of the three hollers my name.

The kids are doing great in school. We had parent teacher conferences last week, and all went well. Preston is learning how to be a 4K kid, following routine, sharing with friends, and using his listening ears. He is the youngest in his class, so he is a little more immature than some of the older boys. But his teachers said he is following them around learning and getting the hang of how we act in school. He is always going to be my little stinker. For instance, he PEED on a child last week. Yep, you heard that right, peed. Took his pants down, and peed on the other child in the bathroom. Now, let me preface this statement with the whole story. Preston and another child, who are both boys, who are both quite rambunctious children, were in the bathroom together. The other child thought it would be funny if Preston peed on him. So, Preston, caving to peer pressure, did. And the result was not too great. He lost 5 minutes of recess and had to face his Dad when he got home. In all honesty, its one of those parenting moments where 1. You think you heard the teacher incorrectly when she tells you this, and 2. You try not to laugh. It's gross, yes. But I mean, seriously?! Two 4K boys peeing on each other. Oh Preston, always keeping everyone on their toes. Needless to say, those two boys wont be in the bathroom alone together the rest of the year :) Other than that incident, we have had a mild start to the school year, and hope to keep it that way.

Both of the kids played Saturday morning soccer here in town. They had 5 games and both did great. Reese is such a good player, but really isn't into it. So, I don't think we will be signing up again in the Spring. Preston was more there for social hour. He would chase the ball, but then stop and chat with friends. Not sure if he ever even kicked the ball all season, lol. But he had fun and said he wants to play again. Up next for Reese is basketball. They play on Saturday mornings in November and December at the high school. I think she will enjoy it. Both kids are still in gymnastics at the YMCA, and Reese loves it so much. It's her "thing" she loves to do each week. Preston goes for a half hour class, where is basically stretching, learning somersaults, and doing the trampoline. Keeps him occupied and he likes it too.


Enough of the big kids, now on to Tate. My sweet baby boy. He would be the perfect baby if not for two things. Ever since 4 months (when he learned to roll over) he is not the greatest night sleeper. He wakes about every 3-4 hours. UGH. I was SO lucky the first 4 months of his life to sleep 6 hour stretches and I got spoiled. But, I know its a phase and he will start sleeping more soon (I HOPE!) Secondly, he isn't the best baby food eater. My other two kids scarfed their food down like nobody's business, inhaling it when it was time to eat. He is a much fussier eater. He loved rice cereal, but isn't too keen on baby food. Literally when I put the spoon to his mouth, he holds his lips so tight they turn white! LOL. He might just be one of those kids who goes straight to table food and prefers feeding themselves. He is 6 1/2 months and has no teeth. He has mastered the multiple roll moving all over the living room to reach whatever he wants. He can sit up with help, but isn't too steady yet on his own. He loves cuddles and his jumperoo. He weighs 19lbs and is 28' long (100%tile). He is a solid baby :)

Halloween is approaching and the kids are really excited. Since we have no trick or treaters in our area, we are heading into town with some friends this year. Reese will be a witch, Preston a police officer, and Tate a tiger. I got lucky this year and we are able to borrow two of the costumes, so I only had to buy one. They are such a rip off! Wear it for a couple hours and then they go into storage.

Kyle has been traveling about 50 percent of the time still. I am holding down the fort with the three munchkins and for the most part, its going well. I am getting back into shape by running 3 miles a day, clean eating, and dropped 6 lbs this past month. Only 7 more to go before I hit my pre-Tate weight. I can do it!

Have a great weekend and I hope to post again before another month and a half goes by :)

Back to school, back to school, back to school, HOORAY!

 School has finally started, and everyone in this house couldn't be more excited. Reese started 1st grade last Thursday, and Preston started PM 4K yesterday. But first- we had a fun ending to August.

Preston celebrated his 4th birthday on August 19th. We had a tractor themed party for him at our house. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't super cooperative, but the kids still enjoyed the slip n slide. We didn't set up the bounce house because it was so windy, but overall P had a great day.

The last weekend in August we went to Springfield, IL for my friend's wedding while the kids stayed at my parents. Pearl City held their Boulevard Bash that day, so the kids got to go to the parade and did the tractor pull. Reese got second place for her age group and got a trophy- she was SO excited. Unfortunately, P was sick with a bad cold and didn't feel to well that weekend. Luckily, it cleared up by Tuesday so he was able to start school. But, then Tate got it and it went into his ears. So we spent Labor Day at Urgent Care to get him meds for his ear infection. Not exactly how I intended to spend my holiday, but at least he is on the mend!

August

Summer is winding down but we are trying to make the best of it while it's still here. From birthdays, our anniversary, the zoo, the splashpad, playdates, and visitors coming to see us, we have been busy but having fun!
Tate turned 4 mo on August 4th, and is now rolling over both ways, grabbing his feet as of yesterday, grabbing toys, and talking up a storm. He is 16 lbs (78%tile) and 28" long (100%tile.) He is one long boy, but still my happy little baby.

When Kyle landed from Switzerland in Madison, we met him at the zoo!

 Girls weekend in New Glarus, 3 of my 4 college girlfriends came up to NG for the day- we had a great time spending the afternoon at the winery, then out and about downtown!

 3rd tooth gone! The tooth fairy brought ONE whole dollar this time!

 We met up with my high school friend, Jody, and her kids at the Splahspad to play.

 4 months old on 8.4.16

 Kyle's childhood friend Pete, and his wife Sandy, along with their 3 kids came to visit us last weekend. They brought us lots of Cardinals and Illini gear :)

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Tate and Sam (14 months)

 Preston loved playing with Sam.

 The kiddos- Reese, Tate, Preston, Sam, and Phoebe

 We celebrated our 7 year anniversary on 8.8.16- we didnt do much as Kyle flew to Mexico for work that day :) I took the kids down to my moms to swim, and got some relaxation while she played with the kids. I was even able to float in the pool by myself for a while!!

 We met Jody and her kids at the zoo last week. 6 kids, 6 and under- we survived!

 Today we spent the day in Winslow at the River days and Antique days celebration. The kids had fun riding in Kyles dads golfcart for the parade.

 Preston in his version of heaven. Lots of tractors to play on.

 Wanting Daddy to finish up his Model A truck. Someday soon we hope!!

 Kids in the parade. Advertising the historical society since Gary is a big part of it.

So, a quick recap of our last few weeks. Up ahead, my birthday, Preston's birthday, and one of my good friend's weddings the last weekend in August. The kids go back to school on Sept.1- we have our school clothes and supplies bought, just need to label and get their back to school shoes and we are set! Preston will be in afternoon 4K- taking the bus to school at 11:30 am and I will pick him and Reese up then at 3:15. Reese is very excited to start 1st grade as well. I am also getting very ready- Kyle travels again the week of the 22nd- so one last go around this summer with all three kids all day while he is gone. Let's hope it goes better than last time ;)

And she is 6!

Reese turned 6 on July 24 and we celebrated on the 23rd with a pool party for her friends and family at the community pool in New Glarus. It was HOT. Perfect day for the pool. Here are some pics of her fun day.

Reese chose a "Secret Life of Pets" cupcake cake, even though we havent seen the movie, lol. 

 Reese and cousin, Mekenna

 Reese and cousin, Aubrey

 Tate, sleepy as usual :)

After the pool party, we had the family back here for lunch and presents. It was nice to have everyone over, but the weather was not cooperating that afternoon. Big storms rolled through, so we were stuck inside. On Sunday, her actual birthday, we made a trip to Madison for her to use a Build a Bear gift card that she got for her birthday. She is SO into stuffed animals. It is probably what she plays with the most. She loved making her "bear" (she chose a dog and named it Fuzzy Wuzzy.) He currently sleeps in her bed every night :) We then went out for lunch for mexican food at the birthday girls request, and took a break before we then went swimming at the community pool in the afternoon. She even got a special ice cream treat after swimming. We topped the night off with board games, and Reese even convinced Kyle and I to play a round of Twister (wow, was that hard!) I would say it was a successful 6th birthday.

Her Cookie Cake after her party for the family get together.

  Cousins singing her Happy Birthday

 We have a tradition, a cupcake for breakfast on your birthday. :)

 Getting Fuzzy Wuzzy stuffed at Build a Bear

 Giving him a bath and getting him ready to take home

 All shiny and clean, and her new best friend

Kyle is traveling again this week in Bazel, Switzerland. I must say, this week is tough. Parenting is not an easy job. For some reason, the kids and I are stuck in a rut. No one is getting along, no one is listening, and they are spending quite a bit of time in time-out. We have good days and bad, but it seems like this week bad days are winning. At night, I seem to look back on the days and feel as though I have done more disciplining than I would like to, and we are just not enjoying our days like usual. The kids just cant seem to play well together, and it ends up making it no fun for anyone. I always loved when people say "enjoy every minute, they grow up so fast." Well, true, but there are many non enjoyable moments at times. And I do not feel guilty for saying that. I feel like in this day in age, moms are supposed to fill so many roles, and do it happily with a huge smile on our faces. Heaven forbid if we say things arent going well or aren't going as we planned. This week is not one I would like to repeat. I hope we can get out of our funk, and start enjoying the rest of the summer together.
I was prompted to include this in my post today after a not so great trip to Target yesterday. I, unfortunatley, do not usually get the luxury of doing grocery shopping on my own. Kyle travels a ton for work, and on the weekends in the summer we are just so busy there is no time. So that leaves me taking three kids to Target on my own. I have Reese, who is a mini mom who likes to let everyone know the rules, Preston who is a button pusher and likes to see how far he can get Reese to go before she "pops" and Tate, who is probably the best of all three :) My chilled out baby. Anyways, I saw a friend at the end of our journey in Target yesterday, and I was a hot mess. She said "I knew you were here, I could hear you guys a few aisles over!" Great. Just what I wanted. To have someone see me in my misery :) But then I thought about it on my ride home. Why should I feel bad? Being a mom is tough. Grocery shopping with three is tough. That's just life and the stage I am in right now. Three kids under 6. It is what it is. They are just kids. Learning the rules, learning boundaries, and learning how to be good to others. After I let go of the guilt of the not so great trip, I realized that this time shall to pass, and there will be more times like this ahead I'm sure (i.e. the teenage years), but for now, I will push through, try to find the good in the bad, and enjoy those moments when there is peace and we are all actually getting along. In the moments of bad, I am going to try harder to keep my cool and use them as "teachable" moments. So, there ya have it. If you have young kids and read this, I hope you too can relate and know that it's ok not to always be ok. That's life, especially life with three little kiddos running around :)

Too Little Time

I just cant keep up. Too much to do, too many kids (lol), and too little time. I feel bad because the main reason I do the blog is so when the kids get older, they can look back and have something to read and look at (since I am not the greatest with baby books.) Poor Tate is getting the least amount of "blog time" compared to the other two- I guess that's what they always say happens with the third kid, right? Maybe this fall when things slow down I will have more time. Summer has been SO crazy.
With vacation, then visitng my sister, then camping over the 4th of July weekend, then a bacheloerette party for me, then camping again this past week in Devils Lake State Park, and then having our old neighbors visitng this past weekend, I literally feel like I havent sat down in a month. The month of August wont be much different- as we dont have a free weekend now until Labor Day!
It makes summer go so fast, but the kids have fun and thats what counts. Instead of writing about all of our activities, I'll do a long picture post this time :)
Tate is still the BEST BABY EVER. This kid amazes me. He has slept through the night since 6 weeks old (9-4 or 5 am, eats, then back to sleep until 7 am), never fusses unless hungry or tired, is so relaxed and happy all the time, and has started giggling now. It's so fun to be around him and I just want him to stay this size forever. I think back to Preston at this age, and I was having a tough time. He didn't sleep (ever) and I was always so exhausted. That made it not much fun. I am so glad I am able to enjoy this time with Tate instead of wishing away his babyhood like I did with Preston. Tate turned 3 months old on July 4th, loves cooing and giggling, has started to grab onto objects, and is bound and determined to roll over soon. As soon as you lay him down, he is on his side trying to roll over. He loves tummy time, being outside, and having someone to talk to :) He nurses great and is the best snugglebug. He has been awesome when we have gone camping since he is so laid back. If I could have every baby like him, I would keep having them!

First up, our vacation to Gulf Shores at the end of June with Kyle's family. We rented a house on the beach and had a week of fun in the sun.The kids loved it, and I would love to go back as it is so family friendly and the beach was awesome.

Tate and Preston's first flight. At 5:50 am!!

We made it. The first thing they did was get their suits on and get in the water. 

 We toured Fort Morgan, which was used in the WWII, it was pretty cool, and Preston loved the cannons.

 At the Wharf in Orange Beach- an outdoor mall and eating area.

 At the aquarium on Washington Island. We took a ferry ride across the gulf to the Island and spent some time at the beach, and then the guys toured another fort while Preston, Tate, and I went to the aquarium.

 Mekenna and Reese at Fort Morgan.

 At the Naval Air Force Museum in Pensecola, Fl. It was amazing. Probably my favorite thing we did on vacation. It was HUGE, free, and really cool to see all the planes.

Vising my sister and the kids. Watermelon monsters.

 Fourth of July weekend camping. Making smores.

 Big boy turned 3 months on July 4th!

 

My best friends from college celebrating Cassie's bachelorette party in Springfield, IL.

 Winery views looking out on the Mississippi river

 

Camping at Devils Lake State Park, spending most of our time at the beach

 This past weekend we had our old neighbors from Indy visit us (minus their two oldest boys). They had never been to Wisconsin so we packed as much into Saturday as we could. Madison Farmers Market, State Street, Capitol tour, beer on the Terrace/Mendota Lake, and lunch at Ians Pizza. We then came back to New Glarus and toured the brewery. We made them eat brats and cheese curds and we had such a FUN day with them!

 Kyle and I at the brewery.

Ok, so thats a recap of our last month. Busy, right?! Reese is in tennis (her last one is tonight), swim lessons, and softball, and Preston is doing swim lessons. In August they are doing vacation bible school and Reese is doing a soccer camp, along with both doing swim lessons. I registered them both for school today (1st grade and 4K) and they couldnt be more excited for September 1 to roll around!! I'll be ready for a break by then too ;)