So Much Going On

It has been a long time since I updated the blog and a lot has been going on.  Today I had a mini-go-live.  We put in a PeopleTools Patch to our system, so I have been at work most of the day. I am feeling pretty relieved to have that done. 

Last weekend my parents came down with Lexie and stayed with the kids so that Brian, Butch and I could drive over South Bend and meet Tammy and go to the Notre Dame vs. Michigan Prime Time (aka late) game.  It was fun to be in the stadium for the night game and it was awesome that Notre Dame won, even if ND won because Michigan kept giving us the ball whenever they got close to the end zone. 

Mackenzie is doing really well at school.  She brings home handwriting everyday and also does a lot of coloring.  She seems to really like her teacher, Mrs. Zuchowski.  She is enjoying having gym and being independent at lunch and getting to punch in a code to buy her milk.  She also likes when they get to go to the library.  She says she doesn't like anything else, but I think she just gets tired of being asked. 

When we got back from Chicago she wrote this for me:

Awesome!

Mackenzie is also going to gymnastics twice a week.  One of her classes is a half an hour of gymnastics and then a half an hour of ballet.  She literally gets on the bouncy floor and doesn't stop bouncing until class is over, except to do whatever task they ask.  She really seems to like the crab walk. 

Isaac can start gymnastics when he is four.  For now he is really enjoying his class at daycare and he seems to like having alone time with Mom or Dad when the other takes Mackenzie to gymnastics.  He is an extremely busy boy.  He doesn't slow down all day, both his body and his mouth.  He has also decided that he doesn't always need a nap and honestly he seems to do fine without one.  I can't believe that he is three and a half.

Next week we are headed to Chicago for the Notre Dame vs. Miami game at Soldier Field.  When Brian and I went back to Chicago 2 weeks ago for the Estonian show we went to the old house to dig up hostas and day lilies and we stopped by Granny's Corner.  We mentioned that we were going to try and bring the kids the weekend of the game if we could find a babysitter.  Lucky us, Granny's Corner has decided to have a sleepover the night of the game, so the kids are going to spend the night with some friends while we go to the game!  Seriously, Granny's Corner is the best daycare ever.

Busy Birthday Weekend

The kids and I had a very busy weekend.  Friday was Mackenzie's birthday so we got to do birthday presents and have cake that night, which is always fantastic.

Brian was working the rest of the weekend so it was just the three of us most of the time.  Saturday morning we went grocery shopping.  The kids were very good at the store in order to ensure they got their treat, Pop Tarts.  The kids used to ask for Pop Tarts a lot because other kids at day care got Pop Tarts for breakfast.  I have never thought that Pop Tarts were a very good breakfast, but I have gotten them for them at other times so they could have them for dessert.  In the past they have never really liked them once they got them and Brian and I have always ended up eating the extra calories.  Well the page seems to have turned on Pop Tarts at our house and the kids loved them when they had them as their treat yesterday.  Now if only I could avoid them somehow . . .

After grocery shopping we went to watch Carson play soccer, and to wish Aunt Shannon a happy birthday.  While we were at the soccer game we were very close to a playground and the kids thought that going to the playground would be more fun than watching the soccer game.  I told them that we were there to watch the soccer game, but that we could probably go to the playground the following day, since it is almost in their cousin's backyard.  They weren't too keen on the idea yesterday, but they were very excited about it this morning. 

Here is a shot of the kids at the playground with their cousins:

They had a fantastic time at the playground and afterward playing in the Rogers' yard while we waited to see Grandma and Grandpa and wish Nathan a happy birthday.  This afternoon Mackenzie and mom did a little sewing whil Isaac played with MagnaTiles and I think that everyone is going to sleep well tonight.

I almost forgot that Isaac and I watched Notre Dame beat Purdue while Mackenzie hung out at Grandma and Grandpa's Saturday afternoon.  Go Irish!

First Day of School & Sewing

Mackenzie started school today. It was a little weird to watch her get on the us at daycare and go to work and not see her at her school at all. I didn't ride the bus to school, so maybe that is why it was weird for me.

Grandpa Butch picked the kids up from CDC this afternoon and when I went to Grandma and Grandpa's to pick them up (a very tired) Mackenzie wanted to spend the night at Grandma's.  I thought that maybe she should come home so I reminded her that her new sewing machine was waiting for her.  So after dinner we got her Pixie unpacked and set up.  Fortunately Aunt Bonnie (who gave Mackenzie the Pixie for her birthday) had it pre-threaded so we just had to plug the foot pedal in and plug it into the wall and it was ready to go. 

 

 Mackenzie did a couple of practice runs and then wanted to make something.  Isaac got some leftover robot fabric out of the closet.  It had been used to make a beanbag for Thomas and Nicholas and it was cut in an interesting shape and I thought it might make a decent bag so off Mackenzie went with me helping to guide the fabric.  She gave it to Isaac and he thought it made a good hat:

Then it was decided that the bag needed handles so back we went to the sewing machine.  We found an extra piece of long fabric from Isaac's quilt and sewed a tube, turned it right side out and attached it as a handle.  Here is Mackenzie modelling the new bag:

 

Isaac still thinks that it is a great hat, now with chin straps :)  Mackenzie has all kinds of ideas for other things she wants to sew.  I think a pillowcase is next . . .

Birthday Party

 

Mackenzie decided that she wanted a fairy birthday party this year, so we made it happen yesterday.  A few girls from her CDC class came over along with a couple of my co-workers and a lot of family and it made for a really great party.

 

Brian made a Tinkerbell cutout for the party where the kids could put their face in as Tinkerbell and it was a hit with the girls.  Here is a shot of Mackenzie as Tinkerbell:

I made a lot of decorations for the party including big tissue paper flowers and giant tulle poof balls.  Mackenzie decided that these would be great for a parade, so the girls started out the party by parading for all of the other guests.  The girls took turns leading the parade.  Here is a shot when Mackenzie was in the lead:

The living room was the main party area.  Here you can see some of the decorations as well as some guests.  On the table are kits for the girls to make their own fairy as well as fairy headbands.

 

Manu is graciously modeling a headband in this shot with Mackenzie:

 

And here are a couple of action shots of us making the fairies.  I didn't think to take a picture of the girls with their finished fairies, but they were basically made out of floral wire, wood beads and fabric flowers and I thought they were super cute.

 

Finally here is a shot of Mackenzie getting ready to blow out her candle and of everyone else getting ready to eat cake!

The party was a lot of fun and the rain held out for us so that it was a pretty nice, although hot and humid, day for the party.

Today is Mackenzie's first day of kindergarten so hopefully I will have a new post soon.

Sleepover and More Bounty

A few weeks ago I let the kids have a sleepover in Mackenzie's room.  We have 2 crib mattresses since Mackenzie was still in a toddler bed when Isaac was first born, so we put those on the floor in and the kids slept there (with the bears I made them, awwwww).  Brian was working so I took a picture of them for him and then forgot that it was on the camera, so it was a pleasant surprise when I downloaded pictures today.

Our garden continues to thrive.  In the picture below you can see the back end of the main garden (on the right) and the raised bed that Brian made for me for strawberries that never grew and that now is overflowing with pumpkins, cucumbers and zucchini.  

 We picked a pumpkin today.  It is the perfect size and shape right now and since we had one fall off the vine last year around this time that turned perfectly orange for Halloween I figured I would try again.  There are a few tiny pumpkins on the vine now and I am hoping since this one is off the vine now they will grow more.

We also picked another enormous zucchini tonight.  I swear these things grow over night!

We are planning what will probably be our last trip to the cabin this weekend.  Mackenzie had orientation at school today and she continues to be unimpressed so far.  Monday night she gets to go to the open house and see her classroom, so I am hoping that sparks some interest in her.  During orientation we saw her friend Gia from CDC.  They are not in the same classroom, but Gia is in the other all-day kindergarten class, so hopefully they will see each other pretty regularly.

Weekend in Michigan

 

 We went to Michigan last weekend expecting to go to the fair.  We thought we were going to go on Sunday, but Michael called Saturday night to say that they were leaving the fair and Saturday was the last day.  The schedule that my parents had included items on Sunday, but evidently they were tear-down events for the vendors, farmers, etc.

So we had a lovely day on Saturday with Grandma and Grandpa at their house and then we decided to go to the Michigan Renaissance Festival on Sunday.  I have always been hesitant about Renaissance Fairs to be honest, but I am a convert now.  We had a great time.  They had quite a few man-powered rides for the kids that Mackenzie loved.  Isaac was a bit tentative about the rides.

Mackenzie even rode a pony!  We have gone to multiple places with pony rides and Mackenzie has gotten on a lot of ponies, but she usually gets off really quickly.  This time she stayed on her pony for the whole ride! Maybe because Grandpa was with her?

She also got her face painted:

 

Isaac loved the swords.  He was pretty good when Mom told him that he was not bringing a sword home to beat things with, but perhaps this was becuase Dad told him that we have plenty of wood at the house to build a sword with.

 

Last night we went school supply shopping for Mackenzie.  She has an open house tomorrow to go see her classroom, etc.  I think that I am much more excited/traumatized about the whole thing than she is.  I am super excited to get to see her kindergarten classroom.  I can still remember mine exactly!

Bountiful Harvest

Yesterday I spent some time in my garden.  My potato plants had died, I think from a bug and I was not expecting much, but a coworker suggested that I try digging up the potatoes, even if I only got baby potatoes.  Much to my surprise I got some pretty big potatoes.  I also got about 6 baby potatoes.  I put four back in the garden in the hopes that I would get another round of plants and I brought two inside.  I think I remember a science project where you hang a potato over a glass of water and watch it sprout.  I thought that it might be fun for the kids to watch a potato germinate.  Anyway, here is a shot of my potato harvest.  Not bad for my first try and I only spiked one with the shovel!

I have been picking a lot of tomatoes and cherry tomatoes on a daily basis.  Luckily I really like tomatoes since no one else in my house will eat them.  I have also given some to Linda and Shannon.  Here is one day's harvest:

Finally, when I was out in the garden I had to call Mackenzie over to see the hiding zucchini.  It was right on the ground under all of the leaves and it was gigantic!  I didn't think to take a picture of it until I was shredding it up for zucchini bread.  Here is a shot of two loaves that I baked yesterday.  I baked two more loaves tonight and I am guessing I have enough for 5 more loaves.  It has a ton of sugar in it, but we all like zucchini bread so I figure I can freeze a bunch for some treats later in the year.

Finally, we have a fairly good size pumpkin on the pumpkin vine, 2 cucumbers on the cucumber vine and baby green peppers as well.  All in all it has been a great gardening season for me.  My new bean plants (the first round gotten eaten by a bunny) are starting to come up.  Hopefully we will get some beans before the end of the season, but even if we don't I am going to consider this my best gardening year yet.