Adjusting

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Adjusting. We are all adjusting to life with a kindergartner. Lauren started kindergarten on Tuesday. She was cautiously excited for her first day. No tears at drop off, but it sure felt like a long day at home without her. And when I picked her up, she told me she didn't like it... Not what I wanted to hear. I thought every kid loved kindergarten. I am hoping once she adjusts to the schedule and makes some friends her feelings will change. She has a great teacher so I feel good about that. I made her try hot lunch just so she would know how to do it if she decides later in the year she wants to try it again. But for now she is adamant she wants a cold lunch (so she can avoid talking to the lunch ladies... oh, my shy child).
Here she is all smiles by her locker. This was for orientation last week.
 
And her first day of school pictures...


Did you notice she lost her first tooth just in time to start school? Growing too fast:)


And now my little Ella. How is she old enough for preschool??? As you can see from the pictures, she was extremely excited to start school. No worries for her. I am sure it helps that she gets an extra hour of sleep, as she doesn't start until 9. And she is at the same preschool that we brought Lauren to for two years, and has the same teacher! Ella will go Tuesdays and Thursdays this year.



She could hardly contain her excitement walking into school that morning.



Ready to start her day!

County Fair

Friday, August 30, 2013

We had a great time at the Barron County Fair again this year.  It was at the end of July, and it was VERY hot!  The kids love the animal barns, and I don't think they believe me when I tell them I used to bring pigs to the fair!  I think next year we will have to watch some of the animal judging so they can see the kids leading their animals around the arenas.  Right now they think the animals just go to the fair for us to see:)  Of course we indulged in some yummy fair food and did some carnival rides before we called it a day.
 We met a very friendly Llama, and the owner thought the kids should give her a hug.  Lauren and Ella were game...







Green Bay: Zoo and a Wedding

Thursday, August 29, 2013

As I mentioned, we were in Green Bay for a wedding back in July.  We stayed at a great waterpark, and headed to the zoo one morning.  I love this zoo because it is small enough to make it all the way through in half a day, but they still have some great features like feeding the giraffes!  Lauren was an old pro, Ella was a bit more nervous, and Luca wanted nothing to do with them.  Dan held him and helped feed with him, but he wasn't really into it. 




We also took time to ride the carousel since the train ride was out of commission.  Luca wasn't real into this either, so i sat with him.  First time ever one of my children has opted to sit on the bench on the carousel! 


Because it was so chilly this week (hard to believe we had that cold spell now) Evelyn wore my favorite sweater romper that I bought in Paris while pregnant with Ella! 
And some pictures from the wedding...




Water Park Weekends

Saturday, August 17, 2013

We have had two out-of-town weddings this summer, and made the most of them by staying for the weekend at waterparks.  The first was in Wausau, the second in Green Bay.  Both were for customers of Dan's.  The kids LOVE waterparks, and it is getting much more manageable now that Lauren and Ella can do the kids section of slides by themselves and Luca is loving the water!  Dan and I take turns sitting with Evelyn and things work out pretty well.
 





 
 

Ella and Lauren mastered the log jam... Ella needs a hand since she isn't tall enough to reach the ropes!

 
First outdoor wedding. I have found these are best for the kids, they can run around like crazy and people think it is normal or that they are dancing:)
 
 

Smiles

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Here are some of Evelyn's first smiles, too cute not to post:)





What a difference...

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

What a difference a few months make in the life of a newborn.  Evelyn is changing so much.  She started smiling before two months and has moved on to giggling when you get her really worked up!  At two months we started her on some reflux medication, and it has made a huge difference in her mood.  She still spits up a ton, but it doesn't seem to bother her now.  I would says she spits about the same as Ella, which I am sure many of you can remember.  You never know when it is coming, it can be two hours after a feeding.  I am always surprised to find dried puddles of spit-up when I am mopping... I guess I don't always notice she does it!  I am very familiar with the sound of it splattering on the floor when I am holding her in the kitchen.  And a bit embarrassed by the messes she has left at dance, gymnastics, even the doctors office.  She still nurses great.  She has started sleeping in her own crib and is doing well with that also.  She is typically up 1-2 times per night to feed.  I will include her two-month and four-month stats.  Her weight curve has been dropping, especially for how large she started out, but we saw this with Ella too so we are not concerned yet.  Assuming it has to do with the reflux and hoping it improves when she starts solid foods soon.
 
2 Months:
10lb. 5oz.- 25th percentile
22.5 inches- 50th percentile
 
4 Months:
12lb. 1oz.- 8th percentile
24.25 inches- 30th percentile