Fun Hair

Sometimes having a daughter with long, pretty hair is hard. Honestly, it's in a pony tail almost every day. Even the ponytails get very loose with her hard play. It's always in her eyes...and mouth.

Yesterday I decided to try some fun. I figured the TV was already on, so I took advantage and "did" Meghan's hair. I used the little disposable elastic ties. We use that type (and have since she was a baby) as well as adult hair ties. The cloth-type ones don't work well. It may be time to try the child sized hair ties for days like this so we don't throw them out.

Yeah...she was still glued to the TV.

I want to try two messy buns next!

Speech Problems and Solutions

Today Meghan was evaluated for speech. It wasn't an encouraging evaluation, but not in the sense that you are probably thinking. I posted about it over at Live, Learn, Love if you would like to read more. I will be posting our updates there.

Free Books!

Okay, maybe it's not quite that simple. I love to read. But I don't like to spend the money on books, so I try to use our library and church's library as much as possible.

Here's another option: win a book. Winning Readings is a great resource if you would like to possibly win a free book. Jane gathers info daily on lots of book give-aways, and tells you what you need to know. For each book giveaway, she tells you the blog host, the link, the title and author, genre, and how to enter. Usually entering just requires leaving a comment with your email address. There is a good variety of genres and target audiences.

I thank Jane for doing the homework for me!

SVT in Stellan

A while ago I shared about Stellan, the baby who has SVT. Meghan had a very bad case of it as a baby. But unlike Meghan, Stellan's is NOT controlled by medication. (Hers wasn't controlled easily, and that was hard enough!) His heartrate has been in SVT for a couple days now. His kidneys are not producing urine.

As I read the latest on him, I cried a bit. He is the same age as Evan, yet is in the life-threatening situation that we could have had. I can relate all too well.

Please pray for this little guy. His parents. His family.

Speech Update

Just an FYI:

I posted a speech update over at the other blog.

This, That, and Standing

It's been a really busy week at home. When we returned from Pinebrook, there was a thick coat of dust throughout the house. I spent a lot of time cleaning this week. The dust came from having our kitchen floor replaced (while we were gone since it was a three day job). Though it's not quite finished, I do hope that the messiest part is over. Our bedroom also had a coat of dust (and that Spackle dust smell) since they also worked on the bedroom ceiling while we were gone. That project hasn't been completed, either. Yesterday (Friday) I also hosted my moms' group from church. We just has a casual brunch. I'm not sure the actual numbers, but I think we had about ten moms and close to 20 children. I enjoyed myself and hope everyone else did, too.











Evan is now pulling to a stand (and has been for since last Saturday or Sunday). This was the first picture we took of it. I think he prefers to climb up people though. He actually crawled onto the couch from the floor by using me as a ladder! I thought Meghan was active, but I think I am going to have a hurricane on my hands!

















Despite this handsome face, Evan had a very difficult week. He was quite unhappy and clingy most of the week. He wasn't eating as well as usual (not that he's a great eater to begin with), and toward the end of the week he wasn't sleeping well. Thursday night he developed a horrible cough. So that made me take him to the doctor. When the cough developed I figured it wasn't teeth like I was hoping, but an ear infection.

He does have a bit of an infection. He has ear drops and an antibiotic. I thought Derek and I were "professionals" at giving babies medicine. Last night we learned Meghan was just well trained, not us. She started taking medication for her heart when she was 17 days old, several times a day. By the time she was old enough to put up a fight, she knew she needed to open her little mouth and swallow the awful tasting stuff. Evan can be cuddled when the ear drops go in, but the oral meds are a true fight. We know to put it in his cheek, a little at a time, but he hates it. If you have any recommendations, let me know!

















Early Thursday morning when it was all of about 70 degrees and cloudy, Meghan wanted to play outside with her water table. She changed into play clothes, but I think a bathing suit may have been the better choice!

I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to scrub the pool since it'd been a couple weeks since we used it. Meghan was no longer interested in the water table, because she was too busy helping me "clean up." She loved scrubbing, but
she enjoyed the hose even more.

















The wind was blowing a bit, so when Meghan would have the hose on, it would often blow back onto her. She was soaking wet! In this last picture that is actually a smile, you just can't tell! She was so happy to be getting wet and to have control of the hose.

Eventually it did begin to sprinkle, so we all went inside.

New Toys

A friend from church was kind enough to think of us when her girls outgrew this Dora Dollhouse with lots of accessories. It's a bit hit...and a very large house! You are only seeing about one third of it.

With the small parts, this stays in her room. The first two days she lost a little sleep playing with it, but not much. Evan wants to play, too!






We recently got a water table for the summer, too. It's a huge hit! Though I was content with our water tubs, this is even better. It's funny. With the tubs we had to change her pants when she came inside. With the table, it's her shirt that needs to be changed.

The apron was really needed. Though it's nice and thick, her shirt was still soaked. I made the apron from a dish towel a couple months ago. It's a super simple sewing project if you are interested.



Yes, Meghan's little friend was allowed to play while wearing a Phillies t-shirt. The shame!

A Sweet Surprise!

It was Monday morning, after 8 o'clock here in Pennsylvania. Evan and I have been up for a while, and had eaten breakfast, but I was just getting Meghan up for the day. We're in her bedroom getting dressed when I hear the doorbell ring.

I ignore it at first. After all, I'm not expecting company, and the last time the bell rang that early is was a local Amish man wondering if we might be interested in a deck.

The bell rings again, and I decide to go down and answer it. After all, it could be a neighbor with an emergency.

It wasn't an emergency. It was my dad! Dad lives at least four hours away, so this is quite a surprise. He had gone to Missouri for a special car show with a fellow who lives pretty close to us. They had driven all night, and Dad thought he knew our phone number, but he didn't.

Meghan chose not to pose for pictures with my camera, but Dad got some before leaving today. We had a nice visit, though it was brief.

More of Pinebrook

A few more pictures from Pinebrook.


Our room was large, but with six twin beds (bunked) and a full size bed, there was only one place for the Pack n Play. It was right below the light, so he didn't want to sleep. Our solution was the blanket over it. The tent worked great!
Hop! Hop! Hop! on the stepping stones!
















We played a lot of "chase" around this tree. Meghan enjoys trees a lot.














Meghan and Derek went swimming well after bedtime on our last night there. This time we kept the floaty vest off, and she had a grand time jumping into the pool.

While they were swimming, I waited in the snack line, and Evan hung out with some friends.

It was a late night! We all went to bed around 10:30. I couldn't believe we all made it that long. The pool and ice cream helped Meghan. Evan did get fussy by the end, but he was a real trooper.

The Children's Garden

There were two playgrounds and a children's garden to keep little ones busy when there wasn't time for the pool at Pinebrook.

This was the Three Billy Goats Gruff Bridge.
Evan was the Keeper of All Bags, and content to do so, thankfully!

In the Children's Garden there was a sandbox and a dirt pile, too!

Doesn't she look like a giant?

Some little friends had to leave, but Meghan stayed for the Alice in Wonderland tea party.

I didn't take note of the name of this area, but it was neat that there were musical instruments outside...and it was a bit private with all of the bushes.

This little watering hole (maybe Peter Cottontail theme) was Meghan's favorite. No surprise there.

During the evening service when the kids were in the nursery, Meghan and some others went outside. When we picked them up, Meghan had a wet sock and sneaker. UGH! It was a good reminder to always make sure there is a second pair of shoes available at Pinebrook!

Late Pics

Independence Day seems like it was months ago. We've been so busy. Regardless, I want to share these pictures that were taken by Derek's brother. He took so many beautiful shots of the kids...but I wanted to limit myself since I already posted a bunch from that weekend.































Meghan's first zip-line!

Swimming

Pinebrook Bible Conference is located in the Pocono Mountains of PA (near the NJ border). The weather was cool and refreshing, although not warm enough for me to hop in the pool.

The pool was open during nap time and after bedtime. Hmm. On Monday we woke the kids up early so they could enjoy the pool.

With Evan content in the floaty (which we later realized was probably against the rules if it's considered a blow-up raft), Derek was able to play with Meghan. The floaty reminds me of a Flintstone "car." Meghan used it as a baby, too.

She was wearing a swim vest. I thought it would be good to have. I was wrong. It actually is supposed to help a child learn to swim, so it floated nicely, but tipped Meghan forward. It wasn't ideal. The next time we swam she didn't use it.

Because He Can

Evan has been enjoying his exersaucer in a new way lately.

(Notice the door stop is removed from the holder (looks like a quarter). He has removed several of them throughout the house. They are the spring-type and make a great noise when he swats them. Eventually he gets them off the wall though.)

We'll be MIA for the next week, but I hope to take lots of photos to share with you while we are away at Pinebrook.

Finally...

Finally. Meghan wants to be a cuddly big sister.

We had had a very rough morning. Meghan was incredibly cranky.

Evan didn't finish his bottle at the table, so I put him on the floor of the living room, and the bottle waited for him on the end table.


















Meghan left her bad mood behind and brought the bottle to Evan to drink. I asked if she wanted to hold him on the couch. She did, so I also grabbed the camera. This would be a very rare moment!

Evan wasn't too interested in the bottle for Meghan, but at least he laid on her for a moment.And he grabbed her mouth. Amazingly, Meghan tolerated it!


















Finally, some good food!

This was the longest Meghan had held Evan, and it was probably all of 1 1/2 minutes. She hasn't had much interest, which is one of the reasons why there are few pictures of them together. Evan doesn't sit still much now. I think their timing might be a little off, but that's okay.



















(I am procrastinating. I should be packing for our trip. Instead, this morning while a friend visited Meghan, I was cleaning...real cleaning...something I don't do often. I've hardly prepared my lists!)

More Than the Farm

Our weekend get-away was great, but exhausting. Packing for a toddler and a baby is no easy task. I'm pleased to say that nothing important was forgotten.

One concern with the long trip was Meghan, since she has no concept of "holding it" when it comes to going to the bathroom. We decided to put her in Pull-Ups on the way up. We stopped two and five hours (and arrived after seven hours...should I tell you it can be done in four hours??) into the the trip. Each time Meghan was dry. Meghan had Wheat Thins for a snack. They must have been a perfect snack since she ate some, but didn't finish them. She also didn't ask for a drink other than at our stops. We were pleasantly surprised that she remained dry the whole time. On the return trip we expected that she would sleep, so we put a diaper on her. The snacks weren't as wise, and she had some water. She never told us she needed to go to the bathroom, but her diaper was wet when we arrived home 5 1/2 hours later.

Meghan entertained herself most of the way there by reading books. She has some favorites that she likes to "read," and we brought a handful of those along. We heard, "No, no Evie!!" a handful of times on the way, and more on the return trip. We were about 3/4 of the way to our destination (Derek's grandparents) when we attempted to play a DVD for Meghan. Shortly after we figured out that a fuse had blown. No DVD for us. A 20 minute melt-down happened, but that's the way it sometimes goes.

As you can see from the posts, staying on the farm was great. We were busy visiting family, too. We visited with our parents and siblings a couple of times each. We met some friends at the local playground on Friday. For a tiny town (post office, volunteer fire company, general store, 3 churches) this town has great pride and the community hall and playground are very nice.

On July 4th we returned to the playground and used the pavilion for a family picnic. That was a really special time with both Derek's family and mine there and some special out of town guests. (No pictures were taken after the picnic because my camera stayed in the trunk.)

Saturday night we were invited to watch fireworks put on locally by a family. (We didn't know what to expect with a 2 year old whose bedtime is 8 PM.) Meghan was already tired before her bedtime, but she was looking forward to fireworks and didn't want to go to bed. She was a trooper! (And we were thankful for Donna who walked her around the pond while we waited and waited for the story telling and songs to end.) Meghan's face was priceless with each new color in the sky. Oh, I wish I had been able to capture her smile with each new boom. She asked for more "works" many times. Evan missed out. He slept through it all with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a late night, but well worth it.

Sunday we went to church and had dinner, followed by a bit of visiting. Mid-afternoon we packed up and headed home with a new fuse for the DVD player! The trip home would have been very short, but we stopped to wash the car, feed Evan, and go to the bathroom. (Should I tell you how I changed a dirty diaper on my lap. I made it through that without any problems only to be spit up on. Of course Evan hit my shoulder that was in the sunshine...making the smell a bit stronger! You probably didn't need to know that though.) Unfortunately we hit bad traffic in a ten mile construction zone. We still made it home in 5 1/2 hours.

Sunday we pack up to leave for Pinebrook Bible Conference in the Poconos! Preparations for that will be more complicated. We are packing for five nights, and we need to take linens and towels, and many other things we don't typically need in our four door car.

In addition to the packing that needs to be done, we'll have some house "stuff" to complete. The vinyl flooring in our kitchen is going to be replaced while we're gone (it's a three day job) and our bedroom ceiling seams "fixed" to make them less visible. (All of this is done by the builder since our warranty is almost expired.) So additional preparations will be made like emptying the island and removing everything from the pantry and coat closet's floor. I am not sure what needs to happen to the bedroom. I suspect that job will be dusty and messy. Tarps only do so much.

So this week we'll recover while we prepare for the next trip. We probably won't go away with the children again until Thanksgiving or Christmas. :)

With all that said, I'm not sure how much posting I'll do before we leave. It seems that I might be busy having fun packing!

Little Cousins

We actually saw lots of cousins while visiting, but here are Evan and his cousin Arden, born two months apart. (Evan is older.)

I wonder if they'll always share like this. Probably not. (Obviously I didn't have the good position with the camera, but it was cute.) I bet you didn't know they made swings for two! We didn't want them to bang heads, so they didn't swing much.

These boys are just too cute. I'll share about the rest of the trip in another post. It was a lot of fun and well worth the preparations.

More Farm Fun

Not only did we have fun with the cows and mud, Meghan also had fun with the big puddles. I love the bounce of her pony tail!

Tractor driving!

Headphones for safety!

These kittens were about 24 hours old in this picture! Can you see all three? There are older kittens available, too, if you are interested in a new pet!

Birthday Dreams

It's my birthday today. Truly, it doesn't seem like I should be this old. Not that I am old; I just don't remember how I got to be 33...time goes by quickly. (And it doesn't help that Derek is only 29. At least I have almost four years of "wisdom" on him.)


Since we had a late night, the children slept in. Breakfast was served in bed. The children played well and there were no potty accidents. The dishes didn't pile up, and the laundry waited for another day while our family spent quality time together. Meals were delicious, and I didn't make any of them!


But that is just a dream. The kids woke up by seven, which really is fairly normal. Derek gets up at 4:30 AM to shower and get to work. He doesn't have time for serving breakfast! At that hour, I prefer to sleep anyway. The children did play well, but we did have a potty accident. Evan's naps seemed shorter than usual. Last night the sink was empty, but somehow there are dishes piling up everywhere today! Our king-sized bed is covered in laundry. Laundry that I washed and dried but never put away before we left for our little weekend trip. Plus added to that are several loads I washed today.


Derek made sure he wished me a happy day this morning, but when I got to the breakfast table he had also left me a little note telling me where to find my first present: his Penn State jersey with the number 33 on it. I was to wear it around the house all day. I didn't make the connection between the 33 and, um, my birthday at all! He had to explain it to me. Wearing the jersey was like getting a big hug all day though.

We had a quiet evening at home. Now I can look forward to autumn even more with my Kitchen Aid fruit and vegetable strainer. It will make homemade applesauce much easier than cranking my food mill by hand!

The Boots and Barn

We had a great weekend away with our families. More pictures will come later, but for today I'll just share a couple of Meghan and Donna.

The first couple days there were still incredibly muddy due to the month of rain they've had. It mostly dried by the time we left. The boots were a big hit, though we later learned that they are a bit small (though a size larger than her sneakers).

This particular cow followed us as we walked through the barn. Though Meghan didn't get licked, she enjoyed being sniffed repeatedly.

Meghan has had her fingers in her mouth for the past month or two. Constantly. The barn was no exception. After the twentieth time asking her to take them from her mouth, she put them behind her back and clasped them. I couldn't resist the picture. (As you can see, they weren't fully manure covered, but still...)

More pictures to come later. For now I am in recovery mode. Children need to get back on a schedule. Bags need to be unpacked and laundry washed. I'm tempted to put the laundry right back into bags! We leave again on Sunday!