October 9

Mia has a thing for wrapping things around her neck. My mom even joked that maybe it was Mia that wrapped the umbilical cord around her neck. It is extremely scary. We have to watch her non-stop because if she can she will wrap it around her neck. Well Aunt Lisa gave her a stethoscope (actually I am not sure if she gave it to her or Mia just found it) but she wears it around her neck all day. She even eats with it around her neck and cries hysterically if you try to take it off. Maybe she is showing career aspirations of being a nurse of doctor. Speaking of careers, Tyler has decided he is going to be an astronomer and look for comets.

October 6

From this:

To this:

Well we made it to Arizona in one piece but barely. We left the house at 6:30 this morning and due to mechanical issues we didn't get to Arizona until 3:00 pm, which would have been 5:00 pm central time. I told Mike, if I can do 11 hours in airports and airplanes with two kids by myself we can do anything. The kids were just wonderful. I will probably never forget getting off the first plane and while we were waiting for the second plane, I decided to get the kids happy meals and do a quick potty trip and diaper change. We returned to our gate and everyone was gone. Come to find out that they changed our gate and we had to trek 1/2 mile to another terminal. No stroller, carrying two happy meals, Tyler's backpack, my backpack and a sleeping child while trying not to lose the second child who is desperately trying to keep up with my almost-running pace in a packed O'Hare airport. Literally by the end of the day, I felt like I had been run over by a truck but we made it back to our second home, always sunny, warm, beautiful Arizona.

October 5

I bought everything to make this fall wreath two years ago just a couple of weeks before I found out that I was pregnant with Mia and everything sat in a box until today. Finally, two years later, I have my fall wreath done.

October 3

We took the kids to a pumpkin patch today to pick up pumpkins and enjoy a fall day before we leave for sunny Arizona. They had a blast and were so happy to get out of house. Suprisingly, Tyler and Mia had little interest in the pumpkins. Mike ended up picking the pumpkins while they played, ran, hopped, chased each other and giggled for an hour straight. The had a mini corn maze that was perfect for little kids and Tyler LOVES a puzzle of any sort so they just kept doing it over and over again. Fall is so beautiful in Chicago as long as you don't dwell on what is coming in about a month.

Last week of September

The last week of September marked our first bout of fall illness. I knew this was going to be a bad year of "sicky" kids because it's really the first time the kids have been exposed to lots of kids in the church nursery for Mia and preschool for Tyler. It started out with Mia getting a cold. Then Tyler got a fever. Then Mia got a fever and rash covering her entire body from the palms of her hands to the soles of her little feet. Then Tyler started throwing up. The week just went downhill from there. We found out Tyler had strep and Mia had a sinus infection and viral rash. My plea to the doctor, "please get them better before I have to get on a plane with them." My mom was calling multiple times a day to get a status report. She was so worried we were going to have to postpone our trip. We ended up spending the entire week isolated at home. Doing crafts, making pillow forts and reading seven hundred Dora and Diego books and we got everyone healthy 2 days before our trip.

September 20

Apple Picking!

We took the kids to an orchard where you can pick your own apples. It was fun but oh so tempting to eat the apples (even for me and Mike). Tyler kept saying, "Just one bite Mommy." And I was trying to explain to him that one bite or twenty bites. It didn't really make a difference. So a couple of apples got "tasted" and a couple got thrown on the ground but we were paying so much for these darn apples, I think the orchard assumed that this must happen with little ones. Tyler got to go on his first pony ride. The pony's name was Wyatt just like Aunt Lori's doberman so it was even more special. Tyler's facial expressions are classic Tyler. The other day I came home from getting my hair cut and I said, "Were you good for Daddy?" He thought for a moment and then replied, "I was a little bit good and a little bit bad." He then when on and accounted for his good behaviors, "helping Daddy with Mia" and his bad, "pushing Mia down and taking her toy." You have to admire his honesty...

Otherwise we have been very good just very busy with our new schedule. Tyler loves school and talks about it non-stop. I am working a lot and the kids are busy with school and playdates and we are getting ready to leave for another trip in two weeks so it's just hectic and busy and everyone has a bad cold. Tyler came home from school, laid down on the wood floor and fell asleep. That is actually what I felt like doing. Some day there will time for rest - right?!

The Letter B

Tyler is learning about one letter a week at school so we started doing some letter projects. Here is the first one. The letter B designed like a bumblebee (not one that stings, as Tyler told me). He asked me if they had bumblebees in heaven. Lots of God, Heaven and Jesus questions now. I said yes I am sure they do but they don't sting in Heaven.