The Holiday Season Has Begun!

Caleb and Kendall are so excited about the holidays. We put out our decorations. These include a Hanukkah Bush. Okay, it is really a 9+ foot tree as everyone is quick to tell me, but it is decorated in silver and blue with lots of snowmen, dreidels, and menorahs. We put all of our Hanukkah presents underneath it. I wrapped the presents ahead of time, but the kids helped me add ribbons and bows. I have to say it looks pretty nice!
Caleb also wrote his first letter to Santa. We celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah to teach our kids about both my husband's traditions and mine. So, my kids are all about Santa this year. Caleb asked for just one thing...a magic wand that will change people into animals. Haha. He might be a tad bit disappointed on this request. I was so proud of Caleb that he actually wrote the letter. He did this on his own, without it being requested of him. He grabbed a piece of paper, decided on a sentence, drew the lines, and wrote. He did ask for help with the spelling. I was so excited a few months ago when we wrote mom. I am so proud of his progress and hard work!
Tonight we went and looked at a few of the bigger light displays in our area. Last year we waited until the week before Christmas, and we waited in line for over an hour to see the house pictured below. This worked out MUCH better We only waited in line for about 15 minutes. The kids had fallen asleep on the ride over. Caleb woke up and was wide eyed when he saw the lights! Kendall slept through most of it. She woke up and watched about 5 minutes before we left though. She was a sleepy girl!
This house is amazing. It has over 200,000 lights and a few lasers as well. The lights are choreographed to songs that are broadcast on the radio. I would guess there are 15-20 songs. We stayed for about 7 or so.
We are so lucky to have this amazing house nearby. I am also VERY thankful that I do not live on their street! What a fun time of year.

Puss In Boots

We went to see Puss In Boots. This was a show that was a long time coming. We had told the kids we would take them, and that was about when they got sick. Then we had some big behavior issues...We have a rule, if you are not behaving at home, we are not going to take you out in public.
Finally, we had a day of good behavior and clean rooms. Yeah! So, off we went. The kids were so excited to go. They loved it! As kid movies go, it was pretty funny as well
I also made the realization at the movies, that Kendall's coat was becoming too small. I really had thought it was a size 4. Nope, it was a 3T. Oops! The next coat that I bought her was a 5/6. Kendall's hands just poke through the arm holes, so I say it works. It does make her look beefy because it is so puffy. Thankfully she loves it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. It was great to have two new additions to our dinner...although they were too little to eat! Here is a picture of Rachel holding Ira. He is such a happy baby and was all smiles.
My mom is such a baby person and loves to role of Grandma. I have to admit that I am also a baby person and spent much of my Thanksgiving snuggling with my niece and nephew.
Tessa wasn't all smiles, but who can blame her! Caleb and Kendall both wanted to hold her. If I was in her position I would probably cry too! Caleb is so proud of his little cousins. He thinks the world of them and talks about them daily.
We had to get a picture of all of the girls. I guess striped tights must be in style, because all three of them happened to be wearing brown dresses and striped tights. Too cute! Caleb said that he wished we could have Thanksgiving everyday. We both agree that it is our favorite holiday!

Cantigny Park

It was beautiful out this November morning. We decided to take full advantage of our day off and headed out to the Cantigny Park with Michelle and her crew. This was my first trip to Cantigny and it was a wonderful place!
The kids all concluded that by far, their favorite part of the park was the tanks. They were very fascinating and the kids were allowed to crawl all over them.

We also took the hour tour of McCormick's mansion. It was very interesting to hear the history of the estate. We saw a letter from Abraham Lincoln, appliances from the 1920s, lots of antique furniture, and even a hidden bar from the time of probation.
Kendall did an excellent job asking questions in each area. The kids saw their first dumbwaiter. The tour guide let us go down to the kitchen in the basement to see where the food came from. It was so interesting to see all of the old appliances. Amazing!

On the tour we learned that Robert and Amy McCormick were buried on the estate. The kids were excited to fin the spot afterwards. I think they mostly enjoyed the fox statues by the graves.

We then saw the war museum. This really didn't interest the kids too much. So, we raced through it.
Finally, we enjoyed the tanks.
At some point, Caleb hit his head and ended up with a bruise and goose egg. He drives me crazy, because he just keeps going. By the time I see notice it, he has totally forgotten what happened. So frustrating! At the end of our trip he ended up getting VERY crabby. He threw a full fledged temper tantrum, and threw himself back. Boom, a second bump on the back of his head. I am at the point, that I am now getting worried that the ER will be in our future soon. He is bigger and when he falls, he has the potential to really get hurt. I wish he would just slow down!
The other highlight of our trip was a map in the visitors center. It was actually a model of the entire block underneath pains of glass. The kids loved this as well.

It was a great morning on our day off. I am so thankful for these days to spend with Caleb and Kendall.

Healthy Days are Hear Again!

Here is a picture of our LAST sick day of November. Well, hopefully! Kendall is sitting at the doctor's office waiting to get her cough checked out. She brought her cow pillow pet with her. It was a just a cold and she is all better.
The following day at school, Kendall awoke wanting to be called Princess Kendall. She told Terry that she didn't have to listen to him, because Princesses do not have to listen to adults. She also decided that she needed to wear a tiara to school. (Or crown as she calls it.) What a ham!
I love the new hat that she picked out for this winter. Well, we actually chose 2, but this will be her main hat. She has been wearing it everywhere. Kendall hates the cold weather. In fact, she has told me that it is too cold to play outside. I think it is more that she hates to wear coats, socks, and shoes. We had quite a few time outs or loss of privileges at the beginning of November because she would strip all three items off each time she got in the car. It is so frustrating! I think she is finally retrained to keep them on. I think we are going to have a long winter if she thinks that an unseasonable warm November is cold. She must just be a southern girl at heart.

Germs, Germs, and More Germs!

We have had a germy couple of weeks at our house. On Wednesday, November 2 Kendall stayed home from school with a cold and a low grade fever. So, Terry stayed home with her. She was feeling better the next day and went to school. Well on Thursday, I was called at school at lunch to pick up Caleb. He had a tummy ache and low grade fever. We hung out at home and he looked miserable. I figured stomach flu...he'll be better in a day or so.

Well, Terry took off Friday and he was still really uncomfy, but just a low grade fever. So, we continued to let this bug run its course. That night (Friday), Caleb woke up with night terrors and had temp of 104.6. Yikes! So, I got it down with some ibuprofen and he woke up the next morning fever free. So, of course I didn't make a doctor's appointment. By 3:00 his fever was back up to 104.5. I took him to urgent care. He was quickly diagnosed with a sinus infection. I questioned it because of his tummy was hurting him, but I am not a doctor. So, we filled the prescription and figured it would kick in within 24 hours.

So, we waited and waited...and his fever continued with vengeance. Kendall ended up getting the stomach flu on Monday. So, I thought...Caleb must have the flu as well. He got sick once, but nothing terrible like Kendall. By Tuesday morning, Kendall felt fine and Caleb's fever was still raging.

So, I made an appointment with our regular doctor on Tuesday. After chest x-rays he was quickly diagnosed with pneumonia. The doctor told me that he would need a shot of antibiotics to get these germs out of his system. The look on Caleb's face was priceless when they gave him the choice of which cheek he wanted his shot. The fact that you can get shots in your behind was eye opening for him. He wasn't happy, but was a good trooper. The nurse told me afterwards that the shot is very painful. So, I was really proud of him and the way he handled it.

So, on Wednesday I needed to take Caleb back to the doctor for a recheck. My parents took Kendall out to lunch. She was thrilled to get some extra attention. Caleb's fever had broke, and his oxygen level was up to 95. If it had been 94, he would have needed another shot. So, I was thrilled to see the improvement.

He was back to school on Thursday!!! Caleb had a week of no exercise of any kind. So, he was pretty bouncy by the end week. I am just so glad and thankful that we are all finally feeling better. Terry and I both ended up with the stomach flu, and I am guessing Caleb had both the stomach flu and pneumonia at the same time. Poor boy! Either Terry or I were home EVERY day from November 2-November 15 due to illnesses. That is just crazy! I am hoping that we got through all of the germs and will have a healthy holiday season!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween finally arrived. The kids were so excited about it. When I picked them up at Michelle's house we decided to let them trick or treat for a bit around her neighborhood. The kids literally ran from house to house. It was so cute! They had a blast and made it around a few blocks.

We then went to Chris' house. The kids were supposed to go trick-or-treating with their cousin Rachael. I have decided that Halloween and Rachael just don't mix. She was sick with an awful cold today. Last year she had stitches from an accident at outdoor ed, and the year before she had strep throat. That is craziness!
Kendall was hilarious. She was sleepy and would have preferred staying with Rachael. But, Rach asked her to get some candy, so Kendall complied. Kendall did a great job for about 15 minutes. She then declared her candy bucket to heavy. She convinced her Aunt Chris to carry her the remainder of the time. She also was able to get Caleb to take her bucket to each house and get candy for her.

Caleb was also funny. Dorothy taught him how to say trick or treat in sign language. So, that is what he did. He then had to explain to each person what he was doing and explain why he had to buckets for candy.

I finally got pictures of the kids with their jack-o-lanterns. Now it is time for bed!