Alayna is growing up too!

My little monkey is becoming more and more of a daredevil. Everytime that I turn around she has climbed on top of something and is screaming like Tarzan, ready to jump! So, we've decided to transition her into a toddler bed. Her and Cade had a blast playing in the new bed all afternoon and he even wanted to sleep with her!!


She napped in it Sunday with no problem....


And then the night came... I was afraid she'd be sneaking out to play with her babies, but nope, she did great! About 11 p.m. she fell out of bed, but I put her right back in and she was fine the remainder of the night. I guess this is proof... at 20 months old, she is a big girl!

Preschool Begins

Caden started preschool today -- what a big day! He woke up totally stoked to go and then he stood on the deck all morning waiting for the school bus to come get him (like it does for the neighbor girl) ... I had to break it to him that I'd be taking him to school each day. Nothing like not wanting mommy around ALREADY!!!


I picked up him and two friends (Hunter and Ella) from daycare and transported the three to Chatterbox Preschool where they will go every Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9 - 11:30 a.m. Miss Mary and Miss Robin were waiting outside to welcome them, and before I could get out of the van, all three were already out of the car and into the school. I yelled, "Cade, wait! I want a picture!!!" ... but, they were off! Luckily the teachers round them back up so I could get a snapshot of them before the start of their big day.


After school, Ella's mom picked them up and got a few more pictures to share. Caden talked all about his new bag that he made: "blue with green frogs that say, ribbit, ribbit!!"


He is definitely the shortest in his class, and he told me that "all the other boys and girls went potty at school, but I didn't want to!" Hmmm... well, then!

Totally Wild 70's Night

Kati and Shawn hosted a 70's night on Saturday for her sister's 30th. We had a totally groovy time dressing the part, trying on the real-deal (vintage clothing from Kati's mom), and pulling in some drinking games.

Jarin even got a tat of a "special herb" from a guy at the tailgate earlier that day -- he was very excited to show it off! ~~ (geek) ~~ He made me go into he gas station to pick up beer, and of course everyone stared at me and commented!

From the hair (ewww!) to the makeup, we had an awesome time. Thanks to our great hosts!!

First Football Game

Saturday was the first IOWA football game of the season! Weather was beautiful, food was yummy, and the company was a blast! We didn't get to go into this game, but the kids had fun tailgating all afternoon.






Okay, so Meg and Jarin had fun too! ;-)

Bandits Game

Jarin has been doing a lot of traveling lately (and we horribly miss him at home) but my family has done a wonderful job at keeping us busy! This week they all came down for a River Bandits game.



Not exactly the Cubbies, but to Cade he sure thought it was! He prepared for two days... picking out his outfit, searching for his Bandits Fan Hand, packing the glove and ball into the van, and even finding one for Alayna to take! He was so excited that Papa was coming to the baseball game with him and he knew to expect some popcorn. ;-)

Blake got some too, and (obviously) loved it!


Cade and Alayna were so spoiled! They had pizza, popcorn, and ice cream; Caden got a new Bandits baseball and everyone received a Bandits hat when we walked in!



Rascal even came to hang out with us! Alayna was frightened at first, but after just a couple minutes she warmed up to him. And the best part... dad was named Fan of the Game! He got to stand up with Rascal and wave to the crowd on the jumbo-tron. So funny! But, he received a $25 gift card to Biaggi's. Mmmmm......

Birthday Week

I was a spoiled colleague, friend, wife, mother, sister, and daughter this week!! It started with a great night out with friends, free babysitting, and the birth of my cousin's new baby (welcome, Ella); included a birthday lunch with my grandpa, shopping with my mom (who the sales lady thought was my SISTER!!), lunch with colleagues at Granite City, and a very special dinner with my family at the one and only Pagliai's Pizza!

Of all the wonderful gifts I received, I must say that I'm absolutely flabbergasted by my parents' special surprise.... they had a local gal sketch two different pics of my sweet babies to create a keepsake for life -- check it out!