Sisterhood: Bid Day 2014

It is August.  The middle of August in fact.  Around here, that means a busy time.  Back to School.  BID DAY!  Last Monday, the Alpha Omicron chapter of Alpha Delta Pi at Oklahoma State University welcomed almost 60 new Alpha members.  It was not as hot outside as it has been in recent years, but it was HOT inside!  ;)  Lots of hugs and excitement for these young ladies - and I am honored just to be a part of it!

For the Weavers, it also means volunteering our time to work Welcome Week registration in the ballroom of the Student Union for a few hours.  It's a family tradition!  Britt and I have done it every year for the past several years.  It's super fun, and great people watching.  We had out their first ORANGE T-short for orange Fridays, a map of campus to help them get around, and a booklet showing the week's events.  These are Freshmen who have just arrived on the OSU campus for the first time as students, and it is SO MUCH FUN!  (Great people watching, too!)  We worked out shift late Tuesday afternoon, and it did NOT disappoint!

This morning as I was trolling my apps on my iPhone waiting for the rest of the house to get going, TimeHop Abe reminded me of this post from exactly one year ago today.  Remember this, readers?  I was so excited about how this story turned out.  Well, revisiting that reminded me that there is a Part 2 - and I'm going to tell you about it today!

While my (skinny) husband and I were greeting new students Tuesday night, I was (as always) on the lookout for ADPi lavalieres, headbands, bags, T-shirts and any other identifying apparel.  In the 2 hours we were in the ballroom.  I saw 2 girls with my letters.  JUST TWO!  That's crazy - I normally see at least a handful.  The first one was not in my line - in fact she was CLEAR DOWN at the other end of the giant room.  I didn't feel like being too obnoxious and flagging her down.  But the second one?  She was in MY LINE!

Here she comes, right up to us to get her registration taken care of and most importantly to get a brand new orange T-shirt.  She had on a necklace with the Greek letters Alpha Delta Pi on a sweet little charm.  So, of course, I had to engage her.  She was so excited to talk about her new sisterhood! (We got a GREAT group this year - can't wait to see what they do in the future!).  She said she remembered seeing me at the house on Monday and was glad to meet me.  As part of the conversation, I asked who her "Bid Day Buddy" (older Delta member who helps the new Alpha members navigate the craziness that is Bid Dy) was.  YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO HER BUDDY WAS!!!!

Ok, you probably already guessed.  You're right!  It was the young lady from last year's post.  I can't make this stuff up.  I was floored - and so was my husband.  ADPI just keeps surprising me over and over.  Renewed my love for Stillwater, Oklahoma State University and Alpha Delta Pi.  What a GREAT week I had.  I always love a fresh, new fall semester, and this was just icing on the cake!

Welcome to campus, #OKState18.  Here's to a wonderful year!

Party of Six

How in the world has an entire month gone by without an update from the Dream Weavers?  Oh… Yeah… Six people make for a VERY busy life under one roof!  Let’s see…  Professional development classes for me, dance for Lara, basketball season came to an apex and (an undefeated) close for Jake, various family members went to the dentist, Britt and Betsey started Stillwater March for Babies committee meetings (mark your calendar for Saturday, September 20), Britt started working a night job at the print shop for Eskimo Joe’s Promotional Products Group, we attended an NBA Thunder game as a family, survived snow storms and snow days (which will have to be made up), Emma and Lara went to a middle school dance, various birthday parties and sleepovers for the big kids, signing Emma up for spring volleyball, Alpha Delta Pi meetings and events for me, Finn is two (and all that entails), and yesterday it was 78 degrees outside and tonight baseball practice starts for Jake.  WHEW!  What’d I miss?  LOTS I am sure.  I am so thankful for my fun, busy, crazy family; but it is kind of overwhelming to look back over a month and see all that has happened!

I feel like we are falling into a routine with the new work schedules.  It is still crazy for me to get out the door and be ta work by 7:30, but I am making it every day.  I sure like getting off at 2:00!  Gives me a minute to breathe!  To run errands, be creative and work on Dream Weaver Prints business, and to be there for my kids when they get home from school.  Even if I’m not armed and ready with gourmet snacks and fresh squeezed lemonade, I am THERE!  We do chores, laundry, watch TV, whatever until it’s time to start dinner.  Which is early!  With Britt working nights, he gets home from his day job about 5:15, and needs to leave for his night job at 5:40.  That’s 30 minutes to eat, change, and love on him!  So, we start dinner about 4:00 these days!  Emma and Lara are ESSENTIAL in this process!  They are either helping me prep food, or helping keep Finn out of the kitchen!  We have tried lots of fun recipes and have generally enjoyed working as a family to make sure Daddy has a good dinner before he takes off to work hard for our family.  It may not be what we ever wanted, but we are making the most of it!

As for Finn and what’s up in his unique little preemie world…  We decided a couple of weeks ago that he was not progressing as we wanted him too.  Yes, SoonerStart (early intervention) comes once a month or so to evaluate him, and they think he’s doing “fine,” but there are just so many things we WASN’T doing!  Like, I don’t know… EATING!  We had been told to encourage him, and to introduce new textures, and the list goes on.  Nothing was working.  And he was just too skinny in our opinions.  Add to that, he isolates himself at school and doesn’t participate, won’t talk to his teachers, and has some other peculiar social traits.  We decided it was time to get a professional opinion.  Off to the pediatrician we went!  We left there knowing he has not gained a single ounce in 4 months, but had grown taller, with a prescription for an appetite stimulant, a referral to an endocrinologist, and a referral to an occupational therapist.  And a smile on our faces 3 miles wide knowing we were getting help for our little man who we were tired of watching struggle.

We started the appetite stimulant last Tuesday morning.  He takes it twice a day with food.  So, we give it to him at 7:00am after his “breakfast” Pedia Sure and at 2:30-ish after his “afternoon snack” Pedia Sure.  The drug fact sheet stated that “you might notice an increased appetite after prolonged use.”  If by prolonged use, you mean one dose, then YES!  Yes, it does increase appetite!  He has been eating more food in the past week than he did in the past 6 months combined!  More volume, more variations, better foods (not just Goldfish crackers and pudding), more frequency!  His cute little belly just sticks out all the time now!  We are so happy it is working so well for him!  And the even bigger bonus, it has COMPLETELY changed his attitude and demeanor!  Finn has always been a sweet boy, but he was often grumpy and inconsolable, and hard to get him to participate in anything.  Now, he is happier, more involved and engaged, and sleeping better.  He’s also a bit more ornery, but we’ll take it!  In one short week, he has become a completely different child.  It makes us wonder if he was just hungry all along but didn’t know how to fix it.  Or his blood sugar levels were all over the place due to lack of nutrition…  Poor guy!  We’re just happy to see him doing SO MUCH better!

Today we start another adventure with him.  He has his first evaluation with an Occupational Therapist here in town.  We are hoping to help him learn the skills and confidence to do things more independently.  With Mommy, Daddy, 3 older siblings, and Nana the Wonder Sitter, it’s no wonder he doesn’t want to be self-sufficient!  We hope to just help him learn what he needs to be more in par with his peers.  And of course, a bit selfishly perhaps, we want him to be less clingy and needy.  We know part of that is being 2, but having raised 3 other 2 year olds, and knowing how incredible smart he is (sometime I’ll tell you about his puzzle skills), I know he is capable of so much more!  I just can’t wait to see him thrive! 

The break between updates will not be as long next time.  I hope the Occupational Therapy takes off like the appetite stimulant did, and we see fast results!  We’re still waiting on the referral for the endocrinologist, too.  My prayer is that in 6 months, we will look back on this and know we did the right thing and will be able to see marked improvement in our awesome preemie!  He has always been the kind that needed an extra push!  Always a fighter, our Finicky Finn!

Life in a College Town

paparazzi1004 on Flickr

We have enjoyed a somewhat sleepy, slightly slower paced summer in our college town.  The population dips, not like it used to “back in the day,” but enough to make it noticeable, from mid-May through the end of July.  But then, they come back.  Starting late July as Greek women head back for work week and recruitment, camp counselors return to start camps, and Leadership students begin their fall semester plans.  Then, it continues to grow as these activities gear up into full swing – Camp Cowboy, Formal Fall Recruitment for the women’s Greek organizations, Welcome Week for Freshmen.  Of course, since Britt and I both work on the Oklahoma State University Campus, we get busier and busier too.  Summer is Britt’s SUPER busy time – glad we got to squeeze in a road trip during a slightly slower time before this month started.  And before we really even are ready, the MASSES are moving in!  Wal-Mart is sold out of everything.  Out of State car tags are everywhere.  KIDS (college kids, that is) are jay-walking on 4 lane thorough-fares!  Then, classes start.  Monday is the big day!  

I have a tale to tell about this summer in Stillwater, and how God’s whispers can turn in to amazing blessings.  One of the things Britt does with his job at Student Health Services it to attend EVERY Freshman Orientation session over the summer.  (There are lots of them!)  While there, he talks to future students, parents and families about the immunization requirements the State of Oklahoma has for college students, and *hopefully* collects records from these students at that time.  He talks to NUMEROUS people during one of these sessions.  As a member of the Weaver family, it is not rare to be out in the evening to get dinner, groceries, or take a kid to an activity, and Britt will say, “Hey!  See those people over there?  The dad in the blue shirt and the kid in the neon shoes?  Yeah!  I met them at orientation today.  They are from Woodward.”  Or something along those lines.  All the time.  Night after night.  Sometimes he has a fun story to go with it, sometimes, he just “recognizes” them and points them out.

Thursday nights are “Kids’ Night” at Eskimo Joe’s.  When you have 4 kids, this is HUGE!  (***Shout Out to Stan Clark for knowing some families have more than 2 kids – including his – and giving 2 kids meals per adult entrée!***)  One Thursday night in early July, the Six Dream Weavers were eating dinner and behind us at a tall table was a family of 3.  Dad, Mom, college-aged girl.  Britt pointed them out and said he had talked to them earlier in the day at orientation.  Then he says to me, “I feel led to buy their dinner.” (God Whispers!)  I looked at him like he was off his rocker, but said, “OK!  Good idea.”  Then, after a closer look I said, “Hmm.  Maybe not.  They’re drinking beer –that makes the bill larger! LOL!”  But, I agreed it would be a very nice thing to do.  So we did.  When that Dad asked for his check, and the server told him it was taken care of?  The look on his face was priceless!  He came over to thank us, profusely.  Britt briefly introduced our crew,  and we left feeling good about the gift we had given. 

A couple of weeks later at work, Britt got a beautiful thank you card from the family - all the way from Colorado!  They mentioned how we made their visit to Stillwater memorable and how they looked forward to their daughter being here in the fall.  Again, super sweet note from a great family.  We put the envelope in our desk, thinking we would send them a Christmas card when the time came.

Fast Forward to Formal Fall Recruitment week for the Greek women’s organizations on campus.  As an advisor for Alpha Delta Pi, I am involved in this week a bit and offer my time to help out our chapter.  Britt had asked me if I knew of a list of who was going through.  I asked why, and he reminded me of our dinner encounter form a month earlier.  I told him there was no way of knowing, and again, blew it off and forgot about it.

First. Finest. forever. Since 1851.

Last Saturday was Bid Day.  The day all the young ladies who went through Recruitment find out which house they will be a member of.  Which sisterhood will be with them the rest of their lives.  It is a fun, crazy, exciting, memory-filled, HOT day!  I had to be at our Chapter house in the morning for some bookkeeping issues, and while I was there working, I got a 2 word text from Britt.  It was the young lady from Colorado’s name.  I knew he wanted me to check the list of ladies coming home to Alpha Delta Pi.  I was tied up, but one of our other Alumnae asked if there was anything she could do.  I showed her the text on my phone and told her to go check our bid list for that name (the houses get the list before the new members do).  Again, really thought nothing of it, just wanted her to feel useful.

Shine Bright Like a Diamond

She came back into the room, and with no idea why I was looking for THAT name or how I would react, she very casually says, “Yeah.  She’s on our list.”  I jumped up, said “WHAT?  Are you SURE?!?” like 10 times.  Went to check for myself.  Texted my husband.  And placed myself at the parent check in table as soon as parents started arriving.  I was in COMPLETE shock that not only did this young lady go through recruitment, she came to MY HOUSE on Bid Day!  She is going to be my sister (God’s Blessing)!  WHAT ARE THE ODDS?  

Throw What You Know!

As afternoon rolled around and the young women got to come to the houses, I made sure I was where I would run into her parents.  When the dad came to the parents’ table to check in, before he could even introduce himself, I said “Do you know who I am?’  He looked bewildered, but my husband and kids had come to the house for the festivities, and Britt was standing right behind me.  Since my husband is pretty distinctive looking, the dad instantly recognized him and his smile was SO BIG.  He was almost as shocked to see us as we were t see him!   After the day’s festivities, meetings and information sessions, we exchanged contact info before they headed back to Colorado that night.

It came full circle!  We listened to God’s whisper, and we got the blessing of being able to be in this family’s path as they send their daughter to college far from home.  We are excited about watching her come to love OSU the way WE love OSU and watch her grow during this adventure.  I thought Britt was crazy for randomly wanting to buy this family’s dinner.  But, I get the biggest blessing of all – she is now my SISTER.  

 First. Finest. FOREVER.

<WLFEO>

and for Alpha Delta Pi

We can't decide!

The Six Dream Weavers use the word "Adventure" a lot.  We don't like to sit around.  We go out looking for for things to do.  We take the back roads.  We stop and smell the flowers.  Britt and I often don't tell the kids what it is we are going to do, just that it is an adventure! (Including the Weaver Family Road Trip 2013 that is looming VERY near on the horizon!  The kids have no idea!)  Sometimes they love this, other times, they are exasperated..  Their individual personalities play a role in that as well.  All that to say, we love a good adventure!

We've been enjoying our summer full of adventures - nature camp for the 3 big kids, swim parties and trips to the pool, New Student Orientation on a constant loop for Britt, Vacation Bible School, a little surgery for me, and Nana the Wonder Sitter and I went to Dallas for 5 days for the International Grand Convention of our sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. (I went to the one in Arizona 2 years ago shortly after I found out I was pregnant with Finn...)  Finn has gotten sick a couple of times and ended up at the pulmonoligist, but nothing severe.  And, he had a hearing check up with Hearts for Hearing and is still within normal ranges but hearing more robustly from his left hear than his right.  He is now 21 months old - hard to believe he is 3 months shy of his 2nd birthday!

click to see larger

Which brings us to our next Adventure!  If we are creeping up on Finn's birthday, the Stillwater March of Dimes March for Babies MUST be on the horizon!  Mark your calendars and SAVE THE DATE!  September 28, 2013 at Willard Lawn on the OSU Campus.  Britt and I are working hard with the steering committee to make this a wonderful event, and we were blessed to be chosen as the 2013 Ambassador Family for this event.  Britt even chose our 2 mile route around the beautiful Oklahoma State campus - hitting all the highlights and MUST SEE spots!

And of course, no event is complete without a t-shirt.  That's where YOU come in! HELP US DECIDE!  After about a hundred drafts, we have finally settled on a design.  And we are going to use CustomInk.com to print the youth and adult shirts.  (Still looking for a vendor for the onesie for Finn...)  But, the color combinations are ENDLESS!  We need your input!  (Keep in mind that March of Dimes "official color" is purple.)

Here is a graphic of our 8 favorite color combinations.  Please choose your top 2, and leave a comment ON THIS BLOG and I will keep a running tally.  Voting ends on Friday, July 12, 2013 at 4:00pm CST.  I will post the winning color combo on the Early Adventures of Finn Facebook page and here on the blog.  I will then choose a randomly drawn person who choose the most popular color combo, and I have a fun little March for Babies gift for you!  SO EXCITING!

So, here we go!  Here is the picture, and a description!

Click to see larger version!  DETAILS!!!

 Option 1: Carolina blue with purple  Option 2: Teal with yellow
 Option 3: Sky blue with navy           Option 4: Natural tan with coral
 Option 5: Metro blue with lime        Option 6: Yellow with teal
 Option 7: Purple with orange           Option 8: Lime with royal blue

Let the VOTING BEGIN!

Spring has NOT Sprung

There is snow/wintery mix in for forecast for this coming weekend, yet today is the first day of Spring.  Oklahoma, you are CONFUSED! LOL!  In all reality, this is typical of Oklahoma March weather.  I distinctly remember one Spring Break (I don’t know what year – it was either late high school or early college – it was VERY important that I call my boyfriend everyday!) I went out to Western Kansas to stay with relatives for a couple of days, and got stuck out there for the whole week!  The weather was fine there, and fine here in Stillwater, but I-35 was CLOSED between Wichita and Blackwell, so I had to wait it out!  Snow on Spring Break it not that uncommon, but my kids think it is the end of the world that it might snow!  Poor sweet souls!

Looks like I haven’t been on here to update in a bit.  It’s been BUSY!  As usual, I guess, but still...  Here are the highlights:

** Finn had his post op follow up with the ENT – all is well – go back in 4 months

**  Finn is taking steps and waving a bit!  Video Proof:

** Lara finished up her 6 week intensive Hip Hop dance class – still working towards her recital in June (next up – leaps and turns in April!)

** Nana the Wonder Sitter (aka “Mom” to me) and I attended ΑΔΠ State Day on the Oklahoma State Campus – it was WONDERFUL! Love my sisterhood! #WLFEO

**Jake played his last Upward basketball game of the season and served cupcakes to his teammates, and had the end of season celebration which was SUPER fun!

Instagram of the event!

** We went to an OKC Thunder NBA basketball game as a family (again.  Thunder Up!)

** Except for Emma who was diligently preparing for State Competition with her Odyssey of the Mind team

** Had our first “Restaurant Night” fundraiser for the Stillwater March of Dimes March for Babies ta Panda Express (YUM!) Click Here to donate to Finn's Fans!

** The Spring Version of the semi-annual Adorable Affordables sale happened last week – I spent 2 solid days helping set up, and shopped on 4 different occasions!  Had to re-shop for Jake, 10’s are too small, he needs 12’s!

** Had parent-teacher conferences for all three big kids!  Emma and Lara are crushing 5^th grade, aside from a couple minor bumps in the road we are working out, and Jake is head of his Kindergarten class as far as reading and helpfulness go!

** Britt and I got to be part of a surprise birthday party celebration for one of his longtime friends and co-workers.  The guest of honor was truly SHOCKED and surprised.  That was fun

** My father-in-love celebrated his 80^th birthday!

** Mom and I attended a cute bridal shower for my future niece-in-law (Is that what she’s called? My nephew’s bride?)

** Did I mention, IT IS SPRING BREAK THIS WEEK!  They love the time off.  It just means MORE babysitting for Nana the Wonder Sitter…

** Nana and Grandpa took the big kids to the Chickasaw Cultural Center  in Sulphur, OK for a day trip yesterday while Mr. Finn hung out at Krista’s Kids day care.  BIG day for all of them!

** I am enjoying the creative outlet Dream Weaver Prints is giving me!  Love to see the orders roll in!  (Check us out on Facebook!)  

Life just keeps moving forward, it seems!  And so QUICKLY!  Emma and Lara are gearing up for the BIG move to the Middle School next year, and Jake is ready for summer and baseball!   For some reason, I have been reflecting on Finn's NICU stay the past several days, which has led me to pin a few more things to his board on Pinterest.  I have also been working with a fellow NICU mom in her efforts to do some fundraising for her Oklahoma City March for Babies family team.  She has truly inspired me, and given me some GREAT ideas for our team, too!  Stay tuned for a fun event I am dreaming about!  Our March in Stillwater it not until late September, so we are not in full gear quite yet.  PLUS!  There is going to be a "Mercy Miracles" team for Mercy NICU graduates in the OKC March the first weekend of May, so the Six Dream Weavers are going as a team to that one as well!  We sure love our March of Dimes and NICU family!  Such a crazy time in our lives - yet it has made bonds and relationships that will last us a lifetime! #blessed

Where in the World are the Weavers?

Short Answer: BUSY!  But FIRST!

Did you know November is PREMATURITY AWARENESS MONTH?  November 17 is World Prematurity Awareness Day.  Click on the purple picture to the right of this post and learn how we are going to Shine our Light at the State Capitol of Oklahoma that evening.  We would love to have you join us!  The Six Dream Weavers and March of Dimes want YOU to be included in the effort to prevent the premature birth of babies. 

• In the United States, 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely.
• Worldwide, 15 million babies are born too soon each year.
• We’re working to address the crisis at home and abroad.

You can click on this link to a calender that will show you ways to get involved everyday this month.  We are already on November 5, so there is some catching up to do!

In the meantime, the Weavers have been up to illness, volleyball (now over for the season!), dance (1 month until Nutcracker Dream!),  Alpha Delta Pi board and committee meetings, March of Dimes volunteer training and recognition, Red Ribbon week at the elementary school (hats, crazy socks, wear red, team spirit all had to be coordinated), jack-o-lantern carving, Halloween (2 cops, a robber and a ninja - and no they DID NOT walk into a bar...), Fall pictures at school (which OF COURSE required new clothes), college football, Fall Back for the end of Daylight Savings, and Upward Basketball evaluations (Jake may just have mad skills).  WHEW!

A few pictures to help summarize:

Jake and his Vampire

The girls working diligently on their jack-o-lanterns

2 cops, a robber and a Ninja

Ninja Warrior

Under Arrest!

This week is book fair week at the big kids' school.  That means Nana gets to continue her yearly tradition of going with each kid to the book fair with their class!  She is excited, but the thought of taking Finn with her is a bit daunting.  He has arms that are 10 times longer than they look!  Plus, she has to go on 2 different days - 5th grade goes one day and Kindy the next!  And on Friday night Britt and I get our own date night - of sorts!  He has agreed to help me chaperone the ADPi Date Party!  Sounds, fun, right?  We shall see!   The theme is "Decades" and each couple is supposed to dress up in outfits from their favorite decade.  At least that part will be entertaining.  I know my sweet husband is thinking - HOW does she get me into these things?!?  And, since my calendar now says November, it means I need to start scheming and dreaming on my Christmas cards.  Britt has taken it upon himself to update the address list, so I guess that leaves staging, pictures and card selection to me.  I'd better get busy!  Anyone want to take our picture (for free)?

And today is election day.  We voted early by going to the the county election board on Friday to avoid any lines today, but we are just glad we took the time to vote.  It is your RIGHT.  And one fought hard for if you are a woman.  Please use your voice, VOTE.

SQUIRREL!

My ADD kicks in and I realize I haven’t gotten done anything I had planned on doing.  Hence, the blog has not been updated in almost 2 weeks.  And a LOT had has happened!   I just can’t seem to keep it all straight some days!  I have had it on my “To Do” list more than once, but, it just slips away…

Here we are, 2 weeks since Finn’s first birthday and the weekend of epic events, and I thought my season of busy would be over.  I was wrong.  While we are not knee deep in event planning like we were, this week we are knee deep in the sickies.  But, more on that later!  First, let’s get caught up on the past two weeks!

• ·         Finn: had a cold, went to the Dr – checked out fine (we still worry about those fragile lungs!).  2 days later, went back to the Dr for his 1 year well check.  He weighed in at 16 pounds 13 ounces and 28 inches tall.  Long and Lean!  He is right on track for between 9 and 12 months developmentally.  Got 6 injections – including the first half of his flu shot.  (I got my flu shot that morning as well!)  Our pediatrician recommended taking him off formula and starting whole milk – and a sippy cup.  2 weeks later we are all systems go on the milk, and about 50/50 on the cup.  Biggest stumbling block?  He refuses to HOLD the cup.  Or the bottle!  Silly baby!

• ·         Big Kids: Emma is in the middle of fall volleyball – practices and Saturday games keep us hopping!  Lara has her regular dance classes and Nutcracker rehearsals to keep her going, too.  Jake signed up to play Upward Basketball with Eagle Heights Baptist Church,  and we are looking forward to stating that soon.  All 3 kids got their first 9 week report cards and we had conferences with all of their teachers.  They are doing GREAT!  Emma and Lara are on the straight A Train, and Jake even got one of the highest grades for a Kindergartener in MUSIC!  Britt and I are rubbing off on him!  YAY!

• ·         Fall break for our school was last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  The girls spent part of that time with their Other Dad, and we got to take Jake and Finn to the OSU Homecoming Harvest carnival to play games and gather up candy.  NEWSFLASH: Jake Weaver is an ACE at carnival games! LOL!  He had the time of his life out there!

And speaking of Homecoming, “America’s Greatest Homecoming Celebration” was in Stillwater this past weekend!  We started by wearing orange every day last week, as it a tradition for Britt and I!  We enjoying seeing the Library Fountain run orange, the sign competition on Library Lawn, the Residence Halls lit up in orange on Thursday night, and of course, WalkAround on Friday night!  We took the 4 kids, and along with my parents walked the entire route – even stopped for pictures with Pistol Pete!  Finn is such a relaxed baby – he did great being carted around in the Baby Bjorn carrier.  We even stopped at the Alpha Delta Pi house for refreshments.  We tried to go early to get out of there early, since the Sea of Orange Parade was to start at 8:00am on Saturday!  We got up and out the door early for that one – and really enjoyed that, too.  But for us, the best part was snuggling in at home as a family with some pizza to watch the game in our cozy living room.  What a great day for our family to watch OSU beat the Iowa State Cyclones!  SUCH a better feeling than homecoming last year when things were so unsettled for our family!  And to top off a fun day - Britt loaded us all up after the game and we went to the pumpkin patch!  SO MUCH FUN!

Which bring me back to the sickies at my house.  3 of 4 kids have had SOMETHING to deal with the last couple of weeks.  Lara ended up in the ER in the middle of the night several days ago with her first ever full blown asthma attack!  Her rescue inhaler didn’t change a thing, so I took her in to get a breathing treatment.  The whole experience was less than stellar, but I won’t go into that here.  Her follow up with our pediatrician was today, and I now have a script for the nebulizer machine and the meds to administer breathing treatments at home should the need arise, and she has been authorized by her doctor and her school to self-carry her rescue inhaler at all times.  We may have to see an allergy/asthma specialist in the future.  Emma has been diagnosed with strep throat.  AGAIN.  2^nd time since school started – 2^nd time in 8 weeks.  Not even 2 full months!  UGH!  She has always been my “susceptible” one, but never has it enough (5 times in 12 months) to get her tonsils removed by the ENT here in town.  Not that I want her to be sick, but I would really love to get to that point so we can remove them!  And poor baby Finn.  He was getting over that cold, and then it just came back and knocked him down again.  He had a rough weekend, a bad night last night, and I took him with us to see the doctor today.  He has the baby equivalent of a sinus infection.  This is his 2^nd round of antibiotics in 2 months.  I really just need to get everyone well and to STAY well!  Our nurse said something about how she hadn’t seen Jake in quite a while, and I told her to bite her tongue!  She knocked on wood so we would not have him get sick soon, too!  LOL!

Halloween is quickly approaching!  The 3 big kids are set – accessories and all.  Emma and Lara are going to be the most beautiful police women you have ever seen, and Jake is a ninja.  Finn was to be an adorable baby convict, but his costume is on back order- with no release date set.  After I panicked (and cried – this is a big deal to me!) last week, I bought a convict costume that would fit Jake, and I think my friend Gabi is going to help me make something work – in case the other one never shows up!  Emma and Lara are bummed, too!  They were looking forward to carting around their little prisoner!  We’ll find a way to make it work, I’m sure!

And remember this super fun Gender Reveal Party we went to over the summer?  Well, Baby B made his appearace this weekend!  Braxton Wayne was born on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 7:46pm weighing in at 7 pounds 11 ounces.  3 weeks early, but doing very well!  So happy for our friends Jenny and Brian!

I am happy to say that after today, this week is a slow one.  We need it!  Of course with Halloween in the middle of next week, it will be a doozie!  Happy Spooking!