Getting Back Together

It’s halfway through November, and as I sit here listening to the 80’s Christmas Playlist on Spotify (Hall & Oats, New Kids on The Block, Air Supply, RUN DMC, etc.), memories of my first Thanksgiving dinner of the season last night with my LTC LifeGroup still fresh on my mind, I realize I have so VERY much to be thankful for, and this year is going by at WARP SPEED!  How can Jake be almost 6?  And when did Finn get to be so independent in into EVEYTHING?  My girls? Forgetaboutit!  So grown up and more beautiful every day!  WOW!  And, um, 39 days till Christmas?  WHAT????

Well, we have been a little busy at our house.  Life with 4 kids is never, EVER dull.  Like, ever.  Since October 12, we have had 1 ER visit, 5 Urgent Care visits, 4 sick (and 1 well!) visits to the pediatrician, and I have filled 9 prescriptions (not counting the daily meds Emma and I take). That's a LOT of co-pays! We're broke. And tired.  I can say I think we are on the downhill slide.  We are down to 2 still on Rx medication.  One will be done this weekend, and the other by Turkey Day.  We actually got a full nights sleep (!) last night.  Things are looking up!

Besides all that, here are some tidbits about what ELSE has kept the Six Dream Weavers hopping:

The kids’ book fair at their school as last week.  On Thursday night, they had family fun night with pizza and singing.  Each grade, plus the Rocketeers honor choir, got to perform on stage.  Here is a video of my kids and parts of their performances.  My camera ran out of memory, so the end is kind of choppy!

Britt and I chaperoned a sorority date party Friday night.  In a barn.  With a dirt floor.  And a Rubbermaid table posing as a bar.  And a DJ whose speakers blew before the party even started.  And a port-a-potty.  There was a cattle dog, horses, and a very friendly cat (yuck!) among us.  Yeah.  I’m not kidding.  Here are my tweets:

It was something I will never, ever forget.  Like, ever.  (You see what I’m doing here, Taylor Swift?) I felt so dirty when I got home…  Ahhhh, memories!

Fixed a problem with advice from this Pin on Pinterest.    Finn has become a woodchuck.  This shows how I repurposed his crib skirt that we are no longer using since we lowered the mattress:

Had a bad experience at the eye doctor.  Vented about it on Facebook.  Feel better, but still have no contacts…

Today, I attend my last Ambassador training class at OSU.  Thank goodness!  2 years in the making.  Ready for a break!

Saturday is World Prematurity Day.  Many people don’t realize the statistics of preterm birth: 15 million babies are born preterm around the world every year—that’s 1 in 10. More than 1 million babies die due to complications of preterm birth and many of those who survive face a lifetime of disability. Our family will be participating in this:

                        We invite you to join us! 

Big Wheel Turning

Whew!  What a week!

Here are the family member highlights:

Emma – started Volleyball practice; found a club she wants to join that is FULL of creativity; started math tutoring

Lara – tried out for a role in the Nutcracker Dream, and got a demi-solo!!!  Plus another group dance in the production; started math tutoring

Jake – survived being in the parent pick up line - he was convinced he would get left at school!

Finn – weighed in at 16 pounds 11 ounces, and entered a contest (more on that soon…)

Me – worked 14 hours one day and 9 hours the next setting up for (and then SHOPPING) the Adorable Affordables consignment sale!  (The sale is still going on!  Go check it out today and tomorrow!)

Hubby – held it all together while I was off doing my thing, and worked a 9 hour day at the sale as well!

Family – participated in the Chick-fil-a Stillwater fundraiser for our March of Dimes March for Babies walk!

It has been a crazy hectic week – but they all seem to be lately!  I am so proud of my girls!  They are truly shocking me with their talent, level of determination, and willingness to branch out on their own and try new things!  Lara literally made me leave her audition – she wanted to do it all on her own!  And Emma has made great strides in volleyball, and is planning on playing at the college level!  They are growing up TOO FAST!

My latest endeavor is to win Finn some “1 year” pictures.  But not in October when he will celebrate his first chronological birthday, but in January when he SHOULD be one!  So, I got wind of a fun Facebook contest, and decided I wanted to try our hand at it.  Touch of Wonder does AMAZING work, and I love the props over at Shutterfly, so helping them get some likes and showing off one of my favorite Finn Pics is all I have to do to win.  But, I need help.  That’s where you, Finn’s Fans and my readers, come in to play!  This is a 3-click process, and here’s how it goes (all the links are hot links so you can click directly from this post!)

1. Go "like" Shutterfly PropShop

2. Go "like" Touch of WonderPhotography

3. Find the Ultimate Dream-Baby Contest album and "like" this picture of Finn (&tiny Finn) :) 

This weekend we are still chasing the wind with kids activities!  If you need a car wash, come to Richmond Elementary tomorrow morning between 9 and 11 and the Rocketeers will fix you up!  It is a fundraiser for the 4^th & 5^th grade choir.  Emma has first 2 volleyball games of this fall season, Lara has Nutcracker rehearsal, and I have sorority obligations!  This big wheel just keeps on turning!  And we love it that way!