Family Time and Sunday Crankies!!

Saturday was the first day that we have gone out for the day KNOWING we are skipping Cassies nap. We normally work around her nap time...

Matt wanted to go to Cabelas to look at their hunting gear.....BORING! We told Cassie there would be animals there but we failed to tell her they were dead and stuffed. However, there were alot of fish in the aquarium and she screamed with delight when she saw a shark. (Not really a shark but she said it was)

While Matt looked at guns and knifes Cassie and I went upstairs. They had a talking moose up there which Cassie liked but she did keep her distance.

After we were done at Cabelas we stopped to visit the Plughoeft family (Matts side of the fam) Cassie got a chicken nugget happy meal and the rest of us stopped at Subway. We had a nice visit! By this time Cassie was way past her nap time and had only slept 15 min in the car. We headed home but did not go to sleep like I thought she would. Matts parents came over and we made egg rolls. My all time favorite!! By the time Cassie's bedtime rolled around she went right to bed and over all did pretty decent without a nap.



Sunday Cassie was horribly sassy. It is so unlike her and I think this is only the
2nd time she has been like this. Non-stop whining and sass. I would just walk by her and she would start whining "no mom, no" It was just pure sass (did I already say that?). I told Matt this was very unusual for her. Were we suffering the consequences of missing a nap the day before?? I don't know! She woke up from her nap in a much better mood which was good since my parents came over for some snacks and to hang out.




Once bath time rolled around the case of the sassy's returned. The only thing I can think of is she must have been tired because she went right to bed without any fuss.

Thank goodness my sweet little girl is back to normal today! She has been my big helper. We windexed all the windows and kitchen appliances, dusted, cleaned the bathrooms, did a load of laundry and went grocery shopping. She helped me with every single chore and even helped me put all the grocery's away. We also stopped at the bank to deposit the money that was in her Mickey Mouse bank. We put Micky on the counter and had it counted....she had almost $50 in her bank!! We left with an empty Mickey and a yummy sucker! Good day.

A new Tumbling Place

I got out of the shower this morning and found this...


She had moved her beanbag to be as close as she could and even had a place to put her feet. She's a smart cookie!

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs we went to a new place called MidWest Twisters. Its like Gymlingo only 10 times bigger. They had an open gym so we thought we would try it out with a bunch of friends. It was crazy busy because school was out so there were a lot of older kids there.



Cassie wouldn't go on the trampolines or anything else with the big kids because they would knock her down. However near the end she was jumping on the trampoline and laughing with some of the big kids....just takes her some time to watch and warm up. She cried when we had to go.



Kyler and Cassie. I joked with his Mom that we can use this picture at their wedding. How neat would that be to know each other since you were 2?


Cassie, Kyler and Adelyn - with their bean bags


Cass liked the balance beam. She would hold her arms out to balance and say "Look Mom, you do it"


She loves hanging like a monkey!





After we got home I made chicken nuggets and french fries. For desert she got a bowl of icecream which was a hit....a MAJOR hit.

Mmmmm!!!!!


IceCream!


Icecream and ketchup all over the face...yummy toddler meal!


Even with a bib on the girl had to be stripped of clothes and changed. She was a mess. She went down for a nap a full and happy little girl.

Infertility boards and other stuff....

I still read them...all the time. There are 2 reasons why I still read them and that is:

#1 - to offer support for woman who are trying to conceive and are facing IVF
#2 - because I never want to forget how it feels to want a child and month after month stare at a negative pregnancy test.

Whenever I read the blogs or chat boards of woman who are still trying for their sweet baby I remember exactly how they are feeling....and I don't want to forget those feelings because it makes me treasure and be thankful for every moment I have with Cassie. Of course its easy to be thankful and enjoy the sweet fun moments with her but it reminds me to be thankful when I am dealing with a temper tantrum, cleaning up a plate of food that a sassy little girl threw on the floor or what have you. I think as time passes it can be easy to forget how you would have given your right arm to have a child when you are in the midst of dealing with a temper tantrum and are trying to control your patience, reading the blogs reminds me how lucky I am to be able to hear my child whine/scream instead of having an empty, quite house. That's all part of being a Mom and I am so thankful I am one.


Morgan and Cassie formed their own band on our play date yesterday

Now on to our day.....
This morning Cassie helped me dump and mix a slew of spices together for our rotisserie chicken tonight. She loves to help Mommy in the kitchen. Once our chicken was prepared I put it in the fridge to sit. I bleached the kitchen sinks and disinfected the counters then did a load of Matt's dress shirts. After that we went to Target for a few things and ran into our friends Traci, Jackson and Morgan there! After our Target run we met Daddy for lunch. We checked out his new office digs and went to Qdoba for tacos.




After lunch we dropped Daddy back off at work and came home. Cassie fell asleep in the car 3 min before we got home. I transported her to her bed but as I type this I can tell she is not asleep....she is making a bunch of racket! I have the chicken in the stove where it will roast for 5 hours and make the house smell fantastic!! I love being a Suzy homemaker!!

We will head to Nana's and Papa's later for a quick visit...if she is in a good mood after her nap and depending on what time it is.


This was the view when I looked out our bedroom window the other day. There were 5 deer that I couldn't get in the picture.

The past few days Cassie had diarrhea. It was like water. She would hold her tummy and start to cry, we would rush to the bathroom and it was a disaster. I lost count of how many times I had to clean up the bathroom floor. Other than that she was fine. She didn't act sick. Maybe something she ate?? I didn't give her juice for 2 days because I know that can make it worse. Yesterday she was fine and today she had a normal bowel movement. All better!!


Cassie loved this baby boy. She was so good with him....yep..she is ready for a sibling. We are going to be making our first appointment with our new doctor soon to discuss the IVF plan.

Gotta run....someone is out of their bedroom and just told me that she doesn't want to take a nap. That's what happens when you sleep for 5 min in the car!!

Prayers for a family

If you haven't read about this sweet little girl and her family please do so. Her Mom requested that if we had daughters to have them wear big bows today and send her the pictures and thats what we did. We also cut out a heart and wrote her name in it.



Please say a prayer for this family.

Conversations with a 2 Year Old

go something like this.....

"I have a butt" "You have a butt" "We both have butts" (tonight in the tub)
"Look Mom, Look at my ouchie" "I don't itch it" (tonight in the tub)
"I have a neck and Cinderella has a neck" (Earlier today)




These conversations make me smile. I love these toddler years. She has moments where she is just a chatterbox and its hilerous.



Yesterday we went to a place called Flabbergast. They have a bunch of bounce houses and a huge indoor playset. Cassie loved the playset but she did not like being in the bounce house when other kids came in. It was crazy busy when we went so I think we will go with all of our friends on a weekday when its not so crazy. Some of those older kids are just plain rude and don't seem to care about any of the little kids around. When we got home I noticed one of Cassies goldfish was lying on the bottom of the bowl, he seemed fine this morning but he was NOT fine when I walked in the door. Cassie didn't notice him so I quickly flushed the poor guy down the toilet. Now 3 more to go - just kidding!!




Today we stayed home all day since we had a winter storm warning. I made Cinnomen Rolls for breakfast, we played with alot of toys and watched the snow/ice come down. The flakes were huge...some of the biggest I've ever seen.

Watching the snow



We made a fort (or attemted to)


It interested her for a grand total of 1 min.



We had a lunch of Grilled Cheese, chips and pickels and then nap time. While she napped Matt played video games and I read my Nicholas Sparks book. She only napped for 1 1/2 hours and then we popped in 101 Dalmations, played hide and seek and played downstairs.

Today she bumped her knee on a sharp edge. It bled, she cried and I hugged. We put on medicine and she was loving her Hello Kitty band-aid!


It was a good day.

My daughter

A music loving girl! Loves, loves, loves the Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr (with her drum that Daddy made her)



A goof ball!



Lover of stuffed animals



Likes to be sans pants - very rare that she is wearning pants at home. Its usually just undies and a shirt!


The messiest eater I know! When she is eating and needs to drink instead of swallowing she will spit out what is in her mouth. Drives Daddy and me bonkers!


When its bedtime she has to go potty at least 8 times! Talk about prolonging bedtime!!


Daddy asked her "Do you love Daddy". She said "No, I love Mommy" Haha!!


Love you Cass!

Play date Wednesday

This morning we went to our friend Maxims house for a play date. Maxims Mom and Dad are in Russia right now bringing home their little girl Elena. We can't wait to meet her! Cassie is in love with their cat. He is huge! On the way over there she kept telling me she was going to hold him (highly unlikely since he weighs more than she does) and hug him.



When he has had enough loving from her he goes into the basement. Cassie tries to coax him back upstairs by yelling for him thru the kitty door.



Maxim and Cassie petting Sam the cat


Me and Cass



Cassie and Adelyn playing the piano


Playing in Maxims room


While we were eating lunch I turned on K-Love. I asked her what the songs were about and she said "God". Then I asked her what God made and she said "God made me, Mommy, Papa, Nana".....then she opened up her hands and said very seriously "God made everything!". It was so sweet and I am thrilled that she is learning about God.

Our Valentines Day

Yesterday morning Cassie celebrated her 3rd Valentines Day! 3 years...really? Crazy how fast the years are going.

She got some new coloring books, snack trap and a pretty new plate


She would tear off the wrapping paper and say "Oh Mom look!! Wow!"


My little Valentine with all her gifts


After Daddy went to work we went with friends to Gymlingo. We love that place! I ended up seeing a girl there I knew and we started talking. Her 2 year old little girl was diagnosed in utero with a brain defect....she was actually missing part of the brain. The doctors told her that their daughter would never walk, have no sense of balance among other problems. Well, this little girl is running around and talking with part of her brain missing! Its not affecting her at all! Talk about a miracle. God is amazing!

We came home after Gymlingo, ate lunch and Cassie said "Mom, I'm sleepy" so she was down for a nap at 12:30. She got up around 3:00 and we went to Great-Grandpas and Gigi's to give them a Valentine and spend some time with them. Once we got home from there we made Valentine Cupcakes.

Ready to cook in her apron!


Dumped in all the ingredients and even cracked the eggs herself!


Using the mixer


First taste of batter!


"Mmmmm!!!"


Get every last drop off!!


I think she liked it


Cupcakes ready for the oven


Tasting her baked goods


Valentines Day cupcakes


My Valentines


Matt got me a card and the new Dean Koontz book I wanted. Thanks Matt!!

We also became the new owners of something else...


Goldfish


Not 1 but.....5. Its a bit much for the bowl and I have to clean it every day because there is just to many. I have asked all my friends if they want goldfish but they have all rejected my offer so it looks like I will need to get another bowl to split them up. Cassie likes them. She has named them Nemo, Dory, Shark...you get the drift.

This morning Matt left for work pretty early in the morning and I woke up with a migraine. Not fun. I put Mikey Mouse Club house on and laid on the couch with Cassie. I got a cup of coffee but couldn't drink it because my head hurt so bad I thought I was going to loose my cookies. I took some Excedrin Migraine which has always done wonders for me. I laid on the couch, covered in a blanket and suffered. At one point Cassie told me she needed more milk...ugh. Moving meant possibly hurling....but I didn't thank goodness!! Within 1 hour the Excedrin did the trick. That stuff is the best - Thank you Excedrin!