Last Week of Soccer, Fun with Friends, and Weekend with Grandparents

Samantha: 53 Months, Week 2

Aedan: 17 Months, Week 4 (Week 78)

The last couple of weeks I have not taken many pictures, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but just shows that we have been doing a lot less crazy stuff, staying closer to home, hanging out together, and it has not crossed my mind to take pictures.

This past week on Tuesday I decided to take the kids to the library for story time. They have a preschool story time for 4-6 year olds, and I had kind of forgotten that that took place on Tuesdays. I guess I didn't know what I would do with Aedan if Samantha went to story time because he's not too keen on sitting still and listening to stories in that kind of setting. He loves to look at books and have them read to him in a one-on-one setting, but he has a hard time in a large group. Anyways, we hadn't been to story time at the new library yet and were excited to try it out.

Most mornings Samantha picks out her own clothes and gets dressed all by herself. Sometimes she thinks of very creative outfits, and Tuesday was one of those days. It was going to be a little chilly that day, so she put on a pink sweater over her gray ballerina shirt. Since she was wearing a ballerina shirt, she had to wear a ballerina skirt as well. Then, she even came downstairs with a rose in her hand so that she could dance. Her outfit was so unique that I took a picture of it and sent it to Daddy. I enjoy mornings when we don't have preschool and don't have to get out the door as quickly. We let Samantha play more before she has to get dressed and ready, and our mornings are a little more relaxed. It will be a different transition come next fall when we have to get up and get ready to leave early every morning for kindergarten.

We got to the library with enough time for Samantha and Aedan to play for awhile before story time started. I was unsure if I was going to even take Aedan in the room since I didn't think he would do too well with all the preschoolers. However, when Mr. Chad announced that story time was about to start and all the kids started filing into the room, Aedan followed right along with everyone else. Samantha really enjoys listening to stories and singing along with the songs that Mr. Chad plays on the guitar. She always sits still and listens very attentively. Aedan did better than I thought he would, as I didn't have to take him out of the room because he was screaming at least. He really enjoys the songs and loves to dance around with the big kids, but the stories are too long and involved to hold his interest for very long. So during the stories he occupied himself by walking around the back of the room and climbing up and down on a chair. There were a couple times that I had to go up to the front to get him away from the felt board or the guitar, but it really went pretty well. After story time the kids had more time to play in the children's section, we sat at tables in the lobby to eat a banana for snack, and then Samantha picked out more books and movies to check out. Samantha even saw our old neighbor, Ben, who was at the library with his day care group. It was a successful trip to the library and may become our weekly outing on Tuesday mornings, especially since I don't want to do anything too much on Tuesday mornings with our community group meeting in the evenings.

Samantha fought falling asleep for her nap that afternoon, and then Aedan woke up earlier that usual, after only about an hour and a half, which is not enough for him. He was banging on the wall like he was awake and ready to get up and play. I was a little worried that he would then be cranky that evening at community group since he didn't get a long enough nap, but what can you do? I made apple crisp using our freshly picked apple orchard apples from the week before, and we also brought vanilla ice cream to go along with it. It's nice to have a chance to make different meals or desserts for our group on Tuesdays because we don't usually make desserts at all since we don't want to have all that dessert just for our little family. However, it's nice to have something delectable every once in awhile. Our group went pretty well, but we continue to meet with no babysitter which makes it difficult for the adults to really have good conversation with kids constantly interrupting us or parents leaving to go check on their kids across the hall. We are working on finding someone, so hopefully we can work that out by the next time we meet.

I'm not exactly sure why I took this picture of Aedan in this high chair, but it is a good representation of him at breakfast. Ben is usually in charge of making breakfast, and he made some yummy eggs, sausage, and toast for us on Wednesday morning. So far it seems like Aedan continues to prefer using his left hand for eating, but it seems like he throws balls with his right hand, so we will see what hand he prefers as he gets older. He loves to feed himself and wants to have a big boy plate just like Samantha. Although Samantha has taken an affinity for the plastic character plates that we have rather than an "adult" plate like she had been using. She wants to be like Aedan and have a plate that matches him. Aedan can make quite the mess when he eats, especially since he wants to feed himself. He likes to stuff lots of food in his mouth, more than he is able to chew, and then he will end up spitting half of it back out, which also contributes to the mess. But that's what toddlers are good at, right?

The rest of our Wednesday went quickly with taking Samantha to preschool and bringing Bennett back to our house to play with Aedan for the morning. They always have a fun time together, so that's a positive thing. It's nice for Aedan to have a friend. It was a really nice day so we even had a chance to play outside with the play house and the basketball hoop. Then it was lunch and nap time before it was time to eat dinner before heading to soccer, a busy day, but the last Wednesday that will be like this. With Ben going straight from soccer to Bible study, I figured it would be just as easy to eat before. We had leftover soup, but neither kid ate very well. It almost seems as if they can't eat that early, that they need more time to get hungry before they can really have a good dinner.

This video below is from after lunch. Samantha and Aedan have a new favorite game of crawling around on the floor, meowing, and pretending to be cats. She used to do it just by herself, but now Aedan joins in with her, copying her every move. It is so cute to see them playing more together and actually interacting with each other in this way.

Then we were off to soccer. Instead of it being practice, it was actually a game since the game scheduled for the past Saturday was cancelled due to cold weather. Samantha actually did a really good job playing that evening. She paid more attention and tried more to keep up with the ball. She didn't score a goal, but that doesn't matter to us as long as she's trying hard and giving it her best effort. It was our turn to bring snack on Saturday, so we brought it that evening instead. Aedan does pretty well sitting in the stroller for most of the game/practice, but during the last quarter, Ben will often offer to take Aedan and will carry him on his shoulders so that he can feel a part of the game action as well. One of our friends took this picture of Ben and Aedan. It is precious because Aedan loves his Daddy and is so excited when he includes him out on the field.

There was a chance that the last soccer game on Saturday would be cancelled due to rain, so the kids got their medals on Wednesday instead. After they got their medals, we took a team picture. There is Coach John, Evy, Josiah, Henry, Samantha, Bella, Abram, and of course, Coach Ben. They had another girl, Josie, on their team for about half of the season, but she just kind of stopped showing up for practice and games. Somehow I got put in charge of organizing the thank you gift for the coaches, so we decided that every would chip in about $7, and I would get a restaurant gift card for both John and Ben, as well as print the team picture and put it into a frame for each of them. This team picture that Sam took turned out so well, and I love Samantha's expression in the picture. She was so excited to have her medal, exclaiming, "I've never gotten a medal for anything before!" She didn't want to take it off.

After soccer was over, we decided to go to the special Halloween story time in the park. Samantha found out about it at preschool that morning, and I told her the only way we could go is if she took a good nap and was respectful at soccer practice. She did both those things, so Ben helped me get the kids dressed in their costumes and we made our way to the canopy next to the big playground. They had a small fire going and served cookies and cider for the kids to enjoy while they listened to Mr. Chad sing songs and tell stories. Again, just like at story time at the library, Samantha sat and listened intently while Aedan wandered around. I don't know if this will always be his personality or if it's simply because he is so young and isn't able to sit and listen to stories yet. We will see how he develops, but I still think it's good for him to be exposed to these settings, and to still be able to take Samantha in particular.

On Thursday the kids and I were invited to go to Hanover Park to meet an older lady from OBF who lives down the gravel road next to our townhouse. I was in a Bible study group with her last fall and every time she passed us when we were out playing, she commented that she wanted to get together sometime. We met at Hanover Park at 10:30 so that the kids could play while her and I talked. It was good to catch up with each other, and it was a beautiful day to play at the park. After awhile some friends from Samantha's preschool came as well so then she had even more fun running around with them and swinging and laughing for a long time on the tire swing together.

Thursday was a sad day for us because Ben found out that he is not being considered for the tenure track position at Miami for next fall. The department has to hire someone with a different concentration than what Ben has and really has no choice in the matter. However, this doesn't help how we feel. Ben is having a hard time feeling discouraged since it seemed like he had the best chance at Miami since they know him here and know how good of a teacher he is. It is frustrating when he hasn't heard from anyone else yet, and our plans for next year are so up in the air. Ben could stay at Miami as a visiting professor again, but he really doesn't want to do that. He really wants to have a tenure track position and doesn't want to have to apply for another 50-70 positions again next fall. We know that God has a plan for us and that it is good. We know that He will provide and that He is working in ways that we may not see right now, but it seems like it is so hard right now to wait and to trust in Him.

Friday was my morning off, so Ben took the kids to preschool, and I went shopping at a store called Valley Thrift that I heard about from several different people. I was in need of jeans, in particular, and wanted to look for a few other things like long sleeve shirts and other items for the kids. Beth told me that it wasn't a place you wanted to go with kids, so it was a good outing to do on my morning off. The store was very overwhelming when I first walked in, especially since I don't particularly like shopping anyways. However, after scouring the racks for awhile and trying several things on, I came away with a pair of jeans and four shirts for $12. The jeans were only $0.99 which was amazing. This is definitely a place I will have to keep in mind when looking for clothes for Ben and me. However, they didn't have the greatest selection of kid's clothes, so I probably would stick to Once Upon a Child for those needs.

Here are some pictures from Aedan's time with Andrea that morning. They played outside and even painted a picture on canvas. Aedan loves to paint so I'm sure he was excited to do that. These are some great pictures, and I'm so glad she shared them with me. I love his smile as he rides on the swing and his intent expression as he paints.

Ben and I were both pretty tired on Friday after having a late night and trouble sleeping on Thursday night due to the news Ben received. However, we had a relaxing family night at home eating dinner together and playing outside until it got too dark and it was time to go in for bed time. I am going to miss these evenings outside together once the time changes in a couple weeks and it will be dark at dinner time.

After a better night's sleep on Friday night, we were ready for a fun weekend with Ben's parents coming to visit. They met us at the park for Samantha's soccer game that morning, and Samantha was SO excited to see them. She played pretty well for her last game, but really all the kids were pretty spacey that morning. Ben and John ended up changing the game to coaches versus kids, then kids versus parents for the last quarter in order to get the kids more involved and to have fun at the last game. The kids really enjoyed that, and it brought a renewed energy to the game. Soccer season ended on a high note, and I think overall Samantha enjoyed her time, she just may have been a little too young to start it or her interest wasn't quite strong enough yet. It was still good for her to get experience on a team sport, and I think she will look back with fond memories on her teammates and having her Daddy as a coach.

Originally we had thought about going to the zoo on Saturday, but then the forecast made a turn it there was a chance of rain most of the day. Sunday's weather looked much better, so we decided it would be more fun to just plan on going after church on Sunday. So on Saturday, instead, we played at home and Donna taught me how to can applesauce and apple pie filling. She brought down all her canning supplies for me to use, and we used up almost all of our apple orchard apples in addition to some apples she brought along as well. It was time consuming to peel, core, and slice all the apples needed, as well as let them cook down on the stove for applesauce, then boiling to seal the jars, but it was really fun for me to learn how to do it. It was much better having two sets of hands, sometimes three when Ben helped as well. And now I have these wonderful results of our day's work. I can't wait to make my first apple pie, and we are already enjoying the applesauce! I can definitely see myself getting into canning in the future once our kids are no longer young. You have to have concentrated time to get everything canned properly, which is difficult when you have young kids underfoot, but it's so nice to have these fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the winter. (Thank you for all your help, Donna. I couldn't have done it without you.)

Saturday night we had red beans and rice for dinner, which is one of their favorite meals, and then we went to get ice cream at Graeter's. We had a good day together and were excited about the next day. Samantha was probably too excited, as she had a hard time falling asleep that night. (Lately she has been having more trouble falling asleep at night, and we will often have to go upstairs to her room to tell her to be quiet and go to sleep. We're not sure if that has anything to do with her needing to drop her nap or what, but it's frustrating when it seems like she's always tired due to a lack of sleep. It's hard to tell how much she's sleeping because sometimes we think she is just laying quietly in her bed but not actually sleeping.) Nevertheless, Samantha always has a hard time falling asleep when we have visitors staying with us because she's too excited to play with them, making her then wake up early the next morning as well.

Sunday was a busy morning with getting up and getting ready for church. We went to the 9:00 service, and then Grandpa and Grandma planned to take the kids to the zoo after the first service while Ben and I served in the elementary in the second service. We figured that would be just as good of a solution, then we wouldn't have to cancel or try to switch with anyone. We met up with them a little before 1:00 and had pizza together for lunch before walking around the zoo to see more animals, ride the train, and ride the carousel. It was a beautiful day, and the zoo was pretty crowded, but we had a fun time. The kids had fun dressing up in their costumes and trick or treating again as well. We stayed until about 4:00 and then parted ways with Grandpa and Grandma. It was so fun to have them down with us for a couple days. Usually they come down just when we need them to watch the kids for us, and very rarely do we get a chance to just spend time together doing something fun. The kids definitely love their grandparents. :) 

Mondays are the typical day that Andrea would take Aedan, it's just that we haven't had a typical week in awhile due to our kids being sick at various times. However, everyone's kids were doing well, so we went back to our original schedule, meaning she took him on Monday morning as well. It was strange having another morning off, but it was nice to be able to get the grocery shopping done and even relax a little myself by reading a book for pleasure. Aedan had a great time with Andrea, playing at her home. Apparently his favorite toy is the guitar. She said he goes right for it every time he comes over. These boys have so much fun together. This babysitting swap was a great idea.

It's always interesting to see what games the kids come up with to play. After lunch on Monday they were playing a game where they were taking turns throwing and chasing the ball. They laughed and squealed and were having a great time. I tried to record it because I feel like I haven't been capturing as much of these little moments together, or even the sounds of their little voices together. I didn't exactly get the game on video, but you can see what life is like on an average day with Samantha and Aedan. It's crazy, but it's fun, and I'm so glad I get to be a part of it. :)

(Blog about October 20-26, 2015)

Apple Picking and a Low-Key Weekend

Samantha: 53 Months, Week 1

Aedan: 17 Months, Week 3 (Week 77)

This week was another strange one with our schedules being all thrown off due to sickness and other unexpected events. Samantha seemed to be doing okay after her fever on Monday afternoon; however, we just stayed home on Tuesday to rest, relax, and allow me to get some cleaning done and things around the house.  Even though Samantha was mostly back to her normal self, Aedan had developed a really bad diaper rash. I called the pediatrician's office to see if there was anything that could be done about it, or if we should just discontinue the antibiotics, if that was the cause of the rash. The strep test that was sent out to the lab was also negative, so the antibiotics Aedan was on probably wasn't necessary. Both the Miami Health Center and the pediatrician's office said that he should continue all the doses of the medicine, but a cream was called in to treat his diaper rash. I felt so bad for the little guy because his bottom was pink and puffy, tender to the touch. He was pooping a lot more than normal due to the antibiotic causing trouble in his GI track, which was then irritating his skin. He cried every time I had to change his diaper, and he was even more fussy other times as well. He wanted to be held, but he didn't want to be held on my hip like I normally carry him because having his legs spread out and having pressure on his bottom was hurting him. Every time I picked him up, he would keep his legs tight and straight, like you could tell that it didn't feel good to move his legs much. Poor guy, I felt so bad for him.

Tuesday evenings we usually go to community group; however, we figured with Samantha waking up with a fever on Monday afternoon, that we should wait the 24 hour cut-off before taking her around other kids and toys. We wanted her to rest and not wear herself out that evening. We wanted her to be able to go back to preschool on Wednesday. Ben volunteered to stay home with the kids on Tuesday night so that I could go to community group. We figured Aedan wouldn't enjoy going with just me because Samantha helps him to feel more comfortable and also helps keep an eye on him for us. Plus, he was a lot fussier and more clingy than normal because of his sore bottom. I made banana chocolate chip muffins to share for dessert, as well as homemade bread. Daddy hung out with the kids while I went to church. It was nice being able to still go, but it was strange being there without kids. It's amazing how peaceful dinner becomes and how little responsibility one has when you are suddenly without your kids. Back at home, the kids played and Ben kept tabs on the Cubs game. He was so excited that they finally made the play-offs. When I got home from group, Ben was already getting the kids ready for bed. We played in Aedan's room for awhile and watched the end of the Cubs game. When they won, we all got so excited that Samantha and Aedan piled on top of me!

Life has been difficult and busy for us lately. Ben has a lot on his plate with applying for many jobs, close to 60 by the time he is all done. Life just keeps on rattling along, and sometimes I find it hard to keep up. We have just a couple more weeks left of soccer, and I have to admit that I am glad. Having another commitment on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings has just been a lot for us right now. Maybe it would have been better if Ben wouldn't have had to coach, or if Samantha was more into actually playing soccer. It has been difficult waiting as well, thinking about our future, and where we might end up next year, but at the same time feeling frustrated when nothing has come up yet. I know that God has a plan for us, that He is trustworthy, that He won't leave us, and that He will provide for us just like He always has, but when you are in the middle of it, the waiting and the trusting is so hard sometimes. I find myself wanting to fast forward a couple of months until we know more of what the next year(s) might entail, but I know that I need to to be faithful even through this difficult time, and I want to see what God has for me in this, rather than wishing it away or wishing for whatever I think the perfect outcome might be. Major life changes like this can be so confusing. It's a daily battle, and some days are better than others.

Here's a video of Samantha playing Simon Says during soccer practice.

Thursday was going to be a very nice day outside, so I brainstormed for awhile before deciding on what to do with the kids that day. I have been using Thursdays as more of our excursion day since we don't have anything particular going on at night. I decided to take the kids apple picking at an apple orchard that many Oxford people visit this time of year. It is called Wesler Orchard and it's in New Paris, OH, about 45 minutes away from our house. I didn't really know what to expect there, what kind of apples we would be able to get, or even how long we would stay there. However, we had a great time. There were plenty of trees with apples on them still, even low enough for Samantha to be able to reach, especially if you went under the branches to the inside of the tree. We got some Winesap, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious apples. Aedan had a great time just walking around the trees, chomping on his apple, and occasionally picking up a brown, mushy apple off the ground to throw. We stayed for about an hour, filling our bag with half a bushel of apples. All those apples only cost us $10, so now I am excited to see all the different things we can make using these apples.

Aedan had never really eaten an apple whole before, so he thought it was pretty cool to eat an apple like his big sister, holding it and taking bites out of it. Before we left the orchard, I had Samantha and Aedan sit next to each other for a picture of them eating their apples together. It was pretty cute, especially when Aedan leaned in for a hug from his big sister.

We were at the apple orchard until about noon, and I decided that it would be too hard to drive all the way back home before having lunch. I didn't want Aedan to fall asleep in the car and then not want lunch when we got back home, so we decided to stop for lunch before going back home. The only fast food restaurant in this little town was Subway, which we had never taken Samantha and Aedan to before. They split a sandwich and Samantha really enjoyed it, eating very well. Aedan, on the other hand, did not eat very well, but that's not too surprising as of late. He has been extra picky lately, not wanting much of what we give him, especially if it's a vegetable, even if he's liked it in the past. What he'll do is take a bite of something, chew on it for awhile, and then spit it back out. Sometimes he'll chew the same piece of food and spit it back out several times. Who knows with toddlers! But sometimes it is gross to eat with him when he spits food out so much. I imagine this is just a phase and at some point he will just snap out of it. In the meantime, we will just keeping offering him the same kinds of food choices, but we can't make him eat it, no matter how hard we try.

Looking towards the weekend, we were excited to have my parents visit. However, as we were on our way out from the apple orchard, I got a text from my dad saying that Matt had another seizure and was on his way to the hospital. Back in March Matt had a seizure that led to his open heart surgery, so we were all afraid that there was going to be more trouble with his heart or even another surgery. I let Ben know right away just in case things made a turn for the worse and we had to make an impromptu trip to Chicago. My dad and Christy let me know how things were going, and as the day progressed, it seemed like there was no damage done to his heart and that he would probably be released the next day. We decided there was no reason for us to travel to Chicago, but it did change our plans for the weekend with my parents no longer coming down for a visit.

In some ways our weekend ended up being nice and low-key. Andrea took Aedan on Friday morning, so I was able to finish cleaning the house before going to Zumba and then getting the kids down for their naps. They took nice long naps that afternoon, and then we just had a good family night at home and playing outside. There was a cold front coming in on Friday night with rain as well. Therefore, Samantha's soccer game was cancelled for Saturday morning anyways. We slept in until the kids woke up, made pancakes for breakfast, and then took the kids to the library to play for awhile. Ben had never seen the new library, so I figured that would be a good outing for our family on the chilly, wet morning.

Then, later that afternoon Brenda from OBF came over to babysit our kids for us so that Ben and I could go out on a date together. We were looking forward to having a date night when my parents were supposed to come, so we were glad to get a little time away still. Brenda arrived at about 4:00 so that we could sneak out before Aedan woke up from his nap, she fed the kids dinner, and we were back for bedtime. Ben and I went to eat at our favorite restaurant, Chuy's, and we had a good time talking with each other about the future, enjoying each other's company without kids interrupting us. It's amazing how an uninterrupted meal and conversation can be so enjoyable to parents of young kids. We are so grateful for Brenda volunteering her time to watch Samantha and Aedan. It was a wonderful, refreshing evening.

Here's a couple pictures of Aedan sporting Samantha's Mickey Mouse ears that evening when we returned home.

The rest of the weekend was very low-key and relaxing as well, with lots of family time, but nothing in particular to go and do, which I really appreciated. We played outside quite a bit, and Aedan even found a new, fun game: rolling the pumpkins down the driveway and squealing with delight!

Monday was back to our somewhat normal routine. Aedan is supposed to go to Andrea's, but she had a sick child to take care of, so I kept Aedan instead. I developed a pretty bad cold and stuffy nose over the weekend myself, so Aedan and I just took it easy at home that morning. My friend Maggie came over to talk for awhile, and I spent some time cleaning toys with a vinegar solution in an attempt to kill any lingering germs from the kids. They finally seemed to be on the mend, so I wanted to sanitize anything that may have been in their mouths.

Before Daddy got home that evening, we were playing in Samantha's room for awhile. I just had to take this picture of Samantha and Aedan sitting next to each other in Samantha's reading corner. He loves it when she allows him to come into her room. He feels so special when she includes him in anything that she does. I love the two of them and the bond that has developed and continues to grow. They are so cute together.

That evening after dinner, we had more play time outside with the neighbor girls. They like to come over and play with Samantha and Aedan, climbing on our play house, and even learning how to play baseball from Ben. It's nice having friends for Samantha to play with as well, and we will take advantage of these pleasant October evenings to get outside.

(Blog about October 13-19, 2015)

Sick Kiddos & A Family Photo Session

Samantha: 52 Months, Week 4

Aedan: 17 Months, Week 2 (Week 76)

After Samantha got sick on Sunday night with a fever and getting sick to her stomach, her day at home Monday with a good, long nap seemed to make her feel much better. We mostly stayed home on Tuesday as well, except for a trip to the grocery store because I needed to get our weekly shopping trip done. However, they weren't in the greatest moods that morning, making shopping a little more difficult. Aedan wanted to ride in the car cart whereas Samantha wanted to push a little cart. I decided to let them both do what they wanted, and Aedan was doing well in the car by himself. However, Samantha got tired of pushing the little cart about halfway through the store, so we dropped it back off at the front, and she got in the car with Aedan. Aedan was being a pesky little brother that morning, leaning into Samantha, smashing her, and pulling her hair. She didn't appreciate this as she was still slightly grumpy from recovering from being sick. We tried to get him to stop, but to no avail, so I had to move him into the little seat up by me for the rest of our shopping trip. Needless to say, the trip took much longer than it should have since I had to deal with the kids. Later that day, I told Ben that maybe I will just have to start going shopping by myself after bedtime because it seems like it just hasn't been working well lately, whether I take just Aedan or both Aedan and Samantha.

Since Samantha seemed to be feeling better, and her fever was gone, we decided to go to our community group like normal. I made pumpkin chocolate chip bread on Monday night, and then planned to make a meal to bring to Jonathan and Maggie that evening. One family that was going to bring a main dish to group ended up not being able to come, so I decided to use the double recipe I was making anyways for our community group as well. The evening was busy with making dinner, dropping off the meal, and then going to church for group. It was a smaller group than normal, so we just talked and ate together, praying for baby Luke who was experiencing more health complications and undergoing another surgery. I am excited for this group and for the ways we will be able to get to know each other and support each other as we continue to meet each week.

I was really glad that Samantha was feeling better on Wednesday because it was her field trip to Wendel Farm with her preschool class. I made plans with Stephanie to watch Aedan for me so that I could just go with Samantha and spend the morning with her without having to chase Aedan around the farm. We dropped him off at her house at 8:40 and then were on our way to the farm. We could not have asked for a better day, for it was warm and sunny. The kids enjoyed watching the animals as they waited for all their classmates to arrive.

Then, the farmer began their field trip by explaining the animals and giving each kid food to feed them. They were all standing in a line in front of the fence, but the farmers weren't clear that they needed to wait for all the kids to get food before they stepped up to the fence to feed the animals. So Samantha started right for the fence once she got her food, and the farmers had to tell her to stop, go back, and wait for everyone else. They didn't yell at her or even raise their voice, but Samantha is really sensitive and began to cry. She dropped all of her food out of her hands, and she came up to me, giving me a big hug, and crying. Poor girl, she has always been like this, even as a toddler when we would have to tell her no or correct her, she would just melt into a big puddle of tears. She wants to please and follow the rules (most of the time), and so she gets upset when she thinks that adults are "mad" at her. Anyways, she calmed down after a couple minutes, got food from another child who didn't want to feed the animals, and still got a chance to feed them.

From there, they went around the farm and met the rest of the animals.  The horse...

...the donkey,

...the pony,

...the rabbit,

...the cows,

...the rooster,

...and the goose.

Before going with Miss Susie and getting a chance to be little farmers, the kids had play time.  There were tricycles to ride around, big black tubes to race in like they were little hamsters in a wheel, a corn pit, and a hay maze.  Last year when we came to this farm, Samantha was not strong enough to pedal the tricycle and had to have me push her around the track.  This year, she was able to do it all by herself!

She spent the most time running inside these big, black tubes. They were by far her favorite thing. However, sometimes she just slid around on the inside, letting the other kids do all the work of making the tube roll.

And here is the corn shucking station and the corn pit.

After their play time was over, they got to watch a little puppet show of how a pumpkin grows, and then they got to be little farmers, collecting various things to put in their baskets, like wool, a flower, milk, an apple, honey, an egg, a carrot, and a potato. Samantha was a very good listener during this part. I'm always amazed when in groups like this, to see how much more attentive she is than other kids are sometimes. She definitely enjoys school and learning, and I'm so glad that she is a good listener.

After being little farmers, it was time for the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. The kids got to pick a pumpkin, and the parents got to pick one as well. Last year I remember Samantha being very indecisive, and she took a long time picking out her pumpkin. This year she was much better at finding one the right size and sticking with her decision.

I had such a good time spending the morning with Samantha. It was fun to see her interacting with her friends, and it was great to be able to give her all my attention. If Aedan had come along, I would have been busy keeping him entertained, quiet, and not running off. It's not very often that I get time with only Samantha anymore, so I cherished this morning we had together. In fact, after we were done at the farm, I took her to McDonald's for some ice cream before going to Stephanie's house to pick up Aedan, just to squeeze in a little more time together.

After getting back home for lunch and nap time, it was time for a busy evening of soccer practice and Ben starting the men's Bible study. We usually eat dinner together after practice, but with Ben going straight to church for Bible study, that wasn't going to work that night. Instead, we decided that I would pick up Jimmy John's on our way to practice so that we could eat together as a family at the park. I ordered it online and we were doing really well getting ready and heading out the door on time. However, I told Samantha to go into the garage and find her soccer ball as I was getting Aedan ready. The garage door was still closed, and she tried to open the back door of the Santa Fe. However, it is unable to open when the garage door is closed. I did not know that she had opened the back of the car, so I pushed the garage door button to open the garage, as I walked out with Aedan. Quickly, I realized that the back door of the car was stuck on the garage door, so I pushed the garage door button to get it to stop going up. After plopping Aedan in the car, I looked over the situation, noticing that the doors were jammed together, and I had no idea what to do to fix it. I got very upset and emotional, afraid that both the car and the garage would be broken and that we would be stuck inside. After I calmed down a bit and thought about what to do, I realized that I could try pulling the car forward a couple inches to see if that would release the door. Luckily, that worked, and I was able to close the car door and get the garage door opened again. There was a small dent on the garage door, but other than that, nothing bad seemed to have happened. I was very grateful that it turned out better than it could have, even though it did mean that we were then late for soccer practice even though we started off doing so well.

It had already been a long day, and it was not even over yet. Soccer practice went okay, but Samantha has been a little spacey at practice lately, and has not been too interested in playing or trying very hard. Ben got pretty frustrated with her throughout the practice because she was not even paying attention to the ball. He would ask her where the ball was and she would look around like, "Ball? What ball? There's a ball in soccer?" We don't even care whether or not she scores a goal, we just want her to be trying her hardest and paying attention. It's difficult because there's one boy on her team who is older and really should be on a different team, but was placed on this team because he was with his younger sister (who ended up not even wanting to play). Anyways, he is a pretty good player, always gets the ball, and is very reluctant to pass it to anyone else. So that leaves players like Samantha just running around and chasing him, trying to catch up and have a chance to touch the ball. It's not quite fair, and I can feel for Samantha. I am not the most athletic person either, and I imagine I was probably a lot like that when I played soccer myself. I'm sure it gets tiring to always just be running around chasing the ball, but never getting a chance to kick it and dribble it before it's taken away from you again. Needless to say, we don't think soccer is Samantha's sport. I think she would do much better with a sport that is more of an individual sport like competitive swimming, gymnastics, or even t-ball where she has a very clearly defined role to play, a job for her to do each time it is her turn. We'll see. They teach gymnastics through Miami and also have ice skating lessons that we could sign Samantha up for, and I know they have t-ball sometime in the spring. I think we might take a break from any organized activity for right now, giving Samantha and us a break, especially as things getting busier in the next couple of months leading up to Christmas. Then, maybe after Christmas we will think about what Samantha might like to try out next. I just want her to experience many different things to find out what she truly likes to do, but I also don't want to push her into activities when she would rather have more downtime at home and doing family things.

Even though Aedan was acting fine all day on Wednesday, by the time we got home on Wednesday night and I was getting him ready for bed, he was burning up. I took his temperature under his arm and it was 101.3. I was nervous that he might have caught whatever it was that Samantha had on Sunday night that made her throw up in her bed. Having a toddler sick to their stomach would be just awful because it's not like you can encourage them to throw up in the trash can, so we would be doing a lot of laundry and clean up. Luckily, throughout the night he never got sick, he just woke up a lot acting very uncomfortable, crying, and battling off his fever. It was a rough night for us having to get up so many times and have so many sleep interruptions, but that's what you sign up for when you have kids and they get sick. He actually slept in a lot the next morning, until almost 11:00, but unfortunately his temperature was still high at 101.9. Aedan was acting out of it because of the fever, but I was able to get him to eat some banana and eggs. He was very quiet and subdued, which is unlike him in the morning. I of course gave him more medicine, so I hoped that would help him at least feel better from being so hot.

It's always difficult having a sick kid and still having to deal with one that is well. Originally, I had thought about taking the kids to the library, but that was obviously not going to happen anymore with Aedan getting sick. Samantha was just acting sassy while I was trying to take care of a fussy and sad little guy. She complained about having to stay home and that it is boring, but then on days when we go places she will complain about not having time to play at home with her toys. I would nicely ask her to do something, and she would just say, "No." So, she got several time outs throughout the morning because of that. It was just one of those days.

That afternoon was somewhat challenging as well because Aedan was having a hard time napping, even though I let him stay up a little later than usual since he slept until almost 11:00 that morning. He was really tired and was asleep for awhile, but then he woke up crying. I rocked him for awhile and got him to fall back asleep, but then he woke up as soon as I tried to lay him down. I was not handling things very well, especially with the lack of sleep we experienced with Samantha being sick at the beginning of the week and now Aedan. I felt very emotional and didn't know what to do to help Aedan feel better and get some rest. I felt frustrated with myself because when I am tired I don't have very much patience for the kids. It had been a challenging week with the kids not feeling well. Ben was very kind and offered to let me get out that evening for dinner before my Bible study.  I emailed a few ladies from church and got a few responses about going out to dinner at the last minute, and we planned to meet up at 6:30 at Bob Evans. It was very nice being able to get out for awhile, to be away from sick kids, and to eat a relaxed dinner without having to feed kids or clean up. It was just what I needed after a long day.

Aedan continued to feel bad throughout the night on Thursday with a fever, but still no vomiting, which we were grateful for. We were originally going to have a family day on Friday since it was Fall Break, Samantha had the day off of preschool, and Ben planned on staying home from the office. However, with Aedan being under the weather with a fever and being extra cranky, we decided it would not be a good idea to go anywhere. Here is our little chef helping Daddy make pancakes for breakfast that morning. She likes to pour the batter into the pan, to watch for the bubbles, and to tell Daddy when to flip them. I think it's great that she had to get on her apron and hat to help with pancakes.

Some local moms had plans to meet up at a local farm for a hayride, bonfire, and pumpkin picking, so Daddy decided to take her while I stayed with Aedan. Daddy doesn't get a chance to go on outings by himself with Samantha very often, and Samantha doesn't have a chance to hang out with just her Daddy very often, so I was glad for them to have this chance.

Samantha was excited when Daniel and Olivia, friends from OBF got there. Plus, there were lots of local moms there with kids, some that Samantha knew from other outings or even from summer camps.

The kids enjoyed the hay ride around the farm. You can see Samantha sitting by her friend Charlotte.

They also enjoyed feeding the cows. They threw ears of corn over the fence for the cows to eat, and last year Samantha was not strong enough to throw it all the way over. It always fell short of the fence. This year, she threw it all the way over and even hit the cows with them.

Samantha got to pick a pumpkin to take home and really enjoyed running around the hay maze with the other kids, as well as walking through the corn maze with Daniel, Olivia, Corrine, and Daddy. As they walked through the maze, the kids picked up stalks of corn that had fallen over so they could all walk on the path. They also took turns picking which direction to go inside the maze. They had a great time together, getting back just in time for lunch.

Meanwhile, I ended up taking Aedan to the Miami Health Center because he was acting a lot more uncomfortable that morning. I looked in his throat and it looked red. I also thought that I found some white spots in his throat. Since it was Friday, we didn't want to chance waiting and then have him get sick over the weekend and have to take him to the pediatrician's office and pay money for a doctor's visit. The health center is free for all employees and their family, so we figured they would be able to tell us if he had strep throat or anything like that. We had to wait for awhile to be seen, but they had a small collection of toys that kept Aedan happy for awhile. He was not in a bad mood, and his temperature was even lower that morning, but we figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. The nurse looked in Aedan's throat and confirmed what I saw with a lot of redness, swollen tonsils, and some white spots, all the signs of strep throat, so they did a rapid strep test. I had to hold him on my lap, facing out, with one of my arms across his chest to hold his arms down, and my other hand holding his head back. They did the strep test as quickly as they could, but of course, Aedan was not a fan. He gagged and cried and gave the nurses the stink eye for quite some time afterwards. Even the stickers didn't cheer him up. The rapid strep test came back negative, but they said they would still send the culture out to the lab to see if that test came back positive. The nurse still prescribed an antibiotic, amoxicillin, for Aedan to take for the next ten days, simply because he was showing all the signs of strep throat. I was glad that I brought him to the health center and hoped that the antibiotic would ward off any further symptoms, as well as allow him to feel better faster. It's so sad to see your kids sick and not acting like themselves.

Aedan and I stopped at Kroger to pick up his medicine, and then went back home to eat lunch and play for a little while before nap time. We were playing upstairs in Samantha's room, and Daddy took this silly picture of him trying to eat Aedan. You can see in Aedan's face and eyes that he isn't feeling well. Our kids always have these certain looks on their faces when they are sick and feverish. Poor little guy.

Saturday morning was another of Samantha's soccer games. Last week it was super cold and rainy, so I decided not to take Aedan. It was still a bit chilly on this morning, but the sun was shining, and I didn't want to miss two games in a row, so Aedan and I decided to go. He had a much better night on Friday night and his fever was gone. However, once at the game he was not the happiest. Even though I brought snacks and toys, he didn't want to be cooped up in his stroller. However, I can't get him out because then he just wants to run out onto the field. Finally, after trying to wrangle him and having him scream and cry, I decided to bring out the big guns: his pacifier. He willingly took it, as he never gets it at times other than when he goes to bed, and then he sat on my lap much more contentedly for most of the rest of the game. Dealing with Aedan that day, I was not able to watch too much of the game, but Samantha was about how she was at practice on Wednesday. She was not that into playing, always running at the back of the pack, even after Daddy had to remind her several times to pay attention and try to keep her eyes on the ball. Oh well, what can you do, we tried, but at least right now, I think Samantha will be glad when soccer is over. Daddy will probably be glad to be relieved of his first stint as soccer coach as well.

The rest of that morning and afternoon, we just rested and relaxed at home, making sure the kids got good naps in and that Aedan was given time to get feeling better. That evening after dinner, rather than just go outside and play, I suggested that we load up our bikes and go ride around campus. We have talked about doing this several times but have never actually done it. We used the baby bike seat for Aedan, and Samantha was able to ride her own bike around by herself. We rode around in a small wooded section for awhile and then went across the street to ride around a large field where the sidewalks were flatter and straighter. Samantha really enjoyed having the freedom to ride as fast and as far as she wanted. Aedan was completely silent which meant he was really enjoying himself. He thought sitting in the little seat was neat as that was something he had never tried before. I had Daddy take a picture of the two of us together before we got the bikes loaded back up that evening. I think it's such a cute little picture of him, even if he is wearing a pink ladybug helmet that we originally got for Samantha when she was a baby. We will definitely have to do this again another day when we have nice weather.

After getting off our bikes, we let the kids run around by the bell tower for awhile. There is a small room at the base of the tower, and Samantha was sure to lift Aedan up so that he could see in the windows too. I love how much she cares for him and looks out for him. She is a wonderful big sister, and her love and affection for him changes and grows as the two them change and grow in age and development. It is great to watch.

The kids had a great time just running around, playing tag, and exploring. However, it was getting late, and it was getting dark and chilly outside, so we decided it was time for us to head back home and get the kids to bed.

Sunday was another busy day with church in the morning. We were scheduled to volunteer in the elementary room during the second service, but had a more relaxed morning and didn't go to first service as well. Then, it was time for a quick lunch so we could get the kids down for naps before we had to leave for our picture session that evening. It has been awhile since we've gotten professional pictures taken. In fact, we haven't had any done since Aedan was born, and those were just of him, not of our whole family. I knew it was about time for us to get some taken, and I figured this time of year would be good since it is close to when Aedan will be 18 months, and we can also use some of the pictures on our annual Christmas card. Some of our friends from OBF, who also went to Taylor at the same time Ben and I did, offered to take our pictures for a small charge. We met at the park near the formal gardens on Miami's campus, and then we went to a covered bridge for a few more pictures. Samantha did an excellent job posing and smiling for the pictures. We have some really cute ones of her. Aedan is an almost 18 month old, so he was a bit trickier. He just wanted to walk around, play, and throw leaves into the water, so it was a bit harder to get him to sit still on our laps for pictures. Nevertheless, we got some GREAT pictures. These are just a preview and are in no particular order. Stephen Becker will give us a CD with all the pictures he took for us to do with what we please. I can't wait to get some of these printed off to update the picture frames around our house, as well as send some to family. The problem will be trying to choose which ones are my favorite! I just had to include all the sneak peeks that he sent me via email that night.

Earlier on Sunday, I received an unexpected invitation for our family to go over the the Kidd's house for dinner. Ben and I will take any excuse not to have to make a meal at home. Plus, Samantha really enjoys playing with Daniel, and it has been great getting to know Don and Corrine better as well. We went to their house straight from having our pictures taken, and we had a great time. They cooked out burgers for dinner. We ate outside on their deck, and the kids played in their large playhouse in the backyard until it got dark and it was time to go home for bed.  We had a couple late nights in a row and some tired, slaphappy kids on our hands.

Monday morning was back to the grind. Ben back to work after a nice, long weekend together, even though our plans changed some from what we originally had planned. Samantha went to preschool, and Andrea normally watches Aedan on Mondays, even though there really hasn't been a normal lately due to unexpected changes and sicknesses. This Monday was more of that for Andrea's daughter was sick with flu like symptoms and was staying home from school, so Andrea volunteered to watch Aedan on Friday instead. Aedan and I went grocery shopping that morning, which went okay, but seemed like a long morning for him. He was tired from still recovering from being under the weather and having a busy day on Sunday. In fact, he fell asleep in the car on the way to pick Samantha up from preschool, stayed asleep as she got in the car, and then continued to sleep all the way back home. I tried to feed him a quick lunch, but he just wanted to go back to sleep, so I just laid him down without him eating any lunch. Samantha was pretty tired as well and had developed a bit of a cough. Miss Betsy said she was fine at preschool and didn't hear her cough once, but she was not interested in eating much lunch either and she was in bed and asleep by 1:30. I hardly ever get them both asleep that early on a day that Samantha has preschool, so I knew they were both tired kiddos.

Apparently Samantha was indeed tired that day, as she slept for two hours and fifteen minutes, about an hour longer than she normally sleeps. When she woke up she was crying, and when I went into her room to see what was wrong, she was burning up again. Her temperature was 102.5, and I felt bad for sending her to preschool that morning even though she didn't have a fever at all before preschool but was still saying that she wanted to stay home. I was so sad that she was feeling sick again and was hoping that our kids weren't just passing germs back and forth to each other. With a high fever like that, we had another low key night at home, letting Samantha rest on the couch and watch more television than we normally let her watch, and trying to get Aedan to leave her alone. I hoped that she would bounce back quickly as she did last time and that she wouldn't get sick to her stomach again or develop strep throat. Man, having sick kids is exhausting!

(Blog about October 6-12, 2015)