Big Boy

Buster is now sitting up unassisted and as of last Monday 8/23 he has 2 teeth. Yay Bussy!

Day 2

I'm pleased to say this morning went just as smoothly as yesterday's did. I was right and she was so exhausted after play practice that she went right to sleep. It was nice, and unusual, to have every kid in the house sleeping just after 9. I went to bed pretty early too, but still feel tired today. Tomorrow is Tea's first day!

The Verdict

Chiggie is guilty of having a fabulous first day. She is now finishing it off with a 3 hour play practice. She wasn't bothered by this at all. I'm pretty sure she could've run a marathon. I, on the other hand, am exhausted! Seriously, I don't know how other people have such busy lives. Maybe they're exhausted too?

Buster boy took a nap in his crib today, but only stayed down for about an hour. Tomorrow I'm hoping for longer. He's been napping in the bassinet and stays down anywhere from 2-2.5 hours. He's getting so big though, and now that he's sitting up (I'll post pics soon) he needs to make the big move. I'm really hoping that either goes down at a decent time tonight, or shuts off all the lights when he decides to crash. Just kidding. Maybe.

First Day

I'll probably be back later today to tell all about how it went, but here's Chiggie this morning all ready for her first day of 3rd grade. She slept great last night and didn't seem too nervous at all. I helped her get her supplies inside and then left her on the playground with her friends. She really is growing up. On a side note, I got home, changed my clothes and hit the gym. I'm hoping to make this a daily routine. I NEED to lose this baby weight!

Last Hurrah

Tonight was a Volunteer's Appreciation Luau at our Church. It was really the last summer party before school starts tomorrow. Yikes, busy year here we come!

Sleepover

As I said before, the girls stayed over at my Mom's house on Friday night, and her neighbor was kind enough to take a few pictures of them playing in her backyard. It looks like they had a blast!

A Week, Really?

Like most do, this week has gone by amazingly fast. The last real week of summer. We tried to go swimming on Thursday but much to our dismay the pool is only open on the weekends now. We were pretty disappointed. We headed over to my Mom's house instead for a little water play in the hot tub and sprinklers. Afterwards we hit DQ for french fries and ice cream cones. Poor Boo was minding her own business and eating her ice cream cone when a darn wasp stung her. On the tongue! At first my Mom and I couldn't figure out where it had gotten her. We saw it, still alive, crawling on her swimming suit top, but she was crying too hard to tell us. Then I saw the stinger and sac on her tongue. It really freaked me out. I was afraid her tongue would swell up. Luckily it was only minor swelling. Here she is a few hours later showing off her war wound. Poor baby. We gave her some Benadryl and she slept for quite awhile. It was fairly traumatic.

Last night the girls had a sleepover at my Mom's house. They had a fabulous time complete with capture the flag and marshmallow roasting. Chiggie had play practice all day and then when I picked her up we went and finished up school supply shopping. We had to go to four different stores. We have everything but the Prang watercolors. Everyone is out them. Tea doesn't start until Wednesday so we'll just keep checking.

After our last stop we were riding home in the car when I looked back and they were both completely zonked out. If this is how they're feeling now, I can't imagine how they'll feel after the next week or so!

Blurry

The title was actually meant to describe my photos lately (taken w/ my cell phone) but it also describes time. Things have been blurry lately. I have so much to talk about, but one thing just bleeds into the next. Saturday I took the kids to Pueblo and got them the things that they need to start school. The King had to work and while at first I was a little nervous, it was my first time taking all five of them out and about for the whole day, we ended up having a really good time. The little girls were so good in the mall so I let them have a coin and ride one of the rides. They loved it!

Chiggie is feeling so much better. She likes her new cast and rarely complains of pain anymore. When she got her new cast the Dr. showed us where she had broken both bones in the forearm. Ouch!

She is still working like crazy on the play and is getting so excited to start performances. She will get her cast off on the 16th and opening night is the 25th. How lucky did she get? Well I guess you're never really lucky when you break your arm, but still lucky that she'll be able to perform at least!

This weekend we are buying school supplies and then school starts for Chiggie on Monday and on Wednesday for Tea. They are both excited. We went to registration last week and they saw their class list. Tea was a little overwhelmed and got teary eyed when she was talking to the principal. She'll do great it's just very new. She's never been away from home. I will eat lunch with her once a week and she's excited about that. I love the beginning of the school year when things are so new and exciting!

This Week

• The older girls registered for school
• They know which classroom they're in and who their teachers are
• Chiggie got her new cast. It's hot pink and looks tiny compared to the last one. I'll post a pic soon.
• Got the brakes on the SUV fixed.
• I organized drawers and closets for the new school year

It was a big week. A busy, tiring, accomplished week. Tomorrow we're heading off to do school clothes and supplies shopping. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. Tea is so nervous and excited. It's both adorable and sad. She only goes one day the first week. She'll be with a small group and get oriented before the first "real" week starts. Chiggie has the same teacher she had in 1st grade. She likes the familiarity of that. I think we're just about ready. Just about.

Self Portrait

Sleep

Sleep has not come easy for Chiggie the past few days. It's such a relief when I finally find her sleeping. Even if it is on the couch! It's so hard to see one of your kids hurt!

5 Months

Happy 5 months to sweet Buster boy. He loves to eat, roll all over the place, and his newest hobby is boycotting naps. We love you dude!

Tough Break

Last night started off so well. Grocery shopping and an easy dinner followed by what was supposed to be an evening of riding bikes and enjoying the gorgeous weather. Chiggie was riding her bike around the block when Tea came back and told us she had fallen and was hurt. We've heard this about 10x a day for the last month or so and at first didn't know if it was serious or not. I decided to walk around and take a look. Chiggie was walking towards me upset. I saw that her knee was skinned and figured that was the extent of it. As soon as I came up to her I knew it was more than that. Her forearm was bent at an angle. Very clearly broken. I think we were both in shock, just sort of standing there.

I got the Kings attention and we loaded her into the car. We live very close to the hospital and thankfully once we got there it wasn't crowded at all. Chiggie kept mentioning over and over that it was Friday the 13th. Due to the extent of her injury they got her back right away. She wasn't allowed to eat or drink because they were concerned she might need surgery if the break was near the growth plate. She had x-rays right away and we waited anxiously. She was given two shots of pain medication which she took like a true champ. Once those kicked in her smile returned and I was able to relax a little.
Once the results came back we were relieved to hear it was not on the growth plate and was a standard Colles' fracture. Bad news was it was broke at a 25 degree angle and needed to be set back into place. Poor Chiggie did not take this news well. Poor thing. The anticipation was way worse than the actual procedure. She did not like getting a shot into the injured bone AT ALL but did not have to be sedated. Once she was numb they put her hand in this cool contraption and she said it reminded her of a Chinese finger trap.

The doctor was able to set it soon after and she was so numb she didn't even really mind him pushing on it. Gravity did its thing and soon the bone was right back where it needs to be. They put her in a temporary cast until the swelling goes down and we'll see an ortho doc sometime next week. It was quite an ordeal for her and she's feeling very trapped inside her cast today. It's beautiful outside and we had planned on going swimming. Her sweet, wonderful, sisters chose not to go. They said if she couldn't go they would rather just not go either. I know she will feel better very soon!

**All pictures were taken and posted with Chiggie's permission**

Fussy Bussy

I'm not quite sure what the deal is but Buster has been very fussy for about the past 24 hrs. I have alternated between thinking it's just teething and possibly another ear infection. He did well for a bit this evening after a long nap, but then was very fussy when it was time to settle down and try and go to sleep. I finally got him sleeping, but even in his sleep he seemed uncomfortable. Luckily, I learned from last night, and gave him some pain reliever before bed tonight. I'm really hoping he doesn't wake up uncomfortable. It's so hard when they're this little and can't just tell you what's up. I'm going to see what tonight brings and if he's still fussy have him checked out tomorrow.

Saturday

We had a long, busy, fun day today. It started early after a late night. Chiggie had to be at play practice by 9 am. I decided to put in some time at the gym on the elliptical right after dropping her off, so the whole rest of the day would be open. After getting everybody else ready we went to the park for a bit. A very short bit. It was hot and the equipment was too hot to play on for long.

They did get a few good slides in and weren't too disappointed to have to leave so soon.

Afterwards we took Tea shopping to spend her birthday money. She got a doll, a webkin, and a secret diary. She was thrilled. The little girls got gum, so they were happy too.

I think Buster is going through a growth spurt because he has wanted to sleep most of the day. I guess we'll see if he sleeps at all tonight!

Rough Day

Today was a looooong rough day. We all have 'em I know, but this one should do me for awhile. I did have a much better evening. I went to the gym and participated in a Zumba class. Now, seriously, who doesn't feel better after girating their hips to some Shakira music? Well, the people who witnessed me doing just that might not be feeling too well, but I feel better. Tomorrow's another day right?

Late Nights

This summer I have started an awful, no good, very bad, delicious habit. I am staying up late. Not just late, but freshman year of college late. Late to the tune of some of the neighbors are waking just as I snuggle in. It's lovely really. Night time is magical when you have little ones. So quiet, so peaceful, and just so, so well, quiet. Lucky for me, my lovelies sleep in until around 9, so I'm still getting an okay 6 hours of actual sleep. It's not enough really, but it's just enough to keep me going. Soon I must break this habit. I must return to "normal" and give my self a real bedtime.

Yummy

Guess who found his toes?He thinks they're pretty tasty too!

First Food

I wasn't entirely sure when to start giving Buster baby cereal. It's varied with all of the girls, so there really is no set time we start. Last night when he grabbed a country rib off of my plate I knew it was time.

He loved it and ate every little bite. It's amazing how fast these little milestones are coming and going.

Hello August

We took advantage of the much cooler temperature this evening and took the girls for a walk/bike ride. We went by their school and played for a bit on the playground. I think they're starting to get a little bit excited for school to start back up.

I'm glad we still have 29 more days left of vacation though. I hope the weather stays like this too!