Last night I had a few dollars laying on my bed when I fell asleep mid-task. With Lauren not feeling well she came into my bed at some point in the middle of the night. This morning I got up and started getting ready for the day and shortly after I got out of the shower we had this conversation....
Lauren: **GASP** MOMMY!!!!!!
Me: Yes, Lauren?
Lauren: Did you loose a tooth last night?!?!?!?
Me: Uhhhh....no. **giggle**
Lauren: Well, there's a dollar under your pillow!!!
Quick Update
Life has been a bit hectic around our house this fall and I need to apologize for my lack of postings. School is keeping me busy. Very busy. But my hard work has been paying off as I received A's in both of my classes first session. I'm already into week two of the second block and anxiously looking forward to my three week break over the holidays.
Dustin has some very exciting news.....he is officially scheduled to go for UPS driver training the week after Thanksgiving. After five and a half years his perseverance has paid off and the dream of a driver position is almost here. The hope is that upon returning from his training he will be placed into a permanent driving spot. Cross your fingers, say your prayers or whatever it is you do.....we are REALLY hoping that this is finally it!
Josh is doing very well in school. He is one of three children in his class that are in the advanced math group. He gets easily bored with his math homework so sometimes it's a challenge to keep him chugging along but at least his teacher is working with him by providing additional, more difficult, work in the classroom. He is also working on a reading program through the school that is supported through the State of Iowa. They have select books that children read and take tests on to encourage comprehension and vocabulary. He has completed four books and is working on his fifth. I had parent/teacher conferences about a month ago and his teacher had to tell me what a funny little man he is and what a dry sense of humor he has. She said that anytime she cracks a sarcastic joke with the class that he's the only one who laughs. Made me chuckle.
Lauren is doing great with school, too! She apparently is a completely different child at school than she is at home. ;-) Her teacher sang her praises and kept telling me what a caring, helpful, responsible little girl she is. After her conference I asked Lauren if she just saved all her fits and crying for home. She said, yes. At least she's honest. She's doing very well with her reading and LOVES reading books to her sister. Today she's home sick and was devastated that she couldn't go to school....so I'd say she's pretty happy.
Ella is growing like a weed right now. She had her first hair cut, since birth, this weekend and I will be sure to post pictures soon. She loves her classroom at daycare and we hear allll about Miss Terri and how she thinks Ella is so sweet. I see so many glimpses of Lauren in Ella. Makes me smile most days....others, I weep.
Dustin has some very exciting news.....he is officially scheduled to go for UPS driver training the week after Thanksgiving. After five and a half years his perseverance has paid off and the dream of a driver position is almost here. The hope is that upon returning from his training he will be placed into a permanent driving spot. Cross your fingers, say your prayers or whatever it is you do.....we are REALLY hoping that this is finally it!
Josh is doing very well in school. He is one of three children in his class that are in the advanced math group. He gets easily bored with his math homework so sometimes it's a challenge to keep him chugging along but at least his teacher is working with him by providing additional, more difficult, work in the classroom. He is also working on a reading program through the school that is supported through the State of Iowa. They have select books that children read and take tests on to encourage comprehension and vocabulary. He has completed four books and is working on his fifth. I had parent/teacher conferences about a month ago and his teacher had to tell me what a funny little man he is and what a dry sense of humor he has. She said that anytime she cracks a sarcastic joke with the class that he's the only one who laughs. Made me chuckle.
Lauren is doing great with school, too! She apparently is a completely different child at school than she is at home. ;-) Her teacher sang her praises and kept telling me what a caring, helpful, responsible little girl she is. After her conference I asked Lauren if she just saved all her fits and crying for home. She said, yes. At least she's honest. She's doing very well with her reading and LOVES reading books to her sister. Today she's home sick and was devastated that she couldn't go to school....so I'd say she's pretty happy.
Ella is growing like a weed right now. She had her first hair cut, since birth, this weekend and I will be sure to post pictures soon. She loves her classroom at daycare and we hear allll about Miss Terri and how she thinks Ella is so sweet. I see so many glimpses of Lauren in Ella. Makes me smile most days....others, I weep.
Lost Island Waterpark
We had planned to spend one day at the Lost Island Waterpark up in Waterloo and it just happened to work out that the Lewis family could join us! Talk about making a great vacation day even BETTER!!!! You know it's a good day when the parents have just as much fun as the kids! Gretchen and I just kept talking about how awesome it was that all the kids get along so well together. And to think that we'll get one more little munchkin to add to the bunch in December!!! SOOOOO excited!!!
Josh being a little daredevil.
Dustin realizing he is no longer a daredevil.
The boys.
Josh being a little daredevil.
Dustin realizing he is no longer a daredevil.
The boys.
Children's Museum
We were down in Iowa City one day due to some electrical issues with my car so we figured we'd take the kids to the children's museum. Those kids tore that place up in a matter for hours and had so much fun in the new Take Flight exhibit!
Valleyfair
The next day of vacation was Valleyfair. And yes, we were there 20 minutes after opening and Josh, Lauren, Dustin and I watched the fireworks display at closing. Almost twelve straight hours of roller coasters, fried foods and fun. I'll just let the pictures speak for themself. I seriously cannot express in words what a good time we all had. The children mention it, still, at least once a day. And even though it took Ella a little bit to warm up to the whole idea, by the end of the day she was hopping on anything we'd let her on!
The only two things that happened, aside from all the fun, was...Lauren was about an inch short of 48" so she couldn't ride on all the rides her big brother was riding AND Lauren and Dustin fell asleep during the IMAX movie. However, Ella's reaction to seeing a movie played on such a big screen was absolutely adorable. Her little jaw dropped, she put her hand to her mouth and her eyes completely bugged out. It was adorable!!!
Josh's favorite ride: Power Tower (where you get dropped from 250 feet up)
Dustin and I each rode this with him. I started to cry at the top and told him how much I loved him. He laughed.
Lauren's favorite ride: Mad Mouse (a smaller roller coaster which whips around corners faster than any one I've ever been on)
We all got to ride this one with her at least once. By FAR her favorite.
Ella's favorite ride: The Ladybugs
Again....cannot believe how much fun we had that day. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face. :-)
The only two things that happened, aside from all the fun, was...Lauren was about an inch short of 48" so she couldn't ride on all the rides her big brother was riding AND Lauren and Dustin fell asleep during the IMAX movie. However, Ella's reaction to seeing a movie played on such a big screen was absolutely adorable. Her little jaw dropped, she put her hand to her mouth and her eyes completely bugged out. It was adorable!!!
Josh's favorite ride: Power Tower (where you get dropped from 250 feet up)
Dustin and I each rode this with him. I started to cry at the top and told him how much I loved him. He laughed.
Lauren's favorite ride: Mad Mouse (a smaller roller coaster which whips around corners faster than any one I've ever been on)
We all got to ride this one with her at least once. By FAR her favorite.
Ella's favorite ride: The Ladybugs
Again....cannot believe how much fun we had that day. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face. :-)
