Trick-or-Treat

Can you smell it in the air? That wonderful smell of leaves when it is just warm enough to wear a long sleeve shirt and have warm cider at the same time. Yesterday was the start of what I think is our Indian Summer and today should be a wonderful day for trick-or-treating! This is one of those holiday's that I remember with such fondness that I wish I were ten years old again.

Halloween was enormous when I was younger, I often spent it with my elder cousin and his friends. The evening inevitably ended with a shaving cream fight, we are not there yet but I hope Abby has the same excitement when she is older. Tonight will be spent with her buddy J.B. and his little brother at their place. It looks like a pizza evening too!

Do you have any Halloween traditions? I would love to hear them! We usually have a special meal that has been as far as I can remember. This year, with Halloween being on a Friday, and spending at a friend's home we are altering our plans. There is always next year to go back to our traditions.

As always, there will be plenty of pictures to follow this weekend.

Boo!

We are extremely fortunate to live in the Cleveland area with the numerous museums, parks and the fantastic zoo. If you have the time to attend one of the Boo at the Zoo events at the Cleveland Zoo do so! This was our second year attending Boo and all had a great time!

Abby dressed as a lady bug and spent the evening with Buzz Light-year (a.k.a J.B.) and the fierce dragon known as baby Matthew. There is so much for the kids to do, dancing, night time train rides, a haunted house, a magic show and the animals! However, I think a leash is necessary!

The idea is great to allow the kids to explore the zoo at night but, at this time of year, it is dark at 7:00 p.m. and I am so fearful that we would lose her in the crowd. Can you imagine looking for a little one in the dark let alone the zoo? Thankfully, Abby chose to be chauffeured around in her stroller for the better part of the evening.

From a parents point of view and maybe the kiddos too, the animals were the best part. Since it was so cool out and dark, many of the animals that are typically sleeping or lazy due to the heat were out. The wolves were only 10 feet from the glass and the bears were more than “active” (if you care to know how active ask Abby). Overall, we had another fantastic family weekend. I am looking forward to this afternoon with Abby; today we will be drawing whales I think.

Gooey on the Inside

Have I told you how generous my parents are? We are trying our best to teach Abby that less is more and to appreciate the smallest things. This allowed us to spend Monday afternoon last evening carving the best pumpkins, a three year old could ask for. Of course, we had a dip in the tub.

Abby was given an 11-pound pumpkin along with thirty other smaller pumpkins to carve and decorate with around the house. Ralph brought out the 10-inch chef’s knife to remove the top of the pumpkin. While he was doing this, we were treated to a dance around him and the pumpkin. Once the top was detached, Abby dug right in removing the innards and giggling as she told us how disgusting this is.

I finished cleaning up the pumpkin and obviously did not do it fast enough for some one to get into the pumpkin. For now, they are comfortably residing in our kitchen until Friday evening. Halloween pictures will soon follow…

Kaleidoscope

My Videos

I was finally able to upload this, if anyone has any suggestions on a different way to add it let me know!

Thanks

I think things have worked themselves out at day care. A new day, a new start. Thanks to all of you who asked and offered their support.

Ugh!

If you have a child in day care and you are reading this then hopefully we can help each other out. You see, Abby has been in day care since she was 3 months old, not my first choice. Given the opportunity, I would gladly stay home with that fantastic little girl. Unfortunately, that is not in the cards at the moment.

So, we manage. Barely. As I write this we are looking at alternatives to her current place. We have had some issues over the years but it really came to a head today. I know that the people who have chosen to this field have a challenging position but, come on, help us parents out.

We have a high spirited, independent, beautiful little girl. This can be a test for others as it sometimes is for us. However, please speak to my child with kindness and do not undo what we work so hard to foster at home, independence. If you think that a three year old can ruin your day then, please find another profession.

What is a parent to do? I try to be kind and bring my concerns to the appropriate individuals and hope for change. Let us see what transpires this afternoon when I pick her up.

Missing...

Have I ever told you how much I miss that little one?

It is hardest when she stays at my parent’s house. I know she will be home soon but, it seems to take forever. Yesterday, she did not arrive at our home until 4:30. Honestly, when she is gone, it is so boring. Ralph was still at work and I had been on the toothbrush hunt (do not ask) for an hour. Nevertheless, when I arrived at our place there was just this silence.

Silence. Something that seems so distant during the movement of a regular day, the singing and questions fill every minute. Where was it? I truly missed it. Days such as these are good for me; they force me to look at things very differently. Unfortunately, getting caught up in the daily crap does not leave you the time to enjoy all that we should.

I often wonder what life would be with two or three or four. Will we miss even more of the songs that make us laugh? As I write this many of our friends have added to their family which appears very exciting. But, with both of us working what will happen? Let’s just see what God has in store for our family.

Spit + 10 Three Year Olds=STREP

Yep. We got it, Strep. Sunday morning was spent in the Westlake Urgent Care along with a fellow preschooler from Abby's school. Thankfully, we caught it a bit earlier than the other kiddo who was coughing and lethargic; nothing beats a fever of 102.0^oF. It was only a matter of time, it appears we had our choice of impetigo or strep.

The Westlake Urgent Care is fantastic in case you are looking for an ER alternative. The nurse was great with Abby, he was rather sure it was strep when we mentioned the association with the previous little one. It was evident before the doctor came in that Abby had strep, thanks to the nurse (in the hallway) stating that he was three for three today! Yippee....

And then, the emails. Of course there were plenty of parents to alert, not the way I want to communicate with the moms.
Dear____
Thanks for a great_______, we had so much fun!
I wanted to let you know that Abby was diagnosed
with strep today. Have a great week!
Katy

Imagine sending those out.

We are definitely blessed to have a happy sick kid. Typically, a fever or vomit is all that we have when Abby is sick, she does not stop going. Today will be spent at G and P's moving rocks, driving the golf cart and swinging, what a life!

Popcorn, Football and Three Year Olds

This week has been yet another busy one. We have been riding our bike, drawing, playing with our friends and attending a football game! Yes, we attended our first high school football game this Friday. A fundraiser for the Elyria City Schools preceded this, a friend of ours manages curriculum for math and science there.

After dinner, we took a trolley ride with all of the kids around the block to show off the building of the new high school. Abby and Kloe had a great time on the trolley ride! The original idea was to take the trolley to the game; however, we decided to drive. I love this time of year, it was cold by the time we left for the game, good thing we drove ourselves!

We met two additional families at the game, which were friends with Kathy and Kris. There were four three year olds in our group; did I mention that they all adore popcorn? Between the three year olds, they shared four boxes of popcorn in the first twenty minutes of the game. I was surprised at how excited and interested the kids were in the game, there were shouts and cheers from our little pack.

We stayed for half time of course the bands were playing! If you recall, Abby has become intrigued by marching bands, thank you Jennifer. The girls marched and pretended to play instruments throughout half time until Kloe fell asleep in the middle of the last song. That was it; we left and watched the beautiful orange-yellow moon as Abby drifted off to sleep.

Ahhh...

Things have finally calmed down following this weekend. Monday was eventful in the metroparks with one of Abby's little friends. We decided to meet our friend for a ride in the metroparks; the girls would ride their bikes. Well, within 3 minutes she toppled off the bike and that sent my heart racing. Abby lost control and went over the side of the trail which, thankfully, was not too steep but enough to make me sick to my stomach.

After this, we decided to turn and attempt another part of the trail. Guess what? We had another spill which was equally frightening! Ugh! I am sure you can guess what happened next; I tossed and turned all night long. Tuesday morning involved me frantically searching for a new, smaller, bike for Abby. Thankfully, one was found that was pretty inexpensive, with streamers nonetheless, that arrived yesterday.

All is well.

Pumpkin Day

Yesterday was one of the biggest days that we have as a family besides Christmas, of course. Shorty calls it Pumpkin Day and I call it crazy (affectionately) and, based on responses and the parking, there were approximately 200 people that attended. We had friends, family and friends of friends. This year was especially exciting, Abby is finally old enough to appreciate such a gathering and have a blast with her many little friends.

We had hayrides for everyone with Uncle Donny and my Dad taking the wheel through our property and the neighbors. I think Abby took a turn at the wheel too!

My parents are so fortunate to have the neighbors that they have, we weave the wagons through their property every year to boot!

This could be quite a long post but I decided to let the pictures talk for themselves, have a great day!

Saturday Afternoon

We spent this evening at Crocker Park’s Fall Festival. Anything free is right up our alley. It was a perfect fall evening just crisp enough for a warm jacket. There were plenty of crafts for the kids to make along with live music from two separate bands.

The first band was a very typical Crocker Park band; if you have been there, you know what I mean. The second band was what appeared to be pre-teen girls whom Abby thought was great. Of course, we had to stop and dance at both!

While we were listening and dancing to the first group, we ran into some dear friends whom we have not seen in years! What a way to round out a beautiful October evening.

Books on Tape

Silly me. I thought that books on tape were only for adults who said “I should have read that.” Well, it turns out that there is a treasure trove of said books at the LKWDPL, which we have found and fallen in love with. Currently, there are three books visiting our home, Katy and the Big Snow, Bible Stories and The Moon. I admit, I had the Katy book as a child and adored it. These books are a great addition to our reading time and it is teaching the little missy patience! The books are due soon so we are already dreaming about our next selections to bring home.

photo courtesy of google

Yesterday was yet another nap free afternoon. It is never just one; there is always a mob of them that need to entertain one another at the peak of nap time. I give credit to those kids who are able to sleep through that ruckus, let’s hope today is a nap day.

Pick Your Battles

It looks as if naps are slowly disappearing from our lives and this is a mixed bag. There appears to be a mob of preschoolers who would rather yell to one another from their cots than quietly drift off for a leisurely afternoon slumber. Hmmm…given the choice, I would opt for the nap. Thankfully, at home naps are still taken and this is greatly appreciated. A tired preschooler is a cranky preschooler.

Yesterday afternoon consisted of a change of clothing which I was informed by Judy that this been pending all day long; just looking for a reason to change. Fortunately for Abby, one of her friends spilled water on the end of her sleeve. You can image what transpired following this three year olds emergency. Eventually, we settled on a shirt with underwear, no pants. As of late, pants seem to be an option for one member of our little family. This is a battle that I will not wage; as long as we wear them out of the house it is o.k. with me.

We are still having shoe wars. Out of the three new pairs of shoes that we purchased, only one pair “fits”. The two others appear to be too tight even though we went as far as to purchase a pair in wide. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Abby picked out the two pairs that she claims do not fit, mind you, she was properly fitted. If anyone has any suggestions for this one I am all ears!

Blah

As I write this I am fighting some unknown gastro-intestinal menace, so this will be short and sweet. Last night was sign-up time for dance class at our local studio. Classes do not begin until the end of October and they are on Saturday’s with Dad. As the year progresses there will be plenty of photos to follow with a recital in June.

The only other bit of excitement around here is Pumpkin Day, which is this weekend. Abby spent some time last week with G to help decorate around the house and the yard for the occasion. We checked out her hard work on Sunday. Have a great day!

It's Painting Time...Finally

Every morning after Abby wakes up and picks out her clothes and puts them on and...Oh, never mind. They call me, and we chat about her day. Prior to our goodbye, I always ask what she wants to do that day and yesterday it was paint. We are not talking about painting a picture on her easel but, painting hands and feet (I think I mentioned this).

So, this is how our afternoon went: lay out the plastic drop cloth (this is one of the messiest activities we do), squirt paint, every single color, onto the pallet. Reminders about not touching the cats or the furniture and then, roll out the paper to walk on with our hands and feet!

Here are the results of our afternoon endeavor, I omitted the paint stains that were quickly cleaned up ( I hope Ralph does not see this one). And, we took our bath at 4:30 p.m. for the night. Tuesday's activity is the park with Muriel and signing up for dance class...

How to Spend Time During an Open House

1. Counting frogs as they jump into the pond.
2. Naps are a great way to spend 2 hours if you are three.
3. Swing sets are nice to have around too!
4. A train ride can easily pass 20 minutes and be relaxing.
5. Golf cart races.

So, this is how we spent our Sunday at G and P’s. Not only did we have fun doing all the above mentioned activities but we had a great fall dinner too. A dinner of roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings is one of my favorite meals that my mom prepares and given the weather so fitting. Thankfully, we have ample leftovers to enjoy.

I doubt that this week will be as busy as the last but, we can always find plenty to do. Today will likely involve painting and a bike ride; two of Abby’s favorites. Lately, she has been drawing turtles and yesterday she drew thumbs up with her mini Doodle Pro.

This Sunday is Pumpkin Day and as usual it will be fun, hectic and exhausting all at the same time. We are all looking forward to the hayrides, piñata, face painting and, of course, the food. There will be plenty of pictures to follow on Monday of next week.

What a Day!

Yesterday was quiet a busy day. Given that it was Thursday, we attended our Little Gym class with Kloe. Little Gym has always been a favorite place for Abby to go and burn off that excess energy she always has. The real fun, however, was after Little Gym at the Fairview Park High School marching band practice. I had no idea how this was going to go over; Abby had already started quizzing me on how loud it would be. I attempted to explain why it is necessary for the instruments/ band to be so loud and she was still a bit apprehensive.

When we arrived at the high school, all of the lights were on and there were tons of little ones with their parents running around on the field. Can you imagine what that had to look like to a three year old? Needless to say, she was out of the car and on that field in the blink of an eye; running and playing her recorder. After five minutes or so, the band director informed us that the band would practice for a few minutes and then the kids could line up behind them.

As we lined up you could see the excitement, most of these kids were between 2 and 5 years old! Quickly, they began to march after the band, up down up down. When the band reached the end, the kids had the opportunity to lead the marching band! This was such a great experience and, the band formed a tunnel for the kids to march through by themselves. I hope that we have the chance to do this again next year; Abby loved it.

On the way home Abby asked me if we were going to have another busy, busy day. I asked her if she was tired and she said "yes, but I had a lot of fun."

Thanks, Jen.

The Cut

Finally. After weeks of telling ourselves that Abby required a haircut, we had it done last evening. Typically, we go to Snip-its for her hair cuts which is fine as long as you can tolerate a very loud room! With the Hannah Montana blaring and the "video" that they show the kids it is rather overwhelming for us, not them. Anyhow, Abby looks adorable with her new short cut. We had them take off 3-4 inches, what she had was too much for our busy little lady! I will post pictures later today.

This week is moderately busy, tonight is Little Gym followed by the Fairview Park High School marching band. The marching band sounds really exciting; the kids follow the band with their own instruments playing along! We are attending this with our friends Jennifer and Muriel Bourn. Friday will be an evening of bowling with another little friend Adalyn; I hope she enjoys bowling too!

This past week Abby has been asking about dance class again. She had a taste of it this summer with a six week course at a little studio near the end of our street. Surprisingly, we received a call from the teacher on Tuesday, asking if she would be signing up as they still had a spot for her. Well, it appears she will be starting that soon either this week or next. This one is up to dad; he will have to take her on Saturday mornings since I will be teaching.

Quick update on the Halloween costume, we will now be a lady bug (pictures to follow). Have a great day!!

Busy..Busy

Sorry, no pictures for today. The weather is finally turning and Pumpkin Day is just around the corner and so is Halloween. Our request for a costume began with a lion and has now morphed into a green M & M. It is getting close so I hope that Abby does not change her mind again; whom ever said terrible two's must have loaned out their three year old.

Anyway, we have another open house this weekend and of course, we need to vamoose. I think we will be attending the Olmsted Falls Apple Festival followed by a nap and dinner at G and P's. Thankfully, Ralph does such a great job taking care of the house and us that there is so little to do in order to prep for the open house. I hope he realizes how appreciative we are! We will keep you posted on the house and all things Lundberg.