Trying to fall into a fall schedule....

Hello. Yes I am updating, no I dont have a way to put pics on here :( sorry.
All in all we have been very busy since school has started. We have had one big event every week since the middle of August!! We are just getting back into some sort of routine since school, awana, and my fall work schedule have started. We are all very much in need of some regularity!

Dan has obviously been back to school since the begining of September, and has helped out at football games and stayed after school for other extracurricular activites. Most of the time he is home by 330 which we ALL love!! He played in a mens softball league and also a coed league with me. He has been able to ride his motorcycle to school most days. Yes I did let him buy a motorcycle in August. He loves it and it is definilty saving us gas money. I am sure it has not paid for itself yet but it definilty was a good "investment." He seems to really enjoy it!
I have been able to ride with him 3 times. We went away to The Shack in Newaygo for our 5th annversary adn we took the bike! It was defiinitly scary at first but I quickly got use to it and realized we will NOT be going cross country or even across the state on this bike!! My hips could barely take the hour drive we took each day while we were away. When we returned from the getaway we picked Calli up at Booshies and headed to Detriot for a Tigers game!! The Tigers won in the last inning but I was too busy standing in line to run the bases with Calli to see the end of the game! She did like watching the game but we walked around and did the free activites becasue it was kids day.
In September, we were able to get away for another weekend and go to a Tigers game with some close friends. We stayed at the Greektown Casino and we played some slot machines. We spent the $20 vouchers the hotel gave us and we came out with $18 cash. We didn't exactly win but we didnt play any of our own money so it seemed like we won :)
He has been healthy most of the fall but was diagnosed with pneumonia on Saturday, he had a fever, lack of energy, chills, body aches sunday-saturday last week and got a great antibiotic which seemed to help almost immediatley! Which was good because we had a wedding on Saturday evening.

Andi has changed so much since my last post! We took the side rail off her crib about 2 weeks after my last post and also she was potty trained by the middle of August! Her language skills are definilty growing every day!! She hardly ever says something we dont understand! Calli dn her are definilty the best of friends still but Andi is standing up for herself more and more! She still loves her baby dolls as her children. She loves the show Bubble Guppies and it seems to be getting more popular with her than Barney. Andi has been mostly healthy this fall but her allergies seem to still be affected in the fall~ she is getting tubes put back in her ears tomorrow morning to help with that. She had them at 9months but those tubes have moved so they will take those out and put new ones in.

Calli has started Awana Cubbies again which she loves! She is definitly getting ready for some more activites too! She asks "When will I be able to... play softball, volleyball, soccer, go to school, ride a school bus, have babies, go to Sparks, etc." She is so eager to grow up!! She is determined to grow her hair out like Rapunzel and to do that she is eating all the crust of her bread (one of her friends told her that I swear it wasn't me) and she is letting me use conditioner in her hair (yes that one is my little fib). She is still wearing dreses on a daily basis. She is definitly the girly girl which I have to admit is very fun! I have gotten very good at french braiding and other hair things and am always on the look out for dresses especially now with the cooler weather :) Another question that she asks almost daily is "Where can we go today?" She is such a social little girl. She loves it when we have plans and if our day consists of staying at home she tries to think of a friend who might want to come over.

I have not only been busy with my own little hooligans but Micah still comes over 3 days a week and also my friends son (another 1 yr old) comes over when his grandma cant watch him. The girls really seem to enjoy having the boys over. I am working 6 nightrs every 2 weeks at Pine Rest. 5/6 of the shifts are sleep shifts and the one night that i work a 3rd shift is only temporary. We have many fultimers out on med/maternity leave and so I volunteered to work 1 extra night per week. I am so glad that tonight marks the half way point of my 6 weeks helping out! I really enjoy my sleep and Tuesdays are a tough day after no sleep! I have been able to get away one time to scrapbook in Septemeber and I have another retreat I am signed up for in November. I have not been running regularly at all just becasue we have been so busy!! I love running but it takes a back seat to family time.

Ok I think that updates you on most of our life... I think and hope that it is slowing down! I look forward in my planner and silently rejoice that there are no real crazy plans/vacations until March and April!!

im blogging... OK!!!

I have had a few people get on my case about no blogging in awhile (8ish months). However things have been busy!

Dan is working at Blythfield country club this summer as he has for 10 years!! He likes the change of pace and being outside. He doesnt like the whole getting up to be there by 6am though.
This spring his dad bought a couple of motorcycles for all the boys to ride. Dans requirements (made by me- life insurance, safety class, and fully licensed) to getting /riding a bike have officially been met! It is very exciting to see him ride bc i know he really likes it. He is borrowing one of his dads bikes and he actually started driving it to work today. He was hopeing he didnt look like someone in a midlife crisis. I though this was funny bc he is turning 30 this November. Dan has also started running this summer and I try to beat him in distance each week bc he will always beats me timewise.

Calli is such a kid now!! She is not dependent in any sort of way. Its so fun to watch her with other kids. She is just playing all the time. We have really limited tv time this spring/summer and have been focusing on playing inside and outside, exploring outside, riding her bike, working on school work and just being a kiddo. She still isnt into coloring or anything so to work her fine motor skills were do school work which she loves!! She can identify all her letters and numbers up to 25. We just do random workbooks that i have found- and its not like i am pushing this stuff down her throat either. She asks almost everyday to work on her school stuff but i try to only do it 4 times a week so i dont overwhelm her. She loves being read to and she totally plays out books we read. I love it!! The girl has a great imagination. She loves the little french girl Madeline, Boz the bear, Gigi- Gods little Princess, Curious George, adn of course the Princesses. On most days she refers to me as Miss Clavel and the dogs as Genevieve. She attended VBS at Alto Baptist this summer. We bought her a bible during the week of VBS bc she was always asking for me to read her more stories about Jesus- "but not from the baby book mom from the big Bible." We got a childrens translation which is really a great way to read to little ones so they can picture it in their heads. She has really asked some great questions about God, Jesus, heaven, etc. Three of my grandparents have passed away in the last year so I think that has gotten her thinking also. It is amazing what her brain ponders. She did do Awana Cubbies this past school year and she loved that as well.
Some things stay the same (thank goodness) - She is still a momma's girl. She still sleeps with her silky blankie. She still likes us to rock her before bed and sing one song with her (we have done that basically since birth). She still eats very little, but loves all fruit, m&ms, Steak and Shake, Mcdonalds and asks for mac and cheese everyday for lunch.

Andi otherwise still called Baby in our house or Bubba (from daddy) or Winnie (from Booshie). Well what to say about her??? She is just a little ball of joy and we all just think she is hilarious! Calli has always been so serious about life (she has fun for sure but she just isnt goofy) Andilynn is the exact opposite! She walks on her tip toes almost all the time if she doesnt have shoes on, she plays with dolls like they are her real babies and always is carrying a purse and pushing a stroller (fully stocked-this week I found my cell phone in there which had been missing for 12+hrs). She is so goofy when she talks too. We taught basic sign language to both girls when they were little- all done, cookie, milk, more, please, thank you, i love you. Andilynn has really started talking a ton lately but is always using signs (made up or real) to help us understand what she is talking about. She doesnt just do hand motions but like full body motions too! I think it is so funny bc sometimes her motions/signs are exactly what they should be so we completley understand what she is trying to tell us. One of her favorite stories to tell is when we drive by one particular park where I got hit with a softball in the nose. "momma, ooowwwiiee, (points to park) softball hit mommas nose! (signs ball, and then bops herself in nose)." This is one of many. She has stories about airplanes/trains/motorcycles and who is on them.
She is definitley Callis little follower! I love watching them play together and just watching how their playtime develops. It very rarley goes sour. Calli might ask me maybe once a week if she can play by herself for awhile but for majority of the time they are togther! I couldnt ask for anything better.
With all of her growing up and becoming a full blown toddler we are changing things slower with her (calli was forced out of her crib, etc.) Andi is still in a crib til end of August, however we took her pacifier away over Memorial Day weekend (CJ had hers til she was 3). Andi isn't potty trained but hopefully by the end of summer. We didn't want her struggling with that while we were camping in July. She is still a very light sleeper, but she sleeps til 10am if she is undisturbed :) We dont let her take naps though since she is sleeping 14 hrs at night - she got to were she wasnt going to sleep until 11ish. She is still a huge eater! She LOVES hotdogs, pizza, mexican, chicken nuggets, bananas, all veggies, but doesnt like most berries (weirdo :) ) She is definitley like me when it comes to food- pretty much anything!

Noelle Now about me. I havent been scrapbooking hardly at all this summer. We have been so busy with other stuff. Dan and I play in a coed softball league on Mondays and I sub for a team on Wed. This was very different bc last year we played 3-4 nights a week. I have fallen in love with gardening. We did one last year but this years garden puts last years to shame! I have yet to get anything from it but the plants alone look bigger and healthier and there is far less weeds. I have also gotten into running. I started last July on a camping trip where I pushed Andi in the jogger til she fell asleep. I ran 3 miles without knowing it :) I ran my first 5k in September in under 30 minutes, ran the Riverbank 10k this spring in under 60 minutes. Those were my goal times so I was super excited!! I try to run 2-5 miles at least 3 times a week but it is hard with scheduling sometimes. Today I ran 6.2 miles-- a personal best not in a race (same distance as a 10k but very different when you are out by yourself.)
I am still working at Pine Rest minimal hours this year. I am watching 2 brothers 3-4 days a week. We all are enjoying this. Parker is 6 and Micah just turned 1. I love seeing how different Parker plays than Calli does. They definitley are great playmates and work with each others imagnations-- if they are at a tea party astro boy, mario, and luigi are in attendance, if they are playing "mom & dad" they have super powers or are in the middle of some battle while each of them carry a baby doll/stuffed animal. Micah and Andi seem to hang out together I think she likes just not being the baby anymore. She squeals with excitement when he comes over and constantly is telling me what he needs/wants, and tries to help feed him etc. We ALL absolutley love having the boys over. It was such an answer to prayer- so that I could stay home more because with gas prices driving to Pine Rest was getting crazy high. I feel like I am better mom when I can be home with the girls and just work on house/garden things. It is so weird how satisified, really I am extatic with life and the role I am currently filling as a mom and wife! Definitley a change in heart from wanting to get my masters degree and be working full time! I cant believe how quickly the time of them being little is going! I really am glad that I can be home and make the most of it right now.

This summer we have really tried to limit tv time so we have gone on a lot of walks as a family, had a ton of QT playing in the yard, playing board games, doing puzzles, playing playdoh, having bonfires, working in the garden, cooking/baking, and just imagning things with the girls (play house, school, etc)

Well that is it for now! I have completly updated you with words and not pictures this time! I promise i will bring my camera to work and download some. It is easier to use fb to see pics. I only have internet on my phone (cut some expenses) so its hard to upload photos.