WITL Monday

Wow, I haven't blogged forever but it's WITL time again so that means, hopefully, I'll have a post every day this week.

Here is yesterday:

The day started like any school day--get the kids up and ready to go.  I was anticipating it being a rough morning after a long, busy weekend away but both kiddos were in good moods and we left the house a little earlier than normal.  I walked H into her class because I needed to chat with her teacher and I also needed a few things from the office.  I then headed to the Y to train with Crissy which was a challenge since I ate a lot of junk on Easter Sunday.  Then I went to Sam's Club (ran into my friend Ashley) and then to the grocery store before making it back home around 11:30.  I unloaded everything and picked up the kitchen and sorted laundry and then ate some lunch.  It was a nice quiet afternoon working on things for the school auction coming up.  I left to pick up the kids early to be able to go back into school for more auction stuff.  We left school about 3:15 and checked on the veggie garden when we got home.  Some creature has been digging where it shouldn't so we put out the pinwheels.  Luke reads; Hannah played with Legos; and I changed the laundry (again).  Hannah wanted to play in the driveway so while she rode her scooter I pulled some weeds and then we played together for a while.  Luke requested some time to play Minecraft which I let him do while I started on dinner and H went back to her Lego creation.  While I was talking to mom, Troy got home very exhausted and done with the day.  We grilled some chicken and veggies for dinner and then we all went for a walk.  The kids took shower/bath and got ready for bed.  After getting H in bed, I did the dishes and changed the laundry (again).  When Troy finished reading to LJ he went to the office while I worked on sending some emails and working on auction stuff again.  Hannah came downstairs about 8:30 complaining her toe hurt--we sent her back to bed with a band-aid and a warning not to get up again.  LJ came down at 8:45 for a final good night after reading on his own for a while.  Troy ironed before getting ready for bed and reading.  I fixed lunches and got ready for bed early.  We were both tired.  Of course the minute Troy turned out his light he was snoring.  I got stuck playing a matching game on my Kindle and turned out the light later than I wanted too.

Observations/Gratitude:
It was nice to have a somewhat relaxing day unfortunately that wasn't the case for Troy.  I was pleasantly surprised by the kids' good moods while getting ready for school.  We all enjoyed a nice family dinner with no complaining about the food.

Favorite Moment:
I loved our family walk!

Pics Taken:
92

Always like to have this overview of the week for WITL

She insists on massaging her face on my legs and feet every morning when I put my shoes on.

He comes downstairs and snuggles in a blanket for a few minutes before starting his day.

Didn't really want to wake up

Breakfast

New as of December--Hannah adjusted SO well and puts them in all on her own

Multi-tasking

Just dropped off her Frozen backpack

Running to line up to go inside

My trainer (she's awesome)

Her spot when the house is empty (under Troy's desk in the office)

We really needed some groceries!

My kitchen is a disaster after being gone for the weekend.

Blech!

Time to go outside

Wishing she could go outside

Auction freebies I've collected

Lettuce sprouts

Carrot sprouts

Stay away animals

I realized how desperately this needs to be weeded last week.  I'm not excited about the task.

Reading Rush Revere

Creating her zoo

Master scooter rider

Starting on the weeds

Having some fun

Sweet puppers is getting old

Dinner

Heading out

Being active together--love it!

LJ is in the middle of the fairway (golf course was recently closed); since he can't ride anything he had fun exploring.

Cheesy all clean

Always order and precision (LJ)

Listening to Lord of the Rings

Berenstain Bears

Prepping for tomorrow

Luke's 8 1/2 Year Questionnaire

How old are you?  8

How tall are you?  shrugs his shoulders; I ask him to guess--about 4 feet-ish

How much do you weigh? holds a finger up (like hold on) and goes out of the room--56.0 after returning from the scale

What is your favorite toy? dragons

Favorite book? Rush Revere

Favorite movie?  How to Train Your Dragon

Favorite TV show?  um, Looney Tunes

Favorite food?  french toast

Favorite fruit?  cantaloupe

Favorite snack? chips deluxe minis

Favorite drink? slush (said while drinking a green apple slush from Sonic)

Favorite activity? thinks for a bit--play hide n seek

Favorite color?  green

Favorite sport?  soccer

Favorite song?  that's hard there's a lot of new songs; I can't pick one

Favorite animal?  leopard

Favorite game?  Life

Favorite outfit?  boxers

Favorite holiday?  Christmas

What do you need in bed when it's time to go to sleep?  my cuddle buddies

Best Friend?  Aubree (Northcutt)

When I grow up I want to be?  new store owner

Nicknames?  Munchkin, Lukester, Dude, Luke Dude

Thing I am really good at?  Legos

Some other stats:

Clothing size: 8 slim pants and 8-10 shirts

Shoe size: 1-2

Height:  4 feet 3 1/2 inches

Weight:  56.0 (according to our scale)

Hannah's 5 year Questionnaire

How old are you? 5

How tall are you?  Questioningly, 40 inches.  And then, "I think I'm way taller than 40 inches."

How much do you weigh?  40 tall feet; then, "What does that mean?"; then I say go to the scale and she says, "Oh, yeah!"; she comes back and says 4-9-0 which is 49.0 lbs

What is your favorite toy?  my pink Barbie

Favorite book?  Big Red Barn

Favorite movie?   Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

Favorite TV show?  Sophia the First and Curious George

Favorite food?  mac n cheese

Favorite fruit?   strawberries

Favorite snack? fruit snacks

Favorite drink? water

Favorite activity? play Legos

Favorite color?  pink

Favorite sport?   hibernating; I asked for an explanation which she explained perfectly and I said that wasn't really a sport and asked again and she said soccer

Favorite song?   Ariel song

Favorite animal?  giraffe

Favorite game?   Life (we got it for Christmas)

Favorite outfit?   my sparkly dress that I wore to the ball with Daddy

Favorite holiday?  Christmas Eve

What do you need in bed when it's time to go to sleep?   stuffed animals, covers and pillow

Best Friend?   Kayden (Beller); she is so much my best friend

When I grow up I want to be?  a mom and take care of people

Nicknames?   Sugar Bean, Beanie, Hannah Banana

Thing I am really good at?  monkey bars

Some other stats:

Clothing size:  6x at least for tops and 5 or 6 for pants

Shoe size:  13/1

Height: 3 feet, 10 inches

Weight:  49.0 (according to our scale)

The biggest change in the last six months for Hannah is getting hearing aids.  In October her teacher asked us if we had noticed that she may not be hearing everything correctly.  I commented that I thought that at the beginning of the summer but we chalked it up to her being 4 1/2 and just her age.  The school had hearing screenings in November which she failed.  We went to the pediatrician in early December and she recommended we see an audiologist which we did a week later (Hannah had passed the hearing screening at her Feb 16 well child appt).  At the first audiologist appointment we learned that Hannah had mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears in the lower frequencies.  She would need hearing aids (deep breaths for mom and dad).  We met with the audiologist a total of 3 times, the ENT once and had a MRI all in the span of 2 weeks right before Christmas (it was a bit hectic, crazy and stressful).  Hannah actually got her hearing aids before we saw the ENT.  It will probably go down as one of the best birthday presents she'll ever receive and one of the best Christmas gifts for Troy and I.  It was the afternoon of December 20, a Tuesday.  She had choosen turquiose hearing aids and the molds are clear with hot pink swirls and pink glitter.  Troy and I wanted her to pick them out so she could really "own" them as hers.  I wasn't sure about the pink glitter but they look awesome and she was SO proud of them.  It was pretty amazing when she had them in for the first time.  She told Troy, "Daddy, your voice sounds weird."  That's because she hadn't been hearing him correctly since the loss was in the lower frequencies which is typically male voices.  She was very excited to get back to school for her class Christmas party and show off her new hearing aids.  We saw the ENT the next day and he wanted to do an MRI to make sure everything was okay structurally.  He said if that was the case then the cause was probably a delayed birth defect or a genetic anomaly but there wouldn't really be a way to know definatively.  Hannah had the MRI on the afternoon of the 23rd and she was a trooper and held still perfectly for the 20 minute test.  The results were normal.  Hannah has adjusted SO well to her aids.  I've told countless people that it has been harder on Troy and I than it was for Hannah.  Her classmates have not given her a hard time and so far no one else that we've encountered has either.  I pray this will continue to be the case but will not be surprised when the day comes that someone is unkind about them.  One other factor that only time will tell is whether or not the loss will continue to get worse.  This is by far my biggest fear--I pray everyday that this will not happen.

Hannah's 4 1/2 Year Old Questionnaire

How old are you? 4

How tall are you?  4 and I asked again and got the same answer

How much do you weigh?  says nothing but puts fisted hands up in the air; I ask her if she wants to weigh herself and she goes to do that; comes back and says 45 pounds

What is your favorite toy?  um, I have a lot to choose--so what's your favorite and after much coaxing and explaining and rephrasing she says my stuffed animals

Favorite book?  Princess

Favorite movie?   All Creatures Big and Small and How to Train Your Dragon

Favorite TV show?  Sophia, the 1st

Favorite food?  chicken

Favorite fruit?   strawberries

Favorite snack? pirate booty, I love pirate booty

Favorite drink?  Sprite

Favorite activity?  watch a movie

Favorite color?   red, turquoise and pink

Favorite sport?   riding bikes in the driveway

Favorite song?   "Fight Song" and Taylor Swift

Favorite animal?  polar bear, I mean penguins

Favorite game?   puzzles

Favorite outfit?   I love to wear my big skirt, the long one

Favorite holiday?  um, snow

What do you need in bed when it's time to go to sleep?   pony and baby

Best Friend?   she described a friend in her camp that she's in this week; I couldn't understand the name she said; if I answered this question for her I'd say her brother is her best friend

When I grow up I want to be?  police officer

Nicknames?   Sugar Bean, Beanie, Hannah Banana

Thing I am really good at?   cart wheels (not sure I'd agree although she did a lot of them today) I'd say she awesome at coloring and drawing.

Some other stats:

Clothing size:  6 for tops and bottoms

Shoe size:  12

Height: 3 feet, 8 inches

Weight:  45.0 (according to our scale)

Luke's 8 Year Old Questtionaire

How old are you? 8 

How tall are you? um, don't know  (Guess--last time I checked I was 4 feet 6 inches)

How much do you weigh? I'll go check--heads to the scale--comes back and says 55.0

What is your favorite toy? dragon toys, of course

Favorite book? Rush Revere and Spirit Animals

Favorite movie?  How to Train Your Dragon

Favorite TV show?  Odd Squad

Favorite food?  french toast and pancakes and then added Dad's french toast

Favorite fruit?  cantaloupe, loupe, loupe

Favorite snack? fruit snacks, no chips ahoy (big sigh from mom)

Favorite drink?  milk, no root beer, no fanta grape

Favorite activity? play with dragon toys

Favorite color?  green

Favorite sport?  golf

Favorite song?  "Stitches" and "Shake it Off"

Favorite animal?  leopard and jaguar

Favorite game?  hum, hum, mousetrap

Favorite outfit?  swim suit--means your going swimming

Favorite holiday?  When Jesus was born

What do you need in bed when it's time to go to sleep?  pillow doggy, blankets, toothless and pluto

Best Friend?  Aubree (Northcutt)

When I grow up I want to be?  movie designer, I want to design two new movies about How to Train Your Dragon movies

Nicknames?  Munchkin, Lukester, Dude

Thing I am really good at?  Lego building, of course

Some other stats:

Clothing size: pants 7 or 8 slim; shirt 8 

Shoe size: 1-2

Height: 4 feet, 2 inches

Weight:  55.0 (according to our scale)

All of his answers were said with some sort of accent or strange or crazy voice while he was building some Lego models he got for his birthday.

He had a party at Laser Quest on Saturday, the 9th.  Grandma and Grandpa J and Grammy and PawPaw were here and after the party we swam before having ribs, corn on the cob and cantaloupe for dinner at Luke's request.  On Sunday, his actual birthday, we had french toast for breakfast at LJ's request and then the grandparents left and he opened his presents from us and Hannah.  In the afternoon Grandma and Grandpa H came over to swim and Luke requested Olive Garden for dinner.

4 Year Old Questionnaire (answered about a week late; posted 4+ months late)

Hannah's birthday was a little over a week ago.  I just remembered that I wanted to get her answers to this questionnaire.

How old are you? 4

How tall are you? "Wider than Luke."  I asked what that meant.  "I'm just taller than Luke."  (that's not true)

How much do you weigh? Um, 4. 

What is your favorite toy? Cars for Jenny (her new 18" doll)

Favorite book? Pinkalicious

Favorite movie? "Let me think," and tapping her finger on her head.  "Frozen!"
Favorite TV show? Curious George

Favorite food? macaroni and cheese

Favorite fruit? strawberries and black olives

Favorite snack? fruit snacks

Favorite drink? water

Favorite activity? play toys

Favorite color? brown horsey and then I asked again--turquoise and pink

Favorite sport? swimming

Favorite song? Frozen "Let It Go"

Favorite animal? lion

Favorite game? Lead iPad (she got a new LeapPad for Christmas)

Favorite outfit? dress

Favorite holiday? Christmas

What do you need in bed when it's time to go to sleep? horsey
Best Friend? at school, Noah   

When I grow up I want to be? a grown up

Nicknames? HannahBean, Sugar Bean, Beanie, Hannah Banana

Thing I am really good at? toys

Some other stats:

Clothing size: 5 (not the toddler 5 but a regular 5!)

Shoe size: 11

Height: 41 1/2"

Weight: 39.5 lbs

Some other info I want to remember:
Sayings:
  zert=dessert
  squito bugs=mosquito bites
  clip clops=flip flops
  sumscreen=sunscreen
  mommy, hold her=pick me up
  my brush teeth=her toothbrush
  no eyes in soap=no soap in her eyes during bath time
  globbles=goggles
  Lukie=Luke
  mato=tomato
  dance on mommy's puter=mom play songs from your computer so I can dance to them

WITL--Thursday

My final day of WITL!  I was glad I recorded and took pics all week but I'm also glad it's done.  It remains to be seen whether or not I get the actual scrapbook completed.  I really would like to this year.

I was getting ready in the bathroom when Hannah came downstairs (rather early for her).  She was so excited to go to Grammy and PawPaw's; she asked numerous times if it was time to go to see Grammy.  It was such a different day and morning today.  The kids and I all ate breakfast together and they were both in great moods.  It was just the thing I needed after a tough day the day before.  After dropping LJ off at school, Hannah and I came home and finished getting ready to leave with final packing for her and me.  We loaded up the car; I got a movie going for her and we headed out.  After a quick stop for some cash, we were on the road.  Hannah watched "The Little Mermaid" and I listened to some tunes and also talked with Troy, my sister and my mom.  We got to the Towanda interchange a bit before Grammy and PawPaw.  I got gas; we went to the restroom and then we walked around a bit.  Hannah was so excited when she saw Grammy's car pull up.  We ate lunch and then transferred all of Hannah's stuff to their car.  There was no hesitation for Hannah when she got in their car.  After they pulled out, I looked up my route to Tulsa and then I was on my way as well (a bit excited myself--I love going to CKC; I've gone every year they've had it which is 11 years).  I have to say that I had really enjoyed my 3 hours in the car alone.  I cranked the music way up loud, sang at the top of lungs and did some car dancing.  I got to the hotel and unloaded all my stuff and then relaxed and read for a while.  I headed downstairs to meet my friend Susannah after her class and we went to dinner with our scrapbooking group, the Paperdolls.  It was so fun to hang out with the ladies and enjoy some good food.  A smaller group of us had a class that night so headed back to the convention to grab a table.  We enjoyed the class although not as much as past years and some of the shopping that went along with it.  Susannah and I headed back to our room and got organized for tomorrow.  I talked to Troy and read and of course Susannah and I talked before lights out.

Troy and Luke:  Luke stayed at extended care after school (he'd been bugging to try this since last year).  Troy picked him up after work and they came home and did homework before going to eat dinner at Pop's.

Hannah:  They got back to KC about the same time I got to Tulsa.  Grammy and Hannah went for a walk and then they all had dinner and went to get dessert at Yogurtini.

Observations/Gratitude:

*Boths kids were in a good mood this morning.

*Hannah was very excited to go to KC.

*I was very excited to get to Tulsa.

*Hannah showed no signs of being sick.

*I was very grateful to be heading toward two night away at a scrapbook convention.

*Luke had a good day at school he said.

*I'm glad the boys get to have some extended "man" time.

Favorite Moment:

*Breakfast and the car ride to school with the kids because we were laughing and being silly and having fun together.

*Having dinner with my scrapbook friends.

Pics Taken: 42 (definitely the end of the week and not in a normal routine today)

What can I say, I really enjoy using a q-tip to clean out my ears. 

Simple, quick and easy 

Breakfast all together 

Feeding the animals (sometimes there is an argument about who does this but not today) 

Walking into school 

All set up for the road 

Getting some $$$ 

Down the highway 

She zonked out about 10 minutes before we got to the interchange.  I was hoping for a little longer. 

Filling up 

Greeting with hugs and kisses 

She had to sit next to Grammy at lunch and she was in a very silly, talkative mood. 

Cheese 

Goodbye hugs and kisses (she's awesome at giving hugs and usually pats your back when she's doing it) 

One more wave 

Down the road I go  

Troy and I always keep track of license plates when we're traveling.  It's fun and occupies some time. Before I got the app, I used to remember them all in my head which was a game in and of itself.  I was surprised I saw over half the states today.

Playing on Grammy's porch 

Dinner with the ladies 

Techniques class with a few of the Paperdolls 

My goodies from the evening 

Orange pop at Pop's 

Love this pic that Troy got of LJ.  Great perspective!