Well, the weather is turning cooler, and it looks as though our hot summer days are numbered. I have to say, though, that we had a very eventful season, and can't wait for next year. Plans already underway for Hilton Head, sunny days at the waterpark, and lots of camping. I already can't wait for winter to be over (too bad it hasn't yet begun).
Allison is getting bigger, and everyone has adjusted wonderfully to having her around. She is the sleepiest girl I have ever seen! She is already 6 1/2 weeks old, and still prefers to sleep away the day if possible. I can't complain! She does great at night as well. She, of course, like the others, has acid reflux and has been started on twice a day zantac. She hates the flavor, but it appears to be helping. There isn't nearly as much crying/fussing when she spits up now. She follows you with her eyes, and is just starting to smile. Before you know it, she is going to be crawling, walking, talking, and off to college. So sad to see her grow up so quick. Plans coming up for her include baptism in the next couple of weeks followed by a whole bunch of sleeping, eating, and growing.
Emily is turning 3 in October, but for now is 2, and believe me she is every bit of 2. She is by far the most frustrating kid I know, but she is also the funniest girl I have ever met. She aggravates her sister Sarah, but they are the best of friends. Emily is well known for stating her mind - for instance in the grocery when walking past a rather large woman she said - "Wow, that lady is BIG!" Emily also does not believe in sleeping great at night, but I know in time she will get through it just like Sarah did. Until then, we all get to live a sleep deprived life. I can honestly say there isn't one thing about her I would change.
Sarah is now 4, going on 20. She is so smart and such a grown up little girl. Her speech is improving. She currently goes on Friday mornings to see Niki her speech therapist. I am thrilled with her new therpaist, much better than the previous one. As hard as it is to believe, this is Sarah's last year at home before starting kindergarten. It is going to be much harder on me to see her go to school than it is going to be for her. She is great at interacting with other kids, loves the homework she has to do from her speech therapy, and just loves learning new things in general. She is also very excited about riding the school bus even though Dan says she will not be allowed to. We'll see about that :) . Sarah is so great with her sisters. She always looks out for Emily - she does all she can to protect her from anything she thinks may harm her.
Dan and I are good. Getting old. We are two lucky people with the way the economy is. Both still have our jobs and really have no threat of losing them. Granted, Dan is not really thrilled with his job at the moment, but having a job is better than nothing. I am still on maternity leave for another 6 weeks or so and I will be living it up while I have the chance. Of course by living it up I mean going swimming, going to the park, etc. - really doing whatever makes the kids happy. I am studying now for my emergency nurse certification and after that plan on completing my 5 year plan to get me on that helicopter. I am exercising, eating right, trying to lose some of this extra weight. Progress is slow, but there is progress none-the-less.
We are FINALLY getting started with the house addition. Hopefully this week the floor will be poured. We stained the decks, put up some deck lighting and got all the landscaping around the back of the house complete. It is so nice to get things done the way you want them. Yard and house are looking better all the time. We have no big projects planned for this winter - maybe going to clean the basement walls and paint them - brighten the place up a little since I think we are losing some light with the addition and the new crawl space.
I think that is it for now. I will continue to update with pictures - hopefully a little more frequently - not like we don't have our hands full or anything. Time for changing leaves, pumpkins and cool evenings.
