To clean or not to clean

So I was writing this post last night but as I was about to finish up the computer died on me.  I have decided to keep the post as is but just so you know, "today" is really supposed to be Friday.


  Today was the third and fourth time going to the swimming pool this summer and Kate is really starting to enjoy it. The first time we went she was very cautious and hesitant to even get into the water. Now she goes in up to her ears!
  The first time we went today was early this afternoon, right after our weekly visit to the library for story time...which was a good time for Kate!

  Today, however, was quite the eventful trip to the pool, or rather, from the pool. As we were getting ready to leave, I discovered my keys were missing. I looked all over for them but could not find them anywhere. I figured I had left them on the inside of Kate's door in the Jeep because, well, I have done that before. So we continued packing up and went out to the Jeep.
  Well, no keys were found. I started taking everything out of the Jeep to find the keys, all to no avail. My friend, who was also leaving at the same time, noticed me running around the Jeep like a crazy lady and asked what was wrong. After telling her my problem and running back to the kiddy pool area, twice, to look for the keys, my friend ended up going to my house to get the spare keys. God bless her because I don't know what I would have done without her help and kindness. Probably walked home in 100 degree weather with two unhappy, sweaty, hot girls. No fun. Like I said, I am EXTREMELY grateful for her kindness... buuut...so embarrassed.
  I warned her before hand but that doesn't make me feel much better because our house was a complete mess. Like, COMPLETE mess. Laundry everywhere, thank heavens it was at least clean...but now that I think of it we definitely had our share of dirty clothes on the floor too :/, dishes needing to be done, storage bins out, toys and books everywhere, unpacked groceries on the kitchen floor, the whole house needing a good wipe down... embarrassing.
  Before going to the pool I had contemplated not going so I could clean the house. Don't know if I made the right decision, I think yes because Kate had such a good time, but I did relearn a lesson I have learned before. Keep your house clean all the time just in case someone stops by unexpectedly. Don't know if that is always possible when you have young kids but it's something to strive for, I guess. Yes, clean houses are nice but happy babies are so much better!
  We did return to the pool after Kate's nap and someone had turned in our keys.  I'm so grateful for honest people.  :)

Say whaaat?!!

  My baby girl is growing up, and fast. As of 45 minutes ago, Abby has rolled over 6 times!! I'm excited and happy for her but don't know where the time has gone. Wherever it is, my newborn is with it.
  Here's a video of the exciting moment!

Pneumonia

  Our poor baby girl has pneumonia. :(  Abby came down with a cough Saturday night but she didn't act any different than she usually does so we figured she was fine, just had a little cough.
  Well, the cough didn't go away and a temperature plus wheezing was added to her list of symptoms so we called the doctor. He said to take her to the ER. Because it was late Andrew stayed home with Kate so she could go to bed at a decent time.  Good thing too because Abby and I didn't get home till midnight.
  She was quite the trooper. Very minimal fussing with a little outcry when she was given a shot.
  After we got home, I fed her one more time and put her to bed. She didn't wake till 9:30.  :) 
  She is now on antibiotics for the next 5 days. That should be the end of this. We'll definitely keep an eye on her, of course, but I feel it will be easy to tell if something is wrong. All she has to do is not be happy for a minute. :)  I think I have one of the happiest babies ever!

Didn't go boating but still had a great day!

  So now that we have a boat, we plan on going to the lake pretty much every Saturday we're in town. No use having a boat if you're not going to use it, right?
  Well, like all weeks, this past week was a busy one for Andrew and so when we got up Saturday morning he told me he didn't feel like going out on the boat today but would rather bum it this weekend. ...
  "Hmmm. Ok. WhatEver." Is all I was thinking. "You have fun taking a nap on the couch all day while I entertain the girls and clean up the house, like I do everyday."
  If you don't know this already, I'll let you in on a little secret. There's no such thing as a relaxing, lazy day for a mother. There is always laundry to be done, food to be prepared, messes to be cleaned up, children to play with, errands to run...I could go on. This is why I was looking forward to going to the lake. I not only didn't HAVE to do all those things, I couldn't. So if Andrew wanted to bum it, fine. I had stuff to do.
  I'm glad to say my mood didn't get any more sour.  Andrew knows me well, loves me, and is a good man. I'm pretty sure he picked up on my souring mood because he had only been on the couch 15 minutes when he got up to help me with the girls. :) 
  Andrew's sister is getting married in a couple weeks and the girls need dresses so that was our first errand to run, straight to the mall.  We also needed storage bins for our rapidly growing pile of "stuff" and so Home Depot got a visit from us too.
  On our way home we had lunch at Mc Donalds where Kate enjoyed playing in the play place and watching the other kids run around wild.
  For dinner we had our close friends, the Strongs, over. And that's where our day went from really good to great!
  Kate had such a fun time playing with everyone and when Kate's happy, I'm happy.  We frequently found all four kids in Abby's crib, Abby was not in it, jumping up and down as if it were a trampoline.  Kate also had fun chasing Julia, Beckett, and Logan around with a balloon trying to hit them with it.
  When it was time for the Strongs to go home, the house was a beautiful mess!  Balls, books, and blocks all strewn about. Crayons and markers out of their containers and all over the kid's table. Half eaten hot dogs being drooled over by the dogs with only a few grapes left over for me to quickly pop into my mouth. These are the messes that show a good time was had. 
  The mess did not stay long.  Melanie, being the awesome person she is, made a game of picking up all the toys for the kids.  Ten minutes later the house was clean and we were waving good bye to our besties.
  For a day that I thought was going to be a dud, everything turned out pretty fantastic. :)  What a wonderful life I have! 

Chew and Swallow

  I absolutely adore my baby girl, Kate.  She is my world.  (...As is her father and baby sister).  I would not change a thing about her.  Not one thing.  Like, for example, how she now likes to spit out her food because, well, she can.  Even though I now have to tell her at least 50 times a day to NOT spit her food out, the cute faces she makes are irreplaceable!  The face she makes while she gags on her food while I repeat over and over, "Chew and swallow!" may not be the cutest face but it sure makes me laugh...on the inside.
  For dinner today I made yummy zucchini lasagna which, I would like to mention, Kate has enjoyed in the past.  Not today.  To get her to take 10 bites of it I had to bribe her with chocolate chips.  The bribe worked but it took her 45 minutes to eat four strawberries and 10 bites of lasagna.  Thank heavens she now has a highchair to keep her in one spot, provided by the girls's Uncle Jared.  THANK YOU JARED!!!

  While she was savoring each bite of chocolate chip, Andrew called.  When I told her it was Dada, she promptly took the phone away from me and told Dada all about her day.  So adorable!  I would have taken a video recording of her babbling but... she had my phone.
  Even though this was one of Kate's more fussy days, I choose to deem it a good day when I look at her sweet face and remember I am lucky enough to be her Momma.

All day at the lake!

  Went out on the boat yesterday, met up with our friends and their boat, and had a blast!!  We bought our boat a little over a month ago but because our lives are so busy yesterday was our third time boating as a family.  It was definitely the best time so far, though, all due to the company we were with, our close friends the Strongs.  They also have a boat but theirs is a massive pontoon boat that seats a good 10-15 people comfortably.  Yesterday in their boat they had five adults, four kids, two dogs, and space to spare.
  Once we found the cove we wanted to swim in, we anchored the boats, threw out the Strong's water mat and jumped on in!   The sun was hot and the water was great.  Makes for a perfect day out on the lake.  Kate hadn't been in the water yet this year and was perfectly happy extending her absence from it.  I, however, was not.  I knew she would have a great time once she was in, so in she went!
  And I was right!  Once she was in she didn't want to come out.  She was super clingy at first but once she relaxed she had a blast.

  The time went by super fast, it seems to when you are having fun, and we finally headed out at 7:30.  We hope the weather stays nice and hot so we can go out again next week.