Cashmere Fair

We were able to hit the fair this year, complete with rodeo & rides.  The kids enjoyed watching the rodeo only briefly though.  They mainly wanted to go on the rides.



We let the girls pick their 3 top picks for rides and Luke got to choose his fav 2.  So all three went on the big boat ride.  Emma chose the hot air balloon ride whereas Kate & Luke rode the airplane ride.  Emma's and Kate's last pic was the "spin as the whole ride spins" ride?  Not sure what it's called but I got pictures at the end.  We left right as it started raining and a huge lightning storm hit the area.   It was this same lightening storm that began the various fires throughout the Cascade mountains and left all of Wenatchee valley breathing in Hazardous air for a couple of weeks!




















31 weeks.


Let's see....
Less than 10 weeks now.  Time seems to be speeding up on me.  We've got such a busy month.  Both girls are in soccer so between the 2 of them, we've got 4 games a week.  We have fallen into routine now with school.  Both girls are doing great, loving their teachers and making new friends.

As far as for me and this "little" guy, things just keep going as they have been.  Slowly growing bigger.  I've been good about going walking in the mornings before Joe leaves to work (and the kids wake up).  Because of this new surge of motivation to stay active, i'm hitting the bed before 10, which is SO NOT ME.  But it's worth it :)

I wake up about once a night to use the bathroom.  That's probably the biggest pet peeve I have when i'm pregnant so I try to cut out drinking anything an hour or so before I go to bed.  I use 3 pillows at night, one for my head, belly and back.  Seems to be doing the trick so far.  I haven't had any problems with sleeping.   My Midwives told me about Papaya Enzymes that helps with your digestive system.  It can also help with heart burn, which in the past pregnancies, i've had it bad.  Bad enough to get on Prevacid or something.  But taking the Enzymes before bed has been taking care of the problem.  I have only gotten heartburn when I forget to chew those Enzymes tablets.  Anything to avoid medications while being pregnant is "quacktastic"

Things are starting to get difficult with a larger belly, like bending down to pick things up, so I use my feet or my kids. :)
The kids have been very helpful with listening and helping me out when I can't do a whole lot.  Luke has been fun being my little buddy in the mornings while his sisters are at school.  He usually wants to snuggle on the couch and watch a show or something.  He'll grab my hand and say "snuggle on cough, mommy".  It's too cute.  He is definitely a momma's boy.  He can't get enough of me.  And how i'm feeling, i'm loving the attention, even if it's from a 2 1/2 year old boy.  I am in love with this little guy.  I can't wait to meet his little brother so I can have 2 admirers.  Luke also LOVES babies and asks about 20 times a day to kiss the baby then he'll reach up to kiss me and give me a big hug.  I would definitely snuggle on the couch with him all day.  And he is really good at obeying right now.  He'll just do what he's asked.  I am soaking this up because I know things will change when the baby comes.  I am not sure how he'll be.  But from what I see with other babies, he loves them and is very gentle and loving towards them...so we shall see.

I just want to make it known that I am aware at how blessed I am.  There are so many things that we could be dealing with that so many of our friends are, whether it's a lost job, or cancer.  We are safe and healthy in our little corner of the country.  Life can be tough some days.  But it's nothing substantial.  They are things of the world.  They can be replaced.  I am so grateful for my children and my husband.  Joe works so hard and has to go through so many decisions to better him and his family.  And they aren't easy!  I don't envy what he has to go through.  So right now, from the boost of "happy" hormones that are pumping through my veins, I wanted to write down how i'm feeling.  I think it'll be good to read back on those tough days and remind me of what it's all about :)

First Day of School.

Well we have all survived the morning so far.  And I haven't gotten any calls from school.  So that's a relief.
Emma got up at 6:30, as promised and immediately got dressed and got her breakfast.  Funny, though, that we still left later than planned...

Here's Kate on her very first day of Kindergarten!  Doesn't she look so amazingly adorable?  I am jealous of her outfit.  I want it in my size.  She was so excited and so ready for this day.  I thought I was too...

if you notice, being in pregnant mind mode, totally put the wrong date on the chalk board.  So annoyed with myself!!
So I had to fix it with photoshop.  Horrible attempt but oh well...



 Emma is now in 1st grade!  She is gone all day now.  That's what is weird!  I won't see her until 3 pm?!  Will life go on?  ;)  Like I said, she was ready to go when summer went out.





 Super excited about her Angry Bird backpack...seriously who is this girl?!  lol


Here's Kate lining up for her class.


Right after taking this picture, I grabbed her backpack from the wall and gave it to her...and it hit me.  I just started bawling.  Luckily I had glasses on so it probably wasn't too noticeable.  But seriously it hit me like a smack in the face.  This stinkin' hormones are going crazy these days.

 I went back over to check on Emma.  I have to juggle the 2 of them in the morning and they are on opposite sides of the school!  As I watched her sit down and be friendly to her partner, I knew she would be fine.  My only fears are those of adjusting when things don't go her way.  She still has a hard time being adaptable.  But she has seriously come A LONG way.  Seriously proud of her.

She was so excited to have her OWN desk.

Little Luke is becoming not so little anymore.  This kid hit a major growth spurt this summer.  No more 3T for him!  And he is getting more verbal too.  I love this guy.  He is so stinkin' cute.











the night before...


The house is quiet and it's just me tonight.  Joe is over in Seattle with his boss until tomorrow night.
Being alone & tackling the big "First day of School" is kind of tough.  I'm trying to stay calm to not frazzle the girls but my nerves are getting to me.  Emma asked me to make her a head band to match her outfit.  So my mind is going a million miles an hour to prepare for the day tomorrow.
Emma has also informed me to wants to wake up at 6:30 so to be ready in time to be at school to have the cookies & juice the PTO will be giving away to everyone.  Problem is it's past 11 and I still can't relax and go to bed!
It will be weird, in a good way, to have both girls going to school.  It will just be Luke and I for a few months.  And at least Kate will be back at 11:30 every day.  I have the "blessing" of taking a long time to adjust to new situations.  I thought I was prepared for it but my nerves are telling me otherwise.
So I have their clothes laid out, headband finished, Emma's lunch organized and now to clean the kitchen.

Let's see how tomorrow goes...

Kate needs no Training Wheels.

Kate keeps on keeping on.  With anything she does.  She seems to just figure it out and do it.  I've had a feeling for a few months that Kate was ready to take off her training wheels and so one night, we gave it a shot.  She immediately caught on and hasn't looked back since.










"Popping" Good Year Teacher Gift

For the girl's teachers this year, I wanted something fun but also something they could use.  I also didn't want to break the bank with these gifts so I tried to make it simple.

 So I found these popcorn bins at the dollar spot at Target.  :)

I filled it with the following:  I read on most places that teachers want/need school supplies, I put in a few things like that for them...

Then I wrapped them up and made a tag via Photoshop for their popcorn cups.  I am totally cheesy but that's okay.  That's the fun of gift-giving, right?!

And anyone interested in using this label/tag, I have a blank tag you can download HERE!  Everyone have a great school year!!
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