Finally Fall?!?!?!

This Indiana weather is crazy........one day it is nice and sunny, another is rainy, and then there are days like today.........COLD and WINDY!!! The daily change in weather makes it hard to know what the girls should wear to school. I have been working on putting summer clothes away and getting out pants and sweaters. The girls helped me get out the fall/Halloween decorations over the weekend. They thought putting everything on the kitchen counter would be a great home for the knick knacks, so I had to do a little rearranging once they went to bed. Now that we are decorated, watching football and have fall scented candles to burn we are ready for fall. The girls are very excited for Halloween and have been talking about what they want to be. Kaylee and Macy want to be Care Bears----great since we already have the costumes!!!! I found a cute sleeper for Whitney that looks similar to a Care Bear with a picture on the tummy, and we have a Pooh winter hat with ears. I tried to make being a Care Bear sound really cool to Hannah, but she has a different idea everyday about what she wants to be. I need to hide all the catalogs that come in the mail from her, so she stops getting new ideas. I hope she comes up with a final decision soon and that the little girls don't change their minds!!!!

Here are a few pictures from Halloween of the past..........

Not sure why 2005 wasn't on my computer.....

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Life is Good when the excitement of Halloween is around the corner!!!!

6 Weeks

Whitney is 6 weeks old today! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. It feels like she has always been part of our crew!!!!

She fits in so well with our family. The girls love her and love to help with her.

If you have spent anytime with our little nugget you know she is either sleeping, 100% happy or totally pissed. She has no mild setting for her mood and she can switch very quickly from happy to sad. I have learned how she likes to be held and bounced----a lot of bouncing needs to take place to settle her down.

PS.....so you don't think I am a terrible mother for taking her picture while she is crying............she went from happy to sad during our photo shoot for no apparent reason---I did not pinch her!!!!!

I call her "the One Ounce Wonder" because she only likes to eat about 1 to 2 ounces every 90 minutes to 2 hours. The bottle in the picture above started with 2 ounces .....she will probably want the rest in about a half hour. I feel like we always have a bottle sitting around!!! The other girls were all snackers too. I am so glad I decided to give her bottles from the start or I would be stuck in chair ALL day long!!!! Bottle feeding has been great........Justin and I take turns feeding at night. Her snacking is a 24 hour thing so she isn't sleeping too long of stretches at night. Our pediatricians office contacted us about being part of a formula study since she wasn't going to be nursed. It is through Abbott Nutrition and we get free formula for 4 months during the study and then some Similac Advance afterward.

My favorite time of day with Whitney is in the morning before the other girls get up. I have been getting up early and showering before Justin leaves for work---he is usually out the door by 7am. This gives me time to snuggle with Whitney, have my coffee and catch up on the previous nights TV. I am so happy the new fall shows are on and I can now watch them without someone demanding Disney channel.

Life is Good with a baby in the house!!!

Caramel S'mores Cups

I forgot about this yummy treat we made awhile ago until I was cleaning out the pantry and found the marshmallows!!!! I got the recipe from a friend who has a great cooking blog......kathiecooks.blogspot.com. Hannah and I made them first for a Daisy Mother/Daughter Cook-off. We made them again when our cousin was in town since they are so fun to make and taste so good!!!!!

Here's what you need to get started:

1 pouch(1pound 1.5 oz.) Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 egg

24 Rolos, unwrapped

72 mini marshmallows (about 3/4 cups)

1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

mini muffin tin

Step 1

Heat oven to 350 degress and spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray

Step 2

Make cookie dough as directed on package, using butter and egg. Shape dough into 24 (1 1/2 inch) balls. Place on ball into each muffin cup.

Step3

Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. While baking, remove the wrappers of 24 Rolos.......my little helpers loved this part. We had to unwrap a few more than 24 since they...maybe me too......ate a couple!!!!

Step 4

Firmly press 1 candy into the center of each cookie until flush with the cookie top.

Step 5

Top each with 3 marshmallows and bake 2 to 4 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffed.

Step 6

Cool 3 minutes and place 3 chocolate chips on each cup.

Step 7

Continue to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen edges of cookie with small metal spatula and remove to cooling rack.

Step 8

ENJOY!!!!!!!!

Life is Good when you make tasty treats---especially ones that have caramel and chocolate!!!!!

TGIF

Whitney turned 5 weeks yesterday and she had her 1 month appt. on Tuesday.

She is 9 pounds, 11 ounces

21.5 inches long

Last year, Fridays were my day with Kaylee when Macy had school. This year, I have Fridays with Macy and Whitney. Spending Fridays with half my crew allows me to run a quick few errands. It also gives me quality time with our funny little Coon.

Another perk to Fridays is I get to pick the radio station. Macy isn't too concerned about what we listen to. She doesn't shout, "Kid's Music" like her older sisters so we don't need to listen to Radio Disney!!!! Today we were listening to country and the Zac Brown Band "Toes" came on. The song made me think of our fun 4th of July celebration with my family. Every year my cousins,their families and my aunt and uncle come to my parent's house in MN. I have many great memories from past 4th of July get togethers. The best one is getting engaged while double water skiing!!!! This year we listened to a lot of Zac Brown out by the pool, so hearing the song made we wish my toes were in the water!!!!!

The girls love boating and really like helping "Captain Dave" drive

I think they enjoy the hot tub more than "the big pool"

"Not a worry in the world, cold beer in my hand.....Life is good today"

The girls love spending time with their cousins!!!

For the last 2 years we have gone to a Twins game at Target field

Who does she look like?!?!?!?!

Sometimes people mistake Kaylee and Macy for twins, but I think it is more their hair than their looks that are similar. Hannah always stands out because of her hair. I don't think all the girls look too much alike, but there is no mistaking them for sisters. People keep asking who I think Whitney looks like. At first I really thought she looked like Macy, but now I would say more Hannah. What do you think?!?!?!

HANNAH

Hannah 1 day old

Hannah coming home

KAYLEE

Kaylee coming home

MACY

Coming home

1 Month old

WHITNEY

Coming home

1 Month

Crayon Roll

Last week I was fabric shopping with a friend, and we got a free fat quarter because it was Tuesday. I wasn't sure what I would do with a random piece of fabric.............this very crafty friend suggested a crayon roll. Thanks for the suggestion Erin because it was great entertainment for Macy on the plane ride. Each girl has a backpack we keep in the car for when we are at restaurants and in the bag is a pencil pouch of crayons. They are always falling on the floor and they can't find the right colors. As soon as I can get them done the crayon roll will take the place of the everyone's pouch. I also think this will be my new birthday gift for our little friends.........so easy and useful.............and CUTE!!!!

She rolled and unrolled her crayons many times!!!!

We played a color game where she pointed to the different colors and counted how many shades of each color there was.

Not once did we drop a crayon on the floor----we started with 24 and ended the day with 24!!!

The strings to tie it up also kept her busy---see her tongue sticking out while she concentrates?!?!?!

Life is Good when our crayons are organized!!!!