Weekend at Blair & Martina's

Since Blair and Martina moved to Sioux City, we've been talking about us getting there for weeks now... and it was finally planned.  We've been lucky enough to see them a couple times since their move, so it wasn't a terribly long time since we saw them.  But I know that I've missed them... and miss those kiddos. 

Friday night we headed out...  the kids were picked up a little early, then we waited on Ryan.  (A lot of driving for this guy...)  We've been nervous worrying about how Cora would do on the drive.  There are times she can't even make it 20 minutes without a meltdown or throwing something.  So...  knowing we had a 3 hour trip, not going to lie - I was nervous.  We got on the road right at 6pm.  We put in a movie, which takes care of Kayson...  Cora doesn't really watch movies (except she will sit still for Frozen for about 30 minutes).  She watched a little... then I gave her one of Kayson's Kindergarten learning book and a crayon, and she colored in that for probably 45 minutes.  We pulled off and got McDonald's about half way there...  I jumped in the back and helped out with supper on the road... and the kids did great.  They both ate pretty darn well for being in the car.  By that time, we needed another movie - 'Frozen' it was!  It was starting to get dark...  I stayed in the back for a little longer - talking about the movie and keeping Cora happy.  She did really well.  We were thrilled.   We pulled into Blair's at about 8:50. Kayson did great too - he only asked if we were there yet twice.  :)

Saturday morning we got up... donuts for breakfast and lots of playing for the kiddos!  Martina and I (and Landry) got away for a little bit to shop for outfits for the kids' pictures we are having taken in a couple months.  Mike and JeanAnn made the trip on Saturday as well to see everyone.  The kids (well - my kids) got a little owly Saturday afternoon...  Cora took a nice nap, and Kayson even layed down too.  He was a little out of sorts, and slept for about an hour.  It helped his mood for sure. 

That afternoon we took the kids to a cool candy shop... then we went to Blair's school.  He showed us around and we played in the gym for about 30 minutes.  That was a lot of fun for all of us.  A perfect something that was different. 

Saturday night Mike and JeanAnn said they would handle the kiddos, so the four of us could go out.  We did order pizza in, then us four hit downtown Sioux City.  We went to three bars and had a great time!!!  It was just what we needed, I think!  :)

Today we took it easy this morning...  playing for the kids...  ate a great lunch...  packed up... and were on the road again at 12:45.  We needed to get back at a decent time for several reasons - Ryan needed to mow, I needed to pick up the dogs between 4 and 5, groceries needed to be bought (which didn't get done til 9pm) and laundry needed to be done.  It was good to get home around 3:45 and still have our evening. 

We had a really nice time this weekend...  lots of laughs and memories for us and the kids.  (all pictures from my phone - forgot my camera!!)

Saturday morning jammies - the girls!!!

Martina and the girls.

Visiting Uncle Blair's school!

Palmer's Candy shop

My 'sister' and friend

Our night out!

Cora LOVES Landry - always messing with her!

Challenging Cora

I've chosen the word 'challenging' for Cora.  She's been a big challenge for me... for us... for her brother.  She's a lot of work. 

• Whenever she's told 'no' (and it doesn't matter what it is regarding), she will attempt to hit the person who's told her no - or bite the person.  Her new thing is she'll bite herself if she's strapped in her car seat.  She'll also tug at her clothes or pull her tights up over her knees.  
• This morning she hit me after I had told her no to fruit snacks... explaining she would have one after lunch.  I put her in her crib.  (I know - probably not the best thing, but she won't stay in time out at this point).  She was crying... a mad cry.  Then it got quiet.  I knew something was up.  I went in to her room - she had lowered her tights, taken off her diaper and peed all over her bed and blankets.   Awesome.
• She goes to the pantry at least 1,000 times during a day when home...  this is exactly what Kayson did as well.  Maybe we don't feed her enough you think??  ha.  No, she's a snacker - which I get, she's 2, she's a kid, BUT there's this little thing called 'meals'.  She's gotta have them, so I'm putting my foot down.  GRR.  :)
• She wants to do everything that brother does (whether it's an activity or something he's eating).  I get it... she looks up to him.  But this drives him bonkers.  I feel bad.  They have a true love/hate relationship...  there are times we have to completely separate them from each other.  They can't keep their hands off each other (which causes trouble).  They both can be such stinkers.   There are times Kayson can't wait for her to take a nap and/or go to bed.  Poor kid.
• Cora also bites at her fingernails.  NOT GOOD.  The other day, she bit one too short that it started to bleed.  Good lord Cora May!! 
• She's talking SO MUCH.  Today I realized she's say 4 word sentences.  This is way more than Kayson ever did at this age.  She seriously acts like she's 14.  Lord be with us.  :)

It's a darn good thing this child sleeps well... and is adorable.   See?

 

Hot Air Balloons

Creston has a "Balloon Days" kinda like Indianola.  Last year, Mike and JeanAnn had the kids during this time (as we were at an Iowa game), so they went last year...  We thought it would be fun to take them today as well.  

We ended up sticking around home in the morning... it was kinda rainy and gloomy... so Ryan worked a little, I fought with the kids (lovely), cleaned a little...  then we watched the Iowa game.  A win!  Cora took a little rest... which was much needed.  Oh my, that girl was a piece of work today.  She gets her own post (coming soon!)  Then we headed down to Creston around 3ish.  The balloons were set to go off around 5:30/6:00...  we picked up Subway and headed out to the airport.  We hung out for a bit, then they announced they wouldn't be taking flight due to the wind.  BIG bummer.  BUT... we stuck around a little longer and they did a Night Glow type of thing...  no lift off, but they 'blew up' some of the balloons.  I thought that was pretty cool... plus we were super close to them.  

We came home around 8:15... short trip, but it was something to do!  Cora finally slept after about 20 minutes of kicking and attempting to bite herself.  Yes...  it's awesome to be around her these days.  :)

Here are a few pictures of our evening. 

Wow - they can look so sweet.

This & That

• It's 8:30...  Cora was asleep by 7:30, Kayson by 8:15.  Wonderful.  Cora, however, was running a fever tonight.  It's so random...  she was quiet and pretty somber, but also fairly happy.  She ate fairly well tonight too...  so...  I guess we'll see how she is in the morning.  I hate fevers - they completely freak me out.  
• I've had a stuffy cold for a couple of days...  it's turned into a cough.  YUK. 
• Kayson had homework tonight.  Every Monday he's sent home with 5 high frequency words to practice, and two sheets of homework.  It's kind of fun doing this with him...  He says it's "Easy Peasy Mom."  :)
• Ryan's been dozing off and on tonight...  I could probably be too, but I'm forcing myself to stay awake.  It might not last long, but I'm going to try.  ha.
• We are going to visit Blair and Martina in a couple weeks...  not looking forward to the drive, but really looking forward to spending some time with them again, seeing their home, and letting the kiddos play.  
• That's all I've got.  I'm hoping for a smooth week... and hoping Cora is fever free tomorrow.  

Weekend

Oh our weekend is over...  I say the same thing (or at least think the same thing) every Sunday night around this time.  When it's quiet...  the kids are asleep...  I'm either finishing up laundry, or random stuff... including trying to be more consistent with this blogging thing.  It's quiet.  I'm enjoying it, but pissed that it's Sunday night already!  

Friday night:
We ate out real quick, then headed back home to just hang out.  It was a beautiful evening, so we started a fire and snuggled in the backyard.  Just us - it was good.  (but cold!!!)  

Saturday:
The kids and I hung out in the morning - did a grocery run while Ryan went to work.  We were unable to go to the Iowa/Iowa State game due to a wedding we needed to attend.   So we were home...  and our morning was ok.  I'm not a fan of taking my kids to the grocery store, but we had to.  We had no milk.  :)  Saturday afternoon we watched the game (disappointed!!!), did laundry, cleaned, all those normal house stuff - which was needed.  I needed to catch up with that stuff.   

Saturday night was the wedding - Ryan's boss' daughter.  We had Tiff (daycare teacher) come stay with the kids...  they love her.  (which is awesome!)  And we were off...  a chilly, outdoor ceremony, then followed by drinks, dinner and dancing downtown.  We had a really nice time with Ryan's co workers.  Good people.  

Sunday:
Kayson had a busy day this morning...  a play date with his friend, Riley from 9:30 - 11:30... then Riley's mom took them to a birthday party at SkyZone from 11:45 til 1:45.  POPULAR kid I guess.  ha.  So... we were without Kayson for almost 5 hours!!    So Ryan, Cora and I went shopping...  Cora needed some clothes, so we got her set for awhile (still needs shoes and a winter coat), but we are good for these fall temps!  I was pleased.  We also found K some jeans - FINALLY!  He's got 2 pairs, and those better last 3 months.  :)  (kid grows like a weed, but is still a rail!)  Anyway, we had a nice time with Cora - only one meltdown.  ha.  

The remainder of the day was football watching, more laundry and really kind of relaxing.  It was a nice day for us.  

I took a few random pictures with my phone over the weekend...  Like getting on the blog, I haven't really gotten my camera out.  I'm hoping by the end of this week, I'll feel better with work and a few other things.  I hope to not be such a mess!  :)

Kayson wanted to take our picture.  :)

This was last week...  but funny to see.  She did get herself 'unstuck' on her own.

Our Friday night fire.

Oh my babies.  They can be so sweet.

Catching Up

I feel like I haven't been on my blog much lately...  I've blogged, but I haven't rambled.  And certainly, that's the best part, right?  I feel like if I do get on here lately - it's going to sound like I'm complaining, but I'm not - I'm just busy.  And busyness turns into "complaining".  

Work is out of control!  I'm at the point where I'm not even sure where to start when I get there.  That's not good!  I'm good at prioritizing... I'm great at organizing...  but lately, wow - I've had no organizational skills!  I'm overloaded with projects with deadlines that seem to be unreasonable.  :)  I'm training two people - in hopes to take some work away from me.  This is great - and I know it'll be even better once we get to that point... but it's GETTING there first. 

It's Ryan's busy season.  We know how it works, but lately - it's been different.  And what I'm about to say may seem silly, but...  having 2 kids (2 BUSY kids) - or maybe - having CORA - wears me out.  It's just different.  Cora is at a tough stage - whiny, cries a lot, wants to get her way, and there's not much point in trying to 'reason' with her when she's throwing a fit.  This is just hard.  It's even harder when I'm the only parent.  I know I went through the same stuff with Kayson - but yuk - it seems worse with her.  Anyway, I feel a tad overwhelmed at home...  with work being so busy, and having to do some work at night... I'm behind on house stuff - like cleaning - picking up toys (yes, toys are still sitting out tonight - and I don't care!!!) - keeping the kitchen looking decent - keeping the bar top cleared off, etc.  I know these are 'small' items, but they are big to me (and Ryan too).  

Doing two drop offs take a lot longer than I ever expected.  I mentioned this earlier in a post, and it's still the same!  Our mornings (when Ryan is traveling), consists of me getting myself ready - Kayson is woke up around 6:25 (it typically takes him over 10 minutes to actually get out of bed), Cora is woke up around 6:35.  From then on - it's getting them dressed, getting them fed, remembering to let the dogs out (twice in less than 15 minutes or there will be an accident), getting on Skype with Ryan (trying to have a conversation with him all while still prepping for us to walk out the door, or trying to get Cora it eat something, or drinking my protein shake), get teeth brushed, dogs put away, fighting over which shoes Cora will wear, and finally to the car.  (plus other random things that could slow us down every morning!)   We should get the kids up around 6:15... we really should.  That sounds terribly early and not fun.  ha.  :)  Anyway - it's been taking me right about 55 minutes to get from my garage to my parking ramp when taking both kiddos.  Is that normal for other parents??

Kayson's starting to read Level A books.  I was just told this afternoon by his teacher.  That seems exciting, right?!  I don't know much about it... but I'm so intrigued and I can't wait to hear him read to us more and learn so much more.  

I mentioned Cora's whining.  She's got a little routine down I think.  From daycare to school, she's fairly quiet... almost like she's trying to figure out how loud she'll be once brother is in the car with us.  We pick up K - back in the car for a very SHORT drive from school to the house... and yep, she starts in - crying, throwing her shoes and wanting a fruit snack.  EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  And I refuse to give her a fruit snack...  as she's just had a snack at daycare... and I'll be making supper SOON.  ha.  Tough Mom huh?  We thought this would help her eat supper... but it still hasn't... so I really don't have an answer at this point.  :)

Ok... I'm done. :)  Things are good here...  just a tad busy and a tad overwhelmed with random things.  I hope to use this weekend at home to catch up on home stuff... and also think about getting some fall clothes for the kids.  I'm hearing of some chilly temps in the next week. 

Go Hawks!

Saturday, Ryan, Mike, Kayson and I went over to Iowa City...  it was a 2:30 game, so we didn't have to get up super early.  Kind of took our time in the morning, which was nice.  Cora stayed home with Grammie JeanAnn.  (She was upset when we left, but we were told she was fine shortly after we were gone - good!)

We got to the tailgate spot around 11:30...  just hung out, trying to keep Kayson happy.  It was rather boring for him, so I felt bad... I stuck around him most of the time...  Ryan played catch with him a little...  we listened to music...  he colored a little.  Then it was time to head in to the stadium.  

It was a BORING/not so good game.  Fans were frustrated... including us!!!  Big bummer... so we decided to head out during the middle of the 4th Quarter.  Iowa was behind and not looking good... at all.  We got to the truck... headed out - and Iowa got a touchdown.  And then another one shortly after!!!  So it was a WIN!!  And we missed it. HUGE bummer...  wish Kayson could have seen a touchdown! 

So we got home...  and the remainder of the night was quiet.  Tired parents, tired Kayson.  

 

With Papa Mike

Being goofy!

Hawks, Taylor Farm & Labor Day

Saturday we stayed in most of the day... Ryan chose to skip the Iowa/UNI game due to him being gone so much lately, and just wanting to be home.  I thought that was nice.  We watched the game...  well - he did, I tended to the kids and cleaned and did laundry.   Following the win, and a short nap for Cora, we headed down to Creston for the night.  

Sunday all the Taylor boys (Mike and his brothers), plus Ryan were going to work on the farm.  They've been talking about trying to sell some of the stuff there - some machinery and just help clean out some 'junk'.  The wives were there too, and some cousins (which was super for Kayson).  He had an amazing day helping on the farm, and just playing.  Such memories he's making on Papa Dicks farm.  I love that.  I helped a little, but to be honest - with Cora, I just can't get her to play on her own or with even the cousins...  such a bummer, so I fussed over her the entire day.  Luckily she did take a little nap.  Anyway, I took a few random pictures of the farm...  and looking back, I'm glad I did.  Again, good memories.  

We stuck around the farm all day and into the evening.  The men were dirty and exhausted!  :)  Around 8:30 we decided we had better pack up and go...  unfortunately, we met up with some terrible thunderstorms.  We probably should have turned around at some point as we couldn't see a damn thing!!!  (not fun in the dark), BUT Ryan got us home safely.  The kids were crashed during the whole drive, which I was thankful for!

And then today...  the reason we didn't stick around longer in Creston, is we wanted to be home today for a couple reasons - our yard needed mowed!!!  and Ryan had to leave for Minnesota tonight.  So we got some things done today... and also was kind of lazy as well.  

I think we are all still a little wiped out...  so I'm looking forward to bed tonight - and a short week this week.  I sure hope it's a non-stressful week at work.