First day of school

Yesterday, Andrew, Jason and Tessa were off to their first day of preschool! They have been so excited ever since they learned how to be big girls and boys and use a toilet instead of diapers/pull ups.

We picked out special backpacks, bought a new stuffed animal for nap time, packed an extra set of clothes and a few extra undies and yesterday, the big day finally arrived.

They marched right into school, hung their backpacks, hung their coats, and were off without a glance backwards to Dan and I. We didn't get tears, but we didn't get hugs and kisses either - they were just too darn excited.

Here is one of the only pictures I was able to capture, after calling them back. They were off and running after I snapped it.


It was fun to hear all about their day and they are definitely excited to go back again. I had a nice relaxing day and was surprised how quickly the time went by.

The best part, however, is how quickly they fell asleep last night and again today for nap! I guess school tires them out pretty good!!

Was it a white Christmas for the Fab Five?

That would be an unequivocal and resounding YES!

It's been great to playin and tire the kids out, but I am really ready for a break. Dan worked on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the snow just kept coming and coming and coming! I do think I did a wonderful job on the driveway, even though the snowblower wouldn't go through the heavy, wet, snow - so,yes, I had to shovel it all myself!! And I am sure Dan was quite happy to arrive home and be able to pull up our driveway right into the nice clean garage!

The kids had a blast out there while I was busy (as you can see by the entire construction site!!), but boy, is my body aching today!

The construction zone....enter with care!

This is a ground level shot outside our back door (just to give some real perspective)

Our patio table!

The poor choo choo mailbox that grandpa made for us, sure is taking a beating these past two years!

Ah, what a nice clean driveway Dan got to come home too, thanks to his wonderful, beautiful, hardworking wife!

Five Little Monkeys riding on sleds

Five little monkeys riding on sleds.

I don't know that I can add more than the videos can!

Bounce House Fun

This past weekend was brutally cold in Chicago. We had temps below zero and, of course, the kids (and mom and dad) start to get cabin fever! Kids start getting sassy, pushing each other, and there's only so much imagination these two old brains can muster!

We've had this bounce house for years, and it's a great way to relieve some pent up energy on a cold, cold December day. Sadly, with a couple of large holes in our "bouncy", I think it's nearing the end of it's days. I was relegated to the sidelines due to recent foot surgery, but Dan and the kids sure had fun!

If you can, try to watch for Tessa's hair!

Puke, puke and more puke

I won't bore you with words, and I certainly won't share any pictures with you, but I've been busy cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning up after my kids the past few days........enough said.

I have also been working on a secret Christmas project and this has also taken up most of my "free" (ha ha) time lately.

Until I can get back to posting regularly, I'll leave you with some pictures from our most recent snow storms.