Day 120: Thank Goodness It's Thursday

Today is our Friday because tomorrow is Labor Day for Poland. I'll take it! Our morning started off with Maddie not wanting to get out of bed. I'd ask if she was ready to get up and she'd face plant into her pillow or blanket and say no. 

Finally she was up and dressed and I got her and Caleb off to school. Caleb was happy to have today as his last day. He said he's been tired lately. 

Daniel and I had a full day and came home to the kids hanging out and playing. Maddie was actually eating yogurt and Caleb was playing his iPad. They had fun playing outside while the sun was around. 

This evening we took showers and crashed early. Daniel will have to work tomorrow but I'm looking forward to spending the day with the kiddos. I hope to stay in my pajamas most of the day. 

I tried to take a picture and she said no and then covered her face up. 

Day 119: Mama's Girl

This morning started off great. We all got up, got dressed, and got out of the house on time.

Daniel and I had another busy day at work, and made it home around 6 PM. Caleb had a great day at school. He had swimming today and did great. He informed me that all of the other kids wear Speedos, so he needs one, too.

Madison went to daycare today without using a pull-up. I am so thankful that we don't have to buy those anymore. However, she had a couple of accidents but nothing major. I plan to send her with a lot of extra outfits tomorrow as well, just in case.

After dinner and baths Caleb and Maddie played in the floor with Daniel. Madison started out on Daniel's back, and then Caleb jumped in. They had a great time beating him up.

At bedtime, Caleb wanted his dad to tuck him in which was nothing new. Maddie wanted me to carry her upstairs, so I did. I started to get her ready for bed and sat down to read her a few books. Daniel was sitting beside us and he got a book to read to her. She then screamed "no, mama!" (for me to read) and then gave me the book. She gave me a lot of good hugs and kisses before bed, too. 

Day 118: Changing Weather

Today was another beautiful day and it was so hard for Daniel and I to get up. We couldn't hit the snooze button enough. 

Once up we got the babies where they needed to be and made it into work earlier than normal. Being early was a good thing because we each had super busy days. 

Caleb had a good day at school and enjoyed playing. His face is getting more and more tan from being outside. His little freckles are precious, too. 

Maddie also had a good day. I picked her up during story time and she told all of her friends bye. She continued yelling bye and going through the roll call of each kid's name as I walked out of her class and down the hall. 

Maddie has a little cold (runny nose mostly) due to the weather changing. It's warm with pollen, then rainy and cold. It almost feels like we're back in SC! We all feel the sinus crud but Maddie is definitely showing the most from it. 

We took it easy tonight and played around in the living room. The kids were exhausted and made it to bed without too many tears. Maddie kept telling me no for bed so she pitched a bit of a fit when I took her up. She was out in no time though. 

She enjoyed camping out in Caleb's hamper. 

Daniel went back to work and I cleaned up and got a few things done that I had been putting off. All in all, we had a good Tuesday. 

Goodnight!

Day 117: A Long Monday

Today was a good day for most of us, but the only one who can say it was long is Daniel. He went to work around 5:30AM and got home around 10:30pm. He stayed pretty busy. The kids hated not seeing him, but they enjoyed calling and saying goodnight. 

Caleb had a productive day and enjoyed having PE outside. The weather was 75 or so and it felt amazing. 

Maddie enjoyed playing outside as well. She and Caleb got to play at the park after school with Ms. Anna. They love her. Anna also helped more with the kid's Polish. She's teaching them little by little. 

We enjoyed tacos for supper and got bathtime out of the way early on. Thankfully, we were able to snuggle on the couch and enjoy each other's company before bed. 

The kids at bedtime. 

Goodnight. 

Day 116: A Lovely Sunday

Today began a little later (thankfully). Maddie slept in until 7am. She and I then went downstairs and played until the boys woke up. Maddie had the pleasure of waking up her daddy. She was waiting in the hallway on the steps until I told her it was okay to go on up. She was too cute.

We all got dressed for church and made our way out the door. What we didn't know is that we would be detoured a few times due to a marathon that was taking place. We got to see the lead car and runners go by around the 43 minute mark. I'm not sure where they were in the race at that moment, but it was cool to see a few runners. Once we turned around a few times, we found the right road and made it in to church a few minutes late. We had some challenges while at church this morning, but the message was still good overall. I do miss church back home though and can't wait to have some "normalcy" when we return.

After church we went to a local Polish restaurant and enjoyed a great brunch. Caleb, Maddie and I had the breakfast option and Daniel decided to get trout. They brought out the entire fish, so I'm glad I didn't choose that option! While we were at the restaurant the waiter lit a candle. Once he did that Maddie began trying to blow it out.

We also realized in our car ride this morning that Maddie knew how to count in Polish. She had some help from Caleb, but we could tell she definitely knew a few on her own. It was sweet to hear him help her through it. He can count to 200, so he's way out of our league.

Once we got home Maddie went down for a nap and the rest of us finally got to watch "Big Hero 6." It was a good movie and I'm glad we can cross that one off of our list. We have so many that we'd love to watch but very little time to actually do that.

We FaceTimed with Aunt Tara, Cale, and Madelyn later on. We got to see their newest addition along with stories of how things have been lately. Maddie got to see Madelyn's toys and I'm sure I'll be hearing about Minnie Mouse stickers for a while.

After the phone call it was bath and bedtime. I then finished up some homework and then wrote this lovely blog post. Everyone is doing well and were very happy enjoying a lazy Sunday.

Day 115: A Sunshiny Day!

Today was full of sunshine and it was fabulous! It was 75° and it felt amazing. Maddie woke up early and thank God, Daniel dealt with her early morning crazy. 

Caleb slept in a little bit but had a great morning. He went outside and practiced and then went to his game this afternoon. The game was more or less a practice but Caleb did well. He hit at each bat and fielded great!

While he was playing, Maddie and I enjoyed picking dandelions, picking up rocks, and also playing on the playground. The slide was her favorite. She had a great time. After practice we went to McDonald's for some ice cream. 

This evening we were able to FaceTime with Nana and Poppy. Maddie was a hoot! She laughed, danced, and sang. She put on quite a show. After the call ended Maddie put on her necklace and Princess shoes and said, "Go Maddie, woohoo." She was so funny! 

She and Caleb also played with Photobooth on Caleb's iPad. 

Day 114: Quiz Night!

Today was a good day for all of us but the traffic was insane. Going to and from work was a nightmare!! 

The kids had great days at school. Maddie got to play outside with her friends and enjoyed the sunshine. Caleb also played outside and enjoyed soccer with friends. He had two blocks and his team won 5-4. 

This evening Maddie went to bed early because she has been so tired lately. Caleb had fun relaxing and playing with his iPad. He hung out with the sitter and Daniel and I went off to The British School to enjoy quiz night with some other adults. 

Caleb was tinkling Maddie. 

Our team consisted of 12 people and we were named, "The Damn Yankees." 

We competed against 13 teams and we came in 4th place overall. That was pretty good considering we were last place at "half time," We had so much fun!! 

Goodnight all. 

Day 113: Baseball Players and Doctors

This morning was pretty smooth although both kids slept in. Maddie was upset that I walked in to get her so she screamed for her daddy to get her up instead. I told her that he was at work and if she wanted to get out of bed I was her only chance. She came around and saw things my way.

She enjoyed a banana before heading off to daycare. Caleb also made it out the door on time and with everything that he needed for the day.

Today, Caleb was awarded a certificate for reaching 100 "house" points. The house points are earned when he does something good, so he is one of three that has reached 100 total points. We are so proud! He's also received two "belts" in his recorder karate class (the colors he's holding: orange and yellow), so he was proud of that, too. He can now play three (maybe more) songs on the recorder. 

Caleb had baseball practice tonight so he and Daniel left and spent the rest of the daylight on the field. Daniel said that there was a good turn out and the kids did great. 

Maddie and I spent the evening playing with her doctor stuff and painting nails. She had zero accidents with me today which was huge! She picked out the color orange for her toenails. 

We also Facetimed with Nana on her lunch break. Maddie asked for her Poppy and her Aunt Tara. Once she knew where they were she stopped asking for them, but it was too cute when she said their names. 

Maddie warmed up to me this evening. It was nice to finally get some hugs and kisses again. She's definitely in her own world and does whatever it is that she feels like doing. 

Goodnight all. 

Day 112: Daddy's Girl in Princess Shoes

This morning I flew solo with the morning routine. It took a lot more than I wanted to give but we all survived. To avoid crying (or cursing) I'll skip the details of the craziness that ensued. Instead, I'll whine about Maddie wanting nothing to do with me and everything to do with her daddy. 

Maddie had a pretty rough day. She woke up a little grumpy and clingy, but was great overall. She went to her teacher with no issues and kissed me goodbye. But, throughout the day she had a few accidents and she didn't sleep well. When Daniel and I got home she screamed, "Daddy" and ran to him. I asked for a hug and got her typical "no, no" response. She came around eventually, but she's been a mess and definitely all about her dad. She'll even say, "hey dad" to which he replies, "hey babe." They're so funny together. 

She was playing with my necklace so I asked her if she wanted to wear it. Her response was "yeah" and I placed it on her. She wore it around and played with it in her kitchen. She also microwaved it and drank it from a cup. 

During this play time Caleb was hard at work on his math homework and his journal via PowerPoint. He did a wonderful job on it. 

Caleb had a great day at school and has decided that he'd like to switch schools next year. So, we've started the process. Fingers crossed that it's an easy transition. His main reasons for switching were 1) the American is bigger and the bus is "way cooler" and 2) he would get to be uniform free. He's never had that, so he's thrilled. 

Caleb worked so hard on his PowerPoint and was so happy remembering all the fun things he did. We all had a blast and we can't wait to explore even more. 

Maddie finished the night by coming down for dinner in her princess shoes. Daniel said she insisted on walking down the stairs in them. She's such a hoot! During dinner she kept lifting her foot and looking at her shoes. She also likes the sound the heels make. 

Goodnight!

Day 111: See You Later!

Today started out good. I couldn't wake up, but aside from that, we got out the door earlier than we have yet and made it to work right at 8. 

Caleb had a great day at school. He got to play a game in his after school club so he was excited for that. 

Madison had a good day but she was a little grumpy when I picked her up. She was ready to be home! As soon as we walked in she yelled, "daddy" and went straight to Daniel. That's been the norm lately. 

A family who we are friends with had a small going away party this evening. Caleb enjoyed playing with all of the boys and Maddie had a blast rolling the ball down to the garage over and over. 

We enjoyed the food, the company, the stories, and the guests of honor. They'll be missed! The wife was the first person outside of our sponsors to welcome me in and made sure I knew about all of the playgroups, book clubs, etc. She has a heart of gold and always thinks of others.

 

Overall, the night was great! 

Day 110: Photobooth Laughs

This morning Maddie was up at 6. She was grumpy at first but adjusted and played for a bit before going to daycare. 

Caleb had a field trip today to the botanical gardens. He was able to see and feel what it would be like to live in a rain forest. He said it was incredibly hot and he thought he was going to melt! 

Once Daniel and I came home we started dinner and relieved our sitter. She showed us what Maddie had been learning. In Polish, Maddie said about 4 animal names and had help counting to five. She said Maddie was doing great and was learning so well. Now, if she's yelling at me in Polish, I'll never know. Same as Caleb. 

While dinner was cooking we gave the kids baths and played around. After dinner, Caleb and Maddie played on Caleb's iPad with "Photobooth." He couldn't stop laughing, so Maddie had to join in on the fun. They took some crazy pictures and chuckled after each one. It was definitely one of the highlights of my day!

BEWARE!!! Here comes the craziness! 

Maddie also played with her basket. She found a new use for it. 

This little one is growing SO fast. I can't believe how quickly it happens. 

Goodnight all. Much love. 

Day 109: Productive Sundays

This morning started off a little differently than we had hoped for, but we managed to make the best with our time throughout the day.

Maddie and Caleb had a great time playing around this morning and we got all of our laundry knocked out early in the day. Which left time for grocery shopping and meal prepping for later in the day.

Caleb received an invite to go and play with a friend today. He was so excited and couldn't wait to get out of the house and be productive. He's still catching up on homework, so anything besides that is very welcoming.

Maddie had a busy day, but kept us on our toes. She had a lot of accidents. I'm not sure why, aside from her just not telling us. It was beyond frustrating but hopefully she'll stop regressing sooner than later.

While Caleb was at a friend's house, Daniel, Madison and I went grocery shopping. Of course the one store we went to didn't have everything we needed, so an additional trip was needed. Thankfully, the second stop was very quick and I ran in to get all the items we needed.

We stopped by to get Caleb then headed home to begin cooking. We cooked up hamburgers, honey teriyaki chicken, plain grilled chicken, shredded buffalo chicken, meatloaf and six heads of broccoli. I'll cook the sweet potatoes and brown rice tomorrow, but for now we have enough for most of the week. The chicken will be used for most of our lunches, as well as the broccoli, and the rest will be evening meals. I hope it'll be a good solution!

We're still trying to find a routine that is best for everyone, but it's definitely a work in progress. Some days are better than others, but we're getting there.

Daniel also changed light bulbs today so Maddie needed to be involved, too. 

Goodnight!

Day 108: Saturday Fun

This morning Maddie and I got up and let the boys sleep in. We played with some toys and cooked breakfast. She then went upstairs to wake daddy up. 

We enjoyed breakfast and laid around. It was pretty much a lazy day for everyone, which was nice! 

Maddie took a good nap and when she woke up we headed out for Caleb to play a little baseball. At 1:55, Caleb and one other kid was there. So, our 2pm game was a no go. The weather was cold and unpleasant so we left around 2:30. 

We've had a great day spending time with one another and doing nothing productive. Caleb received a game from the Easter bunny, so we played a round of that before going to bed. We also FaceTimed with Nana and Poppy and visited with Aunt Tara, too! Maddie then fell asleep on me. She was so tired and couldn't stay awake any longer. 

Overall, today was a great day. 

Daddy and Maddie spinning. 

"I wear Geeduh's jacket."