1st Big Snow

Yesterday we sent Cayden to school with the usual recess attire...jacket, mittens, & a hat...thinking that he would be okay. By the time I left at 8:45 am to bring Addyson to school it was starting to snow a little bit. And by the time I brought Kamryn to her preschool at 10:00 am it was heavily snowing. So much in fact that I had to put the 4 wheel drive on in our truck because the roads were getting slippery. Did I mention that I love 4 wheel drive!! When I picked Addyson up from preschool at 11:15 am there was quite a bit of snow on the ground! I ran inside the school to drop off some boots & snowpants to Cayden so he could play outside for recess.

Our first "real" snow was absolutely beautiful! The heavy snow clung onto the trees making it look like a winter wonderland. After picking Kamryn up from preschool & eating lunch...all 3 of us girls got into our winter gear & headed outside to play in the first snow. It really wasn't all that cold outside...so I didn't mind it too much. Kamryn looked like a marshmallow in all of her snow gear, & every time she fell down she needed help getting back up. This is really her first year to actually play in the snow along with the kids. All of her snow gear, except for the snow pants, were hand me downs from Addyson(thank goodness). Addyson was in dire need of new snowpants this year, as last year she didn't fit in her old ones, & we waited way too long to buy new ones. We checked every store possible to no avail...poor thing was stuck the rest of the winter wearing way too short pants that let all the snow in. This year she fits perfectly into her brother's old snow pants! She did get a new coat at Gap though...I got it for an awesome deal when they were having their Family & Friends 30% off sale!! We bought it big too, so it will hopefully last into next year as well.

Getting back onto track...we had fun playing in the snow, making snow angels, throwing snowballs, & venturing into the backyard to play on the swingset. Addyson found out that you go really, really fast down the slide in your snow gear! And she had so much fun swinging and jumping off...also a great thing to do with all the extra padding!

After Cayden arrived home from school a bunch of the neighborhood kids played outside together in our yard. Cayden came inside to ask for some crackers & carrot for their snowman's nose. Sure enough...I went outside & they had all made a snowman & dressed it all up. It was wonderful packing snow!!

So...the start of another Michigan winter began with a beautiful winter wonderland...and today it is raining & slushy. Yuck!!

1/2 Way There...

So...this week marks my 20th week of pregnancy...I am 1/2 way to the end. These weeks are just flying by. This is the first pregnancy where I actually feel like the days just come & go, and then before I know it I have my monthly dr. appn't.

Today I had a dr. appn't and everything is looking great! It's so wonderful to hear my baby's heartbeat and know that he is growing well. Because I literally don't write anything down anymore to remember this pregnancy...I was so good with the first 2, still pretty good with Kamryn, and now it's virtually impossible...I am going to try to record the last couple months on my blog. This way I can someday look back & remember how I felt during my last pregnancy...both good & bad.

*my nausea & vomiting started at about 6 weeks. I think with each pregnancy I've learned how to control my vomiting a little better. Most of the times if I feel like I'm going to throw up I stick a peppermint or gum in my mouth & I can stop it. Sometimes not. With me there is no such thing as "morning sickness"...it is all day long. I pretty much feel nauseated the entire day...and gag quite often. Even though this pregnancy has been better than the others in this regard...it is still very difficult to manage & depressing at times. On the other hand...it is also a blessing to know that my being nauseated means my baby is still doing well inside of me. :)

*I am still extremely tired. I'm pretty sure though that this is not going to go away anytime soon...as I've come to the realization that chasing 3 kids while pregnant will do this to you.

*the last couple weeks I've struggled with extreme neckaches & migraines. I have never had migraines before...and they are very debilitating. My dr. recently prescribed massage therapy for this...which sounds kind of nice. If only I could find enough time to make it to the appn'ts! The last week and half I haven't had any pain though...so that's great.

*with all of my other pregnancies I have been done with the nausea at exactly 16 weeks. Not so much on this one. I still struggle to eat...nothing really sounds good to me. Yet I know I have to fill up my stomach or I feel sicker. Last Saturday night I threw up my entire dinner. I think a big part of it was that I was overly tired.

*I am still in the 120's for my weight. I have gained approximately 8 lbs. so far. Today I asked my dr. where I was at 20 weeks with Kamryn. She was surprised that I was 143 lbs. then and only 127 now. I was shocked!! I had gained about the same amount of weight, but I started out a lot lower this pregnancy. Before I got pregnant I was down to 116, which was the weight I was when I got married 10 years ago!! That's what 2 major sicknesses in a week will do to you I guess.

*last week Eric's mom was out & we went shopping for the some boy clothes for the first time. It was great fun! We picked out some really cute things for our little boy!

*the kids are getting more & more excited as they watch my belly grow. Kamryn asks me about 3-4 times a day if I still have the baby in my tummy. When we're reading books Cayden & Addyson love to pat my belly or lay their head on it.

Well... 20 more weeks to go!!

An Update to my election day post...

So...tonight Cayden informed us that he was given the chance to vote today at school...which I think is actually pretty cool. And he informed us that he voted for Obama. Hmmmm...this is interesting. :) But at least it's showing that he doesn't just go with the flow of our family...he made up his own mind & he's sticking to it. :) Good for you, buddy!

I'm guessing that he's going to be a happy little man when he wakes up in the morning & finds out the results of the election...

although Mommy & Daddy may not have that same feeling. :)

Happy Halloween

This Halloween was a ton of fun! I have to admit that I had a little bit of a bad attitude going into Halloween this year. We had a week that was filled with something to do every single morning & evening as well. Kamryn had to dress up on Monday for her playgroup & Wednesday evening was the costume carnival at our church. So...by the time Halloween rolled around I was really tired, & honestly just wanted to curl up in bed.

I got the kids all ready, Daddy arrived home, when we realized that Cayden didn't have his Peter Pan hat. The kids were all playing with it the night before...so it had to be in our house somewhere...one would think. :) We all searched the house up & down to no avail. So of course there were some tears from our boy...which explains his red eyes in the pictures. After wiping the tears we were on to the neighbors garage to eat pizza & go trick or treating!

The kids had so much fun this year! The weather was absolutely beautiful & warm...so they didn't have to wear layers over their costumes. They enjoyed pizza with the neighbors & then the Dad's were off with the whole crew for some trick or treating. They were all soooo excited!! It was fun to watch them all go off with huge smiles on their cute little faces. The ladies stayed back to hand out the candy outside & chat...it was really a relaxing evening for us. :)

This year was the first time that they all made it around the entire neighborhood & all the way around the block. This was also the first year that our shy little Addyson ran up to each door with the kids to get candy, instead of needing prodding from Daddy. We were so proud of her. Cayden of course had no problems running ahead with Natalie. And little Miss Kamryn didn't miss a beat!! Eric said she marched up to all of the houses and said "trick or treat" to about 50% of them. She was sooo excited to be a part of the big kids group. I think she came home with even more candy than Cayden & Addyson! She was a little trooper!

After trick or treating the kids had fun just running around in the front yard and burning off some more energy. Grandma & Grandpa D. stopped by to see the kids in their costumes, & Grandpa ended up swinging the kids around & getting tackled by each & every one of them. The kids had a riot! Then it was inside the Marzolino house for some adult talk & kids running around the house.

Needless to say by the time we arrived home that night the kids were all out immediately. Cayden slept in the next morning until 8 am & the girls until 9 am. That almost never, ever happens...and boy was it nice.

Summing up the evening...I had a great time just watching the kids just being kids & lovin' it. Was I tired at the end of the night, yes, but it was great fun for all. The kids had a blast & the best thing in the world is to watch your kids being happy.

Enjoy our little ladybug, Tinkerbell, & Peter Pan!!

Election Day Funny

I thought this was a funny one on election day. Last night our family went to Applebee's for supper(mostly b/c I had finally cleaned the kitchen floor & wanted it to stay that way for at least a couple hours). Out of the blue Cayden asked us if we knew that we were voting for a new president on Tuesday. We responded "yes" and I asked him if he knew who was running for president. He responded immediately "yes, Barack Obama & John McCain". Okay...so I asked him who he would vote for. He replies "Barack Obama". Okay...interesting. :) With an open mind :) I ask Cayden why he wouldn't vote for McCain. With a straight face he replies "Because Mom, he's bald". I had to do everything in my power not to laugh...he was just so cute & innocent. I replied by reminding him that Grandpa is bald too. He says "Yeah, but John McCain has just hair on the sides & none on top!" So funny! When I asked him when he can vote he immediately replied "Mom, you have to be 18 to vote!". Like, duh Mom, I learn all this in school, don't you know!!!

I am constantly amazed at the amount of information they learn in only 1st grade. Cayden has an extremely good memory & retains information he learns at school amazingly. Every week Cayden's teacher posts the kids individual prayer requests on a note home to the parents. This way we as parents can know the prayer requests of the kids in the class. Cayden's last week was to thank God that his Mom is having a baby & to keep him safe. I am so very thankful that our family has been blessed enough to be able to send our kids to a christian school. At times when we wonder where the money is going to come from, God reminds us to be faithful & to trust in Him. When our children come home with true excitement in what they have learned about God in school & church we can only thank God for this.