Fall Update

Hey there!

So, I am back! Karen, I am here again and will try to kep current on this! Time is very limited for me... imagine that!! LOL So, the kids are doing well. Jackson started Kindergarten this year and LOVES it!!! Nolan is in Pre-Kindergarten and Preschool (Yes, 2 schools as he refers to it!). He enjoys it, but gets tuckered out on Tuesday, Thursday, and Fridays! He is for sure the easiest one to put to bed at night! :) Emma is in 2nd grade already and is doing fabulous! Now, just the 2 babies are home. It is kind of nice, but sad at the same time. It just seems that once they are in school the years FFFFLLLLYYYY by! Our house is busy and always flourishing with activity, but all is well.

Halloween is soon approaching (Yikes!!! That means the holidays will soon follow!!!) and this momma has LOTS to do to prepare. The kids decided to go with an African animals theme this year... so, Emma is a zebra, Jackson is an elephant, Nolan is a bear, Matthew is probably a giraffe, and Olyvia is going to be a cat (not African, I know... but was the costume Emma used). I am not fond of Halloween, but do it for the kiddos. Hopefully they turn out well... I better get started on them!

I would love to include a picture of the children... but my computer is so slow! I will attempt later. :)

Baby Olyvia

Olyvia- 1 day

Wow- I cannot believe it's been about 2 whole months since I have posted anything! Well, things around here have certainly changed! We have a new member of the family... Olyvia Erin was born Feb. 17th! She's 2 whole weeks old already and doing very well. What an adventurous event that was... will share her birth story later! The siblings have taken pretty well to her, but Matthew is still a little unsure of the situation. He's getting better now. Emma's excited to have her sister- finally! Mommy and Daddy are managing... sleep is very limited, but it's all worth it. Although these nights seem so long and sleep is so little, I know how quickly these days will go by and how special each and every moment truly is. It is nice to use those nighttime hours to just look at her when everyone else is sleeping, the house is quiet, and she is peacefully in my arms. I love this time! I love being a mommy... busy, tired, stressed, and all- it's such a gift! They grow so quickly!Olyvia- 5 days

A New Year!

It is so hard to believe the holidays made it here and have gone by already! Things have been crazy around here and just now beginning to settle down as the husband is back to work and the children are back to school. I honestly think they were just as ready to go back as I was for them to return! After the holidays I spent half a week being sick, and am just now back on track. 34 weeks with only a few weeks to finish the gazillion projects I wish to complete before the arrival of the newest family memeber- wish me luck! I have pics of the holidays, but haven't put them on the computer yet- will do soon. I just wanted to get a hello up as it's been a while since I last posted. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Happy 2009!

2008 Christmas Program

We had our annual holiday program at church on Sunday. The theme was a walk through post cards. The first post card was the Redlecki family- imagine that. I fit the Mary part just wonderfully carrying a little miracle in my bulge! (Sorry- terrible picture, but the best I have...)

The postcards go from the beginning of the Christmas story to the birth of baby Jesus.

Then, towards the end, my kids were animals with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. They look very amused, huh?!?

Nolan and I are happy that it is over and satisfied with how it went. What a great day at church!

Happy Holiday Season from our Family to Yours!!

Matthew's 1st Birthday Party!

We had Matthew's first birthday party this weekend! It's hard to believe that he is almost one whole year old! Time flies when you're having fun! He had a very good time and had great spirits right to the very end. Luckily, he had taken a 2-hour nap prior to the party!! We had many family members and lots of food! What more could you ask for?!?! We had a small cake, but I made cupcakes as well- especially for him to attack and mutilate... oh, and yes, eat too. It was a day of great fun, but took a few days to get ready for!

Monday, Monday

Well, we managed to make it through all the snow of last week- wow! We got hammered- much more than any other area I have visited this weekend. The weather forecast sounded happier for this week until it came, and now it is still dreary and snowier. We just keep busy by baking cookies- they look good, taste good, and make the house warm and smell good!

Nolan is finally feeling better and now Matthew is not well. John has gotten the flu bug too- the more the merrier I guess. That is one of those things when you have a big family, or any family really! Hopefully, I can get Matthew into the doctor today- he wound up with a terrible, horrible diaper rash- poor little man!

Good news in my world- grandma and grandpa are home from Florida! Hooray! They returned yesterday in the late afternoon. You can bet we were there shortly after they arrived. It was nice. My kids were so super excited. Nolan had been waiting every day last week for them to get back! Em asked when they are returning to Florida and I told her after Christmas. She then replied that with that the case, she hopes Christmas doesn't come for a long time! Too sweet!

We have met another parenting struggle... homework!!! We fought with Em all weekend to get it done. She cried, dragged her feet, bawled, stomped her feet, etc. The whole works. She reported to me that she spends all dayin school and is never home, except to eat and sleep. She said she certainly doesn't want to do homework all weekend. I can't say that I blame her. We ended up not getting it all done, but I did send a letter to her teacher to send work home daily instead of all on the weekend. Any thoughts on dealing with this issue?!!?

So, here is a big week- the week of Turkey Day! It seems so late this year, but it is fun because Black Friday is the next day!! Love shopping on that day- so fun and such a rush!

Have a great week all. Happy Thanksgiving!

November chill!

Everytime I look out the window it is snowing again! It is hard to believe how much snow we have gotten thus far. Yesterday I went to the take the boys to Preschool and realized that on my mountain we have far much more snow than closer to town. Funny how that works! Oh, the joys of living in the snowbelt! At this point, the kids have had some fun and are satisfied watching from inside, except when it comes to climbing that mountain of snow from the plow!

I think this household is beginning to feel better. Nolan is the last one to get over it... seems to have come back to him. Sleepless nights and napless days- he seems to have this idea that he's grown out of them. What I would give for a chance for a nap during the day!!! Needless to say, this little dude is a grumpy boy!

So, we're at 27 weeks, Thanksgiving is soon approaching and you know Christmas is right around the corner. I am feeling the crunch on time. 40 weeks seems like a long time, but it is not! I have about 40 weeks worth of things to do before the baby girl arrives... they won't get done. Oh well- I wil try. I have been doing alright on keeping on task and getting some wanted projects done, but I have far too many to claim near victory! So, we'll just take the days as they come and be happy to be alive- looking at the positive side of life! :) Oh, and we've moved on to doctor appointments every 2 weeks instead of 4, another sign we're getting closer! It is neat and exciting though. I love being pregnant... probably the last time though.

So, Daisy Scouts are going well. We have 6 girls, may have 7 at our meeting tomorrow. It is fun and we're enjoying our fun-filled meetings! So far we've earned our Considerate & Caring petal! In order to celebrate the week of World Kindness we had the girls draw pictures demonstrating kindness and displayed them around town. Em's is at the Post Office- so if you're there check it out on the bulletin board!

Another busy run around day today and tomorrow- looking forward to Friday. If I could stay home I am sure I would get so much more done! Grandparents are returning from Florida on Sunday- hooray!!! The kids and I are on a countdown! Pray for nice, decent driving weather so they return safely and on time! Wishing all a great end of the week and nice weekend!