Photo updates

Our front sidewalk. Love the curve!

Miss Payton standing in the doorway to her VERY pink room!

Miss Addison in the doorway to her room!

The beginning of our kitchen. I am the most excited to see this room come together! It required the most decisions...

Week 11

Okay, so the week isn't officially over yet, but there has been a ton of work on the house this week! Our patio, sidewalk and drive are done. The hard surface flooring (wood and tile) is done, the doors are in, trim is going up around the windows, outlets, switches, can lighting, cabinets (kitchen and bathroom) is all started and/or complete. We talked with our builder today and it looks like we will be closing 3 weeks early. The first week of August. They asked if we wanted to close the week before that even, but we have a vacation planned. And Brian and I have A LOT to do when closing happens! Our belongings are in 3 different locations...

Brian and I accomplished the huge task of getting all our decorative lighting. We just have the carriage lights for the outside to get. And of course the ones we liked they did not have enough of (we need 4) so we are still thinking that one over. It is coming together fast now! If they don't lock the house up we will get photos soon and post the progress for everyone.

Week 10

Kitchen (Brian jokes that is looks like a shotgun went off in the kitchen with all the holes for outlets, lights, speakers.....)


Payton's Room

Addison's Room

Great Room

Foyer



This weekend we were surprised to find that the entire house was painted! It is hard to see in the photo, but it is a creamy taupe color. Initially we had asked if we could come in and paint the girls rooms, they picked their own colors. We were told that the painting would happen about 30 days prior to completion. WHAT!? We had thought that would put us at mid July. We got the go ahead last week to go and paint the rooms whenever we wanted. So Brian and I, with some help from my dad, went in and painted Payton's room (the 2 pinks) and Addison's room (pink and green). We brought the girls in and they were SO excited. It was nice to actually do something in there! The exterior is pretty much complete other than the front porch columns. Our site manager is on vacation, but next week when he gets back we will hear what our time frame is for completion.

Week 9

We have been patiently waiting for the exterior to be finished on the house. This week they got so much closer! Most of the siding is up, as well as the stone. Garage doors are in, the entire inside is dry walled, taped and mudded. It looks amazing inside and out! It is happening so fast, but it feels like the end will never get here... we REALLY need more space! The girls have really started to bicker. They need their own rooms back!

Weekend at the Lake

This past weekend we were able to go up to the lake in the U.P. for the weekend. We have never gone for just the weekend, and it all started with Payton being upset because we weren't staying the entire week. We are still trying to explain that we are so much closer now we can come up more, but it won't always be for a week!

We knew the weather wasn't going to be great, but we did end up with dry days and mid 60's. The big thing that we realized this weekend is that Payton has officially outgrown her fear of loud noises (she actually rode around the yard with Brian on the motorcycle!), getting dirty (both girls were elbow deep in mud!), and going into the cool lake water. So happy about all three! Addie really has no fear, but we know this is going to come back to bite us someday!

Week 7 and 8

Okay, I have been slacking! The last couple of weeks there has been quite a bit going on at the house. The siding is started, which is the biggest visual change! The top photo is the great room, and as you can see the insulation is in the exterior walls. The electrical is done, plumbing is a work in progress and the drywall is going in. The entire second floor is pretty much done with the drywall. It is nice to walk through it with the girls so they can actually see the size of their rooms and closets without walking through the walls! All of the exterior doors are in, including the front door. We don't have photos of the drywall yet... we will get those and update them soon for all of you that want all the gory details!

May 2010 (29 photos), by Tina Steward

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Memorial Weekend

We had a busy and fun weekend! Payton's best friend from Owatonna and her mom Dawn came to visit for the weekend. Ava and Payton have known each other since they were babies, so they really have been missing each other. We packed the weekend full of fun things for the kids to do. And they really did get a lot of time together in. Here are some photos from the zoo (love the one of Dawn and the 3 girls;)), we also did a lot of swimming at the hotel pool, Payton gave Ava a tour of the house, playing at the park, and playing at the apartment. Yesterday Payton was quite sad that Ava was leaving, but she was also VERY tired from all the excitement we had over the last couple of days!

Big Girl Bikes!

We were on the hunt for a bigger bike for Addison (sadly she was riding around on her tricycle!). When we were looking and actually had Addison stand next to the "measurements" we realized that she needed a bike the size Payton had and Payton should be upgraded too. So we ended up getting Payton a bigger bike and Addie inherited Payton's bike. We got some new streamers, and a new helmet for Addie and we were off. Last night we were at Nicole's and all the kids were out. We officially have a little biker gang:) SO cute! Addie LOVES that bike and took off right away. Payton loved the smaller bike so she is a bit more cautious. But, that is her personality:)

Week 6

This week we had our electrical walk through. Brian and I have been busy shopping for our decorative lighting. That has proven to be quite the chore. Sometimes I wish that I didn't have this picture in my head of what I wanted. Then it would be so much easier to choose! But we think we have it mostly sorted out. Except for the entry light and chandelier that will hang above the stairs. Those are the 2 we just haven't seen what we really would like yet. We will have to do some major searching in the next couple of weeks for those.

The plumbing and duct work are in progress. The fireplace, girls tub and our shower are in place and the piping is going in. The concrete in the garage, basement, and our front porch are also completed. This week a lot has changed over there, but no fun photos to post. I personally am looking forward to the siding and exterior to go on! That will be exciting!

Work...

I finished my first 2 weeks on the new job. I am not a fan of going in to work every day! Haven't done that since I orientated at my last job. It all went well though, and I am finally on my unit and starting to get more comfortable. It takes me twice as long to get my charting done though. I am hoping that I will get more efficient with their electronic medical record sooner rather than later. And i will be asking where supplies are for months! In July the hospital is opening a new building and all the patient care units are moving in. So at least we will all be back to square one then:)

I am enjoying it so far. This week I am starting on 12 hour shifts with my preceptor. Thankfully I really like her, and she is great at showing my the processes that I need to know. I will be working probably 4 more weeks or so with her (2 shifts a week) and then I will be on my on-call status. Then I will be able to look online at the schedules and pick and choose which days I would like to work. Brian and I REALLY hope that this works and I will be able to get the hours I need. You really can't beat working when you want! Right now they have a few open positions so I am told I can pick up a lot if I want too! Sounds good to me. I have to help pay for that house;)

Week 5

We have windows! And the front porch now has a roof.

First week...

I was at work/orientation every day this past week, and the girls were at their new school. They have adjusted just fine, and each morning they are happy to go. We really like their teachers, so that is a big relief to me as well!

Payton had "Kindergarten Preview" classes this week. She was at the elementary school that she will have to attend 2 days this week. They spent a couple hours there each day getting tour of the school, library, playgrounds, cafeteria (it is all day kindergarten) and they got to take a bus ride as well. Payton was a little chatterbox last night telling us all she did this week! Apparently the bus ride took them through our new neighborhood, so Payton told everyone where our house is. She was VERY excited about that bus ride! She is going to love going to kindergarten in the fall!

Work is going really well. My new hospital is part of a pretty big organization that includes 4 hospitals and several clinics. So I have been to a lot of different places this week. I spent a full shift on my new unit, and I must say that I think I am going to just LOVE it! More details to come as I get more into the job!

Week 4

We have a second floor and a roof!!! Super exciting to see it sitting there as we drove up to the neighborhood!

Spring 2010 (24 photos), by Tina Steward

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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Did I forget to mention???

I have a new job! I have been interviewing at Appleton Medical Center for the last 3 weeks of so. And they called to offer me the job last week. I will be working "stand-by" on an in-patient oncology unit. Stand-by basically means that I have to work at least one 8-12 hour shift per week, but I can pick up from there at my convenience. I will be working mainly on oncology, but I have the choice to float if I want more hours. I am REALLY excited about this job too because it will be great experience for me. I have done out-patient oncology for 4 years or so and loved it, but in-patient is a new set of challenges. AMC also has a cancer center on site as well and it is the place to be for oncology in the city. I start next week with 2 weeks of orientation classes and shadowing. This means that our girls are back to daycare. They are really excited to go! They miss playing with other kids. It is going to be really nice for all of us.

Week 3

This week the framing began. Now it really seems like we have a house in the works! We also signed off on our appliances as well as met with the builder again to finalize some of our choices. Now we are researching lighting and accessories for the bathrooms (towel bars and stuff) and we will be pretty much done on our end! Two weeks from now they are anticipating that they will be ready for our electrical walk through at which point we tell them where we want our lights, switches, cable.... Here are some photos of the progress this week... Addison is standing in what will be our kitchen, and Payton in what will be our great room.

Ponky Ponk!

I realized today that I really need to blog this before we forget it... For an unknown reason Addison has recently saying "ponky ponk" constantly. I have no idea how she came up with this one... it started when she would run into something and say "Ponk!" Then she added "I am going to ponky ponk!" just before she would run into you, or anything really. The newest is "I am going to ponky ponk your eye ball!" Not sure what that one means, but it probably isn't good! ha ha

Week 2

This week has brought us a foundation for our house. The top photo is taken from the back right corner of what will be our garage looking toward the "house". Brian had our builder add an extra 4 feet to the back of the garage, so of course he took a photo of that! The second is from the left side of the house.

We are still doing gymnastics and the girls really like it. It feels nice to do something that is "normal" for us. I think the girls are done with my being home all the time! ha ha They are as sassy as ever. Brian spent hours on Sunday washing, buffing, and waxing my sister Nicole's car after Addison decided to color chalk on it instead of the sidewalk. I was calling for her, asking what she was doing in the front yard. She replied "I am coloring auntie's car!" Yeah, lesson there is that sidewalk chalk CAN scratch paint! ARGH!

Progress!

On Friday we decided to go and have a look at our lot to see if they have started anything... We had thought that maybe they had started staking the lot or possibly started to dig. We could not believe that footers were already in and the forms were standing by for the foundation! It was very cool. While we were there the couple who will be our new neighbors to the back, were out walking and immediately came up to us and introduced themselves. They were so sweet, she offered their bathrooms if we were ever out on our lot and the girls needed a bathroom! They had great things to say about the neighbors, and our builder. That was great to hear. We will have to see what this week brings! There is no stopping now:)

Gymnastics

We had our first class at the YMCA this week. Payton has been going to gymnastics since she turned 3 so she was VERY excited to go back to class. She kept saying "Mumma! We live in an apartment and I can still go to gymnastics! I didn't know that!". Poor thing thinks she can't do anything she likes apparently. haha We love the Gymnastics Club in Owatonna, so I was really hoping that this program would be just as good. I had heard good things, but was waiting to see it for myself. The girls are in 2 different classes, this is Addison's first gymnastics class and Payton is a bit more advanced. It was really nice too because their classes are at the same time so I could watch them both at once. Payton did really well, like she never stopped her classes. Addison did awesome at following directions, but I laughed out loud when she was on the bars and when she when to swing over the bar she let go and grabbed her coach around the waist. Poor lady... it was hysterical! Overall it was a good class, and it is very much like the classes we are used to. I just wish it was one hour instead of 45 minutes. The girls could have more time on the equipment that way. That and it is open gym after the class is over. So the kids can just play on the equipment, sounds good unless your 3 year old jumps in "the pit" full of foam blocks and can't get herself out. I almost fell in myself digging her out!

One Door Closes, and Another One Opens!

Brian and I were off to Owatonna last week for a brief stay to close on our house there. We lived in that house for 4 1/2 years, and it was brand new when we moved in. So for me it felt strange handing over our keys! I called our neighbor to tell her to be on the look out for the new neighbors! But it was SO exciting as well because now we can move forward with the building of our new house. We met with our builder to finish making all our choices over the weekend. The building permit is in process, they will start staking the lot and they hope to start digging by the end of the week! Above are some photos of our lot. It will be fun to see everything started!

Busy!

I think it is amazing how busy we have been for the last 3 weeks, considering I have been home with the girls! I look at our calendar and every day we have somewhere else to be, or something else planned! We have been on the hunt for a child care center for Addie. After 3 tours and a lot of talking, Brian and I finally decided on one. It is the closest to where our house is going to be, has the biggest playground, the biggest rooms for the kids, very close to the elementary school if we need Payton to be there too, and the prices are good. And the staff is really quite nice and the pre-school program is good too!

Payton has been struggling with the move. We are hopefully going to start gymnastics at the YMCA in April (for both girls) and I am going to try to get us more on a schedule each week which will hopefully help.

Brian and I went to MN last week to finish emptying out our house there. The movers came and moved what was left into storage. It was amazing how they stacked our stuff into that storage unit! Filled it right up (it was stacked about 12 feet high I am guessing!). Now next week Brian and I make another trip to MN to close on the house. Then the next week our house starts construction here. We are pretty excited for that to start. We have begun picking out the finishes with a designer, and wow it is tough. But I think we are doing really well and not getting too overwhelmed. Although we do keep second guessing all those decisions. We have some time to think though, which is a good thing.

I have reconnected with several friends from Michigan Tech that live in Green Bay/Appleton area, and that has been SO nice. And I got a call from another friend from Tech that has lived in Georgia for 10 years that is going to be relocating with her company to Appleton in May. Wow, that is crazy timing! She is coming house hunting with her family in April, and I am SO happy about it!

Brian's job continues to be busy and challenging. But he likes both of those things, so that is a really good thing.

Our Big Girl

Addie has been doing great on her potty training since we have been in WI. She has been wearing big girl undies and doing really well (we have had a couple of accidents, but much better than before). It is like she woke up on morning and decided this was it! We are SO happy the end of pull-ups is almost here.

She has called Payton "Pay-Pee" forever! We have always loved that pet name she made for her big sister. Payton refuses to let anyone but Addie call her that. Over the last 3 weeks or so Pay-Pee has made an exit and she is officially Payton. And Addie really pronounces that "t" when she says it. SO cute, but sad too.... Pay-Pee is gone for good.

Today we are on our way to check out a pre-school/child care center for Addison. I am REALLY hoping we like it! Payton will be in full day kindergarten in the fall so we will not need anything for her. Wow, it will be strange to have them in 2 different places!

Just what I needed...

So we have just moved to WI and of course I worry over everything. Especially the girls. Earlier today Payton was sad about her friends back in MN. So off we went to my sister Nicole's (it literally took us 3 minutes to walk there from our apartment) and they were off in the yard playing. When we got home this was our conversation...
Payton: "Mumma? Do you know what I want to be?"
Me: "No, Payton. What do you want to be?" she is always talking about what she is going to do when she is a "grown up"
Payton: "I want to be me! And that is what I am!"

Love that girl.... She finished it by giving me "the biggest kiss you have ever had!"

Addison Turns 3!

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January 2010

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Moving Updates...

Well, Brian has officially been at his new job for about a month now. He likes it and is busy at work, which is always a good combination! We sold our house here in Owatonna! We close at the beginning of April. It seemed to surprise everyone how fast it went, and we didn't have to take a hit to sell it. So we are SO happy about that!

After a lot of thinking and looking at houses in the Appleton area we have decided to build a house. We have met with a couple of builders and after talking with one in particular we really liked, we were able to walk through a house they had finished that was the floor plan we wanted. We loved it and have decided that we can deal with renting for a few months to get the house that we want. We will be moving into a rental in a couple of weeks and can make all the decisions about the house once I am in in WI. The builder is making it all VERY easy for us, and it is exciting to think we could be in this house a very long time! We are excited to see it all come together.

The girls are doing okay with all the change. We have more sassing and crying than usual, but we hope that once we are all together again we can get back into our old routines. Packing up the house has become strange for the girls especially... I have had one or both of them in my bed at night because they have been waking up more at night. Brian has been coming home on the weekends (and they sleep great then of course!). I personally can't wait to get there and have Brian help out with the day to day parenting again!

Wake up Call...

Payton woke me around 3:30am telling me she had a nightmare... As she crawled up into bed with me to calm down she said "Daddy is coming home today! Is he home yet?" Uh... it is the middle of the night kiddo! This morning she asked if Daddy would wrestle with her tomorrow like he promised. Guess I better inform him of his plans for the day!

Gotta love kids!

With our, hopefully soon, upcoming move we have been preparing the girls by talking about everything that is going to be happening in the upcoming months. We have been talking about buying a new house that they can pick their rooms and paint colors, how we will be close to their aunties and grandparents.... Payton was VERY concerned at first. She said "I love my room and my bed, and my toys!" We have FINALLY convinced her that we are packing up everything in the house and she will not have to leave her things behind. She basically thought we were going to pack a suitcase and move in with my sister and her family! Poor thing...

Addie on the other hand, is just excited that "Grammy is coming to our house!" They are SO different:)

On the Move

Well, a lot of you know this, but the Stewards are moving to Appleton, Wisconsin! Brian can post about his new job opportunity... basically out of the blue Brian got a call from a company in Wisconsin that he has been looking at for YEARS. They had a new job opening they thought he would be good for. A week later he had a job offer and we decided to take it. We will be MINUTES from both my sisters and their families!! And only a few hours (3 1/2 instead of 8) from our parents. We are really excited, but it is bittersweet for me especially. I have some really good friends here that I will be sad to leave behind... But it will be awesome for our girls to grow up with their cousins! The next few months are going to be crazy with Brian commuting back to MN on weekends. I will stay here with the girls and work. My mom graciously offered to come stay with me as long as it takes to sell our house here. Say a prayer that it won't take too long!

December 2009

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Santa Lists

So of course the girls are super excited for Santa to come this year, as always! Addison is really into it this year, except she is VERY afraid of Santa. So I am trying not to talk too much about the fact that he comes when she is sleeping:) Payton has always had a detailed (and long) santa list. This year it is a bit different.

Addison's Wish List:
ANYTHING she sees on a TV commercial. Thanks Nick Jr.

Payton's Wish List:
Ice Skates (the most important gift until our neighbor brought her a brand new pair to borrow)
Hoola Hoop (this is the only thing she has asked for since the skates.... thanks to our Wii Fit!)

We will have to see if they have been naughty or nice!

Oh, Addie!

I was at our board meeting last night for Wee Pals and one of our other members told me an interesting story about what happened when he picked up his son Harrison yesterday...

Harrison (and Addison!) both are big about waving goodbye to everyone when they leave daycare. Addison gives all the teachers hugs. Yesterday when Harrison and Addison (they are in the same class) were saying goodbye to each to each other Addison walked right up to him and planted a smooch right on his lips! I asked Gary "what did Harrison do?" and his reply was "He probably kissed her right back!"

What a week!

Last week Patyon, Addison and I got the stomach flu... Yuck! We had a house full of guests for Payton's birthday party (which we had to cancel), but fortunately no one else got sick. Brian dodged that bullet by being out of town. Thank goodness for that! Sunday Brian went to the vikings/lions game in the cities, and I tried to rest and recover at home after all our company left. It really took a lot out of me! By Tuesday I was back to normal and so were the girls.... They have been just bickering back and forth. Payton (our emotional/dramatic kid) has been very whiny and sassy. Wednesday she spent quite a bit of time in her room. Addison is usually pretty laid back, but she has been just whiny and clingy other than when she is yelling or fighting with Payton.

Today we went for Payton's recheck after being put on her inhaler. She is now going to be on Flovent once a day, probably just through the winter and then we will see how she does. We will still use the Albuterol as she needs it, which should be just when she is sick. Her cough has really improved, but it isn't completely gone so her doctor thinks this is the way to get her lungs healthy again. And because she is diagnosed with asthma now she was able to get her H1N1 vaccine today in the office and because Addison is only 2 she was eligible too. So it was a good and bad day. I truly felt like we had won the lottery when her doctor recommended the vaccine and then told me they still had doses available! Lets hope with the upcoming holidays that the big illnesses with stay away from our house...

Payton is Five!

Payton turned 5 this week... I was totally feeling nostalgic. I was thinking back to my pregnancy, delivery and those first couple of years. We have been preparing her for the time when we are going to take away her blanket (she has a blue fleece blanket, she calls it blue goo, that she has slept with and dragged around for years. And she always sucks her thumb when she has it). We are hoping the thumb sucking stops when the blanket is gone. Payton decided several months ago that she was going to give up blue goo and stop sucking when she turned 5. So on Tuesday it was her birthday and I took it and hid it when she left for school. We gave her a leapster2 for her birthday, and that has actually helped. She just loves that thing and it has been a good distraction when she asks for her blanket. We did give her the blanket when she got into bed, after she gave up her leapster, and we told her we were going to take it away from her once she was asleep. She was okay with that. She slept all night fine, and other than a few times a day when I need to distract her away from wanting her blanket she has done awesome. It has actually gone a lot better than we expected. She still wants it to fall asleep, but we are only 3 days in so that is good by me.

Today we went to her 5 year well child check... she is 39 pounds and 42 inches tall, both 5oth percentile. She has had a cough for about a month now. It gets worse when she is outside or at gymnastics... her pediatrician thinks it may be asthma. So we are now armed with inhalers we are doing 3-4 times a day for the next 2 weeks. If her cough is still there she will probably have to go on medication. She is a little young for the spirometry asthma testing, so we will do that in a couple years and hope that we can help her along the winters with inhalers. We will see. I just hope the cough gets better. It is almost like she doesn't know she is doing it. It is sorta like a spasm cough. I really hope this works. I think everyone thinks we are contagious with all the H1N1 around!

Minnesota Girls!

So apparently our daughters are true Minnesotans. While at our friends over the weekend Payton refused to play Duck Duck Goose... why? Because "it is Duck Duck Grey Duck"! We ended up playing both versions to make all the kids happy! Too funny!

Busy Month Just Got Busier!

The clinic where Tina works just started a flu clinic to help treat patients with the flu.  Nurses will be available from 8AM to 8PM, 7 days a week to asses patients and give IV fluids if necessary.  So Tina will be working a bit more for the next couple of weeks.  The initial idea is to have it run for 2 weeks but I'm sure there will be a constant assesment to determine when best to end it since it is costing quite a bit to keep it staffed. Tina's had both flu vaccinations so she should be alright.  I just hope the kids are ok with me putting them to bed each night.

Busy month!

This fall we find ourselves busier than ever! We have been enjoying the fall weather (it was 60 degrees and sunny this weeked!). We were at the pumpkin patch over the weekend. Brian's parents were in town and the girls whooped it up in the corn maze, leaves, slides, mini golf.... And today Payton's pre-school class is going to that same pumpkin patch. And the best part is that it is usually closed during the week, but they are opening just for Wee Pals. How cool! And since it rained yesterday she has her rubber boots and and extra set of clothes to go with her.

We took a trip to Milwaukee to visit Brian's grandmother. Addison just LOVED her! She sat on her lap and talked to her the entire visit! Payton was being her shy self though. But we did have a nice visit.

Brian is doing an even bigger "set" this year in our front yard for Halloween. We already had our pumpkins, hay bales, and corn shocks delivered. Now he has a black tree with lights, pumpkin yard stakes that light up, orange lights, fog machine, strobe light, and a ghost that with move back and forth on a 25 foot cable. Can you tell we love Halloween?! We will try to get some photos when he is done!

So far we have dodged major illness this fall. Addie did wake up Saturday night vomiting and had a fever, but it left by morning. Payton has had a dry cough for 3 weeks now! Fortunately she isn't coughing at night anymore. Mostly in the morning. No fevers for her yet... I got my H1N1 vaccine (the mist) on Monday and have had a cough and runny nose ever since. Lovely... Our county only has the vaccine for health care workers who work with pediatrics, OB, and immunocompromised patients. so I was on the short list at work and got one. Can't say I am pleased with the side effects of the mist though. But what can you do! Both girls got the annual flu vaccine last week. Payton cried and cried. Addison didn't fight us and could have cared less. My girls are so different. Makes life quite fun:)

This weekend we are off to our godson Jonah's 3rd birthday party! I LOVE that we live closer (and that Amy and Mark moved to MN) so we can make these things!

Closet Organization

I spent a few hours sunday (ok, quite a few hours) re-doing our closet. 
It started out like this:

and turned out like this:

Well, maybe it started and ended somewhere in between.
Anyway, it is much improved.  We looked at several options but decided on the ClosetMaid wire solution.  It was easily customizable to our needs and way cheaper than some of the other designs.  My parents used something similar in their closet and it recently pulled out of the wall and fell down!  So, I had a couple of restless nights dreaming that our closet was coming down.  But I have it secured to a few studs so we should be alright. 

Awwwww...

We were just eating lunch and I heard Payton say "Oh, baby did you fall asleep?" I look over at the counter (our girls eat most meals sitting at the island in our kitchen) and Addison is fast asleep sitting on her stool! She was gripping her fork all she was good for, I had to pry her little hand off it and get her to bed! Guess we played outside enough today to exhaust her!

Weekend away, now back to reality!

Well, I was in Wisconsin last weekend throwing my sister Valerie her baby shower (she is due with her first baby in December, a girl). And Brian decided to stay home with both sweeties. This is the first time he has had them alone for this long, and from what he said they were great. Addison slept good (although since I am home again she wakes up calling for me, we have been struggling with this lately), Payton was busy all Saturday with her friends birthday party and a play date, and Brian did get Payton to Sunday school too.

The shower went really well. Valerie had a good turn out and got a lot of really nice things. It is so weird for me to see our crib up at her house. Her nursery looks really cute though! I was able to see some childhood friends and catch up in person (instead of FB!), as well as spend time with my sisters and mom. It was a really nice weekend!

We are back to reality now... Payton's class has a color chart for their behavior during the day. Green if they are doing good, yellow if they need to be redirected, red if the redirecting doesn't work and they are still not listening/acting appropriately, and black if there is an incident that requires them to be removed from class and go spend time in the office calming down. They can go back and forth between the colors during the day. Uh... Payton has been black twice this week!!! AND, Addison's teacher told us on Tuesday that she was saying "NO!" to everything and hitting her friends. ARGH! And to top it off my work week has been horrible, we have been just crazy with crazies! Why do I work with the public?? Oh yeah, because I really do love my job... Please let next week be better!

Moonlight Golf

So our daycare/pre-school have been planning this moonlight golf event for months. We went last night, and it was a total blast! It was a 4 person scramble at a par 3 course. Thank goodness it was only par 3! It is tough to golf in the pitch black. We all "glowed up" with glow bracelets and necklaces, and of course the glow golf balls. At first I thought we were getting the necklaces and bracelets for fun, but let me tell you you can't see a thing out there at 10pm so thank goodness we had them. We paired up with our friends Nicole and Kyle. And strangely enough we didn't do half bad! The best part of the night... Brian taking off his glowing attire and sneaking up on other golfers and scaring the pants off them! ha ha... I am still giggling about our friend Sonja's scream! Nice work Brian!

New Car!!

We officially have our new car. It's a 2009 Chevy Traverse. It's bigger than the Blazer which had become undersized for our family and frequent trips to Wisconsin and Michigan. It also has more power, same towing capacity, and better fuel mileage. We've driven it quite a bit in the last three days and are very happy with it. We were originally going to wait until next year to purchase a new vehicle (the Blazer would have been 10 years old) but couldn't pass up the great financing offer of 0% for 72 months!

Our Summer Vacation

So we just got back from our annual week at the lake in the U.P. of Michigan. This year because of our schedules we were actually there about 10 days. The ride there was pretty uneventful. We leave later in the day, stop for dinner, then drive into the night and the girls sleep. We have found this is the best way to travel with young kids! This is the first year since having Addison that we haven't had her in a pack-n-play in our room. So Payton finally has a roommate. They each have a twin bed there and it actually worked out quite well. They of course would whisper and giggle for a while until we finally went to tell them that it was too late to play and that they needed to go to sleep. It was sweet how they got along!

The girls had a ton of fun trying all sorts of different things. This year was the first time was attempted getting them on the tube and they loved it! They love floating around in the water so much that one morning the four of us just floated out on an inflatable island and soaked up the sun! It was a great vacation for all of us. Brian and I even got away one night to go out to dinner and see the new Harry Potter movie. Although the theater we went to was a disappointment. The movie itself was great, but the theater we remember going to in high school is SO run down. I don't think we will be going there again! Brian had bought a remote controlled boat before we left, and he got a lot of use out of it! The girls really enjoyed it too, especially Addie. The way back we decided to stop at Amy and Mark's to visit for a couple of hours, and of course about 5 minutes from their house (it is about half way into our drive) Addie got car sick. Yuck! So after about 10 minutes on the side of the road we were off again, and thankfully she didn't repeat that the rest of our drive. We got back home aobut 12:30 am. It always is nice to be home!

Brian and I also visited my cousin who works at the local Chevy dealer... long story short we are getting a 2009 Chevy Traverse delivered to us next week. More on that to come!

Addison's first fish! My dad put the worm on and as soon as it hit the water Addison got a bite and pulled it right in. That little Barbie fishing pole was put to good use!

Payton LOVED the tube. She made Addie go first, but as soon as she got on and started going she kept yelling "FASTER! FASTER!"

Brian and Addie getting ready to take off in the tube!

The girls feeding the fish ducks at the lake. There were 7 fish ducks that slept on the shore and every time they saw the girls coming down the lawn they came right up to them looking for more food. This obviously isn't something that they usually get!

Payton's Day

Today Payton was busy! She started the day going on a field trip with her class to Dairy Queen. She usually doesn't go on Fridays, but she heard about the trip for ice cream, so off she went. I picked her up around 12:30 and then we were just home for the afternoon. After dinner Payton and I met a friend of mine and her son to see Ice Age 3. This was the first trip to the theater for Payton. She was so excited just walking up to the building it was so cute. She was just giddy when it started. She loved the seats, the red lights lining the walkway, the "big TV", the projector, all the people... She did end up in my lap as soon as the big dinosaurs showed up, but she did just fine. Brian told me to get popcorn and candy and do the whole thing. So we snacked away. My friend Erin's son had never been to the theater either and he loved it too. We were so surprised actually that the evening went off without a hitch. We got home around 8:30 and Brian had pitched our tent in the backyard. Payton has been begging for weeks to camp out there. So tonight is perfect weather and we decided earlier in the week that it was time to try it out. So they are out there with about 10 books Payton picked out, all their blankets, flashlights and Payton's favorite stuffed bear. Brian took the laptop and a book as well. We will have to see in the morning how it all turns out. It will be interesting to see if she makes it all night! We will have to see...

Our Fourth of July

We spent the holiday weekend with my sister Nicole and her family at their cabin in Crivitz, WI. Well, their cabin is currently being built and Brian really wanted to go and help out. So he was able to help Jason knock off some of the work and we were able the camp for the weekend. By day 3 I will say I was doing much better with the camping thing, but it took me about a day to get over the kids being grubby and constantly being after Addison to make sure she wasn't getting into anything she shouldn't. Guess i am a hotel kind of girl. Ha!

On the actual fourth we went to the beach. Payton was always timid with the water, but this time she walked right in up to her chest. She lost her footing once and fell down. Brian scooped her up right away, but she did go under. She couldn't have cared less. It was nice to see for once that she didn't totally freak and get out of the water. Addie was loving all the attention from our nephew Nick. He didn't leave her side the entire weekend. We went to see some fireworks that night. Addison fell asleep on the car ride and we let her sleep until about an hour before the show. Those girls had the time of their lives with their cousins and glow sticks while we were waiting for the fireworks to start. Once they started Payton cowered in Brian's lap, she was spooked after someone behind us shot off a bottle rocket. Addison was ooooing and ahhing the entire time. So funny how different they were!

When we were getting to leave on Sunday for home our niece Elizabeth was begging for Payton to stay and Nick was asking for Addie to stay! It was so cute.

Busy Month

June has been so busy for us! Our month started with our 10th anniversary. We had already celebrated back in April with our long weekend in Door County, so the actual anniversary was pretty low key. Just dinner out with the girls. That same weekend we had 2 friends from college visit with their families. It rained that entire weekend, and with a house full of kids that can be tough. But we made the most of it and had an awesome visit.

The next weekend my parents came down for a college graduation, and were able to spend a few nights with us. The following week Brian's mom flew out to see the girls (and us too I guess:)). Payton and Addison love all the attention from their Grammys.

This weekend my sister Valerie and her husband visited. Valerie is pregnant with her first baby and made a haul at our house! We were able to give them quite a few things to use for their baby. We also made a trip up to IKEA and the Mall of America.

Things will slow down a bit for us in July until our trip to the lake in MI. We are looking forward to that trip too. This summer is a lot different than last due mostly to the fact that Payton and Addie really play well together and love to be outside playing in the yard. It makes life a lot easier now that they like to play with the same things. And the newest thing is Payton can finally pump her swing all by herself. She is very proud of that (as are Brian and I). We put a new glider on our swing set that they can swing on together too. We usually have a yard full of kids, and their parents. Always an impromtu get together at the Stewards!

Wednesday Night Storms

So we were outside playing with our neighbors on Wednesday night when the tornado sirens sounded. It was overcast, and dark clouds were rolling in, but that happens so often that we were surprised to get inside to hear that we had a tornado warning for the next 45 minutes. I did convince Brian the first year we moved to MN that we needed an emergency weather radio. Boy has that thing come in handy.

Brian had to go to Minneapolis to pick up his mom from the airport so he left shortly after the warning expired hoping to miss the next batch of storms. And of course while he was gone the satellite went out... I turned on the computer to check the radar again as the sirens started again. Our weather radio was alarming saying that there was a tornado on the ground 6 miles west of Owatonna moving east. Yeah, we live in Owatonna! Off to our "hideout" under the stairs. I have a big beanbag chair and "tornado kit" back under the stairs in our basement storage room. So there we sat, the girls and I... I had the computer on live radar, the weather radio right next to me, and the girls looked totally freaked out! We got ping pong ball size hail, that I swore was going to break a window, and 1 1/2 inches of rain in about 2 hours. The tornado missed us and all ended up well. My girls did awesome listening to me and staying put when I asked (for once!). While we were in the thick of that storm Payton looked at me and said "Is it almost over Mumma?" I said it was almost past us and we just needed to sit tight for a little bit longer. She than said "This storm has really ruined my night!" How cute is that!? I really needed that at that moment!

Here they are hunkered down in our "shelter" after the storm had passed.

Big Update

I started a new job this week. It is with a start-up company which was put together with people I used to work with. There are some risks of course, but the guys in charge have done this before and were pretty successful so I feel pretty good about the situation. In short, I'll be working on the same wireless broadband product I worked on a year ago. I think this will be a better fit than my previous job. Technically this will be the fourth company I've worked for in the past four years...all in the same building!!!

Trials of parenting a 2 year old...

So last week Brian and I wanted to get Payton a bigger bike with training wheels, so I got the girls together on Friday and we met Brian at the store after he got off work. I usually have a snack in my purse for Addie to get her to stay with us. We didn't even get to the bikes before I had the snack out and Addie was happy as a clam. Not to last long though... Turns out Addison loves to shop and didn't want to leave. Since Brian and I had 2 cars with us and it was raining we each took a girl and were headed to the doors and it became apparent Addison was going to cause a scene. She runs, screams, writhes etc.... all to avoid leaving the store. I could see Brian wrestling with Addie all the way to his blazer. Payton and I made it into my car and she asked me "Why did Addie have to go with Daddy?" My response was "Because Daddy is stronger than Mumma!"

Our Anniversary trip!

This June 5th is our 10th wedding anniversary! We have been thinking of planning a trip for while. Earlier this year we decided to go to Door County, WI for a long weekend. I mentioned it to my sister Nicole and she begged to take the girls. So we let her pick a week that worked for her, which happened to be last weekend.

We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast for the first time. It was a 130 year old Victorian home that had been converted into 7 guest suites. It was awesome! They were able to keep that Victorian feel while still adding modern bathrooms and whirlpool tubs. And a hot delicious breakfast brought to our door every morning was a luxury I could get used too! For anyone that has not been to Door County it is a peninsula on Lake Michigan. It is full of little towns on the water and state parks. We shopped, walked, and ate a ton. And we even caught a movie. We haven't gone to the theater together in about 2 years! It was just perfect, fun and relaxing. Not to mention the fun that our girls were having at auntie's. We bought them a couple of things to "lure" them out of her house. They never want to leave. And I don't think there is anything better than the look on our daughters faces when we walked in the door after being gone all weekend... we missed them too!

Our Weekend

We were to Duluth the past weekend to visit our friends Mark and Amy and their kids. It is SO nice they live so much closer (about 3 hours). Our kids all play so nice together and Payton did not want to leave. It was so cute. And it is so nice to just hang out with Mark and Amy!!! Thanks guys for the fun weekend!

And while we were busy having fun with the Wolcotts our neighbor had rented a de-thatcher (sp?) and de-thatched our entire lawn (along with 5 other houses on our street). And the best part was that he even cleaned up all that mess! We came home to a great looking yard and didn't have to do any work! Gotta love that "Minnesota nice"!

We couldn't believe it...

We went out to dinner tonight (my parents are in town) at an Italian restaurant. We got a salad and an appetizer to start. Payton was happy with the bread to start, but Addison wasn't thrilled about it. She was much more interested in our appetizer, fried calamari. She kept saying "bite! bite!". I looked at Brian and said "Should I give her some?" He shrugged his shoulders and said "Try it." I think we were both thinking that it would immediately be spit back out. She is a great eater, but calamari? Well, she LOVED it! We were all in shock of that one. She kept asking for more until it was all gone. Give her a cookie and she refuses it, give her fried "squid" and she will gobble it up. Go figure.

Payton

Before....


and after.


Yes, that's daddy putting beer in the fridge in the background.

Addie turns 2! And boy have we been busy!

Okay, so I am a bit behind on the blogging thing. We have been crazy busy around here... Addison turned 2 on February 20th and we celebrated by meeting our families at a hotel in WI. The kids got to swim in the pools and boy did our girls have fun. We had to drag Payton out of the pool! We all had a lot of fun, and the girls did awesome.

Addie had her 2 year pedi appointment and she is still running 85% for height and 93% for weight. He words are starting to pick up. Our favorites are Mummy, Daddy, Paypee (this is what she calls Payton), up-ah (this is how we know she wants to be picked up), and help me. She is still a bundle of energy and we are constantly running after her. She loves to steal toys from Payton (while Payton is playing with them) and proceed to run as fast as she can away from her. Her favorite toys are her My Littly Ponies, her baby dolls and Elmo. And anything she thinks she could climb on she will. This especially includes her Daddy if he lays down on the floor. The girls love that.

Last week both girls were plagued with the stomach bug. Payton started with it first and Addie soon followed. We had 2 days of quarantine and constant cleaning on my part... but Brian and I never got sick. Thank goodness for that!

The past weekend our friends Amy and Mark came down with their kids. Amy and I took Payton and Olivia to Disney on Ice in Minneapolis. It didn't start well with Payton when the first scene had some fire special effects. She cowered in my lap for most of the first act saying "I DON'T like fire!" Then during intermission she says to me "Mumma, I want something to eat. And it looks like a rainbow." Of course she saw the snow cones when we were walking in. So Olivia and Payton endulged in that and wow, were they chatty on the ride home!!!

We also finally bought a Nintendo Wii, which we had been talking about for months. We stayed up way to late with Amy and Mark playing that and then with the time change we were quite pooped by Sunday night! But that time change has worked in our favor with the girls. They have been sleeping later in the morning. Today Payton woke up at 7:45! If only Brian and I could sleep that "late"!

No pugger!

We decided to take the pacifier away from Addison last night. We weren't sure how it would go since she sleeps so well with it. But she doesn't get it any other time and she naps at daycare without it (she does get it for naps at home). We put her to bed with it since she was too wound up to just go to bed. I took it way once she was sleeping. She woke up crying around 11 and I got all setup to spend the night on the floor...pillow and blanket. She cried pretty hard for about 5 minutes then just snapped out of it and relaxed. I held her for a few more minutes then laid her in her bed. Waited until she was asleep then I went back to my bed. Didn't hear from her the rest of the night!!! She woke up the usual time in the usual way...6:15 banging on her door, but not crying for her 'pug'. Let's hope today's nap and tonight go at least as well.

Addie's Bedtime

Addie's bedtime usually consists of putting her in bed and then having her gently rattle her door a few minutes later. This happens once or twice on a usual night. If she's being a stinker then it's several times. Well, tonight she is being a real big stinker. Not only is she rattling the door but she was playing with a nightlight. We moved the nightlight then a little while later we thought we heard her closet door moving. I went to check on this and when I opened the door she was nowhere to be seen. She had gone into the closet and closed the door!
It's bedtime...why aren't you sleeping?!?

WOW Payton...

So as you all know Payton is in the 4 year old preschool room at the girls daycare. She has been doing very well in there. Her teacher sent home flashcards to work on her phonics because she could see that Payton was really excelling with her letters and sounds. Because this really is a kindergarten readiness room they split the room to work on different things and the kids that are starting kindergarten in the fall are put into reading groups. Payton will be put into a reading group next January because she will be started kindergarten in the fall of 2010 because of her late birthday. Well.... her teacher pulled me aside this afternoon when I picked up Payton and said that Payton has really been doing exceptionally well on her phonics. So much so that she would like to put her into a reading group! She feels that she is ready and that she really is more advanced than the rest of the kids in her group. We are very proud of her! She said that she will just gradually introduce this to her, but she thinks she will be fine. Nice job Payton!

Not much

Facebook has been taking up a bit of Tina's time lately (a bit of mine as well) so the blog hasn't gotten any attention.
Nothing too exciting going on lately. Most of our snow is gone since we've had 40+ weather with rain and lots of wind. I'm sure we'll get hit with at least one more below zero snap and a few inches of snow before winter officially ends. It has been nice not having to bundle the kids in the arctic explorer gear every time out of the house.

Sickos

I think whatever Addie had last week she passed on to me. I've felt like crap all week. Finally went to the doctor yesterday and she was convinced that I had Strep after looking at my throat. The rapid test came back negative so I should find out the results of the culture today. She prescribed antibiotics anyway and I've had two doses now and don't feel much better. At least the chills have gone but all other symptoms remain. Tina's started feeling ill yesterday and went to the doctor today. Her rapid strep also came back negative. Don't know what we have, but it sure does suck.

On a happier note Payton was telling me she saw a skunk the other day on her way home from daycare. I asked was it running. She said "no...it was still. It was sitting...I think it was pooping." That made my morning better.

Addie Updates...

Well, she is finally over this! On Tuesday I got a call at work and had to leave to pick her up at daycare because she had a 103 temp again. I had a long talk with our pediatrician that afternoon and she really calmed me down so I could be reasonable about this whole thing. Unfortunately Addison is more likely (than a child who has not ever had a febrile seizure) to have one again. She did talk with me about when I need to bring her in if it should happen again. We do have a follow-up appointment next week to recheck those ears and just make sure that Addie is totally better. She has been fever free for 2 days now so that is a HUGE relief to us, and everyone that knows and loves our Addison. Brian and I feel so thankful and blessed for all the hugs, phone calls, and thoughts/prayers that have been given to us. We truly appreciate that.

On to happier things, since Addie is back to herself and I had some time yesterday I decided to get the toddler bed out of storage and assemble it. Brian and I had talked that we really should just get it in her room so she gets used to it being there. With Payton we had a crib and a bed in her room for what seemed like forever! She was so excited to see that little bed she climbed right up and started to bounce. Payton got in on that action too;) At nap time we walked into her room, she climbed right up there and quickly fell asleep. I was shocked! Last night same thing. She slept through the night too, first time this week! So we are on a roll. Lets hope it continues.

Payton is SO happy that Addison is feeling better and is back at school. She said to me today "Mumma, when Addie was sick at home I missed her!" Isn't that sweet. Funny though, because they are in different rooms at school. But they do see each other in the lunch room. I had a meeting at work today so the girls had to go to school this morning, and Fridays are show and tell day in Payton's room. The letter today was E. Payton brought her book "Ella the Elegant Elephant". She was so excited to show her teachers and friends! I love that! So we are a pretty happy bunch right now. If it would only warm up! Brrrrrr......

on the lighter side...

Tina covered the serious stuff in the previous post so here are some moments we will gladly look back on from yesterday.

Tina falling in the snow. Damn, I missed it! I did notice her covered in snow when she got to the car.

Payton did awsome! She quickly put her jacket and boots on so we could get her next door. She grabbed her blanket, bear, and a pillow(?) and was ready to go when Tina go home. She was a very good girl at the neighbors. Fortunately she was watching a moving down stairs when Addie had her seizure.

Addie's little orange hospital gown. Very cute even though she was sick.

They pricked Addie's finger to draw blood. She barely winced at that. Started crying when they squeezed her finger to get the blood. Screamed bloody murder when they put the bandaid on! We let her scream for about a minute then took the bandaid off. Instantly stopped crying! She only cried half as hard when she got the antibiotic injection. I guess she really didn't like that bandaid on her finger.

Best of all...Addie being herself last night!

Frightening moments...

Today was one of the most frightening parenting moments that Brian and I have had... I will start with yesterday... Addie fell on the ice. She hit her butt and then her head. She was wearing a thick hat and a thick hood and she seemed to recover fast. The screaming didn't last too long.



Midnight... Brian and I woke up to Addie vomiting in her crib. The first thing out of Brian's mouth was "She fell today and hit her head..." "I know Brian, but Payton did have a stomach bug a few days ago. Let see what happens." She was restless all night and didn't vomit any more. At around 6:30-7am we gave her some Tylenol because she seemed quite warm.



10am She vomits again, but isn't too concerned with it. We had attempted some apple juice. I left for a meeting...



12pm Brian texted me that she vomited again, and was snoozing. She seemed warm, but wasn't keeping anything down, so tylenol wasn't an option.



12:30 my cell phone rings and as soon as I saw the number I knew there was trouble at home. Brian is quite upset and at first I honestly didn't hear what he was telling me... Addie was having a seizure... I asked where she was and asked him to get her on the floor and just make sure she wasn't injuring herself. As I was saying this I was running out of my meeting to the car.



I called Brian about 30 seconds later and asked if it was over. He said it was. So I asked him to call our neighbors to come and get Payton so we could get Addie to the ER. I then called my friends in my meeting to tell them the scoop. I honestly was glad that I wasn't home because I really would have had trouble staying calm if I had been there. Needless to say that Brian was quite shook up about it.



Payton safely delivered to the neighbors we were off to the ER. Here is some comic relief for you, as I was running through the front yards I totally wiped out 2 times. I was head to toe covered in snow. Too bad Brian didn't see me... it must have looked hysterical. Brian had Addie in the front seat of the car and she didn't look too good. She was moaning and listless.



Once at the hospital we get Tylenol (her temp was 102.4) and as we wait for the temp to come down we are talking to the MD and she said that this is not the typical febrile seizure, and because Addie had fallen yesterday we should check a few things. They had got a pink wagon from peds for us to walk Addie around the first floor of the hospital. She finally fell asleep in that wagon about 3pm or so. She stayed asleep through her head CT (which came back normal). Her labs were normal and her temp was finally down to normal. So we finally left the hospital about 4:30pm after getting a prescription for Zofran for the nausea and a shot of antibiotic for her ear infection. Of course. The doctor didn't want to do oral antibiotics because of her upset tummy. She did drink some pedialyte while we were there. They think that although her temp wasn't super high it probably climbed quickly which caused the seizure.



Since we are home she has drank more, peed a bunch, and ate some applesauce. Brian and I will be setting our alarm to be sure she doesn't spike that fever again tonight. Thank goodness tonight she seemed to be more the Addie we know and love. We had AWESOME care today and we were so grateful for that. It was quite scary... but everyone we came across in the hospital today really got a kick out of our little Addie in her little orange hospital gown!

Christmas Photos, as promised!

Happy 2009!

Our Chirstmas this year was spent in Negaunee with the Korby and Steward clan. It was a busy and crazy week... but we survived. We ended up in Urgent Care on Christmas Eve with Payton who is still taking antibiotics for a double ear infection. I will have to upload photos at some point, but Payton got her coveted Baby Alive Goes Potty from Santa (which my neice decided to feed macaroni and cheese and salami because the doll kept saying "feed me! I'm hungry!"... Thank goodness Payton noticed it that evening. After a couple of bottles of water and "surgery" with some tweezers and some time on her potty, Baby Alive was as good as new!), she also got all her Barbie TheDiamond Castle dolls and a ton of other gifts! Addie's favorities are a new doll stroller from my mom, a little doll with a crib and clothes from Grammy Betty, and her aquadoodle from Santa. I will say that Santa was VERY smart in getting extra "pens" for that aquadoodle. There would be a war in our house if he didn't!

On the way back from Negaunee we stopped at Amy and Mark's in Duluth to see their new home (gorgeous!) and had dinner and more gifts as the girls played with their kids. Payton didn't want to leave. We left at bedtime and the girls slept the whole 3 1/2 hours home. We love it!

We spent New Year's evening at Sheila and Jamie's eating, drinking and being merry! We were home by 9pm to put the girls to bed (again, they fell asleep in the car and went right to bed when we got home) and we watched Mamma Mia! (one of my Christmas gifts) once home... I just love that movie! It is so fun! Today we took all the Christmas decorations down and are finally getting back to normal around here. Other than the fact that Brian had the day off from work!

So that is our last few weeks... Photos coming soon! Happy New Year everyone!