Random Stuff About Us

December Daily - Overheard.

2011-12-12T09:44:00.006-06:00

Alyssa gets to be in the Christmas program at church this year.

Anyway, we practiced her line a lot this weekend -

Me: Alyssa, what's your line for the program?

Alyssa: THEY ALSO SAID EVERYONE WAS WAITING FOR HIM.

Me: Are you going to say your line at church today?

Alyssa: No, Momma, I'm just too shy.

(Seriously? My daughter is too shy?? Her teacher said she's just happy Alyssa will go up to the front with all the other kids...)

Alyssa also learned a new song at Sunday School, which she sang incessantly while I was decorating the tree last night. Oh, and apparently, the song only has one line, which she sang OVER and OVER and OVER...

Alyssa: God so loved the world he gave me only son.

(Notice how God gave "me" only son, instead of "his" only son?)

This morning, she and I changed the words -

Me: Alyssa so loved the world, she listened to her mom and dad.

Alyssa: No momma, the words are: Alyssa so loved the world, she gave her only brother.

(I wonder what Austin would think of that??)

I have to say, I didn't realize just how much it would mean to me for Alyssa to love Sunday School so much, until this year. I love that she talks about Baby Jesus and is starting to understand what Christmas really is about. Going to Church and Sunday School was such a part of my life growing up - I'm glad we're making sure it's a part of our kids' lives too!

December Daily - What's up Number 20?

2011-12-09T09:05:00.001-06:00

There seems to be something wrong with Day 20 on my Advent calendar. For some reason he wants to reveal himself early...

I keep having to stick him back together. Every. Single. Day.

I guess he's really excited for it to be his day so we can go see the Rotary Lights.

Hmmm...

December Daily - The Sickies Are Here.

2011-12-06T07:42:00.001-06:00

Well, it's official - the sickies have hit our house. I'm home from work today with Alyssa who has a stomach bug and feels yucky. I have a feeling there will be a whole lot of this going on today - laying on the couch with her "dee dee" and watching TV...

Colds I can handle. Austin's teething I can handle. Even Dan's return visits to the doctor for his bronchitis I can handle (I think). It's the pukies that seem to really throw a wrench into things, for some reason. Luckily, Aunt Tara was nice enough to come and pick up Austin and take him to Cindy's house for me. That way I'm not trying to juggle him and Alyssa today. (Not to mention I don't want him to get the stomach flu either!)

I blame Aubirie - she's got the flu, too. She must have given it to Alyssa over the weekend!

(And, why is it that I seem to want to clean the house when I'm home with a sick child? I'm not a germ-o-phobe, but for some reason cleanliness is best when we've got sick kids...hmm...)

December Daily - Weekend Recap.

2011-12-05T11:14:00.003-06:00

Phew! We had a busy and eventful weekend, that's for sure! Here's my recap:

Friday, December 2nd: We went out to dinner Friday night to the Community Center for the Hillsboro Fire Department's Friday Night Fish and Chicken. We saw Tammie, Keith, Randa, Justin and Jayden there, and sat by Kelli, Mark, Tine and Kevin. I LOVE the fish there - it's really fresh and pan-fried, which I like over beer-battered. Alyssa and Austin were so good and entertained everyone, as usual. Alyssa spent the time she wasn't eating runnig back and forth on the dance floor, which wasn't being used. After dinner, we went over to Station 2 to hang out for a bit, where the kids continued to entertain everyone.

Saturday, December 3rd: We headed to Tara and Tom's for Aubiryn's 1st birthday party. While walking up the sidewalk, Alyssa was admiring all of their Christmas decor, and took a fall, chin first, onto the corner of the cement steps. She busted her chin open when she fell and scared Momma and Daddy quite a bit! We took her into the house, where Aunt Tara, Aunt Tammie and Papa laid her on the table to take a look. Papa recommended that we take her in to Urgent Care, just to make sure that she didn't need stitches. We took her in and, luckily, she didn't need any - they just glued her shut and sent us home. We were so very lucky that Alyssa didn't knock out any teeth or break her nose!
(Dear Alyssa - I just want to let you know how proud I was of you during this whole time. You cried, of course, which is understandable since it was a nasty fall. But, you were really still when Aunt Tara and Papa were looking you over. You were also so very good when we saw the doctor. They put warming blankets on you, which you loved. You were so small in that bed, and I was very nervous as to how you'd do with stitches. You just kept saying over and over that you didn't want a shot! Luckily, we didn't have to have any, and they just used glue to stick you back together. You did just what the nurses and doctor needed you to do, and were so grown up. Once we left, you spent the rest of the day acting perfectly normal, and played with the kids all afternoon! I'm so sorry you fell, little girl, but I do love you so very much!)
After the Urgent Care fiasco, we headed back to Tara and Tom's to watch Aubiryn open her gifts. She let her siblings and cousins help her open things, since she wasn't that into it, after the first gift was opened. Austin really liked the LeapFrog stuffed dog that Aubiry got. When we got home, both kids fell asleep by 6-ish for late naps- they were so tired from all of the craziness of the day.

Sunday, December 4th: Today, I got up and went Christmas shopping with Kelli. We went to Kohl's, Wal-Mart and Tanger Outlet mall. We power shopped, got some great deals, and I knocked off two-thirds of my list! Yay! We had some good girlie time, and laughed A LOT! Deb took Alyssa to Sunday School and to church, and she said Alyssa was a VERY good girl! Austin and Daddy just hung out at home, and watched football.
Later that day, we went to the Ocooch Dairy Farm to watch "Christmas in the Barn", which was a live nativity. When we told Alyssa what a live nativity was, she was SO excited to go and see all of the cows - she talked the whole way there, asking if we were there yet. I loved seeing her enthusiasm! Austin was asked to play the part of Baby Jesus, so we bundled him up really good. They had a baby donkey and a 1 day old calf (who really wanted to run away!). Austin did really good - he hardly cried at all. We sang songs and listened to people read the story of the nativity from the Bible. Grandma, Tara and the kids came, too, which was fun. Looks like they're going to do it again next year, and we'll be sure to go!

So far, Alyssa is really liking her Advent Calendar. She asks to read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" all the time now. Next weekend we'll get our tree and do some more decorating in the house. And, if the forecast stays the same, we might have some snow soon! Yay!

December Daily and Advent Calendars.

2011-12-02T20:32:00.005-06:00

Well, December is upon us, which means I am yet again embarking on the journey of making a December Daily album. (A lot of people do a concept like this, such as Marie Taylor, Shimelle Laine, and Ali Edwards.) I've done two other albums that documented Christmas. You can see them here and here. I have always really liked Ali Edward's concept to this project, but making sure I documented something each day for 25 days seemed simple until I actually tried to execute it. What would happen (and did happen with my 2008 album that sits unfinished) is that I'd miss a day or something, then give up, and abandon the project altogether. I also decided that I wanted my album to focus on holiday-related items only, and not just regular day to day stuff.

So, last year, I decided to take a different approach to my December Daily album. Last year's album contains photos, stories and bits of this and that, and are organized by a category instead of by calendar day. So, I have a bunch of stuff recorded under "stuff we did" or "food we ate" or "places we went", etc. I still have a bit to do on it, but I'll share it when I'm done.

I really liked organizing my stuff in that way instead of doing it chronologically, so I think I'll stick with that this year, too.

As of today, Friday, December 2nd, we only have one holiday-themed item up for decoration - our Advent Calendar. I really liked a bunch of handmade calendars I'd seen on crafting sights, so I decided to make my own. Each day has a tag inside the pocket with an activity for Alyssa to countdown to Christmas.

(Supplies: Patterned paper from October Afternoon, Making Memories, and Jillibean Soup. Embellishments from: October Afternoon, Making Memories, and Basic Grey. Number and letter stickers/rubons from American Crafts, and Making memories. Ribbon is from the Dollar General and twine from The Twinery.)

It's hanging in our front hallway, so that it's accessible.

Each day, Alyssa can take a tag out of the pocket and do what's on the card. December 1st the activity was "Read Twas the Night Before Christmas". Today's activity was "Write a Letter to Santa Claus". Some days are really simple, like reading a Christmas book. Other days are set up for things we already have planned like doing Alyssa's Christmas program at church.

I drew up the template for the pocket on a piece of paper and then traced it onto chipboard, which I used as my template for all of the other pockets. The tags I printed out onto cardstock with my home printer, cut them out, rounded the corners and added ribbon. Then I punched a hole in the top of the pocket, strung it with twine, which I tied around ribbon I hung on the wall.

So far, it's been a real hit. I should be able to use it over again, and just add and remove the tags as applicable and as Austin gets more and more involved with celebrating Christmas.

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself! (At least, the girls at work were impressed with it! Ha!)

Here's to the holiday season being in full swing!

Thankful for - Day 4

2011-12-01T10:03:00.002-06:00

***Just a few minor edits - I have so many nieces and nephews that I forgot some!***

Okay, so I know this post is a bit delayed. I meant to have it up on Thanksgiving Day, but life happened instead.

Dan's been sick. Austin cut his first tooth on Thanksgiving Day (and the second should arrive by the end of this weekend), so he's been a bear. Alyssa is sick, too. It's been crazy!

Anyway, I am thankful for a lot of things. On the last day of my "Thankful for" posts I'm thankful for...

FAMILY

Dan and I both have great families. They are very different, but both value family time and being together, which is great.

My family (this is from this past summer - Austin is MUCH bigger now). Me, Austin, Dan, Kevin, Alyssa, Lisa, Sara and Dad.

I grew up in a small family. I don't even have that many cousins (I have 9 first cousins total - on both sides of the family). But, we were a very close-knit family who were always there for each other. I love my sister and her husband very much - I really wish we lived closer!

I have a very close relationship with my Dad. I love him very much and he's always been my biggest supporter - even when I was not making the best choices. Thank you Daddy!

Dan's family is HUGE (at least compared to mine). He has 1 brother and 3 sisters. We have 9 nieces and nephews, one great-nephew, and another great niece or nephew on the way!

This is Dan's extended family on his dad's side (this is just his dad's brothers and sisters and their kids - and some of them are missing from this photo!!). Dan has, like, 36 first cousins. Rather large, yes? Most of them live in Niles, MI, and are all pretty close.

These are Alyssa's first cousins (plus her brother, minus the big kids - Randa and Sam, and Xavier). From left to right - Alyssa, Maddie, Ireland, Brody, Brock - holding Austin, Gracie - holding Aubirie. Quite a few are right around her age. She has lots of fun with them, and I hope she has lots of great memories of time spent with them once she's older. I have a lot of fond memories of my cousins while I was growing up, too.

The boys...Dan and Austin, Dennis Sr., Dennis Jr. and his boys - Brock and Brody. (Minus Xavier!)

Family sometimes drives me nuts, but most of the time I'm very glad they're there!

Thankful for - Day 3

2011-11-23T19:27:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving week continues....Today, I am thankful for

Technology

I know, you're thinking, TECHNOLOGY? SERIOUSLY? In a world where we are so connected to technology, almost to the point that it's crazy, why on earth would I be thankful for technology?

Well, I'm thankful that technology allows me to capture moments like this -

(Alyssa singing her made up song, "Austin my Brother." It's a very moving piece.)

And this...

(Austin makes a LOT of noise these days. I think he'll be a talker like his sister.)

Kids change so very fast. You think you'll remember how they were at a certain age, but the truth is that you forget. Each age has so much that makes your kids great, it's hard to remember it all. I'm thankful that I live in a time where technology is at my fingertips and allows me to go back and look at what my kids were like as they were growing up.

Thankful For - Day 2

2011-11-22T11:43:00.002-06:00

Today I am thankful for...

My daycare lady - Cindy Clausius

I have blogged a bit before about my daycare. I am not a good SAHM - I'm a much better mom when I'm also working away from the house. I am so very thankful (and blessed!) to have daycare that I absolutely LOVE!

Cindy is the best daycare person EVER! My kids love her, she loves my kids, and I trust her completely. She's put up with a changing work schedule for Dan and I - and lots of last-minute changes when it comes to who is picking up the kids.

She deals with Alyssa's drama and the fact that Austin goes through at least one outfit a day, every day.

If Dan and I ever moved, we'd have to bring her with.

Seriously.

That's how much I. Love. Her.

She makes my life just that much better. I'm so glad we have her in our lives!

Thankful For - Day 1.

2011-11-21T12:28:00.004-06:00

This Thursday is Thanksgiving.

I think that I have a whole lot to be thankful for this year, and I'm going to share them throughout the week.

So, here goes. In no particular order, today I am thankful for...

My work friends.

I have a lot of great friends - ones at home, ones from college, and ones at work. All of them are awesome and all of them know me in different ways.

Last week, my friends from work really came through for me. Work's been tough. Juggling work and home has been even more tough. Sometimes, you just need to let out all of your work frustrations to someone (or several someones) who just get it when it comes to your job. They know who you are talking about and they understand the pressures of the company you work for. On Friday, I let it all go and had a WONDERFUL (and much needed) girls night out with my work friends. We went to go see a guilty pleasure - "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1".

(Sigh)

It was awesome. I love it. I loved sitting next to Jen and laughing my rear end off.

After the movie, we went to Buzzard Billy's and ate awesome food, and laughed and talked some more. I seriously went home feeling like I could be a better mom for the rest of the weekend - that's how much this night out helped me.

So, thank you to my work girls - you are the best!

This One's for The Girls

2011-11-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

Just a shout out to my girls in Michigan!

Love you guys!

Austin's Baptism

2011-11-17T08:00:00.001-06:00

We had Austin baptised on Sunday, October 23rd, 2011 at Burr Wesleyan Church in Hillsboro.

He was WONDERFUL during the ceremony (I guess there's something to be said for waiting until he got older, huh?) and he entertained the whole congregation.

Here he is with his Auntie Lisa and Uncle Kevin.
Austin and his Godparents - Kelli and Mark Sullivan, Uncle Kevin, and Aunt Tammie.
The outfit he wore was sewn by my Aunt Bev. (She also did Alyssa's dress for my sister's wedding) It came with a hat, too, but Dan put a stop to Austin wearing it - it was a bit too girly for his taste...
Austin checking out Auntie Bev.

Austin and his Papa and Grandma Prenkert.

Austin with Grandpa Don and Sara.

The Prenkert family - October 2011.

After church, we all went back to our house and had lunch and watched football. We had lasagna (which my sister made), rolls, and really yummy cakes (that Aunt Bev got from 2510 Restaurant in Wausau).

It was a great day!

Brandywine Bobcats

2011-11-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

Back in October, Dan and I traveled to Michigan to attend his cousin's wedding.

One of the benefits of going that weekend was that our nephew, Brock, had a football game.

(I have to say - pee wee football is about the cutest thing EVER!)

Anyway, his team wasn't exactly the most successful team out there. They didn't win a game at all in the 2010 season, and at this point in the 2011 season, they hadn't won at all yet.

Dan's brother, Dennis, is one of the coaches - he's in the tan pants and maroon shirt. Brock is #17 right in the front.
The boys played hard and it was a great game. Brock did SO AWESOME! In fact, they WON!
It was so fun to see!
We joked around that they won because we came all the way from Wisconsin to see him play. (But that we weren't going to be able to come every weekend to ensure that they kept on winning...)
I don't remember how the rest of their season went, but I hope they won at least a few more.
And, I hope I get to see him play again next year!

Overheard.

2011-11-15T14:52:00.002-06:00

Below is a conversation between Alyssa and I this morning.

Me: (hack. cough. cough. hack. cough)

Alyssa: Momma, you got a cough?

Me: Yep. It's OK, though.

Alyssa: Maybe you have bugs in your belly. Maybe you need to go Doctor so he can give you some medicine to get them out out of your belly.

Me: I think I'll be OK - I don't need to go to the doctor.

Alyssa: (fake cough) Momma, I got a cough too. Maybe I have bugs in my bellies just like you!

Me: I think you are faking.

Alyssa: (smiles) Yeah, I'm just faking.

She's so silly.

Cutie Pie.

2011-11-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

So, the photo is a bit grainy, but I just think that it's cute anyway.

I love this little man - he's so adorable!

All it Took was a Glue Stick and Some Cardstock...

2011-11-14T08:00:00.001-06:00

After reading Rebecca Cooper's blog on Friday, I thought I'd try some arts and crafts with Alyssa. She really likes to create, and love to use my scrapbooking stuff. (I have grand ideas that involve homemade Christmas ornaments this year made with old egg cartons and glitter - we'll see how that goes!)

Anyway, the craft on Rebecca's blog seemed really doable, and right at Alyssa's age.

So, we set off to make a paper and cotton ball snowman.

Alyssa did a great job putting the glue in the right places, and sticking down all of the parts. (I freehanded the snowman and his body parts - not too bad, I think!)

I was really pleasantly surprised at her attention span for this project and her enthusiasm for it!

She was such a big girl!

Her finished masterpiece! It is now hanging on our dining room wall. Successfully completing this project made me think that we'll have to do things like this more often. Can you guess what my internet searches are going to be about over the next few weeks?

After we finished with the snowman, she kept right on going. She cut shapes out of the leftover cardstock and glued them like crazy. It kept her busy for over an hour, and game me some time to myself, and Daddy some time with Austin.

It was bliss!

She was very precise in her crafting - it was so cute!

This is me and Austin. It really has no relevance to this post - I just think he's super cute!

Overheard Today.

2011-11-13T13:48:00.002-06:00

Austin laughing like crazy at his sister.

Apparently, when she jumps around acting silly, Austin thinks it's hilarious.

I failed to see the hilarity of it, but I did love watching him watch her.

Note to self - remember this when they are fighting like cats and dogs someday...

A Video for Friday.

2011-11-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

Austin is seriously the most happy baby. I just love watching him smile and talk, and he does A LOT of both!

Now, I have video proof!

This video was from November 4, 2011.

(Remember, if you are getting this post via email, you need to go to the actual blog to see it!)

What Austin Did at Family Camp - 2011

2011-11-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

I was looking through the pictures from this past Family Camp.

There seemed to be a theme with the photos of Austin.

Are you sensing the theme yet??

Apparently, Family Camp was really boring for him. He seemed to be sleeping all the time!

It's tough being small and cute, you know!

A Week in the Life - Day 7

2011-11-09T08:00:00.002-06:00

My final day for A Week in the Life was Sunday, July 31st.

Dan worked this day, so it was just me and the kids.

We started out by heading to church so that Alyssa could sing her songs from Vacation Bible School.

Then, we headed up to Wausau for cousin Keene's annual summer bash. We met Grandpa in Coloma so he could drive with us - Wausau is too far for me to drive with the kids by myself!

Alyssa and Austin are great in the car almost all of the time. We sure are lucky that way, since we travel a lot!
Goofy Boy!
Keene and his wife, Kathy, live on the river in Wausau. We brought Alyssa's swimsuit and she went out on the paddleboat with her cousin Jacob. She had a ball and Jacob was so good with her!

I think these two look an awful lot alike in this photo, huh?

Aunt Bev, Aunt Mary, cousin Rob, Lisa and Kevin were also at the party, along with Jacob's dad Mark and his brother Matt. Did I get a picture of them? Nope. I wish I had!

It was a cooler day on the drive home - only 87*!

I've seen a lot of bloggers and scrappers get really cool pics in their rearview mirrors. I couldn't make mine work, for some reason...

As much as I like to travel, it is always nice to be home!

After bathtime, it was a usual favorite - playing games on Sprout.com. Alyssa is very good at the matching games.

And here ends A Week in the Life of the Prenkert family, July 2011!

Finishing up "A Week in the Life" - Day 6

2011-11-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

So, I know I abruptly ended my blogging a few months ago with my Day 5 post for A Week in the Life. I have to say - I am proud of myself for finishing the project - at least I followed through with taking pictures each day - I just didn't actually put them in an album or finish blogging about it... Life hit pretty hard after this week was over - we went to family camp, I started work again, and Dan started volleyball and a new job. It just got super crazy!

Well, with hopes that I actually finish this project, I'm posting today and tomorrow the last two days of my "Week in the Life" photos.

On Saturday, July 30th, I watched Peyton, Harper, and Ruby the Dog for most of the day, so that Mark and Kelli could go on a canoe trip. It was quite crazy having a total of 4 kids around, but we like the Sullivan's so it was worth it.

Harper, Alyssa and Peyton played outside for awhile that morning. I love how pale my daughter is in comparison to the Sullivan girls, even though she was outside all the time during the summer. Poor girl got my complexion...

Little girls in swimsuits - so cute!
There's my girl! Goofy grin and all!

Since the water in the sprinkler was too cold, the girls decided to wash Alyssa's play house. Bubbles are way more fun than cold water. Ruby was helping - can you tell?

After that, the girls were tired, so they hung out in the house and watched Scooby-Doo.

Harper and her blankie.

Whew! Having lots of kids around is very tiring! (Looking back at this now, I can't believe how small Austin was! He's SOO much bigger now!)

This week was during some of the hottest weather we had. The Comminity Center said it was 96*.

The car said it was 88*. I wonder which one was right... Either way, it was HOT!

Hillsboro's Kwik Trip - a staple in our town.

That night, we went to Mark's brother's house for his annual summer bash. The kids listen to music and dance, the grown ups drink beer, play bean bags and horseshoes, and John puts on a huge fireworks display. (We left before the fireworks - Alyssa was terrified of them!)

This picture is blurry, and not the best one I have of all of them dancing, but I would like to point out the big guy in the back waving his arms, trying to get the kids to do that, too. It was hilarious!

Happy Belated Halloween!

2011-11-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

From Austin the Pumpkin and Alyssa the Tiger!

This One's for Grandpa Don.

2011-11-06T16:24:00.003-06:00

For Alyssa's birthday this year, Grandpa Don got her a LeapPad Explorer. When she got it, it came with some free apps that could be downloaded to it.

Well, we FINALLY got to downloading all the free stuff this weekend. We picked, among other things, an eBook app called Ozzie and Mack.

Alyssa was overjoyed to play with new stuff on her game pad, and once I showed her that if she touched the words, she could read the book all on her own, she was totally hooked. (She even knew how to turn the pages of the eBook without help!)

What is it with kids and technology? They are sponges, aren't they?

(Oh, those of you reading this from emails, you'll have to go to the blog to get the video...)

Two Things I Want to Remember...

2011-11-04T11:36:00.003-05:00

Two things from shopping last night with the kids that I want to remember (and torture them with later in life...)

1. On the way home from Wal-Mart in Richland Center, Austin was NOT a happy camper. The only way I could get him to stop crying was to sing the "apples and bananas" song. You know the song - it goes "I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas". Then you repeat it, replacing the vowels with different ones from the "A-E-I-O-U" list - "I like to oat, oat, oat opples and banonos". Well, he would stop crying when I was singing this song. Any other song, he would cry. Stop singing - cry. Sing this song - quiet and happy.

He's an odd duck.

2. Alyssa got a Wal-Mart sticker when we were leaving. When I went to change her into her jammies, the sticker was on her belly, covering her belly-button. I asked her why it was there. She told me "So all my food doesn't fall out, mommy."

Seriously.

Trying to Get Back into the Swing of Things...

2011-11-02T14:15:00.001-05:00

We'll see if we can't bring this blog back up to speed, huh?

First, I'm increasing my chances of winning some awesome scrapping stuff, which I will share with all my friends if I win!

http://elizabethkartchner.blogspot.com/2011/11/december-daily-sc-kit-giveaway.html

Video for Day 5.

2011-07-30T08:01:00.002-05:00

Here are the videos for Day 5.

Alyssa is singing again on Sunday at church, so I'm going to try to get better ones then.