November 2014

November 2014

As we have moved from Halloween to Thanksgiving and are now approaching Christmas, we find ourselves catching our breath from a pretty quick month and decorating our house in preparation for the holidays. 

Debbie’s foot has been healing well, she has been doing a good job of icing her foot, doing her exercises and also keeping up with the girls and all the different things we are doing with them.  She has started to feel a lot more mobile and is also starting to wear tennis shoes and wean out of her boot.  She has taken on some additional responsibilities at work and will be the director of the north-side clinic starting January 1^st.  These additional responsibilities will be similar to some of the work she has done it the past, but also some management work that will allow for her to help with some business decisions to help improve the clinic and also keep it running smoothly on daily basis.

I’ve been busy at work also, as our fiscal year-end is October 31^st and we have been short-handed for this time-frame. We have someone helping out internally and he will be transferring to my department in December which will start to help ease the burden.  Of course, I can’t let a fall go by without talking about the leaves and cleaning up the yard!  This year wasn’t as bad except that is snowed on November 16^th and I was still waiting for leaves to fall!  So, I’m still working cleaning up leaves as we still have some leaves that haven’t fallen as of Dec. 1! 

For Thanksgiving, we traveled to Charleston, WV to visit with Randy, Anna, Kyle, Julie and their daughter Olivia.  It was my first opportunity to meet Olivia so I enjoyed what moments I could get with her as Sarah wasn’t keen on my holding another child.  I hadn’t seen Kyle or Julie since early May, so it was good to catch up with them.  Randy and Anna have kept many toys from the past, so we were able to get those out and Allison and Sarah really enjoyed playing with the “Little People” sets from the 1980’s (and to be honest, I had some fun with them also).  We went to a Christmas show that that Allison really enjoyed and Sarah did OK for half of it.  Kyle and Julie had a friend that hooked us up with tickets so we were able to sit close to an exit so Sarah and I could make a quick get-a-way if she melted down.  Overall, the weekend and travel went very well for us and minus the typical melt-downs amongst our daughters in regards to sharing and eating meals, we had a really good time. 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Since birth, Sarah has had a blocked tear duct that we have done a few procedures on (including a surgery in mid-June).  During this month, as the cold season has started, her left eye has gotten swollen a few times and we don’t know what else we can do.  We are looking forward to talking to her eye doctor in December to see what she thinks. 

Allison’s Things of the Month

            Allison has gotten into the Christmas spirit by finding the “pretty lights” as we drive around town and when we got home from WV after Thanksgiving, the weather was great so she and I decorated the house.  She kept saying how “beautiful” the house was, and believe me, I didn’t do much.  We are going to drive around at some point to find some of the better light displays on the north-side some evening after it gets dark.   She also watched “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and was confused on why the “green guy was so mad.” 

A few more items from this month:

• Deb went to a girl’s night at Tracy’s house.
• Deb went to a girl’s night of wine tasting in downtown Carmel.
• I went to celebrate Uncle Frank’s Birthday at Pucchini’s with Beth, Matt, Mom, Jan and Mark. 
• I went to the Colts vs. Patriots with Brandon, Tom and Diane.
• We are getting estimates to get a gas fireplace installed. 
• Beth and I went to the Thanksgiving lunch at daycare.  I was hoping this would be the year when Allison would just say goodbye and not cry.  I was wrong.  I knew Sarah would fall apart, but I thought Allison would hold it together. 
• We had a play date at our house with Evan, an almost 2-year old little boy that is the son of one of my high school friends. 

October 2014

           As you will read below, October has been a busy month in our house.  The girls are bouncing off the walls at times, so we are going to need to be creative to find ways to keep them busy as the weather gets colder. 

The second weekend in October, we participated in a fundraiser for LLS called “Light the Night.”  This is in memory of my dad and we enjoyed a nice evening with a 2 mile walk around downtown Indy.  Mom, Frank, Jan, Beth, Matt and Laura came along with us and the girls behaved very well.  It is always a sentimental evening as we honor my dad, but being around family always helps make it enjoyable.   

During October, Deb took off to Jacksonville, FL with 6 other girls for an extended beach weekend!  They enjoyed great weather and laughter, along with plenty to drink.  They enjoyed the beach, a yoga class, a boat ride and plenty of sun.  The trip was planned as they decided to take advantage of the first time that none of them were pregnant or had an infant.  The dads took advantage of this trip and decided that the day after they all got home, we needed to meet up at a bar nearby to celebrate the mom’s being back home!  I know Deb does a lot around here, but I didn’t quite realize how much until she was gone for 5 days!  Beth and Mom helped out a few evenings and at church.  Matt and Beth came along with us to the zoo and it was a great time, although it was a little cold.  I took a vacation day on that Friday and played some Frisbee golf with Jeremy and had some lunch. 

            The following Friday, on October 24^th, Deb had foot surgery and will be wearing a boot on her foot for about 8 weeks.  She has done very well getting around the house and took a few days off to help with her recovery.  The girls have been pretty helpful by letting Deb read to them on the couch, but it has taken Sarah some time to not be scared of the boot on her foot!  She got pretty bored all day, because anyone that knows Debbie realizes that sitting around and doing nothing doesn’t really happen with her!  She watched a lot of ESPN and HGTV. 

            For Halloween, Randy and Anny came to visit.  It had been awhile since they were able to visit, so they came on Thursday and have helped out with the kids all weekend.  This has allowed me to catch up on a few things in the yard and around the house while letting Debbie still take it easy.  Randy completed some drywall work in the kitchen while I ran some TV wires behind the drywall.  For Halloween, Sarah was Winnie the Pooh and Allison was Goofy.  These wonderful costumes were once again created by Nana (Anna).  Halloween this year will be remembered as a rite of passage for me, as I know all dads have a story about a Halloween with bad weather and I’d consider 35 degrees and 30 mph winds about as bad as it can get!  We hosted our neighborhood party, which basically had everyone in our garage eating pizza as it rained and then the kids braved the cold to get their candy!  Mom, Frank and Jan came over to see the girls in their costumes and Frank and Randy helped me take the girls around to about a dozen houses.  We went trick-or-treating with our neighborhood buddies, Henry and George, who are 2 boys that are Allison and Sarah’s age and the 4 of them play together really well. 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah has been attempting to talk more, but that can be difficult to get a word in with Allison around!  She is walking much better and her physical therapy has been decreased to once a month.  As she learns more words, she also continues to get frustrated with us if we can’t understand her!  She has been sick for about a week with a stomach bug, so we hope that clears up soon. 

Allison’s Things of the Month

            Allison has been doing well as a big sister and attempts to share when she can.  The problem is Sarah doesn’t understand taking turns or “waiting 5 minutes” so that can be challenging and usually results an argument between the 2 of them!

A few more items from this month:

• Debbie went to a Girls Night at Diane’s where they had a Caribbean themed dinner.
• I went to a Colts game with Ferrand vs. the Ravens.  They won a close game. 
• The girls and I went to a neighborhood food drive and enjoyed playing with some kids.
• Debbie has had some developments at work where MSMC is going to bring the PT department back “in house” which could create some possibilities for additional responsibilities which she would gladly welcome.

September 2014

September has been a month of transition for us.  From our experience, the transition at daycare from the infant room to the toddler room is one of most difficult changes that can affect many things for Sarah, which then causes many changes for our house!  September was a good month as we caught up from my trip to Italy over Labor Day weekend and enjoyed a trip to Ohio to visit the Vandervaarts toward the end of the month. 

 

            The last weekend of the month, we left on Friday for a trip to North Canton, OH to visit my sister and her family.  When we go visit people with kids, it is amazing how many things we DON’T need to bring!  Just about anything we thought to bring, they told us to not worry about it since they already had it.  And the food is always served up at the right times and there are plenty of toys and games to play.  This trip has many “firsts” for Allison.  She watched her first movie, had her first s’more, and had her first extensive use of a bounce house.  Not to mention just about anything Allison really liked to play with, Pete and Laura told us to just take it home since their kids hadn’t played with some of that stuff in a while!  We had an opportunity to watch Claire play soccer and enjoyed a fantastic, but quiet weekend just around their house.  The only downfall was that Deb got sick a few days before leaving, so she was a little tired throughout the trip.  And I’d like to say our road trips are getting better, but the girls don’t nap in the car like they used to and one of us finds ourselves in the back of the car frequently on these trips.  The good news was that since we didn’t have to bring much, there was plenty of room!

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah has completed her transition to her new room at school and dropping her off is getting much better.  Initially, she was crying as we left but now does fine most days and seems to have enjoy the new activities and the teachers. It is nice because we have the same teachers we had when Allison as in the same room 2 years ago, so we already have a familiarity with them.  Since I’ve gotten back from Italy, Sarah has been in a “daddy-phase” that doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.  She is also frequently crying at night and we can’t seem to figure out why.  Usually once a night, between midnight and 5AM, she will cry off and on for 30-45 minutes.  We have tried changing her diaper and we have tried just rocking with her a bit, but none of it seems to help and she still will cry afterwards for 30-45 minutes.  So, most nights, everyone is back to sleep faster if we just leave her alone.  The only good news about this is that it doesn’t wake up Allison as of now.  

 

Allison’s Things of the Month

            Allison has been doing well playing with Sarah at times and sharing her toys.  She has gotten into a little trouble at school following the negative influence of a few kids, but her teachers have pointed out her behavior and if we know about it, then she usually takes care of it.  She is also swimming very well each week.  We are thinking about taking a break from the swim lessons and maybe doing gymnastics for while this winter to give her a chance to burn off some energy when it gets cold.  We are still struggling with her fear of going #2 in the toilet, but she will get there.  We have tried all kinds of bribery and can’t seem to find the one “thing” that will help us get over her fear. 

 

A few more items from this month:

• My key employee decided leave Hurco, so I’ll be pretty busy over the next few months as I will need to train someone else, deal with our fiscal year-end and help support the new implementation I was working on it Italy. 
• I went to the Colts opener vs. the Eagles with Jeff.  The Colts played well for 3 quarters and then fell apart and lost.  My record at games I’ve attended has been pretty bad over the last few years. 
• I bowled as part of the Corporate Challenge for Hurco and we placed 3^rd in our division.
• We went to the Pint Room to celebrate Jeremy’s birthday and enjoyed hanging out with our Purdue friends up in Carmel. 
• We went to Lobster-fest at Tom and Tracy’s house again this year.  We enjoyed seeing all of our friends and of course some delicious lobster! 

August 2014

August 2014            

 Compared to July, August was a relatively quiet month for the most part, except for the end of the month when I was off to Italy again for work and Deb took both girls to WV for Olivia’s baptism.  That isn’t to say the rest of the month was quiet, but it seemed to be a little calmer than July! 

We had a very pleasant month of weather, which helped our trip to the state fair.  We went on a Sunday morning and spent the morning looking at several animals and enjoying some fair food.  The girls have obviously been to the zoo, but this experience of being up close to the animals was completely different and they really seemed to enjoy it.  The morning snack was complete with ice cream and a corn-dog!  Another good reason for the nice weather was we were able to let Deb’s car air out the remainder of that day.  The stroller, our clothes and our shoes all smelled like farm animals so it was nice to have the day to get rid of that smell!  

At the end of the month, I went back to Italy (with 3 co-workers) to complete the computer project over Labor Day weekend.  The trip was successful and not too much different than the other trips, except the hours were longer!  The food and wine was still the highlight of the trip.  Deb was left to be in charge of the girls and take them to WV for Olivia’s baptism.  It sounds like the girls did well for her and she made the trip without too many issues.  I was disappointed to miss the chance to meet Olivia and see the extended family, but it sounds like everyone had a good time. 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah has transitioned to her new room at daycare and it has gone about as we expected.  Drop-offs are difficult for her, but after that, she seems to be fine and enjoys the new room and teachers.  I’d forgotten about the quick changes that happens at this age, with new words and better motor skills changing by the day.  I’d also forgotten about how frustrated a toddler can get when they want something, think they are talking and you can’t understand them!  She had her 16 month appointment, and she is about the same size as Allison was at this age.  Sarah has made some good progress with her PT and those appointments will be reduced to once a month.

Allison’s Things of the Month

            Allison has been doing much better with her sleeping and bedtime routine.  She is sleeping well and only really getting up to go the bathroom.  She is having more mood swings, mostly after naptime.  She is snapping and yelling more often which is requiring more discipline.  I’m sure some of this attitude comes with the age.  Debbie painted Allison’s nails for the first time and as you can see in the picture she is beyond excited.

A few more items from this month:

• We replaced our HVAC unit this month.  When we bought the house 2 years ago we were told we were on borrowed time, so we thought it was better to shop around and not be in a difficult situation later.
• After we signed the agreement for the HVAC, our washer broke so we had to replace that also! 
• Deb went to dinner with Amy and Angie at Some Guys Pizza.
• I went out for dinner with Sara at BW3’s.
• I went to a trivia night with some friends to benefit Timmy Global Health.  I don’t think I gave one answer that someone else didn’t already know!
• Deb and I went to Palomino’s for a date night.  We ended the night at wine bar called Tastings.
• Jeremy and Emma came over to my Mom’s condo to swim with Allison and me.  We also went on a boat ride.
• Deb and I went to the Foulke’s new house for a housewarming party with the Watkins and Andersons.
• Beth and I completed the Colts 5K to kick off the NFL season.  It was lots of fun to run around downtown and then the finish line was at the 50 yard line inside the stadium.
• We went over to Frank and Jan’s to go swimming and enjoyed a pasta dinner afterwards.  The girls did really well swimming, but it was cut short by the weather.