November 2015

This month started and kept going very quickly, but by the end of the month, we found ourselves at home for 3 straight days without much to do except for decorate for Christmas, hang out and play with some overdue time together. 

On Nov. 1^st, I was off to Minnesota again to complete the computer implementation I’ve been working on.  I was there for a week and it went pretty well.  With all of these projects there are always issues that come up and things that need to be dealt with, but overall, it was a pretty impressive accomplishment to get it done in less than 2 months.  Now, there are still several hurdles to get through, starting with another trip in December to see how they are doing, but as I mentioned, the trip to Minnesota is pretty easy in comparison to other Hurco trips.  As I was leaving, both girls had fevers and Sarah just flat out didn’t feel good.  Randy and Anna were around to watch Sarah since she was sick.  The fevers, daylights savings and my travel really affected the girl’s attitudes and everyone was ready for me to be home and share some of the parenting responsibility! 

We had our most social weekend as parents in a long time.  We had babysitters 3 consecutive days and really enjoyed ourselves.  We went to dinner with the Foulkes and to the Miles housewarming party.  We went to our neighborhood’s progressive dinner.  Finally, we went to a Friends Thanksgiving at the Steffey’s house.  It was good to see so many people over that weekend, especially since things have been so busy for us.  On top of that, it has been great that our girls have no problem with us leaving them with babysitters, which really helps us feel better. 

During the middle of the month, Deb went to  Chicago for some professional training.  She stopped by and visited the Ragos on Friday night and then enjoyed some typical Chicago weather that brought about 6 inches of snow.  Luckily, she didn’t need to leave her hotel so it didn’t really affect her that much.  The girls and I spent the weekend hanging out around the house.  Beth and Matt came over on Saturday morning to allow me to do some work.  Mom went to church with us on Saturday evening and came over for dinner and a movie with the girls. I took the girls over to Mom’s on Sunday to complete a project for work and run a few errands since Deb got home on Sunday evening around 9PM. 

We were in Indy for Thanksgiving this year and we spent the afternoon and evening at my mom’s condo.  We were joined by the Symmes, the Wahmans, the Dodsons, Mark and my mom.  The girls enjoyed running around and playing with everyone, including hide and seek with Uncle Frank.  In our typical fashion we shot free-throws and Debbie made all of her attempts.  We spent Thanksgiving morning catching up our yardwork outside since it was 60 degrees.  With a rainy weekend, we didn’t leave the house much except for church and enjoyed hanging out (including a movie night- with popcorn of course) and starting to decorate the house for Christmas. 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            We started swim lessons again this month. Sarah already graduated to a swim class by herself so Deb no longer is in the pool with her.  She loves it and really excels at the class.  My traveling has caused Sarah’s “daddy phase” to really get worse this month, but like all things, I’m going to assume it will end at some point. 

Allison’s Things of the Month

            Allison really is doing well with swim lessons also.  She is letting her instructor throw her in to the water at the end of class doing a “cannonball.”  Allison does a pretty good job playing with her sister even though Sarah is 2 years younger than her.  We have been able to leave them alone for a decent amount of time without them arguing too much. 

A few more items from this month:

• Deb was able to attend an open house at where Allison will be going to Kindergarten.  Deb was able to get a lot of questions answered and I think felt pretty good about the experience.
• Deb and I went to the Colts vs. Broncos game which is probably Peyton Manning’s last game at Lucas Oil stadium.  The Colts won a close game and Deb got us great seats from work. 
• We were able to attend the Friends Thanksgiving at the Watkins house.  It was a great time as it always is and we were able to catch up with the normal crew. 
• We went to “thanksgiving” at school for the girls and enjoyed eating lunch with them. 

October 2015

This month has been a busy one for sure, but not the type of one that really fills up this blog.  I’ve been working a lot in the evenings and weekends, along with a week-long trip to Minnesota in the middle of the month.  Needless to say, our family is overdue for just a “normal” week, which probably won’t happen until after Christmas. 

During the middle of October, I was off to Minnesota for my 5^th time since mid-July.  There are plans for trips once per month in November, December and January.  The domestic travel is so much easier to me than the international travel.  I leave on Monday morning and am back by Friday for dinner with the family.  Not ideal for our family, but it works and Deb and the girls have dealt with these trips pretty well. 

Halloween was a lot of fun this year.  Allison was Elsa and Sarah was Anna from Frozen.  Anna made the costumes again this year and they were great.  It was fun to watch Allison walk into school and see 3 other Elsa’s and the other girls were pointing out how great Allison’s costume was in comparison to theirs!  We hosted the neighborhood pizza party in our cul-de-sac and it sure is great to meet more and more people each year.  The weather was much better this year, so the girls really enjoyed trick or treating with their friends, Henry and George.  We didn’t hit up every house, but we did go all around the block for the first time!  Next year should be really great because Sarah will possibly be able to keep up with Allison and we may not even need the wagon, except to carry the beer!  Randy and Anna came on Halloween and enjoyed hanging with some of the neighbors they have met over the years.  Mom, Beth, Matt, Mark, Frank and Jan also came over to see the girls and all brought treats for the girls to enjoy!

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah has started waking up even earlier with the daylight savings time change.  She can be up as early as 5:15AM.  This can be a real drag on us, but we try to remember that Allison went through these phases and it usually passes after a few months.   Just makes is hard to get ready for work with a tired toddler hanging around you!  We do need to remember that she is only 2 and a half, since we typically talk to her and treat her like she and Allison are the same age.  Sarah had her first real injury and had to make a trip into Deb’s clinic.  Allison tried to pull her up on the bed and it hurt Sarah’s elbow.  She was a great patient and wore her splint for a few days until her elbow felt better.

Allison’s Things of the Month

            Allison really enjoys playing “school,” “family,” and “doctor visit.”  Her imagination is pretty good where she will really have an entire conversation or game going on by herself.  And if Sarah is invited, Sarah needs to make sure she plays by the rules Allison has established for the game! 

A few more items from this month:

• We went out to dinner with the Andersons early in the month to a new BBQ place.   The bourbon selection was unbelievable, so Jeremy and I enjoyed a few drinks. 
• We had to replace our water heater this month, which means the only appliance we haven’t had to change so far is our water softener and the fridge in our basement. 
• For the 8^th year in a row, we walked in the “Light the Night” fundraiser for LLS.  We do this in memory of my dad and once again we had great weather and company. 
• Deb and I went on a date night to Harry & Izzy’s steakhouse.  We enjoyed running into Mo and Mike Obenchain and Brent and Tracie Fisher
• I had a guy’s night with Naab and Norris at Sahm’s.  I enjoyed some beers with them and catching up on what has been going on over the last few months. 
• Deb and I went to a fundraiser at Woodland Bowl.  After warming up a game, I bowled a 204 during the 2^nd game!
• I went to a Colts game with Ferrand and the Steffey’s.  It was great to catch up with these guys, but man, the game sure wasn’t worth it!
• We started getting quotes to remodel our mudroom, laundry room and hallway area toward the back entrance to our house.  We are wanting some cubbies for our coats and shoes, along with some new flooring in our laundry room and a new door coming in from the garage. 
• We took the girls to the zoo and of course enjoyed a ride on the carousel.