always count your blessings

Before you go to bed, do you count your blessings? After an incident last Friday, I've been couting mine. The kids and I went to Runza to use our free ice cream cone coupons. It was a beautiful evening and we were eating outside. Eli had just got down from my lap and was looking at some rocks right beside me. I noticed his cone was getting down to the wrapper level so I went to take it off for him so he didn't eat it. After I did, he was MAD. He made a dash for the drive thru and I could hear a car coming. I screamed, probably at the very top of my lungs "NO!". He had both feet just off the curb and was ready to take another step and throw his spoon. Luckily, I was able to catch the hand that was going to throw the spoon and pull him back. The truck must have heard my scream b/c he had veered slightly away from the curb. My poor little boy was probably 6-12 inchs from getting hit. It was a big F150 truck and Eli's head would have taken the brunt of the bumper. People from inside came out and the driver of the truck was upset. It took me a moment to come out of my shock. Luckily we were all okay. After the driver left, and the people went back inside, I sat holding my head in my hands and cried. I sent a prayer up to God. There is no point to this story. It just needed to get off my chest.

On a more light hearted note. Schuyler had her first fall soccer game. She just loves soccer. She plays kickball every recess.

Mackie had her first dance class. I think the girl is in love with it. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to join Schuyler's class since it's right after her's on Tuesday nights.

Here's 2 of my beautiful sunshine! Look at that toothless grin in the last one!

Chindian

So, what is a Chindian you ask? It's a new McKenzism! We were being silly Monday night and there was left over flour on the counter and Mark was putting it on my face. It had been a challenging day with the kids and I commented that this was my war paint and he replied that I was the chief indian. Well, Mack walked in about that time and said "I want to be a Chindian too!". So, Chindian in our household represents "Chief Indian". And yes, all the kids had to have "war paint" on there fact too!

Eli has been giving us some good laughs as well. The boy loves lotion! He will cover his legs, belly, and arms in it. The other thing he has taken an interest to is his sister's music box/jewelry box. I think his main fascination is how to get the music to play and trying to figure out how to wind (sp) the box. The other thing about Eli, which he might get from his mom... he LOVES having his feet tickled. Before bed, when we're cuddling and reading stories he will sometimes stretch out and put his feet by my hands or up by my face. This is his sign that he wants his feet tickled.

I think my body is now in the routine of my new earlier work hours. I love picking Schuyler up from school! She is such a chatter box and I hear so much about her day = )

If you all have a chance, stop over to my photography blog. It was time to separate my personal life and photography business.

Here is the pic that would not upload last week. Eli getting a big smooch from his sisters'. I'm pretty sure he's not loving it as much as they are = )

getting better at updating!

I'm finally getting back in the rhythm of posting again!

Monday was Eli's 2nd evaluation with LPS and my mind has been put to ease. The boy is smart. He is cognitively where a 2 year old should be. However, his speech is lacking. He is not far from the average level. So, part of the problem is the fact he is preverbal. Part of the problem is there is such a gap between where he is cognitively and speech wise, that it is frustrating to him. Meaning, he understands A LOT of things but can't communicate back. Part of the problem is he is very strong willed and determined. So, we will begin the program with LPS and work on some of these things. And, I thought Mackie was the strong willed one!

8 years! Yep, Mark and I have been married for 8 years. We celebrated with a dinner out and NO kids = )

I hope everyone has a great labor day weekend! Since the patio project is complete, Mark will be putting the privacy fence back up. He'll take a break to watch the Huskers play = )

I have one more picture but blogger is having issues. Ugh!

because you requested....

So, I've heard from a few of you that you want more photos (and that I haven't been very good about updating). Well, ask and you shall receive.

Recent ones of the kiddos. Here is Schuyler. Our new nickname for her is "sunshine".


One of Ms. McKenzie. I think we should nickname her "fire" for obvious reasons.



Mr. Eli. Not sure about his nickname yet? See how blonde his hair is? We are talking white!



Eli's first haircut. "Hey lady, what are you doing with those scissor and my hair?"



"Oh my gosh! Something just fell from my head! I'm not sure I like this anymore!"



How cool is Schuyler in her yellow ball-cap and yellow YMCA t-shirt! Yeah, she was loving it! Here she is at first base.



I think she is thinking, "Me, me, I'm ready to play. Where should I go coach?" Makes me think of that song..."Put me in coach. I'm ready to play, today. Look at me. I can be ceterfield!"



Okay, now that we've got the good stuff done, let's go to updates. Last weekend was our last hurrah before shool started. We went to our fiend's cabin for fun at the lake and boating! The girls went fishing for the first time. Schuyler caught 2 and Mack caught 1 - both little blue gill. They were thrilled. Daddy on the other hand, sat for an hour or so with no luck = (

Monday was "safe walk to shool night" or basically open-house. So, the kids and I walked/strollered up to Sheridan. Mrs. Judd is Schuyler's teacher and she is fantastic. We got to tour the computer room, library, music room and the cafeteria.

Tuesday a.m., Mack came to the realization that it was Schuyler's last day and she was quite sad with big tears in her eyes. Poor girl. I had been so concerned about how Schuyler would do at Sheridan and how Eli would do without his oldest sis that I never considered the effect on Mack. After all, they pretty much do everything together. Schuyler was so sweet to her. She gave her hugs and told her they can spend the whole day at school together and she would make sure Mack could sit next to her at lunch. She even went and got the 2 "prettiest" barbies she could find and gave them to Mack.

Schuyler had an awesome first day of 1st grade. Her favorite part was hot lunch = ) She thought that was pretty cool. She has been very good about telling me about her day... recess, writing a poem, practicing letters, and doing math.

Eli had his first eval on Wed. It didn't go as I hoped but I had high expectations. I was hoping we would go in and they would say all his behavioral issues are b/c he is pre-verbal. We have the speech pathologist and behaviorialist/psychologist coming to our house on Monday.

Schuyler lost yet another tooth Wed night. After being in bed for half hour or so she came and found me with a tooth in her hand. Now, not only is she missing her middle two top ones, she is missing 2 bottom ones. Not the middle ones, but the ones next to them. I believe they might be incissors? Such a cute little toothless grin she has.

times are crazy

Wow, the times are getting crazy with summer wrapping up! The kids finished VBS with a rockin' finale. It was so fun to watch both girls get into it singing the theme song "POWER".

Schuyler has her last t-ball game of the seaons on the 3rd. She went out with a bang, getting 3-4 outs and hitting the ball hard - once to the outfield! She lost another tooth on the 1st. However, she was disappointed the tooth fairy didn't make it that night = ( Tooth fairy came the next night and left a note = ) Grandma took the girls back to Hastings to spend time with their cousins for 4 days. Eli enthusiastically waived them good-bye. We asked him the next day if he missed his sisters' and his response was a very clear head shake no and the words "uh-ugh". He missed them at school but enjoyed the extra attention at home. He also got his first haircut on the 3rd. She took off 1 inch all around but it's not short. We like the longer boy haircuts and who can resist his curls. He is the epitomy of blonde - we're talking white blonde! I think we might be starting to hear a few words? Maybe done and mine!

Schuyler is on the brink of loosing another tooth. It's barely hanging on. Once it's gone, she will be missing both of her top teeth! Today she had Camp Sheridan. I have such mixed emotions. She was beyond excited and then to find out that she actually knows 3 of the children. 2 from her soccer team and 1 from the Montessori.

McKenzie is enjoying the fact that she has a play buddy right next door now. I think they will be two peas in a pod. She has also created a name that I think is hilarious - Princess Loria. It's pronounced liked Gloria but without the G. She is also very proud that she is now in a booster car seat = ) It was funny how empty our bed seemed while she was in Hastings. She is our child that still creeps into our bed around 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.

Just a pic of Schuyler while she still had teeth = )

Poor Neglected Blog

My poor neglected blog! Sheesh. Where do I start? The girls have been attending Vacation Bible School at our church (VBS for short). They are having a BLAST. Tonight is the finale so we'll get to see them sing songs and watch a slide show of all the fun things they have been doing. Schuyler is in the same group as her best friend so it has been an extra special time for her. I was worried b/c they split apart the elementary students and pre-school students, meaning Mack wasn't with her sister. This actually worked well. The smaller worship area works better for the younger kids - they are not so overwhelmed and it's not near as loud. And, Mack has 2 of her friends from the Montessori. They are not in the same group but there groups rotate to the different activities together so she gets to be with them a lot.

Eli had his 18 month appt. As many of you are aware, he is not yet talking and has had some behaviorial issues which have concerned us. The doctor believes the behavior is a result of being "pre verbal" and once he starts talking the behavior will quite or at least decline. But, since he is not where other kids his age are, we are going through some screenings with him to rule things out. Lincoln Public schools will be coming to do an assesment and Mark and I are filling out a questionairre. Mark and I will complete this and our answers will be scored. Based on the score, we may need to have additional consultations or assesments done but will cross that bridge when/if necessary. Other than that, he is healthy, strong, active and tall! 90% for height, 40% for height.

A couple of weeks ago I got together with my good friend and fellow photographer, Holly. We attempted to get family pictures of the Riese's but some of the Riese kids did not feel the need to cooperate = ( We did enjoy the rest of the afternoon as mom's and kids went to the pool and dad's went for a round of golf! Here are a few from our session, all images courtesy of Holly Troxel Photography.

adjusting

Wow. It's been a long while since I posted!

Well, we had a good 4th of July. We went to a friend's cabin on the lake and enjoyed a day of swimming, boating, and tubing. All of the kids experienced their first boat ride and Schuyler even tried tubing! It has been so long since I have been tubing or boating. It brought back memories from when my uncle Ron would take us to the lake skiing. I remember skiing and tubing with my cousin. They would take us around the lake and try to get us to bite the dust - we were a little older at that point.

Eli started the Montessori the following Monday - the 7th. It has been a BIG adjustment for him = ( The drop-off the first few days were filled with a lot of tears. Then, with the suggestion of my husband, we tried something different. Instead of having the girls go straight into their room and Eli go into his, the girls (mainly Schuyler) have been holding his hand and walking him into his room. Things have got better and yesterday, there were no tears at all. As we guessed, his hardest time is when he can't see his sister's. When they are around, or when he is outside, things are fine.

On top of this, we were trying to adjust him to the toddler bed. He has good nights and bad nights. Sometimes, he wakes up with terrible night terrors where he is crying uncontrollably and will throw himself on the floor or bang his head against something. Nights like these I feel like I have an infant again but I feel so bad for him b/c he can't express any feelings = ( However, last night, despite his fight to stay up, once he was asleep, he slept the whole night.

I meet with the Dr. at the end of the month to discuss his speech and a few behaviorial issues. He is due for a vacination but we will discuss the other issues and see.

Mark was in a golf tournament this weekend. I think they won the calcutta and got 3rd in regular play but don't quote me on any of this! The girls enjoyed the new American Girl movie, Kit Kittredge, with Papa. And, I enjoyed a good girls night out on Friday!! Thanks ladies for getting me out of the house!

Pictures...