A ladybug and a lion.

Halloween was a hit. Sully was a lion and Greta was a ladybug. Initially Sully refused to wear his costume, so we started a few weeks ahead of time. We would practice getting him ready and he only obliged to wearing his costume after Greta was in hers. So typical.

I should preface this with the reason we chose Sully's costume. He loves to roar, and he is really good at it. Even Greta gets in on the fun with her little grunty roar. It is so sweet. At this point, Sully even talks back to me in a "ROAR!", its impossible not to smile at that.

Dave didn't get home from work until after 5 so we scrambled into costumes and headed out around 5:30, it was pretty cold, so we were glad to get an early start. We loved the excitement all along the boulevard. The houses were completely decorated, with many of the homeowners in full attire. Greta and I made it to a couple of dozen homes before heading home to pass out candy. Dave and Sully went on and according to Dave, he roared at all of the right times. He was a hit.

We had a massive turn out last year, so I decided to count our trick or treaters this year in order to have a number in mind for years to come. I bought enough candy for 350 kids ($94 dollars worth!), and we ended up with 150 kids. Needless to say, I overshot, no surprise, I always do. I think if it had been a bit warmer I would have been closer.

We have the best neighborhood for Halloween.

Halloween afternoon smiles.
Sully is 2 years and 5 mos. and Greta is almost 12 mos.  

The difference a year makes, I was 39.5 weeks
pregnant with Greta last Halloween. Im wearing the same
shirt as last year :).

Family selfie while trick or treating. 

Greta girl helping me pass out candy. 

Sully in the pursuit of candy.  

The ladybug and the lion. 

Idoit!

We had a week of accomplishments this week, and I'm so proud of us.

As I've mentioned previously, Sully has been in speech therapy for about six months. When we stared, he had about 4 words, I longed for him to call me mama, or even say the word 'no'. He has come so far. He has close to 100 words and uses most of them independently. His weekly 45 minutes with Miss Suzy are his favorite. We watch for her to come with her bag of toys and then scurry to sit on the living room floor with her. Greta is usually given a toy or two, but I usually spend a majority of the time trying to keep her out of his business. He recently started saying a three word(!!) phrase "I do it!' (which sounds more like one long word "Idoit!" and he means it. He wants to do everything from dressing himself to opening stubborn packages to pushing Greta in the stroller, even uphill (you can imagine how pleasant this is). It is sweet and cute and great progress. He is starting to be a little independent boy and I'm so proud. We had an assessment with our Birth to Three team this week and if he continues at his current pace, he will not qualify for services after he is three, which is great news.

Greta do it, too! She is now a stair master, among many other things. She can go all of the way up on her own and even comes down backward. She does have supervision as she gets distracted easily. Our staircase has 16 steps so it commands dedicated attention, which she is still working on. She is a speedy crawler, I often refer to her as my little dust mop as the house is constantly dusty from the construction, so her knees are always dirty. She is walking along furniture and even gets off the couch on her own, but hasn't quite gained the confidence to take those first independent steps.

I do it, also. I have been working away at Weight Watchers and have finally become a Lifetime Member. I was within reach after I had Sully but found out I was pregnant just before accomplishing this goal. Im very proud of myself and feel great with the progress I've made.

The only place in our life where progress has not been made is the basement...ugh. We are still dealing with a bare basement and are hopeful that we will have it completed by Christmas (our original completion date was 9/26). We are planning on moving on with the next phase this winter, which includes the kitchen, den, garage, living room, and master bedroom. Needless to say, we are very hopeful to have the basement complete before taking this on.

My days are filled with prayers and hope for my lovely friends who have endured so much pain. Im grateful for a supportive and kind husband who supports me in my efforts to be the best friend possible to them during these times.

Sully working with Miss Suzy. 

Sully pushing the stroller on a recent outing
to the outdoor campus. 

Waiting for cookies to bake. 

"I do it!' Even if it means I don't quite get it on right. 

"I change the light bulb like daddy!" 

And a pic of sweet Greta enjoying our Indian summer. 

Sister friend.

When I was in the Black Hills I had a voice message (we don't get cell phone or wifi service at the cabin) from my best friend in Stacy in St Louis expressing concern for our best friend, Leanne who lives in Minneapolis. The message was brief, but long enough for me to know it was serious. I immediately called Leanne to find out what was going on. She was in the hospital and almost 24 weeks pregnant with her identical twin boys. Her water had broke and they were trying to hold off labor. She also developed something called twin to twin transfusion. She was so scared.

When we made the decision to come home on Monday, I hoped things would pan out for me to get to Minneapolis to be with her depending on her needs. She ended up delivering Tomas, the smaller of her two babies (due to the twin to twin transfusion) on Sunday, October 12. He weighed 14 ounces and was critical but stable in the NICU. Leanne and I talked daily. Some conversations were good, many were sad. The uncertainty was the biggest demon.

I hit the road on Thursday afternoon. Not knowing my role, I followed her lead. Unfortunately, Thomas had a rough patch, so I went up to sit with her while Joe went to be with Tommy (her water had broke with Will that afternoon). We hugged, cried, laughed, and just spent time together. She sensed some changes and called Joe and her nurse. I stepped out at 10:00pm and noticed a flurry of activity. Joe txted 'Will is coming,' so I sat, meditated, and prayed that everything would be ok. I met them back in her room after delivery, around 11:30pm. Again, Joe went to be with the babies in the NICU. Willem was 1lb 12oz (the bigger of the two due to their condition), he squacked after delivery, just enough to let Leanne know he was here. We spent some more time crying and talking about her week and how it felt like a dream. The nurse was complimenting her on her support system and how great Joe had been and Leanne looked at me, and said, 'and you, Suzie. I can't believe you are here next to me. You are my best sister-friend'. My heart was full, although it was broken for what Leanne was going through. I went back to my room after 1am when Leanne when to see the babies.

I spent Friday morning at the hospital with Leanne. We were able to see the babies. A truly incredible site. The doctor and nurses were so competent and so confident. True gifts from God. I hit the road around 2, anxious to see Dave and the kids.

I received word from Leanne than Will had passed away at about 6pm yesterday. I feel deflated. I feel sad. I feel emotional. I feel vulnerable. But I mostly feel helpless. I received word this evening that Tommy had passed away. My heart breaks all over again. So much pain. So many questions. I have been given these five wonderful people who are the bestest of friends in the whole wide world. We are in 6 different states and three different time zones, but we carry each other. In times of pain, we call and just silently cry to each other, sometimes not even making words. These are the big things in life, this on the heels of Dave Winter's death. We will carry on, it just takes time.

Black Hills or (errrr, was a) bust.

Dave and I had anticipated our ten day trip the Black Hills for months. We had so many outings planned, and since we were there for so long, we had also set aside a few days for down days. We arrived on Wednesday, Oct 8, and quickly settled in. Our bags and food were unpacked and the kids started to explore. It is so sweet to see them giddy together when we do new things, because I remember being the same way with my siblings on trips. No matter what our differences were, we would always share each other's excitement on those first few days. Oh, and how could I forget Kenzie. She was a squealing machine. She could hardly wait for her first dip in the stream.

Thursday and Friday were filled with adventures. We spent Thursday driving through Spearfish Canyon. The leaves were just turning thanks to a late Fall. What a treat. The colors were spectacular. We ended up at the Spearfish Fish Hatchery where we were entertained by tossing food to the fish and ducks. Sully loved it, I think Greta did, too. We went to Hill City on Friday and took the 1880 Train to Keystone. Sully loved every second of it and Greta snoozed.

Saturday was a down day at the cabin. Dave and I took turns exercising on the Michelson Trail and then stayed in for naps, which both of the kids desperately needed. Just before Sully went down for his nap, he discovered the fun of throwing rocks in the stream. He would have sat there for hours if we had let him.

Dave fed the kids breakfast on Sunday morning and Greta developed hives within 30 minutes. Big hives, about 10 of them, on her face. Considering her history, we were concerned the worse was yet to come, so we packed up and raced in to the Rapid City ER. What a miserable drive that was, 55 minutes of windy gravel roads down a mountain. I was in the back seat monitoring Greta's breathing when suddenly Sully puked everywhere. Car sickness, for sure. Or was it? Greta checked out ok, so we dined in the hospital cafeteria before making our way back to the cabin. When we arrived, the kids took naps and then Sully got the stomach flu. It was awful. He was up all night long with Dave getting sick. I was with Greta, but also hardly slept.

We got up on Monday and packed up. We drove straight to Sioux Falls, no real stops, only stops along the road to nurse and trade drivers. After continuous vomiting from Sully, we made the decision to take him in to the ER. We arranged for care for Greta in order for both of us to be there. After two fluid boluses, medication, and labs, Sully was able to go home. He was much sicker than we had even realized and we were so glad to be home. He is on the mend, but it has taken him a few days to bounce back. Poor kiddo.

We did have a great time at the cabin and we look forward to going back. Our perspective has changed on the 'coolness' of an ultra remote cabin, we will be a bit more prepared next year. On a really positive note, I think we got our Christmas photo via a timed photo on the Michelson Trail. Everyone is looking, even Kenzie. Truly amazing!

Fish Hatchery

Roughlock Falls Family Photo.

1880 Train

Sully throwing rocks. 

GG, doing her thing.  

Sink tubby. 

Christmas card out-take. 

Greta's ER trip. 

Silly Sully.

Snoozers on the drive home.

Poor Sully.

Poutine and Cronuts

We experienced poutine and cronuts for the first time last week. Poutine is unique to Montreal. Visualize it; french fries topped with cheese curds and then smothered in gravy. Delicious, yes, but in small doses. Cronuts are a bit more popular. It's a cross between a donut and a croissant, two of Dave's favorites. Needless to say, he was hesitant on sharing. 

Montreal was lovely. It had a very European feel with the French language, architecture,  and food, but was convenient as it was easy to get to, and no jet lag. There was plenty to do and see. We stayed in ‘Old Montreal,’ the prime spot for boutiques and fabulous restaurants. All in all, it was a great trip. 

We made a pact to do something active everyday, and definitely succeeded. On our first full day, we walked up Mont Royal, the city’s namesake. It was roughly 3 miles each way and would be considered more of a hill than a mountain, topping out at 750ft. Once at the top, we had gorgeous views of the city. We found a great spot for lunch near the top and then made our way downtown for some wandering and shopping. On Friday we rented bikes and rode to some nearby islands, one of which had the F1 race car track. We did bike around it, although our speeds were nothing to brag about. We returned and did more wandering and shopping. Saturday was more of the same, but also included Little Italy for pizza and the market which was a site to see. We had good meals, great wine, and just enjoyed being away together. It was just what we needed. Its amazing how busy and stressful life can get with two small kids and a home renovation.

The kids did great with Courtney, she had her hands full, but whenever we would connect, she had nothing but good things to report. We came home to a clean house, clean laundry (seriusly!!) and new sheets on our bed. She is amazing. We are so grateful to have her in our life. 

In other news, for those of you who have been keeping track of the renovation project, our completion date was last Friday. Unfortunately, we are still in the thick of it. The HVAC is going up and the electrician is hard at work trying to bring the electricity up to code. We are trying to be realistic, its looking like we have a couple of months left. Sigh :).

Outside of our hotel room along Rue St Paul.  

View from Mont Royal.

On the walk down from Mont Royal.

Bike ride, spot of the World's Fair in the 1960s. 

Dave crosses the finish line! 

Dave and his cronut, if you look close, you can
see drool ;).

At the market near Little Italy. 

Getting out of town.

Dave and I leave tomorrow for 4 nights/5 days. We have been away for a weekend and one additional night since February of 2013, needless to say, we are really excited, but are also sad to leave the kids. I feel like I have been prepping for this weekend away for a few weeks, Courtney came with me to Kindermusic and to Miss Jaspers' two weeks ago in order to get the hang of things. I know she will do great, but I still worry about the kids, mostly because know I will miss them so much.

We are heading to Montreal to celebrate our 4th anniversary. Below is the letter I composed to Coutney. I realize it is full of random/boring info, but I thought it would be fun to look back on it in years to come, so on the blog it goes :).

Typical day routines are as follows:

 

Greta gets up around 7:30, change her diaper and then feed her breakfast, offer her a bottle after breakfast. Talk and play with her until Sully gets up.

Sully gets up around 8am. If he is not up by 8am on Thursday and Friday, wake him so he has enough time to adjust to the day before going to Miss Jaspers'. Bring him down, serve him breakfast, he sometimes needs to be reminded to stay focused on eating, otherwise he may take forever to finish the meal.

Leave for Miss Jaspers' by 8:55 (use blue Patagonia bag as his diaper bag, make sure he has a couple of diapers and wipes in there). I usually leave Greta in the car, but lock the car and use the automatic start to restart while you are in the house.

Bring Greta home and put her down for a nap (about 2 hours from when she woke up). Rock her with a bottle.

Pick Sully up by 12 from Miss Jaspers, and serve them lunch right when you get home.

Play and prep for naps at 1pm. You know this routine. If Greta naps late in the morning, she wont be ready for her nap until about 2 hours from when she woke up. 

Sully should be up by 4, Im sure Greta will be up by then. Offer them snacks after their naps or do dinner at 5. If they have snacks, they will be able to eat dinner later. Greta may want a bottle after dinner if you eat at 5.

Greta is usually ready for bed by 7:15. Let Sully watch a show on our bed while you do this, give her a bottle and put her down when she is ready. If the house feels cool, put her in a sleep sack, otherwise, put her in the crib alone (ie. no blankets, stuffed animals, pillow etc.).

Sully should go down between 8-8:30. You know the drill on this, too.

If Greta wakes in the night, let her try to settle herself for 5-10 minutes before going in. Depending on how she has been, medicate her and then offer her a bottle. It may be easiest to have some water ready to make some formula. She has slept through 5 of the last 7 nights, so Im hopeful that she is a rockstar for you, but realistically, there will prolly be at least one night that she wakes up for you. 

We do baths every other night, but you can do them more or less if you want. They will be due for tubbies on Thursday and Saturday. Sully gets the Aveeno shampoo and Greta gets the CeraVe soap (because of her skin issues).

 

There is nothing planned on Saturday morning, so if you want to let Sully sleep in, you could, but if you have something planned, make sure you wake him an hour ahead of time so he can adjust to the day.

 

Meal ideas:

Breakfast for Sully is always 2 pancakes or waffles, he sometimes likes them 'burr' or cold, but usually prefers them hot. I think if he is starving he wants them right away, no matter what the temp is. He also needs some sort of fruit with this. 

Breakfast for Greta is some sort of fruit, cut up into small pieces and maybe cut up pancake, maybe yogurt or dried cereal. Whatever is on hand and is quick and easy.

Lunch/dinner for both: 'tacos' is what Sully calls them. They are cheesy roll ups. I roll up cheese in a tortilla and microwave it. Cut Greta's into small pieces. Usually Sully wants his things 'cup' or cut into smallish pieces when he see's Greta's cut. Other ideas are chicken nuggets, hot dogs (make sure you over cut Greta's!) bagels, cheese cubes, frozen veggies in freezer could be prepared, buttered noodles, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, etc. Always with a fruit option. There is no limit on fuit for the kids. Sully can have an oreo ('yoreo') if he wants. As you know, we are not real strict with food/activities, so Im sure whatever you come up with will be great.

 

Meds: 

Sully gets tylenol 5ml or ibuprofen 1.875ml as needed. If you are continuously medicating, make sure to alternate them. 

Greta gets tylenol 2.5ml or ibuprofen 1.25.

Greta has been pretty good with her skin issues, but if you notice a flare up then you can use the prescribed ointments. The hydrocortisone (2.5%)  can be used on her scalp and the Mometazole can be used anywhere lower than the shoulders (except armpits and groin). Go easy on the Mometazole as it is super strong, we try to only use it in extreme cases. If she gets raw chapped cheeks, use Aquafor, Vaseline, CeraVe cream, or Cetaphil cream before she goes down at night. I will show you where they are, we try to put them around so they are handy in a moments notice.  

Diaper creams for both of them as needed.

TV:

Channel 100-106 are cartoons, On Demand for Dora on Nick Jr. and Micky is on Disney Jr.

There are a few movies. It's sometimes fun to watch one with Sully after Greta goes to bed. The TV has to be on HDMI3 in order to work with the blueray player, the TV has to be on HDMI2 for the TV to work.

 

Ideas:

Arrowhead Park (East 26th Street) There are corn cobs on the counter to feed the ducks with.

Washington Pavilion- Kirby Science Center

Butterfly House

Outdoor Campus

Zoo

Applefest       

Kenzie:

One and one third cup of food in the morning and at night. Put her out for kids meals, it makes for a much less hectic experience. 

She gets one proin in the morning and at night, and also one estrogen pill daily. 

Make sure you pack a sippy cup with water and some snacks for every outing. 

When you get home, Sully likes to play in the car for a few minutes. Make sure you keep an eye on him and that the e-brake is on. One way to bribe him out sooner is to let him crawl into the way back and then let him count to three and jump to you. I usually let him jump 2-3 times and then let him push the button to close the back, and follow that up with a high-5. 

Greta will always find something to put in her mouth, and we are still working on going backwards down the stairs. She is so busy! 

Emergency Numbers:

Mary Ellen 605.376.3446

Kirsten Biondi  605.351.4762

Maggie (although she is out of town) 605.261.1821

Dr Sam 605.336.2140

Brad Weber (contractor) 605.231.8801

Breast milk guidelines:

Once the frozen milk is thawed, it must be consumed within 24 hours, so try to keep that in mind. Combine milk with equal parts of formula in order to make it last as long as possible (you will run out before I get home, when that happens, switch her to straight formula). Do not combine bottles, if there is an ounce or so left and you don't think she will finish it within the allotted 24 hours, toss it. We can talk more about this tomorrow morning. 

Gosh, what else?! 

We are available...call or txt for anything, really! Do not hesitate. 

If you have any friends come over to help you at any time, please make sure to keep track so we can compensate them appropriately.

You are one in a million, thanks for this weekend!  

Greta and the baby Buddha at Grandma's.

Apple fest fun.

Sweet Sully.

Typical walk around the park. Sully runs or jumps the
entire time while Greta pulls herself up to watch him.

At the Polo match meeting Pipestone. 

Greta and mama.

Storage garage cleaning with the sentimental sort.

Dave rented a storage garage when his parents' house was bought, then later demolished by Sandford Health. It was easier to move the house stuff there, rather than go through it at that time as he was also dealing with moving his mom. Unfortunately, he did this on his own as both his dad and sister were already gone. Fast forward eight years, a couple of moves and a couple of kids later, the time had come. It had definitely turned in to a catch all space for stuff when there was no where else to put it.

We started the project about six weeks ago. Courtney (our number 1 babysitter/lifesaver) would come over during nap time and we would change into our dingiest clothes and head over. Fortunately, the storage garage, the dumpster (at Culligan), and Good Will are within about a one mile radius. Dave would sort while I made runs as needed. We purged so much. There were the funny, no brainers, like a plunger, but there were also boxes that required much more love and attention, like cards from Juile, or notes Helen had written when her mind was still good.

Like Pete the Cat says, 'buttons come and buttons go,' although I recognize it is not always that easy. I do understand and appreciate some level of sentiment. In fact, I am even a bit sentimental at times, although I hate to admit that. For example, I urged Dave to get rid of a holey shirt for a long time, not getting why he hadn't purged it. I then looked though some photos and realized it was the shirt he wore for the births of both kids. I layed off.

We are finally done with the storage garage project. It was great to sweep it out and close the door. Yes, two full carloads came home to our garage which, by the way, will have to be emptied in two months for the next phase of renovation...what are we going to do with all of this stuff!!? I get anxiety just thinking about it. Everything will find it's place, eventually.

Mid August, early in the project. 

Early September.

Mid September

Mid September.

The final day, Sept 15th.