Trick or Treat

We had such a busy day, we didn't leave much time to get ready for trick-or-treating!  Jeremy  and Annah took the slumber party girls home, went shopping and had a birthday lunch at McDonald's, and bought some pumpkins.  We spent the afternoon designing their faces and carving them.

We prefer happy pumpkins to scary ones, so all 3 of our jack-o-lanterns are smiley.

We thought it was pretty cold, and the girls didn't want to wear coats over their pretty costumes to go trick-or-treating, so they decided to stay home and help Daddy hand out candy to those who came trick-or-treating at our house.

Earlier this month, Annah and Sylvia made these decorations for the window of our front door.

Caeden and I headed south on our street to trick-or-treat.  We visited his friend Luke's house, and discovered they had very similar costumes!

We realized it wasn't all that cold, so we stopped back home to see if the girls wanted to visit some other neighbors with us.  Sylvia came along, but Annah was having fun giving out candy.

It's so fun to get out and see our neighbors!

We met another Snow White along the way, one of our sweet little neighbor girls. (Her big sister is one of my piano students.)

Beth, our neighbor across the street turned 15 yesterday, and her parents were throwing her a big Halloween party tonight!  They had great decorations, costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and tiki torches.  Michelle was standing behind their gate yelling, "Hellllllp me!!!!!!!" to get all the trick-or-treaters to come get their candy from her.

Their pumpkins were super cute too.

Our village trick-or-treating time was from 3:30-7:30, so we finished and came home to greet more trick-or-treaters for a long time.  It was great when the kids classmates came and were so excited to realize whose house they were at.

Happy 9th Birthday Annah!!!!!!!!!

Our Annah turns NINE today!  She is such a special, wonderful girl, and we love her SO much!  She wanted to have friends for a slumber party to celebrate her birthday.  She had a fever Tuesday and Wednesday, and so missed both those days plus Thursday at school.  But, she was fever-free Thursday, so all her friends parents allowed their daughters to come, thankfully.  (She tested negative for the flu, too.)

I was surprised by how excited the kids were to decorate their places at the table.  I had sprinkled "pixie dust" (sequins) down the center after I covered the table with blank newspaper.  I gave them stamps and markers to use, and they were thrilled! 

They also liked having their own spot to sit each time we ate, and where they could leave their cups and go back to them.  Their artwork was so cute.

Annah's spot

Hannah's place -- All the 3rd graders practiced their cursive writing.

Ashley's -- She listed her friends and wrote some of her toughest spelling words.

Brooke's tree -- She glued some of the sequins on to accent her name.

Sylvia's spot -- She loves to draw and decorate.

Pizza for supper!

Silly girls!  It's so fun to be with friends!

Brooke was so funny; she wanted to jump in every picture. 
Annah was opening gifts here...We gave her some Mickey Mouse earrings with her birthstone, and a CD of the music from the Disney World "Wishes!" fireworks, which were one of her very favorite parts of our trip.

We knew she would love her new robe; she was very excited about it!  I think Hannah liked it too.

This girl loves comfort...new soft fleece jammies!

We made caramel apples!

We do it the easy way, with wraps...still super yummy!

I have no talent for cake decorating whatsoever, but Annah loved her Tinkerbell cupcake cake from Wal-Mart.

Our precious 9-year-old girl!

Cake & ice cream time!  Annah picked Butterfinger ice cream for her party.

Girlie fun times!  They spread their sleeping bags on the living room floor and played Barbies and watched Barbie the Island Princess.  (The boys went upstairs and watched Return of the Jedi.)

The girls were giggling and whispering until about 10:45, and I'm not sure how much they really slept after that.  I heard some of them up and whispering around 4am, and they were all up by 7:20.

We had apples and cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  The girls watched the Tinkerbell movie and played some Mario Kart Wii before they all had to get home.

Annah was elated to have her first slumber party, and I was glad for her to have time with 3 great friends who all got along well, had fun together, and helped her celebrate her birthday.  So many blessings!

A new adventure -- Asthma

We have been on a new adventure this week.  For a while, we have thought Sylvia probably has asthma.  We have talked with her pediatrician about it a couple times over the past year or so, and he had given us a couple sample inhalers for her.  She hadn't used one at all until we went to Orlando last month.  There, she used it 2 or 3 times per day, and woke me up at 1am one night because she was coughing so hard I thought she'd choke.  The inhaler seemed to help, although she has trouble using it.

This past Friday night/Saturday morning she woke me up crying at 3:30am, saying she couldn't get to sleep because she couldn't stop coughing.  We tried the inhaler, but she was still coughing and when I listened closely, I could tell she was wheezing.

So, I took her to the doctor Saturday morning.  The doctor did 2 nebulizer treatments, and she was still coughing and wheezing some.  So, she prescribed an inhaler with a spacer (to make it easier for Sylvia to breathe the medicine in) and told to use it every 4 hours for 24 hours, and also Orapred (oral steroids) for 5 days. 

I had her stay home from her best friend's birthday party (I know...mean mommy!) and she rested all afternoon.  She seemed to feel better, so we went to the Fall Festival.  Sunday, we continued with the inhaler and rest. 

Monday morning, she still seemed to be coughing and had a wheeze and just looked exhausted, so we went back to the doctor.  Doctor then did more neb treatments and then said her left lung sounded more congested than the right (They had sounded equal on Saturday, she said.), so she sent us for a chest xray to rule out pneumonia!  It was clear.  Since it was still tough for Sylvia to do the inhaler even with the spacer, she prescribed a nebulizer machine for us to have at home...every 4 hours...and wanted to see Sylvia back on Wednesday.

(Monday evening Annah started feeling like she had a sore throat, and a low-grade fever.  I gave her Tylenol and checked on her every 4 hours when I was up with Sylvia doing her treatments.  She was fine through the night.  About 6:30 she woke up dripping with sweat, and scared to death of the dry, barking cough she suddenly had.  I gave her warm water to drink and that calmed the cough down right away.  Her temp was at least 103 though, so I gave her more Tylenol.  I took her to the doctor (Tuesday), mostly because of all the flu that is going around, and knowing that Sylvia is more susceptible with asthma.  They share a room.  They did a flu swab, and it came back negative.  So, they didn't treat her.)

Wednesday, we went BACK to the doctor (Yes, the FOURTH trip in 5 days--a 40 minute drive from our house.) for Sylvia's asthma check.  Even with liquid oral steroids and neb treatments every 4 hours, she was still coughing and had wheezing!  Doctor said this has taken too long to get over!  She extended her Orapred 3 more days and added an antibiotic just in case...and said to continue neb treatments every 4 hours.  (Maybe she isn't getting over it because she's so tired from being awakened every 4 hours!?) 

Whew!  SO, we are learning about asthma.  Today is going better.  After Sylvia was ready for school I listened to her lungs and finally did not hear a wheeze!  She is much perkier, has better color, and now has a crazy big appetite from all the steroids.  We have another appointment tomorrow, just in case, but doctor said if she isn't coughing and wheezing we don't have to come.  She will just do treatments 'as needed' from now on.

Annah has no fever today, although she had to stay home from school since she still had one last night.  She has finished all her make-up homework and cleaned her room today.  She's feeling very good.  Whhhhhhhhhhhhew!!

Caed's pumpkin

Miss Sandi loves to spoil Caeden--in a major way.  She gave him this jack-o-lantern from her trunk-r-treating trunk Saturday night.  We kept it in the refrigerator, and got it out this evening just as it got dark.  Caeden was so happy to have it lit on the porch!  Thanks "Grandma" Sandi!

2009: A Space Festival -- To Infinity & Beyond!

The largest event our church holds each year is our fall festival.   (2008 Fall Westival)  -- (2007 Costumes) It's an awesome event, and we always love to be involved in some way.  This year, Jeremy headed up the greeting team.  I baked cakes for the cake walk.  The kids couldn't wait to get there!

They loved the costumes I picked out for them yesterday!  Whew, I was glad!

Caeden is a Clone Trooper from Star Wars: Clone Wars.  Don't you love how he doesn't care his face is totally being smashed by his mask?  He thinks it's awesome. 

Sylvia, always our princess, is Snow White!

Annah is Tinkerbell.  She loved getting to wear makeup, and acting ornery for the camera.  Yes, Annah can be ornery; it's true!

Can we go NOW?!!!!!?!!!!?

Noah was walking around inside and outside the church all evening doing up-close magic tricks for people.  The kids loved this trick where he put one ball in his hand, one in one of Annah's hands, and then his disappeared and both of them ended up in Annah's hand!  He did it later with Sylvia, and she was amazed!

"Grandma" Sandi spoils our kids every Sunday morning with donuts, sends the kids cards at every holiday, and even had special treats just for them inside her car besides the treats she was giving all the other kids.  She definitely spoils our children!!  (And she's definitely not a witch!) She also gave Caeden one of her jack-o-lanterns at the end of the night!

 

Star Wars buddies...Caeden the Clone Trooper and Kevin as Darth Vader

Our friends the Davis family are so creative!  They had my favorite costumes of the whole festival...H1N1 "Swine Flu" and Dr. Mom!  Hahaha!  They had piggie snouts too, of course, but I just loved their curly piggie tails!  Too funny!

The theme for this year's festival was "2009: A Space Festival -- To Eternity & Beyond!"  The decorations team worked for at least a month to make decorations and create a spacey atmosphere inside the church.  It looked awesome!  This was the view for those who came in the front door of the church. 

 

 I think the astronaut is made out of either garbage bags or white plastic table skirting.  It looked so cool though!!!!  And they made lots of these big beautiful stars! 

 

 One view of the gym area, where there was a free supper, guessing games, and a cake walk.

 

I didn't take a lot of photos, but Pastor Scott did 3 magic shows and the EPIC band played some rockin' tunes.  TWENTY FIVE people accepted Jesus as their Savior tonight, 12 of them for the first time!  I am so glad to have all these new brothers and sisters in Christ, and pray I will have the opportunity to help some of them grow in their spiritual walk!  What a great night!

Fall in the front yard!

Every year I try to take photos of the kids in the leaves in the front yard.  (2008) I just snapped a few quickly today.  It's been so cold (in the 30's and 40's) for the past couple weeks, and rainy, rainy, rainy.  We haven't had much chance to get out in the leaves! 

And check out the huge pumkpin Krampa brought us!  It grew volunteer in his garden!  We are grateful for it!

Caeden and his Sylvie are good buddies!

I feel know I am so blessed!  Thank you, God, for these gorgeous, precious children!  I love them each so, so, so, so much!!!

All of us together

This morning we went to Homecoming service at church.  Afterward, some went to Menard's to pick up some more shakes for the work on our house.  (It's coming along quickly now!  I will post pictures in another post--maybe after it's all done! ;)  We all gathered back at our house for brunch.  Dad had brought us 2 dozen fresh eggs from his chickens, and the kids were so excited to try them!  I made scrambled eggs, biscuits and sausage patties, and we were quite full.  Yummmm!

The girls were asked to play their violins, and they obliged.  They even played a couple songs together, which is a thing they've recently discovered they now enjoy!

Caeden showed Krampa how to play Wii Mario Kart!

Love these guys so much!  Thank you, precious family, for traveling far to spend time with us!

All 10 of us together