Teeth & Fevers

It's been teeth & fevers around here.

Owen has three new teeth this past month or so - 1 on bottom & 2 on top, so now 8 total! And yesterday, Samwell had to have 3 lower teeth extracted!

Owen has been running a fever since Tuesday, and this afternoon Tessa has a fever too.

So, all the kids are on meds this week (Samwell with the most meds - go figure).

Just livin' the American dream!

Ding Dong - The Helmet Is Gone!

Owen got his DOC Band off. Gone for good. His head looks amazing. We are so glad we did it. He was such a trooper through the whole thing. He has even asked for "hat" (& patted his head) a few times as I was putting him to bed.

Halloween

It was Pink Butterfly & Green Dragon this year. Nice warm costumes for a very chilly Halloween here.Angel & Winnie The Pooh too!Nannie & Gramps even made an appearance this year as Ketchup & Mustard!Here is our kid crew: Tessa, Owen, Catherine, Logan, Finn & Connor.This is how Owen rolls.Our posse. (Notice Wolverine)Tessa so thrilled with all her treats!

Haircuts

It was time for haircuts. Owen is getting his helmet off soon & it is too long on top to spike.

Here is Owen BEFORE: (with cupcake frosting as his hair gel!)And Tessa BEFORE: just up from a nap. Sooo ready for only her second haircut EVER in life!Owen AFTER:Tessa AFTER: (I love this sweet smile.)

Beauty & The Beast

It was Mommy & Tessa date night, so I took Tessa to see her first musical! One of the local Jr. Highs was doing Beauty & the Beast. She sat on my lap the whole time & really enjoyed it. She said her favorite part was "Belle's yellow dress" and the "dancing candle girls".

Elmo Obsession

From the time this boy wakes up until it is time for bed, all this boy wants to do is watch "Elmo". He carries around the DVD case and points the tv and whines at us (see second photo). Tessa liked Elmo at this age too, but NOT to the extreme that Owen does. He is obsessed! In fact, it is the only video he will even sit still for! (which isn't always a bad thing.)

Three Sides Of Owen

GOOFYMADCRAZY (yes, that is the ring from the potty seat - ick!)(All in about three minutes time.)

Royal Oak Farm Orchard

My friend told me about this apple orchard place about 45 min. from our house, so we had a family outing! We mainly went for the other entertainment - train ride, petting zoo, merry-go-round, cafe, etc. But also managed to pick an apple on our way out. ha

Tessa to the goat: "Hi, I'm Tessa, what's your name?"This is how Owen likes to go down slides...We rode on this cute little train and the kids thought it was amazing.Tessa was ALL about the merry-go-round of course!We ate lunch at the yummy cafe & the kids were a crack-up as usual.Oh ya, and picked an apple on the way out!

Daddy Daughter Dance

Each Sweetest Day, our park district holds a dance for Dads and their Daughters. This was the first year that Tessa was old enough, and we were both looking forward to our "Special Date." We had been talking about it all week and she was getting more and more excited as the week went by. Although she thought we were going to a ballet, she knew she was going with just Daddy, "Not Mommy and No Owen." After we got home from the hay ride, it was time to get ready. She was thrilled to have Mommy curl her hair and wear a pretty dress. As I came downstairs, I saw my little princess waiting for me. Wow...where has the time gone? Before me was my beautiful daughter glowing and grinning from ear to ear.Tessa was very anxious to go, so she was not too happy to sit for pictures when she saw that I was ready to go.This was our first dance picture. While we were waiting to have our picture taken, she asked "Can I dance now?" So we both started dancing while waiting in line for our Polaroid. We got some funny looks when she said "Daddy, shake your booty," but we laughed and goofed around even more.After we got our picture taken, we headed straight to the dance floor. She has quite a bit of her Mommy in her, because she marched straight to the front and started dancing...this girl is not a wallflower when it is time to dance! After a few songs we decided to walk around a get a little snack. Tessa LOVED that they had Pink cupcakes that had a nice little Pink heart ring on them. Then she discovered punch...wow, she downed an entire glass in one breath!Back to dance...this time, the Chicken Dance...always a crowd (and Nacke family) favorite.After a few dances together she noticed that there was a group of girls that were dancing around in a "Running Dancing Snake" and was intrigued. Although tentative at first, she finally jumped out and jumped in line. She made quite a few passes around the gym and was laughing and giggling the entire time. As she came around a corner she saw me and broke from the group and ran to me.
As the night wore down she was getting quite tired and I could tell that all the fun had been had.Our first Daddy Daughter Dance was a night to remember. Although I reached my yearly quota of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift songs...it was all worth it. As I stood there and watched her dance, I couldn't help but to get a bit misty. My little princess is growing much to quickly and I can't slow it down. I tried to enjoy every minute of our time together because although she's a Daddy's Girl, there may come a day where she doesn't want to do things like this with her goofy dad. Until that day comes, I'm going to soak up every opportunity I get!

[Mindy here: I'd just like to say that I had nothing to do with this! Cory read about it in the brochure & went down to the park district to sign them up with no pushing or encouragement from me at all! Just makes me so proud, blessed and thankful that the man I married is such an amazing father to our kids. I too shed a few tears that night - it was pretty precious.]

Hay Ride

Went on a family hayride with my MOPS group. Was quite chilly, but we survived. Wasn't the highlight of our weekend, but something fun to do.Tessa making "Hay Angels"I think maybe I got the wrong size hat for Owen...

Painted

So, Cory & I (but mainly Cory) took on a huge project this summer. Painting the exterior wood trim on our home (and garage door too). With our home being about 6 years old, and the entire neighborhood painting their trim, we knew it was time. After a good powerwashing, lots of blue taping and two coats of paint, and juggling our crazy schedules...our home has a new look!

BEFORE... Quite blah. (started in July)
AND NOW...
Has some depth & dimension! (finished September)
My favorite part - I painted the front door black! Matches our black lights & new black plant pots (don't laugh at my fake flowers, I already killed the mums previously in there! And our morning frost does not help in keeping flowers alive this time of year.)

House Projects

Just wanted to share a few house projects we completed this summer. Thanks to my amazing father-in-law who built me the things I needed to make my vision become a reality!

The first is in our living room which has a 2-story wall. It was so bare & empty - we had to do something big - but not obnoxious. I got the "stick" idea from a friend, but thought it needed some color behind it. I got the fabric in downtown LA last time I was in CA, and Bill built the frames for the fabric. My mom helped me do the twigs, Cory & Bill hung it and Wha-La~! I call it "burn pile". It makes the room look really nice.
The second, window valances? Not sure what they are called, but Bill built them & I covered them with batting & fabric. It goes great in our kitchen with all of my cobalt blue glass collection (not shown).

Naptime First

I have NO idea what got in to Samwell today, as he decided to hop in bed with Tessa as I was putting her down for her nap today. As most of you know, Samwell usually wants NOTHING to do with the kids, and enjoys them from afar most of the day. I don't know if he was cold, or just looking for love, but Tessa sure enjoyed it.
Although, I knew she would never fall asleep with him there, so a few minutes later, I kindly ushered him out. Poor Samwell.

Pumpkin Pie

Since Fall is well upon us, and Halloween and then Thanksgiving are right around the corner, I figured we'd get into the spirit while baking a pumpkin pie. While Mommy was at work, Tessa and I jumped right in to our project. She was very careful and curious throughout the entire process and didn't even drop any egg shells into the bowl! After we put it in the oven, it was nap time...but then it was time for pie! Needless to say, Tessa was more interested in the whip cream than the pie! Oh, and what was Owen doing whild Tessa and Daddy baked? Well, he was running figure 8's through my legs...which is now a lot tougher since he has grown! Such a goofball!

Has To Do Everything Sister Does

I've never sung "Yankee Doodle" to Tessa in her entire life. It is not on any of our cds, or videos. So when she is repeatedly singing the first verse of it, I thought she had learned it at school. Well, come to find out she learned it from Dad. He sings it to her when they read her big Mother Goose book.

ANYWAY - so cute I thought I would capture it on video.

Then of course Owen wants in on the action too. Obviously he has no idea what he is doing, but he thinks he is doing what sister was doing - so it's all good.

2nd Dentist Visit

Took Tessa to the dentist today for her six month cleaning. I so wish I had remembered my camera six months ago (the first time she went), she seemed soooo much smaller in the dentist chair than!
She did really good. I think it helps that our dentist is a friend we met at playgroup almost three years ago.
Also, Dr. Nirvana told me that she had 2 of her 2-year mollars already in and I didn't even know they had come in!

Show Me Sign For "More"

So cute - Owen doing the sign language sign for "more". Dad was previously tickling him & he kept doing the sign "more", "more". I missed that part, but got a few other cute words.

Tessa's First FIELD TRIP!

Tessa had her first FIELD TRIP! Instead of preschool this day, we were to just meet at the pumpkin farm. They took us out into the field in a wagon pulled by a tractor. The kids each got to pick 1 small pumpkin & 3 gords. They also showed us where they clean the vegetables, box & store them. The kids got to visit the animals and other attractions. It was cold & bit rainy, but Tessa had so much fun. We were so thankful Daddy could join us too! Owen was cold & ate snacks the whole time. boys. One of the new attactions at the pumpkin farm this year is a Corn Silo. Basically a small silo filled with corn (like a sandbox). Needless to say, Tessa climbed right in & started making "Corn Angels" (Only in the midwest can you do that!) She was sooo in her element. I think it reminded her of the sand at the beach!I love this photo with a piece of corn flying in the air (by her hood), and her ankles crossed in back.

Blonde Hair...Blue Eyes

Whose kid is this anyways? KIDDING!
Here is Owen & all his cuteness at the field trip. He is so fun & always down for whatever.

Crafts for Two

I try to have some sort of craft fun with these two everyday. It is getting easier and easier as Owen gets older, but sometimes still a challenge. (Owie likes to take "bites" out of crayons, etc.)
I honestly don't know what these two would do without each other. They are the best.