Eventful Weekend

The weekend was lovely - for the most part!  Friday night brought with it PJs at 6pm, hot cocoa and a viewing of The Polar Express. Early to bed for everyone - it was quite refreshing.  Saturday we enjoyed the company of the Rabbitts and the Lund gals for the KU KState game (really just a great excuse for a playdate!) Emma and Evan had great fun with their friends :)

Sadly, the camera was not utilized this weekend and oh how I wish I had it on hand....Evan got his first up close and personal "wow wow" experience....read on!

So last night we went to a wedding reception and had a catastrophe - Evan was "dancing" just after we arrived and had a head on collision with a little girl - said girl's dad picked him up and then handed him off to me (I was across the dance floor watching and thought nothing of it as I had just mentioned to another party goer that he could his head could hit a cement wall and he would keep on running) He had a weird cry, arched backward then lost consciousness for an estimated 30-60 seconds (who knows...it felt like an eternity to me...) He was out long enough for me to yell across the dance floor to my mom, navigate across the reception hall and yell to the bartenders to call 911. I cradled him trying to stimulate him but could not till I laid him on the bar and rubbed his chest, then he started rolling his eyes and slowly came out of it. It was a moment I wish on NO other parent EVER!

Of course he was crying vigorously by the time EMS showed up, appeared fine and it caused quite a stir, but there was no way I wasn't going to call for help without knowing what was going on with him. In fact, the first words he managed to utter between screams were "Wow wows!!!" as the ambulance and firetruck arrived. (Kyle said...Yeah, they are here for you, Buddy!)  After an exam in the back of the ambulance (and a new stuffed reindeer curtousy of EMS), we declined an ambulance ride to the hospital and took him to Children's Mercy. Of course, when putting him in the car he protested and insisted "I wanna dance!".  After a thorough exam and a period of observation we came home. He even showed the doctor and nurse his fanciest dance moves before saying "I go party, I go dance!" ... so he clearly remembered what he was doing when he got "a bonk on da had" (as he says it!)

I'm still recovering from the shock of the moment - his little limp body and bluish lips are quite fresh in my mind.  Apparently an "impact seizure" is the least worrisome of seizures and there is no expected lingering effect. So much for my hard headed boy who generally keeps on running after a bonk...lets just hope this isn't his reaction to every cute girl he bumps into!!


Sunday included a trip to our favorite pancake place and a stop at the playground.  We sure appreciate the beauty of each moment when it is, even if just for a moment, jeapordized. Kiss your loved ones goodnight and give them an extra hug...I know I did tonight!

Happy Halloween!

Hope your Halloween was as bootiful as ours was! 

Evan was quite helpful...putting pumpkin guts back IN the pumpkin!

We had a blast all day...starting with pumpkin carving and leaf duty.  After nap we busted out the bounce house, food and spirits and enjoyed the company of the neighborhood parents and kids.  Mommy was too busy enjoying the food, wine and company to take pictures :o


After loads of bouncing fun, we all headed up the street to a lovely chili dinner at the Lillis (former McKnight) house.  Again, great company, fabulous food and TONS of fun (until, that is, Mommy had an asthma attack and had to abruptly leave for a breathing treatment...BOO). Mommy recovered in time to catch the second half of Trick-or-Treating.

The lion, as expected, declared "NO NION COTUME!!!" so he sported his spooky Halloween shirt for the festivities.


Hope your little ghouls and goblins crashed as hard as ours did last night...it was a delightful night of extra sleep!

Paging Dr. Krueger

Some fun pictures of Emma as she "doctored" Papa! He had a small spot removed from his face and was sure that Emma would love to help him clean his incision. She is a natural! She even gave Papa a kiss at the end...just what the doctor ordered!

Who knows, another doctor or nurse in the family? That was yesterday. Tonight at dinner she declared she will be an astronaut that goes to the moon, then when she gets back from space she wants to be an artist...the theme of our dinner conversation you ask?

YOU CAN BE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP :)

Fall Fun

A day without kids = a day to play around with pictures, videos and blogs! What else could be better on a cold rainy day? Well, I can think of lots of other fun things to do but it is nice to have uninterrupted time to putz on the computer. Buckle your seat belts for a long post...I tried to capture the highlights of the past week! First and foremost, however, I want to post a tribute to my parents who recently celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary :) Wowee!

Congrats, Mom and Dad...you have nurtured, supported, guided and enriched my life every step of the way. For all that you do for us, I am forever grateful. WE LOVE YOU!!!

Despite the lingering effects of our illness, Kyle and the kids got out into the yard to play in the leaves. While outside playing, the kids were SO surprised by a visit from MISS WHITNEY! (our beloved friend and babysitter!) She was in town for the weekend and thrilled the kids with several visits.

Cousin Holden, Nana and Papa came to see us Monday for a belated bday celebration...Emma thoroughly enjoyed having a "big kid" to play with!

Emma and Holden celebrated their 4th and 5th Birthdays...

...and delighted in a slumber party!

Finally, I have some visual documentation that we are on the brink of the "terrible/terrific TWOS"! Mr. Mischief is always up to something...

Dress Up!

Evan and Tanner....partners in crime!

Note: There is a reason a child should not be left unattended in his/her highchair...

Left in his highchair with a PB&J, I run down to switch laundry. I come up the stairs hearing Evan declare "I want samich"...I'm thinking, "YOU HAVE A SANDWICH!"

Apparently it wasn't big enough...

He wanted a whole loaf of bread, so he helped himself to one!

I hope this post finds you all well, unaffected by the devilish illness dubbed H1N1 and excited for a ghoulish Halloween!

Happy 4th Birthday to Emma!!!

Last Friday Oct 16th we celebrated Emma's 4th Birthday...HARD TO BELIEVE!!! She is so grown up, independent and such a joy. She has a fabulous imagination and loves to teach her brother how to play. Though we have WWIII occasionally over coveted toys, all in all she is quite eager to show him the "right" way to do things! We celebrated with a birthday lunch at Winsteads with dance and school friends, then had a quiet Pizza dinner at home with Mimi and Papa.

Loaded with new Wizard of Oz Barbie friends (Dorothy, Lion and Scarecrow to accompany our beloved Tinman), a new barn, a Dr. Kit, Polly Pockets and some arts and crafts we were well prepared for a weekend of sickness that followed! Thank goodness for all the new toys...we were all sick and glad to have some new stuff to play with!

Here's to a fun year #4...full of preschool, dance and lots of new discoveries!

Halloween in the Land of Oz!

We've been busy gathering costumes for our Wizard of Oz Halloween. Last night we got to try them on for our neighbor's annual Halloween party. Scarecrow and Tinman definitely win for most authentic...Dorothy's little friends lost her hair so she scrambled for a last minute "Elvira turned Dorothy" wig, while Lion wanted to roar at his get up from a distance! We are enjoying all things OZ at our house and are entertained daily by Scarecrow as he perfects his "performance" for the office costume contest. Happy Fall!

Happy New Year 2009!

Well, if this past New Year's Eve celebration is any indication of the level of excitement we will experience in 2009, then buckle your seatbelts cuz it'll be a wild ride! Our celebration looked a bit like this:
2:30 Babysitter arrives
2:45 Movie (depressing one at that) Valkyrie
5:00 Holiday cocktail party
7:00 Home so the sitter could go out with friends
8:15 Kids tucked in, wine bottle open
9:00 Kyle and I snuggled in on the couch with sushi, wine and Far and Away on TV
9:25 Liz ~ lights out! Kyle ~ into the oldie but goodie movie on TV
12:01 Kyle "Happy New Year ~ lets go to bed" Liz ~ "What time is it/Where am I?"

As I reflect on the passing of 2008 and the 9 years since Kyle proposed, I feel quite blessed to be loved so completely by my husband, kids and family. We are blessed with health, a home, jobs, and the two most clever, jovial and loving kids on earth. What more could one ask for?

So, if this year remains as mundane as the evening on which we welcomed 2009, then that means I will have had the opportunity to cherish life's little moments, and wholly experience what it means to love and be loved. Not bad to look forward to, huh?

We hope this blog finds you all well at the start of this new year. May the year hold continued blessings and cheer for you and your families!