Give Them Tomorrow

World Prematurity Day is observed on November 17 each year to raise awareness of preterm birth and the concerns of preterm babies and their families worldwide. Approximately 15 million babies are born preterm each year, accounting for about one in 10 of all babies born worldwide. Premature birth is the leading cause of death in children under the age of five worldwide.

As you all know, this is a cause that is very near and dear to our hearts. After being born 14 weeks early and weighing less than 2 pounds, our son Finnegan is alive and healthy today. Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick.

In addition to Finnegan's journey, prematurity has had a profound impact on our lives. We mourn our dear friend Logan, who was born too soon thirteen years ago. And our nephews Austin (born 5 weeks early), Zander (born 5 weeks early) and Zachary (born 7 weeks early). Yet we are able to celebrate that Finn's sister Korri, brother Mac, and cousins Ben and Katie were born full term thanks to treatments that efforts like World Prematurity Day bring to the forefront.

What can you do to help? You can easily get involved by going purple — that includes wearing purple to represent the March of Dimes and prematurity awareness, lighting your home or office purple and getting creative to inspire others to raise awareness by going purple. You can help raise awareness on social media by posting about World Prematurity Day, changing your profile picture to a World Prematurity Day one or filter your current one purple and you can make a donation today. Give them tomorrow is a universal call to do something today to help moms and to save babies. You can help us fight premature birth to change lives.

As always, we will be walking on May 13 for March of Dimes to support the March of Dimes and their efforts to end preventable child deaths by 2030! Join us in this global movement to save the smallest among us.

Here's Team Early but Tough (fka Team Finnegan) at a few of our walks:

 

Back to the 50's

Every year, the Kindergarten classes celebrate the 50th day of school by dressing up in 50's style clothing. And Korri just "happens" to have a poddle skirt/dress, thanks to Memere! You see, Korri's American Girl doll, Maryellen, is from the 50's and one of her outfits is a poodle skirt. And because Memere loves American Girl and Korri so much, she got Korri the matching poodle dress for her last birthday!

After Finn did it two years ago, I was all set to MAKE her a poodle skirt (it can't be THAT hard, can it?) but when Lynn mentioned wanting to get Korri one of the American Girl matching outfits, I jumped on this one and had her get a size bigger so she could wear it for this. I'm so forward thinking (OR...lazy...OR...cheap...how can you tell?)! LOL

We did a high pony tail to match but she couldn't find Maryellen's hair scarf to put in it, which would have been adorable. Oh, well. She was going to wear her black dress shoes (she doesn't have saddle shoes) but couldn't find them either, so we went with her school shoes (easier!). I can't wait to see how the other kiddos dress up!! I love special days like this.

Oh, and in case you forgot, here is our little greaser, Danny Zuko, from two years ago:

Double cakes!

Finn and Korri were invited to a double birthday party for their mutual brother/sister friends, Martin (Finn's class) and Maria (Korri's grade and in her dance class). Mac, Reagan and I have gotten to know their mom, Katie and younger siblings this year and when it was their younger sister, Beatrice's birthday last month, I made her some butterfly cupcakes.

And I mentioned that I like to make cakes. So, when planning Martin and Maria's party, Katie asked if I wanted to do their birthday cakes. Yum, yes! I think the last cake I did was Mac's in July! So she gave me ideas on what they are interested in and I said I'd get some ideas to her. We decided on a pokeball for Martin and a Cinderella carriage for Maria.

I used my ball cake pan for both of them and they were actually fairly simple cakes. The hardest parts where 1. making a round cake smooth and 2. getting a long, black fondant ribbon around the pokeball, which Finn helped me with!

Anyway, it was a bowling party and both kiddos had a blast, even though Korri was a little nervous because she "didn't know how to bowl!" Ha, no worries once she got there.

And here are the cakes and the birthday kids.

 

I was told the cakes tasted great (chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream) and that the birthday kiddos loved them. A success and so much fun!

Muffins and donuts

This morning was the annual Muffins for Moms and Donuts for Dads at Finn and Korri's school. It started at the crack of 7:30, which actually wasn't THAT bad, since we left about the same time the bus normally picks the Bigs up (but Jim, Mac and I had to be ready, too!).

We got to school early because we don't have an actual parking lot at our elementary and it gets pretty crazy. Plus, the line goes down the hall and around the corner if you aren't there right away (lessons we've learned!).

After a breakfast of muffins, donuts, grapes and juice, we headed to their classrooms. Since this was Korri's first MFM/DFD event, we let her pick which parent she wanted with her and she picked me (and Mac got to come along with us!). We played with links and made a necklace with a color pattern and Mac found the trains (shocker!!).

Then as a class, we headed to the gym for an assembly by Critters and Company. I thought Mac would like it and we even sat in a spot so he could see everything going on, but I was wrong. There was too much talking and not enough animals for a two year old. I'm sure the message was good but I have no idea what it was. I eventually left early because I couldn't handle Mac. He normally isn't like that, so I decided it wasn't worth it. I felt bad about leaving with saying goodbye to the Bigs, but they were fine!

Other than that, it was a great morning. I love being in school with the kiddos and see what they do there. Next year should be easier for me because Mac will likely be in...PRESCHOOL! GASP! My babies are growing up too quickly.

Voters

Jim and I had two pretty darn cute voting helpers yesterday:

 

Looks like Goldy voted (voter fraud?!?!) and voting tuckered Mac out! I figured it out that these two will first be able to vote in 2032, which will be a presidential election year! I wasn't able to vote for a president until I was 21 (the year of the whole Bush/Gore fiasco...this election is making that seem like child's play!).

I think other than Thanksgiving, election night is Jim's favorite day of the year (or of the year there are significant elections). I'm serious! I even watched most of the results come in with him (okay, until like 11pm, I mean, I have kids to take care of today!) and was shocked along with most of the country (regardless of whom you voted for) as the night drew on.

But look, you may be surprised, but the sun still came up this morning! Shocking, I know. Here's the proof, in case you don't believe me.

I'm so over this election. Regardless of whom you voted for, let's come together and pray that Trump does a good job. Wishing he does terribly as a President is like hoping the public defender you were assigned loses so others know how bad he is. But at the end of the day, you're still in jail! Let's make America great again by being good neighbors, being kind to strangers, taking the time to help others, volunteer ANYWHERE, donate to charities that are working to improve causes that are important to you, run for local office, write an actual letter on actual paper to brighten someone's day, smile, listen, chose to be the good. The changes starts with each of us.

Daughter Day!

The boys were at Grandma's all weekend, so after having an overnight at NeNe's on Saturday night, Korri got to spend Sunday and yesterday with Mommy and Daddy! She LOVED the attention. Sunday, after letting us watch the football game, the three of us headed to Costco! I needed a few things and this kid LOVES to shop.

Then on Monday (no school), we decided to go to the mall. Again, she had a blast. She got to play at Creative Kid's Stuff forever, watch clips and color at the Disney Store, try on some silly hats and eat lunch at Leeann Chin while playing games on their iPad. It was fun having just her to think about and feel special.

For the record, she was NOT happy when the boys came back Monday afternoon.

AND...this might be one of my all-time favorite pictures (from the boys' visit):

Bat Family

It all started, as most things do for us, with a trip to Costco. They had the cutest Batman costume and Mac loved it. Trying to be a good parent who demonstrates some self-restraint, I didn't get it. But I kept thinking about it and how if Finn's old Spiderman costume still fit him, that would be super cute together. It was still there the next time we went, so I got it. SO CUTE!

Then Finn said he couldn't find his Spiderman costume (I don't think he LOOKED for it either!) and that he really wanted to be Batman like Mac. Costco happened to have two versions of the costume (one old-school from the TV show and one from the new Batman vs. Superman movie). It didn't take much to twist my arm, so I got it on my next trip there (these trips started in early Sept, I think!). While there, I got Korri a Supergirl costume to go with the boys. Then I got home and while she was gracious about getting a new costume, she also asked why SHE couldn't be Batman, too?!?! Good point. So I exchanged Supergirl for Batgirl on yet another trip there and the rest is history.

Well, sort of. I like to wear some kind of costume when I take the kids around, usually a witches hat, or angel halo or something like that. But I thought, why not go for the Batman theme, too? I ordered a Batman sweatshirt (duh, I'll use it plenty more than just Halloween) and a mask/cape set from Amazon for fairly cheap! So fun. Then Korri asked Jim if he would be Joker. You don't have to ask him twice. We looked at costume stores and he looked online and decided he liked the Riddler costume better. So NOW the rest is history. Here is our Bat-family:

 

You never know what you're going to get when it comes to the weather on Oct 31 in Minnesota. I'm always thankful when we don't have snow to deal with, which we didn't this year. And while the temperature wasn't very cold (in the 50's), it was very windy and damp as it sprinkled most of the day but held off for most of Trick-Or-Treating, thankfully. I brought the stroller, since this would be the first year that Mac would actually be going up to the houses (last year he was happy to just sit in the stroller and watch all the kids).

 

He did great! He kept getting back in the stroller after each house, which got a little cumbersome. Korri was an amazing big sister and helped him up and down the stairs and held his hand between houses, after I convinced him to walk between houses, which took much less time). I was really impressed with her helping so much.

I love that my kids are ready to be done after 30 minutes. They get a few pieces of candy and are ready to go home and sort it and help daddy hand out candy. Perfect. This year, we told them they could each pick out 10 pieces of candy and the rest was going to school. Their school has a program where money is donated to a food shelf based on how much candy the kids bring in and then the candy is donated for care packages for soldiers! I love that. What impressed me most? Two things. 1. they didn't even squawk about not getting to keep/eat all of their candy. 2. They had a problem with picking 10 pieces, not because they wanted more but because they picked out a few favorites and then had to figured out what other pieces they actually wanted! Also, they each ate ONE piece of candy before bed and didn't even ASK for more. Gotta love 'em. Oh, you'll be shocked to know that every piece Finn saved...was chocolate!!! Ha, ha. Of course it was.

Needless to say, Halloween is a special holiday for us. I love how much my kids love it and how much time we spend together leading up to it and on that day. I can't wait to hear them tell their memories of Halloween's past when they are older. Also, Jim does such an AMAZING job decorating that it just feels super special. Trick-Or-Treaters were taking their pictures in our front yard/cemetery!

Now, to start thinking about what costumes they will let me dress them up in for next year. Any suggestions?

Hijacked Sunday

Sunday didn't exactly turn out like an ordinary Sunday. First, I woke up with a migraine, which isn't super unusual but definitely alters my plans for the next several hours. Second, when I got Mac up, he was barking when he coughed. Crap, this is how it started last fall when we ended up taking an ambulance ride to the hospital and was eventually diagnosed with Croup. Third, Jim was prepping for a colonoscopy which meant he was pretty tied to our "bedroom."

After listening to Mac for about thirty minutes, I just looked at Jim and said I'm taking him to Urgent Care. I remembered how quickly it progressed last time and while I'd rather wait until Monday and take him to our clinic, I also didn't want to spend the night in the ER. Thankfully a clinic in Buffalo has Sunday hours, so Mac and I headed there. Keep in mind...other than barking, he seemed 100% fine. He was flirting and entertaining everybody from the receptionist to the nurses and other patients!

They listened to his history (he'd never been to this clinic before, so they didn't know it) and based on what I told them and how he sounded, the PA decided to give him a steroid shot for Croup, which helps reduce swelling in the throat area. Great. Oh, and he had a "severe" ear infection in his left ear. Super great! She said new research is showing that most ear infections are actually viral and they are trying to get away from prescribing antibiotics for them, but given his history with ear infections, we both agreed to give him one! I didn't want it to escalate, even though it would not help with the Croup at all.

So Mac and I got back home around 1ish. My migraine at this point had diminished (THANKFULLY!) to just a regular headache, which makes being able to "mom" much easier. Jim still had his "issues" the rest of the day, which left him not able to help much in any other area. I was able to go to a meeting at church and that was about it.

Today, Mac's fever is up but his cough sounds much better. Croup takes a while to run its course, but I hope it is swift and doesn't get worse before it gets better. His temp was 102.7 degrees when I put him to bed tonight, which I don't like at all. Argh. No Reagan nor ECFE for tomorrow. Could be so much worse, though. Again, so thankful I brought him in when I did.

Mac waiting at patiently at Urgent Care Sunday morning. Always my happy boy, even when sick. Poor guy.

Delivering the tree

I have an epic idea for our Christmas card photo this year. Full disclosure: I stole it from Pinterest, but it still kind of counts as my idea, right? I'm going to try to execute it. That should count for something. And the kids are super excited about it (praise God!).

We've been waiting for the perfect weather and it just isn't happening. We need it to be not raining (duh), not windy (it's been so freaking windy!), partly cloudy and not too cold. Hmmm...sound easy enough! Oh, and three kids who are in great moods and being extra cooperative! Good thing Jim and I are brushing up on our Nurtured Heart Approach for parenting!!! We are going to Nurture Heart them like crazy so they do what we want!

Here is a sneak peak:

I'm hoping to get the cards printed in the next couple of weeks, so fingers crossed for at least a good window of time for these pictures to get taken and the kids' excitement doesn't wear off before then! And of course, that they turn out as hoped.

Be sure to give me your address if you aren't already on our Christmas list!!

School pics!

I always wait with bated breath for school pictures to come back. I mean, I know that unless there is something horribly wrong, the little things that make you cringe now will make you laugh/smile later. But still! I was spoiled for so long with such amazing photos of them when they were younger that I have a hard time letting it go.

Also, it doesn't help that the girl has glasses (photo strike 1), long hair (photo strike 2) AND tends to be squinty and squish up her face (photo strike 3)! Why she does this? I have no idea! I even have practiced with her in the mirror. Candids are great but posed pictures are rough.

But this year, I needn't have worried. They are both adorable. Yes, I feel like Korri's isn't perfect, but it IS the perfect Kindergarten picture. I think back to my sister Kristine's Kindergarten picture that my mom talks about and it is honestly the CUTEST picture ever, but apparently they had her leave her outdoor sweater on and didn't comb her hair or something. I kind of feel that way about Korri's, but she's so darn cute, it doesn't matter. It'll look adorable on the wall at her high school graduation :)

And Finn and I weren't sure what shirt he should wear this year. We decided on a solid, somewhat bright color and I think it really paid off! Especially with the blue background. I LOVE his buck teeth because that is who he is this year. Before too long, there will be a school picture with braces, I'm sure (cringe...both wallet and photo!!). Also, doesn't he look ridiculously old all of a sudden? When did that happen?!?!

For your viewing pleasure:

Finn=Second grade (7 1/2yo) and Korri=Kindergaren (5 1/2yo).

Note to future self: don't braid Korri's hair the night before and think it will be photo ready the next day! #momfail

Jack-o'-lantern time!

Okay, so we didn't do ANY jack-o-lanterns but we did "do" pumpkins! Last year on a whim, we got decorating kits at Target and they were so easy and the kids loved them. So we did it again this year. Friday after school, we headed to Target so they each could pick their own out. Korri and Mac picked theirs in seconds: Korri=Elsa from Frozen and Mac=BB-8 from Star Wars, whom he LOVES! Finn, as usual, had a harder time and by the end of the trip, I gently convinced him to do a dinosaur. He'd been talking about doing one for weeks but then was distracted by the other kits that were available.

While daddy put up the outdoor decorations, the kids and I decorated pumpkins.

Finn's paint didn't cover well at all (and he didn't listen to his momma who told him to just paint the front first!), so Jim ran out Saturday morning and picked up some spray paint, which worked wonderfully well!

My three little pumpkins with their pumpkins:

And daddy and Korri actually carved a pumpkin and used the kit I picked up randomly at the grocery store:

Mine is still sitting on the counter. Maybe I'll do minimal this year and keep it plain. Hmmm...deep thoughts.

Oh, you HAVE to come see the grave yard scene Jim created in our front yard. This doesn't even do it 10% justice: