I took the plunge, puppy and caught up

Three things that don't go together, right? They don't just three things that happened in the last day.
First, yesterday I took the plunge...to one nap a day for the kids. They did well and it felt good to have 2 straight hours to myself. Normally someone was up within an hour of going down when we had 2 naps. So it will be nice to have some quiet time to myself. We are still working out all the bugs but so far things are going well.
Second, Alex started saying puppy clearly yesterday...it was all he would say. Now he has said puppy for awhile but not clearly for others to understand. So another exciting step in growing up.
And third, I am FINALLY caught up on the blog. I thank you all for your patience. In the last two days I have put 8 posts on the blog to try to bring everyone the current in events in our household.
I hope you have enjoyed the posts and pictures. I will try to keep up now that I have a little "free time".
Love, Jen

Can someone remind me why we have toys?!?!?

Some days I wonder why we have toys for these monkeys. It can range from ice cream buckets to tupperware to hangers.
Monday the kids decided the best thing to play with was the laundry baskets...and of course each one needs their own (good thing I do a lot of laundry and need a lot of baskets...lol)!
Now this is a LARGE load of laundry...lol!
Hope you enjoyed the pictures.
Love, Jen

A trip across the state...

This last weekend was a busy one. Due to not making it across the state the first weekend, we made plans to go this weekend. After finding someone to take my hours at work, it was all systems go. Jeremy worked extra hours during the week so he could have a half day on Friday. After packing up everything we need to function we headed over to my parent's place first. My mom had Great Grandma Kedinger out from the nursing home for a few hours. The kids have not seen her since November last year(way too long ago). And they have changed SO much! So we stopped for a short time there and then headed out to venture across the state. Although we were running late we made it in time for dinner with Nana, Papa, Aunt Jeanne, Uncle Brent and their three cousins Mackenzie, Morgan and Madalyn. Saturday was filled with seeing the kids' other 2 great granparents. The kids were fascinated with Nana's magnets on the fridge, so that was the "hot" toy for the weekend. Although the kids had some sleeping issues, a good time was had by all. Here are some of the pictures from the weekend.
Love, Jen
The kids were all sitting nicely until the camera came out...then they scattered...go figure!
Liz tried on many shoes...do I smell a shoe fetish?!?!?

Here are 4 generations of Lenzendorfs...
And 4 generations of Pluemers...
The kids looking out the window watching the fish in Nana's pond...
Zach playing with Papa...he climbed up there himself...

They were EXHAUSTED byt he time we hit the road home...Shrek had to help hold Zach's head up...

Alex was in the middle of reading...
and Liz gave up on drinking from her sippy cup...
But after we woke up...we were hungry...I guess mommy did not get the snack out fast enough...both Liz and Zach resorted to eating their toes :)

Sick children & Rummage & 19 months old

September started out not so great for the kids as they caught a cold. Unfortunately that messed up plans to take a trip to see Nana, Papa, Great Grandma Lenzendorf and Great Grandpa Pluemer. It was a simple cold and they did get over it and we healthy for about 4 days and caught another cold. Again lots of sneezing and snot everywhere. Through both colds the kids had okay moods. Their sleeping was not too messed up due to it being hard to breath. We are getting over this last cold and hope to be fully healthy in a few days.
The second weekend of September was my second rummage of this year. We had a great turnout Friday and got rained out on Saturday although a few sales were made. The majority of the money made is going into the kids college accounts and some will be used to get their first potty chairs. Yes that is right....potty chairs. We have a very aggressive goal of trained by 2 but understand completely that it is not the norm.
The kids are now 19 months old. They are showing more and more signs of being toddlers. They are talking more and more everyday. They are thinning out as well with all their running around. They are doing a great job of sharing and following direction. Of course we are very proud of them.
So here are some pictures from the beginning of September. Enjoy.
Love, Jen
Here is Alex playing with our grocery bags...

You may not be able to tell but here is Liz with a grocery bag on her head..
The kids just chillin...

Alex sitting in the doll chair...
Liz sitting in the doll chair...
Zach playing with Frank...
Alex trying to iron...
Zach on the other hand prefers to beat the ironing board with the screwdriver...
Liz trying on Auntie Jean's shoe...

Alex using Zach as a pillow...
Quick picture of the kids on the rocker...they no longer fit in the chair nicely and they don't sit still long enough...
Kids sporting their Harley outfits...
Kids lounging again...really they do not sit this still all the time :)
Roxy giving Liz kisses...

Roxy trying to sit with Zach...
Tired daddy and doggy...
Liz hiding under sheet...
Liz rocking before bed...
Zach rocking before bed...

Roxy is totally exhausted after 2 weeks of working on Liz's room and the rummage...it is hard work being a dog (or cat) in this house...NOT...
Liz taking time to read some Dr. Seuss...

Harley Davidson's 105th B-day Ride

August ended great for us. I think I have mentioned this before but did not have the pictures. We had an adult day and went on a beautiful bike ride on the 29th in celebration of Harley Davidson's 105th birthday. The weather was perfect - not too warm and not too cool, sun for the whole day. At some points it felt as if we were int he movie regardng some of the scenery. Thanks to my mom and my sister for watching the troops for the day. We were one of 28 bikes in the ride and 2 out of about 50 people. Biggest ride we have ever been a part of so far. Thanks to my Uncle Kevin for setting the whole thing up; it was great! There has been some talk of another ride in the next couple weeks to see the fall color changes. We are looking forward to it! Here are some pictures from the day.

Here is everyone meeting at Uncle Kevin's house...

Our first stop in Elkhart Lake for lunch...

Picture on the go...traveling up a slight hill... many bikes in front of us...and there were more behind us...
and around a corner...
At our second stop...we lined the street...

I know not everyone is a bike enthusiasts, but wanted to share our day.

Love, Jen

Spending time with Alexis

As you may have noticed, we have been spending a lot of time with Auntie Jean and Alexis. Unfortunately my sister is a victim of this great economy. After 10 loyal years of service, she was let go without warning from her job. Good for us, bad for her! The kids get to benefit from this unfortunate circumstance. With being only 2 weeks younger, Alexis fits in here very well. It is hilarious to watch all four of them play, fight, share and learn. We have all gained from the extra time we have been able to spend together. As bad as I want Jean to get another job, I will be sad the day it happens. So here are some of the great pictures of Alexis and the kids. Most of these were taken during the time of working on Liz's room.
Here is Alex and Alexis wrestling on the couch...soon to be on the floor...

Alexis riding on Zach like he is a horse...

oops the horse collapsed...

how about Liz as a horse...Alexis looks like she is having a great time...not so much for Liz...

Another wrestling match this time with Zach...and they are already on the floor...

When all four are together they love to run around the middle of the house - kitchen, hallway, dining room - and it is usually running with something like buckets on our heads or everyone pushing something...we have this on video and it is hilarious! Here is Liz sporting the butter container for a hat...

Alex pulling the lawnmower...much quieter than pushing it ;)....
Zach with the stroller WITHOUT the baby...he prefers it this way...
Windows are always a big hit esp. the one in our kitchen...can all 4 fit on the toybox/bench???
Here the kids were playing in the hallway upstairs as Jean talked with me while I worked in the room. Apparently Alexis wanted the blanket in the bottom of the container. Zach is unsure if he should help her out or push her in...Liz is not going to be part of this...

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. We love having the opportunity to spend the time with both of them. We are extremely lucky to have children the same age and be able to have them grow up together.

Love, Jen

Daddy's hats

For a long time the kids have loved daddy's hats. If he is wearing one and he hugs one of the kids the first thing they do is take his hat. Awhile ago he gave the kids 3 old hats of his. Usually when one starts to play with the hats they all do. They will even make sure that everyone has one. On this day I happen to get them all in the moment of playing. By the way, they put the hats on themselves. What little hams they are!!!
Love, Jen

First Water Colors Painting

My sister, Jean, and I have been trying to get the kids together for some activity time. Well on August 15th (and yes I do know how long ago that was...I am a little behind to say the least) the kids - Alex, Liz, Zach and Alexis - spent the morning creating wonderful pictures. We started out with markers made specifically for toddlers. They are made just for their grasp since they do not know how to properly hold a regular marker. Liz tried to use her red marker for lipstick and mostly dots were the things put on the paper. We will have to continue to teach them how to use them. Next was coloring with just regular old crayons. Some beautiful pictures were created and only a little bit of crayon was consumed (you know they taste great, right?). Next stop was painting with water colors. The kids had an AWESOME time with their new "toy". Below are some of the pictures from them painting. Although they get messy, they had a great time playing. They have since painting again and those pictures were given to Great Grandpa Pluemer and Great Grandma Lenzendorf.
The "in process" pictures - Liz, Zach, Alex and Alexis



The table was first covered in newspaper to "try" to protect it. It works perfect...one adult on each end and the kids looking at one another.

Zach getting a closer look at the color options...
Liz trying to convince me that she did NOT put the brush in her mouth, what do you think?
Alexis also using the paint as makeup...
Alex is a very methodical painter and takes it very serious...he thought to look older a mustache would be appropriate...
Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Again I apologize for the huge delay in posting them.

Love, Jen

Need to catch up...

I just wanted to post quickly that I am working on getting some updated posts done. It has been 2 weeks since my last post and I apologize for that; things have just been crazy around here (or at least it seems like it). So please check back for updates about first finger painting, 19 month pictures, rummage sale, visit to Nana & Papa's and more. Until then here's a picture of the kids using their beloved ice cream buckets as chairs sitting on the toybox looking outside.

Love, Jen

Drum roll please...here it is!!!

I will keep my writing short so you can get to what you really want to see...the pictures! :) After a morning of some serious coloring and finger painting, I am finally getting to posting the pictures. Here you go...

BEFORE...
AFTER...

BEFORE...
AFTER...
BEFORE...
AFTER...

So to explain what I was trying to achieve...my initial idea was to paint it to look like a room in a doll house. The ceiling has slants so I thought it would work to make it look like a roof. Thanks to a helpful hint from my sister, Jean, there are scallops that make it look like a real roof. Color scheme was all girl...as much purple and pink (hey she is my only girl and I only get to do this once before she decides what she wants her room to look like) I could find! :) The first thing I bought for the room was a flower stamp which I was going to stamp on the dresser and white table, but an additional theme developed after buying the curtain rods....butterflies. My mom found a butterfly stamp which I used instead. Some ideas became bigger ideas as I worked and others fell off as they no longer "fit" with the room. One of the blossoming ideas was a special project I did in the closet. The closet was going to have no work done to it but it turn into something a lot better.

AND my special project...


At first I was going to leave the walls white as they were, but then decided after the rest of the room was painted that it needed something more...so it got painted purple....then it came to me that I could make it something special for my little girl...so I stamped the butterflies in it...as I was stamping I had to figure out what number would be good...I stopped at 33 (three's seem to have a place in our family, if ya know what I mean)...but with stopping there I had a patch of purple left over...so as my mind continues to run ideas I cam up with putting a quote...then a quote that had to deal with the theme...and then it it me like a ton of bricks..."You are as beautiful as a butterfly"...I free handed it and left our mark..."Love, mommy & daddy"...to me the closet was perfect much better then leaving it white!
She officially moved into her room yesterday. She laid down on the floor after getting in as if to say this is all mine! She was quite excited for the first nap but after a while she did finally fall asleep, there was no sleeping at the afternoon nap, but she slept through the night. So I think she is dealing well with the change (better then mommy) as are the boys.

So I apologize for it taking so long to get the pictures up. I hope you enjoyed seeing them. Feel free to let me know what you think.

Love, Jen

It is DONE!!! (no pictures...sorry)

After 13 days while watching three kids & dealing with unforeseen problems....I am happy to announce that Liz's room is complete! I have a few little things to handle yet but I am officially calling it done. All big things are completed. We are planning on moving Liz in on Monday night. With going out of town this weekend we did not want to have a rough night prior to leaving so we will wait. We have to take the crib apart in order to move it so it is a little more complicated then just rolling it down the hall....lol!
I cannot believe it is finished and how it looks. It is very weird to see the ideas that were in my head actually work in real life! It felt amazing to be able to pour myself into this for my only daughter. I know she does not know the effort that went into it, but some day she will, which is fine with me. I could not have asked for it to turn out any better.
I owe a HUGE thanks to my mom, my sister, Jean, and my sister, Jackie, for their helping hands. I did not want other people to put their lives on hold to help me, but these gals made extra time in their schedules to help. It would not be done today without their help.
It is amazing how you can redo a room for little money. With re-using things no longer used by family members, shopping clearance and shopping resale shops as well as rummage sale, I was able to work with a small budget.
I am happy to finish the work but still dreading separating the kids. I know it is best to do it now (as I am listening to them not napping in their cribs). No matter when we do it - whether it be now or when they leave for different colleges - it is hard. I hated when they were split in the NICU. I know their bond is much deeper than sharing sleeping space...it gets more noticable everyday. I know they will forever be connected...ok enough sappy stuff as it gets tough to type crying!!!
So next is the rummage sale, which I am almost ready for - just a little pricing needs to be done. So what will be the big project after that??? Well the boys need a "boys" room...not a nursery. Their room will be MUCH easier but needs to be done faster as they will have to sleep in it through re-construction. A little paint, re-organizing the furniture and new decor...ta da...new room for them.
So enough babbling for now. Pictures will be posted on later tonight.

Busy, Busy, Busy

So it only has been a week since my last post but it feels like a lot longer. I will post pictures when I can. We are having issues with the laptop that has all my pictures, so number one priority is to save ALL my pictures. So here is a quick update on the happenings around here.
Most important thing that has taken all of my free time & non-free time has been Liz's room. I eat, sleep and breath getting that room done. It has only been 10 days since I started the project, so I am feeling good about finishing in less than 2 weeks (which I think is pretty good considering I am still taking care of three kids). Right now we have paint on the walls, ceiling and woodwork...all to be finished off today. Then comes the easy part some spray painting of shelves, decorating, hanging blinds and curtains (Jeremy's only job for the project), dying some material and moving her in. I am hoping to finish before Saturday as we will be out of town for the weekend. I am looking forward to unveiling the room to all of you!
This weekend was a busy one for us. On Friday we helped Harley Davidson celebrate their 105th birthday by going on an all day bike ride. We were 1 of 28 bikes in the ride. It was perfect weather....not too warm but not cold...just right! We did not travel too far about 170 miles...north to Elkhart Lake then south to Boltonville then south to Cedarburg then south to Milwaukee and back home. We made stops at each place and ate dinner in Milwaukee. After getting home and seeing the kids off to bed we headed downtown West Bend for the street party they were having. Auntie Jean, Alexis and Grandma watched the kids during the day with Grandpa stopping in for dinner and to help watch them while we went to the street party. It was the MOST relaxing day I (probably we) had in a LONG time. At some points it felt like we were in one of those movies going on windy roads under the tree canopy with all the bikes...ah it was great!
On Saturday Jeremy brewed some Mead with some of his friends and I hung out with their wives. Friends we had not seen in awhile. I had a great time with the ladies and the kids had a blast hanging out with the other kids.
Sunday was my dad's birthday so after working on the room uninterrupted as Jeremy watched the kids, we went over to my parent's for supper. The kids had a great time hanging out with Alexis.
Our Labor Day was like any other day, really. Jeremy worked on some outdoor chores and I took care of the kids and work on the room during naps. So nothing too exciting.
So that is all that is happening around here...once the room project is complete I then move onto pricing clothes for my rummage in two weeks. I am hoping to get pictures up soon so check back often.
Love, Jen