Dear September

Dear September,

How are you already almost over? I keep thinking it is still summer, but I must have blinked and you made the switch to fall. I am enjoying the cooler weather, especially now that I get to snuggle up under blankets at night. I am also enjoying crocheting again, which is something I always seem to pick up again in the fall.

September, you have made me notice the gaps in my kids' wardrobes that need to be fixed before your good friend October comes to stay. We need to switch out all the shorts for pants and start wearing socks again(blast those socks! I wish I could go barefoot all year!)

A lot of good memories have been made while you were here, September. Clara is talking ever so much. Her favorite thing to say is "no way" and she loves to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". She knows about half of her letters and can count to 3 on a good day. She loves to love Lucas, Anytime she sees a picture of a big, pretty building, she excitedly yells "Temple!". She has gotten much better at folding her hands (never her arms!) and bowing her head for prayers and is trying to say them with me. Her hair is as curly as ever and I never realize how long it is until I give her a bath and wash it. She is growing up so fast and it seems like everyday I stop myself and just hug her for a minute because I don't want to miss out on that.

September, you have been so good to Lucas, too. He has grown so much! I am a little sad that he doesn't fit into his 3 month clothes anymore. He can hold his head up so well and even had his first playtime in the exersaucer. He doesn't love it yet, but I am sure he will, since he loves to be in the middle of the action. Lucas loves to laugh and smile. If you make eye contact with him and smile at him, most of the time he will smile back and start kicking his legs and get very excited. I can't believe my little man is already so big! And when I say big, I mean it! He is about 16 lbs now, though he isn't as chubby as Clara was at this age. He is just as sweet, though. I love to just hold him and cuddle with him.

It seems like the most changes have come for Jordan during your stay, September. He started his law school class, then he started his Health Admin. classes and we have all had to get used to him being gone more. As for me, with fall here, I have to get used to a new schedule too. All those freezer meals I made before Lucas was born are just about gone. I have to start making dinners again! No more sleeping in just a little bit, no more childless trips to the grocery store during the day, and a whole lot more cleaning needs to happen! I think as you leave, September, so does my "I just had a baby" excuse.

September, your stay was far too short! While we wont see you for another year, please tell your good friend October that he doesn't have to rush his visit. There are a lot of fun things that are going to happen when October is with us, and I want to make sure we get to enjoy them all.

Thanks for the great month, see ya next year!

Love,

Crystal

Random August Stuff

I have been meaning to update the blog, oh I don't know... all month! So here is a random post with random stuff.

I made 2 batches of brownies the other day, testing the original recipe against my own tweaks. This picture shows the difference between making brownies while just making brownies and making brownies while trying to help 2 screaming children. They were both delicious, but the top pan definitely looks better!
While I was making brownies, Clara decided to rearrange all the pots and pans in the cabinet.
And this is just a cute picture of cute Lucas being his cute self.
I commissioned my sister Tanya to make Clara an apron so she could help me in the kitchen Here is Clara modeling the apron. So stinkin' cute! Thanks again Tanya! We love it!
If my kids weren't the subjects of the other pictures, this would be my favorite picture! I scored some AMAZING deals at the grocery store! I do love my kids more than I love getting good deals, but some days, I think it is a close call. I paid $24.61 for this lot of groceries. My favorite parts of this are the 19 packages of berries (priced at $.08-$.12 per package)! Those alone would normally have cost me $40-$60, depending on if they were on sale or not. I also got free pizza, free ranch dressing packet, free hot sauce, milk ($1.34/gallon), Warm Delights for $.25 apiece, free Chex Mix, peanut butter for $1.00/jar, loads of produce (carrots, peaches, asparagus, lettuce, summer squash, zucchini, grapes) rice, yogurt, and freezer Ziploc bags. I saved well over $100. It was a great day, and now my freezer is super happy with all those berries in it!
I really like this picture. Clara dumped a cup coarse salt on her face and you can see the little salt crystals stuck in her eyelashes. This little girl sure does know how to get into mischief!
Well, those are the recent happening in the Muhlestein household, hope you enjoyed it!

Swagbucks

Ever heard of swagbucks? Heard of it but skeptical? I decided to give it a try, and I love it! For those who don't know what it is, it is a website that you can do internet searches through (like google). Every now and again, when you search, you are awarded swagbucks. Save up those swagbucks, and you can cash them in for prizes. For example, 450 swagbucks will get you a $5 amazon gift card. And all that just for searching things on the internet like I normally do! I have been using swagbucks since March, and I have already redeemed $50 in Amazon gift cards. I have used those gift cards to make purchases, too, so I know it is legit. The search engine for swagbucks produces results compiled from google and ask.com, so it is a quality search engine. There are also other ways to earn swagbucks to get you those gift cards even faster. Interested in giving it a try? Click on the link below to get started! This is a super easy way to save up for Christmas or other gifts all through the year.

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/ccinderella12

(PS- you get extra swagbucks when you refer people, so if you like this and want to give it a try, please sign up through the link I put up here!)

100 more miles...

About 28 months ago, our friend Ali and I decided to create the 100-Mile Challenge, a race to be the first to run 100 miles.

Well, since then, she has moved, had a baby, her baby has had several heart surgeries (he is doing great now, though!) and a bunch of other stuff.

Since then, I have moved, fathered two children, done two years of law school and a bunch of other stuff.

So, we've decided it is time to start the challenge again to get back in better shape.

You can track our progress on the little box on the right side of our blog.

Happy running!

Happy Birthday Clara!!!

WARNING: This post is heavy on the pictures.

Clara's birthday was on June 20. I should have written this post long ago, but in my defense, Lucas was only 12 days old on Clara's birthday, so I am just proud of myself for getting her birthday done! And as for the tardiness of writing about it, better late than never!

Here are pictures from Clara's birthday photo shoot. I love her scrunched up face smile! That is what she does pretty much every time we ask her to smile.

Like any kid, Clara really enjoyed opening her presents.

We went with a summertime theme for her birthday this year, so most of her presents revolved around summer activities. She got a beach ball (thank you Grandma Muhlestein!)

She got sand and pool toys and sidewalk chalk (thank you dollar section at Target!)

She got a cool doll that has clothes that snap on, so she can change the dolls clothes all by herself and a purse to put her doll and the clothes in. (Thank you Grandma Sorensen!)

Do you think she likes it?

And for the grand finale, she got a sand box!

After presents, we went outside and enjoyed some yummy birthday cupcakes

Then the kids enjoyed the sandbox and toys.

It was a great day! We are so blessed to have Clara. She is such a good girl and has become such a good big sister! We love watching her learn new things. She has such a sweet spirit and is so kind and gentle and yet so rambunctious and ridiculous. Everyday is a new adventure with her and I am so thankful to be her mother! Happy Birthday Clara, we all love you!