Birthday Weekend

We celebrated Matt's Grandma Elaine's 80th birthday last weekend as well as my brother, Scott's, birthday. It was also our first meeting with our little niece and cousin, Kinley. It was a fun weekend!

Happy 23rd Birthday, Scottie!

Happy 80th Birthday to Matt's Grandma, Elaine! What a Wonderful woman she is...patient, kind, humble, and full of wisdom.

I had to snap this moment of sweetness between Sophie and Sawyer. :)

Elaine with her Great-Grandchildren.

The Sheffield-side Grandkids...Lainey, Aldyn, Sophie & Sawyer. It was a beautiful day outside!!

Welcome, Kinley!

Congratulations to my brother, Russ, and his wife, Mandy! My newest niece wasn't due to arrive until November 10th but made her appearance early. We were so blessed to get to meet her this weekend. What a little sweetheart!!! I just loved cuddling her. Keaton is a super big brother. The kids have such a great time playing together. It'll be so much fun watching Kinley grow and try to keep up with this crazy bunch! :)

We love you Russ, Mandy, Keaton & Kinley!

Kinley Jo Wemhoff
10.28.09
7 lbs. 6 oz.
20 1/4"

Proud & protective big brother, Keaton

Sophie thought Kinley was "just precious"

Lainey completely LOVED her and asked if her eyes were opened yet when she was first holding her. :) (She thinks new babies are like puppies and kitties...they can't open their eyes when first born...too cute.)

Snip 'N Clip

So...what does Sophie want to be when she grows up? Well...after this weekend, the answer might be a beautician.

Sophie took herself and her Baby Belle doll to her own little Beauty Salon...a.k.a. her room. She took my scissors that she was using to do a craft and then hid it in her room. During her "nap" she went to work on her hair. And, we're not talking a little trim. You'll see in the pictures...she did quite a job on herself. Then, she hid the hair under her dresser (as if then I wouldn't notice!! I wonder what was going through her little mind?). All I could do was laugh. Good thing this will all be captured for eternity in our family pictures scheduled for November 22. :) Thank goodness it's just hair...and hair grows back. :)

You know...her spunky new do does fit her personality. But, we are now beginning the long tedious process of growing it back out. :)

Ahhh....little Sophie.



Here is some of the hair we pulled out from under her dresser.

Sophie's self-cut from the front...

...from the back...

...from the right-side...

...and from the left-side. :)

I didn't touch a thing but just chopped off the long piece in the back. I wanted to do as little as possible. I knew the professionals had little to work with...so I didn't want to make it worse!

My cousin, Holly, did an emergency cut from her house for us. She owns a salon in Lincoln. It's a cute cut given the circumstances (If she wouldn't have cut all her bangs clear up to the scalp, she wouldn't have done a half-bad job)...but I do have to do her hair every morning...you should have seen her bed head today! :) Sophie decided she can have a dressy look (in the black) or a "not-so-dressy" look in the blue...and wanted to make sure I put both in the pictures. So, I'm obliging. :)

I couldn't end the blog without a before and after:

Sophie at her class party on 10/27 and Sophie today 11/3

Trick-or-Treat!

Happy Halloween!

What a fun night we had this year! The kids were SO excited! Even Sawyer was so into it, running up to the houses..."Trea or Treat!" We were so lucky to have a nice night after a pretty yucky week. Matt and I had a meeting for church part of the day, so we were lucky enough that my parents came up to babysit. They got to come out trick-or-treating with the kids too...which the kids were thrilled with and made the night extra-special for them.

Now...if I can just keep my hands out of their candy bags! :)


Our 2009 Halloween Treats!

Lainey specifically wanted to be a nice witch this year. Her only request was a cape...but she also really loved the hat and fun broom we got to go with the outfit. This will get LOTS of use in the dress-up box, I have a feeling!

Sophie was the pink poodle Lainey was last year. She LOVED waggin' that little tail. Her little poodle ears were supposed to be attached to her pigtails...BUT she hid scissors in her room this weekend and gave herself a nifty haircut during her "nap". (stay tuned for a post on that) :)

Giddy-Up Lil' Cowboy! Sawyer would say, "Yee Haw!" I looked ALL over for little boots for him...finally found them...then you could hardly see them. I got them a little big, so if you see him wearing boots with shorts next summer, I'm trying to get use out of them! :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

Aubrey Lynne Scholl...What a Blessing!

What a blessing! October 14th, my niece, Aubrey Lynne Scholl arrived!

8 lbs. 9 oz.
20"

My little sister, Kim, and wonderful brother-in-law, Brian, are going to be great parents! My arms yearn to hold her...and soon will as I get to visit them in Seattle in November! I can hardly wait. She's just a little dolly as you can see with lots of dark hair and big cheeks!

God is so good!




Look at that hair!

I just want to kiss all over those chubby cheeks! :)

First sponge bath..she loved her hair washed.

Welcome to the world, little one!

Snow! What?!?

Yep...we had snow...October 10. Seriously...just so not ready for it. But, the kids had a great time outside building a fort and going sledding. OK, now warm up again. I'm ready for short sleeves. :)

Playing in the snow. Sawyer was NOT happy about having to wear mittens...he couldn't pick up a thing! :)

Lainey warming up with hot cocoa.

Humphrey Bazaar!

We made a quick up and back trip to the Humphrey Bazaar the first Sunday of October. Again this year we were not disappointed. We are simply amazed by the incredible meal that is served, the fun games the kids get to play and the prizes on the prize list. It's fun to watch the auction as well and see the beautiful quilts and other items that the sewing ladies work on all year. Of course, I love the country store full of craft items and fresh canned goods. There are just so many people the come together to make this day work. It is truly a love of community.


I rarely saw my Grandma Sunday. It's hard to believe this woman will be 88 this year. Here she is manning the quilt chances table for her couple hour shift. She also cooked food, helped sew the quilts and other handmade goods, sold raffle tickets, of course played some Bingo and other games I'm sure. ...and really who knows what else. I'm sure she had other things that she was commited to. I do know that she had two huge kettles of homemade soup in the fridge for us for supper before we went home...and a sack of cucumbers from her garden for me because she knows home much Lainey loves them. I sure do hope I got lots of her genes!

Sawyer driving the kiddie cars.

Kiddie car ride. I really didn't have my camera with me much that day...just too busy I guess.

Sophie driving the kiddie car.

My mom...still healing from surgery...and Lainey after winning one of her prizes.

Vala's 2009

Well...it's Fall, I think. The weather as of late sure doesn't prove that to me, but sure enough, fall is here. And, with fall, comes one of our favorite places....Vala's Pumpkin Patch. I usually take the kids about three times/week. This year, we haven't been as frequently due to weather and me being sick...but we're hoping that turns around. The kids love it there, and so do I.

What a difference a year makes. Last year Sawyer was never out of the stroller.

Our first picture on the pumpkins. Maybe I'll try to get another this year when I can get them all to look...maybe. :)

Ahhh...sweet, sweet Lainey.

Zander the Dragon.

We tried and tried to get Sawyer to peek through that bottom window. I barely snapped this in time before he was gone again. :)

Riding the bikes...one of the kids' favorite things to do at Vala's.

Sophie on the bike track.

Sawyer got a little help from dad. I'll bet next year's post won't show that. :)

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my kids!

This year we rode the tractor out to the field and let the kids each pick their own pumpkin. They thought it was GREAT!

School Lunch

Lainey is LOVING school...which I knew she would. But, selfishly, I sure do miss her during the day. So, I had to bring her teacher's birthday gift up from the class the other morning (I'm one of the room moms for Kindergarten), and I planned it so we could have lunch with Lainey. It's been a long time since I carried a plastic tray through the lunch line (not as long as some as I did occasionally indulge in the hot lunch when I taught middle school)...but Lainey showed me the ropes as we lined up with her class and walked down to the lunch room. I don't know who was prouder...Lainey as she walked around her classroom and went through the lunchline like a pro...or me, as I watched her at school amongst her friends, following the rules, doing everything she was told. I packed a lunch for Sophie and Sawyer, and they thought it was so special eating lunch AT SCHOOL with their big sister. We even followed her out to recess and played on the playground. What a fabulous afternoon for us!

Naptime?

Our little Sophie quit taking naps at 15 months, but she still goes into her room for part of Sawyer]s nap and is supposed to "rest". Her resting has resulting in some shaky electrical work in the toyroom directly below, pen markings on her walls, a dismantled nightlight (the likes of which I am sure I could not have done myself...and am most positive she could have gotten hurt doing), chapstick circled on the carpet and bedspread, oh and the list goes on.

But, most days, I love to stand at the door and listen to her imagination run wild. I never do know what I will walk in and find with her toys. The other day I encountered her Barbies playing Hide and Seek she informed me.

Then, as we were walking out, she said...oh well, the blue one was Queen of the Mountain too. Ahhh...got it, Soph! :)


I have to wonder what these ladies' conversation was like when the door closed this day? :)

Sickness :(

Well....I am SLOWLY recovering from H1N1...and I do mean slowly. I've been secluded in my house for a full week, 8 days to be exact and ventured out today to run errands only to be completely and totally EXHAUSTED tonight from just my usual everyday living. This stuff knocks you down...but I am now finally albe to be around other people :) and feel like I am living. So, I cannot complain! :) Oh...and Matt is not traveling this week as he was last, so life is good.

But, back to my blogging which has severely suffered...as did laundry, cooking, cleaning, you know...just about everything. :) So, following will be several posts in a row...or as many as I can get done before I NEED to go to bed tonight. :)

Oh...and yet another good piece of news during all this. As of now...I am the only one to get this. So, please pray it stays that way. Sawyer is on Tamiflu, and the girls and Matt have just remained healthy!