18 months ago...

18 months ago our sweet little boy entered our world. He was tiny for one of our babies (7 lbs 4 oz), brought us some challenges at first, came through like a champ, and has been growing and thriving ever since! 


We love this little man and pray that the Lord will continue to guide us as we strive to teach him, protect him and love him with all our hearts. We are so thankful for our Sammy Boy!

Going, going, going...ALWAYS on the go!

This is what we call Sam's mischievous look...something about his eyebrows! :O)

For those interested (hi Moms!), here are his stats at 18 months:
Weight     28 lbs.    (77th percentile)
Height      33 1/2 inches  (80th percentile)


Let's compare, shall we?
Hannah @ 18 months: 25 lbs, 34 inches
Ellie @ 18 months: 25 lbs, 32 inches

Go to a water park today? Sure, why not?!

Last Thursday morning, fresh from getting out of bed, Brian surprised and wowed me with these simple words, "Do you want to go to an indoor water park today?" To some of you that may not seem that big of a deal, but to me, it was huge! The thought of a little, spontaneous family getaway was so thrilling and amazing I could hardly contain myself!

We packed up in the afternoon and headed out to Key Lime Cove, only about an hour away from our house. Many of you have probably heard of and/or visited water parks in the Wisconsin Dells or even Lake Geneva, WI, but this little gem of a spot, is so close and absolutely perfect for family fun!

We arrived around 5 and entering our hotel room for the night, was like a thrill in itself. The kids went absolutely wild! After a quick bite for dinner, we got right to the water! The kids were so happy and in love with the slides and pools! Unfortunately, the first time Ellie went down the little kiddie slide she went under water at the bottom, which sort of freaked her out for the rest of our stay. But, she would agree to go down (we put a life jacket on to help ease her mind and ours!) if we "caught" her at the bottom...which we did, over and over and over again!

Lucky for Hannah, she was tall enough to ride the big slides with either mommy or daddy and she loved it! She would ride a few big rides with one of us and then we'd all play together in the kiddie area for a bit, before she'd head out again! We played for a couple of hours Thursday night and then headed back to the room for some much needed sleep. Putting 3 little ones to bed all in the same room was quite an experience.  But, I must say, they were so pooped, it really didn't take as long as it could have!

Unfortunately around 4am Hannah woke up crying and complaining that her ear hurt. We tried to calm her down and get her back to sleep, but it just wouldn't work. Finally around 6am, Brian went out to track down some Ibuprofen and ear drops. We thought she had water in her ear or something random like that. After the ibuprofen kicked in, she was MUCH happier and we headed out for some breakfast. After eating a yummy breakfast at Cracker Barrel (Brian first time there ever and my first time in years...), we returned, packed up and headed back to the water park for hours of fun. After a few hours of playing and a little lunch, it was clear that our time at the park needed to come to an end. Hannah was complaining about her ear again and all three were beyond exhausted. It took some prodding and pulling, to get them out of the water and dressed, but we managed. And, thankfully, our trip home was relatively quick and quiet.

Hannah's ear continued to get worse Friday night, so I brought her in Saturday morning and sure enough, it was a full-blown inner-ear infection! Thankfully the ibuprofen kept her happy enough to play, but the poor thing was really in a lot of pain.

So, our little 24 hour trip was just wonderful! It was so special to spend the time away with just our little family and enjoy each other to the fullest. We're looking forward to another water park adventure, but next time would love some company, so if you're up for it, let us know!

*Please be sure to click on the collage to see the images up close! They're too cute to not do it! ;O)

*Ellie is checking out the bed to make sure it will hold her while she sleeps!
*Hannah and Ellie took advantage of the empty stage in the little restaurant we ate at before playing! Love these sisters!
*Sam and Ellie, first one's ready for bed and looking soooooo tired!

*water fun!!!
*the bottom shot of Hannah in the chair was taken in the afternoon when the ibuprofen started wearing off and her ear really started hurting again. She looks so sad here! It didn't help that she had been up since 4 am either!

Words to describe him...

CRAZY, WILD, NUTTY, BANANAS, ADORABLE, SWEET, LOVABLE, HILARIOUS, HANDSOME...the list could go on and on. And no, in case you're wondering, I'm not describing my dear husband, although I can see why you'd be confused. Rather, I'm talking about our little man Sam! ;o)  This boy has got us running in circles!

Actually, we were with some church friends and their kids tonight and as a few of them observed Sammy in all his glory, one of of the other moms declared, "Wow, he is very busy!" On the way home I had to chuckle with Brian at how polite that sounded! I'm sure what she really meant was one of the words I used earlier! :O)

Case in point...I finally went out last week and purchased several safety items needed to "Sammy-proof" the kitchen, the main need being a lock for the oven door. Why would we need a lock for our oven door you may ask? Well, let me show you...

In all seriousness, we love this boy like crazy and would have him no other way! God has blessed us with three amazing children, with three VERY different personalities and it is such a joy to raise them. And, even if I never get to sit down during the day because I'm chasing our little guy, that's okay! I love it!

Fall Baking #2: Apple-Cranberry Spice Muffins

Calling all apple pickers (or buyers!), with a love for easy, tasty "fall" muffins...this recipe is for you! I found this on FamilyFun.com, which, by the way, is a fabulous website for craft ideas, recipes, and a whole lot more! (I wish I got paid to say that!) I tried it this morning for a wonderful group of Mommy's and their kiddos and I think it was a hit! Of course, there were some picky eaters, like my very own daughter, but the Mom's seemed to enjoy this little treat with their morning coffee. Give it a try and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves

• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large Granny Smith apple (or other tart variety), peeled, cored, and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Instructions

1. 
   
   
   
   
   Heat the oven to 400° F. Grease the bottoms only of 12 standard muffin cups.
   
   
   
   
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and sour cream until well blended. Add the egg mixture, apples, walnuts (if you're using them), and dried cranberries to the dry ingredients. Stir just until the batter is blended, then divide it among the muffin cups.
3. Bake the muffins for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before removing them. Makes 1 dozen.
   
   
   
   

Pumpkins, Costumes and Candy, Oh My!

Weekend Fun...

Friday night - pumpkin carving time!

Hannah didn't "carve" one thing. Instead, she played and played and played with the slimy, sticky pumpkin "guts" the entire night! Oh, she'd peek up once in a while to see Daddy's progress, but all she really cared about was getting messy! Ellie, not so much! As you can see by the look on her face in this top picture, she was not too sure about the mess. She wouldn't touch it! Sammy thought it was fun!

Saturday night - Trick-or-Treating!

Our "Snow Fairy" (yes, we TOTALLY made up this costume!), Chicken and Dinosaur were all set to go out in to the cold afternoon to ring some doorbells! Well, the dino stayed home with Daddy to pass out candy, while I took the girls out. We enjoyed running from house to house, just up and down our street and I must say, I'm glad that they're not to the age where they want to do the ENTIRE neighborhood yet! They were more than happy to end after our street and go home to warm up!

Fantastic Fun Fall Festivities

I know, I'm getting so creative with my blog titles, aren't I? :o)

I want to start out by congratulating Jim and Heidi (Brian's sister and her hubby) on the birth of beautiful Ruth Christine this past Tues.! We are so thrilled that she arrived safely and that her 4 big brothers are going to get the joy of doting on a little sister! Hannah and Ellie are excited about a girl playmate in the family too!

Our recent activities...
Well, our family seemed to have succumbed to the nasty bug that's been racing around the country. We weren't tested for it, but we're assuming it was H1N1 and it was not fun. Hannah was the first to go down (dumb school germs!!!), then Sam, then myself and finally Ellie. Praise God that Brian stayed healthy through it all! (our new best friend is Airborne! :O) We have finally been fever free for over 2 days and it was so great to get out of the house yesterday for the first time in almost a week! (needless to say, b/c of our infirmities, only Brian has been able to meet sweet little Ruthie in person and the girls and I are going crazy b/c we want to see her so badly!)

Before the unpleasant illness struck out household, we had been taking advantage of any beautiful fall day that came our way. Here are several pics from a recent pre-sickness outing to one of our favorite spots, The Morton Arboretum! Enjoy the fall fun!

Hanging out in the tunnel w/ our buddy Isaac.

Love the lush green, too bad I couldn't catch Ellie looking my way! What is it w/ 3 year olds!?

Got her! Aren't they sweet sisters?

Our handsome 17 month old.

Beauty on the slide.

Another gorgeous little girl (or "big girl" if you ask her!)!

Enjoying the fall decor w/ our wonderful friends Isaac and Isabel!

Ellie's look is just classic...

This was right before we were headed home for naps...do you think they're tired?!

Once home & down for her nap, Ellie decided the hallway sounded more comfortable then her bed! Crazy girl!!!!

Hope this finds you all healthy and enjoying your fall as well!!!

A Daddy's Dream

Cost of a "real" lawn mower $300

Cost of a plastic toy lawn mower $18

Cost of watching a little man follow his daddy around mowing the lawn $$ PRICELESS

There's just something about a Daddy and his boy. 

Well, there's something about a Daddy and his girls too... :O)

*click on collage to enlarge

Apple, peaches, pumpkin pie...

"Apple, peaches, pumpkin pie, who's not ready, holler I!"

This is super random, but does anyone else remember this little ditty we used to say when we were little and playing a hiding game? I don't know why, but when I was thinking about this post, that's what popped into my head. One of my favorite memories as a kid is playing kick-the-can with my cousins up at Big Star Lake! I remember yelling the saying out and hoping no one would answer so I could race to find them! Fun times!!

Okay, now the real reason for my post and I guess what prompted that little walk down memory lane, we went to MI this past weekend and among other things, went apple picking! We met up with Stacey, Luke & Taylor (Matt was off on his way up to the U.P.  for a hunting trip) and our dear friends The Bosch family for a day at the apple orchard. Cranes Orchard is one of the best, in my humble opinion and you must visit if you're in the area during picking season. Actually, they have a delightful little restaurant that you can enjoy even if you're not picking that day.

The kids had a blast...picking yummy apples, taste testing them, riding a cute little cow train (Sammy started out on the ride w/ H, but didn't love it, so got 1/2 a ride), eating scrumptious, greasy doughnuts and frolicking around with their cousins and friends.

It was a great weekend and we already look forward to our next visit at Thanksgiving!

*you can click on this collage to view it larger...

I'm sorry...these things are just too fun!

Somehow I've been put on the mailing list for this website and I mean, come on, how could I resist NOT creating a little ditty staring my family's faces!? I just think these are fun...sorry if you don't agree. :O) Enjoy and try it yourself...you are SURE to laugh!!

p.s. It's a little early for Halloween stuff, but since this was the funny video that had 5 faces, I went with it.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Casserole lovers, this is for you! :O)

A friend from church made this for us after my recent surgery and I just loved it! The kids did too...and, that IS KEY to a keeper recipe! :O)

Penne with Chicken, Spinach and Three Cheeses

1 lb (dry) penne pasta
6 oz fresh baby spinach leaves
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp dry, crumbled basil leaves (I didn't have this and it still tasted wonderful!)
1 jar (about 28 oz) marinara sauce
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese, divided
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese


Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add spinach during last minute of cooking. Drain pasta and spinach; return to pot.


Meanwhile, heat spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes to boiling. Stir in cream cheese until nearly melted. Stir in cut up cooked chicken.


Stir spaghetti sauce mixture and 1 cup mozzerella cheese into noodles. Spoon into large rectangular baking dish.


Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzerella and parmesan cheeses; bake another 3-5 minutes.

Fall Baking #1 - Chocolate Peanut Butter Cloud Cookies

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a "fall baking" recipe book at the grocery store...you know, the little Betty Crocker (or other brand) seasonal books they so conveniently place right by the check-out lines! I used to buy those all the time and then realized I hardly ever tried any of the recipes in them. So, I stopped...until a week or so ago. I thought it would it be fun to try some new recipes with the girls...we love to bake and in the summer we just didn't do it that often. So, I purchased the little book and sat down with Hannah to pick out a few recipes to try.

This is the first one she chose and we just now whipped up a batch of these delectable little cookies! They are a must if you LOVE chocolate and LOVE peanut butter (especially TOGETHER)! They're really part cookie/part cake...COMPLETELY YUMMY!!!

Makes: 5 dozen
Prep Time: 40 min
Start to Finish: 1 hr 20 min

COOKIES
1 box (18.25 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

FROSTING
1 1/2 containers (12 oz each) whipped fluffy white frosting
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons milk

INSTRUCTIONS
1.Heat oven to 375 F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2.In large bowl, beat cake mix, 3/4 cup peanut butter, the water, vanilla and eggs on medium speed about 2 minutes or until blended. Gently stir in chocolate chips. Onto cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3.Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.
4.In medium bowl, stir together frosting ingredients. Frost cookies with frosting.






*I couldn't find this on the Betty Crocker website, but instead found another blogger who had posted the picture & recipe, so thanks to "her" for letting me copy it to my blog! :O)

All BOY!

It's official, we have a crazy boy on our hands! Sam has turned into a non-stop, busier-than-ever, getting in to EVERYTHING, little boy! And frankly, I can hardly keep up!!!

Here are his current favorite things to do that make his mommy go nuts:
1. he pulls down the oven door and let's it slam back shut
2. he turns on the hot water on our bathtub in the master bathroom, EVERY time he is in there!
3. he opens the cupboard door where our printer is and pushes ALL of the buttons, usually resulting in something printing, copying or faxing
4. he climbs EVERY chair he can find and usually stands on it and rocks it (thankfully no major injuries have occurred yet)
5. he throws EVERYTHING like it's a ball...and usually hits me square in the face (he's got a good arm! :O)
6. he climbs into the fridge

...and that's just to name a few.

And, just to show you proof of this "boyness" (yes, I made up that word), here's a couple of pics catching the boy in action!

Checking out the goodies in the fridge!

This next picture is of the bar of soap that he took a bite out of the other day. Thankfully for him, he spit out the chunk of soap, but not before getting a good taste of it in his mouth. I would have felt bad for him, but honestly, I didn't...it was too funny to see the look of disgust on his face!

And literally as I was typing this post, I turned around and saw this!

BOY OH BOY!!!

p.s. yes, I've heard of baby-proofing a house and yes, I'm thinking about duct taping everything shut! :O)

All good things come to an end...

Well, we finally had to do it...we had to take down the pool. I guess that means summer is over. Bummer!

Just look at this sad little girl. The only good that comes out of this is that she gets her huge sandbox back...hopefully that will make her happy again!

Clearly Ellie and Sam were not quite as concerned about emptying the pool...some day they will. But right now, they just enjoyed playing in the exiting water!

And no, we didn't empty all of it into our grass like it appears. If we had, we would have had another pool for them to play in!

Daddy????

Sam's latest...calling me (Sarah) "Daddy".

Lovely.

I'm not sure what to think about that!

The good thing is that he calls Brian Daddy too.

Oh well...at least he calls me something!

H & E & S

I've been feeling badly that I haven't documented more of the adorable things that Hannah and Ellie say during our day. So, I'm going to try and make a better effort, starting right now!

Last night Hannah was trying to come up with excuses as to why she couldn't (or shouldn't) be going to bed. After getting out of her bed one time, she explained that she couldn't go to sleep because she kept "thinking about my bad dreams." I suggested, "Try to think about the Arboretum (we're headed there today for a visit) or sing some nice songs to yourself." She said, "I can't Mom, I can't control my head!" I chuckled to myself and left the room and didn't hear another peep out of her. Such a sweet thing...can't control my head!

Just this morning Ellie gave me a cutie little quote I had to add here...we were driving by a corn field - yes, we do have corn fields here in the suburbs of Chicago...granted, they're stuck between Wal-mart and a large warehouse or school, but alas, we do have produce growing nearby!. Anyway, as we drove by, Ellie exclaimed, "Look Mommy, popcorn!" She just makes me smile. (usually) :O)

And now, about Sam...

It's never too early to start teaching kids to feed themselves, is it? Okay, maybe it is...here's our young man attempting to feed himself a little yogurt.

To be honest, I needed to keep him occupied for a bit and this seemed like a fun way to do it. Yes, it was messy, but hey, he had a ball!

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone..."

Or in Hannah's case, she can see clearly now because she got glasses!!! Thanks to the required Kindergarten eye exam, we learned recently that Hannah was in need of some correction for her eyes. Thankfully, she was delighted to pick out these adorable tan/pink glasses (with pink hearts on the side!) and thinks they're pretty great. I'm hoping this transition to wearing them pretty much all the time, goes well. So far, so good...she had her first day at school with them today and she said she kept them on the whole time! (She's farsighted, by the way...just like her Daddy who also happened to get glasses when he was about 5 or 6!)

Look at our cutie sporting her new specs!

Not to be outdone, Ellie had to show off her sunglasses and Cubbies vest this morning! (her first night of being an AWANA Cubbie was last night and she is quite proud of herself!)

Shaking things up, Sammy style!

Shaking things up, Sammy style! from Sarah Giere on Vimeo.

One more party...plus some cuties...

Ellie was blessed with yet another birthday party this past Sunday with the Giere side. (we had to postpone the original Giere party due to my unforeseen gall bladder issues the weekend before...) We headed to the city, to Grandma and Grandpa's this time for a day of family, food and fun!

Cupcakes for the birthday girl! (she decided that although she is a big 3 year old now, she wanted to use Sammy's booster seat for her treat!)

More Minnie!

Mmmmmmm, frosting!

Ellie's new shopping cart is a huge hit! She asked if she could take it to the store with us today, but unfortunately it's a bit too heavy to tag along.

Oh, these two...just can't get enough of them!

After lunch, cake and gifts, the kids headed to the roof to swim...in a pool, of course! I was going to attempt to get Ellie to take a nap, so we sent the big kids ahead w/ Brian, Heidi and Jim. But, the poor thing just didn't want to be left out and who could blame her? It was her party after all and she should get to swim if she wanted to! She's pointing to the elevator here...this way to the pool?!

Daddy and Grandpa had their hands full playing with the 6 big kids in the pool...I'm guessing they were really tired and maybe a bit sore after all of that, although they probably wouldn't admit it! :O)

Okay, just a couple random cuties here...Sammy is showing his love for tennis, just like his mommy! Go Kim Clijsters! We're loving her comeback during the US Open!

A little pre-bedtime fun...

And, finally, Hannah's front, upper tooth fell out! If you've seen her at all in the past week or so, you know that that thing was literally hanging on by a thread! I couldn't believe it took so long to fall out, when it was clearly soooooo loose! Here's our big girl with the big hole in her mouth!