Life as a Lewis

Rory and I had a busy day yesterday. I don't know what possessed me to run to Walmart, Target, Kohl's, and the mall all in a 2 hour period, but we got everything done (and then some). I lucked out at Old Navy and picked up a couple of cute Super Hero tee's for $2! I also checked in at Gap and they had an automatic additional 25% off their clearance, which went nicely with my 25% coupon so I got a few very cheap things there as well. We got home just in time to put her down for a nap and then run to the post office, Hot Potato Kids to pick up a check and then get Camden from school. I have no plans to leave the house today and am determined to get the house seriously clean and sparkling so I can enjoy the weekend. We don't eat out much these days, something we gave up when went down to one income, but tonight we're going out to eat, and I can't wait to not cook. Tomorrow Brian is working, but we're planning to attempt a family photo shoot in an effort to ge...

I made a last-minute decision to take Rory to library story-time yesterday morning and she lucked out! It was the library Halloween party so she got in on the trick-or-treating (which she'd never done before, but quickly caught on to the concept!). I think we're going to add library story-time to our regular routine. She's loved it the few times we've gone, and it will be good for her to get out and have some age-appropriate fun. With the exception of gymnastics on Monday night, she's stuck with me 24/7. On today's agenda is a trip to Target and Walmart, both school-related. I need to pick up some items for Camden's class homecoming basket and pick up treats for Brian's Halloween class party. Traci Reed: Alot Like Love

Instead of posting all of our pictures from Sunday's outing to Owen Farm individually, I just decided to quickly scrap them last night at 10:00, which may not have been the best plan considering I have sleep issues, but I did it anyway. I did a 2-pager (which is why it looks strange). You can click on it for a bigger size if you're interested. Designs by Lili/Michelle Filo: Love Fall Emma and Rory We had bright sunlight issues, not to mention trying to get a 2 and 3 year old to look at the camera at the same time is impossible.

Good news! Rory's tooth was only a little bit rotten so it wasn't too bad to fix (is it bad that I used the words "good news" and "rotten" together?). She behaved SO well while they worked on her teeth and stayed perfectly still. Rory just wanted to get to the part where she got a new tooth brush and spent the rest of the day begging to brush her teeth. I have nowhere to be today with the exception of taking Camden to and from school so I plan to tackle laundry, the treadmill, and bedroom organization today. Lauren Reid: Free Bird

Our weekend started early with a glowing report from Camden's teacher at his parent/teacher conference Friday afternoon. To quote her, "he's a whiz kid." She mentioned that he's ahead of the class and that she's spending some time with him individually to help him not be bored and plans to do so even more when they split up into reading groups in January. He made straight 100's on his report card. And while this is certainly not the most important thing, she also said he's the "go-to" kid in kindergarten. The other kids fight to sit next to him at lunch and look for his approval throughout the day. She also mentioned that all the little girls are in love with him and it's a good thing he's unaware of it or he'd have a big head. I guess a teacher's report can't get much better than that! We are very proud of him. My Friday continued with a trip to our local coffeeshop where I spent some time ALONE with my computer and an ic...

My friend Jaime , who is more than a little crafty, made these outfits for her daughter Violet and then passed them onto us. We tried them on after receiving them yesterday, and Rory immediately twirled so I think they were a hit. I think they are the cutest things I've ever seen!! I've resisted boutique-like outfits until now, but after seeing these on her, may not be able to resist any more! Thanks again, Jaime!

I love going for a haircut every 7 weeks. It's a great salon, I love my stylist, and the leisurely head massages are amazing; usually, it's a great way to get some time alone (and by that I mean kid-free). Unfortunately, when you have to reschedule your weekend appointment and take a 3 year old with you on a Thursday morning, the relaxation factor goes right out the window. Rory behaved very well and charmed everyone, but answering a dozen questions a minute takes a bit of the fun out of the experience. Although the "you look gorgeous, mommy" and "wow! let me look at you!" go a long way towards making up for it. We have our first parent/teacher conference at Camden's school this afternoon so he's out of school this morning. I'm hoping for a good day, although I would not have chosen to be stuck inside but it's pouring down rain so we don't have much of a choice. Here are a two kid tidbits from the week: Right before he took a bite of his ...

Two years ago today, we saw this little face for the first time. In so many ways, it is hard to remember a time when she wasn't in our hearts. We love you, Rory Katherine SaRang Lewis! (By the way, she cannot recite all those names in order to save her life; cracks me up. She usually ends up adding part of Camden's Korean name or Shin which was another part of her own name.) 2 years later

showing he's hands-free Xavier and Grandpa My 77 year old Grandpa riding the fiesty horse. I'll admit every time he got up on the horse we all held our breath, but he had a blast. Grandpa with William Becky, William, Xavier and Dad Aunt Liz is a good aunt - this is how she spent her weekend. A little perspective on how big the horse really is. Xavier might need a bit of work on his technique. Rory is showing she's as tough as the boys. The three amigos Grandpa reading to all 3 boys Being silly with Grandpa

Last night was Camden's last fall baseball game ( woohoo ) , plus gymnastics for Rory. This fall ball season has turned out to not be quite as fun as our first spring season. I won't go into details, but let's just say we're all glad it's over. Rory continues to beam and giggle her way through gymnastics each week. She seriously loves it so much, and while she holds her own on most things with the girls who are 6 months older, she just isn't quite as strong yet as the older girls. She never fails to get laughs from the other mothers, though, with all her bubbly antics. They started working on cartwheels last night, and like everything else, she insists on doing it herself. Let's just say she can't quite manage it. Of course, at age 3, none of them can, but Rory takes a nosedive every time. :) Someone ( ummm, that would be Brian ) has decided to take up snoring again, and my sleep schedule is seriously suffering. Getting back into school mode and getti...

Camden's tooth has been loose for the last week, and in true scrapping fashion, I've photographed this same series of pictures about 4 times in anticipation of the tooth coming out with no success. It finally came out Saturday night. Getting ready applying the cold washcloth (and getting a good grip) He didn't make a sound when it came out, but now he realizes there's blood involved. Soaking His smile will never be the same (literally, he's got a crazy tooth growing in behind the original that's freaking me out a little) We've had momentous events in our house the last several days. Camden learned to tie his shoes (with very little effort on our part, by the way), he lost his first tooth, and Rory has dropped the "myselsss" and changed to "myself" in the all-important "I do it myself" phrase. Can someone please freeze time so they won't grow anymore?

I am seriously loving fall break! It was great to be out of town for a couple of days, and we were very busy. And now it's nice to have some down time at home. The weather has been cold (50's) and rainy so we've been just taking it easy here, sleeping late, drinking lots of coffee (which is probably the reason I have been up until 2:00 every night!). I'm very glad Brian has a few days to unwind - it's well deserved. Here are pictures from day 2. If you've got kids, you know how lovely the silence is when you pop in a DVD after a busy day. Love how much joy my parents get from the kids! Aunt Liz got in on the reading action. The whole clan: Becky and the boys, me and the kids, my parents and grandparents. Great grandparents My parents with the kids Great-grandma, grandpa, dad, me and Becky and the kids. (unfortunately the camera focused in on Rory and everyone else is blurry)

Rory is still sniffly, but this girl is a champion nose-blower. She takes a huge breath, then lets it all out. It's so funny, and it grosses Camden out. Of course, even at 6 we practically threaten him to get him to blow his nose! I was supposed to get out of the house alone today, but Brian's parents volunteered to babysit so we're going to run the errands together and possibly hit The Cheesecake Factory for dessert! Pictures, Day 1 Xavier is very loving. He was constantly coming up just to kiss Rory. So sweet! Hanging out waiting for the Grandpa's to get the horses ready. Maya and Camden only see each other once a year, and typically have jumped right into playing. But this visit was a bit different. They both gave each other looks like this and it took a while for them to warm up to each other. Xavier's first time up Landon and William Getting a photography lesson from Uncle Larry These boys are so cute with each other. Mom will kill me for posting this. My dad ...