What a month!  We are living in Wisconsin now.  Greg started working at UMB Funds in Milwaukee.  Audrey is enrolled at Plat Elementary School and loves her 4K class.  I like the wooded rolling hills where my parents live and the genuine friendliness of the locals.  We are staying with Mom and Pop until we work out where to live and find a house.  Colin and Audrey seem to have adjusted quickly.  It helps when there are so many familiar faces each day.  We're only about 15 minutes from their cousins and we share a house with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Joe and Great Grandma.  Four generations under one roof!  Family is such a blessing.

After washing Colin and Audrey in the bath last week I left them to play for a while.  A dripping, naked Colin found me in the kitchen a few minutes later.  He was unhappy and mumbling.  I walked him back to the bathroom and found this

I don't know if it was a big sister dare or just little boy curiosity but I can't for the life of me figure out why he chomped straight through the entire soap bar.  I'd think that after one taste he'd give up.  He didn't.  And there wasn't much soap left in the tub so I believe he chewed and swallowed quite a bit of it.  I know we are safe for a while because when he saw the soap bar the following day a terrible look came over his face and I thought he might loose his breakfast.

I like to feed the birds.  The kids and I enjoy eating our breakfast and watching them on the back porch.  We pick out the brave ones and the timid ones.  Some don't mind eating on the ground, others prefer the feeder.  It's a very entertaining way to pass the time.  I went on the National Geographic site this week and printed some illustrations of birds in our area with the idea that the kids could identify them, learn their names and keep a tally of the birds we see.  Yesterday, Colin spotted a cardinal.  I asked him which bird it was.  He went to the wall of bird pictures and said, "It's this red one with the party hat!"

Illinois finally has some snow!  We took Audrey and Colin sledding for the first time last weekend.  I briefed them in the car on the only important rule of sledding - "If you sled down the hill you must walk back up the hill."  They seemed to understand that.  I imagined that Greg and I would take turns going with them but once we arrived on top of the hill Greg put the two of them in the sled and gave it a push.  Their fearful screams immediately turned to joyful hollers and they stood at the bottom of the hill with big smiles on their faces.  

I had to issue a couple more rules before the trip was over.  "Bring the sled back with you!" and "Keep your hands and feet inside the sled until the sled stops!"  Once our noses and cheeks were sufficiently numbed we headed home for Mexican hot chocolate.  It was a fun day.

I ought to be in bed snoozing away this extra hour I have found.  But I am too excited.  I just finished my last big project for the semester.  Do you ever have a day when your are so productive it blows you away?  If being in school this Fall has taught me nothing (not true BTW) it has taught me how much more I can do if I make a plan and stick to it.  I don't always want to be busy and productive.  I think I need to balance busy days with days for smelling the roses.  For myself and for my family.  But I love knowing what I am capable of doing - well no, I don't know that - I love knowing that I am capable of doing more.  I will call these sprints of checklist obliteration (because that's too long of a name) uber productivity.

Today I was uber productive, I : 

Put away laundry
Made doctor appointments
Cleaned the toilet (because at some point you look at that mess and say "I am better than this.")
Called the insurance company
Wrote emails for relief society
Wrote a Western Civilization essay and took a quiz
Cleaned the toy room - very messed
Built the BEST pretend castle-fort ever
Took Audrey to gymnastics
Took an Art History final
Wrote a long email to Art History professor to justify my "wrong" answers
Grocery shopping
Delivered dinner to a new family
Out to dinner with friends
Bathed, lotion-ed, brushed and tucked kiddos
Completed Jewelry final project and write-up

Now insert the all little side trackers that I managed without getting deterred like made beds, showered, dressedx3, fedx3, acquired toys etc, adjusted doll shoes etc, texts, personal phone calls, kids in and out of winter outerwearx6, made tunnels for matchbox cars, clipped coupons,  - WHEW.

It was an UBER PRODUCTIVE DAY.  Now, please let there be roses to smell tomorrow ;)

Audrey and Colin stayed at a friend's house for a couple hours yesterday.  My friend Lindsey, asked Audrey if Santa Claus was coming to our house soon.

Audrey quickly replied "Yes, I heard a song say Santa Claus is coming to town!"

We are home sick today.  Colin is convinced that Halloween candy will heal him and keeps informing me that he's "still not better" (and therefore must need candy).  Audrey wants the three of us to take on all the roles in the Rapunzel story and turn the day into full-costume dramatic reenactment.  Of course she plays Rapunzel and the good queen mother.  I am the "wicked witch."  Colin is the horse and  "prince."  He and I are not being very good sports.  However, after watching Audrey try to hold a blanket on her head as Rapunzel's "hair" I helped out by creating some long locks with a headband and an old ball of yarn.  This craft might make up for my unwillingness to act.

During a whirlwind house pick up today I was in a happy mood (induced by my Mindy Gledhill, Anchor album) and grabbed a handful of candy corn from the abused candy dish (perhaps the second cause of my energy surge:)

Distributing the goodies between Audrey and Colin,

Audrey asks "What's this for?"

"Because you two are soo cute," I reply.

A little while later Colin finds me and grins as he asks,

"Can I have some more cute?"