This Week's Favorites

Banquet Frozen Dinners - yes, I'm a sucker for these when it comes to something hot, quick, and cheap for lunch at work or a snack before a game. Good to stock up w/, so that they are on hand in the freezer.

Kashi Honey Toasted Oat Cereal - Has a lot of crunch, and it sticks w/ you! (Oh, and it is good for you, too.)

Lancome cosmetics - So far I love the line, as I've decided to go w/ it for now. Do not get me wrong, I greatly dislike wearing makeup (however, I know I look horribly tired when I don't) - so the mix of products I've chosen through this line at least this makes me look and feel like I don't have much makeup on!

Savvy Scavingers - I still love the little store, located in Galena, IL. You just need time to be able to look, as they have lots of jewelry, purses, and cute clothes in this very reasonable boutique. There is also one in Dbq, IA, but I haven't shopped there yet.

Platteville Tour w/ the Kohn Girls :) - the following places were on our "hit list" and it was great fun - I recommend your own tour! http://ilovebkwines.com/; http://www.winedownonmain.net/about/; http://potosibrewingcompany.com/.

Keurig - these are a wonderful invention, when the pot is empty or you don't feel like making an entire pot of coffee. Emeril's Big Easy Bold is this week's choice.

Dyson DC41 Animal - yep, I finally bit the bullet and bought one! So far, it is a little disguisting how much this picks up. The kids and I don't do well w/ seasonal allergies, and I know the amount of junk I'm sucking up w/ my Dyson will only help us through this season that much more. I'm a believer.

Avery's 6th Birthday Party

Avery had a princess tea party today, to celebrate her upcoming 6th birthday. She invited her closest little girlfriends from both Lena and Elizabeth :) The girls arrived in their favorite party dresses, had "tea" (lemonade) and lunch, scarfed down homemade pink frosted, heart shaped birthday sugar cookies, opened presents, swam, ate more lunch and cookies :), swam, repeat - repeat!!! Our special soon-to-be-6 year old had quite the fun time this afternoon celebrating her birthday, and was zonked by bedtime tonight, from the day's excitement!

Goings-On Here

Putting in a food plot; Fall Clean-up; the last bit of lake-time; and riding on the Lingle parade float...what fun!!!

Avery

Soon-to-be 6! She is full of expression, and her new glasses capture that. She's social. She loves to play pretend anything…store, house, dance party, concert, doctor, etc. She also talks to herself, and doesn’t mind playing alone! She is very easy to take along shopping for groceries and other errands that aren’t necessarily fun, because isn’t all about treats or toys, and she truly seems to enjoy just going along. She appreciates chapstick, nail polish, perfume, lotion, jewelry, hair ties, etc…typical girl “pretties.” This girl is very much into clothes and shoes – she definitely had an opinion on her new school clothes this year (and she’s only in Kindergarten!) and the shoes she puts w/ the outfit are just as important. She likes to look in the mirror (this is when she does most of the talking to herself :), dance, watch TV shows w/ teenagers in them, ride her bike, play babies, sing, and help her mom in the kitchen. She is getting to be a good little singer, and she remembers lyrics well after hearing a song only once or twice. She loves any and all attention she gets from bigger kids, and she likes to perform for an audience. She has asked her Dad and I, more than once while watching TV, “how do I get on the TV?” She is OK w/ pets – not always particularly nice to them, though, especially the cat.
Her favorite colors are pink and purple. She has a very good memory, but a fairly short attention span. She is getting good at coloring, but she still isn’t too great of an eater…unless it is something she loves like Ramen noodles, ice cream, fried bread, cheese curds, bacon, corn on the cob, or yogurt! She is big into relationships right now, and loves anything to do w/ boyfriends, girlfriends, and weddings. And…Justin Bieber is her crush :)
We are equally blessed to have this ‘lil peanut as our daughter.

Bryton

He's 8 1/2 going on pre-teen. He loves playing football w/ the older boys because he says "its more of a challenge." He is into trendy clothes, thank goodness, as I was worried he'd want to live in gym type shorts and t's after being in them all summer! He pretends to not pay attention to girls his age :) Sweets (particularly chocolate) are still the way to his heart, but he can't have much of it after supper on school nights, or else he has a hard time falling asleep! He is reading age appropriate chapter books. He's doing great in his new school, w/ his classwork; however, homework is still no fun for this kiddo - once his feet step out of that school, its very hard to get him to concentrate on school work! This also means homework is not fun for his Mom :) He's social - he is meeting new friends at River Ridge, and in usual Bryton fasion, they include kids from all different backgrounds (from what I observe, so far). He's a compassionate kid. He doesn't like to let anyone down, and he doesn't like it when someone is upset with him, including his sister. He tries to be tough when he gets hurt, but it doesn't last too long if his Mama is around (yep, he still calls me this more often than not!). Usually, the tears start then as if he can't hold it in any longer. He's a good eater - will usually clean his plate, even if we are trying something new. His favorite food: cinnamon french toast sticks. He LOVES toys. He can easily spend 45 min. to an hour in the toy section of any discount store - searching for the perfect one, within the price range he's been given. Usually he chooses something with an engine or something he can build, such as LEGO's. He's starting to help w/ chores around the house, without having to be asked, such as feeding the dogs and the cat. He helps outside w/ lots of stuff, such as clearing brush, putting in a food plot, pulling weeds, and mowing. He still enjoys playing outside more than inside....and when he's by himself outside you can find him riding his scooter, his bike, shooting stuff w/ his BB gun, throwing or punting a ball, or playing w/ the dogs or the cat. Mornings aren't his favorite time of day, and if he can sleep in on weekends, he usually does until about 8 or 9. His favorite TV shows right now are Ice Road Truckers and Storm Chasers.
What a special boy - we are thankful every day for him!

Loving These Ladies' Music!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBQg5HE-2Tg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOKtbJfNLFk

First Day of Kindergarten and 3rd Grade at River Ridge!!!