First day of Fall

Well its the first day of Fall you know I am a summer girl all the way. I don't get down about Fall because its time to get ready for the 4th Annual Priechenfried Halloween Party I guess. The first year I did it I vowed never again, but for the next few years I got smart and told everyone to bring a dish and we decorated the weekend before and shut the basement door and now its so easy. I usually just have to order some junk from online and get drinks and party here we come. Today we got the Halloween junk magazine in the mail so I will let the kids pick out a few things and the excitement will begin. I really wanted to go to Nate's soccer game today but Nate is upstairs sleeping in his bed as is Owen I think. Nate had his first real sleepover last night with his friend Aiden and another boy. It was Auden's birthday and I guess he stayed up late. He came home with a tummy ache. Carl made him go up to bed and he said he started crying and said " Why is it every time I go to a sleep over I get sick" and I feel so horrible. He has sleep overs at Grannys and Aunt Caren's house and I think he has has probably gotten sick 9 out of 10 of the times.  Poor kid, I feel so bad for him. Our house is so sterile , everything is in allergy covers and I vacuum every week and we have the carpets cleaned, we have no animals and mostly hardwood floors and man when he spends any length of time at anyone elses house he is just a wreck. He is starting to figure it out which I am not sure is better or worse, I guess its time I explained his allergies and asthma to him a little more I don't think I ever really have so he probably doesn't understand it, another mom of the year award for me !!!! Well we are going up to UNC next month to see a Child Pulmonary Specialist so hopefully we can work it all out. It is very hard when you see kids his age just run circles around him and he is finally figuring it out. Not to worry we will figure it all out and I guess I need to start having the sleep overs at our house! Not many pictures from this week its kinda sad now that everyone is in school and sports I don't get to see them anymore . I was really looking forward to spending the afternoon as a family at the soccer fields these women must wonder if my husband has a wife. Oh well next Saturday maybe..
I have a few pictures of Owen and I on our adventures for the week. And I am keeping my fingers crossed that I might get to see Uncle Jeff and Aunt Susan very soon!

 Owen loves going to Grandmas and Grandpas to visit Arnold!

 When Mommy takes a long run we get to feed the horses apples, smart Owen will not feed them no way, he leaves that to Mom.

Sometimes Mom gets to go fishing, she loves loves loves to fish!!!!

Busy Busy Busy

Sorry I have not posted in a while, but have I been busy. Overcome with the realization that my husband will be leaving soon and all things must be in order. I have been just doing the fun stuff and the not so fun stuff. You know the fun stuff, the last few weeks of summer must go out on boat, wash all cars, clean up yard and organize every aspect of my life and check every box before dad leaves box. Realize I will not get it all done so go to beer fridge and then sit on my deck!  Carl was gone last week and it really did not go over so well with Owen, he would wake up every morning and scream Dad! Daddy! Now most mornings Carl is not here when he wakes but sometimes he is and Owen is no dummy it didn't take him long to figure out Carl was gone. Oh boy this is not going to be pretty. Good thing we have a few more weeks to work it out I hope! With the recent events in the  Middle East I am now scared! Ugghh why now why does my husband always get to be in these wonderful places when the wars starts or gets really bad!!!  Okay on to the pictures....

 

 

 Carl's cousin visited with his family. Three boys and there was lots of fun out on the boat and at the beach and playing video games. They had cute little British accents and one of them cried one night because Nate didn't get to have dessert with him because he didn't eat his dinner. It was so cute how he said crying " I wanted to eat pudding with Nate" In England pudding is dessert even it its cake or ice cream so cute! I think that might have been Prince Harry not sure I can't remember all these kids names around here , most days its just raining kids!

 Good times with one of the Princes.

 Owen passed out on the sofa! We are potty training this week and he refuses to wear a pull up we went straight from diapers to the undies.... oh good times and lots of laundry!

 Nate got sick for a week , we are going to see a Pediatric Pulmonologist in Chapel Hill, I was kind of bored lately a six hour trip to the doctors with Owen will be a hoot!

Speaking of Owen, you know that kid that is starting to talk, oh he is so cute but it makes me tired just to look at him!  How did he get so big. He now says "Otay" and I love you to but it sounds like "la u tu", and "I dunno"  I did his flash cards with him tonight and he tries so hard but there are some sounds this kid just can't make so away we go to speech! Okay I am going to take more pictures this week of something.

School Week 3

Well well its Tuesday and compared to last week things are going swimmingly. You see last week Mom dropped the ball, and I when I say dropped I mean it dropped and rolled and it never came back. It was the second week of school, and lets just say it’s a week we would rather all forget. I learned a valuable lesson when the kids are in school organization is key! So here we are in week three, the lunches are packed at night, the clothes are laid out, bed times had to be adjusted by about 1 hr earlier. The house was cleaned and organized over the weekend and well here we are giving it another shot.  There are many aspects of last week we will just forget forever but others we can almost laugh about. Like when Mom sent Caitlin to dance with 25 girls dressed in pink tights and black leotards and Mom had not even ordered her dance outfit yet. Caitlin was mortified, how dare her mother send her to dance not in the proper diva attire. She is still speaking to me by the way and don’t worry the dance outfits and shoes are the way and lets pray its here by Thursday!  Here is a great story from last night.  I was putting Caitlin to bed, I had left Owen downstairs watching a show alone. Nathan was in his room reading. Carl is out of town so it was just me. I hear Owen coming up the steps and just before he passes by Caitlin’s room I say “ Owen where are you going” He says “ night night”. I though hum now that’s weird. I finished tucking Caitlin in and went to check on Owen. He was tucked in his bed sound asleep! I am still floored! In other news we started potty training Owen last week, and he is doing really well by typing it on the blog I know I have ruined it but we will have to wait until my next post to find out. If your wondering where the pictures are so am I actually has anyone seen either of my cameras !!! I guess its time to keep cleaning! Caitlin came down the stairs today and  I said Good Morning Caitlin lets go get dressed for school she said " Mommy is the weekend yet" HAHAH its her third week of kindergarten ohhh boy its gonna be a long 12 years!

We call him Captain Underwear! Tken on the iphone, has anyone seem my camera?

 

Look Whos.............

Talking! Yes that would be Owen , it so funny we seem to hang on his every word. Okay now don't get me wrong here there are no long conversations but we have one and even two words coming out of that mouth. His favorites are still Boat and No but there are others which include Mine, More, Light, Kitty, Dog, All Done. Its hard for me to post pictures of this but really he is starting to talk! He is really trying and some words are just so clear. The other day at the beach Jane was yelling for her son Harry and he said " Harry"! This was the first time he had ever met Harry and he said his name like he knew him his whole life! Who knows with that kid. So there you have it lets hope he continues on this path and we can have long talks in no time!

First day of School

                                               Nathan ready for the Second Grade!

 Things are quiet around here with just Owen and also really messy. The older kids usually do a better job of distracting him. It is only 10:01 and we have baited the crab pots, painted and now we are playing in the sink. Oh boy gonna be a long day!

 Caitlin ready for her first day of Kindergarten. She let us take her into school for her first day.

                              Mom was sad but no tears, Caitlin was just too happy for tears!

                        Caitlin loves Mrs. Salmons already, they will have a great year!

                  She sat down and got right to work and so it was time for me to say good bye!

                She had a day off on Wednesday and then today she insisted she was riding the bus!

                                    Caitlin on her way to school on the bus!

Monday was the first day of school for Nathan, Caitlin had hers on Tuesday and then today was her first day with her entire class. She was so excited. This morning she said " Mommy you know yesterday was my last day at home, today I am going to school! " I wanted to drive her but no she was riding the bus with the big kids.


In sad news we would like to dedicate this blog post to Uncle Bob who passed away on Monday night. Bob was a avid blog follower. One of the few who told me periodically how much he liked to read the blog. I will never forget the look on Nate's face when Uncle Bob showed up at our house on his Harley Davidson! We will miss his pictures of the snow he always emailed us from West Virginia as well as any other wildlife he came across. His Christmas presents always were the first to get to our house and always won the prize for the prettiest wrapping (okay I think that was Aunt Roberta). The kids would stare at them for hours, it meant Christmas was finally here. We miss you Uncle Bob! REST IN PEACE!
With love
   The Priechenfrieds

Ready for school!

Well its almost over just three short days until Nathan and Caitlin go back to school. We went to back to school night last night. Nate and Cait have great teachers this year so I expect great things from them. Caitlin has Mrs. Salmons the same teacher Nathan had for kindergarten. I think they will be a great fit. I am sad about sending Caitlin to school she is so independent (hum where does she get that (mommy)), she also has this happiness that just fills her pores (hum where does she get that (daddy). I really don't think she will look back when I drop her off that first day,  no hesitation she will just jump in feet first and that will be it. Oh tears , when I dropped Nate off it was a totally different feeling he is a mommas boy and I know he always will be. Wherever Nathan is we have this connection that he knows mom will always be there if he needs anything. Caitlin on the other hand has never really needed anything, she just does it herself hahahah!  The only hesitation I have about Nate's teacher is he is a male (Mr. Reagle) and I strongly believe that women have better intuition about things like asthma attacks and allergies. The nurse at Nate's school is not full time so if there is a decision to be made it may be up to his teacher. Nathan is on daily asthma medication now in addition to his allergy medicine so I hope that the days of nebulizers and inhalers are over but we don't know yet until he gets into school and gets a few germs. Oh I do worry, will the teacher know if he is retracting , will Nathan ask for help (he never has) oh it happens so fast, it makes me so nervous. Lately, our local radio station has been doing public service announcements that latest is that a kid dies from asthma everyday in the U.S. blah blah blah scare the shit out of mom! I really liked the tanning bed and melanoma one from last month as I don't use tanning beds !!!!!! Like seriously people I have enough to worry about do you really have to scare me to death when I am just trying to listen to some music on the radio!!!  What if he is not feeling well and Lindsay doesn't notice and puts him on the bus and things head south at school.  I am mom this is my job! I talked to the nurse and his teacher they both know if there is anything anything at all I want him seen. I guess the hardest thing for me is will these people care I hope and pray they do but ohhh thats hard for me.  So I did it, all the forms are filled out, I have talked to his teacher and the nurse so why did I wake up at 4 am last night worrying about it ! Worrying about something that has not even happened yet, so here we go ready for the first day of school.  This mom thing is hard work but it is the best job in the world!
Okay well I guess I have worried about this long enough hum whats next.....................

My day

You know sometimes you just feel a bit down, well not really down just nothing is making you happy at the moment, no good songs on the radio, a rainy day so you can't hit the pool, the realization that summer is almost over and the crazy train will be here any day we call school ....... I had just finished my workout tape and it was that hour that all moms know about between 3 and 4 not quite time to make dinner, not going to see an adult for another few hours when I looked out the window and what to my to wondering eyes should appear .................................

A mommy dolphin and her baby.

                                                            Right off the dock!

                                           We also had to save this little guy we found in the crab pot. It was a fun afternoon!

Piano Recital

 Getting ready for their first piano recital.

 Nathan and Caitlin worked hard and did great!

 Caitlin did awesome, so proud.

 Caitlin so proud of her pink trophy

Showing off their trophies.

Owen

 Trying to take a picture of Owen hahaha! Mom I will throw these rocks at you and hit you in the eye!

 Mom this collar is driving me crazy, whose idea was this anyway?

 I can be so cute when I am quiet and still, oh I look like a perfect angel!!! Wait I am a perfect angel!

 This is your last picture and I am out of here!

 Like I said lady I am outta here !

Okay one last picture!
Owen is doing great, he is starting to talk he says all done and more now.

A week of adventures!

Well there is no drought here in eastern NC, we have had a mix of clouds and rain all week. We did manage to hit the pool on Thursday for the morning. We hit the aquarium on Wednesday with Grandma and it was so much fun. We have had storms on and off for about 12 hours now and it looks like the weekend is a bust. With the rest of the nation in a horrible drought we can't complain but I really wanted to go out in the boat this weekend. Oh well maybe tomorrow. On Thursday night Carl and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary, we had an awesome night out and even got free babysitting and dinner thanks Grandma and Grandpa , it was so much fun!!!  Next weekend Granny is going to take the kids for a night, oh boy we are spoiled rotten!

 Getting a good picture of all three kids is really tough but look at those smiles. OH I can't believe I am sending Caitlin to kindergarten in two weeks , ladies and gentlemen I think there might be a tear!!!

 Grandma picks me up every time I say "Up Please", I still love to be held!!!!

At the ray tank, good times!

Here comes another storm, thunder, lighting , rain rain rain go away. Go to the Midwest!

Slow Down Summer

Well I spent the weekend getting ready for back to school. I went through the clothes in the attic, emptied out a few drawers and then on Sunday afternoon Caitlin and I hit stores. We got the supplies from Walmart, which was easy and painless. Its not hard to tell the supplies apart, Caitlin's are all pink with horses and Nathans are camouflage or green.  Next stop was shoes for everyone. Oh boy. I don't think I have ever taken Caitlin shoe shopping, I explained to her that she needed tennis shoes for gym. We talked and talked about this. This child is definitely not her momma! We got there and she picked out the silver sequin ballet flats explaining they would be fine for gym. HAHAH okay you can get those  and the pink sequin flats but you need tennis shoes. We finally found a pair of Nikes, purple with glitter of course . Here are a few of the questions while I am standing up and down finding shoes, getting dizzy because I have zero blood pressure.  "Do I have to put on both shoes?" Do I have to stand up?" You can try them on? ...... We left with four pairs of shoes (Okay she might take after her mama) We were at the exchange so no tax , 25% off and even got Nathan a pair of Adidas for under $100.00 and socks for everyone, so mission complete! Now its time to enjoy the last few weeks of summer. We are off to speech today and then to the pool, if this rain would stop!

We had another fun week. Owen and I dropped Nathan and Catlin at piano lessons and then we hit the Mexican Restaurant. Owen points to it as we drive by indicating that he wants to go there. His favorite is the taco salad. Oh we also split a fried ice cream! Finally I have a kid that likes food!

 There have been many trips to the pool this summer and sometimes as a special treat, okay most times we get ice cream. The Sports Center pool sells cups of for a $1.00, at the O Club we have to buy it from an ice cream machine,kinda cool.

 Nate at the top of the waterslide. We were at Carl's work picnic.  Unfortunately, Carl had to work so I got to take everyone, wow what a day!

Nate gets a snake painted on his arm.

  Caitlin the bunny rabbit!

Oh boy, the kids were outside waiting for the icecream man, yes we eat lots of icecream in these parts and it woke Owen up from his nap. Okay and maybe he was locked in his room because sometimes actually very rarely he has to get his door locked because he will not take a nap. He heard that truck I thought he was going to rip his blinds down before I could get up there. All was well in the world after this huge popsicle.