The Lieslands

simply livin' it up

Some New Videos


Elliot Clapping

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Mari & Elliot Singing & Clapping

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Mari Singing

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Andrew Singing

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Worn Out

We had a fun, tiring weekend. Elliot and Andrew have not been sleeping well, and we have all had a little cold. It seems as though Mari is the only one still going strong.

Not much got done this weekend. Friday night we ran errands, I think. Saturday we also ran errands. We had plans to hit ‘Holiday at the Farm’ at Gorman Heritage Farm, but due to the rain we decided not to attend.

Sunday included more errands, and Susan and I even got to have a little date. Mer-mer and B-Bob (I still have no clue how to spell their grandparent names) watched the kids while Susan and I celebrated our four-year engagement anniversary. Then we enjoyed a nice chicken noodle soup dinner at their house, before heading home to put the kids to bed a little early.

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a fun weekend. Friday night we stayed in, ordering some pizza and getting the kids to bed early.

We spent Saturday taking care of some errands and some chores around the house. Saturday night we hit our first Christmas party, which was fun.

Today we hosted some visitors. Susan’s friend and former roommate from CAP, Annie, stopped by with her five-month old daughter, Cecilia. It was nice to see Annie, as we had not seen her in a few years. She and her family recently moved to Hamilton, OH, which is only about half-an-hour from where we live. After she left we hung up some Christmas lights outside and then my parents came over for dinner.

Sledding

We got a little snow (/rain/sleet) a couple days back, and Andrew has been wanting to get out sledding, so today when I got home from work today, he, Mari and I headed down to the church playground (where there is a very little hill), and hit the slopes. Andrew had a great time, and I think he is finally getting to the age where he could spend a lot of time outside in the snow. Mari did well, even going down the hill a couple times by herself, but she was done in by a tandem ride where she and Andrew both fell off, him landing on her, her face landing in the snow. She did stay outside, but she was done sledding.

We came home to play in the back yard a bit. I taught Andrew the basics of frisbee golf while Mari swung. He actually hit his first target (which I bet was about 50 feet away) in just three tries, which was pretty good. We finished off our time outside by enjoying a fresh round of ‘snow cookies’, with the kids delighting in the taste of stale snow.

Jekyll & Hyde

Last night was a mess. The kids were tired & crabby, and on different schedules. Andrew cried and whined his way through dinner. Elliot skipped his afternoon nap so he was a fuss. Mari did not skip her nap, so while the boys were asleep by 7:30, Mari was an hour later.

Tonight was one of those nights when things just come together. We had a nice dinner, with all of us sitting at the table for about 1/2 hour enjoying ourselves. Holly stopped by after dinner with some advent calendars, which the kids (& Susan) loved, and will continue to love up until Christmas. After she left we hung out for about half an hour, listening to some nice Christmas music and playing. Before bed we read Todd Parr’s Peace Book (The Peace Book, is the title), which I love, and the kids also enjoy. We were upstairs for bed by 7:30 and all the kids were asleep in a timely, relaxing manner. Nice.

Rain

We just got back from a fun trip to Des Moines for Thanksgiving, and to see our new niece/cousin, Hope. It was a great time and it went very quickly. I hope to get some pics up soon.

Still on EDT

We are still living on EDT, with the kids going to bed around 7 and getting up around 6. It is going OK. The only problem is that Elliot has not been sleeping well. We are hoping he is just teething.

Cleaning Up

We are getting rid of the following two items on craigslist. If anyone is interested, just let us know and I am sure you can have them for free:

Computer Desk

200 Disk CD Changer

Off to school

I take Andrew to school in the morning, which I really enjoy. At the beginning of the year, this could be a little challenging, as he was not always too into it. Now he loves going to school and he runs down the path when I open the gate.

Dairy Free

We are trying to get Elliot’s bowels figured out, so Susan and Elliot are both off dairy for a little while. Elliot also has not been sleeping well, and we are hoping the lack of dairy may help with that as well. So far it does not appear to be doing much, but we will give it a few more days.

EST

I have a strong dis-taste for the time change. It really throws our schedule for a loop. I think we could get Andrew and Mari to adjust, but Elliot makes his own schedule. Right now, we are all upstairs for bed at 7, with the kids usually asleep by 7:30 or 7:45. This means that we get up a little early, and have a lot of time to kill in the morning. I don’t mind this in the summer, when it is easy to get outside, but in the winter, it can get rather boring.

Early Bedtime

Elliot went to bed at 4:30 this afternoon, and appears to think that he is out for the night. Should be a fun one.