Halloween 2008

And the winner is?

The annual Russon family Halloween party was this last Saturday. We had a great time. I always look forward to the Halloween party to see what crazy costumes my family can come up with and every year we get a little more creative. The party usually consists of dinner, this year we had soup, salad, and rolls. It was the best dinner I had all week. Then an activity, Jill created a fun scavenger hunt which had us driving to a graveyard, smiths, a church, and Cabela’s. We had so much fun trying to find the next clue before the other team. Then there is the costume contest. Kevin, the golfer with the ball in his head was the winner this year. The winner gets to take home the coveted trophy. I can't wait till next years Halloween party. If you can't tell Michael is corn, I am a carrot, and Esther is a pea pod.

Favorite PJ's

These are pictures of Esther in her favorite PJ's, well at least that is what Michael says. I know that they are his favorite pajamas for Esther. She does look cute in them and they keep her warm at night which is a plus with the weather getting colder. The first picture is just of her in her car seat. Michael thought she was so cute and wanted to take a picture. Everything is going well in the McNeilis house. Michael is in the process of making another wedding cake for a co-worker. I will post pictures when it is done. I am just enjoying being at home. My first day back to work will be Nov 3rd. I am going to be working just one day a week. I am a little nervous going back. A lot of things have changed at work and I am worried that I have been gone too long. I am sure once I get settled in I will remember what I am doing. Esther is doing great. She has been getting up only once at night which I have loved. She now fits in the 3-6month clothes. She will be three months on the 29th.

What we won't do as parents

This is what Michael does to keep Esther happy while I get the bottle ready.

Here are some random pictures that I felt like adding of friends and family. We are all doing well. I have had a cold this last week. So far Esther does not seem to be affected. She has been a little stuffy but that is it. I have slacked off in taking care of myself these days and I guess I need to do better. I am going to try and eat better and get to the gym more often. I hope that we can all remember to take the time to take care of ourselves.

First play date

Our neighbors had a little girl, Presley, the 6th of July. So on Sunday we got the girls together for their first play date. We took several pictures but these are the only two where someone wasn't crying or squirming.
An update on the sleeping. We moved Esther out of our room on Monday night and put her in the guest bedroom, since the nursery is still not done, and she has been sleeping so much better. She now has no problem sleeping in her own bed.

Calling all mothers

So I am trying to adjust to motherhood. The first couple of nights were long but I am getting used to getting up at all hours for who knows how long. I really can't complain. Esther is a good baby. She hardly ever fusses and usually it gets resolved with a bottle. It has been a little bit harder adjusting to being home all the time. I am used to just going and going on my days off because I always had a list of things to get done. I have had to adjust to a slightly slower pace and it is OK that I am still in my PJ's at noon. I am sure many of you can relate to your first baby after working full time for years. So I have a question. Esther the last two nights won't sleep in her own bed. She sleeps great in the cradle during the day but at night after she is done eating and asleep in my arms I go to lie her down and she wakes up. She has spent the last two night sleeping in our bed. I don't want her to be 2 and still sleeping in our bed. Any suggestions?

Esther

I am going to try to update this blog along with Esther's blog as much as I can. Esther's blog will mostly be about her since we set it up for the birth mom. So check both blogs for all the info.
Michael's parents have been here for the last couple of days helping us get ready for Esther to come home. We have been finishing the dry wall plaster that was left from when we had insulation put in the walls back in February. The ceiling has been textured and a new ceiling fan will be installed. We are hoping to get the walls primed and the hardwood floors sanded tomorrow so that we can spend Tuesday putting the lacquer on the floors. Then all we need to do is paint and do touch up stuff. I think in another week we will be ready to move in Esther's clothes and bed. I think that it will still be a couple of weeks before she comes home. We are shooting for the first part of September. She just need to get stronger and take all her feedings with the bottle. Michael and I are hanging in there. It has been a lot to get used to but we can't wait till we can bring her home and feel like a real family.

Garden Update

So everyone keeps asking how the garden is doing, as you can see not bad. We have eaten several of the onions. We ate our first green pepper last night and I am waiting for this one to get a little bit bigger. We don't have any tomatoes yet. Only half on the spinach row can up but it grows fast and tastes so much better than the store. The beans are struggling so we shall see. Yes I know we need to weed.

Garage Sale

So our neighbor Debbi from across the street has been cleaning out her garage and going to have a garage sale. We asked if we could get in on the action. So last Saturday was the garage sale. We sold old camping stuff, pictures, old VHS tapes, our vacuum and our friend Jason's Forerunner. Yes we sold a car at a garage sale. Jason and his wife Amanda moved to Maryland and ask if we would sale the SUV for them. It has been sitting in our driveway for about three week now. There were a lot of people at the garage sale so we just stuck a piece of paper that said for sale on the window and waited. It was gone by that night. Other than the car we made about $80.00, which I used to buy a new vacuum. That night after the garage sale was the street block party. Everyone was supposed to bring their own meat to BBQ and either a side dish or a dessert. We just held it on our front lawn. It was great to get to know everyone better and the food was fabulous. As you can see the month of July has been busy for Michael and me.

Michael's parents stayed for a couple of days after the party. Michael and his parents attended one of Thomas lacrosse games; I had to go to staff meeting that night. The next day Michael had to work so his parents and I along with Jennifer and her family attended the Aquarium. My favorite part is always playing with the sting rays; of course they don’t have stingers. Then Michael's mom Judi and I went and got pedicures. She had never had a pedicure before but loved it. She also helped me put together invitations for a block party that our street was having. Thankfully Judi is creative. She has such great ideas when it comes to making cards. I think they turned out great.