Yup, skipped the Halloween post. For now, let's talk about Maggie's birthday.

Somehow, this sweet little baby....

Turned into this crazy 7 year old!

And so we celebrated. She woke up to find presents and balloons in the family rom. She was more excited about having a bike with a KICKSTAND than the bike itself, but whatever! We enjoyed chocolate chip pancakes, with a candle and singing, of course! And, because it was my day to volunteer at school, I was able to enjoy walking into school with her, friends calling out "Hi Maggie" and Maggie replying "Hi___ It's my Birthday!" Not only was it her birthday, but she had completed another 100 books in her reading journal, so it was her day to wear slippers and sit on the class couch. She wore a grin on her face all day long!

In the afternoon, Katherine helped with the cake. She carefully sprinkled all of the sprinkles onto the frosting, and worried that we didn't have enough. She wanted to write a novel on top of the cake, we agreed upon simply, MAGGIE. She objected to my single #7 candle and created an elaborate display with candles and princess figures. And while there was some jealousy surrounding the birthday overall, she also took great joy in writing Maggie's card and making sure Maggie's day was as special as it could be.

After dinner at Olive Garden, we came home for cake, but quickly adjusted those plans after Abby took a tumble off the bathroom stool and needed some minor nursing attention. The big girls took showers while Abby ate some ice. But then we sang, and blew out candles, and ate just the frosting off the top of the cake.

And when it was all done, and cleaned up, we found the girls like this......
...the perfect end to a perfect day....... 3 sisters being silly together.

And the birthday fun continues.....family gathering tomorrow, and a friend birthday party next week!

We had a busy day Wednesday, and since Chris wasn’t home for dinner, I let the girls choose whatever…sandwiches, yogurt, crackers, it was simple and easy. Partway through dinner, Maggie got up to wander, and I was just about to snip at her to stay at the table when I realized she’d wandered over to me. She threw her arms around my neck and sighed “I Just love you MOM I’m so glad you’re my mom”

It was totally out of the blue and it was wonderful. She’d had a great day. She brought a friend home after school – it was a half day and the friend got to ride Maggie’s bus instead of her own. This is HUGE in first grade! They played happily all afternoon, even sharing their playtime with Katherine. She was exhausted, but she had a great day, and she threw her arms around me in the middle of dinner to tell me she loved me. It was so sweet.

Of course, an hour or so later, in her excitement about being invited to Riley’s birthday party, she told me “You know, he’s kinda like my boyfriend” Um, let’s go back to sweet and innocent please! You’re too young for boyfriends!

In other news we had fabulous (though much too short) trip to Evanston on Sunday to visit with our favorite Iowa City residents. It was wonderful to watch the cousins play together. A trip to the park, playing on the front porch, reading stories, and a “private” dinner at the “kids” table in the kitchen - it was perfect!

We’ve had perfect weather for the last 3 weeks; Almost no rain, and warmer than average temperatures. We’ve been soaking it up – knowing that all too soon the snow will fly. Almost every afternoon has found us outside raking leaves and jumping in the piles. I never get tired of watching their glee, jumping, tossing, skipping through the leaves.

Once upon a time I thought I'd update the blog at least weekly. Perhaps that was too lofty a goal? Because I'm slacking, Wow.

We are in full school year mania herein the Sepersky family. School, dance, gymnastics, church meetings, extra school activities (for Daddy AND girls) zoo school, church school (CCD) plus regular employment for Mom and Dad. It's a bit crazy. But honestly I do love it. It is good to be busy and having fun!

And of course, with all the scheduled activities come the unscheduled things - like a GI flu that hung around for a week. And a major school project that was suddenly due in 10 days.

Yes it's crazy - but a good crazy, a fun crazy. Let's just recap in pictures.

Maggie's first night of dance class. It's very low key - through the rec department. Honestly she's a little old for this class, but she overlapped with 2 classes, and Mondays work better in our schedule. She doesn't even realize it because she's at the same skill level as all the other girls - which is to say, unskilled. She has the energy and desire to dance - who cares if she has no grace other than her middle name! (Katherine is not in dance, because she chose gymnastics. But she enjoys dressing up for dance class with Maggie.)

I have no idea why Abby is wearing sunglasses. Does it even matter?

My girls in pink, ready to go to school for Maggie's presentation. Maggie's unexpected school project was to create a timeline of her life (all 7 years) and give a presentation to her class. She had to answer, and then read from, 2 pages of questions about herself and her family, and then read her favorite book to the class, and explain her display board of time line pictures. She took it a step further by creating a computer display as well. Chris wasn't able to be at her presentation, so he helped her to create a powerpoint-type display of pictures. Initially her scheduled date was May, so we felt we had plenty of time to put it all together. Then we were asked to switch and ended up with about 10 days to get it done. But it went very well and we had fun doing it as a family.
On Saturday we had nothing scheduled. So, despite the chilly temperatures, we went out to an Apple Orchard/Pumpkin Farm for the morning. It was awesome!


We took a hayride to the orchard, and the girls had a blast taste testing different apples and then climbing in the trees to choose the best ones.
Then, the hayride took you out to the pumpkin patch to choose your pumpkin. Abby wasn't so thrilled by this point, but we quickly chose a pumpkin and got back the hay wagon to ride back to the car.

It was a perfect family activity for a beautiful fall day.
On Monday, Katherine and I took a field trip with preschool to a farm. She got to play with so many animals I lost track. She really enjoyed milking a cow and chasing the chickens. I appreciated the abundance of hand sanitizer stations! We took another hay ride and picked out another pumpkin. And we came home completely exhausted!
We're looking forward to finishing this crazy week with a trip to Gram and PopPop's on Sunday to see our favorite Iowa cousins!

I started writing this post 6 days ago. It's completely outdated. But that's the way it goes sometimes!

What does it say about me that it took Maggie pointing out my 3 week blog hiatus to kick me in the butt and post an update today. She would sit at the computer all day if we let her I think. Games, movies, pictures of cousins are all good. But now that her class has a webpage, she stalks it and watches the same “back to school” video over and over.

3 weeks ago it was still summer vacation. That’s hard to believe now that we’re so busy with school schedules and activities. “Back then”we were still on vacation, and making the most of it. We took the girls down to Milwaukee’s lakefront and took a family bike ride. In a surrey. It was hilarious! And though my knee has given me a little bit of trouble since then, it was totally worth it! We had so much fun. I’d definitely recommend it if you ever get the chance!

Our final events of the summer were meeting Maggie’s teacher, Mrs Moker, at “Back to School night” and then having a Mommy and girls celebration of the last day of summer. Chris was already back, due to teacher inservice, but I told the girls we’d do something special. That turned into baking a cake and having McDonalds for lunch. Pretty special indeed!

The first day of school was damp and grey, but nothing was going to spoil the day in this house. Everyone was up and ready to go with plenty of time to spare. While Maggie was off to her first day of 1^st grade, Katherine and Abby and I went to Katherine’s preschool to “meet the teacher.” Of course, this is our third year with the same teachers, so it was more fun to meet the friends, old and new, who are in her class.

Abby wasn't too impressed with the back to school hoopla!
This was our first a attempt at walking to the bus stop with Maggie. Most days we drive o the end of the block so we can speed over to preschool or gymnastics. But we enjoy walking. Or we did, until Abby decided that SHE likes to walk, and push a stroller. Sadly, she doesn't have the same ability to walk a straight line (thank goodness for quiet, cul de sac street) or the same efficiency as we do.
I couldn't find the girls, when I thought they were upstairs. Turns out they decided to enjoy the beautiful weather with some books on the porch!
First day of gymnastics.
First full day of APL school. She was great - no tears like last year. She LOVES school!

This morning at breakfast, Katherine held out two closed fists and asked me where her raisin was. "In your mouth" I replied with a smile.

She was indignant and asked "How did you know that?"

Of course, my answer was, "Mommies know everything."

She paused for just a second before announcing, "Well, I'm smarter than you are! I can do rhymes! Cat-Hat, Chair-Bear, House-Mouse. I'm the smartest in the whole entire world!"

And so started another day in our life!

We've all been busy, but Abby has been the busiest. She's in constant motion - either practicing her walking, or scooting because it's faster. She has 2 hand signals associated with walking. Holding one hand up means "Please extend your finger so that I can hold it for balance while I walk." If she holds both hands in the air it means, "I'm tired of this walking game and I want you to pick me up!" She also found time in the last 2 weeks to develop an ear infection. She's halfway through her meds now and clearly feeling better. I'm just glad that the high fevers are gone - there is nothing more pathetic than a feverish child! She has also decided that sitting on the bottom step of the stairs is the perfect place to be. You'll find her there, just sitting, or perhaps clapping her hands or singing to herself. Her current favorite song is "Itsy Bitsy Spider."

You heard it here first: Katherine is going to be very sad when Maggie goes back to school. Even though she'll have her own preschool 3 days a week, I predict this year will be even harder for Katherine. She and Maggie are constantly playing together. They create elaborate story lines with "PetShop" in their room, they play never ending games of "house" in the basement, they create parking lots and houses, and daycares and school outside. I love to watch them play, and I try to sneak close enough to eavesdrop a little too. I love that they get along so well (except when they don't) and I hope that I will make a suitable play-partner for Katherine when Maggie is in school all day!

Last weekend we took a quick "mini-vacation" to Evanston. Because we live close enough, we rarely spend the night at Gram and PopPop's. But the girls ask every time we visit if this will be the time they get to have a sleepover at Gram's. This trip, it was finally Sleepover Time! They packed their suitcases 3 times before we left. The first 2 times they tried to pack toys and books, without any essentials. The third time, they actually got it right - and without any help from me! They remembered clothes, toothbrushes, and even a sweatshirt, just in case it might get cold.

Maggie has been very interested in the idea of a Subway Train, so we planned our first trip underground. They girls had ridden on the 'EL' with their cousins Edward and Daniel before, but never downtown, in the subway, UNDERGROUND! It was quite a thrill. Once downtown, we walked over to the John Hancock building to meet my friend Tracy. She works on the 33rd floor, and invited us to her office to watch the Chicago Air and Water Show. It was awesome. We had great seats, great company, no crowds, and plenty of air conditioning! And Maggie even got to pose with a real Gatorade National Player of the Year Trophy; probably her only chance to get so close to it: )

On Monday it was off to The Museum of Science and Industry. We had so much fun. I hadn't been there in probably 20 years, so it was essentially new to all of us. The girls thought the kid area was awesome - with water tables and balls and puzzles, dollhouse, pulleys, gears. They might have stayed there all day! We managed to get them into a few other exhibits and they found there was plenty of cool stuff at this museum. They're already asking how soon we can go back. Maggie studied a museum map on the way home, reading about everything we missed!

We stopped to have lunch with Aunt Nora after the museum. Dad got to the restaurant first and found there were 2 parking spots right out in front. Of course he did what any loving father would do: he pulled in and then kept his car moving forward and back, saving the spot for our car. What a guy! Inside the restaurant Abby kept us entertained by shaking and dancing to the music and enjoying a 'Blue Moon' soaked orange slice from her Aunt Nora.

After lunch we had a brief visit to a "City Park" (my girls think anything with "city" in its name is awesome) before heading home. We had such a fun time!

Last night we had Maggie's last softball game. Although it was tedious at times, and the mosquitoes were vicious, it was a fun experience for her. She certainly improved over the 8 weeks, and has mentioned that she'd like to try it again next summer. Hmmm, we'll have to see about that!

And finally, let's take a moment to celebrate that it was cool enough yesterday to wear Jeans. Full length blue jeans! It was delightful! Of course, Abby is full of Attitude in this picture, due to her dislike of her hair accessory. But still, JEANS! And wearing jeans meant half as many bites at the game last night! The mosquitoes swarmed our heads, not our legs. Fantastic!

It's a well documented fact that Chris is awesome. In case you need further proof, Yesterday, while I was at work, he packed a picnic, and took all 3 girls downtown to the Milwaukee Art Museum. They toured the museum, had their picnic, and then jumped on the free trolley to ride around downtown Milwaukee. Then, they played outside at the museum, looking at the fountains, before packing up the car and heading home.
This morning, he and the girls used the pictures that he took and created a podcast about their adventure.

I had a little free time at work last night, so I started composing a blog post. It's harder than you might think to capture the moments of almost 2 weeks. By the time I left work I had almost 3 pages of thoughts. So it's probably a good thing that when I emailed it to myself to publish on my home computer, it got lost in translation and is useless now. It was way too long anyway!
We managed to attend German Fest on Milwaukee's lakefront last weekend. Maggie and Katherine were most excited about the massive playground. Abby decided that Daddy's empty beer cup was her favorite. Chris and I enjoyed a cool breeze and warm sun.
Katherine started a bedtime stalling technique a few weeks ago. She asks, every night for "Cold water, cold ice, in a sippy cup, the purple one, with the flowers." And every night I tell her the same thing, if she's still awake I'll bring it to her when I go to bed. Only once has she still been awake. On Saturday, she asked for a cracker with her drink. When I gave her my standard response, she asked if I was going to stay up "Really late, or not too late?" I told not too late because I was tired. When I went upstairs about 1 1/2 hours later, I found this.

It was Chris who had to point out the obvious, "She was waiting for her cracker."

Sure enough, when I asked her in the morning, she said "I was looking down the stairs for you, and then I got a little sleepy, so I got my 'Green B' to snuggle and I guess I just fell asleep!"

Abby is still not walking independently. But she is a master at getting where she wants to go. And she's finding more and more ways to cause trouble. Today she managed to pull the kleenex box close enough to do this damage.

Last week I was declared "Best Mom Ever!" Because after rest time the girls found that I had inflated the shark pool. I wasn't sure what Abby would think, but she was thrilled and didn't cry at all until I pulled her out after an hour. Maggie and Katherine were very patient and careful of Abby. But they were also very excited to have Abby out of their way so they could turn on the spraying spout and jump and splash without worry of bothering her.


We had quite the adventure almost 2 weeks ago on a simple day trip to Appleton. I had planned a day of fun with friends, visiting a college roommate and her girls. But our outdoor plans were thwarted by a persistent, heavy rain. Just as we were leaving their house, the rain subsided and I was thankful that I might make it home without the wipers on full speed as they had been on the drive up.

HA! About 45 minutes into our 2 hour trip, Chris called to ask if I was in Dodge County? I wasn't, but would be within about 10 minutes, why? Oh nothing except a Tornado warning with confirmed funnel sightings. Fabulous.

The next hour was the most terrifying driving experience ever. Torrential rains, and wind. The radio telling me where the latest funnel was. No place to safely get off the road as many exits were flooded, and we were in the middle of nowhere, no major truck stops to seeks shelter in. All the while, the questions were coming rapid-fire from the back seat "Is this a tornado Mommy? Is this a flood? Are the booms going to get us? Are we in a tornado like Dorothy?" I tried to be calm, but not truthful. We were indeed in the path of a funnel, but I told them it was just rain. As I reached the point of total panic, I saw a sign for West Bend.

That was the answer I'd needed. We pulled off the highway and made our way slowly to Chris' grandparents' house. They were delighted to see us and insisted that we stay for Tombstone Pizza and ice cream. It was a wonderful visit and after dinner, the sun was out and I started to pack the girls to continue our journey home.

And then Chris called. "You're watching this on TV, right?"

"No, we're packing up to come home."

"You're not coming home. Not now, and probably not tonight."

As it turns out, the storm that caused me so much trouble, had settled over Milwaukee County where it dropped almost 8 inches of rain in 3 hours. Both of the highways that could have taken me home were shout down because of flooding, and the radar screen showed more and more rain coming from Iowa. Chris was right, I was stuck in West Bend for the night.

Luckily, Rita was now home, so we went over to camp out at her house. She even had a stash of brand new jammies for the girls, so at least they didn't have to sleep in their clothes! By morning, the roads were dry and we were able to finish our trip home without incident. Our house was dry through the storm, Thank goodness! The rain gauge in our yard was overflowing, and it's height is 6 inches. CRAZY!

This week we finish swim lessons. In 2 weeks Maggie will be done with softball and Chris will finish his last class of the summer. Just in time for him to go back to school for inservice in 3 weeks. I can't believe how fast the summer has flown by. I'm not ready for it to be over! Good thing we have many exciting adventures planned before it is! I wonder if I can keep up with blogging about our fun times? HA! We'll see!