Fall Randoms

As if the first part of 2016 wasn't busy enough, life seemed to really ramp up in the Fall.  

Labor Day weekend we ended up in the ER with Chloe after she spiked a fever and had a febrile seizure. Way more exciting than I was planning for the weekend.  We had a follow up with her pediatrician that week and it seemed to be a fluke, albeit a scary one.

Chloe had started school in August, but Megan's didn't start until mid-September so we had a few weeks together while Chloe was in school all day.  We got to hang out and go to her orientation together. It was a new school for her but she is really adapted well and loves her teachers and classmates. 

The other big news is that I started my new job!  I'd been out of work since April so it was nice to get back into a routine.  So far so good :)

Chloe's school had a grandparents luncheon and she got to have both sets of grandparents there! Luckily it was planned before Dad and Chris headed to Florida for the Winter :)

It was a beautiful Fall and we had a few chances to get explore the outdoors before the really cold weather hit!

Thanksgiving weekend we worked on gingerbread houses with the kids, plus my sister and I went to an Amy Grant concert at Fox Theater in Detroit. It was an awesome concert!

Great ending to the fall season! Now onto December and the holidays!

Chloe Turns Six

This girl is all about Firefighters and Police these days, so of course one of her favorite shows is Paw Patrol. 

After much thought and debate about her party theme this year, this is what she settled on.  We experimented with fondant for her cake and had hotdogs and sides for our meal. It was a great day with family!

THE accident

I'm just going to say it - 2016 has been rough! I lost my job, had to fight for unemployment, dislocated my shoulder, hurt my back badly (herniated disc, bulging disc, and pinched nerve) - it seems I barely get over one issue when another one comes along. 

Mid-July I started physical therapy for my back and it was going well. The end of July my orthopedic surgeon recommended I start PT for my shoulders as neither of them had good range of motion and I was still having pain. Needless to say, I was spending a lot of time at PT! Most weeks I went 3 days a week for 90 minutes. It was a lot of work but going well - I was about to be discharged for my back. Major achievement. Thursday, August 11, I left for...you guessed it...PT. I pulled out of my subdivision and was waiting at a red light. Out of nowhere I felt a vehicle ram into the back of my car. HARD. The jolt knocked my head into my steering wheel (ya, ouch) but I was otherwise mostly okay except for the head and neck pain. I looked in my rearview mirror to see a semi truck grill. Yep. The police came. They called an ambulance. Very exciting. 

Long story short...my Toyota Camry with her 244,000+ miles and 15 years was totalled (I bought the car September 4, 2001!). We went car shopping. I'm now the proud owner of a Honda HR-V, which I love, and we now have a new family game of trying to find Camry's that look like mom's old car. 

DeTour - Part 2

The first weekend in August we took another trip up north. We missed our annual anniversary trip to Petoskey/Harbor Springs, so we decided to make a stop there on the way to the U.P. Wow - long day of traveling! - but it was so fun to stop at our favorite lunch spot (The Twisted Olive) and get some cookies at Tom's Mom's.  We made it to the cottage around sundown. Thankfully, grandpa and grandma had gotten there and had it all ready when we arrived! We enjoyed a nice long weekend of food and relaxation!

I included this last photo because it's the last one I have of my Camry. But, more about that next...