Severtson Sisters

I just love this kid! :)

One of Lauren's favorite things to do -- play a duet with Daddy.

Julia opening a few presents in Clear Lake.

Playing outside. Can you tell Lauren is feeling a little ill? :)

Nothing better than throwing leaves!!

Julia posing in her new dress. :)

Look at all of those presents!

Happy 4th Birthday Julia!!

These two are increasingly interactive. Its cute!

Ready to jump!

This is fun!

Giggling with mommy.

Having more fun. :)

Hi everyone!

I know its been a really long time since I've updated this! Wow. It is hard to find time to do things between working, making supper, getting the kids ready for bed, cleaning up the kitchen, and trying not to fall asleep. :) We've been having a fun month even with all of the craziness.

We took a very quick weekend trip to Clear Lake on September 25th-27th for Great-Grandpa Murley's 90th Birthday party. It was a special day, so we wanted to make sure to get there. It was our first long trip in the new van. It was nice. :) Julia had a great time at the party for Grandpa Murley. As you can imagine, she made friends with everyone. And I mean everyone, whether they wanted to be friends or not. :) It was good to see family that weekend, and although it was short, we had a fun time.

The day after we got back, it was Julia's 4th Birthday!! We had a little party with just us at home. Julia was a little disappointed, having remembered other years when people came to visit, but it just didn't work out this year. She had a great time ripping open all of her presents, which we did in front of the computer so Grandma Mary could partake in the fun via Skype. :) It is hard to believe that Julia is already four. She is getting so grown up and had had a lot of thoughtful insights lately. :) On hilarious quote from a few weeks ago happend after Julia tooted. :) She said, "I guess that's why they call me stinky Pete!" We often let Julia watch the YouTube clip of the Toy Story 2 bloopers, and that quote is on there. :) She said it at the appropriate time, and it was sooo funny. :) Julia is really having a great time at pre-school, and her teachers assure us she is being a good listener, and is a nice friend to all of the kids. That is good to hear. I'm not sure they're always telling the whole truth, but I do think that for the most part she's being a good kid. :) This week's theme was the letter E and fire safety. We got many lessons on how to "Stop, Drop, and Roll," and a reminder to test the smoke alarms. Apparently she's paying attention. :)

Since the birthday weekend, we've all been passing around colds and the flu. Lauren has gotten the worst of it, I think. She's been pretty congested and had a low grade fever a couple of times. Today she seemed back to her normal smiley self for the first time in almost a week. David and I also got sick. I had to miss 1 1/2 days of school last week. We had 1/4 of our school out most days last week with the flu. We're all kind of assuming it was H1N1. Many kids have had it confirmed that that is was they had. I'm not sure if that's what I got, but it may certainly be. I had most of the symptoms with the exception of the fever. Therefore, it makes sense that Lauren and Julia have had it now, too, but none of us had had any serious problems. Its not fun, but so far, we're okay. I wish we knew for sure if that's what we all had...

We had one warm day this week--Monday--where it was actually dry and we could be outside. The girls and I raked a few leaves after school and had fun playing in them. It was really a fun time, and Lauren perked up for a little while while we were out there. She always has enjoyed being outside, so even though she wasn't feeling well, this seemed to help her mood a little bit. Lauren is having a fun time teasing us lately. She likes to initiate peek-a-boo, and likes to pretend she's going to walk to one of us, and then she drops to her knees and laughs. Stinker! :) She is starting to talk a little bit. Nothing is real clear, but the meaning and intent behind the sounds is definite. She'll be 11 months next week. wow. That went fast.

Well, that was probably more than most of you wanted to know. :) I hope you've all been well. Thanks for checking in on us. I never know how many people check this thing out, but I know there are enough, so I'll keep it up. Have a great weekend!!!