Winter Wonderland (like I wonder why we still live here)

When we moved to Milwaukee, we thought that we would be here no more than 5 years (4 1/2 yrs ago), then move on to bigger and better things. Then, last year we endured the 2nd worst winter on record (the worst was in 1892 or something like that). After that, Corey declared that we were NOT going to spend another winter in this place! Well..... here we are.

This past Friday, we were 'blessed' with about 14 inches of snow. And not the first snow of the season, either. I think we are ahead of last year's snowfall at this time. I have been kind of sissy about the snowblower, and have not used it this year. Luckily, Corey has been home during each of the previous storms, so he just takes care of it. Last week we got a few inches while Corey was out of town, and I was just going to clear a path to the garage. But the snow was so powdery (Utah snow) that I ended up pushing it off the whole driveway. I say 'pushing' because that's all I did. I didn't lift anything, it was great. And, since I am 22 weeks pregnant, I figure I should refrain from any kind of snow hefting.

Back to Friday. We bought Addie a snow shovel her size for Christmas, but with this snow we decided to give her a present early (and put her to work). I bundled her up, then sent her out with Corey to clear our paths. Max was TICKED!!! He wanted to go out soooo bad! This did not excite me, because I figured that I'd spend 15 minutes getting him and me bundled, then he'd be out for 2 minutes before he started crying from the cold. And I don't have any snow pants for him yet, but I did find some snow gloves (waterproof), so I thought I'd give it a try. An hour later, I was freezing and the drive and walkways were cleared, so I started hauling kids back inside. Again, he was Ticked! He'd have stayed outside all day if I'd have let him. What a trooper! Addie, too, although I expected that from her. She just loves doing big-kid stuff like that.


Here she is, first braving the snow. The grimace is just the initial shock of the cold, I'm sure.


Doesn't look like he's too excited, huh. That's what I thought, until he started trucking down the driveway trying to catch up to Corey and the snowblower.


Remember how fun it was to eat snow? Now, all I can think about is frozen cheeks and chapped lips as a result of the snow eating. I think I'm getting old. This picture has Addie on her knees, but when she walked down the walk before it was cleared, the snow hit the bottom of her coat. Wisconsin's great, huh?



Corey hauling Max back up the driveway. I thought the noise of the snowblower would be too much for Max, but when I took him from Corey he freaked out. Guess he just wanted some male bonding time.

Like I said before, I wonder why we still live in this place that can bury us so entirely in just a couple hours. Options, I guess.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

I have the most amazing husband. I know everyone says that sometime or another in their marriage, but I really have a great man taking care of me.

We got back from Nauvoo on Sunday night, and Monday got a call from Corey's mom saying she wanted to come visit. She was on the road the next day. She got in late Tuesday evening, and we were sitting around visiting when Corey handed me an envelope. I had been cleaning all day (mother-in-law visit cleaning) and was tired, so I was very confused when I opened the envelope to stare at the travel itinerary in front of me. It said that I was leaving Saturday morning for Ontario. But I don't have a passport, and I don't think December is the time for me to go to Canada. But, on further inspection, I realized that I was going to Ontario, CA!! That's right next to Ranco Cucamonga, and that's where Amber lives with her babies!!! I was going to finally see those quads!!! Not only did Corey buy my ticket, he arranged the week with Amber... he got me a substitute for Primary... he changed my doctor appointment... and he took a day off to watch the kids! What a man.

So I was off to sunny weather, and beautiful babies. And I forgot my camera. Not that I had much time to even think about taking pictures. So, I've stolen some pictures from Amber's blog (this woman has enough organization to post regularly, nurse, pump, medicate babies, entertain those that come to help her, and stay calm while 2-3 babies are crying in her arms at the same time). And I fell in LOVE! I cried when I left, not just because I was going to miss helping out, but because I wasn't going to be able to hold and feed and change and rock and watch their development anytime I wanted. I can't believe how much I bonded with these wonderful miracles in such a short time. Five days doesn't seem like much, but a week later, I'm still missing those babies so very much. And it was hard work! There is NO down time. If all four are taken care of and happy (or sleeping), you are doing dishes, or folding laundry, or prepping bottles, or trying to remember to nap... because the nights were not any easier. I was peed on, and puked on, and woken up, and everything else that babies do that mommies (and surrogate aunties) have to endure times 4. And I wish I could go back tomorrow.

Here are the babies, these pics were taken a couple days before I got there. Top left is Michael, top right is Jakob, bottom left is Jaileigh, and bottom right is Anthony. It's amazing to me that anyone can confuse them, they seem so individual to me. Of course, that doesn't mean that I didn't fumble the names several times a day, but I always knew what I meant.


Typical scene at home, Mom and Dad holding two babies each.


Beautiful family, don't you think?


Oh, how I love them. Anthony, Michael, Jaileigh, and Jakob.

Hard to read in this picture, but their onesies say "All mommy wants for Christmas is a silent night." You don't know how true this is. Amber could fall asleep with people visiting around her, catch a couple winks while nursing or pumping, sleep with babies on her lap and chest... anything to keep up with these babies.

Oh, yeah, I came home the night before my birthday to balloons, a crown, and a completely clean house. My bed was even made! And this was all Corey, his mom went home a few days before. Addie made me wear this crown the whole day (when she remembered). Aren't I a lucky woman?!?

Nauvoo

Sorry, I have been remiss with my postings lately. But I have been busy doing things I should be posting about, so I'll try to catch up.

Thanksgiving in Nauvoo, what a good idea. I was not really on board, because Thanksgiving is about family gathering and feasting. At least that's what I believe. But being away from family, Corey didn't want to waste away the weekend by sitting on the couch watching football (I should be grateful, I know). And Nauvoo in November is so private! Very few visitors, so we had many attractions all to ourselves.

Here we are with the oxen. 2500 lbs of peaceful animals, still a little scary.


The statue of Joseph and Hyrum at the end of the Trail of Tears (0r hope, I forget).


Addie and I in front of John Taylor's property. Since we are decendants, we felt a bit of ownership and pride. We even signed the book in his home as a great-great granddaughter, and a great-great-great granddaughter (Addie's excited to meet him in heaven, funny that she is starting to get some deeper doctrine)


Again, we had Carthage Jail all to ourselves. We got there at 4:50, so we had the last tour of the evening. And it was full dark, so it was easy to transport ourselves back to the actual event. Very powerful.

Corey watched the kids while I did a session, and paid the price. Kids don't like killing time when it's 40* out, and they've missed their naptime. While I enjoyed 2 hours of peace, Corey never got his chance. He didn't want me (and the kids) to have to go through the same experience the next day, so we went down to Carthage instead.

We had a wonderful time, and were able to teach the kids (Addie, at least) about how people lived and loved the gospel in different ways than we know now.

The Curse of Black Friday

I have always hated the thought of 'Black Friday' shopping. Crowds just aren't my style, and I have a hard time believing the deals are really that good. My first experience with this cursed event was my first year in college. I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled, and it was either over Thanksgiving break or Christmas break... so I opted for missing out on turkey. I had them pulled the day before Thanksgiving, then had a wonderful day after. I wasn't in a lot of pain, and was even able to chew most of the dinner items, so I didn't feel left out. That evening, my roommate contacted me - depressed. She's from Washington, but didn't have a way to get home for the short holiday. She ended up with her aunt in Provo, and was hating it! Since I was feeling so much better than expected, I invited her to spend the rest of the weekend with us. She and my mom hit it off, and got to talking about the shopping going on the next day. My mom always went out, so she was happy to have some company.

Early the next morning, we were running through WalMart, trying to find everything on the list. But I was tired. And not too into the spirit of the day. And, appearantly, was not as recovered as I thought. I started complaining, and my mom decided to put me in the check out line (it was about 1/2 mile long at this point, so they would fill my cart while I was slowly making my way to the registers. I wasn't even halfway through this line, when my mom noticed that I was green, green... looking dangerously close to puking. My poor mom had to abort the mission and take me home (we lived very close) and got back just in time to pay for her meager lot of items.

That was my first experience. I was 18. My next experience was last year (mere weeks before my 33rd birthday). See, I got back on the horse. It just took me fifteen years or so :)

Last year, my sister Kristy talked me into joining their expedition. We were in Utah for the holiday, and I'd never been out with her. Now, in Utah, they started something new at one of the malls the previous year. The mall opened at midnight, and about 1/2 the stores opened with incredible deals (this is all part of the talking me into it speech). She went on about all the great deals the Gap and others had to offer, and she was so excited because 3 malls were doing the same thing this time, so we just HAD to go! Well, I wasn't too excited about this. Max was only 2 months old, and Corey would have to do some night feedings if I was to join the ranks, and I still wasn't too gung-ho. Corey pushed a little, because he knew how hard it was for me to miss out on fun things my family does together. So I agreed.

We tried to nap in the evening, but sisters do not nap when we only see each other once or twice a year. So, about 11:oo, we bundled up and got in line at the mall. It was crazy! I couldn't believe how many people were willing to participate in this kind of mayhem. I figured we'd do the mall, then I'd head home and they (4 of my sisters and my mom) would work on the rest of their lists. Little did I know, Kristy figured once she had me out she wasn't going to take me home! The mall didn't have nearly the store cooperation they had the year before (at least in the stores I was interested in), so I felt the night was a bust... let's hit the sack. Oh, no! We had to go to Kohl's, they had KitchenAids for cheap, and they were opening at 4:00. This was at 2:00, when we were having this conversation. Enjoying the company too much, I finally agreed to do Kohl's. So, at 4:00, the doors opened to a frigid mass of people, myself included, and we ran like crazy. We couldn't find the right mixers, so I went scouting. I found a group of people hauling away KitchenAids like they were crazed, and one woman just staring at the box trying to decide if she really wanted it. I just reached around her and grabbed it... you snooze, you lose baby! Now I was getting the fever. This is fun! We all got what we were looking for (I flew in for Thanksgiving, remember, limited luggage space and all) then got in line. This was when the fever died. The line was CRAZY!!! Three or four registers at the front of the store, and we were in the line that wrapped all the was around to the back, then up the middle again. Suddenly these deals didn't look so great (since they weren't for me, I could afford to say that). My mom courageously offered to do the check out, and sent us to WalMart for their 5:00 opening.

WalMart. Back to the scene of horror. I tried to back out, claiming that I needed to pump, claiming exhaustion, claiming possible alien abduction... whatever, just so I didn't have to face Wally world with all the crazies! Too bad, my sister said, it's just across the parking lot and too close to opening to take me home. Crap! Strangely, WalMart ended up being the best Black Friday experience we had... go figure. It was a 24 hr store, so they were open and doing business. You just weren't able to touch any of the specials till they announced it. So, people were just standing around the areas of most interest to them. That meant, instead of 500 people rushing in the doors at once and going crazy finding what they are looking for, only about 20 or 30 people are diving into the piles... very little chance of bloodshed. Cool! We were in and out within 20 minutes, I kid you not! Awesome! After that, we just had Target (do the stores all get together to figure out how to stagger the opening times, making sure people can shop at each one of the openings?). That was alright, but it was 6:00 by this time, and I was beyond drained. I dragged in at about 7:00, just in time to feed Max, then crash for several hours of very interupted sleep.

All in all, way better than I thought it could be. Probably because I got to do this with my sisters, and that made it all worth it.

Now, if you're still with me (I'm totally rambling, sorry) I will come to the point of this whole post. This year, we didn't have any plans for Thanksgiving. Utah was too expensive, and Corey's mom and sister went to Vegas for the weekend, so there was no reason to go anywhere. Corey suggested we go to Nauvoo instead of sitting at home all weekend. I was pretty hesitant, until we found out 2 missionaries didn't have an invitation for dinner, so we had them over for a nice Thanksgiving dinner, then hit the road to Nauvoo. We pulled into the hotel parking lot around 10:30, and Corey pointed out that WalMart was in the same lot with us. "Hey, you could run over and get your Christmas shopping done tomorrow with all the sales!" Nice, just what I wanted to do. By myself. Again, with no room to bring anything home. I just shrugged him off. He mentioned it again as we were going to sleep, and I laughed at him. Unfortunately, I noticed that this was a 24 hr store, so it could potentially be an okay experience. NO! I don't want to go! But the deals... No, way! Walking around Nauvoo all day with no sleep because I shopped for the thrill of it was not my idea of a good time. This cycled through my mind, over and over again... all night long. I even checked the clock at one point, considering, but it was only 3:30. I went back to sleep. Next thing I know, Corey is standing over me saying he keeps dreaming about shopping, and figures he should just go and do it! So, Corey went to WalMart (he hates WalMart), on Black Friday (he hates crowds), & he spent a lot of money (he hates to spend money)! And I didn't get any more sleep, because I was waiting around for him to get back and see what he got.

He had fun... I know he did, even though he denies it. And he got some cool things for our family, so that's fun for me. So, I feel like the curse has been lifted, and I will consider doing this again if I have a buddy. I'd love to hear any fun, beating the next shopper to the punch, pushing yourself to the limits, Black Friday stories any of you may have. And happy shopping!

Dance Recital

Tonight was Addie's last dance class for this session. Parents were invited to watch this class to see what they've learned. We sat in on the first class, but haven't been allowed in the room the rest of the classes so the girls would concentrate on the teachers. Corey came home early today so he could come, and it was sooooo cute!!! I know I'm biased, but I thought all the girls were great. I'm so sad that the next class won't start till the end of January, what are we going to fill our Thursdays with?

Here's our little ballerina (pardon the panty line)

I'm sorry this is so long, but I loved it. I recorded the whole class time, but this was the best one I think. It won't offend me if you don't watch it all, it gets a little monotonous after awhile.

Here's Addie with her teachers - Miss Michelle, Miss Elizabeth, and young Miss Jessica - saying goodbye (she's so sad)

Shopping!

Saturday is a special day, it's a day we catch up on being a family. (anyone singing the old primary song by now?) Since Corey's so busy on Sundays, it's really our only day that we get to hang... and by that, I mean that I feel justified in throwing the kids in his direction anytime they need something. BUT.... Corey went to a Wisconsin Badger football game today. And I was not pleased. I shouldn't be so bossy, but it's really our only day!!! However, when we moved here Corey listed all the things he needed to do while living in Wisconsin. This list included going the a Packer game (check), golfing at Whistling Straits (working on it), and watching a Badger game. So I shouldn't complain, but I did... a lot. I decided the only way not to be a super raggy wife when he came home from the game was to fill my day, so I wasn't sitting at home with the kids all day long. So I went shopping!!!

I had a 30% off coupon for Gap/Old Navy that was to expire today, and since I didn't have a real time table to keep, I decided to take a drive. For those not from Milwaukee, it's about a 30 min drive to the outlets, and I don't like to make the time. But today I had nothing but time. And I cleaned them out! Corey was a little afraid to ask how much I spent, especially since he knew how I felt about how he spent his day (yeah, he got home at 7:45 pm), but I didn't go too crazy.

The reason for this post, is to tell you of my new discovery while shopping!! Motherhood maternity has a new style of waistbands they are putting on skirts and jeans that I LOVE!!!

Now, I know that I'm an old lady that likes to wear bands over my belly instead of under, but that's the beauty of this product! You can roll the band down below the waist, wear it midwaist or go Urkle like I always do and pull it up to your chin! And the fabric is soooo comfortable, kind of like a fitted tee shirt would feel (maybe like Shade shirts with more spandex).

So, if there's any of you out there expecting, or thinking that you have a little extra cash that you want to contribute to your maternity wardrobe (just in case you get that crazy urge to keep expanding your family) go and check it out. Plus, the prices were very reasonable... not the norm for Motherhood, I know, so take advantage.

I Love BestBuy!

Our computer has served us well. We got it when Addie was 4 months old, and it has survived her pounding and picking (I got pretty good at reattaching keys), and even a drop or two... not that I'd ever admit that to Corey at the time. The laptop was a gift from Corey's mom, and she completely believes in buying the service plans that are offered with electronic purchases. We also believe in these, in theory, but we usually are too cheap to allow that extra expense.

With our computer, we've had a few issues that were swiftly taken care of because of the service plan. The last issue we had was the mouse pad didn't work anymore, so we had to attach a mouse to the laptop. We sent it in, and got it back 3 weeks later (can you imagine being stuck at home with 2 little kids and no computer?!?) but the problem wasn't fixed. We took it back, and found that our plan covered replacing the computer if the problem wasn't fixable or not cost effective to fix. That's right, baby, we got to pick out a new computer!!!

Now, about 3 years ago, Corey had an XBox that started sticking on a certain game. He bought it on EBay, and it came with a service/replacement plan. So he brought it back, and they didn't even look at it...they told him to pick out a new one, and since the price had dropped since the original purchase, he got that difference back in a store credit! What a deal, huh? So when we found out we needed to pick out a new laptop, Corey was giddy! Our original computer cost $1400, so he started shopping online. We went in, and found out that the policy had changed. We were to get a laptop comparable to our original. Small problem, nothing's comparable. Technology 3 years ago doesn't exist anymore. Good for most, bad for us. We had 3 laptops to pick from, and ended up with a $400 computer. We had gone into the store sure that we would buy another service plan. After all, it had saved us several times. But the plan costs $250, more than half the cost of the computer. We decided if this one went kaput, we would invest in a laptop we really wanted, not one we were forced to pick from.

Reguardless, I love BestBuy. We've had great experiences with them, and will continue to give them our business as long as it benefits us.

November???

This week has been B-E-A-Utiful!!! I'm not kidding, I'd love this kind of weather in June! Or every day of the year. It's been in the low 70's all week, and continues through tomorrow. Then it's projected to rain/snow this weekend and dip into the 30's. So I'll take advantage of this while I can. We had playgroup at a park today, probably our last opportunity till... I don't know, May! So Max has turned into a handful at the park, because he's into climbing and I'm into talking with my friends. So here's a short clip highlighting my time at the park.

Halloween (a little belated is better than never)

Halloween was a week long affair this year, and am I glad it's over! Between trick-or-treating on Sunday (because Wisconsin doesn't believe in doing it on Halloween night, go figure)... Tuesday night at the church trunk-or-treating... Thursday at dance class... and Friday at preschool, I was DONE!!!

Corey put it in Addie's head (about 7 months ago) that we should go as the Mystery Gang. The only one we were missing was Scooby (a key character, I know). I've talked to a lot of moms that say their kids kept changing their minds, but Addie never wavered. The only change made was she originally wanted to be Velma, and that would leave me as Daphne. I didn't think I'd pull off the velvet dress as well as Addie, so we talked her into the orange wig.

Sunday afternoon, we bundled up and headed out to get some loot... and it was cold! There were high wind gusts all day, and as soon as we went out the temperature seemed to drop. We got around to about 5 houses, and it started spitting rain, then snow! Corey's dad took Max back to the house, but the three of us pressed on.


This was so classic in our older neighborhood (old poops that don't want to deal with whiney kids asking for more candy). Corey made me pretend like I was taking a picture of he and Addie while really zooming in on the sign on the door, thus the orange fuzz in the corner.


Here's a pic of Addie kissing our trophy we won as a family at the ward Halloween party. Pretty fun night, even though the haunted house fog machine set off the fire alarm that brought the fire department. Ah, memories...

Unfortunately, I'm ditzy and didn't even think about bringing the camera to dance class so there's no picture of Addie in her ballerina costume (thanks Becky!) I'll try to be a better mom in the future.

This is Addie's preschool class party. There were some fancy costumes, must be a ritzy class.

It takes a special person to be a preschool teacher. I can't imagine having to corall 25 three year olds.

Two notes: I was bugged that they put Addie in the back, but didn't want to be a pushy mom complaining that you couldn't see my kid. Luckily, the lady next to me spoke up and said "Daphne needs to be in the front, all you can see is the top of her orange wig." Notice in the picture above she's in the front row.

Also, don't feel too bad for the girl next to Addie that's not dressed up. I was thinking maybe her parents didn't believe in Halloween, and the poor girl was subjected to being the only kid without a costume. But Addie said her mom brought her a costume to change into (must have been a rough morning in their house).

You never appreciate it till it's gone

What a weekend! We have Corey's dad visiting us this week, so we thought we'd go for a drive on Saturday into Kettle Moraine Nat'l Forest and see what fun we could find. Corey took a shower, then I did, but before I even got dressed, Corey's dad told me our water heater was leaking. We went downstairs to look, and sure enough there was a nice fountain (or bubbler, are you from Milwaukee?) coming out of the bottom of the water heater. GREAT!!! Does this kind of thing only happen on a weekend?! There went our plans.



Of course, the kids were desperately in need of a bath, as Halloween can be messy when you add glitter hairspray to your little ballerina. Plus, Max has a cold, so he's all boogery and slobbery. All I could think of was going to church the next day with dirty kids, and greasy hair. Corey got on the phone, and an hour later spent $600 on a new waterheater that would be installed sometime on Monday.



Suddenly, I'm realizing that I'm way behind on dishes, laundry, and can't figure out how to get Addie to school on Monday when she's days past a bath. Bathe her at the neighbor's house, perhaps? (We are feeding their fish while they are out of town, and Corey was insistant that they wouldn't mind if we used their shower. Is that creepy to anyone else? Also, we weren't sure when they were coming home, and it turned out they arrived at noon today when Addie and I were over there feeding the fish! Could you imagine if I were leaving their house with a towel on my head, what would they think?) Hot water, I've found, affects all aspects of running a household.

On Sunday, with my kitchen overflowing with dishes and no way to get it clean, I decided to boil some water and wash the pans, at least. They are big, and getting them taken care of clears a bigger spot. It worked quite well, so I started washing knives and miscellaneous things, and I cut my finger! So that was the end of dishes for me. Then I got the brilliant idea of boiling water to fill a bath for the kids. It worked like a dream!! I had to boil 2 pots of water and poured it into a shallow bath of cold water. It wasn't quite warm enough, so I boiled the 2 pots of water again. I was pouring the last pot in, and poured the very last of the boiling water all over my hand -- the same hand I cut! And I am such a weenie about things like that. But I had to bathe the kids, so I gritted my teeth through the pain of putting my burned hand in the hot water. Then nursed my poor hand with an ice pack, even slept with it to ease the burn (told you I'm a weenie!)

So today I'm feeling pretty gross, and we don't know when the installer is supposed to come, so I decide to do the same thing I did for the kids. Of course, I need a bit more water in my bath, so I ended up boiling water for AN HOUR before the water was tolerable (not steamy, the way I would have prefered). I stepped into the tepid water, and heard Corey greet the installer at the back door. Oh well, all that work could have been avoided had I been a little patient. But I had to take Addie to school at noon, and didn't think we'd have hot water in time.

The up side to this whole thing is we now have regular hot water pressure in our kitchen faucet (we lost pressure one day a couple years ago, and I am unwilling to pay a plumber oodles of $$$ to fix it). I guess there was a block near the water heater in the lines, and it was cleared when the water was turned back on!!! All in all, nearly worth $600. But, you know how spending large amounts of money is fun only if you can feel the tangible reward? My reward is new pressure that we have lived without for too long, and the thought that listing our home with a new water heater (when the time comes that we've outgrown our house) will help it sell faster. I can always hope, right?

Addie's growing up

My little baby is so grown up! I know I'm a little late in posting this (these pics are a month old already) and I won't bore you with my excuses, but here she is... Getting ready to leave for her first day of school. She had NO nerves about this day! Only excitement! This was helped with the openhouse we attended a couple weeks prior, then the meet the teacher/mock school day that the parents sat in on. But, my little girl is now a preschooler. And I'm not sad one bit!!! Instead of our days starting with Addie crashing my bed and demanding cereal and 'shows' she now climbs into bed with me (and usually Max, drinking his bottle) and askes what the day holds for her. Is it a school day? Is it a playgroup day? Is it a dance day? She's so much more pleasant and engaged, although she has discovered her hormones (as most three year olds do, I'm finding) and allows them to control her much more than I would like.


Getting ready to load up in the car (I can't believe I remembered my camera!)


No, she doesn't have a dirty face. She biffed it at Max's bday party and scraped up her nose. I couldn't tell there was any damage at first, because she had a cold and I had been wiping her nose for two days so I couldn't tell what was what. Poor kid!


Sitting down in front of her nametag that she gets to find everyday. The teachers shuffle the seating so the kids get to know each other, and are able to recognize their names in different settings.




Since the openhouse in August, Addie has wanted to wear her new APL shirt. Unfortunately, this was designated for fieldtrip days to identify kids and I wouldn't let her wear it to school, playgroup, church, the grocery store..... You get the idea. So, at the beginning of October, we had our first opportunity to wear it. Her school went to Green Meadows Farm in Waterford (I think, this is by memory). This is a petting farm, here's the link if you're interested http://www.greenmeadowsfarmwi.com/. I can't believe how much fun this was! It's a little pricy for the average family to go to, $10.50 per person, but this includes holding most of the animals, pony rides for the kids, milking the cow, a hayride, and you get to pick a pumpkin to take home. Fortunately for us, only the adults had to pay, and we got the group rate which was slightly less.

Here we are on the bus, heading to the farm. Addie LOVED the bus! Note her lunch bag we packed, she talked about that for the whole week before the trip. I think she may be a little OCD. Doesn't she look like a farmer's helper?



A little tough to see, Darcy holding the baby chick so Addie could pet it. No hesitation!



The kittens were a little harder, the kids had a hard time sharing time holding the kittens. Addie finally got one, and we had about two seconds for the picture before another child was asking to take it from us. Alas, at least they were asking.

I think the goats shocked me the most with Addie's reaction. She never hesitated and went right up to them and was trying to get them to lick her. She'd look up and me and say, "Look, Mom, he's smiling at me!!!" Just try to think what goat's faces look like and you'll understand. She even followed one around as it was leaving a trail of pellets and the kids were all giggling about the pooping goat!

Llamas aren't as friendly, so the kids didn't get to go into the pen with them, but I had to post this picture. The female, Dolly, had the most animated face I could ever picture on an animal. Click on the picture so you get the full picture. And, yes, she is the Dolly Llama :)

The funny thing about the whole day? Addie didn't want to ride the ponies. I think I tricked her into it, although I didn't mean to. I explained that I would be helping her, and it turned out that the ponies all had their own helpers. She looks a little like she's going to fall off, thus the tongue sticking out.

Here we are at the end of the day. Cold, tired, and a little animaled out. Good thing Addie likes small pumpkins, because I had to carry both of ours out of the patch, while trying to navigate the vines and keep Addie from biffing it into the dirt and weeds.



Sorry about the choppy filming, also the commentary (not sure why I was saying hotdog). I was trying to film and help at the same time. This was actually the third or fourth time she did it, but the first time I wasn't prepared with the camera (I didn't actually believe that she would reach out and touch that thing without a lot of encouragement, but she did). The next few times I was really bad at filming, so this is the best shot we got. I told Farmer Tina, our escort, that they had the most tollerant animals I could ever imagine, poor cow got milked all day long... one little hand at a time.

And, as if adding school three days a week into my life wasn't enough, we decided that Addie needed to be in a dance class. This was instigated by the gift of hand-me-down clothes a friend, Becky, gave to us that included a couple of dance outfits and a pair of ballet shoes. Addie is a clothing fiend, but when it comes to dress up clothes, she goes nuts!!! We looked into it that night, and saw a class starting the following week. And she loves it! The parents were able to sit in on the first class, so here's a clip of that. But we aren't welcome inside the classroom until the last class of the 10 week course. Maybe so we can appreciate the before and after efforts of the teachers. More probable is that the girls weren't paying much attention to the teachers with all us parents and siblings sitting around, watching and pointing proudly ..."Yes, that's my daughter. The one in the purple leotard picking her nose and ignoring the teacher. Isn't she precious?!?"

Max had a birthday... Twice

So we've been lucky enough to arrange both kids' first birthdays around visiting family. We were in Minnesota the first part of Sept, and decided to celebrate Max's birthday while we were around family. We had a fun family dinner -- a seafood boil (anyone interested in more details, just ask).

Here's a pic of Max getting his first taste of crab legs, a favorite in the family. (Shellfish, is that bad for a 1 year old?)





Max digging right in, with no shame.




The family cake we shared. None of us felt like having a piece of Max's cake after he got into it.





"Birthday Prince" feasting

Addie (and a hopeful Lucy) sneaking a snack

Cleaning up was fun, good thing we had the cake outside

Fun times...

Having all that fun in Minnesota, we just couldn't let his actual birthday pass without celebrating, again. We had a couple friends over (Dan and Maralee) and we did it all over again!

Here's Max offering to share.....yum!

Addie thinks Max's parties are all about her. Toddlers are pretty self-centered, ya know.

See, he's now a pro

Sorry for this lame post, I'm pretty lame brained lately. I'll try to make the next a little more interesting.

Dares and delicacies

So Corey is constantly saying to me, "How much would you pay me if I .....(do something stupid and unnecessary)" This can include anything from running to the mailbox without shoes in a snowstorm, to affecting a ridiculous accent when the waitress comes to take our order. Usually these things would be a little torturous for me, so I don't play his game. So, when we were in Minnesota a couple weeks ago, Corey finally struck gold. His family lives in the country, so there are lots of fields around, and TONS of grasshoppers everywhere. Big grasshoppers! We were driving to his sister's house and we noticed a grasshopper was stuck in the windshield wiper. Not in the blade, but actually inside the wiper. It was alive and struggling to escape, so we became caught up in it's plight. Of course, this lead to Corey asking how much I'd pay if he ate one. Realizing that my money is his money, we decided to present this deal to his sister and brother-in-law. Here are the results...

We watch a lot of "Man vs. Wild" so this emboldened (and intrigued) Corey. Bear Grylls will eat ANYTHING!!!

Day at the Zoo

I am blessed with a husband that LOVES family outings. He is great at organizing trips, researching fun new things to do, and being willing to go at a child's pace (which is a little trying at times, as we all know). I know that going to the zoo is not too big a deal, but to a three year old it's the highlight of the week. Corey took some time out of his work schedule to take us to the zoo a couple weeks ago, and it was great. I've taken the kids to the zoo about every month -- thanks to investing in the zoo pass this year, but Addie never gets bored and is never ready to leave. I always vow to go more often, because it's always a great experience, then life gets in the way. Here's some pictures of our latest trip.


Here's Addie making her very own PB&J. She didn't even make a mess, she was being so careful :)


Max enjoying the stroller ride.


A rhino... no cute comment, just a rhino.


Camels posing... Small side note -- my mom went to Jerusulem this past spring and rode a camel to the top of Mount Sinai. She said she couldn't even walk once she was done. That's all I can think of when I see these goofy animals.

Three bears sleeping, using the next bear as a pillow.

Check out this clip to see how friendly these bears really are.

Happy Birthday Addie!

Our little girl is THREE!!! I can hardly believe it! She is so big, and definately getting a little sassy with her age. We didn't plan a birthday party with friends this year, we had company the week before, and were leaving town a week later and it was a little too much to pack in. So we planned an action packed day of fun for her.

Between going out for "funny face" pancakes, bowling, and going on a long (slow) bike ride with Addie leading the way, we nearly missed the BBQ we were invited to -- which would have been a shame since we all had such a good time, thanks Becky and Keith!

Here are some fun pics from the day.

Starting to tear into her gifts.

Trying to pick up the spare.

Decked out in new helmet and knee pads for her cool rummage sale bike (by far the best present she received, along with the bell we attached to her handlebars).

Addie is very lucky to have a patient daddy.


Happy birthday, Baby!

P.S. To all you who know of our crutch with Addie, this day was ended with her successfully giving up the binky!!! It's been nearly a full week, now, and she still naps well and only takes a few minutes to go to sleep. We leave town this evening for a week with Corey's family, so let's pray that things keep going well!

Chicago

Ever been to Chicago? I hear that question a lot. Sadly, I've lived so close for 4 years and have only spent a handful of days in this amazing city. Corey gets his fill since he works right downtown, but we're lucky enough to have visitors that want to see the great Windy City.



Corey's sister and family came to visit and we took advantage of the great weather and adventurous spirits and took a tour on the river.


Look at all that blonde hair!!!




The kids loved the boat.

We started our Chicago adventure by going to Six Flags. Addie LOVED the rides! That's so fun for her mom and dad to watch. In fact, we spent the whole time with her going on rides and hardly did anything ourselves. Ah, the sacrifice :)

Max is nearly one, now, and so much fun! He loves playing with the big kids, and he absolutely idolizes Addie!