4th of July

This one lonely picture is all I have on my camera. How sad. The 4th of July is my second favorite holiday. We have always spent the entire week at my mom's and attend all of the Freedom Festival activities. This year I was off the week before for a work trip to Minneapolis and a mini family vacation to the Ozarks (no pics of that either) so I didn't take time off for the 4th. Friday the 3rd we went to a local tree farm and saw the best show I think I've ever seen. Saturday was rainy so we rented a few movies and then watched the Golf Club's fireworks from our house. Sunday, we celebrated Aunt Alaina's birthday with a picnic, and homemade ice cream.

Calgon take me away!

We have all been a little under the weather lately. A few weeks ago Favorite Girl went to spend a few nights with Grandma for her very own special one on one time. Unfortunately, her first morning there she woke up with a fever of 102. We went to an Urgent Care Clinic near Grandmas and they diagnosed her with strep. Big yucky pussy tonsils. Poor Baby!!

This week the fever was back. We went to visit her Pediatrician and he said if she is better in two weeks he wants to see her again and we will discuss having her tonsils out. I was shocked to hear this. I anticipated having a rough winter and having to beg for the T&A. He said her tonsils are so huge that he believes she probably has obstructive apnea, thus the restless sleep. I also believe that is why she does not eat well and why she gags on everything...they are HUGE!! and always have been. The doctors have assured me her tonsils have nothing to do with the eating (I'm not a doctor but I still have my own opinion. She is my daughter!) SADLY, this has been my favorite time of day for the past two weeks.

We were not sick at all last winter. This was a first for us!! I am happy that we will have the T&A before school starts and before both kids are exposed to all new germs. Pray for us!

There is something about sleeping children. I love taking their pictures while they are asleep. I think it reminds me of going in just to stare at them when they were small babies.

Dad Night

Aaron understands that I have been trying to get the blog updated. This feat is requiring time at the computer. It's driving him crazy so last night he decided it was going to be "craft" night. He took the kids to Hobby Lobby and let them each choose a craft and a treat. Here is what they came home with.

Favorite Girl picked out a necklace and bead maker with a zillion beads! Pretend I'm smiling right now.

Favorite boy picked out a plaster mould "Build your own Race Car" kit complete with paint!

They are the luckiest kids, with the most patient daddy on earth. Needless to say this is not a virtue their mother is blessed with nor does she enjoy messes such as these. Good job daddy, you are their hero!

Dippin' It Down In B-Town! RAGBRAI '09

This morning we went to the Mississippi to watch the RAGBRAI riders dip their front tire in the river!

The Airforce Team was incredible. I can't believe how many people were on their team. They are in the white and blue.

2009 June and July Favorites

We apparently like to eat around here. Here are just a few more favorites from summer. Favorite Girl is covered in chocolate after a trip to DQ!

We love sweet corn around here!

I have enjoyed picking berries at Grandpas while Aaron and the kids fish and drive around on the golf cart. Our trips to Grandpas typically include a few frogs coming home in Favorite Boys pockets. After about 4 days on my counter in their "bug cave", I let them loose in the front yard. I can't bear to think about them starving in there. Favorite Boy hasn't quite figured out how they are disappearing yet.

June 2009 New Bike

Most 5 year olds are just learning to ride their bikes without training wheels. NOT THIS ONE! Last year during the Flood of 2008, when Daddy was living out of town, Favorite Boy asked the neighbor guy to remove his training wheels. That dad said, no buddy, I think your daddy would want to do that. After a few more begs and insisting that he knew how to ride a bike without training wheels the neighbor took one training wheel off. FB made me so dizzy driving around in circles on the side without the training wheel that I begged that dad to take the other one off too. Away Favorite Boy went. Nobody held on to the back he just rode off into the sunset...okay not really but you get my drift. This year he insisted that he was too big for last years model so he got this one. It is a little bit too big but he does great. ORNERY!

June 2009 Jule's Bakery, yet another excuse!!

So I have a tiny sugar addiction and it's a little known fact among my friends and family that we may have to drive a few miles out of our way if we are "close" to one of my favorite bakeries or coffee shops...it's just this little problem I have. And while I'm not proud of it a lot of people play into this for me. One person in particular happens to be my MOM!! She's the greatest! If you read my earlier post you found out why she couldn't make it Favorite Girl's birthday party nor Favorite Boy's Graduation Party. In June, when she was feeling all better, she made it up to them, uh hum...ME. She came down to visit us and brought us a Jule's Bakery cake!!! Never mind that they spelled FB's name wrong it was still delicious!! YUMMY!

Big Girl Bed

Sissy turned 3 and although she still is not big enough to crawl out of her crib we decided it was time to graduate to a BIG GIRLBED! I wanted to buy her a pretty white bed to match her other bedroom furniture but brodder found a race car bed he HAD to have! We already purchased a nice mission bedroom set for him so sissy is experiencing a hand-me-down from her brother. She is borrowing his bed until he outgrows the race car one. I still think her room turned out cute. She insists on keeping the glider in her room. Secretly mommy and daddy still really enjoy rocking her before bed each night, she calls it, "ockin-ing my sissy". We say prayers and read a book and then she crawls up in bed. She still insists on having her "darker and darker pink blankie". She holds onto it and sucks her thumb all night long. The dentist said she must quit sucking her thumb. He wants me to put her to sleep in a long sleeve t-shirt and sew the sleeves shut so she can't get to it, I haven't had the heart to do this yet.

Favorite Boy Graduates May 2009

Favorite Boy attended Preschool two years in a row. When he was 3 he was a blue diamond with Ms. Diane, this year he was a purple heart with Ms. Nikki and Ms. Margie. Favorite Girl is anxiously awaiting her turn to go to school.

I will insert pics here as soon as I can get my scanner installed....I purchased a new laptop and I'm have a few technical difficulties...go figure!

Here is his Fall 2008 school picture and his May 2009 graduation picture. Words cannot even describe how handsome I think this old soul is. He amazes me every single day! I know in 12 very short years it will seem like "just yesterday" that he graduated from preschool when I will be comparing his high school graduation pictures to this one. Where does the time go?

Happy Birthday Favorite Girl May 2009

Favorite Girl celebrated her 3rd Birthday in May. We had a party at our house for a few friends and our family. Unfortunately Grandma Andria was very very sick with kidney stones and was unable to make it to the party. When Grandpa Bob inquired where she was N answered, very matter of factly, "that she couldn't make it because she had a rock stuck up her pee!" OMG! I could tell this conversation was going downhill quickly. Grandpa kept the conversation alive by asking N how she got the rock stuck up there and he answered, "I think she musta sat on a pile o' rocks with no underwear on!?" So a word to the wise for all of you adults that frequent quarries without underwear????...be careful!

Great River Bridge Race May 16, 2009

In January I started running again. It is sort of addicting, I'm having a lot fun. I am happy to have Michele as my running partner. We help keep each motivated. We ran in the 10k Great River Bridge Race on May 16th. This was my first competitive race since high school track. Needless to say I was not trying for a particular time, I just wanted to finish the race. I was excited for this race all Spring but then the morning of the race it was very cold and extremely windy. I finished the run but the last 1/2 mile back over the bridge was pretty brutal. The wind was so bad it felt like I was running in place. I finished 30th out of 60 females with a time of 56:13 , not to great, but I'm still very glad I did it. Here I am with my first race bib. Also this Spring, Michele, Mike and I did the YMCA 5k during Steamboat Days. I thought 3 miles would not be a problem even though I had not ran in a few weeks. I was wrong. It was quite embarrassing!!! A group of 16-18 year old track and XC boys also did this run. The race started unexpectedly while I was still going through my pep talk silently in my head...you know the one: keep your pace, just run for you, pick em up and put em down, don't concentrate on anyone else... well I took off out of the starting gate like I was going for the W. When I finished my first mile in 8 minutes I knew I would be in trouble. I had to walk a few times since I did not start off with diaphragmic breathing, oops! It was a good lesson though.

It is funny that I am posting this today. Today was the Bix 7 in Davenport. I really wanted to run in this race however I have not been running near as often as I need to so unfortunately I skipped the race. Our good friend Mike participated today and I hope he did great! We watched the race on tv this morning and the first place female finished in 37:37. Looks like I have quite a bit of training to do!! I just registered for the Quad City Half Marathon on Sunday September 27th. Michele and I are following a 10 week training program to prepare. Wish us luck! In the mean time we plan to run the following 10k's: West Point Sweet Corn Festival, August 15, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation run in Burlington, September 12, and the Harmony Bible Church run in Danville, October 3.

May 2009 First Signs of Spring and Favorite Things

When I think of the song "Favorite Things" I wonder how they could make Morel Mushrooms fit into the jingle! It is so funny that my parents went "mushroom hunting" my whole life and I wouldn't touch these things. I think Aaron all but held me down and shoved one in my mouth and now I can't get enough of them! Yum is all I can say.

April 2009

A group of our friends went out to eat and to watch dueling pianos. It was fun. We didn't pay $20 to hear the Iowa fight song like we (or I) did in Vegas.

For Lisa's birthday we went and ate at Gator's and had a drink at Fun City.

April 2009

Favorite Boy decided to spend his birthday money to buy one of these. I think it was a little bittersweet for him. As we were loading the box in the back of the car he asked me, "Mom, if I decide I want my money instead can we take this back and they'll give it back to me?"

It made me sad but I knew we were doing the right thing by making him save to buy something he really wanted. Aaron and I took the Dave Ramsey course in March and April and we have decided we want to instill good financial values in our children. Nicholas has a chore chart and he has to do everything on his list each day.

It is a laminated picture chart. In the morning he has to get dressed, put his p.j.'s in the dirty basket, brush his teeth, and put his cup in the sink. In the evening he has to put his shoes on the rug, feed Emma, put his dishes in the sink after dinner, pick up his toys and books before bed, and brush his teeth. He receives a dollar per day M-F. He is required to put $2 in his spending envelope, $2 in his savings envelope, and $1 in his giving/church envelope.

April 2009~EASTER

We celebrated Easter quite a few times this year.

The week before Easter we went on an Easter egg hunt at a local church with our friends. I was quite impressed. I think half the town was there and each child received a Bible and Easter Eggs galore! I thought it was organized very well. Sections of the playground were designated for each age group. So even Lil Miss found plenty of eggs!

We decorated eggs at home. FG annoyed FB because she wanted to take the eggs out of the dye too soon. But we got the job done!
We headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for the actual Easter holiday. We prayed this guy (or gal) would be able to find us.


He was a tricky bunny this year. He left a clue inside an egg on the kitchen table and we had to read it and really use our thinking caps so we could find the next egg with the next clue.

It was hard but we had a lot of fun!We must have been a little bit good because eventually we found these!

We went to Aunt Gwen's for lunch and guess who was there?!

Even the sisters were having fun!