Our Spot

3rd Times a Charm

2010-11-17T19:41:00.003-06:00

Today was the 3rd time Aidyn donated her hair! Here she is before the cut.At the salon...
Snip, snip, snip and there are 2 beautiful pony tails!
Here is our sweet little girl with her new hair-do! In her 8 short years, she has already donated 26 inches of hair! Love you Aidyn, we are so proud of you!

A little something to get you in the holiday spirit

2009-12-09T22:07:00.004-06:00

Looks like winter is here

2009-12-09T14:30:00.000-06:00

Seriously?

2009-12-03T10:44:00.003-06:00

I was at the grocery store yesterday and I stopped to look at a carton of Soy Nog (egg nog made with soy instead of milk). Just to check it out... Anyway, as I was reading the nutritional information I noticed a bold statement on the side of the carton: Not for use as infant formula.
Would someone actually be at the store thinking "Hmmm....should I get baby Susie the Enfamil or the Soy Nog? Such a hard choice."
Seriously?

Courtesy of my OLDest brother

2009-11-29T20:45:00.003-06:00

Just in case any of you missed this in the Fargo Forum today, here is my brothers take on his life as a senior citizen.

I am not now, nor have I ever been, a senior citizen

Yes, my brother is a published writer. Scary, I know.

I may start wearing more purple

2009-10-26T15:10:00.005-05:00

Guess where I was Saturday night? This picture is your hint...
I was at Paisley Park, a mere 1 mile from my house, enjoying a very intimate concert put on by none other than Prince! I can't tell you for sure how many people were there, my guess would be a couple hundred. It was amazing!!! He put on a great show and entertained our socks off for 3 hours! Below is the article about the performance from the Star Tribune website.

By JON BREAM, Star Tribune

Prince, I guess we hardly knew you.

After 30-some years in the spotlight, the hometown hero showed his faithful something new Saturday night at Paisley Park in Chanhassen: It was his smoothest (read most efficiently run) show there ever -- and one funky and fulfilling performance.

The gig advertised for 11 p.m. actually started at 11:10, unheard of at Paisley, where shows typically have started whenever Prince feels like it (read 1 a.m. at the earliest). For the first time, he even offered a free shuttle-bus service so people could leave their vehicles (and Paisley-verboten cell phones) at a newish nearby park-and-ride and take a plush bus for a eight-minute drive to Prince's complex. How slick was that?
Late-night shows were commonplace at Paisley in the late 1990s but Prince had not done any announced shows there since 2004, after his Musicology Tour concerts at Xcel Energy Center. Those soirees cost $50 whereas Saturday's gig (which was announced late Friday afternoon) was $31.21 for fan-club members and $40 for others. Paisley visitors were asked to donate items for food shelves and gently used coats. (Many articles of clothing still had store tags on them, and people literally donated coats off their backs, Paisley spokeswoman Kathy Adams reported.)
Many of the people at Paisley on Saturday seemed to be first-timers for the late-night Purple experience.
"I'd pay triple what I paid," said Kelly Wallace, 19, a wide-eyed New York University student who popped for $490 for her short-notice trip to Minnesota. "I've never been to Paisley Park -- it was now or never."
Prince played 10 minutes short of three hours without changing his outfit. That's a first. Moreover, there weren't any of those mysterious breaks where Paisley-goers were left wondering if he'd return again in an hour and perform until dawn. The Purple One made a couple exits before encores; he said his final good night at 2 a.m.

Prince showed more versatility and musicality in his first hour onstage than Michael Jackson did in his entire career. He started with a bunch of tunes from this year's "Lotusflow3r" collection and then paraded through his hits, especially from the 1980s. In fact, there wasn't one tune from the '90s and only "Feel 4 U" from the '70s.
With his horn-less band, Prince has never sounded funkier at Paisley. He was talkative and humorous, loose and spontaneous, calling out songs and arrangements as well as an occasional "so-low" for himself on guitar. To witness that kind of organic musicmaking always feels special -- especially when it's a well-drilled, first-rate band like Prince's -- even if you have to put up with the bandleader frequently telling the sound guy how to adjust the mix.
Prince saluted the Time, the Doobie Brothers and the Jackson 5 in song and verbally acknowledged his debt ("I wouldn't be who I am without...") to James Brown, the Jacksons, Chaka Khan, Rufus, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Joni Mitchell and Tower of Power. His pal Larry Graham sat in on bass for a series of Sly & the Family Stone tunes, and backup singer Shelby J, a powerhouse from the southern soul/gospel school, stepped out front on a couple of selections, most notably "The Arms of an Angel."
But this show was about Prince, his love of funk and his guitar prowess. He even offered a little "country western" guitar passage, as he playfully put it, and one of his more passionate versions of "Purple Rain" to close the evening. He danced only briefly, during "Kiss," but handpicked some fans to come onstage and dance, a longstanding Paisley tradition at any hour.

What's the fuss all about?

2009-09-13T21:34:00.003-05:00

Look at this little beauty. This is the new SweeTango apple that was just released from from the U of M. They have been talking about this apple like crazy lately. They say it may overtake the Honey Crisp as their most popular apple. I'm not sure about that, I haven't done a blind taste test yet...but I will!
Speaking of apples, check out this glorious apple. This is hanging from my Honey Crisp tree.
I love this tree.

Look at what pretty apples she produces. She needs a name. Any suggestions??

Not to be left out is my nice little Zestar tree. Next year will be your year to shine my little friend.

1st Day of Preschool

2009-09-13T21:03:00.002-05:00

Mr. Nolan started preschool on Friday. He was an excited little boy to get back to his class, friends and teachers.

Here he is standing in his cubby. Good thing it's his last year, it doesn't look like he fit another year.

Progress...

2009-09-12T11:22:00.002-05:00

Remember this? No? Well I do. 2 years ago we planted 23 Arborvitae trees along the back of our yard. They were seedlings and so cute. It turns out over the past 2 years those little trees have grown. Check them out now! Nice job little trees!

Next Project...

2009-09-10T20:32:00.003-05:00

Since Aidyn's room is all done, it was time to finish up another little project we've been working on. This is the fence that separates our yard from our neighbors. I decided that is could use a little jazzing up with some vines and flowers.
About a month ago we rented a sod cutter (which weighs 300 pounds...not kidding). We took out about 2 feet of sod along the fence line.

Just look at how slick that sod is cut and rolls up. Awesome!

I planted several Boston Ivy plants along the fence that will eventually grow and cover the entire fence with lush green foliage in the summer and vibrant red leaves in the fall.

I also planted a few Asiatic Lilies (which the rabbits have destroyed - but we'll cover that later). Then I ordered a boat load of perennials to plant along the rest of the fence line.

Last week the plants arrived and it was time to get to work. I filled in the area with garden soil. On a side note, I am now a firm believer that Miracle-Gro garden soil makes a HUGE difference in your plants. I planted 2 areas with perennials last year...one with Miracle-Gro, one with top soil. I can honestly tell you that there is a major difference in how the flowers flourished this year. So Miracle-Gro, if you're reading this, nicely done. Also, if you're looking for a paid spokesperson please feel free to contact me. I can clear some time in my schedule for you.

Anyhoo...I got all the garden soil worked in and got my flowers planted. I planted everything under the sun in every color imaginable. I'm hoping it will look fabulous next year!

Then I put down newspapers to keep the weeds out and covered it all in mulch. Not just any mulch, but my favorite mulch (yes, I have a favorite mulch!). Cocoa bean shell mulch. Oh man, this stuff is fantastic! When you dump it all over the place it makes your yard smell like brownies. I am not kidding. I love going outside and sniffing the chocolaty air. Weird but wonderful.

So here is the finished project. Good luck little plants. May the sun shine down on you, may the rain provide you nourishment and may my live trap catch all those damn rabbits that like to eat you.

1st Grade...Here we come!!!

2009-09-08T09:16:00.005-05:00

We had a very excited 1st grader in our house this morning. She was up by 7:20 (the bus doesn't come until 9:03!) and in the bathroom for a 1/2 hour getting ready for her 1st day!
She was beside herself with excitement!

Here she is getting on the bus with the big kids.

I can't believe she is already in first grade. Where did the time go?

Wow, that went quick.........Love you Aidyn!!!

Pimp My Room: 1st Grader Edition

2009-09-03T21:32:00.007-05:00

Aidyn has been asking about redecorating her room over the summer. Since I love a good project and love to paint and decorate...well, she got her wish!
Here she is in her 'old' room. I guess it's not horrible, but it's not really decorated, per se. It was kind of a mishmash of furniture and "inventory".

Not a very cohesive design...

So the giant old 80's style dresser got a fresh coat (or 5) of white paint.

The drawers got pretty new handles that Aidyn picked out.
Here's how I jazzed up the mirrors. I made them into memory boards so she had a place to put her pictures and postcards.

And here is the finished product...

Aidyn picked out the paint color and bedding. She has pretty darn good taste!

The finished dresser! Not too shabby!

The reading corner and desk area.

Here is the big reveal to Aidyn. It was a total HGTV moment. She had her eyes closed and when she opened them she said "Is this my room?!?!" And started to cry.

She cried for about 5 minutes. She kept saying "I love it! It's so pretty! I love it!"

And finally...that sweet smile!

That adorable smiling face made all the work (and sore muscles and trip to the chiropractor) worth it. She couldn't be any happier and is thrilled with her new room. Which makes her mommy thrilled too!

Lemonade Stand: Round 2

2009-08-26T21:18:00.002-05:00

Our neighbors across the street had a huge garage sale one day and Aidyn thought it would be the perfect time to set up the lemonade stand again. Well, she was right. She made a killing. College is becoming a reality one cup at a time.

Wisconsin, here we come!

2009-08-26T20:45:00.003-05:00

We headed to WI earlier this summer to visit our awesome friends Ryan & Danette. We get to see them once a year so we really look forward to our visit. The kids (big and little) had so much fun playing with each other.
Sawyer, Riley, Sydney, Aidyn & Nolan

The kids enjoyed s'mores. "Um Nolan? Are you going to eat ALL of that?"

3 beautiful girls...

Jeff & Ryan with their lovely ladies.

Apparently in WI, when you plant like 1 raspberry bush, it turns into 20. They have more raspberries than you can shake a stick at! Well the kids thought picking raspberries was a fabulous activity.

Notice the similar expression on Sawyer & Nolan's faces? The boys ate more than they picked, but hey that's part of the fun of picking! We toured a gorgeous brewery near their home. Here is our attempt at a family picture.

Thank you so much Ryan, Danette & kiddos. We had a great time (as we always do)! Even the pinochle wasn't too bad. (I can't believe I just said that.)

Camping!!

2009-08-26T20:24:00.003-05:00

We went camping this summer with our friends the Petersons.
Aidyn and Julia had their very own tent which they thought was VERY cool! Redneck senior picture...

Our campfire entertainment was provided by Jeff.

Here are all the kids in our group enjoying their breakfast.
Ashlyn, Julia, Aidyn, Megan & Nolan (That Nolan is quite the ladies man.)

We had time to hang out and relax...

Time for swimming (and jumping like maniacs)...

Some baseball...

And 'tennis'!

After all of that activity, everyone was very tired. And had really dirty feet.

4th of July

2009-08-24T14:28:00.005-05:00

Over the 4th of July we took in some of the local festivities. The kiddos got to ride a camel! Not an everyday occurrence.

They went on a few rides. This mini roller coaster was their favorite.

The also participated in the kiddie parade. They both decorated their bikes in red, white & blue and rode the parade route.

Here they are lining up for the parade. Nolan is with his friend Hudson.

Here are Aidyn & Hadley after the parade.

On the 4th, Aidyn requested a special patriotic hairdo. This is what we came up with.

They got to spend some quality time with their cousin Brodie.

We took in the local parade. Where we got way more candy then we needed, so being the good mother I am, I helped them get rid of it. :)

Lisa, Cody & Brodie hanging out watching our amazing fireworks show.

Which pretty much consisted of sparklers and snakes. Ahhhh, the thrill of MN fireworks!

Brenne Family

2009-08-24T14:24:00.002-05:00

I know this picture is a bit on the late side so please excuse me. But our friends the Brenne's were in our area in June and we were fortunate enough to get to spend a day with them. The kids had such a fun time playing together, it's amazing how well they get along only seeing each other once a year,!
Here is Campbelle, Beckett, Aidyn, Nolan & Christian. Cute, cute!

T-ball

2009-08-24T13:57:00.004-05:00

Both kids played t-ball this summer. They were on a team with lots of their friends so they had a fabulous time!
Nolan getting some batting instruction.

Waiting for the ball...

The whole team! (coaches included)
Brand new t-ball medals. How awesome is that?!?! They both did a great job and had so much fun.

A closer look

2009-08-08T17:30:00.005-05:00

Just in case anyone is interested, here is a closer look at some of the pretty blooms in front of the house.
Here is the Phlox.
My Mandevilla that is growing up the fishing line I strategically placed on the front of the house.

Here is the Clematis and the new trellis it is clinging to.

The Double Pink Delight Echinacea.

Zinnias...I'm sensing a pink pattern here...hmmmmm. I guess I like pink!

Physostegia (strange name huh?)

And the pretty little Coreopsis.

All together it makes this lovely little garden!

Update

2009-08-08T17:09:00.005-05:00

Remember this?
This was our front door with that giant lilac bush in front of it.

Then we pulled it out and it looked so much better. Last fall I planted some perennials to fill in the area. And now the flowers are in bloom! It's quite the nice little flower garden if I do say so myself!

It's always interesting when he dresses himself

2009-08-06T11:26:00.000-05:00

Visiting Kaitlyn & Sean (oh yeah...and Troy & Shirley)

2009-08-06T09:48:00.006-05:00

First things first, I can't get this darn post organized and formatted correctly, so you're just going to have to deal with jumbled pictures. At least they're new pictures!!
We spent a weekend in June visiting Troy, Shirley, Kaitlyn & Sean. The kids had a blast skating, jumping, biking and playing with their cousins. We adults had fun sitting on our butts relaxing.

We took Aidyn & Nolan rollerskating for the first time. It went alright, they had fun which is all that matters!
The trampoline was set up with the sprinkler underneath which is always a hit! I'm not sure what is happening in this picture though. It appears as though Sean is supervising Nolan, but I'm not sure what it is he has taught him. Hmmmm???

What a bunch of cute kids!!!

Fun at G'ma & G'pas

2009-07-28T12:30:00.002-05:00

Here are just a few random pictures from our fun week at Grandma & Grandpa's house.
Gpa reading to the kiddos.Spending some quality time with Great Grandma. Gma Sharon showed off her driving skills by taking Troy's '57 Chevy for a cruise around town.
Nolan spent some time resting with/on Gpa.

And after all of this fun, we were just doggone tired.

Night at the Lodge

2009-07-28T11:44:00.006-05:00

We spent a fun night at the lodge while we were in ND. The little girls enjoyed the tire swing.A rambunctious game of tag was played. The boys entertained each other. Grandma took pictures and Nolan questioned her abilities.

We roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores while Grandpa supervised.
The kids tried to see how many people they could fit on the golf cart.

Bailey jumped in a cesspool.
She was a filthy mess.

The boys fed Bailey pounds of marshmallows and thought it was hilarious!!
And in our safety first approach to things...Aidyn drove the golf cart with Ty hanging off the back!

We had lots of laughs that night!

ND golfing excursion

2009-07-28T11:25:00.004-05:00

While we were back in ND in June (Yes, I said JUNE!) the kids & I spent a lovely afternoon golfing with Ty & Deb & crew. The kids had lots of fun golfing together and cruising around in the golf cart.

And golfing with Ty...well it was kind of like we got to go on our very own ND field trip.
We explored the wetlands...
Were shaded by the ND forests...
And frolicked in the native prairie grasses.
We even got in a quick game of pool!! A very entertaining afternoon, to say the least!

Aidyn's College Fund (aka Lemonade Stand)

2009-06-24T16:31:00.002-05:00

Our little entrepreneur has been asking for awhile when she can build and operate a lemonade stand. Jeff had her draw out plans for what she wanted it to look like and then they went to Home Depot to do some lumber shopping. It was quite the team effort from the two of them to get the stand built and it turned out beautifully! Aidyn even had the idea to use our old shutters so she could 'open & close' her stand.

Here is Aidyn on opening day. She is set up and ready for business. Apparently being a cute 6 year old girl is a genius marketing plan because she had a fabulous day of business.
Her best customer was her little brother who purchased numerous glasses of lemonade. He dug lots of quarters out of his piggy bank that day. It helps to have loyal customers!

In the days that followed when the stand was not in operation, she took careful inventory of her supplies. What a businesswoman!!

Based on the success of day 1, I believe the lemonade stand will be making a return appearance very soon.

Beginnings & Endings

2009-06-24T16:06:00.002-05:00

Aidyn finished Kindergarten a few weeks ago and it's amazing how much she has changed over the last year.
First day of school:
Last day of school:
Maybe you can't tell too much from the pictures, but I definitely have a 1st grader on my hands. Lord help me...

Aidyn's Song

2009-06-16T19:59:00.002-05:00

I have much blogging to catch up on, but for now I have something to share that is just too darn cute to keep to myself. Aidyn wrote her first song today, music & lyrics. She is pleased as can be about her accomplishment and I must say, I am quite proud of her!! Enjoy!

Projects

2009-06-03T15:12:00.003-05:00

We've been working on some projects around here, trying to spruce up the joint.
Old shutters...
New shutters... Swingset before...

Swingset after...

The patio before...
The patio after...
It's looking better around here, but I've always got more projects on my list. Jeff loves that list.

Bible School

2009-06-03T14:49:00.002-05:00

Nolan had bible school last week, Crocodile Dock was the theme this year. He got to be in the same group with his buddy Brooks and they had a great time!

I helped 'shepherd' the kids one day and the energy those boys possessed exhausted me. I tried to get a picture of them together and it was quite the progression through the picture taking process.
Cute, smiley little boys...
Put your arms around and squeeze...

Now pull my friend over to the side...

And TACKLE!!!

Oh the fun of wrestling in church.

Men & remotes

2009-06-02T10:54:00.005-05:00

OK ladies, we all know men & remotes don't mix. It gives them too much control, too much power...but we can't keep them apart. Men & remotes are drawn to each other like a bee to a flower, like a dog to a bone, like Amy Winehouse to crazy creepiness...
Well my 4 year old 'man' is no different. The kid can't leave the remote alone. Especially since he figured out some of the DVR features. He is constantly pausing, rewinding and recording shows. This morning as he was watching Sesame Street was no different. During the show, the pledge appeal people came on. You remember them from your childhood don't you? All you wanted to do was watch The Electric Company and they would come on. Interrupting your show, asking for money. You really wanted them to go away but yet you also really wanted to call in and give them money because sometimes they would say the names of the people who had donated. And more than wanting to watch your show you really wanted to have them say your name on TV!
Anyhoo, Nolan didn't want to watch the pledge lady, he was not happy she was on. So he started pushing buttons on the remote trying to get back to his show. Now is his defense, he was asking me for help. I was cleaning out the dishwasher and told him I'd help him in "just a minute." Famous last words. By the time I got to the remote, he was off to the bathroom, the remote was tossed under a chair and there was something new on TV. 'Hmmmm' I thought 'what is this? It looks like a movie. What channel did he turn it to?' Apparently in his Sesame Street fury, he pulled up the On Demand feature, selected Movies, found a New Release he liked, selected it and ordered it. We are now enjoying the feature presentation He's Just Not That Into You.
I'll let you know if it's any good.

They try to copy his swagger

2009-05-29T22:06:00.004-05:00

My little man likes to dance. And to tell you the truth, the kids got rhythm. His current favorite song is Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas. He's loved the song for awhile as he hears it a ton while we are in the car. Well, since he saw BEP on American Idol he has discovered a new love for them, Fergie in particular. But seriously, who can blame him...

So here he is, breakin' it down for ya.

Last day of Preschool

2009-05-29T21:44:00.004-05:00

Nolan finished his last day of preschool for the year last week. He was quite excited about the prospect of heading off to Kindergarten in the fall until we told him he has another year of preschool. Oh well, that will be fun too!
There was a short ceremony during which the kids sang the Spanish colors song they learned this year. You can see bits and pieces of Nolan, but I didn't have a very good angle on him.

Each child received a certificate and got to tell everyone what they want to be when they grow up. Jeff and I both assumed he would say baseball player or golfer or football player...nope. Nolan wants to be a robot when he grows up. Follow your dreams buddy!

After they got their certificate they went to sit with their parents. Or if you're lucky enough to have your big sister go to school in the same building AND her parents grant her permission to play hooky for awhile, you get to sit with her.

The whole family...

Here is Nolan with his best buddy Hudson. They are very fond of each other.
Nolan with his teacher Ms. Nancy. She will be his teacher next year too and she was also Aidyn's preschool teacher.

Nolan was quite proud of his achievement and as a special treat he got to pick where to go out for lunch. We ate like kings at Taco Bell!
Congrats Nolan, we are so proud of you!!

Aidyn's Musical

2009-05-21T14:38:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday, Aiydn finished her church choir year up with the children's musical, It's Cool in the Furnace.

All the kids did a great job, but we were particularly proud of Aidyn. She tried her hardest to remember all the words and actions. It was a tough job, but she did great!

Creeping Phlox

2009-05-21T14:33:00.002-05:00

I planted a few small mounds of creeping phlox a few years ago and let me tell you, that stuff has a mind of its own! It has taken off like crazy and taken over the area where I planted it. It's very pretty in the spring, but the blossoms only last a few weeks. Here it is this past week (before the hurricane force winds).

Mothers Day

2009-05-11T20:37:00.003-05:00

We had a very fun Mothers Day yesterday at our house. It all started with a party in Aidyn's room to celebrate the day. Aidyn and Jeff made a Mothers Day cake (note how the candles spell 'MOM'). :-) This is what it looks like when a 4 year old boy gets chocolate cake at 10:00 am.

After lunch we headed to one of my favorite places, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Aidyn was really excited to go as she has been learning about Monet at school and the MIA has a few Monets in their permanent collection. Well, it turned out the most exciting thing the kids came across was while they were looking out the window someone was walking by with a beagle! Amazing!

Here is Aidyn with a Monet painting.

Not to be out done, Nolan wanted his picture with the 'Smoking Guy'.

After the museum we checked out the park across the street which was just beautiful right now with all the trees in bloom.

Nolan even got to chase a few pigeons. Here he is trying to sneak up on one. Quite funny to watch...

Nolan in the car on the way home...a very exhausted little boy. Side note...we are sitting in the Costco parking lot here. We stopped to get ice cream on the way home and you can't beat getting ice cream for all of us for less than $5...man I love Costco!

Jeff's folks came around dinner time and we all went out to eat. So it was a fabulous day...I had a party, I didn't have to cook, I went to one of my favorite places and I got to spend the day with my sweet kiddos and my awesome husband. It doesn't get much better!

Spring!!

2009-05-08T10:23:00.002-05:00

Last fall I planted a bunch of tulip bulbs and hoped for the best. Well, they are finally blooming and they are awesome! I love seeing these colors in my yard.

And remember the apples trees we planted last fall? No? Well, never mind...I remember. Anyway, here is one of them full of beautiful buds. They survived the winter - YES!

Random Cuteness

2009-05-08T09:53:00.001-05:00

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-08T09:45:00.002-05:00

We held our annual Cinco de Mayo party last Saturday night and like an idiot, I forgot to take 1 single picture!!! Not happy with myself.
We had about 30 people here enjoying the festivities. There was much laughing, drinking and eating of guacamole. I think everyone had a fun time, I know I did!
So even though I forgot to take pictures of the party, I did take a picture the next day. We asked everyone to bring something for our local food shelf and boy did people deliver. We had 5 grocery bags stuffed with food & personal care items to take the food shelf! The lady at the food shelf said we must have really great, generous friends. I couldn't agree more!

Easter

2009-04-18T13:48:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Easter at home. I have very few pictures from Easter Sunday because my camera battery was dead! I know, you just can't believe it! Anyway, we had a nice day which started by finding eggs from the E.B. Then we were off to church where Aidyn's choir sang. For brunch we headed out to eat at the casino. Yeah baby, nothing says Easter like slot machines and people gorging themselves on buffet food.

The afternoon was spent playing Wii, relaxing and I may have slipped in a bit of a nap. It was a nice relaxing Easter for us!

The Works

2009-04-18T13:36:00.004-05:00

We visited The Works one afternoon. Here is the description according to their website...'The Works is a "hands-on, minds-on" museum that makes learning about engineering, science and technology interesting, understandable and fun.' I have to say, it was interesting, understandable and fun.

This was my favorite thing, the Light Harp. There aren't actual strings, but instead there are laser lights that allow you to play the notes. Very cool!

Everyones favorite 'Carnival' mirrors. No pictures of me in these things!

They had several exhibits on gears & gizmos, Nolan enjoyed trying all of those out.

There was also a building area where the kids spent a ton of time building cars to race and using foam blocks to build houses. It was a really neat place to visit, totally geared towards kids with stuff to interest the adults too.

Easter eggs

2009-04-18T13:26:00.003-05:00

So we've been a bot slow at updating the blog over the last month...sorry. Let's do a quick catch-up.

The kids decorated Easter eggs...

Aidyn helped me make a Jello cake...yep, that is five different flavors of Jello layered together, covered in Cool Whip (with a dirty little boy finger in it). A dream from my childhood.

She's growing up...

2009-03-23T18:43:00.002-05:00

Aidyn has been asking for a while to get her ears pierced. I told her that she could get it done whenever she wanted as long as she was sure she was ready. We discussed the procedure (at length...) and she has gone back & forth about doing it because she was afraid of the pain. She recently decided that she was old enough to handle it and was ready to get them pierced. Well, today was the day!
Here she is getting ready...'Mom! I'm not so sure!!!'

And just like that, it was done. She is so proud of her new earrings and of how brave she was. No tears at all, just a little nervousness.
My little girl is growing up...

Spring Break!!!

2009-03-18T13:20:00.010-05:00

Last week was Spring Break, which is good because things can get pretty stressful in Kindergarten & Preschool so everyone needed a break. We headed south for some warm weather...sunny Mexico! Puerto Vallarta to be exact.

The boys started to trip out right...with popsicles & Pacifico. Oh the life!
By the end of day one, Nolan looked like this. Actually, this wasn't the end of the day, it was only about 5pm. We still had to get through dinner!
The boys

The next day we headed to the ocean to splash around. The kids were very excited to play in the ocean.

They had SOOOOO much fun running, jumping & splashing around in the water.

They did play in the sand a little bit...

Enough to get plenty of sand in all sorts of cracks & crevices.
Most of the time was spent in the pool but we did take a break for arts & crafts. Here is Aidyn with the dolphins she painted.
The girls
Me & my sweet peas at the pool.
Anytime Nolan was out of the pool, he needed to be wrapped in a towel or else he was freezing. Never mind that it was in the 80's the whole week we were there!
More fun in the ocean...
Here we are at dinner the last night of our trip.

Our last sunset. Beautiful!

We all had a great time and the kids keep saying how much they loved Mexico! It was a fun week together and boy did that sun feel good! Happy Spring!

Making Daddy proud...

2009-03-07T12:06:00.002-06:00

Nolan's Birthday Party

2009-03-04T16:45:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Nolan's 4th birthday with our families the Saturday after his birthday. He wanted a Spider-Man party, so G'ma Sharon obliged with this nifty cake. He got lots of very nice gifts. Thanks everyone!

Jeff's favorite was the Nerf gun that Nolan got. We have used that gun to shoot pretty much everything in this house. Walls, windows, the ceiling fan (while spinning), each other, you name it...we've taken target practice.
Here's our handsome 4 year old with his new Twins cap on. It will come in handy at that fancy new outdoor stadium next summer. Thanks to everyone for coming to celebrate with us!

A Heart of Gold...Round 2

2009-02-18T20:13:00.003-06:00

Rewind to June 2007...Aidyn made her first hair donation and was beyond proud of herself. I must admit, I played the part of the proud mama pretty well too. Well, here we are again and my sweet Aidyn has once again made my heart swell with pride. We went in today to get her hair cut off to donate. This time the donation is going to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. It only has to be 8 inches to donate and since she had that much, there was no time like the present!
Here she is before:Snip, snip, snip...
Look at that gorgeous hair!!

A cute new style...
And look at that adorable little girl! (Can you tell I'm just a little proud?!?!)

I love you Aidyn!

Happy Birthday Nolan!!

2009-02-17T20:30:00.005-06:00

My little baby boy is 4 years old today! He had a fun day including his special request to have his buddy Hudson come over and play.
We went out for dinner tonight and Nolan's request was The Green Mill so he could have Mac-n-Cheese pizza. Yum!! When we got home it was time to open his presents.
He got one present open... and then Sean & Shirley called...
Nolan is talking to Shirley in this picture. Look at his face. Translation:
"What the hell is she talking about? Speed it up lady, I've got gifts to open here."

He got a dinosaur excavation game. Think 'Operation' only with dinosaur bones.
Here he is in his new swimming trunks and muscle shirt. So cute!

He had a great day and is thrilled to be 4 years old. Happy Birthday sweet Nolan!!

Basketball Season

2009-02-16T11:22:00.003-06:00

Another season of basketball has come to an end. This last session was awesome though because Nolan was old enough to play. I LOVED having both kids in the the same activity at the same time!Nolan seemed to take to basketball pretty quickly. He did a decent job of listening to the coach and stayed pretty focused on the game.
Of course, he's still Nolan...See this picture? It looks like he's shooting a basket, right? Except notice where he is on the court...right in the middle. So what is he doing? He just threw the basketball at Aidyn's head! Luckily he missed and it is soaring just over her head, out of the frame of this picture. Nice.
My sweet Aidyn...
Here is a shot during the game. Notice how aggressive the blue team is? Ferocious is a good word.

The whole team...

Aidyn, Brendan & Nolan

Both kids had fun playing and really seemed to enjoy being on each others team. Good job guys!

NOW what are you doing??

2009-02-10T13:55:00.012-06:00

This is a question my dear husband poses to me on a regular basis. He will come home to find paint samples taped all over the walls or the tub of spackling paste sitting out or when he drives into the garage he sees this...'Hmmm, interesting...that looks like our bathroom sink.'

'Why yes dear, it is!'

The 1/2 bath on the main level of our house was fine. Nothing really wrong with it, except it was ugly. Not like UGLY, ugly...just ugly enough to bother me. I knew it could be so much more.

Here is what it looked like less than 2 weeks ago...
Lavender with all the contractor specialties....ugly white towel bar

standard crystal faucet

brass light fixture with tulip glass
and this mess...whomever did this sealing job around the toilet base was either drunk, blind or possibly both.
So I did this. Wow, this looks 1000 times better! Why stop now??
So I tore off the towel bar and the giant mirror. Along with the light fixture...and vanity top. Oh, and the faucet too. Bye-bye!
A fresh coat of paint, some elbow grease, a dozen or so trips to Home Depot and VIOLA! A new bathroom!
Remember before:And after:
Before:
And after:
Before: After:
Before:

And After!!!
It's hard to get a comprehensive photo because the bathroom is so darn small. But you get the idea. It turned out great & I love how it looks! Next time you're over, stop by and use the facilities. You'll love it, I promise!

You did what?!?

2009-02-03T14:02:00.002-06:00

I made butter. Yes, I did. OK, it's super easy so don't give me too much credit. I had some cream in the fridge that I needed to do something with since we don't go through too much cream in our house. Basically this is all you do. Get out your mixer. Pour in the cream and turn that baby on. I put plastic wrap over it so the cream doesn't splash everywhere. I had it on medium-high speed for about 7 minutes or so.

Let it go until the butter separates from the liquid. Strain the liquid off (save it to use as buttermilk!)
Smash it around to bring it all together and Viola! Fresh, homemade butter!

Super easy and kind of fun!

Getting ready for summer

2009-02-03T13:56:00.002-06:00

Aidyn is a crafty kid. She loves to do any sort of arts and crafts. She'd do them all day, everyday. Here is her latest creation...a sun hat. A construction paper & tissue paper sun hat. She is ready for those warm summer rays. Aren't we all?

Special Assignment

2009-01-28T12:44:00.005-06:00

Everyday, Aidyn comes home with lots of school papers. I try to sort through them and keep special ones while recycling others. Last night as I was going through the daily pile I came across this special assignment.

The directions seem simple enough. Let's see how she does...The first one...a candy cane. Looks good, I like the addition of the stripes.

Next, a star. Nice, vibrant, yellow.

OK, a heart. Getting ready for Valentines Day. Sweet.
Um. Well, not sure about this one. Maybe more of a "statement" picture than an object picture? Is she telling me she doesn't like one of my rules? Was she mad at that little boy in her class that eats garbage? Maybe she's just copying something she saw Jeff do while he was driving. Way to set an example Jeff!

Check it out...

2009-01-17T17:30:00.003-06:00

I believe that most of you who read my blog also follow my siblings blogs. But in case anyone out there doesn't check their blogs, please for the love of everything holy...read Troy's latest post. It will make you laugh out loud. It will make you slightly uncomfortable. It will introduce disturbing images to your mind. But mostly, you will just crack up. Trust me on this one.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

2009-01-10T09:37:00.002-06:00

Last night when I went to bed, I stopped to tuck in the kids. As I passed by Aidyn's dresser, I saw this money laying there. $11.02...interesting. I wonder what that is about?
This morning I asked Aidyn about it.
Me: 'What's the deal with that money on your dresser?'
Her response: 'Oh yeah, I need to put that in my piggy bank.'
'Why is it laying on your dresser?'
'Because I didn't put it in my piggy bank.' (duh!)
'OK, but why do you have it?'
'It's mine.' (this is like pulling teeth.)
'Where did it come from?'
'Nolan.'
'Why did Nolan give you $11?'
'He paid for something.'
'What did he pay for?'
'I sold him something.'
'What did you sell him?' (I'm getting frustrated with this conversation...)
'Wrapping paper.'
'Huh?'
'I sold him some of my old wrapping paper that I didn't want anymore.'
'And you charged him $11 for it?!?!'
'Yeah. He didn't have any paper of his own and he needed some.' (supply & demand)
'Aidyn, you can't take $11 from your brother for wrapping paper. You have to give him that money back.'
'Fine.'

So I went to investigate Nolan's room and sure enough...the exchange was made. This was sticking out from underneath his bed. $11 worth of Christmas wrapping paper. The $0.02 must have been tax.

Rock Climbing

2009-01-05T15:41:00.005-06:00

While we had some extra time over Christmas vacation, I took Aidyn rock climbing. She LOVED it and has been begging to go again. I was surprised as to how quickly she took to it and how well she did. We both had a great time climbing and cheering each other on..

Homer Gomers

2009-01-04T14:05:00.001-06:00

Jeff and Shawn are at the Vikings game today. Look at how cute they look in their matching outfits!

Christmas Day

2009-01-02T21:52:00.003-06:00

Christmas Day we spent at Jeff's parents place. We got to celebrate Brodie's 1st Birthday!Here is the little cake monster checking things out... Craig & I hanging out. (We were actually jockeying for the best couch position for our afternoon nap.)

Patsy & Horace taking in the festivities.

While we were visiting Grandma Janice & Grandpa Horace, the kids did a little sledding. They had so much fun cruising down the hill. It was so fun to listen to them giggle!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-02T21:15:00.005-06:00

On Christmas Eve, everyone congregated at mom & dads.

The girls...Kaitlyn, Aidyn, McKayla & Kimberly

The girls always like to cuddle with Sean.
Dad & Jeff waiting to mix their next drink.
Ty and Grandma

Here are all the grandkids:
Sean, Kimberly, Kaitlyn, Justin
Aidyn, McKayla
Nolan

The whole clan....
Justin got some exciting gifts!
Ty, Me & Troy
Grandma with her favorite grandchild. (Ty & Troy snuck in the picture.)

Mom & Dad...such cute lovebirds...

We all had a very fun Christmas Eve. It's always nice to have everyone together to celebrate!

Waiting for Christmas...

2009-01-02T21:07:00.002-06:00

While we were hanging out at my parents place...
The kids got in some cuddle time with Justin
Mom helped Jeff look at new cars

Aidyn & Nolan read books

And tried to figure out who each of the presents were for.

Mutton Bustin'

2009-01-01T19:40:00.004-06:00

While we were in ND for Christmas we spent a day visiting Ty & Deb and their kiddos. One of the big adventures at their house involved visiting their sheep. The kids fed the sheep hay and corn. Both Aidyn & Nolan (ACK!!!) used a pitchfork!
Here is Kim, Nolan, McKayla & Aidyn in the nice warm pick-up which incidentally, we got locked out of shortly after this. That was not so nice and warm.
Now this is where it got interesting...The kids went mutton bustin' (for you city folks, that means they rode sheep). Kim did it first which was awesome. Then Aidyn & McKayla took turns sitting on the sheep. It didn't go much further than that, but it was so fun to watch!

After dinner all the kids decorated Christmas ornaments. They made some beautiful creations. Thanks Ty, Deb & family for a very fun day!

Our Christmas

2008-12-30T21:20:00.005-06:00

The Friday before we left for ND we celebrated our own Christmas at home. The kids were so excited they could hardly contain themselves at dinner.

Here is Captain Insane-O opening her gift. She gets so excited about opening presents, it's quite hilarious!

The morning we left the kids were excited to see Santa had visited. Apparently he knew we'd be gone over Christmas so he stopped by early.

Oh Santa, always Mr. Practical...

Is it weird that this made me cry?

2008-12-30T08:40:00.002-06:00

I have lots of posting to do to get caught up. But until I get organized (which could take another 33 years) I am just going to post the most important thing that has happened at out house. Here it is!

We have a very excited girl in our house. The tooth fairy visited last night which caused a whole new level of excitement this morning. Aidyn came barreling down the hallway, "I got money!" 10 seconds later Nolan came running "Give me money too!" Ah, the joy of children.

We got to hold a new baby!

2008-12-18T17:49:00.004-06:00

Today we went to visit our friends Corey & Ana and meet their sweet little girl Claire. Nolan checked her out a little bit. Aidyn & I pretty much fought over whom got to hold her. She is a little sweetie pie and we are so happy for everyone. Congratulations Corey & Ana!!

Basketball

2008-12-18T17:44:00.002-06:00

Last night was Aidyn's last night of basketball (until January!). Here's her team...

And our superstar with her medal. Next session Nolan will be playing too. Should be interesting...

Just for Ty...

2008-12-18T17:20:00.003-06:00

This song is currently blasting from Ty & Deb's blog. Ty turns it on full blast to get his kids up and out of bed in the morning. How annoying would that be?? Anyway, while it was playing yesterday, Nolan got his groove on. I knew Ty would appreciate this, so here you go...

By the way, if you care to hear the song in its entirety, check out their blog.

Christmas Program

2008-12-16T21:55:00.014-06:00

The kids had their Christmas program in church on Sunday. They both sang a few songs and then everyone sang together at the end. It was a very cute program and the kids did a great job!

Christmas Preparations

2008-12-16T21:00:00.005-06:00

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas lately and I've been doing a poor job of keeping the blog updated. So here are some updates as to what we've been up to.
The kids made their gingerbread house (and ate half of the candy in the process).

We mixed up a big batch of homemade hot chocolate mix and even made homemade marshmallows to go with it. They are tasty, but a bit tedious to cut up. I don't think I'll be making those again.

We also visited the Macy's Christmas Display downtown and saw Santa afterwards. Aidyn had a nice visit with Santa, Nolan was more concerned about the gingerbread cookies he could smell baking in the bakery. Which we purchased and devoured. Good thing there is a Starbucks in Macy's so Mamma could have a little treat too.

Here's a little holiday cheer to get you through the day...

Nolan Newsflash

2008-12-12T09:09:00.002-06:00

According to Nolan "Fruits and vegetables make you have handsome hair."
So all of you out there wanting to be a bit more handsome...eat up!

The boy's got moves...

2008-12-08T11:20:00.006-06:00

Nolan requested we have some music on this morning while Aidyn was at school. He stood in front of the TV and got his groove on for about 20 minutes. It was so cute! Here's a little clip of him enjoying some Aly & AJ. Notice the rockin' arm move shortly into the show.
(Also, please disregard the pile of towels on the chair next to him...waiting to be folded. I have other things to do, like blog.)

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2008-12-07T13:21:00.003-06:00

The kids were in charge of decorating the Christmas tree by themselves this year. I was there to supervise and place ornaments up high when requested.

They had so much fun. Can you tell how excited Aidyn gets about doing things like this? Her brother just gets caught in the love.
The tree looks just beautiful and there are a few presents under it already. The presents have created many questions such as "When can we open those presents?" "When can we open those presents?" "When can we open those presents?" "When can we open those presents?" "When can we open those presents?" You get the picture...

Quick Visit

2008-12-07T12:56:00.002-06:00

The day we got home from Thanksgiving, Troy's family showed up on our doorstep. They came down to attend the Vikings game on Sunday night and needed a place to stay. So being the considerate sister I am, I locked the doors, closed the blinds and turned the lights off. But Aidyn & Nolan felt bad and let them in.

Sean read the kids books.

Kaitlyn spun Nolan in circles...
And then gave him Coke. At bedtime.

Even though it was a short visit, we enjoyed seeing them and had lots of fun hanging out with them.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T21:34:00.005-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving with Jeff's family this year. Here are Craig & Brett getting in some cuddle time.

Donna read Nolan A LOT of books on Turkey Day. He was in heaven!
He did stop over at Troy's house since my entire family was there for Thanksgiving. Here are all the grandkids together.

And here is how the kids looked at the end of the day. A pumpkin pie induced coma...

Hoedown

2008-12-01T21:25:00.003-06:00

Aidyn had a Hoedown at Kindergarten before Thanksgiving. She was supposed to dress in 'Western Wear'. Being a full-fledged city kid, her wardrobe was limited. We did manage to find this hat.

And this accessory which made the entire outfit. Yep, that's right...she went old school with her mamma's cowgirl belt. NICE!

Makes sense to me...

2008-11-21T12:33:00.003-06:00

I saw this video the other day and thought that Keith Olbermann hit this one out of the park. I completely agree with what he says, it just makes sense. I know some of you out there will disagree with this and that's fine. That's the beauty of our country, we can all have different views and opinions and yet be one united nation. But just listen to what he has to say, just consider it...

Girls Weekend!!

2008-11-19T09:14:00.005-06:00

This past weekend, myself & 3 friends had a girls weekend getaway. Too say that I had been looking forward to it would be a bit of an understatement. We left Friday morning and hit the outlet mall on our way to the resort. We were....ummmm....Christmas shopping! Yeah, that's it!! After we got checked in, we sampled some wine that we had brought and then headed to a wine tasting at the restaurant we were planning to eat at.
Here we are at dinner on Friday night. Allison, Me, Katie, LoriAfter dinner, we checked out karaoke.

Before we sang, everyone needed a little liquid encouragement.

I guess the encouragement helped as we were soon belting out show stoppers.

In case you're wondering, yes, the karaoke stage also doubled as a dance floor.

We headed to another bar and met some interesting people and were able to stay up until MIDNIGHT!!! I know...just like in college. Here is Allison at the end of the night...

Saturday we spent most of the day at the spa getting rubbed, scrubbed, polished & painted. Ahhhh, so relaxing! We had dinner out, a few drinks and then headed back to our cabin to hang out and chat.

Sunday rolled around and we packed up to head home. I was sad the weekend went so fast, but it was nice to get home to see Jeff & the kids. We had such a fun time, I think it may become an annual event!

Church Choir

2008-11-09T20:42:00.003-06:00

Aidyn's choir performed in church this morning. They sang 'If I Were a Butterfly' which Jeff & I both remember singing as kids. My memory consists of sitting together in a circle while nuns played guitar and we did all the song actions. Quite lovely.As the kids were singing, I thought 'Hey I should record this!' So enjoy the recording below. It is short and the ending is not pretty...

Notice how at the end of the recording the camera starts moving and then sort of falls off to the side? Shortly after I started recording, Nolan began swinging his church backpack. I reached over and tried to get him to stop. He didn't. At the end of the recording when the camera falls off to the side...that is when Nolan launched his backpack across the front of the church. It was one of those times I was thrilled that we let the kids pick where to sit and they chose the 2nd row. Oh well, we had a great seat to enjoy Aidyn's lovely singing and most of the congregation got a laugh out of Nolan's antics.

Cuddle Time

2008-11-09T20:30:00.001-06:00

The kids were watching a movie the other day and this is how I found them. Cuddled up together enjoying the show. Ahhhh....so cute!

Trick or Treat!!

2008-11-01T09:18:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a very exciting day as any of you with kids know. By 10:00am you would have sworn that the kids had already consumed 400 pieces of candy. They were bouncing off the walls in anticipation of going trick or treating.

Here is our beautiful Princess Fairy and our stinky little skunk.
We went out with our friends Alana & Sean. It's always more fun collecting candy with friends.
When we got home, the feast began. Mostly for Jeff & I because we pigged out on the kids candy after they went to bed. Shameless, I know. Oh well!!

Both kids had so much fun last night. We hit more houses than we have in the past because it was such a beautiful night. We had 80 trick or treaters at our house, which is quite a decline from past years but that's OK. It just means more leftovers for us!!
We hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!!!

Are you kidding me?!?!?!

2008-10-31T10:32:00.003-05:00

For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile, you'll remember this story. For newcomers, check it out, you'll enjoy it.
Well, today we have a life lesson revisited. Aidyn & Nolan picked up some Halloween coloring contest pictures recently at our local drug store. Aidyn worked on hers diligently until it was just to her liking. Nolan marked on his page a few times and then Aidyn took over and 'helped' him finish. We turned them into the drug store and hoped for the best. Well, they called this morning. Can you see where this is going??
Guess what? Nolan won the coloring contest. AHHHHH!!!! Are you kidding me?!?!?! Not wanting to relive the drama of the last contest, I chose to embellish the truth this time.

Me: Guess what kids? The drug store called and they said you both did such a good job on your coloring contest pictures that they have a prize for you to share!
Aidyn: We won?
Me: Yes, WE won!
Both kids: Yippee!!!
Me (in my head): Please don't let me get caught in this embellishment...

Wish me luck.

Carving Pumpkins

2008-10-31T08:35:00.005-05:00

We carved pumpkins the other night in preparation for Halloween.

The kids were brave this year and stuck their arms in to pluck out the guts.

Aidyn's pumpkin was a scary 2-sided little number. Nolan's is much more abstract.

Jeff carved a pumpkin too. They are having a pumpkin carving contest at work. 10 bonus points if you can guess what his carving goal was with this pumpkin.

Gymnastics

2008-10-29T09:57:00.003-05:00

Aidyn and Nolan finished their first session of gymnastics last week, the new session starts tomorrow. Not much of a break, but whatever.

They both really enjoyed it and were so proud of the ribbons they received. Aidyn told me that she now has more medals and ribbons than that swimming guy from the Olympics. He only won 8 medals and she has 10 now. Good for you Aidyn! And you too Nolan!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-29T09:38:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch a week or so ago to pick out their prize pumpkins. Aidyn gave the pumpkins the 'sit on them' test.
Nolan gave the pumpkins the 'run over them with the wagon' test. If you look closely, you can see there is a large pumpkin under the wagon. He was a bit high-centered.

Then he gave them the 'I'm going to carry you by the stem and drop you a few dozen times' test. Needless to say, the pumpkins we came home with are very resilient.

A Challenge

2008-10-26T09:02:00.008-05:00

UPDATE!! Ty has accepted the challenge!! Check it out!!

This weekend Shirley & the kids came to visit (Troy was apparently too ill to make the trip.) Any-hoo, as we were channel surfing, we came across the National FFA Convention being broadcast on TV. I'm sure it got HUGE ratings. We started discussing those flattering blue corduroy jackets we used to wear and pondering whether or not we would still be able to fit into them. We called Troy & he was convinced he would be able to get his both on AND zipped up. Well, check out his blog to see those results. I haven't talked to him this morning to see if he was able to get out of bed after throwing out his back straining to get that thing zipped up.
I knew exactly where my jacket was located and figured if Troy can do it, so can I. Shirley agreed to be the photographer and I tried my best not to pee my pants while we were taking these pictures. By the way, the flag background was Shirley's idea. I think it adds a whole new level of class to the photo. Here I am in all my FFA glory. Take it in people....

So here's the challenge to the rest of you out there. Find your FFA jacket, put it on AND get it zipped up (zipper exception for Laurel-she's knocked up) and post a picture of it on your blog or your spouses blog. This is going to hee-haw-larious!! You can do it people, don't make me call you out by name. Because I will. I was President, I know how to get things done.

Views

2008-10-24T09:57:00.003-05:00

OK, I know this isn't the best picture with all the cars & parking signs in the background, but just look how pretty these leaves are! This is at the kids' school and the views out of their classroom windows are all like this. So pretty, I love fall!

Farm Fieldtrip

2008-10-24T09:31:00.004-05:00

Last week Nolan had his first field trip of the year. They went to a farm to check out the animals and the garden. First we visited the sheep...the kids loved it, I felt bad for the sheep. They were obviously used to having kids milling around but I suspect the sheep prefer eating the hay rather than being slathered in it.

Look! Chickens!!!
They got to try their hand at milking a 'cow'. In this instance, the term 'cow' is applied to a 4 foot contraption covered in Holstein fabric with some sort of magical milk machine hooked up to its teats. (Yep, I just said teats!) It was an interesting creature.

The kids spent quite a bit of time tasting the garden. Nolan was not afraid to grab something as he walked by it and take a bite. Therefore he got to taste: lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, beets, broccoli, tomatoes, green peppers, cabbage, mint (they grow that for the mojitos they provide for the chaperones) and some weird spicy lettuce that our guide referred to as 'spicy lettuce'.

He seemed to have a fun time exploring. Afterwards, I asked what his favorite part of the field trip was...the bus ride. Imagine that.

What a pretty little monkey

2008-10-21T16:31:00.001-05:00

Fuzz

2008-10-20T22:26:00.003-05:00

Last weekend a little fuzzy caterpillar made its way into our house and our hearts. Nolan took to him immediately and named him Fuzz. He lived in a lovely glass jar on our countertop. Everyday we provided him with fresh leaves. Sadly, a glass jar & green leaves were apparently not the optimum environment for a caterpillar. Fuzz found his way to that great cocoon in the sky the other day. And Nolan...he didn't care. Such a sensitive little boy.

Rescue Effort

2008-10-18T12:39:00.001-05:00

Enjoying my new camera

2008-10-18T11:37:00.012-05:00

It has some fun features like this hi-speed shooting...(please disregard the fact that I cut off their heads a few times, I'm still learning)

Just A Swingin'

2008-10-18T11:21:00.002-05:00

It took a little persuasion, but they finally gave in. Amazing what a pleading 6 year-old can convince her grandparents to do.

So Sweet

2008-10-17T17:15:00.007-05:00

This story was on our local news last night and I cannot watch it without crying. It is just as sweet as it gets.

(OK, I can't get this video embedded, so I am just putting up a link...click on it to see the video...sorry!)
Video

There was just a follow-up on the 5:00 news and this little girl and her dad are going to be on the Today Show Monday morning and possibly on Ellen next week.

Some information about me...

2008-10-15T21:47:00.007-05:00

Because I know you care.

8 favorite TV shows:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. The Office
3. House
4. Oprah
5. Jon & Kate Plus 8
6. American Idol
7. Dirty Jobs
8. My Name is Earl

8 favorite restaurants:
1. Big Boy
2. Hu Hot
3. Santa Lucia
4. Benihana
5. Panera Bread
6. The Lions Tap
7. Pizza Ranch
8. D'Amico & Sons

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Watched the debate
2. Tried a new recipe for dinner
3. Picked up play-doh
4. Talked on the phone
5. Updated my blog!!
6. Washed dishes
7. Scheduled some play dates
8. Read books to and cuddled with my kids

8 things I love about fall:
1. The leaves changing colors
2. Apples
3. Football
4. Pumpkin foods
5. Crisp, cool air
6. Halloween
7. My birthday!
8. Fall Decorations

8 things I look forward to:
1. My brother Troy and his family coming to visit
2. My brother Ty and his family MAY come to visit
3. Upcoming Girls Weekend
4. The election being over
5. Halloween
6. Christmas
7. Figuring out my new camera
8. Aidyn starting basketball

8 things on my wish list:
1. A cleaning lady
2. To win the lottery
3. A trip to Europe
4. For the economy to be fixed
5. Ty & his family to actually come visit
6. World Peace
7. To have my bathroom remodeled
8. Health & Happiness for all my family & friends

Great Grandma

2008-10-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

We were lucky enough to have Great Grandma Lucille come visit for Aidyn's birthday. She's only been here a few times so it was a treat to have her visit.
4 generations of ladies (Notice how Bailey had to get her head in the picture too!)

The Big Day

2008-10-15T10:57:00.002-05:00

Sunday was Aidyn's actual birthday. It started by her choir singing at church. The services on Sunday were a Scandinavian Music Festival. It was fun to hear all different songs they performed. They also served lefse, krumkake, rosettes and many other Scandinavian treats between services.

After lunch Aidyn got to open a few gifts from Jeff & I. For dinner on Sunday night, Aidyn got to pick where she wanted to eat. She picked Applebees because they sing to you and you get a free dessert. That is right up her alley because she wanted everyone to know it was her birthday. She told every teacher, the pastors at church, the servers at the restaurant, the choir directors and pretty much anyone she came in contact with. She was SO excited to turn 6!!

Family Day

2008-10-15T10:02:00.002-05:00

Saturday we spent the day celebrating Aidyn's birthday with family. Great Grandma Lucille, G'ma Sharon & G'pa Jerry, Grandma Janice & Grandpa Horace were all able to join us.

G'ma Sharon made Aidyn a Hello Kitty birthday cake. It was delicious!

Aidyn got lots of nice gifts from everyone. Nolan gave her a necklace and a fancy ponytail holder. She was so pleased her brother remembered to get her something.

The crown she is wearing is one she made for Nolan to wear, but he let her wear it to open gifts. So generous!

Birthday Bash

2008-10-15T08:59:00.003-05:00

My little girl turned 6 this past weekend. YIKES! So the weekend was spent celebrating the way 6 year olds like to celebrate...with friends, family, cake, presents, singing and pretty much getting spoiled.
Friday night was spent celebrating with her friends. Aidyn requested a movie party so we rolled out the red carpet...

The house was decorated with stars and movie tickets. We also made popcorn cupcakes, which I have to say, turned out pretty darn cute. (It wasn't real popcorn on top, just white and yellow marshmallows put together to look like popcorn.)
When the guests arrived they were ushered to the playroom to laugh and squeal and entertain each other. Soon it was pizza and cupcake time. That was probably the noisiest dining room table I have ever been around. The amount of giggling was unbelievable!
Next came gift opening time. I'm not sure what happened here with Lydia's card, but Aidyn & Lydia found it hysterical. Which in turn made everyone else laugh (adults included).
Here are the girls in attendance: Jordan, Julia, Lydia, Aidyn, Hadley & Daisy
After gifts it was time for the Feature Presentation. They watched The Little Mermaid, Ariel's Beginning. They snarfed down several bags of popcorn and talked during the whole movie! It was such a fun party and Aidyn loved having her friends over. She has really nice friends, they were a blast to have at our house!

What was Nolan doing this whole time?? Well, he was complaining because he couldn't be where the girls were and just hanging out with the adults. He had some fun with daddy.
And had a deep conversation with Great-Grandma. I wonder what she learned?

Just taking a stroll with Grandpa Jerry

2008-10-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

Seeking Sympathy

2008-10-04T21:23:00.008-05:00

Last week Nolan had a cut on his hand. Now by calling it a cut, I am being generous. It was maybe 1/8 of an inch long. Again, that is a generous estimation. But, when you are 3, any cut is of great significance. He talked about that cut for days and apparently the wagon ride at the apple orchard seemed like a good time to drum up some sympathy from G'ma & G'pa.
It started with G'pa. Look at my cut G'pa.

Oh look, he's acknowledging I have a cut!
Here, let me show you a little closer.
Oh, G'pa is looking the other way. I better get G'ma involved in this.
G'ma look, I have a cut. Yep, you better look close.
Oh, I got G'pa back. Now that I have your attention, let me tell you all about how it happened...

Apple Orchard

2008-10-04T21:09:00.002-05:00

My folks came to visit last weekend. While they were here, we made a trip to the apple orchard. G'pa tried to teach the kids how to stand still. This pose lasted about 1 second. (Nolan doesn't do well with being motionless.) Dad found his favorite apple tree to stand by. I think he liked the apple formations.
This is as good as a family picture gets for us. Everyone is looking toward the camera and Nolan has his tongue out. Oh 3 year olds...
G'ma & G'pa with the kiddos on the wagon ride back in from picking apples.

It was a beautiful day to enjoy some time together at the orchard. We all had lots of fun and lots of laughs.