And Then There Was One...

I can't believe it finally happened. I only have 1, one, uno, une, child at home during the day. School started 2 weeks ago, right after Labor Day (which I still can't figure out what it is celebrating. Workers? Women giving birth? I should probably look it up). Nebraska only has full day Kindergarten, so Livi and I are left to our own devices from 8:05 to 3:30 every Monday through Friday. Lonely? Yes. Awesome? Yes!
For those of you who don't know: WE MOVED!!! It was a horrible, and very long process, but we are finally in our new home. Because we moved the kids are going to a new school, Longfellow. Our friends, the Bagleys, go there, as well as several other friends that the kids already know. They had built in friends there, which was a far cry from what Ethan was dealing with at the last school. We are very excited, and both kids are loving Longfellow.
Here are some pictures from the first days of school. (Ella's Kindergarten split the first day of school into 3 so only 6 or 7 kids went each day, so they could get use to it) Ethan went on Tuesday and it was a super bright morning, hence the super squinting going on. Ella was so depressed that Ethan, Caleb, and her friend Maddi all started on the same day we had to go to the Bakery, pick out a movie, and paint nails to help her feel better (oh the teenage years are going to be fun).
Ella started on Wednesday. She wanted a curly ponytail, bracelets, a headband, and her special first day dress. Because of Grandma Joan's generosity Ella was able to buy 2 other new outfits, both with skirts, so to date she has worn a skirt or dress everyday but 2. I am soooooo not sure where that girl's personality came from! It's amazing. I know teachers aren't paid well, and schools in Nebraska don't provide a whole lot of money, but I do find it a little ridiculous spending $50-$100 just on school supplies that are needed on the first day of school (they give us a list).
So what do Livi and I do with our new found alone time? We go walking with her best friend "Tarter" (Carter), we go to Walmart and don't spend hours arguing over whether or not I am going to get her a toy, we play with toys, and of course, we go to the bakery:

She really IS my daughter!

It felt like a comedy of errors today. I forgot to buy milk and frozen waffles last time I went to the store, so we were out of breakfast foods (yep, that's our typical breakfast). The kids were begging all through our errands for various frivolous items (the Barbie Bedazzler, Really?) and threw fits when I didn't want to spend $40 on said items. I came home to find out we are definitely NOT going to make our closing on Friday, and it may even be another 10 days before we close because our loan officer and the other realtor haven't been doing things in a timely manner. This will leave us with only 1 day to move to the new house and clean this house, plus it will have to be a weekday. My sister thinks I used her trust and changed her blog background to a vomit theme (I would have done "Hello Kitty" if I were to change it, I do have some taste) and the kids complained about dinner (just chicken and strawberries, nothing weird). Because my day was hard (okay, not really, but it felt like it) I needed this moment:

We love to play.....play in the water, ooh hoo.

Last year we were excited to go up to Canada and to play on the beautiful new playground. This year we were met with an even better addition: The Splash Area. Who cares that it is 60 degrees out? Who cares that the water is glacier water? Not my kids! We all had a blast (including my dad and brothers who had a little too much fun).

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

I feel a little overwhelmed with how much I have to blog, so I thought I would do a post-lite. Here are some pictures from Canada that just make me smile (and out right laugh). Baby deer are so cute, and we see them all over the park playing, eating, pooping (Ethan's favorite) and laying by cabins. What I had never seen is a baby deer actually sleeping. Until now: Everyone say "Ahhhh." Can it get any cuter. Yes. Another baby deer came over and was nuzzling the sleeping deer until he woke up, and they proceeded to kiss. Yes Eric, I am sure there is a technical term and reason for this, but I choose to believe that they are kissing, stop trying to ruin this for me.

We loved this sign that is new to one of the trails. It is suppose to show you that deer will attack when provoked, but to all of us it looked like the man and deer were boogieing down to some awesome tunes.

This last pictures needs a little background. There are a couple of cabins across the road from us that are all owned by a big extended family. They have LOTS of little kids running around with no supervision, and by "running around" I mean "scary Lord of the Flies running wild." It provided us hours of entertainment just watching the shenanigans of this little clan. We saw kids go off a homemade bike ramp, an improvised game of darts with sharpened sticks were kids had to run by as they were thrown (I think to weed out the weaker ones), and even a child scale a basketball hoop to climb OVER a trampoline enclosure and do a flip down off of the hoop onto the trampoline.
Then one morning the piece-de-resistance: Yes, that is a child in a lion costume riding a bicycle. It was better than the circus!

At least the helmets are styling!

Nothing says safety like putting the chin strap in your mouth! My Dad always has some project going on. He is either cutting gems, putting on a family "Amazing Race," planning a creperie, designing the most amazing spook alley, or researching some cool activity. This trip to Waterton was no exception. Before we got there Dad had spent a LOT of time researching the best type of motorized vehicle for entertainment in the park. It was narrowed down between gas and electric scooters. After flying into Calgary Mom and Dad picked up the final product: Awesome Electric Scooters!!!!
One problem, only one of them was assembled. It took 5 people to get all the pieces together in the right configuration, but eventually they did it! James was nice and took my kids on rides (over, and over, and over, and over again). Here are Ethan and James making muscle man poses (okay, James is. Ethan's is more of a wet noodle pose). Everyone thought they were great. We could zip over to the docks to deliver left behind diapers, take a nice cruise up to Cameron Falls, or even drive through the camp ground by the cabins (Ella's favorite because the road was so bumpy). All in all we loved them and can't wait to ride them all over the park next year!

ARRRHHHGGGGHHYYYYAAA, or almost back from Zombieland

So we've been off the radar for over a month, and there is so much to do I feel a little overwhelmed. We were lucky enough to spend 3 glorious weeks in Waterton Canada at my parents cabin, and then a week at Aspen Grove in Utah for our family reunion. Before you get mad we didn't call or stop by (or in Justin's case, move into his basement) we spent most of the week in Utah throwing up all over the place (and some of the ride home too!) so you weren't missing much.
I'm not really sure were to start in making you jealous in how awesome our vacation was (although mentioning vomit is sure to start your envy going) so I will start with something SUPER fun we got to do: Red Rock Canyon.

For those of you unfamiliar with Red Rock, shame on you. It is so much fun, and beautiful. It's like a hiking obstacle course up a canyon with a river/stream running through the whole thing. The three younger married couples all went together while my parents were nice enough to watch all the kids (running theme for the whole trip). I love this picture. You can tell how long each couple has been married by the embrace they each use in the pose (Good thing Julia and McKay weren't there! j/k we really missed them, but Julia was having too much fun being a celebrity in China to be bothered with visiting with all of us). It's fun how you have to rely on everyone to make it up the canyon. Most of the way up you end up getting very wet, (Yes, you do, Mom) but James was determined to stay dry the whole way up. Look how well that worked out:James and I surveying this awesome waterfall area. I almost smacked him right off on accident, but luckily he has the footing of a mountain goat. There was this amazing area that looks like a dam where I am sure most people turn around and go back, but not us. We found a hole and climbed up, but that meant we had to climb back down. It wasn't hard, but it was sure intimidating. We (I) made Eric and James go down first to help us from below while Andrew helped us from above. I love how Eric stuck his head in at the last moment and we got this awesomely random shot.In the first video James, Andrew, myself, and Eric decide to try one of the waterfalls. Andrew was nice enough to check the bottom for any sharp objects that may kill us before we went down. It became a running theme "Andrew, go check the bottom." As always he was a very good sport. The other videos are just us having fun jumping in pools of water and sliding down rocks.

The Not So Warm Days of Summer

July 6. You would think that July would be a good time to plan playing in the wading pool for the FHE activity. You would be wrong. The kids were really looking forward to it so we went ahead even though it was cold, windy, started raining and even lead to a thunderstorm. They made a valiant effort to play in the water, but eventually brought their goose-bumped little bodies inside to dress in warm pj's and drink hot chocolate. In July. Geesh.In the video I especially love Livi sucking in her tummy because she is cold!

Our 4th of July Celebration (kind of)

We were so lucky to have most of Eric's side of the family come visit over the 4th of July weekend (except Jared who thought a the first days of a new job were more important). The actual forth of July was a little crazy. Not only was it on a Sunday, but produced torrential rain all evening. We kept waiting, hoping we could do some fireworks, and eventually (1 1/2 hours after bedtime) we were able to run out and get a few to light. Everyone huddled on the porch to stay out of the drizzle of rain that persisted while Eric and his brothers Ryan and Kyle braved the wetness to put on a show for the kids. Luckily we were all blessed to be able to see this performance below that will forever be seared into my brain:

Exiled to Wildcat Hills

A couple of weeks ago we were kicked out of the house for a showing and we went up to the Wildcat Hills Nature Center. They have a very cute display talking about pollination and how bees, butterflies, and birds help out plants. The kids had a great time, and I laughed A LOT!

Mom, I Am NOT A Performing Monkey

We had watched the video of my nephew, Ebby, sweeping the floor, and Livi got inspired. She loves to help and has pushed the broom around before, but this time she was actually taking the dust pan and pretending to dump it in the trash! I ran to get my camera, because I knew no one would believe me and this is what I got instead:


So it didn't work out as I expected, but I thought "hey, I'll have her sing Ba Ba Black Sheep, like she loves to, and then I'll have a cute video for our parents." She starts out really well and then...

My Reading Rainbow

It's no surprise that I love reading, but some people are shocked when they find out how much I love reading. I am always reading a book. Always. I have to read at night before going to sleep, I love to read in the tub, and sometimes, if I don't feel like shaving my legs, I read in the shower while waiting for my conditioner to set (much to Eric's chagrin). I have a back up book in my car, in case I get stuck at a train crossing, or backed up traffic, or even red light! I have multiple books on my ipod. I have 5 bookcases full of books that I constantly reread. I would not survive without the escape that reading provides.
I was lucky to have parents that really cared about reading. My parents bought us books constantly, we went to the library, and we always had books at night time. My mom would read with the best voices that made the stories come alive. My dad would read the stories wonky so "Lizzie Bruin" from the Berenstain Bears became "Lizzie Borden" who gave her friends 40 whacks. His books always ended "And they all died, the end." Reading is a pleasure, an escape from my life into something more interesting. I LOVE READING.
With reading being so special to me, I have tried very hard to instill this same love in my kids. We have read to them every day since they were born. They always get books at nap time, and when they are older and don't want me to sing to them at night we do books instead. If I need quiet I ask the kids to go read books. Ethan and Ella both beg to read books for about 30 minutes after we have read to them (Ella just looks at pictures and tells herself the story in her own words, but we are are working well on actual reading).
It was heartwarming to walk into Ella's room the other day and find the girls curled up on her bed reading books together. Ella was saying the words from memory to her book and Livi was babbling along like she knew her book. It didn't matter that her book was upside down!
I teared up, just a little, when I saw this. I guess all 3 will be awesome readers and will enjoy that experience as much as I do!

Somebody Call Ripleys

We looked out the window and what did we see? Hail the size of baseballs falling down on me.
We were going to be last night when it sounded like someone was trying to break into our house with a baseball bat. Turned out it was just the biggest hail I have ever seen in my life. We tried to stay away from any windows while still watching through the door. It was crazy. I would never have believed it if I didn't see it. Eric kept one, and it currently resides in our freezer in case anyone calls us liars and I have to pull it out and say "Boo-Ya."

Who Likes Pizza?

Pizza night at our house has it's up and downs. 4 out of 5 of us LOVE it! One of us is not so favorably inclined toward the yumminess. Here are two enjoying our homemade pizza: Here is one, in time out for throwing a fit (she decided time out would be under there).

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy

We gave in. I swore we would never again have pets (okay, more like forcefully told Eric I didn't want to) but somehow the kids saved up enough money to buy some fish (they are $0.28 at Walmart). Eric and I bought the aquarium, but the kids bought the fish, the decorations, and the food. Eric took Ethan and Ella to Walmart to pick out the fish. Eric said the whole time they were at Walmart Ella kept saying "I can't believe you are letting us get them!" They came home, set it up, and for over an hour everyone sat around and stared at fish. No joke.
Ethan drew up a key so we could tell the fish apart. Ella named three of them, and so did Ethan. Their names are: Deade (pronounced Dead-ee), Silly, and Cupid (Ethan's) and boy, Pea-pea, like the vegetable, and Julian (Ella's) I know it's pea-pea and not pee-pee because it was Ella, not Ethan who named it.
Unfortunately we have already lost 3: Silly, Deade (ironically), and Pea-pea.

Tripping Down the Monument

So we had to leave our house again today for a showing. 7 showings so far, no offers. Great.
Well we decided to take advantage of the time out of the house to hike down the monument. It was fun, a good work out with Livi on my back, and it was beautiful. It was also weird. There were the smallest sunflowers, but the biggest dandelions I have ever seen. On the trail head map it says "There is no drinking water along the trail." Ethan started freaking out because we had brought water bottles with us. We tried to explain that it meant there was no water available on the trail, and that we should bring our own, but the way it was worded and Ethan harping on it over and over, had me unsure about what the true meaning was. A ranger went by and I was tempted to hide my water bottle from him. Just what I need, the fears of my 7 year old combined with my own.

Our Friend Justin On So You Think You Can Dance

Our friend Justin is a man of many talents. He reads crazy books, he is funny, he is a great photographer, he is a beekeeper, and now he is a back up dancer for Usher. Yep, you read that right. Eric and I were watching So You Think You Can Dance when we noticed our friend Justin dancing in the background on the premier of the Usher/Justin Beiber video. Awesome! Okay, so maybe it's not Justin, just some other group of dancing beekeepers, which begs the question: Usher, what are you doing with Justin Beiber and a bunch of dancing beekeepers? New low Usher, new low.

Fun in the Sun, or Not Winning Any Awards

We were able to go over to the Bagleys today and take advantage of one of the first days of summer we've had in weeks. Melissa set up the sprinkler and the kids went nuts. They tried the sprinkler on the slide, the sprinkler on the swings, and the eternal favorite, the sprinkler under the trampoline. Ah good times.
The babies didn't like the sprinkler so much. They liked a bucket full of water better. I guess it's more their size.


Here is my bad mom moment of today:

Good Morning Welcome To Sonic

I'm getting a little tired of hearing that phrase. We've had too many mornings where I've had to grab the kids and rush out the door. With the poor weather we've headed to sonic a few times. Here is what we have learned:
1. If you don't have your card waiting to swipe the car side payment option will time out and you will be forced to give your card to the carhop who will give you a dirty look.
2. Ordering a 44 ounce soda at 9:00am gets you fewer looks than ordering a doughnut at the same time of day at a bakery. Go figure.
3. Sonic has nasty milk.
4. Ella will order an orange juice every time and take about 2 sips.
5. Livi loves lemonade. Really loves it. She will cry and scream if you try and take the cup away from her even if it is to undo her seat belt to take her out of the car.
6. Ethan is not a morning person.
This is what we look like at 9am with 10 minutes notice to get out of the house. Eric couldn't figure out why I didn't want to go walk around Target.