Another week of school has started. This morning I had to take Courtney to school and then head down to church. I started my Ministry Team training for MOPS. And of course we were running late. I finally get everyone in the car and find a good parking place at school! YEA! We are half way up the hill when I realize I forgot Courtney's backpack. ARG! Not that she really needs a backpack, but we do keep a change of clothes in there for accidents. Also they put any papers going home in it. But also, for today I put some snacks in it, because she is always hungry after class, and she was going to be headed to Daddy's office. SO, after dropping her off, I drove home, grabbed the backpack, and drove back to school. This of course meant no trip through Starbucks on my way to church... Oh well, at least they have free coffee at church, but it's no Starbucks..
But I was thinking on my way back to school: this is the first time I have to run home and run something back to school. I wonder how many times over the next 20 years I will have to do this because someone forgot something? This marks the first time ever, but certainly not the last.
Kasey has made some big strides the last few days. She has started saying "Daddy"! That is when she still isn't calling him "Mama". She still likes to call everyone Mama. Maybe that is her nickname for all of us. But at least about 50% of the time now she gets it right and says Daddy to him.
She also finally knows what her belly button is. Last night in the tub she would point to it when I asked her! Then after bath she was able to show Hubby too, when he asked her! Yay!
So, today Ms. Kim from Hubby's office picked up Courtney after class. I was at training, Kasey was in the nursery. After I was done with my training, Kasey and I picked up Wendy's and went to the office. We all had lunch together. Courtney really enjoys that. I looked in her backpack and saw that she got another green slip!!! Yay!
In her backpack was also a flier announcing School Picture day. Ah, I so remember those. It just freezes you in time and they are so fun to look back at over the years. I am so looking forward to school pictures!
Well, the kids are getting up from nap! And I need to figure out what we are going to have for dinner in an hour. Ugh...
HUGS!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Shoe girl!!!
We have a shoe girl on our hands. And she also may be a little OCD. But the girl (Kasey) LOVES shoes! She always wants them on, and she always wants us to put ours on as well. She brings us our shoes. The amazing thing is that she brings us the right ones! Meaning she brings Hubby's shoes to Hubby and my shoes to me! She is also constantly trying to wear Courtney's shoes when Courtney isn't. Courtney has this pair of cute Crocs that Grammy and Granddad got her, they kind of look like Mary Janes. Courtney loves them, and apparently so does Kasey. It's quite cute. Although Kasey trying them on and wearing them around the house usually ends in a skirmish when Courtney notices.
We think she's a little OCD because she can't stand it if a door is left open. She has to shut it. This includes door at other people's houses, the zoo, anywhere. She also loves to do laundry, today she helped me by pushing a basket to the top of the stairs all by herself.
Yesterday she also blew me away because she was helping me unload the dishwasher (as usual) and when we got to the top rack, she grabbed the right lids to go with the correct cups. And they weren't even her cups! One was mine and one was Courtney's! Of course she did get all of her own right as well. But wow! She also stacked all of Courtney's Princess cups before getting them out of the dishwasher. That is 4 cups! Little girl amazes me. She also tries really hard to put the silverware in the silverware drawer. She can just barley reach the drawer, so she usually puts all the silverware right in the front of the drawer, and I have to go back and put them all in the correct spots, but hey, it's still helpful!
Well, last night we totally fed her shoe obsession. I was cleaning the basement and I came across a whole BOX of shoes in the size she is going into! After her bath she saw it in her room and opened it up. Oh she was in heaven. She kept repeating "shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes", and she kept pulling pair after pair out. She was a happy little girl. She made Hubby put a pair of pale pink crocs on her, over her PJ's, that she wore until bed time. This morning she came into our room wearing a pair of red crocs over her PJs (that Hubby help her put on).
The poor girl also still seems to be teething. She appears to be trying to get all 4 eye teeth in at once, you can see them all bulging in her gums. She chews on her fingers like mad. That is her favorite teething tool, and about the only thing she will chew on. Her nose has been running like a faucet of course. Tylenol seems to make her happy, but I don't want the poor kid on Tylenol for a week! So, I only use it when she is really grumpy, that seems to be when she is in the most pain.
Let's see what else is new? Well, Courtney survived her first week of preschool. In fact she got a green slip of paper for going out of her way to be kind to a classmate! Progress?!?!
It's so hard not knowing what Courtney does while she is there. Of course when I ask her what she learned that day I get the typical kid answer, "nothing". I need to get in touch with her teacher to see if they do a theme of the week or something. So I can have SOME idea of what she is doing and what is going on.
Friday we had our friends the P's over for dinner. Makala is 7 months old now. We gave her the first taste of solid food. We chopped up some bananas really small and fed them to her. We aren't sure just how many actually ended up in her mouth versus her chair.
Oh, and because we had a 7 month old over, we bumped Kasey up to a booster seat! Such a big girl.
Yesterday we celebrated Hailey's 4th birthday at My Gym. That is the place that Courtney used to go. She walked in and it was like she hadn't missed a beat! She had a blast! Which now has us considering taking her back there. If we did, I would put Kasey in a class as well. We just really need to think about it because it does cost a bit of money.
Today we celebrated Hailey's 4th birthday with her family. Now that the kids are getting older, the Z's have a kid party and then a family party. We are lucky enough to be invited to both! As usual it was a good time. It's nice to go the family party. We have been friends for so long that seeing the Z's extended family is like seeing our own extended family. It's always good to catch up with everyone! We typically get to see all of them about every 6 months because of the way the girls birthdays fall. We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends like the Z's in our life.
Courtney has been quite funny when saying prayers recently. A few weeks ago she said "God, when I grow up I want to be a horse, so when I get older would you please turn me into a horse?" So cute! Today she said "Thank you God for Hailey and Kinsey, it was nice to be invited to the party today." All on her own, no prompting! It's good to hear that she does have appreciation for her friends. I guess she is growing up. Heck, she will be 4 in 13 days! Where does the time go?
If you look through the gallery I should warn you. Courtney has been taking lots of pictures with my camera. I have kept them and uploaded them too. Just to let you know!
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is coming up on September 12. I have raised some serious money! Our team still isn't to their goal, so I am still campaigning for more, but I am so happy with all the donations I have received this far! Thank you to all who have donated!
Well, time to go spend time with my kiddos!
We think she's a little OCD because she can't stand it if a door is left open. She has to shut it. This includes door at other people's houses, the zoo, anywhere. She also loves to do laundry, today she helped me by pushing a basket to the top of the stairs all by herself.
Yesterday she also blew me away because she was helping me unload the dishwasher (as usual) and when we got to the top rack, she grabbed the right lids to go with the correct cups. And they weren't even her cups! One was mine and one was Courtney's! Of course she did get all of her own right as well. But wow! She also stacked all of Courtney's Princess cups before getting them out of the dishwasher. That is 4 cups! Little girl amazes me. She also tries really hard to put the silverware in the silverware drawer. She can just barley reach the drawer, so she usually puts all the silverware right in the front of the drawer, and I have to go back and put them all in the correct spots, but hey, it's still helpful!
Well, last night we totally fed her shoe obsession. I was cleaning the basement and I came across a whole BOX of shoes in the size she is going into! After her bath she saw it in her room and opened it up. Oh she was in heaven. She kept repeating "shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes", and she kept pulling pair after pair out. She was a happy little girl. She made Hubby put a pair of pale pink crocs on her, over her PJ's, that she wore until bed time. This morning she came into our room wearing a pair of red crocs over her PJs (that Hubby help her put on).
The poor girl also still seems to be teething. She appears to be trying to get all 4 eye teeth in at once, you can see them all bulging in her gums. She chews on her fingers like mad. That is her favorite teething tool, and about the only thing she will chew on. Her nose has been running like a faucet of course. Tylenol seems to make her happy, but I don't want the poor kid on Tylenol for a week! So, I only use it when she is really grumpy, that seems to be when she is in the most pain.
Let's see what else is new? Well, Courtney survived her first week of preschool. In fact she got a green slip of paper for going out of her way to be kind to a classmate! Progress?!?!
It's so hard not knowing what Courtney does while she is there. Of course when I ask her what she learned that day I get the typical kid answer, "nothing". I need to get in touch with her teacher to see if they do a theme of the week or something. So I can have SOME idea of what she is doing and what is going on.
Friday we had our friends the P's over for dinner. Makala is 7 months old now. We gave her the first taste of solid food. We chopped up some bananas really small and fed them to her. We aren't sure just how many actually ended up in her mouth versus her chair.
Oh, and because we had a 7 month old over, we bumped Kasey up to a booster seat! Such a big girl.
Yesterday we celebrated Hailey's 4th birthday at My Gym. That is the place that Courtney used to go. She walked in and it was like she hadn't missed a beat! She had a blast! Which now has us considering taking her back there. If we did, I would put Kasey in a class as well. We just really need to think about it because it does cost a bit of money.
Today we celebrated Hailey's 4th birthday with her family. Now that the kids are getting older, the Z's have a kid party and then a family party. We are lucky enough to be invited to both! As usual it was a good time. It's nice to go the family party. We have been friends for so long that seeing the Z's extended family is like seeing our own extended family. It's always good to catch up with everyone! We typically get to see all of them about every 6 months because of the way the girls birthdays fall. We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends like the Z's in our life.
Courtney has been quite funny when saying prayers recently. A few weeks ago she said "God, when I grow up I want to be a horse, so when I get older would you please turn me into a horse?" So cute! Today she said "Thank you God for Hailey and Kinsey, it was nice to be invited to the party today." All on her own, no prompting! It's good to hear that she does have appreciation for her friends. I guess she is growing up. Heck, she will be 4 in 13 days! Where does the time go?
If you look through the gallery I should warn you. Courtney has been taking lots of pictures with my camera. I have kept them and uploaded them too. Just to let you know!
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is coming up on September 12. I have raised some serious money! Our team still isn't to their goal, so I am still campaigning for more, but I am so happy with all the donations I have received this far! Thank you to all who have donated!
Well, time to go spend time with my kiddos!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Courtney's first day of pre-k!
Well, Courtney is officially a school kid. We took her to her first day of preschool this morning. I got teary. She is just growing up so fast! I am so curious to find out what she thinks! And if she enjoys it. And so begins early mornings and getting moving on time. Here she is before we left the house:
Here we are on our way to school!:
Here she is hugging her teacher Ms. Gayle!
Lots of changes for her as she is almost 4 now! We took the railing off her bed. You know, the thing that kept her in bed for the past year and a half. She fell out once, but hasn't since. She really is growing up.
Let's see what did we do this week? Well, Wednesday Courtney had OT as usual. Afterward was a large grocery shopping trip. That afternoon we went across the street to our neighbor's house to play.
Thursday was zoo preschool day. We learned about giraffes and okapi. The kids got to feed the okapi! That was pretty cool. We got to touch them. I have always thought they looks like velvet. And guess what, they feel like it too!
We didn't get to stay long at the zoo. We had a meeting with Courtney's new teacher. So, we met Hubby at her school and we filled out a bunch of paperwork. We also met her teacher and one of the aids. Courtney got to play with the aid while we filled out paperwork. When we were leaving she told me "my teacher is nice" so I wasn't too worried about her starting school. In fact meeting the teacher and having the opportunity to talk to her really made me feel A LOT better. I feel like Courtney really is in the right place, and really she couldn't be in a more perfect place. It will be interesting to see what changes the next year brings.
Friday we went down to the Pueblo zoo with the P's. Whitney and I wanted to check it out since neither one of us had been there. We were not impressed. It's small, hard to see most animals, the one snack bar they had was closed, and just kind of bleck overall. But I think we are really spoiled with our zoo. It makes me appreciate our zoo even more to see the Pueblo zoo. It was HOT in Pueblo, they usually are 10 degrees hotter, but the girls seemed to have a pretty good time. They did have an area where you can feed farm type animals (goats, sheep, llamas, chickens, etc), that was a big hit with Courtney, Addison and Kasey. They also found this large cracked egg you can sit it. They enjoyed that a lot as well.
We found this guy enjoying his mud bath so much he fell asleep smiling!
Friday night was my MOPS Ministry team kick off dinner. Next week we start training. I am so excited, I can't wait! It's going to be a fun year at MOPS!
Saturday was a little busy. We spent the morning cleaning, as we were having dinner at our house that night. We also had to hit the grocery store. My neighbor had a jewelry party at 2pm, so I headed across the street for that. Then at 5pm our supper club met at our house for dinner. We did kind of a summer bbq. We cooked hot dogs, brauts and hamburgers. It was tasty. Every dish that was brought was fabulous. A good way to end the summer.
Sunday Courtney and I went to church. After we got home, we just spent a quiet day relaxing. I wanted a quiet day for Courtney before she started school today. Mission accomplished.
I started this post while Courtney was at school. I have since picked her up. She did seem to enjoy it, she made a new friend. She didn't want to go home when I went to pick her up. I guess that is a good sign! She also had paint smudges on her dress and face, so I assume they painted, and she loves to paint! She said they also played on the playground and I know she enjoyed that! It's hard, not knowing what she is doing while she is there, or knowing how she is behaving! I wish I had a web cam I could watch. They taught them the "Little Teapot" song and she has been singing it all afternoon. It's cute to watch her make the teapot.
Well, I feel pretty wiped out, I guess I will go and veg out.
Here we are on our way to school!:
Here she is hugging her teacher Ms. Gayle!
Lots of changes for her as she is almost 4 now! We took the railing off her bed. You know, the thing that kept her in bed for the past year and a half. She fell out once, but hasn't since. She really is growing up.
Let's see what did we do this week? Well, Wednesday Courtney had OT as usual. Afterward was a large grocery shopping trip. That afternoon we went across the street to our neighbor's house to play.
Thursday was zoo preschool day. We learned about giraffes and okapi. The kids got to feed the okapi! That was pretty cool. We got to touch them. I have always thought they looks like velvet. And guess what, they feel like it too!
We didn't get to stay long at the zoo. We had a meeting with Courtney's new teacher. So, we met Hubby at her school and we filled out a bunch of paperwork. We also met her teacher and one of the aids. Courtney got to play with the aid while we filled out paperwork. When we were leaving she told me "my teacher is nice" so I wasn't too worried about her starting school. In fact meeting the teacher and having the opportunity to talk to her really made me feel A LOT better. I feel like Courtney really is in the right place, and really she couldn't be in a more perfect place. It will be interesting to see what changes the next year brings.
Friday we went down to the Pueblo zoo with the P's. Whitney and I wanted to check it out since neither one of us had been there. We were not impressed. It's small, hard to see most animals, the one snack bar they had was closed, and just kind of bleck overall. But I think we are really spoiled with our zoo. It makes me appreciate our zoo even more to see the Pueblo zoo. It was HOT in Pueblo, they usually are 10 degrees hotter, but the girls seemed to have a pretty good time. They did have an area where you can feed farm type animals (goats, sheep, llamas, chickens, etc), that was a big hit with Courtney, Addison and Kasey. They also found this large cracked egg you can sit it. They enjoyed that a lot as well.
We found this guy enjoying his mud bath so much he fell asleep smiling!
Friday night was my MOPS Ministry team kick off dinner. Next week we start training. I am so excited, I can't wait! It's going to be a fun year at MOPS!
Saturday was a little busy. We spent the morning cleaning, as we were having dinner at our house that night. We also had to hit the grocery store. My neighbor had a jewelry party at 2pm, so I headed across the street for that. Then at 5pm our supper club met at our house for dinner. We did kind of a summer bbq. We cooked hot dogs, brauts and hamburgers. It was tasty. Every dish that was brought was fabulous. A good way to end the summer.
Sunday Courtney and I went to church. After we got home, we just spent a quiet day relaxing. I wanted a quiet day for Courtney before she started school today. Mission accomplished.
I started this post while Courtney was at school. I have since picked her up. She did seem to enjoy it, she made a new friend. She didn't want to go home when I went to pick her up. I guess that is a good sign! She also had paint smudges on her dress and face, so I assume they painted, and she loves to paint! She said they also played on the playground and I know she enjoyed that! It's hard, not knowing what she is doing while she is there, or knowing how she is behaving! I wish I had a web cam I could watch. They taught them the "Little Teapot" song and she has been singing it all afternoon. It's cute to watch her make the teapot.
Well, I feel pretty wiped out, I guess I will go and veg out.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Squeezing in the last fun of summer!
I forgot to mention last week that while we were at the park Courtney had a small "accident" (think potty training wise). Thankfully I always have spare clothes with me. All that was required in this case was a new pair of underwear. She had on a skirt, so it made it really easy to change. I changed her and she looks at me and says "there, now I'm fresh as a daisy!" And she said it with the cutest expression on her face! One of those moments where I really wished I was videotaping it. I have no idea where she heard that! So cute.
Saturday morning we went hiking with our friend Kim and her 2 girls. Here are all 4 girls loaded up in the Flex heading out!
We went up to Fox Run Park in Black Forest. We didn't hike too far, as you can imagine. I had Kasey on my back and the other girls all walked. We had to take several breaks. At one stopping point I took this picture of the girls on a bench we came across:
They were all enjoying this view from the bench:
After a nice hike we went back to the car for our picnic lunch. We had managed to park close to a picnic table so we just sat there and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch. After that we stopped at the playground on the way out. This park is pretty incredible. It has hiking trails, biking trails, horse trails. Plus a few small lakes (or ponds more like). We saw several dogs swimming, or fetching, in the water. It has a beautiful gazebo in the middle of one of the ponds that people rent for weddings. Plus, towards the front of the park are lots of nice grass areas, and a few playgrounds. This park pretty much offers everything to anyone! And it's very pretty.
Saturday night Hubby had arranged a date night for us. So, the babysitter arrived and we headed out for dinner. The first place we went was a new brewery that recently opened up. It was 5:30pm (pretty early dinner time) and it was packed with a 45 minute wait. Since we had plans to see a 7:30pm movie, we decided that wouldn't work for us. So, we headed to a sushi restaurant that we both like. After dinner we headed to the movie theater at the mall and watched Toy Story 3. Pretty cute movie, very cute ending! After movie time we headed home. It was nice to have a date night!
Sunday was a quiet(-ish) day at home. Both girls and myself were fighting a slight cold. I thought it was best to not take Courtney to Sunday School. I was really behind on house cleaning. So, we stayed home and I spent the morning cleaning. We are all doing better but still have slight stuffy noses.
Monday was a big day. We met Susan and Zak at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Zak's parents and brother and sister-in-law, and their 20 month old daughter were all in town visiting. And it was Zak's birthday on top of all that. It was nice to spend time with all of them. Here are Susan, Zak and Courtney playing with the infrared camera. Courtney is in Zak's arms and it's her red and green face you see on the screen.
Courtney had a BLAST, especially running around with Uncle Zak. Kasey did a lot of stroller riding, but they did have one room for little kids that she was able to get out and run around. We had plans to go right to dinner after the museum, but Kasey would not fall asleep in the stroller like she normally does. Neither would Eliza, the 20-month old. So, I headed out with my girls for a car ride before dinner, and Eliza and her parents did too. Kasey was asleep before I left the parking lot. Courtney actually ended up falling asleep on our hour long car ride. I was so thankful, that would make dinner a lot easier.
Hubby and my mom came up to join us for dinner. My dad was feeling a bit under the weather, so he stayed home. We all went to Casa Bonita. If you are not familiar with Casa Bonita, let me try to sum it up. It has been there forever. It's pretty awful Mexican food, but you HAVE to buy a meal, its kind of like the price of admission. Once you get that, you move on to a table. We were extremely fortunate to somehow get one of the best seats in the house! We were right by the waterfall. Everyone knows that you don't go to Casa Bonita for the food. You go for the entertainment and sopapillas. Where they have their waterfall and pool, they have all kinds of little skits or shows. They have a cliff diver who comes out and dives pretty regularly. They have arcades, puppet shows, a "haunted cave" (not for under 5), and little rides for young kids. Kasey and Courtney got a kick out of those:
Here's our whole gang!
The girls loved Casa Bonita. They both loved watching the little shows or cliff diver and running around. It was fun to see both of them enjoy it so much!
Today we went to the America the Beautiful park again, but this time with our friends the P's. Here are Kasey and Makala on the swings. This happens to be a picture of Makala's very first time on a swing! I think she is 7 months old now.
And of course after the park we went to the fountain. Here are all 4 girls enjoying the water:
We let them run around in the water for about an hour, until the older ones started to complain that they were hungry. It was hard to get Kasey out as usual. She just LOVES to play in the water! Probably because it's shallow enough that she is able to walk around on her own and I don't need to hold her. So, she can do as she pleases, which makes it just that much better!
Once we got the kids in dry clothes we headed to Poor Richards downtown. It's a little cafe with some pretty yummy food. I had a humus pita that I enjoyed very much. Kasey ate a slice of cheese pizza, the whole thing! And Courtney mooched off Addison's PB&J, and ate very little of her own salad (which she wanted because she thinks she is a rabbit). Kasey napped a bit between the park and lunch, and a little bit at lunch. That ended up being her only nap of the day.
We came home after lunch and I tried to put both girls down for a nap. Neither one napped. Yikes.
At 4:30pm, we headed up to our neighbor's house up the street. We have become friends with her over the years because she used to have a red husky dog named Makita that she walked every day. Makita was very old, and didn't move very fast, which always gave us lots of time to chat. When Courtney was younger she nicknamed Makita "Red" because of her color, and she couldn't say Makita. So, we always called her Red. Makita passed away this past February. But our friendship with Ann has stayed. She invited us up for dinner, her mom and her 6 year old niece were in town visiting. Ann made quite the feast! She made chicken wings, buffalo short ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled corn. Courtney had fun running around with Jessica (the niece) and Kasey had fun following them around. We hung out in her backyard and enjoyed a nice evening.
Then we came home and I dunked the girls in the tub real quick because our evening wasn't over! I agreed to babysit for my friend Bonnie who I know from Ministry team. Her and her husband don't have a family support system here in town, and I don't think they have lived here long, so not much of a friend support system either. I told her I would watch her son if she ever needed. So, we watched Caleb for the evening. He is going to be 2 next month. He arrived bathed and in his PJ's because it was just about bed time for everyone. We let the kids play for about 20 minutes and then we had a story/singing time with all 3 kids. Then just like that, we got all 3 kids down! And there was hardly a peep out of any of them! It was nice! About 2 hours later Bonnie arrived and took Caleb home. I knew we held on to our pack n play for a reason. We set it up in our room and that is where Caleb slept. Jeesh, if only having 3 kids was that easy I would do it! But, I know better.....
Well, it's getting late and it's been a long few days. I hope all of you out there are well.
Saturday morning we went hiking with our friend Kim and her 2 girls. Here are all 4 girls loaded up in the Flex heading out!
We went up to Fox Run Park in Black Forest. We didn't hike too far, as you can imagine. I had Kasey on my back and the other girls all walked. We had to take several breaks. At one stopping point I took this picture of the girls on a bench we came across:
They were all enjoying this view from the bench:
After a nice hike we went back to the car for our picnic lunch. We had managed to park close to a picnic table so we just sat there and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch. After that we stopped at the playground on the way out. This park is pretty incredible. It has hiking trails, biking trails, horse trails. Plus a few small lakes (or ponds more like). We saw several dogs swimming, or fetching, in the water. It has a beautiful gazebo in the middle of one of the ponds that people rent for weddings. Plus, towards the front of the park are lots of nice grass areas, and a few playgrounds. This park pretty much offers everything to anyone! And it's very pretty.Saturday night Hubby had arranged a date night for us. So, the babysitter arrived and we headed out for dinner. The first place we went was a new brewery that recently opened up. It was 5:30pm (pretty early dinner time) and it was packed with a 45 minute wait. Since we had plans to see a 7:30pm movie, we decided that wouldn't work for us. So, we headed to a sushi restaurant that we both like. After dinner we headed to the movie theater at the mall and watched Toy Story 3. Pretty cute movie, very cute ending! After movie time we headed home. It was nice to have a date night!
Sunday was a quiet(-ish) day at home. Both girls and myself were fighting a slight cold. I thought it was best to not take Courtney to Sunday School. I was really behind on house cleaning. So, we stayed home and I spent the morning cleaning. We are all doing better but still have slight stuffy noses.
Monday was a big day. We met Susan and Zak at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Zak's parents and brother and sister-in-law, and their 20 month old daughter were all in town visiting. And it was Zak's birthday on top of all that. It was nice to spend time with all of them. Here are Susan, Zak and Courtney playing with the infrared camera. Courtney is in Zak's arms and it's her red and green face you see on the screen.
Courtney had a BLAST, especially running around with Uncle Zak. Kasey did a lot of stroller riding, but they did have one room for little kids that she was able to get out and run around. We had plans to go right to dinner after the museum, but Kasey would not fall asleep in the stroller like she normally does. Neither would Eliza, the 20-month old. So, I headed out with my girls for a car ride before dinner, and Eliza and her parents did too. Kasey was asleep before I left the parking lot. Courtney actually ended up falling asleep on our hour long car ride. I was so thankful, that would make dinner a lot easier.Hubby and my mom came up to join us for dinner. My dad was feeling a bit under the weather, so he stayed home. We all went to Casa Bonita. If you are not familiar with Casa Bonita, let me try to sum it up. It has been there forever. It's pretty awful Mexican food, but you HAVE to buy a meal, its kind of like the price of admission. Once you get that, you move on to a table. We were extremely fortunate to somehow get one of the best seats in the house! We were right by the waterfall. Everyone knows that you don't go to Casa Bonita for the food. You go for the entertainment and sopapillas. Where they have their waterfall and pool, they have all kinds of little skits or shows. They have a cliff diver who comes out and dives pretty regularly. They have arcades, puppet shows, a "haunted cave" (not for under 5), and little rides for young kids. Kasey and Courtney got a kick out of those:
Here's our whole gang!
The girls loved Casa Bonita. They both loved watching the little shows or cliff diver and running around. It was fun to see both of them enjoy it so much!Today we went to the America the Beautiful park again, but this time with our friends the P's. Here are Kasey and Makala on the swings. This happens to be a picture of Makala's very first time on a swing! I think she is 7 months old now.
And of course after the park we went to the fountain. Here are all 4 girls enjoying the water:
We let them run around in the water for about an hour, until the older ones started to complain that they were hungry. It was hard to get Kasey out as usual. She just LOVES to play in the water! Probably because it's shallow enough that she is able to walk around on her own and I don't need to hold her. So, she can do as she pleases, which makes it just that much better!
Once we got the kids in dry clothes we headed to Poor Richards downtown. It's a little cafe with some pretty yummy food. I had a humus pita that I enjoyed very much. Kasey ate a slice of cheese pizza, the whole thing! And Courtney mooched off Addison's PB&J, and ate very little of her own salad (which she wanted because she thinks she is a rabbit). Kasey napped a bit between the park and lunch, and a little bit at lunch. That ended up being her only nap of the day.
We came home after lunch and I tried to put both girls down for a nap. Neither one napped. Yikes.
At 4:30pm, we headed up to our neighbor's house up the street. We have become friends with her over the years because she used to have a red husky dog named Makita that she walked every day. Makita was very old, and didn't move very fast, which always gave us lots of time to chat. When Courtney was younger she nicknamed Makita "Red" because of her color, and she couldn't say Makita. So, we always called her Red. Makita passed away this past February. But our friendship with Ann has stayed. She invited us up for dinner, her mom and her 6 year old niece were in town visiting. Ann made quite the feast! She made chicken wings, buffalo short ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled corn. Courtney had fun running around with Jessica (the niece) and Kasey had fun following them around. We hung out in her backyard and enjoyed a nice evening.
Then we came home and I dunked the girls in the tub real quick because our evening wasn't over! I agreed to babysit for my friend Bonnie who I know from Ministry team. Her and her husband don't have a family support system here in town, and I don't think they have lived here long, so not much of a friend support system either. I told her I would watch her son if she ever needed. So, we watched Caleb for the evening. He is going to be 2 next month. He arrived bathed and in his PJ's because it was just about bed time for everyone. We let the kids play for about 20 minutes and then we had a story/singing time with all 3 kids. Then just like that, we got all 3 kids down! And there was hardly a peep out of any of them! It was nice! About 2 hours later Bonnie arrived and took Caleb home. I knew we held on to our pack n play for a reason. We set it up in our room and that is where Caleb slept. Jeesh, if only having 3 kids was that easy I would do it! But, I know better.....
Well, it's getting late and it's been a long few days. I hope all of you out there are well.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Another week gone by!
Still trying to soak in the last days of summer before school starts. We spent Tuesday morning in the backyard. Our neighbors came over and the girls played in the backyard for quite a while. We had out the 2 pools and a sprinkler. Pretty soon we won't have much free time to do that! And before we know it, it'll be snowing. Here's everyone enjoying the pool:
That night I went to my friend Norma and John's house. They are in my Sunday school class, and they were hosting Ted and Brandy Cox to speak for the evening. Ted is from the Colorado Springs area, and he is now a missionary living and working in Germany. It's kind of long and confusing what he does, but basically he helps Christian groups in Europe create films/web/print things to help spread the word of the Gospel. So, he was giving a presentation about what they have been doing, who he has met and helped. A lot of interesting stories and some very powerful videos! If you are interested, you can read their blog at: http://gemstonemedia.blogspot.com/
Wednesday morning Courtney had her OT session. Kasey and I ran errands while she was there. Nothing too exciting.
Kasey has been fighting a cold this week, and putting up a good fight I might add. As of today it looks like Courtney is starting to fight it as well. And I am feeling a bit under the weather myself, so I hope it doesn't hit me.
Kasey has been extremely interested in trying on everyone's shoes. Here she is with Courtney's Crocs. Which of course are Courtney's favorite shoes, so sometimes there is a bit of a skirmish over the shoes. But when we are home and Courtney isn't paying attention, Kasey slips on her shoes and walks around. When Courtney won't let her wear her shoes, she goes for mine or Hubby's. It's quite cute.
Thursday was zoo preschool day. We learned about goats this week. Kasey was so cute, when class started she walked over to where the big kids were, and joined their circle. She even sat down on a picture of baby animal like the big kids do!
Here she is playing peek-a-boo with her stroller cover:
We walked around the zoo after class as usual, with our friends the P's. Jared, the dad, is deploying to the Middle East on Monday, so he had the day off work and came to the zoo too to spend time with his kids and wife. Courtney got her face painted like a Ladybug. Addison got her's painted like a lion. Courtney was tinged red the rest of day.
Today I had arranged a playdate with the other Mom's on Ministry Team. We all met at a local park. There were only about 4 moms, but still lots of kids and everyone had fun. We all brought a lunch too, and had a picnic there. It was fun.
I learned today that Courtney got the AM preschool class. YAY! Although they changed the times of the class this year to 8am-10:45am. I am a little bummed about the times. Last year it was a bit later. The early time causes 2 issues for me. One is that the rest of the elementary kids also have to be there at 8am, so it's mass chaos trying to get all the students in. Second is that every other Tuesday I have my ministry team meeting. The meeting runs 9am-11am, and having preschool get out at 10:45am means that I am either going to have to always leave the meeting early or have someone else pick her up and keep her for a bit. I am going to talk to my neighbor and see if she might be able to help. We have to go up to the school next week and have a meeting with the teacher. I can't believe she's starting preschool in just over a week!
Well, I am being beckoned to go play a game of Chutes and Ladders, so I better run!
That night I went to my friend Norma and John's house. They are in my Sunday school class, and they were hosting Ted and Brandy Cox to speak for the evening. Ted is from the Colorado Springs area, and he is now a missionary living and working in Germany. It's kind of long and confusing what he does, but basically he helps Christian groups in Europe create films/web/print things to help spread the word of the Gospel. So, he was giving a presentation about what they have been doing, who he has met and helped. A lot of interesting stories and some very powerful videos! If you are interested, you can read their blog at: http://gemstonemedia.blogspot.com/
Wednesday morning Courtney had her OT session. Kasey and I ran errands while she was there. Nothing too exciting.
Kasey has been fighting a cold this week, and putting up a good fight I might add. As of today it looks like Courtney is starting to fight it as well. And I am feeling a bit under the weather myself, so I hope it doesn't hit me.
Kasey has been extremely interested in trying on everyone's shoes. Here she is with Courtney's Crocs. Which of course are Courtney's favorite shoes, so sometimes there is a bit of a skirmish over the shoes. But when we are home and Courtney isn't paying attention, Kasey slips on her shoes and walks around. When Courtney won't let her wear her shoes, she goes for mine or Hubby's. It's quite cute.
Thursday was zoo preschool day. We learned about goats this week. Kasey was so cute, when class started she walked over to where the big kids were, and joined their circle. She even sat down on a picture of baby animal like the big kids do!
Here she is playing peek-a-boo with her stroller cover:
We walked around the zoo after class as usual, with our friends the P's. Jared, the dad, is deploying to the Middle East on Monday, so he had the day off work and came to the zoo too to spend time with his kids and wife. Courtney got her face painted like a Ladybug. Addison got her's painted like a lion. Courtney was tinged red the rest of day.
Today I had arranged a playdate with the other Mom's on Ministry Team. We all met at a local park. There were only about 4 moms, but still lots of kids and everyone had fun. We all brought a lunch too, and had a picnic there. It was fun.
I learned today that Courtney got the AM preschool class. YAY! Although they changed the times of the class this year to 8am-10:45am. I am a little bummed about the times. Last year it was a bit later. The early time causes 2 issues for me. One is that the rest of the elementary kids also have to be there at 8am, so it's mass chaos trying to get all the students in. Second is that every other Tuesday I have my ministry team meeting. The meeting runs 9am-11am, and having preschool get out at 10:45am means that I am either going to have to always leave the meeting early or have someone else pick her up and keep her for a bit. I am going to talk to my neighbor and see if she might be able to help. We have to go up to the school next week and have a meeting with the teacher. I can't believe she's starting preschool in just over a week!
Well, I am being beckoned to go play a game of Chutes and Ladders, so I better run!
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Not ready!
I am just not ready for summer to be over! I am just not! I feel like there are still too many things left to do while there is nice weather and we can go during the week! Here is my wish list I put together in June of things I wanted to take the kids to this summer:
Denver Zoo
Pueblo Zoo
Renaissance Festival
Denver Kids Museum
Pueblo Kids Museum
State Fair (but doesn't happen till late Aug)El Paso County fairand as of today I wish to add: Pirates Cove and the Natural Museum of History in Denver
We did manage to get to the Denver Zoo, the Renaissance Festival, the Denver Kids Museum, and the County Fair. Not too bad! Almost 50% done. And it looks like I can check the Natural History Museum off my list as of Monday Aug 16. It's Zak's birthday, his family will be in town so we are all going to meet up there and possibly head to Casa Bonita afterward for dinner. I may need to save the other stuff for next summer. Although the State Fair hasn't started yet, so we may be able to do that one too. And the Pueblo kids museum isn't an outside activity, so we may be able to do that one over the winter. Pirates Cove is the one that will probably have to wait for next summer. And I am sure by then I will have a new huge list of things I want to do with the kids.
Let's see, what has happened over the past week? Well, Thursday was zoo preschool of course. We are doing "hoofed" animals this month as the theme. So Thursday's animal was the pony. Except we didn't ride the ponies as I had expected. Instead we got to see one of the ponies paint! Who knew ponies could paint?! And it just happened to also be Courtney's favorite horse, Amiga. It was so cute! We really enjoyed watching her paint.
After she was done painting the girls got to pet her:
After preschool was over we ate lunch and then walked around the zoo as normal. They did the standard things: rode the merry-go-round, a pony ride, and rode the train. They also played in the sprinklers they have at the zoo. It looks like a old leaky hose that sprays water. It's quite cute, and very nice on a hot day. We run the babies through it in their strollers. The girls usually walk away soaked. Good thing about Colorado though, they are mostly dry by the time we get to the cars.
Here is the girls being silly. 
That night we had a special event to attend at the zoo. They were hosting their annual Moonlight on the Mountain. They call it an adult party at the zoo. Mostly because they have a wine shop and a local brewery serving beer. You get 4 drinks for free! Plus they have other fun activities and animal demonstrations. Here we are going to feed the giraffes lettuce (note the giraffe dress, I was trying to blend in):
After a lettuce feeding for the giraffes, a salad feeding for us and a beer, we headed up the mountian. They had a few of their different areas open and handing out food. The first stop, the salad stop, was at the Safari Lodge near the giraffes. They had music at every stop as well. There was a singer/songwriter guy singing and playing his guitar in there. The next stop was the Grizzly Grill. They were serving ribs, chicken wings and Parmesan garlic fries. And of course, time for another beer. They had some band set up playing music. They were too loud if you ask me. From there we went up to the grizzly bears. They held a demonstration. I LOVE that one. They open the door in the little hut you are in, and the bear is RIGHT THERE! I was seriously 2 feet away from a bear! I would put a picture here, but it's really had to get a good clear picture because of the bars. But he is sooo cute! Here are our friends the P's while waiting for the bear demo:
We also saw a hippo demo, kind of. There were too many people for us really to see what was happening. The last stop they had some ice cream samples, and tacos and nachos. Plus more beer. And they had a band called Martini Shot. They were really good. At least I really enjoyed them, they were an 80's cover band, so ya know they were right up my alley. We headed out about 10pm, so kind of a late night (for us parents, that late!)
The next day I was out in the backyard with the kids. I was bored and thinking, it would really be nice to have some kids over to play. So I posted to Facebook that we were looking for a play date! I had 2 friends bring their kids over. So, pretty soon there were 4 little girls running around the backyard in swimsuits playing in the baby pool, the sprinklers, and on the play stuff in the back yard. Hubby was kind and picked us up Wendy's for lunch and brought it to us. After lunch, everyone headed out and it was nap time for all of us! It was a great morning.
That evening we had a wedding rehearsal. Courtney was the flower girl, and I was a bridesmaid, in my friend Dana's wedding. She got married up at the Sunbird restaurant here in town. After the rehearsal, I dropped Courtney at home for Daddy to put her to bed, and I went to the grocery store. Besides being out of a lot of stuff, I also needed to stock up for the next day.
The next morning was finally Doolie Day Out! They changed it this year, we didn't get the kids until after they were already done with basic, and have started classes! Usually we get them half way though basic, or 3 weeks after they arrive. So, a big change this year. We have 2 new boys, Andrew and Grant. Andrew is from Minnesota and Grant is from South Carolina. They seem like 2 very nice kids.
Anyway, they also changed the times the kids were allowed off base. It used to be 9am-5pm. This year it was 8am-10pm! So, Hubby was up and out the door at 7:15am to go get them. After they made it home, he made homemade pancakes. Then he made cheesesteaks for lunch, and we had turkey breasts and baked potatoes on the smoker for dinner. I left about 12:15pm to go get my hair done. We ran into issues with timing due to the wedding and such. So, my mom came up to our house to babysit Kasey and the Cadets. Her friend Syl joined her because she doesn't live far from us and it was her birthday. So, we had the whole dinner ready to go, my mom just had to take it off the smoker and serve it. It worked out well since the rest of us had to be at the wedding. But to get the kids back on time, we did have to leave the wedding early. But it was getting late for Courtney anyway. So, it worked out well all around.
Now on to the wedding! Courtney did a great job! Here's the bridal party prior to the wedding:
Here's Courtney in action (she did so good!):
Here's the bridal party after the ceremony:
Here's Mommy and Courtney! (I was a bridesmaid):
Here's Courtney and Hannah dancing with the bride!
Yes, the bride was wearing red. The whole wedding was black and red and it was beautiful!
On the way to pick up Dana (the bride, my job was to pick her and the bridal party up) I was stuck in traffic. I was trying to figure out what on earth was causing the backup I was in. I finally caught up to the backup. It was a momma duck and her ducklings (about 15 of them) waddling down the road! The road they chose to waddle down is under construction and the jersey walls were keeping them from getting off the main road. So, there was a car that was kind enough to put on it's hazards and drive slow keeping them safe. It was so cute! Then after picking up everyone, on the way to The Sunbird, we saw a mommy dear and her 2 fawns on the side of the road! Ok, everyone all together now: awwwwww!!!!
The monsoon flow is still overhead so the rain has been plenty, and every day. As I am sitting here there is a TON of lighting outside. It's been raining off and on all afternoon today and just about every day for the last 2 weeks.
I have to share this super cute Courtney story. So, today at church, Courtney went up to the front for the childrens' sermon. There we about 40 kids up at the front of the church. After the sermon the kids all go off together to a room upstairs for snack and praise time (they watch some little movies). Anyway, Courtney didn't go with the mass exodus of kids. Instead she moved over and sat next to the pastor. Then she grabbed his hand and was trying to take him with her. It was cute, and the congregation chuckled. The pastor said "does anyone want to claim this child?" I was already on my way up front. I was over on the side, about 30 feet away. The pastor saw me and sent Courtney my way. She comes running over to me, but stops about 2 feet away. She then turns around and runs back about 10 feet and waves at the pastor until he waved back. The congregation was laughing pretty good at this point. She finally ran back to me and I got her off to be with the other kids.
At the of the service I had several strangers and several friends say "oh your daughter is so cute!" Yea, she is!
Denver Zoo
Pueblo Zoo
Renaissance Festival
Denver Kids Museum
Pueblo Kids Museum
State Fair (but doesn't happen till late Aug)El Paso County fairand as of today I wish to add: Pirates Cove and the Natural Museum of History in Denver
We did manage to get to the Denver Zoo, the Renaissance Festival, the Denver Kids Museum, and the County Fair. Not too bad! Almost 50% done. And it looks like I can check the Natural History Museum off my list as of Monday Aug 16. It's Zak's birthday, his family will be in town so we are all going to meet up there and possibly head to Casa Bonita afterward for dinner. I may need to save the other stuff for next summer. Although the State Fair hasn't started yet, so we may be able to do that one too. And the Pueblo kids museum isn't an outside activity, so we may be able to do that one over the winter. Pirates Cove is the one that will probably have to wait for next summer. And I am sure by then I will have a new huge list of things I want to do with the kids.
Let's see, what has happened over the past week? Well, Thursday was zoo preschool of course. We are doing "hoofed" animals this month as the theme. So Thursday's animal was the pony. Except we didn't ride the ponies as I had expected. Instead we got to see one of the ponies paint! Who knew ponies could paint?! And it just happened to also be Courtney's favorite horse, Amiga. It was so cute! We really enjoyed watching her paint.
After she was done painting the girls got to pet her:
After preschool was over we ate lunch and then walked around the zoo as normal. They did the standard things: rode the merry-go-round, a pony ride, and rode the train. They also played in the sprinklers they have at the zoo. It looks like a old leaky hose that sprays water. It's quite cute, and very nice on a hot day. We run the babies through it in their strollers. The girls usually walk away soaked. Good thing about Colorado though, they are mostly dry by the time we get to the cars.
Here is the girls being silly. 
That night we had a special event to attend at the zoo. They were hosting their annual Moonlight on the Mountain. They call it an adult party at the zoo. Mostly because they have a wine shop and a local brewery serving beer. You get 4 drinks for free! Plus they have other fun activities and animal demonstrations. Here we are going to feed the giraffes lettuce (note the giraffe dress, I was trying to blend in):
After a lettuce feeding for the giraffes, a salad feeding for us and a beer, we headed up the mountian. They had a few of their different areas open and handing out food. The first stop, the salad stop, was at the Safari Lodge near the giraffes. They had music at every stop as well. There was a singer/songwriter guy singing and playing his guitar in there. The next stop was the Grizzly Grill. They were serving ribs, chicken wings and Parmesan garlic fries. And of course, time for another beer. They had some band set up playing music. They were too loud if you ask me. From there we went up to the grizzly bears. They held a demonstration. I LOVE that one. They open the door in the little hut you are in, and the bear is RIGHT THERE! I was seriously 2 feet away from a bear! I would put a picture here, but it's really had to get a good clear picture because of the bars. But he is sooo cute! Here are our friends the P's while waiting for the bear demo:
We also saw a hippo demo, kind of. There were too many people for us really to see what was happening. The last stop they had some ice cream samples, and tacos and nachos. Plus more beer. And they had a band called Martini Shot. They were really good. At least I really enjoyed them, they were an 80's cover band, so ya know they were right up my alley. We headed out about 10pm, so kind of a late night (for us parents, that late!)The next day I was out in the backyard with the kids. I was bored and thinking, it would really be nice to have some kids over to play. So I posted to Facebook that we were looking for a play date! I had 2 friends bring their kids over. So, pretty soon there were 4 little girls running around the backyard in swimsuits playing in the baby pool, the sprinklers, and on the play stuff in the back yard. Hubby was kind and picked us up Wendy's for lunch and brought it to us. After lunch, everyone headed out and it was nap time for all of us! It was a great morning.
That evening we had a wedding rehearsal. Courtney was the flower girl, and I was a bridesmaid, in my friend Dana's wedding. She got married up at the Sunbird restaurant here in town. After the rehearsal, I dropped Courtney at home for Daddy to put her to bed, and I went to the grocery store. Besides being out of a lot of stuff, I also needed to stock up for the next day.
The next morning was finally Doolie Day Out! They changed it this year, we didn't get the kids until after they were already done with basic, and have started classes! Usually we get them half way though basic, or 3 weeks after they arrive. So, a big change this year. We have 2 new boys, Andrew and Grant. Andrew is from Minnesota and Grant is from South Carolina. They seem like 2 very nice kids.
Anyway, they also changed the times the kids were allowed off base. It used to be 9am-5pm. This year it was 8am-10pm! So, Hubby was up and out the door at 7:15am to go get them. After they made it home, he made homemade pancakes. Then he made cheesesteaks for lunch, and we had turkey breasts and baked potatoes on the smoker for dinner. I left about 12:15pm to go get my hair done. We ran into issues with timing due to the wedding and such. So, my mom came up to our house to babysit Kasey and the Cadets. Her friend Syl joined her because she doesn't live far from us and it was her birthday. So, we had the whole dinner ready to go, my mom just had to take it off the smoker and serve it. It worked out well since the rest of us had to be at the wedding. But to get the kids back on time, we did have to leave the wedding early. But it was getting late for Courtney anyway. So, it worked out well all around.
Now on to the wedding! Courtney did a great job! Here's the bridal party prior to the wedding:
Here's Courtney in action (she did so good!):
Here's the bridal party after the ceremony:
Here's Mommy and Courtney! (I was a bridesmaid):
Here's Courtney and Hannah dancing with the bride!
Yes, the bride was wearing red. The whole wedding was black and red and it was beautiful!
On the way to pick up Dana (the bride, my job was to pick her and the bridal party up) I was stuck in traffic. I was trying to figure out what on earth was causing the backup I was in. I finally caught up to the backup. It was a momma duck and her ducklings (about 15 of them) waddling down the road! The road they chose to waddle down is under construction and the jersey walls were keeping them from getting off the main road. So, there was a car that was kind enough to put on it's hazards and drive slow keeping them safe. It was so cute! Then after picking up everyone, on the way to The Sunbird, we saw a mommy dear and her 2 fawns on the side of the road! Ok, everyone all together now: awwwwww!!!!
The monsoon flow is still overhead so the rain has been plenty, and every day. As I am sitting here there is a TON of lighting outside. It's been raining off and on all afternoon today and just about every day for the last 2 weeks.
I have to share this super cute Courtney story. So, today at church, Courtney went up to the front for the childrens' sermon. There we about 40 kids up at the front of the church. After the sermon the kids all go off together to a room upstairs for snack and praise time (they watch some little movies). Anyway, Courtney didn't go with the mass exodus of kids. Instead she moved over and sat next to the pastor. Then she grabbed his hand and was trying to take him with her. It was cute, and the congregation chuckled. The pastor said "does anyone want to claim this child?" I was already on my way up front. I was over on the side, about 30 feet away. The pastor saw me and sent Courtney my way. She comes running over to me, but stops about 2 feet away. She then turns around and runs back about 10 feet and waves at the pastor until he waved back. The congregation was laughing pretty good at this point. She finally ran back to me and I got her off to be with the other kids.
At the of the service I had several strangers and several friends say "oh your daughter is so cute!" Yea, she is!
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Home from Vegas
Hubby pulled in about 2:30am Tuesday morning from Las Vegas. So, he is home safe and sound. Courtney didn't care for the Mohawk. It's gone now, he shaved his head last night. I did take more pictures before he did it though. I haven't uploaded them off my camera yet, but when I do, I will post them here.
The last few days we have actually been able to spend at home. I have worked on some major cleaning. Funny thing is that I feel like you can't really tell. I feel like no matter how much I clean, things are still cluttered. It's rather frustrating to me.
We did manage to escape for an hour this afternoon to head to our neighbor's house to play. Before we left I put a pork loin on the smoker and some curried fruit in the oven. It worked out perfect! We came home at 5pm, and dinner was ready! And it was so easy! AND delicious! If only every meal was that easy.
Kasey must be going through or getting ready to go through a growth spurt. She has been eating like a horse and has been very clumsy. I think she is going to need to move into 18 month old clothes really soon. How can the doctor be worried about her weight?!
Last night I met up with some other moms from the Ministry Team for MOPS. I am going to do Ministry Team this year. The Ministry Team are the volunteers who make the program run. I am really excited, and looking forward to it this year! Mikala is our new co-ordinater and I think she is going to make it so fun! She is a great person, always keeps us laughing and has such a kind heart.
Tomorrow night we are going to Moonlight on the Mountain. Which is basically like a date night for adults at the zoo. There will be a band and drinks and some munchies. I can't wait! We are going with the P's and I have a new giraffe print dress to wear!
Friday night is Dana's wedding rehersal. I am a bridesmaid and Courtney is a flower girl. The wedding is on Saturday night, at the Sunbird over looking the city. Saturday is going to be a crazy day around here. It's also Doolies Day Out, so we get to meet out 2 new cadets!
Well, time to clean the bird cage! Hugs to everyone!
The last few days we have actually been able to spend at home. I have worked on some major cleaning. Funny thing is that I feel like you can't really tell. I feel like no matter how much I clean, things are still cluttered. It's rather frustrating to me.
We did manage to escape for an hour this afternoon to head to our neighbor's house to play. Before we left I put a pork loin on the smoker and some curried fruit in the oven. It worked out perfect! We came home at 5pm, and dinner was ready! And it was so easy! AND delicious! If only every meal was that easy.
Kasey must be going through or getting ready to go through a growth spurt. She has been eating like a horse and has been very clumsy. I think she is going to need to move into 18 month old clothes really soon. How can the doctor be worried about her weight?!
Last night I met up with some other moms from the Ministry Team for MOPS. I am going to do Ministry Team this year. The Ministry Team are the volunteers who make the program run. I am really excited, and looking forward to it this year! Mikala is our new co-ordinater and I think she is going to make it so fun! She is a great person, always keeps us laughing and has such a kind heart.
Tomorrow night we are going to Moonlight on the Mountain. Which is basically like a date night for adults at the zoo. There will be a band and drinks and some munchies. I can't wait! We are going with the P's and I have a new giraffe print dress to wear!
Friday night is Dana's wedding rehersal. I am a bridesmaid and Courtney is a flower girl. The wedding is on Saturday night, at the Sunbird over looking the city. Saturday is going to be a crazy day around here. It's also Doolies Day Out, so we get to meet out 2 new cadets!
Well, time to clean the bird cage! Hugs to everyone!
Monday, August 02, 2010
New Floor
We have talked about re-doing the floors at my parents' house for years. The time has finally come! Zak came down late Friday night, and Saturday morning they went and picked up new flooring. My mom chose an engineered hardwood in an oak color.
The girls and I headed down after nap Saturday afternoon. By the time we arrived Zak had gotten the caret and padding in the living room pulled up. I helped pull staples off the floor, as well as the tack stripes and the trim. My mom and dad had the task of watching the girls. We took a break for dinner and finally about 8pm I had to head out to take the girls home. But, we had already started to lay floor in the living room!
The next morning we headed down about 9am. Of course by that time I had been up since 6:30am and had already done laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, vacuumed, and more. We took the dogs with us since we were going to be spending the day down there. Buddy just can't go an entire day without a bathroom break anymore. And since Phoebe was down too, I knew my dogs would have fun.
We finished the living room right away. Then Zak tried to start removing the floor where the linoleum was. That caused a bit of an issue. It has been there for so long that it was just not wanting to budge. Plus back then they used plywood under the flooring (instead of the typical leuwan they use today). So the plywood was just crumbling. In an hours time Zak only got about 6 inches cleared. Then we tried using steam to help. It helped a little, and I mean a little. It was such a little amount that it really didn't count. So then it became an issue of "what are we going to do?" It was determined that Zak will lay the floor right over the old linoleum. However, there will be a lip where the difference will be between where the carpet was and where the linoleum is. Should be interesting to see how it looks.
Anyway, I have to say I was quite surprised at how easy the whole process is! It really makes me want to pull the linoleum in my kitchen and replace it with a hardwood floor. I would really like to use bamboo though. And supposedly it's one of the toughest woods out there too! I may just need to look into doing that. My muscles are feeling a bit sore today after all the new work I have done with them the last 2 days.
The dogs did have a good time. In fact so good that they had to have baths last night. Maggie and Buddy rolled in something and were quite dirty and smelly. I gave Bristol and Maggie a bath last night and tonight will be Buddy. Maggie's bathwater was really bad! I was so thankful I was giving her a bath!
Hubby drives home from Vegas today. I get to see that Mohawk in person. I wonder what Courtney will say? Well, I guess it's time to go do more housework!
The girls and I headed down after nap Saturday afternoon. By the time we arrived Zak had gotten the caret and padding in the living room pulled up. I helped pull staples off the floor, as well as the tack stripes and the trim. My mom and dad had the task of watching the girls. We took a break for dinner and finally about 8pm I had to head out to take the girls home. But, we had already started to lay floor in the living room!
The next morning we headed down about 9am. Of course by that time I had been up since 6:30am and had already done laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, vacuumed, and more. We took the dogs with us since we were going to be spending the day down there. Buddy just can't go an entire day without a bathroom break anymore. And since Phoebe was down too, I knew my dogs would have fun.
We finished the living room right away. Then Zak tried to start removing the floor where the linoleum was. That caused a bit of an issue. It has been there for so long that it was just not wanting to budge. Plus back then they used plywood under the flooring (instead of the typical leuwan they use today). So the plywood was just crumbling. In an hours time Zak only got about 6 inches cleared. Then we tried using steam to help. It helped a little, and I mean a little. It was such a little amount that it really didn't count. So then it became an issue of "what are we going to do?" It was determined that Zak will lay the floor right over the old linoleum. However, there will be a lip where the difference will be between where the carpet was and where the linoleum is. Should be interesting to see how it looks.
Anyway, I have to say I was quite surprised at how easy the whole process is! It really makes me want to pull the linoleum in my kitchen and replace it with a hardwood floor. I would really like to use bamboo though. And supposedly it's one of the toughest woods out there too! I may just need to look into doing that. My muscles are feeling a bit sore today after all the new work I have done with them the last 2 days.
The dogs did have a good time. In fact so good that they had to have baths last night. Maggie and Buddy rolled in something and were quite dirty and smelly. I gave Bristol and Maggie a bath last night and tonight will be Buddy. Maggie's bathwater was really bad! I was so thankful I was giving her a bath!
Hubby drives home from Vegas today. I get to see that Mohawk in person. I wonder what Courtney will say? Well, I guess it's time to go do more housework!
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